Poverty Is Not an Accident

Poverty Is Not an Accident
Nelson Mandela

Saturday, May 13, 2006

I've been sick



You are reading http://livinginthehood.blogspot.com

A broken tooth absessed. That's not unusual. What's unusual is that this one couldn't drain. My face swelled. My eye squeezed shut. I was in torture. Called clinic for antibiotic appointment.

Dr. gives me lecture: you should be at dental, not here -- implication: I don't have to treat you, if I don't want to.

I explain dental requires I be there at 6:30am, 2 hrs. before the 1xhr. bus starts. I'm too sick to ride my bike. All I need is some pennecillin, please!

Whoa, whoa! I didn't say I wouldn't give you some! yeah, right.

I BARELY made it to the next bus, which makes a long loop, back to the downtown transit center, before it passes near my house again. Aching, swollen, feverish, I was jostled and banged the whole way. Finally disembarked a few blocks from my house, where I could pick it up on its way back. Sat in the sun, half dazed and waited. By the time I got off a block from my house, here came Ma, from pharmacy, with my script. She'd gone with me and I handed her the script as I hit the bus.

I've spent about three days in bed. Couldn't eat. Incontinent from the antibiotics now. Swelling's gone down and I can, just now, eat bland foods: chicken, jello, mac & cheese.

I have people to interview this weekend for my radio production. I seriously need a bath. I have to do this; I'm running out of time.

My electric bicycle was stolen at UNM about 2 weeks ago. I got a new one. It seems to be better and stronger than the old, but just as pretty and, surprisingly, about a hundred dollars cheaper! I'll be paying it off until fall. sigh.

I have a new scooter, too. It cost about fifty dollars more than my original, RaZor scooter. Bigger tires, more solid ride, better seat, lights, horn, etc. MUCH better vehicle. Problem is: assembly on these SUCKS! I owned it 3 weeks and had only driven it ONCE! "Tech support" said I'd burned out the coil, running the fuel with too little oil. Well, THAT hardly sounded like something I'd do. So, after much effort, I finally got to the coil, chased the wires to the battery housing and found... IT WAS DISCONNECTED at the wiring coupling! And another coupling was diconnecting too! AND the back wheel's not positioned and keeps freezing on me AND the motor mount bolts are SO tight, I can't reverse them with Ma's Makita drill (which has like the world's strongest household drill motor...). It's a good machine, poorly assembled. Right now, I can't drive it cuz the back tire's frozen. I'm too sick to stand on my head and adjust it.

It would be nice to do these interviews, over the next, three days, without pedalling up hill to the university. But the scooter needs work. So, I'll take the bike.

I bought alarms, arriving from China. I bought a cover for it. I've got motor cycle locks....AND I'm parking it right out in the open, so people will NOTICE if someone's trying to break a lock! They stole the other cuz I had it parked at bike racks that can't easily be seen by passersby. Won't happen again.

I called all the pawn and bike shops, described my bike and offered a fifty dollar reward.

Don't have a clue how I'm paying for all this, but I DID get an indy producers' grant for this documentary.

So, between two vehicles and the money from the doc, MAYBE I can get my damn teeth fixed! LOL

The goats are growing like weeds. I saw a roadrunner in my front yard pond this morning. I've seen her on our roof, too. Never thought I'd have a roadrunner. Must be because we don't have any dogs anymore.

Well, I'm sweaty and stinky. My hair's a fright. I'm actually hungry (heating a mac & cheese in the micro). So, it's time to bathe and eat and prepare myself to pretend I'm just fine, so I can interview people.

Got in touch with Simon Ortiz. He's a poet I really respect. He has agreed to be interviewed. He gave me Leslie Marmon Silko's email address (wonder how SHE'll feel about that!). Silko wrote _Ceremony_: a story about a WW2 veteran, coming back to the rez, all messed up from the war. I'd like to read some passages into the documentary.

So, since this documentary is airing on the 28th, I think you can see I have a ton of challenges on a mouth full of pus. yuck.

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