Category Archives: Conspicuous consumption

Get Rid of Old, Unused Drugs

As it says in my “About” page, I do drugs and get paid for it.  Drug safety that is.  As a general rule, I don’t write about it though.  Today is an exception.  Consider this a public service announcement.

In 2008, I had some minor surgery where I was given 60 — SIXTY — Oxycontin tablets for pain.  I didn’t need very many at all because I am tough.  Also because I don’t need to add drug addiction to the list of problems with this ‘temple’ of mine.  Plus I really don’t like that out of control feeling I get from serious painkillers.

Still, I ended up with about 55 highly addictive painkillers in a home where my the-15 year old son lived.  Jacob is a good kid, but hell, why tempt fate?  Ultimately, I managed to get rid of them safely and securely.  But not everybody is so lucky.  In some places, prescription drugs are what thieves look for when they burglarize homes.

As I said, while I don’t normally mix work with the blogging (except when I’m goofing off), I think this is something everybody should know about:

Ditch your unused drugs Saturday, April 30.

Tomorrow (April 30) is Drug Take-Back Day, the annual nationwide push to stop people from trashing or flushing their unused medications. The DEA has set up hundreds of drop-off centers all across the country to orchestrate safe disposal of drugs. That’s no small feat — in the past decade, the DEA says it has collected more than 5.5 million pounds of unused pills. It’s a continual concern, since drugs at home can cause accidental poisonings, and drugs in landfills can pollute water supplies. [From my Daily STAT Morning Rounds newsletter]

To find a location near you (sorry, it’s US only) click on this link and enter your zip code.

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This song has nothing to do with drug disposal, but it’s a great song.

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Unusually quiet

You may have noticed that I’ve been unusually quiet about politics lately.

Ever since Donald Trump stopped being funny, well, my heart hasn’t been in it.

I will tell you that I miss candidate Barack Obama.  He inspired me, beginning before he was a candidate — when he made his 2004 speech to the 2004 Democratic Convention, I turned to John and said “Can we have him?”  In 2006, John and I spent our 20th wedding anniversary listening to the future president speak.  And in 2008 and 2012, we both worked for Obama’s election and re-election.

Hillary?  Bernie?  Eh.

In February I wrote that I’d decided to vote for Hillary:

Philosophically, I’m really in Bernie’s camp.  I’d love government-sponsored healthcare.  I’d love to make college free.  I would love to erase income inequality.

But I’m a pragmatist.

Even if Bernie could get elected (and I don’t agree with pundits that claim he can’t), well, I spent 10 years watching the sausage mill that is our government.  And I simply don’t think Bernie can do it.

Hillary Clinton has my vote because I think she will be a good president.  Because she’s smart and capable.  Because she knows the system inside, outside and upside and downside.

I didn’t know at the time that I would ever be quoting myself.

But this morning, courtesy of the Daily Kos, I found someone much funnier than I agreed with me.

John Hodgman.

You probably remember Hodgman from the Daily Show — the straight man.  Monday, in advance of the New York Primary,  he came out for Hillary for precisely the reasons I decided to support her.  He is much funnier, though.

I think her ambition is, and has long been, to be the President of the United States, like everyone else in the race, and also to make policy.

I think it’s reasonable to say based on her career that she likes making policy.

Moreover, I think she wants to make the best policy possible in an antagonistic-by-design political process that she has known and wrestled with for decades, and keep that policy in place.

Moreover, I think she wants to make policy that I largely agree with.

And I think she can do it.

Moreover, I think she can beat Trump.

At least I hope so.  New Zealand is so far away.

Hillary Aliens landing

Besides.  She has the aliens on her side.  Photo spotted at Daily Kos.  But my feet were on the ground.  Or actually on the coffee table, if you must know.

 

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This is Reassuring?

Relax, everybody.  Nothing’s gonna change.  You see, the Congress is on it.

Well, that was the message that failed presidential candidate-turned Donald Trump spokesmouth said, anyway.  In Cairo.  To live humans there.

Lindsey Graham in Cairo

AP Image

http://launch.newsinc.com/share.html?trackingGroup=92351&siteSection=bigstory_nws_non_non_dynamic_wire_ap_wirematch&videoId=30574260

Yup.  Senator Graham was trying to reassure folks in the Middle East that Congress would continue to play a primary role in foreign policy, “regardless of what Mr. Trump says or does.”

“The Congress is going to be around no matter who is president,” Graham told reporters after meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi as part of a Republican congressional delegation touring the Middle East.

“All of us, regardless of what Mr. Trump says or does, we are going to keep being who we are, so don’t let the political scenes at home get you too upset,” Graham said.

Lindsay Graham Meme

I found this a long time ago.  I’m sure it was through Google.  And the attribution is right there on the left.  Or his right.  Lindsey’s that is.

I feel sooooooooo much better knowing that Trump is the leading candidate to have his finger near the button.  Because Congress will be there, doing the very same shit they have done to screw up the country for decades.

Nothing to see here, folks, move along.

Personally, I would have been more reassured if Senator Graham had gone to Middle Earth and spoken about Orcs.

 

Source:  http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7588580ba37049c1ac2f3fbb4df624ca/us-senator-tells-arab-world-us-hasnt-changed-despite-trump

 

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What?? You Thought I Wouldn’t Post This?

 

Happy April Fool’s Day.

I loved this ad.  But it’s not a product I’d ever buy.  Me, I’m a Charmin Girl.

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What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Perhaps I am just an unusually smart person. Or especially practical.  Or maybe, just maybe, I haven’t hit my head so many times that I routinely need to do stupid things.

But for most of my life, I have tried my best to not put things near my head that would make my mother panic.  (I was an incredibly thoughtful child.)

I never, for example, played football.  I never did bobsledding that would have me plunge head-first down an icy mountain.  I will admit to skiing headfirst into a stonewall in France, but I can assure you that was unintentional.

So when I read that some genius had developed the perfect “concealed weapon” well, I had to scratch my head.  And thank my lucky stars that my head was still on my shoulders while I was at it.

You see, this genius developed this gun:

Cell phone gun

Google Image

Because what could possibly go wrong with putting a cell phone/gun  against your head?  Perhaps that way you can answer when God calls and suggests you run for public office.

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