Saturday, April 27, 2019

Saturday & Sundry Thoughts on This & That


Not many or particularly deep thoughts. Over the past week or so I've been feeling tired, exhausted, fatigued, fed up.... It's not really connected the breast cancer issue. Both incisions are healing well, and the pesky drain was taken out at last, on Thursday. Stitches likely to be taken out on Monday. There might be a course of radiation sometime in my future, but I have not yet made my appointment with the radiation oncologist for assessment - I need a little breathing space, damn it! It's our 15th wedding anniversary on Tuesday. We missed a celebration last year, have missed celebrating my birthday and husband's birthday already this year.

My secondary issue, lymphocytic colitis, discovered after colonoscopy, has been causing more problems after it had gradually started settling down. I suspect that side effects from the 6-week course of meds I bought - at the knock down price of $1,400 - have been kicking in during past days. I have only 5 days' worth of tablets left. Side effects of this med do include unusual tiredness, and various types of discomfort stomach/bowel-wise. These should subside once I finish the course (I hope).



Other thoughts, unrelated to health issues:

If Joe Biden eventually becomes the Democrats' nominee in the 2020 presidential election - it simply has to have been "a fix".

Happy to see the name of Mike Gravel around once more, this time in context of the 2020 election.

Two of my posts on Mike Gravel from 2007 and 2008:

https://twilightstarsong.blogspot.com/2007/10/soapbox-time.html
https://twilightstarsong.blogspot.com/2008/05/changing-horses.html




We watched "I, Daniel Blake"
on Netflix this week - a 2016 British movie. It made me as angry as I've ever felt watching any movie or TV drama. Angry, not at the movie itself, but at the circumstance described in it, which are present for far too many people in the UK (and in the USA too as it happens). Gold Star to the movie's director, Ken Loach (also famous for other hard-hitting films such as "Kathy Come Home" and "Kes"). Thank the gods for the Ken Loaches of this world - unafraid to say what needs to be said in ways that strike at the heart.





 James Spader as Alan Shore, Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt
David E. Kelley, in the USA, is another such writer/director, though not as raw and hard-hitting as Ken Loach, he still managed to get said things that needed to be said. We've been re-watching (by DVD) the whole series of "Boston Legal" this week. Alan Shore's wondrous closing speeches are the jewel at the heart of each episode; these address issues that needed to be candidly addressed at the time the show originally aired. Those same issues mostly still need a candid airing in 2019 - because really nothing much changes, does it? "Boston Legal" managed to last for 5 seasons on ABC channel, 2004-2008. Those outspoken closing speeches did, eventually, raise the hackles of the network's owners, or their advertisers, I guess. Where is today's comparable show?

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3 comments:

  1. WisewebwomanApril 27, 2019 4:51 PM

    I am sorry to hear you are suffering so many after-effects with the two (!) issues you have going on. One brave lady. Kudos.

    Wrote down your recommendations, love some good stuff.

    Did you see Russian Doll? I got hooked but then I thought it fizzled away to nothing. Rave reviews tho.

    XO
    WWW

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  2. WisewebwomanApril 28, 2019 8:05 AM

    Saw I Daniel Blake last night on your recommendation. It had me crying - I am currently forming a group for senior women in poverty as these are treated as "charity cases" and encouraged to go to Food Banks, etc. Most of their lives, in many cases, spent raising children, no pensions, just state assistance, which is not enough to cover even modest bills and no breaks on power bills, etc.

    End of life humiliation and poverty after so many productive years of child care which is free emotional labour and considered "choice". As if.

    Heartbreaking film, and well done too. I've known a few resorting to "escort" to support their bills and then descend rapidly to addiction as who enjoys being raped 10 or more times a day?

    Sorry for the long post but the movie really resonated.

    Thanks!

    XO
    WWW

    ReplyDelete
  3. TwilightApril 28, 2019 9:46 AM

    Wisewebwoman ~ Thanks, WWW. We haven't seen "Russian Doll", but will look for it tonight. We've cancelled Netflix, so tonight or early next week we'll be cut off. We found we were watching Amazon Prime 90% of the time so decided to give Netflix the chop, at least for a while.

    Oh good! I'm glad you watched "I, Daniel Blake". It deserves to be better known, and though set in the UK, much the same things go on here in the USA, and elsewhere, I feel certain.

    Kudos to you, WWW for starting a group to help senior women in poverty. They are, indeed, a "forgotten" group who need support.

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