laundry, Arab grocery, more VA nonsense

doing laundry

I tried to do my laundry at noon on NYE but my favorite spot was already closed. Fine.

I tried again on Jan 2nd and got it done. While I was waiting on the dryer I walked the neighborhood with doggo. We spotted a little Arabic grocery; I put her in the van and went back to explore.

snow

Edited to add: forgot to mention it snowed a bit. Above freezing at ground level, but freezing about 1000ft higher

a little international market

Little place about the size of a convenience store or bodega. For <$10 I got:

• a hunk of feta
• about a half-pound of intense oil-cured olives (my favorite) - $3.19 a pound here and $11.99/lb at the Whole Foods later that day!
• dolma (grape leaves stuffed with rice)
• a ziplock of #3 bulgar; they had 1-4.

I try to greet people politely so at the register I said As-Salam-u-Alaikum.¹ My pronunciation usually causes some curiosity because apparently my accent/emphasis sounds Ethiopean. Imprinted like a duckling, I suppose, at the market I frequented in Richardson, TX. Lots of Ethiopians and Eritreans there.

hypertension meds

I’ve always had borderline-high blood pressure and this visit the Dr decided it was time to medicate. Fine. I got the meds in the mail today (lisinopril) and the pills are tiny. I am not confident that older folks with arthritic hands would be able to pick one up to take it.

sisyphus pushes the VA rock uphill

As I checked out from the VA doctor visit on 12/23 the deskjockey advised me

• my next year’s appointment confirmation would arrive by email, rather than snailmail (which costs me money). It didn’t. ($2)
• radiology would call me to make an apppointment for the MRI. They didn’t.

Rather than call me, Radiology sent a letter (another $2) on 12/28, arriving today. It said:

This letter is to inform you that we have been trying to contact you to schedule an appointment in our MRI/CT SCAN Department… Our contact number is…

The screenshot of my phone log clearly shows they did not attempt to contact me. The VA entry is me calling them upon receipt of the letter.

The contact number provided was not, in point of fact, their contact number: it was the general VA phone system. The clerk attempted to reach Radiology 3x and could not get through. In a fit of uncontrolled optimism she said she messaged them to call me. I appreciate the effort, as wasted as it may be.

The clerk gave me Radiology’s number so I can help push that rock up the hill. It must be the right number because no one is answering.

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1. “Peace be unto you” ↩