I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.
Edgar Allen Poe

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
- H. L. Mencken

Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so
-Bertrand Russell

What I have been telling you, from alpha to omega, what is the one great thing the sigil taught me — that everything in life is miraculous. For the sigil taught me that it rests within the power of each of us to awaken at will from a dragging nightmare of life made up of unimportant tasks and tedious useless little habits, to see life as it really is, and to rejoice in its exquisite wonderfulness. If the sigil were proved to be the top of a tomato-can, it would not alter that big fact, nor my fixed faith. No Harrowby, the common names we call things by do not matter — except to show how very dull we are ...
-James Branch Cabell

August 04, 2009 - 9:50 p.m.

"Get out of America!"

Have you been wondering where I was? If I don't warn you that I'm going to be away and I don't update it means just one thing, I've been sick. So let's roll back the clock to Sunday. Actually before I do that let's roll the clock back even further to Friday. I forgot one of the highlights of the North American Bridge Championships. Roy and I played the Daylight Stratified Pairs. Near the end a pair comes to our table and asks, "How come everyone is laughing at this table?" That's a good enough reason for me to play bridge. Roy and I are funny together; we can pretty much always make people laugh. We work on it, we critique each other, but mostly we just have quick minds and vamp. I love it. I've had that comic timing and chemistry with a few other people, Lauren, Carey, and LORi. People told Lauren and me that we should have an act. Carey and I actually had an act that we performed once, Trainwreck with Clowns. I live for this kind of thing.

Now lets move on to Sunday. I hopped on a bus to Shea Stadium CitiField to see the Mets play an afternoon game. The weather was cloudy but not raining when I left my apartment. There was a tiny drizzle when I got off the bus and hopped on the subway for a 5 minute ride. It was raining hard when I got off the train. That meant that the game was delayed, and delayed, and delayed and � . To make it worse Alan didn't leave his house till they were getting ready to play so I was all by myself. I waited two hours. I would have waited for the game to start but I started to feel the pressure build in my intestines. It was another Crohn's attack coming on. I left at 3 and the game started at 3:30.

I had an adventure on the ride home. At this point I just had the pressure, I wasn't in real pain and the malaise hadn't kicked in so I still had some energy. I always sit near the front of the bus near the bus driver; I like the sideways facing seats, they have more legroom. I heard a woman having a problem with the bus driver. She was Asian and didn't speak English well. She wanted the bus driver to assure her that he'd let her know when we reached her stop.

Woman: Will you tell me when we reach my stop?
Driver: Stop asking me that.
Women: Will you please tell me when we reach the stop?
Driver: You've asked 10 times.
Woman: Will you let me know when we get to my stop?
Driver: 11 times.

At this point I asked the woman where she was going. She showed me a piece of paper with a lot of Chinese writing on it and "Booth Memorial Hospital" in English. We were coming to it right then and I told her to get off and I pointed at the entrance. The bus driver never did tell her. As she was getting off the driver said, "Get out of America!"

That's a button you shouldn't push on me. It's like getting Bruce Banner mad; except that I don't get huge and green and violent. What I did was get up and calmly tell the driver that what he said was racist and uncalled for. He got mad at me and said, "You're taking her side? She was right and I was wrong?" "Yes." He was totally unapologetic and couldn't even see that he did something wrong. I told him that I was going to report him.

After I sat down I realized that I didn�t have to memorize the bus number and call tomorrow. New York City has the 311 line for non-emergency city business. I called right then within his hearing. Unfortunately though the line is open 24/7 the transit complaints aren't. I had to wait till Monday. I realized that I had my fanny pack on me so I had a pen, found a ticket stub in it and wrote down the bus number.

The driver said, "That wasn't nice."
"I know."
"That's why you did it?"
"What you did wasn't nice. It needed to be reported."
"I�m going to throw you off of my bus!"

I didn't respond and sat calmly in my seat. I knew he wasn't going to do that or he'd be in huge trouble. He was in enough trouble as it was.

When we got to the next stop he sat there for a minute then got off the bus for a few minutes. When he came back he said, "I called the supervisor he's settle things."

I started feeling guilty about everyone's trip being disrupted because of me. I started talking to this nice gentleman across the aisle from me. He told me I did the right thing. When I said that I felt bad about the other passengers he said, "Look around, they understand." I did look around and saw the most, perhaps all the other passengers weren't white, there were blacks, Hispanics, Asians, the usual Queens mix. The gentleman I was talking to was black. An Asian woman got tired of waiting and got off the bus, as she passed me she said, "Thank you for helping that woman." Soon after that the bus driver closed the door and pulled out. He said it was because of what the woman said. I'm sure he realized that the other passengers would back me up and he'd get in even bigger trouble. He called in to cancel the supervisor. He said, "He's sitting down now." My guess is that he told them I was being unruly and harassing him. I was out of my seat for 30 seconds and that was because I didn't want everyone hear me complain to him. I said it in a softly and calmly. He was the one who escalated it and raised his voice. I never did. I'm proud of myself for that. It took an effort.

The rest of the ride went fine and the gentleman across from me got off the same stop as me. I told him it was a pleasure talking to him and he told me once again that I did the right thing. I did. All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. The driver's behavior was not acceptable for a public servant. The only way to stop that sort of thing is to make it socially unacceptable.

When I got home I still had hopes that the blockage in my intestine would pop and I'd be able to go out and see Maura. No such luck. It got worse. The pain started, and the malaise. It kept getting worse all night. In the morning it got worse. I didn't attempt to eat all day. I threw up a couple of times. I actually looked forward to that as it relieves the pressure and I can go a while without pain. I spent the day as I always do when I have an attack, laying in bed alternately watching TV and sleeping. I usually can't make it more than an hour without falling asleep again.

I just realized I lost a day in there. That pretty much describes Sunday and Monday. So now it is Monday night.

I turned off the lights at 12:30 and was up again at 1:30. In that time the obstruction had passed. I was better.

What scares me the most is that I didn't eat anything stupid this time. I've been avoiding all the "bad" foods but I had an attack anyway. I decided to do what I've done most of my life when I have an attack, I took prednisone. I took 20 mg on Monday 3 or 4 hours before I got better. Was it cause and effect? I don't know but I�m sure my intestine is inflamed and the swelling needs to go down. The prednisone will do it. I'll take it for a week then start weaning myself off it.

I should have taken it very easy today but I had to do some shopping. Quick quiz: What did I have for breakfast today? I have the same thing after every Crohn's attack. I want to have something heavy on protein and calories so I have a peanut butter omelet. I'm didn't know how much I could get down me as my digestive system is still running slow so I used only 2 eggs. It was wonderful. I still haven't had dinner. I'll make it after I write this. I'll have a chicken cutlet and a baked potato, simple and nutritious.

I was too sick to even think of calling the MTA to complain about the bus driver on Monday but I made the call today. I knew all the relevant information and they said the driver would be reprimanded. I gave my name and number, I hope they give me a call before they do. I don't think the person I talked to took down the entire story.

I'm making some progress on my Falcon Ridge photos. I've finished with Friday. I'll let you know as soon as they are up. You knew that.

I can't believe that I forgot to update on my broken elbow. Today was the first day I went out without my sling. It is pretty much healed. Now I have to rehab it.


I signed the Pro-Truth Pledge:
please hold me accountable.





Memories: Not that Horrid Song - May 29, 2018
Wise Madness is Now In Session - May 28, 2018
The NFL and the First Amendment - May 27, 2018
On The Road Again - May 26, 2018
Oliver the Three-Eyed Crow - May 25, 2018



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Horvendile August 04, 2009
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