Show you that finished rifle ...

But instead .... I decided to have a broken neck and a bum eye.

AFTER YOU READ THIS ONE, read the one in the following panel. . I don't want these to sound creepy or depressing. Evidently the eye stuff is age related and not alarming. (As long as it's not your eye - haha). But, what's happening is supposed to be fairly common. Hard to believe. I've never heard of it. But, who knows. I'm NOT loosing sight, and I'm grateful. But, I'd have rather been one of those guys that lasted in top notch shape.

Been working in the evenings. After a very late dinner, I sit down to a cup of coffee, and Kelly says, it's 10:30 .... are you sure you want coffee ...? Nevermind. Thanks.

Never reported on the Eye Specialist. If you are better informed then me (wouldn't take much on this) forgive please. This is what I could piece together from questions I asked.

The eye is filled with a gel material. In the back of the eye, is the retina screen. Between the two is a membrane that forms while we are developing in the womb. At some point along the way - 61 years down the road for me - that membrane begins to fall apart. Oddly, to my thinking, it's supposed to not be needed. Oddly again,it's not known why it falls apart. Only that it's age related.

The membrane supposedly just fragments and sinks to the bottom of the gel pool. Remains there - hopefully out of the line of sight. Rather then one stationary blackish bug splat at 2:30 in my right eye .... after two weeks of meds, I still have that one and about a dozen more clear-ish additional ones. Yay. My right eye is now considerably weaker -due to a cataract forming. Left has a lesser one. Could be far worse. New expensive glasses will fix it up no trouble. Other then the minor fact that our absurdly priced ins doesn't cover meds, teeth, or glasses. But hey - I'm screwing "The Man" on that Dental thing .... I've NEVER had a cavity in my life. My Father passed - never having had one. Hah!!!! Take THAT!!!!!

So; more meds, monitor, buy glasses.

ON TO THE HIDEOUS NECK PAIN ...

At 8 am this morning, I had a series of MRIs to see what's up with my neck. The MRI Tech was much like Justice Ginsburg. Probably spoke out of turn. Broke the SSSssshhhhHHhhhh Rule. She comes out of the booth afterwards and drags me from the machine - says .... "WHAT AN UGLY MESS!!!" she say referring to my neck. Says - "I like to tell people that they are just as pretty on the inside as they are on the outside". "NOT with YOU!!!"

The MRI Series was very painful due to my hyperextended neck position, and some torture collar, brace, and restraint.... that I'm certain they COULD NOT legally USE on Terrorists. Horrible experience. Lay there gritting teeth for God knows how long, in misery, then .... Oooops, movement .... Have to do that one over .....

Then to my specific questions, the Tech says, "the Radiologist will tell that in the report. "Evidently if he doesn't throw up all over his keyboard from the MESS that is my neck."

Oh ... She did comment on "all the STUFF (plates and screws from my double cervical Fussion 2001) they put in there..... And how sometimes they take all that out again now ..,". . Well, they'll have to catch me first ... but that becomes increasingly less difficult as time passes.

I'm so pissed that so many days, so much money evaporates dealing with this stuff. Fighting my way into work ..,, only to march back up to the house for Lidocream and/or BenGay.

Ok. Late last night, I completed another piece of tooling. There has been quite a lot of tooling made over the last few years here. While not all of the shops are established here, many components are available here now which were dormant in the Md. Shop. Having "walk up access" to so many of these techniques and stations is key to being able to work as an older man, and being able to carry an entire project from concept to completion.

I know that many may not care anything about the concept called "Sole Authorship". This is where ONE Artist/Craftsperson completes EACH STEP of every project. If this isn't important to you, then you are wasting your time with me. Just buy commercial. Sole Authorship has always been quite important for me, and it's for collectors who want to see the Artist paint the whole picture. There's a Golden Thread that ties together the work from one pair of hands. You might subcontract some really fine engraving. You might have something sent out and get it well and properly heat treated. But you can't ever say .... "Yes - He made the WHOLE THING."

Now. There are a LOT more chapters previous to the few that are left for me to write. That SHOULD mean something to collectors and the Artist alike. The Collectors should realize the old goat can use support now, and scarfing up a Barnes off the Net isn't gonna do a darned thing for him, UNLESS you ALSO buy from the old Goat now. Wait til he's dead to buy that old stuff. Don't push him along. And, for the old Goat himself .., the white chin whiskers should say he has learned a thing or two. He should be making some pretty nice stuff, and have specialties recognized for what he's developed. Don't ask him to COPY some new guy that's the big new story.

Ok. We took the long way round. Life keeps piling on more and more weights to see what I can carry. It's a little game. I'm still up for it. I'll keep carrying them as best and as fast as I can. I certainly didn't ask for them. And if you wonder why I didn't just do a lifetime of stuff BEFORR I started getting old: I did. That's what MADE me old. Think it through. Too many think I got older through carelessness or poor planning. I've been working my professional buttstock off since 1974.

Dealing with the pain, unknown unknowns, the pain, the expenses, and the ones who think I'm just trying to get out of work .... Is - a pain. You know .... I was remiss when I didn't plan in the eye stuff and the hideous neck that makes Technicians I'll to look at. My Bad. I'll try harder!

Hey. Thanks for reading all this stuff. It's the only way I can have you filled in. Sorry, I can't call you all with my head hanging under my arm - I'd sound like Steven Hawking with a sineous congestion.

Thanks for reading.
God Bless
Gary



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2016 12:07AM by barnespneumatic.

Above is corrected, added to, fixed, humorized, homogenized.....

Just scan it again if you have an interest.

Thanks.

Gary

Gary
Sounds like a boring but necessary day . Those days cost you money instead of you making money . However you MUST maintain your health . It's kinda funny ( not really ) how the water cooler discussions at work are mostly about healthcare . I've watched my insurance decline over the years to the point where now IF God forbid you have to go to ER, it's going to cost me $350 to walk in the door . I didn't really find this out till my son called from school with a health concern that reoccurred 2 times in a couple months and upon my direction he went there .
So they make you afraid to go to any health care place due to the cost . Unless of course your independently wealthy !

I hope any and all follow ups are helpful in relieving your pain or at least make it tolerable .


Your friend

Thanks
Kurt

Dude, it's called the Sixties Show. It runs for about 10 years and then moves on to 'That 70's Show' where I have it, upon good authority, it gets worse. I tried to hard to be a professional Superman for to many years to escape the battering myself, so I learned it all in the Fifties Show. That's why there was a mandatory retirement at 57 years of age. Then you just get turned out in the field to help keep the Doctor's rich (or now, maybe, the health care POLITICIANS!). It sucks either way. Do the best you can to keep keeping on - there are a lot of us out here trying to keep up!
Feel Better,
Jeff

Thanks Jeff,

I hear there are "no reruns" either. Bummer.

Thanks Buddy,
Gary

Amen Brother, amen!

Gary,

I don't think that getting older is the problem.... It's just having too many birthdays!
Sorry for the bad humor. I hope they can get you tuned up and feeling g better.

Scott

Gary,

I don't think that getting older is the problem.... It's just having too many birthdays!
Sorry for the bad humor. I hope they can get you tuned up and feeling better.

Scott

If it makes you feel any better, every dollar you spend on health care helps keeps a veritable army of uselss paper pushers, unnecessary middlemen, dispeptic bean-counters and corporate profiteers afloat. If it wasn't for our horribly inefficient and patently unfair quasi-private sorta semi-public ghastly disorganized pseudo-health-related conglomeration, eleveenteen kajillion redundant office drones and a tragically large number of greedy parasitic millionaires would have to get REAL jobs.

You wouldn't want to be responsible for that, now would you?

Since you worded it just that way, Sean; I feel strangely enlightened. Thank You.

quite noble of you, Mr. Barnes

Amen Sean, amen!!!