Friday, October 29, 2010

Fast Friday

No, NOT that kind of fast.  We're talking fast as in a noun, not an adjective.  Here is how the word is used: "I had to do a fast overnight for blood tests this morning."  That's why it's a Fast Friday.  It really taxes my patience to have to wait until AFTER 9 am to have a cuppa joe!  And no food?  How barbaric is that, anyway?

My Doc is The Minute Man.  Honest.  He charges by the minute. His rate right now is $2.136 per minute.  Yeah, he rounds off to the third decimal.  He's that kinda guy.  Anyway, I saw him for 22 minutes so he got $47 for his time.  He only charges true cost for lab tests but he does charge an extra ten bucks to draw the blood samples.    My blood sugar count test is $4, the comprehensive metabolic is $9 and the lipid panel is $8.  He threw in a physical inspection of Ye Ol' Prostate and some chit chat and the total bill came to $78.  Just try and get a price like that at a "doc in a box" joint!  No can do, Kathmandu.  This Doc is a hoot--he's so totally anti-establishment. This is a place where the patient participates in the medical procedures.  He's drawing blood and yelps, "Here, hold this, I gotta get another tube!"  No need for an assistant when the patient can do it for himself, eh? His office is so spartan it's hilarious.  He uses a folding plastic table for his desk and all his various supplies are sitting on simple pine shelves tacked up on the wall of what once a bedroom in a ranch house. Yep, he practices out of his own home.  And get this, he'll even give you a $5 discount for cash!  Today was a fun visit.  I'm scheduled to get a PSA exam tomorrow at the local hospital Cancer Open House and I told this to the Doc.  Man, he went off on a tirade about the worthlessness of PSA exams and started wagging his finger at me--"There's NO substitute for a physical exam."  It would have made a great scene in a Monte Python or Woody Allen movie.  Then he gave me scripts for a year's supply of blood pressure and cholesterol meds and kicked me out the door.  Ya gotta love a Doc like that.

Whazzup with the photo up top?  Well, it's a screen shot from the TV in our office.  Susun records her shows and then watches them much later.  I think they call it "time shifting."  Anyway, this morning's Today Show used the Sedona Red Rocks as the background for their live stage set. (The thought HAS crossed our minds that perhaps the Today Show set designers chose the Red Rocks on purpose to match the characters onstage.  Ya think?) The Chamber people in Sedona are probably dancing in the streets or trotting on the trolley or something like that.

How 'bout that Hopi story?  Isn't that cool?  We are so jazzed about it.  I think I will have to do a separate blog piece on it soon.  This post is already too long.  Suffice to say it's huge news and it's awesomely wonderful news.  WOW!

OK, we have a heartwarming story for you this morning.  It's in two parts.  First, Click here for our comments on Beto.  Then, Click here for a Steve Ayers story on Beto.  We have no doubt you will find both stories captivating.

We've brought out Snowbirds Twitter account back to life.  Yep, we spent a few hours on it yesterday.  We've changed its scope and purpose and we're rockin' and rollin' with it once again.  Gettin' our Tweet Game Face painted back on. Click here for The Snowbirds Twitter Account.


And, finally, here's the weekly stats.  They look almost identical to last week's stats.

Visits

            Total ........................ 2,386            
            Average per Day ................. 20            
            Average Visit Length .......... 3:41            
            This Week ...................... 137            

          Page Views

            Total ........................ 4,415            
            Average per Day ................. 42            
            Average per Visit .............. 2.2            
            This Week ...................... 297
 
Thanks for reading & Many Cheers!  jp 

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