Going Postal
Now that the doc says I can walk some, I decided to hobble on down the hall to pick up the mail. No big deal normally, but today I hear grumbling in the mail area behind our little metal boxes.
I peek through the outbound mail slot right into the midsection of a postal worker whose zipper is losing the battle with the bulge.
"Is everything alright," I say.
"This is so confusing. The numbers don't go in order. I've never done this route before. They're just trying to get me FIRED!"
Hmm. Angry postal worker. I thought about how best to diffuse the situation. "Is there something I can do?"
"Come in here and help me figure this out," was the reply.
Upon opening the normally locked mail room door, I discovered that the bulging middle belonged to an aging Filipino man with a bad haircut, few teeth, and wildly painted little half-glasses perched on his nose. This was not a happy man.
"Look! It's already after 4 and I still haven't finished sorting this mail. See how these box numbers don't go in order? They did this on purpose. New route. No truck. And I'm supposed to be back by 5. They're just waiting there to fire me. Thirty years and this is how I get treated. So close to retirement. They don't want to have to pay me my pension. I'll show THEM! I'll take this to the Supreme Court! Oh, here's 405. See? These things don't go in order! Think they've got me. No. I have the Supreme Court on my side!"
All I wanted to do is calm the guy down. Without thinking, I uttered a gentle "shoosh" sound, at which point he says "Get out of here!"
Don't have to tell me twice.
Chips Ahoy!
It becomes more and more apparent to me that privacy and security are as illusory as a glimmering wadi in the desert.
Two recent Wired News articles deal with the chipping of America. Some day, we'll all be GPS-enabled.
American Passports to Get Chipped
The United States plans to issue passports with personal data stored
on radio frequency identification chips. The documents would be harder
to forge, but might leave holders vulnerable to identity theft.
Chips Coming to a Brain Near You
Researchers working with slices of rat brains come up with a microchip
that mimics the part of the brain responsible for creating memories.
They hope to create a prosthesis for the human brain within 15 years.
Long Time, No Blog
Yes, it's true. I've not been quite as faithful to the blog and my occasional readers as I perhaps should have been, so here's the quick update:
1. Yes, I got the Madwagon but have only ridden it a tiny bit around the condo complex in which I live.
2. My friend Mary got a full-time job after working contract for the past couple or three years. She's also quit smoking. Hooray for her on both counts!
3. I've been in touch with an old boyfriend of late. This "reacquainting" has forced me to look at all of my relationships and how I've walled myself off from my friends. Therapy helps.
4. I finally decided to have one of the surgeries I've been putting off for a while and am home recuperating for the next month or so. I've rediscovered a few wheelchair skills as well as the pain of incisions, sutures, and the absolute requirement for upper body strength to complete simple activities of daily living.
That's it for now, Dearests. Once physical therapy starts and I prepare for returning to work, I'm sure there will be other entries. Meanwhile, ciao for now.
Syndicate Me!