If You Want A Job Done Correctly...

It has been a long two weeks...

Between doctor visits, home exercises and trips to an increasingly cold swimming pool to try and maintain the pain-free status finally achieved in September, I've been catching up on all sorts of things, from paperwork to sleep to a re-configuration of my bedroom closet so that I can now reach my clothing from a seated position when necessary. You've no idea what a nuisance it is not to be able to reach blouses, trousers, suits, robes and other items when dressing for the day or hanging up newly-laundered things. A woman friend who enjoys doing small projects looked at the unused and ill-conceived space in my closet and offered to re-configure the shelving, drawers and area used for hanging clothing. She did something the previous installer had not and used a stud finder to correctly position shelves and brackets so that I no longer worry about anything falling down. It took about three hours once we had the necessary hardware and she even patched the holes. My longtime handy man could not have done better and in fact, turned his nose up at this job.  This same woman friend also took me to the hospital for treatment of a cat bite and thrifting for some needed clothing. She is a jewel. The injury has healed and I can now type without wanting to wince.

Until Next Time...

Why Lie? All I Need Is Beer!

The above was spotted on the sign of a pan handler in this part of the world...What strikes me about this are two things. Firstly, the numbers of pan handlers, both men and women, appear to be increasing, despite governmental prognostications to the contrary. Many are still without work, and others, like this sign holder, may be in the grip of personal problems so profound that they cannot manage to keep a job. I wonder when the continual fraying of social and community services will finally give way, filling our streets and corners with more people who have exhausted personal resources and plead for respite in whatever form they can find it?

I'm also thinking about the loss of life among addicts and alcoholics, most recently Amy Winehouse. Her death is no surprise given her public battle with addiction and her resistance to rehab, but it is tragic. She had a voice and the talent to make it heard across the world. That it has been silenced is yet another lesson about the frailty of life and the harrowing truth of addiction.