Dental . . .


. . . nonsense

I have a loose crown on #4 (upper right pre-molar), so I went to the dental clinic in our very nice, new Navy hospital. Of course, I couldn't make an appointment, so I had to go to sick call.

I had gone to sick call last week, and filled out all the paperwork. However, I had to leave because there was no dentist available for my problem. Since I didn't actually see a dentist, they shredded my paperwork, and I had to do that all over again.

After an hour's wait, I was ushered in for X-ray, and had a very thorough exam by a very qualified dentist. The clinic has all the latest equipment, including a direct-to-computer X-ray machine. I stood in a framework, a scanner made a half-loop of my head, and the X-rays showed up on the computer screen.

At this point, I'm pretty confident - then, the results . . .

Dental Tech: Since the crown is loose, we cannot fix it, because that procedure is only allowed for uniformed service members. However, if the crown were detached, we could re-cement it, but cannot do any other remediation. (Flashback to Catch-22).

So, I go to the front desk for a reference and referral.

Desk Clerk: You will need to see an Italian dentist.
Me: Can you recommend one?
Desk Clerk: We have a list, but we cannot ethically make recommendations.
Me: OK, then could I have a copy of my exam and the X-rays?
Desk Clerk: We can't give you a copy of the X-rays. The equipment is new, the only people who can repair it are from the U.S., and it has been down for about 8 weeks.
Me: Any idea when a repair is scheduled?
Desk Clerk: No clue.

Government at its finest . . .

Stars and Stripes . . .

. . . over Naples

When in the states, I fly the flag year-around. While in Italy, we are advised not to, because it advertises us as stranieri (foreigners) to the local low-life crooks. However, today is one of the exceptions, and the low-lifes be damned.

Posted at 0845 EST, 11 SEP 2010)

We're still here
and you're in a cave in Wherethefuckistan
Karma sucks, doesn't it?

Since we have this monster yard . . .

. . . I bought this monster mower.

Oops . . .

. . . misquote!

Barry O had a makeover of the oval office. I'm not thrilled with the beige-y colors, but I don't work there.

Someone gave more thought to the colors than the quotes, however. The quote attributed to Martin Luther King was used often by King, but the original staetement was made by Theodore Parker, a 19th century Unitarian minister and abolitionist.

Parker said: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

I'm guessing that the rug was designed by the same person who drafted our new National Socialist Helth Plan.

Renters' insurance in Naples . .

. . . sucks swamp water.

It apparently isn't worth a plugged nickel. That's probably because there is more burglary in Naples than anywhere else in Italy. Here's how it works.

You prepare an inventory and submit it to the agent. The inventory requires exact descriptions, down to the model and serial number of televisions, computers and other valuable items. Then, the agent sets a rate. The rate for approximately $30,000 in coverage is about $400 per year.

Here's the catch. They don't pay off. If the entire contents of your house were taken or destroyed, you might hope to collect 10-15% of the underwritten value. That's because they require invoices for everything you own, then depreciate it for use. There apparently is no "full replacement value" policy available in this area.

If you don't have invoices, they make determinations like - "Well, maybe it was a gift, and didn't cost you anything." As if that was relevant. Do you have invoices for everything you own?

No, I haven't had a loss or a burglary. I'm just covering all the bases.

I have found that this is a typical way of doing business in Naples. No one is willing to take responsibility for anything.

If someone rams the rear of the car, and you don't have photos and witnesses, the other driver will show up with ten "witnesses" that will swear on the Madonna that you backed into him.

Not that all this really makes a difference to me. Forewarned and forearmed. Once I know the rules of the game, I can play.

Deep thoughts . . .

. . . not by Jack Handy

Barry O

'I CAN'T SPEND ALL OF MY TIME WITH MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE PLASTERED ON MY FOREHEAD'...
- Barry O

I'm not a "Birther," but if he would just show the real certificate, with all of the data rather than the Hawaii abridged version, he could kill the discussion.

Driving in Italy: Italian drivers have me totally amazed. They dote on their families, but most in this area do not take reasonable care to protect them on the road. I see kids in the back with no seat belts, babies riding on mothers' laps, overcrowded cars, and total ignoring of ALL traffic laws. In five months in Italy, I have yet to see one person stop at a stop sign.

Barry O redux: Barry is scheduled to make a speech about how he ended the war in Iraq. I find that rather duplicitous, since the surge is what made the difference, and he was violently opposed to it. However, nothing about Barry O and his rapid about faces surprises me any more.

Katrina redux: The fifth anniversary of the Katrina disaster just passed. Watching again how badly we reacted brought back the pure fury I felt then. By we, I don't mean Bush. I mean Bush and the federal government, Mary Blanco and the state of Louisiana, Ray Nagin and the city of New Orleans. Any idiot watching the tube could see the dire straights of the residents in the Dome and on the overpass. We have amazing resources, but we couldn't get them out of the barn.

Jimmy Carter redux: Wait . . . that's Barry O. Nevermind.

If you've noticed a marked lack of respect for Barry O, it is intentional. I haven't disliked a president so much since Jimmy Carter. Barry makes Bill Clinton look like a hard-core Republican. I simply cannot wait to see him out of office - hopefully in three years.