life in the old lane

Ordered the lens. Now, I have to follow the urology path to its end.

I lust after the rare as hen’s teeth Panasonic 14-150mm f/3.5-5.6 Vario-Elmarit lens for my L1. I found one for sale in the US for $1,700. Now for rationalization.

I figure I have ten more years of enough vigor, hand/eye coordination and steadiness left to schlep a one pound of glass around. Works out to less than $200 per year. Well, never mind that the purchase of the lens will send me into a quest for a backup L1 body.

But, what if, the upcoming medical procedures prove to be positive which is medical speak for very bad. Well, then I have maybe 10 months of shooting time left – which is $200 a month. And forget about the backup body. (Camera body, that is). The result of this scenario being, Carlton gets $1,700 fewer dollars and daughter gets the L1 and it’s killer glass. And, she can say “why did Peg use this strange camera, she could have dropped a bundle on Canon glass.”

All things considered, I am well on my way to getting the lens. Best not wait too much longer. If I found it – others will have as well.

[Show as slideshow]

Yes, boys and girls, I have actually finished another year of image culling.

This is the local “big yellow butterfly”. It is the Eastern Swallowtail and I think this one is a male. It is the Virginia State Butterfly. Who knew we had a state butterfly?  Live and learn. I got this picture at about noon today, walking home from volunteering. Check out: Butterflies and Moths of North America.

Today I made an appointment for the cat scan. It is late Monday afternoon. I want to get the cat scan ASAP so I can get the  cystoscopy over before I figure out a way to duck the procedure.

The 2005 links are all fixed up: August 22, 2005 – I didn’t do a August 21, 2005 page.

Going to have to find out what kinds of butterfly we have. We have big yellow ones, big orange ones and big black ones.

Saw the urologist today. The guy is movie star good looking and really young. Mostly I saw his resident who is  even younger.  Naturally, more testing is on the agenda. The cat scan. And, a cystoscopy. I had one of those back in the 1960’s. They stick a tube up into your bladder for a look-see. Cute young doctor said “oh, it is a much simpler procedure now” I don’t believe him. It still involves sticking a tube up where a tube has no business being!

90% chance I have nothing. 5% chance it is something minor. And then there is the other 5%.

Enough of that. Make the next appointments and focus on the new toys at the end of the tube.

Finished up with 2004 – August 20, 2004

Any recession that takes down Reader’s Digest can not be all bad. I know, we should all morn the loss of yet another newspaper/magazine. But, I’ll make an exception for Reader’s Digest. Chapter 11. So, I guess they will hang on for a little longer.

Working on a new hopeless cleanup stuff project – being sure that all the forward links on my old blog work. At this instant my old version of Dreamweaver is working fine as can be running under WINE. And, I have lots of memory on this machine – so, I can just relieve all the days of old and check and fix the links as I go… Today in 2001 Check it out.

Speaking of the recession and books. In earlier summers I was the only one at the pool with library books. Most of the kiddies read hard back books. A few paperbacks. They read the books and left them in a box in the recycle room and I would rescue them and take them to the Friends of the Library. One summer it seemed that every resident had their very own copy of the latest Harry Potter. And the girls – the latest chick lit. Hard cover. This summer it is library books or paperbacks.

Have a HUGE stack of paperwork to fill out for the urologist. Now, I know this is a paperless practice. Suppose they are going to scan my 10 pages of fine print into their system.

I mentioned that I was bribing myself into going to see the urologist. I promised myself a new toy. Possible toys:

• An additional L1 body that I can have converted to IR.
• Something from Apple’s new fall collection.
• A new travel computer.

Now, for you pessimists, what if they say “Mrs Bethany, I am sorry but your tests came back and…” (They always call you Mrs when the news is bad). Am I still going to buy new toys? You bet. The younger generation would get my toys. Carlton would get my money – and he has enough of that already! The kids would like the infrared camera or another Apple toy or two.

I finally decided to do with the Clinic physician told me to do. Well, 1/3 of what she told me to do. She told me to start taking statins (rejected), get a cat scan (rejected) and see a urologist (unwillingly accepted). Finally picked up the phone  and made an appointment for a urology consult. If the urologist sends me for a cat scan – I might do it.

I had to bribe myself. I will give myself a small reward for making the call. And, if I actually go and do what the urologist says – then I get a big treat. A massive treat if many tests are required (and done).

I sort of wanted someone (other than the physician who was practicing defensive medicine) tell me what to do. Carlton said “I don’t know why you would do anything, but do what ever you want.” The nurse  I work for finally allowed as how “you know the urology practice here – they are nice guys”. It decided that was about the only advice I was going to get. And, old hospital nurses are real reluctant to go to the doctor themselves.

But, I can still cancel the appointment, it is Thursday. So only a small treat is in order. Maybe a new app for the iPod. Or a tune or two.

Went looking for butterflies today. All I found was the backend of a bee.

For the record…I was not a Woodstock. Maybe the only elderly hippie that wasn’t.  I think that this:

http://www.woodstockstory.com/bandsperformerssetsplaylists1969.html

is a pretty good list of who performed and what they played.