French renovations, Day 30: Cleanup and ER visit

I slept terribly last night, thanks to my zombie finger. I finally decided to have it looked at this morning. Why? A) I'm a violinist and this finger is VERY important, B) I'm left-handed and I like being able to write and type with my dominant hand, and C) it really really hurt.

I had to remind myself that it's okay to see a doctor and even--gasp--go to the hospital. We're in France and even without insurance, healthcare is incredibly affordable. So off I went to the emergency room at the large university hospital.

(Why the ER? My family doctor didn't have any openings until next week, plus she doesn't have an x-ray machine in her office.)

So...just for fun, let's play a guessing game called "Rixa at the ER"

Question #1: How long did Rixa's ER visit take, from walking in the doors to walking back out? Some of the things Rixa did while in the ER:

• checked in at the front desk and took a number
• waited for her number to be called
• checked in at the nurse's desk and filled out all of the necessary paperwork and explained what happened
• walked to the trauma department and waited to be shown into a room
• was examined by a resident ("interne") and a medical student (they both looked like they were in HIGH SCHOOL!! Well, okay, maybe undergraduate...but still...)
• sent to the radiology department for x-rays
• went back to the exam room and waited for the x-ray results
• discussed the x-ray results (good news: no fractures!)
• had a supervising doctor poke holes into her fingernail to drain the blood
• got bandaged up
• went to the checkout desk for pain medication prescriptions (which Rixa doesn't need) and paid the bill

Question #2: What did the ER visit cost? (Remember, we are paying out of pocket at the moment as we still haven't received our medical insurance cards).

While I was having my ER adventure, Eric, Ivy, and Inga played a round of Skull King and then bagged rubble. They worked through about 1/3 of the remaining pile. I think we'll get everything bagged by this weekend. Then we have to haul everything down and out again!

 

This afternoon was filled with soccer pickups and dropoffs. I love that we can easily hop on the tram to get the girls to Cavigal, and Dio's is just up at the chateau.

During dinner we watched the US presidential inauguration. My favorite part was the poet laureate Amanda Gorman (Zari says "Yes, me too!") It's so refreshing to see values that matter to me laid out from the very start: compassion, diversity, inclusion, respect, empathy, environmentalism. And it wasn't just in Biden's words--it showed in every aspect of the inauguration ceremonies, from yesterday's Covid-19 memorial to the diversity of prayers/poems/speakers/presenters/artists.

My finger still hurts, but not nearly as much as it did before my hospital visit. I tried draining more blood when I got home, but the holes had already dried up. I don't have the guts to poke through my own fingernail.

Oh, during my hospital visit, the supervising doctor said, "I'm going to poke two holes into your nail." He explained to the intern and student why two holes worked better (one hole to let the blood out, the other to let air in, much like having two holes in a milk carton helps the liquid empty better). But then he proceeded to poke not 2, not 3, not 4, but FIVE holes in my fingernail! Aie!

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White is the new neutral

I've been following the Sotomayor hearings with interest and wanted to share an excerpt from a New York Times editorial Life Lessons Should Count on Top Court.

Senator Lindsey Graham, the engaging South Carolina Republican, lectured the Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor last week that if he had made a comment like hers that a “wise Latina woman” often reaches better conclusions, it would have a been a career-ender.

The cable-news commentators concurred and the nominee, playing the create-no-waves confirmation game, expressed regret. Actually, her remark was rational and Mr. Graham’s analysis flawed.

Suppose, for example, he had said: “I would hope that a wise, white Southern male with the richness of growing up in South Carolina would more often than not be more sensitive on the issue of race relations than a white Northerner who hasn’t lived that life.” While some might have disagreed, most of his constituents would have agreed, and his future would be as bright as ever....

What endures, however, is the spectacle of middle-aged, white Republicans lecturing the first Latin female nominee about the irrelevance of race, gender and life experiences for a judge. Even Mr. Graham, one of the more enlightened lawmakers — a strong immigration advocate and a thoroughly modern Republican — didn’t get it.

And if you don't have time to read the editorial, you can always watch the Colbert Report's take on the Neutral Man's Burden:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Neutral Man's Burden
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Mark Sanford

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