Waiting For Somebody

Last Saturday I was going to attend my very first minor league baseball game. But after we entered the stadium, we found out that the team was on the road. 

So instead of a ballgame there was a schmaltzy movie about baseball, The Sandlot, and a fireworks show. People spread out blankets in order to sit on the field, which was nice except I can't really do that. So we found the accessible seating section for disabled people and I sat over there. 

The fellow nearest me exhibited the effects of a bad stroke. When he got cold, his caretaker struggled for a long to get a sweatshirt over his head while he balanced on his cane precipitously. I worried that it might never work out for him, but happily it did. 

Another fellow, blind, never stopped smiling. Maybe he was happy he didn't have to watch the movie. Anyway he had a nice smile.

One lady, caring for an elderly man who seemed confused as to where he was, raised her eyebrows when she noticed me sitting alone, unattended. She may have been thinking, "Oh dear, have you misplaced your caretaker?" 

So it really wasn't that bad of an outing. Mainly I watched the people coming and going through the fence, most of them utterly oblivious that life is short and brutish and they won't always be able to do this sort of thing. 

After the fireworks had their climax, I rose and slowly took my leave of the accessible area. As I closed the latch behind me for the final time, I knew in my heart I would never be returning to this place. 

And I was okay with that.

***

"Carbidopa Levodopa"

Parkinson's disease is thought to be caused by too little of a naturally occurring substance (dopamine) in the brain. Levodopa changes into dopamine in the brain, helping to control movement. Carbidopa prevents the breakdown of levodopa in the bloodstream so more levodopa can enter the brain. -- WebMD

___

One of my fonder memories of the hospital stays in 2019 was when my doctor started prescribing a medication called Carbidopa Levodopa. I just love the way it sounds as it rolls off the lips, so I challenged my nurse to repeat it ten times in succession with no errors.

She was a very pretty nurse, not long in this country, and always agreeable to my requests. So after getting a far away look in her eyes and taking a deep breath, she repeated the term ten times perfectly.

That made my day; I took the pill and have never neglected to take it for over the year and a half since. And sometime in the future if I'm ever in a good mood with a special friend again and I start behaving in a way that some might consider casually flirtatious, I'll be sure to try out this line:

"Maybe I'm falling for you, or maybe it's just my Carbidopa Levodopa talking."

***

THE HEADLINES:

* Representative Paul Gosar’s association with the white nationalist Nick Fuentes is the most vivid example of the Republican Party’s growing acceptance of extremism. (NYT)

* Texas Republicans rush to guard the Alamo from the facts (WP)

* Hunt for Capitol attackers still on 6 months after Jan. 6 (AP)

* Tesla Says Autopilot Makes Its Cars Safer. Crash Victims Say It Kills. (NYT)

* Imperiled for helping U.S. troops and stranded by bureaucracy, Afghan interpreters see Biden evacuation plan as last hope (WP)

* U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan more than 90 % complete (Reuters)

* After troops exit, safety of U.S. Embassy in Kabul top concern (AP)

* As Lebanon’s Crisis Deepens, Lines for Fuel Grow, and Food and Medicine Are Scarce -- The World Bank said the financial crisis could rank among the world’s three worst since the mid-1800s. The currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value and unemployment has skyrocketed. (NYT)

* Delta Covid-19 Variant Gains Ground Among the Unvaccinated (WSJ)

* The highly contagious Delta variant is now the dominant coronavirus strain in California and several other states. (Yahoo News)

* Breakthrough cases of Covid — or infections in a person who has been vaccinated — are exceedingly rare. (CalMatters) 

* Hospitals Often Charge Uninsured People the Highest Prices, New Data Show (WSJ)

* Surging global food prices put staple meals out of reach, from Nigerian jollof rice to Russian pasta and Argentine steak (WP)

* California ranchers aren’t benefiting from high beef prices in grocery stores. And the drought has forced them to scale back their herds, which is testing the faith of business owners. (Bakersfield Californian)

* Tropical Storm Elsa Poised to Become First Hurricane in 134 Years to Make Landfall on Florida's West Coast. (CNN)

* How Bad Are U.S. Wildfires? Even Hawaii Is Battling a Surge. -- It’s among the wettest places on the planet, but shifts in rainfall, invasive grasses and a housing shortage are driving a wildfire spike on the islands. (NYT)

* Firefighters made progress on major blazes burning in Northern California. But the potential for winds this week is concerning. (NBC)

* Global warming is changing the experience of summer camp for children across the country. Some camp operators are taking it as an opportunity to educate campers about climate change. (NYT)

* Climate scientists warned us. When will we listen? (WP)

* How G.O.P. Laws in Montana Could Complicate Voting for Native Americans -- Restrictions passed by the Republican-led Montana Legislature could have stark effects on Native American reservations, where voting in person can mean a two-hour drive. (NYT)

* Republicans want to make America more like China (WP)

* After a Nightmare Year, Election Officials Are Quitting -- The draining work of 2020 has spurred resignations and retirements. In a recent survey, one in three officials said they felt unsafe in the jobs. (NYT)

* Facebook’s latest product, a newsletter platform, exemplifies a strategy that some say should be illegal (WP)

* The big GOP, real-estate, and tech money behind the Boudin recall effort -- Many of the same individuals and corporations who tried to defeat the progressives last year -- including Trump allies -- are now trying to oust San Francisco's elected DA. (48 Hills)

* Press freedoms are crumbling across Asia. It’s likely to get worse. (WP)

* 4th Of July Shootings Across The Country Killed More Than 180 People (NPR)

* Americans Eagerly Check To See If They Got Any Emails Today (The Onion)

***

"Turn Me On"

Song by Norah Jones

Written by John D. Loudermilk

Like a flower waiting to bloom
Like a lightbulb in a dark room
I'm just sitting here waiting for you
To come on home and turn me on

Like the desert waiting for the rain
Like a schoolkid waiting for the spring
I'm just sitting here waiting for you
To come on home and turn me on

And my poor heart, it's been so dark
Since you've been gone
After all, you're the one who turns me off
But you're the only one who can turn me back on

My hi-fi is waiting for a new tune
My glass is waiting for some fresh ice cubes
I'm just sitting here waiting for you
To come on home and turn me on
Turn me on

-30-