Friday, 21 November, 1997 06:42

I have managed to stay quiet so far about the septuplets, but after reading this morning's paper, I just couldn't do it any more...

The Lord will provide! the beaming dad says. So far the lord hasn't done a damned thing, but a lot of suckerish people have. Donations are pouring in.

The children will be raised in a xian home.

Just what the world needs... seven more little xians. Or seven kids of any kind. What hath science wrought?

More than a million dollars spent, so far, just to get this litter delivered and through the first day.

To a used-car salesman and a seamstress. Not saying anything against either "profession" (I'm sure that you have your own opinions) but I don't think that they are anywhere near being able to afford to take care of eight kids. (They already had one.)

So, they had one kid, what the hell were they doing on fertility drugs, anyway? Things just weren't moving fast enough for them? Their older girl is about two, that means that she was not quite eighteen months when the seven were conceived... does this make any sense?

Your tax dollars at work, folks.

Speaking of tax dollars, it seems that Bill Clinton is getting into the saber-rattling game. This deal with Iraq isn't over until He says it's over. Well, dammit, he hasn't got to be in a war, yet. Everyone else in that office has, to some extent...

I have several skinned knuckles from yesterday's plumbing fiasco, and my wrench-turning elbow is on fire. I also skinned my knee pretty badly getting out of the crawl space. And my stomach muscles are extremely sore, probably from working in a confined space.

The plumber cost me about $250. After I saw how he did it... shit, I could'a done that! What he got paid for was knowing how... and I won't be able to use what I know about plumbing to recover that $250, either. He's coming back today to fix some incoming water leaks that I noticed as I was working yesterday.... where old iron pipe meets copper. That will be another mess, I know, if I would try to work on that, so I won't.

I have learned my lesson. I know my limitations. Until next time, anyway...

Today will be somewhat busy. I have to get ads in the paper for the Saab and the van, get tags for the caddy, go pay some bills... seems like there was something else, I forget what it was...

At any rate, this is all for right now.

And I'm exhausted. But I have done everything that I intended to do today, and that, in itself, makes it a very good day. Even if I did have to give the plumber another $125.

I got permanent tags for the Caddie ($300), straightened out some insurance stuff, got ads in the paper for the excessive automotive stuff, cleaned out and filled the hot tub (it still isn't fixed... I called the guy again, though...) and cleaned up the kitchen. O'yeah, I went by the credit union and did some stuff, and I ordered checks... and right now I'm gonna call the dentist.

O'yeah, I moved some (heavy) stuff to the basement, and did some preliminary re-arranging down there. And I moved some (really really heavy) stuff... those old iron pipes that were filled with crud... I otta scan a cross-section of one... no, I better not, everyone would puke on their keyboards and then sue me... anyway, I carried them upstairs and broke them up and threw them in the trash cans.

OK... see the dentist at 14:00 on Tuesday afternoon. Monday Karen and I need to go to the credit union and sign some papers; I think that she's going to Wichita Tuesday afternoon, but I'm not sure when she's leaving, I guess I should ask. We were both going to go down on Monday and I was coming back on Wednesday, but I'm not going at all now, I need to intercept the people who call on the ads in the paper. I sure do hope that there are calls, anyway...

Sometimes... I amaze myself at how ambitious I can be and how much work I can get done. Most of the time I'm disgusted at myself for being a lazy slug, and then I pull off a day like today. What the hell happened? More importantly....How can I make it happen again?

I'm thinking back to my theme earlier this week... I spend most of my time being pretty tired. So tired that doing anything is a chore. And on the days where I get plenty of rest... I'm a tornado.

On the other hand, today I may have shot my wad for the week. Or a month.

Another thing that I got done was to enroll myself in St. Francis' insurance plan. Since Karen's plan changed, I've not been to see my cardiologist, and I would've had to go to the (shudder) Other Hospital. There's really nothing wrong with the other hospital, it's just that I like familiar territory. And I like my cardiologist, who is not covered under Karen's plan. Shit, the guy saved my life! How could I go see someone else?

Anyway, that's enough for today. More tomorrow...