My infectious disease specialist convinced me to get hepatitis A and B vaccines since I’m single and potentially sexually active. I’m guessing she didn’t want to ask if I was sexually active. She said the vaccines were covered by most insurance. She also recommended a pneumonia vaccine given my HIV status and age. I agreed. I had a series of shots in April and May. The final round is due this month. Color me surprised when I received a bill for $455. The shots were not covered by my insurance even though I pay a $900 monthly premium. Apparently, that $900 a month pays for less than stellar coverage. Added to my joy is knowing I’ll receive a bill for another $250 for the final round of shots. I’m trying to convince myself it’s just another expense of being single. It’s like paying more taxes on a high income when you file as single with no dependents.
Archive for October, 2018
It’s Only Money, Right?
Posted in my life on October 29, 2018| 12 Comments »
Art For Friday
Posted in art on October 26, 2018| 7 Comments »
Cy Twombly is one of my favorite artists. He died in 2011. He was part of the generation of artist that included Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. Cy was painter, sculptor and photographer. I feel he was under appreciated.
Cy Twombly, untitled 1954, gouache, wax crayon and colored pencil on paper, 19 x 27. Collection of MoMA, New York.
Why Are Some People Lazy?
Posted in friends, my life on October 19, 2018| 3 Comments »
I was texting with Mike on Wednesday afternoon. He was at his office and I was at home. He had heard the house next door to his old house recently sold. He asked me to google the sale price. Seriously? Mike is sitting in front of a computer and texting me on an iPhone, yet he asks me to search for the sale price. It’s the height of laziness. He could merely ask Siri or google it himself, or he could have his assistant look it up. I didn’t bother to look. I waited a few minutes and told him the price wasn’t posted yet.
Confessions Of A Homewrecker
Posted in dating, my life on October 18, 2018| 8 Comments »
I had brunch with the detective on Sunday (Disappointment Drive 23). He’s no longer a detective but I like referring to him that way. He’s now a successful entrepreneur dabbling in a few things, some of which are law enforcement related. He’s a lot of fun and we seem to click. I have a good time with him. Sadly, he’s married to another man. The detective’s husband is in love with another man. It’s a failing or failed marriage. Double A called me a homewrecker the other day. I pointed out the home was already wrecked when I met the detective. And he told me he was single when I met him.
Why have all the men I’ve met since I’ve been single have been duds, except for the detective? I expect the detective will have a messy divorce since he’s been supporting the household for many years. His younger partner doesn’t seem to have significant income-earning potential. The detective is planning on filling for divorce in January if his husband doesn’t stop seeing the man he’s involved with. Planning doesn’t necessarily mean he will file for divorce. Can the detective save his marriage? Will he want to save it? There’s a lot to ponder.
I don’t need to be involved in a mess like this. I need to walk away.
Time To Ski
Posted in my life on October 15, 2018| 3 Comments »
Denver received its first snow of the season yesterday. It was a minor snow of just an inch or two in my part of town. The temperature never made it above freezing. Wolf Creek Ski area opened a few days ago with 27 inches of snow. They were the first ski area to open in the nation. Winter sport season has started. It’s going to be a long season.
Hinterland
Posted in my life on October 11, 2018| 8 Comments »
I finished watching Hinterland on Netflix. The noir crime drama set in Wales only has 13 episodes. Oddly, guns were only shown in the last episode even though it’s a crime drama with at least one murder in every episode. This is so unlike American crime dramas. I guess that’s to be expected given the uncontrolled gun culture in America.
The series is beautifully filmed. It made me add Wales to list of places to visit. The downside is the weather. It seemed to be constantly raining and cool. The charters were always wearing sweaters and coats. Of course this could the result of the timing of the production schedule. The main detective drove a black Volvo which was always dirty as a result of driving down many unpaved roads. On the plus side, Wales seems to be unbelievably scenic with beautiful coastlines, rocky beaches, rolling hill, forests and grasslands.
10 Minutes of Fall
Posted in my life on October 10, 2018| 4 Comments »
It seems like fall lasted ten minutes here. Yesterday, parts of the high country had a foot of snow. In the city, it’s been in the 30’s with occasional snowflakes falling. The last few days have been cool and rainy. I turned off the swamp cooler yesterday. The irrigation system gets blown out on Saturday, which, is a good thing given the low on Sunday is expected to be in the teens.
Avoiding Reality
Posted in friends, my life on October 8, 2018| 4 Comments »
Mack and I hit the art openings on Friday night. Space Gallery opened another stellar show of large scale abstract paintings, Tracey Russell presented her wonderful abstract paintings at Core New Art Space and Bug opened an installation at Pirate Contemporary Art which seems to be a commentary on the current political unrest, along with choosing good, bad or indifference. It was a good night for art.
Mack finally secured full time employment at Crate & Barrel which included a promotion. He’s making more money in retail than he was at the architectural firm. Mack is now concentrating on building up a financial reserve, which, is a good thing.
After the art tour, I rushed home as Cindi was arriving from New York. I should have known better. She was flying out of JFK in the evening which usually means the flight will be delayed. Cindi was due to be at my house by 9 but didn’t arrive until after 11. She had planned on leaving first thing in the morning but ended up sleeping in which meant my plans for Saturday were tossed out the window. Cindi treated me to lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant which has excellent pho. After lunch, I dug some yarrow and rose campion out of my garden for Cindi to take back to Santa Fe. Cindi finally left a little after 2, making a stop in Boulder for art supplies, and then back to New Mexico.
I headed to the gym after Cindi left. I had a long, much needed workout. Post workout, I watched Hinterland, a Welsh crime drama series on Netflix, in an attempt to avoid any media coverage of current events. I spent the rest of the weekend doing household chores, watching Hinterland and reading non-political articles in the New York Times. I didn’t want to return to reality.
One Less Bucket List Item
Posted in friends, my life on October 5, 2018| 4 Comments »
Cindi stopped by earlier in the week to drop off her car off at my house before flying to New York. A friend of hers scored Bruce Springsteen concert tickets for the amazing low price of $800 each. A Springsteen concert was a bucket list item so Cindi threw financial caution to the wind and hopped on a plane. She returns too late this evening to drive back to Santa Fe so she’s spending the night in my guest room. Tomorrow morning she makes a stop in Boulder before taking the back roads to Taos and then on to Santa Fe.
I have to admire Cindi’s sense of adventure but I would never spend $800 for a concert ticket. I have no problem spending $800 or more on a painting so I guess it’s all about priorities. Pollack, Lichtenstein and Warhol are on my bucket list. They will probably still be there when I die.
The Corporate Slave 