Health Stuffs

- I made my first trip to a 'convenient care' center last night here in Zurich. Just a pleasant ascending bladder infection, which is also impacting my kidneys. Good timing body. Despite the clientele (some guy crying & foaming at the mouth, people hacking up their lungs) it was a fabulous place. They were super thorough, probably so thorough that I'm guessing it'll cost damn near my entire months salary to pay the bill (this is giving Joe his own aneurysm). Although I won't know for a little while because I didn't have to pay anything at all last night (not even for the meds). They send all the bills directly to insurance, and then they will charge me from there. And, considering my deductible, we'll be forking over for the entire visit. Again, blood was handled without gloves, what the hell health professionals?! The craziest part about all this was at the end of the conversation with the doctor. She asked if I had to work tomorrow (*now today) and I said yes. Well, she didn't think I should be working, so she wanted to write me a note why I couldn't be at work today. Firstly, a note? I am feeling like I'm about 11 years old at this point. Second, I'm clearly not infectious, just have a mild, mild fever (37.4C only comes up to 99.5F or something along those lines). My only point with all this is, you can get out of work for just about anything here. I mean, a UTI just afforded me a day of sitting on the couch, drinking stinky bladder tea, piddling, watching the Tour de France, drinking water, piddling, writing this post, drinking crappy cranberry juice, piddling, piddling, piddling razor blades! Letting the good times roll on and on.

- Although I am yet to hear the story first hand, my Dad apparently saved their neighbor, Merilyn's, day. She came over to the house, choking on something & barely able to talk. Apparently, Mags comes into the kitchen to see Nick behind some bent over woman with his arms around her. Just what ever wife expects to see on a Sunday afternoon, no? Dad just "did like they do on TV," and successfully dislodged what she was choking on. I would like to think that not even MacGyver could have handled the situation better! Nice work Dad

- As some of you may know, my brother David is 'taking care of' the Cherokee for me while we are living over here in Switzerland. He claims she's not waiting around for my return, and called the other day, just to prove it. Apparently, he went down to work to take care of a few things & upon returning to the car, she wouldn't start. Even when I whispered some sweet nothings to her, she just wouldn't have it. Of course, she'd pulled this crap on me as well, but she was parked in front of the house & we were 3 blocks from the mechanic shop. Sidenote to a good story: we borrowed Joe's parents van and I steered the Jeep while Joe drove behind in the van, effectively giving it a ghetto "south city tow." Turns out David has the cheapness part down just as well as Joe & I (we're so proud)! With the (direct quote) 'unsolicited help of a homeless man' he disconnected everything (on the street in classy Evanston), cleaned, reconnected. Still no go. Determined, he did the same thing again & she started right up. Tempermental lady, wonder where she got that from....Not quite a MacGyver move, but still, pretty impressed with the Viggiano men!