A Continuum of Doctors, Day 19 of Sobriety, Heading West, War Drums are Pounding

“November 2, 1984 was an especially tragic day in the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/AIDS epidemic. That was the day Anthony Fauci became the Director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (NIAID). (Good Intentions p.128) It was the day a thin-skinned, physically ultra-diminutive man with a legendary Napoleonic attitude was positioned by destiny to become the de facto AIDS Czar. In the fog of culpability that constitutes what could be called “Holocaust II” one thing is clear: the buck, on its way to the very top of the government, at least pauses at the megalomaniac desk of Anthony Fauci.”
— Charles Ortleb

6:36 a.m., it’s cold outside, cold is a relative term, but after snuggling all night under warm blankets with my Queen and a friendly dog, l can attest to the frigid nature of this morning. But, it’s not just cold; it’s dark; welcome to October in Indiana.

Day 19 of sobriety, I feel good, I wake with clarity, I think we got 10 hours of sleep last night, we have a routine, come home, cook, eat, watch some silly show on Netflix and go to bed.  I either watch another show or read until I get tired, then about 9:00 p.m., the device or television is turned off, and I slumber the night away, not waking once.

We sleep well; I have friends that can only get four or five hours a night before getting up and moving on.  I find sleep a battery charging experience, waking up with a green battery each morning.  I think sleep is a key to good health.

I worked at our downtown home until 11:00; my wife left to meet a client and review; I headed to Keystone at the crossing to meet a friend from High School.  Trevor has done well for himself; we were friends during and after high school, our paths have crossed over the years; I had an open lunch spot and reached out to see if he might have time, the planets aligned, and we were able to meet up and catch up.

He, like me, is now a grandfather; he has one. I shared the news about our Maylynn and others in their mother’s ovens.  My son and daughter-in-law expect their second; I think it is time to lean into Grandson mode. Although I think I’ll be a better father than grandfather, it’s tough to be a grandfather living 1200 miles away; our continual visits will hopefully offset our distance; time will tell.

Trevor has done well; he now has a magnificent place north of Indianapolis; he joked about his neighbors, we spoke of the future, and what we might be doing in a few years, neither of us know but have some ideas.  We dined for over an hour, caught up, and promised to connect again over the holidays; it’s nice when childhood friends succeed.

I left there and came home to work a bit with my wife; she had wrapped up her appointment, was working on sending instructions to our team; we spent a little time here before taking PVHT for a long walk. She’s curious about our hood, far different than our mountain top; there are many smells here you don’t get at 8232 feet above sea level.  I think she likes it here.

We will work here a little, then take our pup to our friends Tammy and Randy.  They are watching her tonight, then our kid gets home from Florida and will complete the week. Then, finally, we will get on a plane and head back west to meet with some folks and set up an event tomorrow morning.  I’m not sure where we will stay tonight, maybe at the condo, but I suspect we will make the drive to the mountain house; it might be a nice night to get in our hot tub.

We will spend the next few days cleaning up some work out west, hanging out with some friends, connecting with Bay and Nate; I’m sure Euchre is on the menu. Then, we head back to the Midwest on Saturday.  We will be back for a few weeks working, living, and hanging with family for the holidays.

I’ve consciously not paid attention to the news.  Instead, when I think I need a little mental stimulation, I grab one of the two books I’m reading and dive in.  One is a time travel experience placing the character in London in the 1500’s and present day, seems the old lad can’t die, so he’s stuck living through centuries meeting the likes of Shakespeare and a cast of other characters, but now finds himself teaching 8th graders in the present day.  Who better to teach the young than someone that has lived history?

The other is a deep dive into the nature of tribes and how we as a society function during times of angst and times of wonder.  I would suggest we are in a time of curiosity now, no war, no famine at a cultural level, but the main takeaway so far is how we need those life-altering events to bring us together.  He cites many studies done on the people of England during World War Two and the folks that went through the Bosnian / Serb conflict and how happy they were when bombs were dropping all around them; they say it brought them together.  Race, color, nor creed matter when you are a few feet away from dying or losing a limb. 

So I suspect it might be time to start a war, maybe China or some other superpower; I don’t see our country pulling together anytime soon; perhaps we need to enter into a conflict that pits us against them over the humanitarian issue. But, wait, what about us against us?  Maybe it’s time for a civil war; we could divide ourselves along many lines; I think the mask-wearing folks vs. the non-mask-wearing population might be a good fight.  Maybe the conservative crowd vs. the supporter’s high inflation, higher taxes, and supply chain disruptions?

We need something to bring us together; the division in this country is something I’ve never witnessed and has me wanting the feelings we all felt after 9/11.  Yes, 9/11 was a tragedy, but it brought us, our country, together for a short time.  Between you and me, I think one of our major issues is our media sowing division and hate amongst us; Trevor and I discussed simple facts of law and nature and how if you watch doctors named Tony, you will dispel all logic and reason.  On a continuum of doctors, Dr. J is at the top, followed by Dr. Pepper, Dr. Spock, and at the bottom of the list, the worst doctor to ever call themselves Doc is; I’ll let you figure that one out.  

“November 2, 1984 was an especially tragic day in the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/AIDS epidemic. That was the day Anthony Fauci became the Director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (NIAID). (Good Intentions p.128) It was the day a thin-skinned, physically ultra-diminutive man with a legendary Napoleonic attitude was positioned by destiny to become the de facto AIDS Czar. In the fog of culpability that constitutes what could be called “Holocaust II” one thing is clear: the buck, on its way to the very top of the government, at least pauses at the megalomaniac desk of Anthony Fauci.”
— Charles Ortleb