MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'clara'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:38:22 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107520&cid=t_141488_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fgrowing-up-with-type-1-diabetes%2F2011.08.08 In the years I’ve attended CWD’s Friends for Life conference, I always came away with this appreciation for what the conference provides for kids with diabetes, and their parents.  Kids – a whole bunch of them – running amuck and clad in green bracelets with pump tubing flapping from underneath their t-shirts … it’s a place where these families hopefully feel normal, and safe, and understood. But I’m not a kid with diabetes.  I’m an adult.  (I checked, and it’s true: adult.)  I always felt welcomed at past FFL conferences, but people constantly checked for the kid at my side, because the “child with diabetes” surely couldn’t be me.  (And then there was that time that the registration lady thought Sara(aah) was my ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107520 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:00:15 +0100 5107520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653603&cid=t_141488_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FSGckQ4pqQfc%2F The US Supreme Court ruled today that Santa Clara County cannot proceed with a lawsuit alleging its hospitals and clinics were overcharged for prescription meds by various drugmakers, which failed to offer discounts as part of what is known as the 340B program. This offers access to discounted drugs to healthcare entities certified by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The 8-to-0 decision overturned a federal appeals court ruling of a lawsuit filed in 2005 against Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck and Sanofi-Aventis, among others. The county had filed suit after the HHS Office of Inspector General found the drugmakers had violated pricing ceilings between 2001 and 2005. The dispute centered on the rights of 14,500 health providers that sp... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653603 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:52:55 +0100 4653603 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4272292&cid=t_141488_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdiabetes-camp-how-you-can-help%2F2010.12.18 I loved diabetes camp. Actually, that should be in present tense because I continue to love diabetes camp, even though I’m not a camper anymore. Attending Clara Barton Camp for those five summers changed the way I looked at life with diabetes, and my health has always been better for it. But I’ve talked about camp before. I’d love to play a role in sending other kids to diabetes camp. And thankfully, we as a community now have that chance. The Diabetes Education and Camping Association (DECA) is in the running to win one of the Pepsi Refresh Project grants. If they earn one, they’ll use their winnings to send kids to diabetes camps and will also arm them with digital filmmaking skills so that the campers can chronicle their experiences with type 1 diabetes. As ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4272292 Sat, 18 Dec 2010 23:00:31 +0100 4272292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190155&cid=t_141488_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmeet-marcel-the-diabetic-shell%2F2010.11.21 Clara Barton Camp (CBC) is awesome — this is an indisputable fact. I talk about CBC all the time when I’m at conferences, because there is something so unique and incredibly supportive about knowing that your fellow campers are also insulin-dependent and aren’t afraid to show it. Part of what makes CBC so cool is that it makes you feel like having diabetes is…sort of cool. Almost everyone at camp has it, so if your pancreas happens to work, it makes you the odd one out instead of part of the WYOI (wear your own insulin) crowd. What’s more empowering than taking an isolating chronic illness and making it the common — and intrinsically cool — thread?  Which is why this video — a diabetes take on the Marcel the Shell with Shoes On — is... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190155 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 01:00:49 +0100 4190155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013546&cid=t_141488_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FZbkIW8inHAo%2F The US Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal by drugmakers seeking to block thousands of public hospitals and community health clinics from suing for violations of a federal program that lets them buy medicines at a discount, according to reports (here and here). The justices agreed to review to an appeal by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck and Sanofi-Aventis, among others, which are challenging a lower court ruling permitting a suit against the drugmakers filed by the California county of Santa Clara. That suit was filed the lawsuit in 2005 for alleged overcharges at its medical facilities from 2001 to 2005. The dispute centers on the rights of 14,500 health providers that spend about $4 billion a year on outpatient drugs. A 2006 government report ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013546 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 22:27:57 +0100 4013546 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714420&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fpig.html The trains just weren’t running today.  I saw only two long freight trains and one short local in the two hours of sitting on my favored bench behind the bank. I sat reading my Model Railroaders and smoking.   I did get to see an old dilapidated GP-38-2 from the seventies pick up a string of pulpwood cars in the wood yard. That excited me as the GP-38-2 is my all time favorite diesel locomotive.  Disappointed, I finally walked up to the Piggly Wiggly which is just up the street.  I parked on a bench, ate some cheese and wheat crackers, and began people watching.  There was an interesting little altercation when the police were called when a man had been found to be stuffing steaks down his pants.  I couldn't help but laugh and feel sorry for the young H... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714420 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:08:00 +0100 3714420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3614588&cid=t_141488_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FzuwO65_zHns%2F 50 Enlightening & Inspiring Books Every Nurse Needs to Read It is a fact that the busy nurse does not have much time for leisure reading. That being said, a good book can do so much to enrich your life that even the busiest nurse should take the time to check out our list of 50 enlightening and inspiring books every nurse should read. On this list, you’ll find books that are extremely specific to nursing, and books that seem to have nothing to do with nursing at all. You’ll also find diverse biographies of nurse-heroes: from Clara Barton to nurses who served after Hurricane Katrina. Most of all, you’ll find insightful writing that will surely enrich your daily work as a nurse. Enjoy! Inspiring Stories Of and From Real-Life Nurses 1. NURSE: A World of Care by Peter Jaret : A breat... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3614588 Sun, 30 May 2010 20:00:35 +0100 3614588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3318662&cid=t_141488_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FZa9zzJgbOII%2F Santa Clara County in California late last week filed what appears to be the first governmental lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline over links between its Avandia diabetes bill and cardiovascular risks, namely heart attacks, The San Jose Mercury News writes. The suit charges Glaxo falsely advertised the pill and concealed risks, and seeks compensation on behalf of patients and providers. The county alleges Glaxo earned billions of dollars on Avandia and cited an estimate that the drug caused 60,000 to 200,000 heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths nationwide from 1999 to 2006. Tamara Lange, Santa Clara County’s lead deputy counsel, didn’t have an estimate for the number of deaths caused locally or the number of patients in Santa Clara County who took the drug. But Lange d... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3318662 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:16:19 +0100 3318662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1739490&cid=t_141488_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F377055393%2F A federal appeals court reinstated a lawsuit brought by Santa Clara County against drugmakers for allegedly overcharging county hospitals for prescription drugs for Medi-Cal patients, in violation of a federal law requiring discounts, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. The ruling by the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is the first in the nation to find that counties have the right to sue manufacturers under a 1992 law requiring companies supplying medicines to the Medicaid program - called Medi-Cal in California - to sell them to public hospitals at a specified percentage of their average nationwide price, the paper writes. The county sued in 2005 after the US Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general found that drugmakers had violated the price ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1739490 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:29:15 +0100 1739490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1321995&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Ftrainy-easter.html It is Easter morning and I am hanging out at the railroad tracks.  I am sitting on the bench by the railroad museum.  Not one train has graced my presence since I've been down here.  The train crews must have Easter off.  Disappointed, I walk on up to the shopping center.  It is closed.   It reminds me of how disappointed I always was when I was homeless and holidays arrived. The holidays always left you with nothing to do and reminded you of how lonely you were.  I walk on around the shopping center and pass by the spot where Clara used to sleep.  It makes me think of her and the fact that I haven't heard from her in months.  You can still see the remnants of her addictions.  Beer and liquor bottles, and old discarded and empty packs... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1321995 Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:14:00 +0100 1321995 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1173031&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Ffun-times.html Ferret was in a rare good mood this morning.  He has been so dour lately. "I am going to get a home," he fiercely told me as he sipped on a 40 ounce of malt liquor this morning. "I swear. I am." "Good," I replied. "You can do anything if you put your mind to it." "How did Clara get a home?" Ferret then asked. "I got her a ride down to Columbus and she went into a program for homeless alcoholics at the Rescue Mission." "Do they take men?" "Yes, they have a men's program.  I almost went to join myself about a year ago when I couldn't quit drinking." "It has been so cold lately and I feel cold all the time.  Always shivering and having to wear layers of clothes.  And I stink." I was expecting Ferret to ask me to take him out to the truck stop for a shower, but he didn't.&n... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1173031 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:43:00 +0100 1173031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1159458&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fit-interesting.html It's interesting how someone with no home and little money can more likely get help for an addiction.  I have often noted this glaring introduction to reality when I tried to reach out for help these past few years. "Oh, you have Medicare." or "You have a disability income." or "You have a home." Somehow, this precludes me from getting help.  Clara was a terrible, irascible alcoholic, and homeless when she sought help.  She was able to secure some housing via section 8 and get in an outpatient program for alcoholics down in Columbus, Georgia.  There was help there available for her.  James Christian is homeless in NYC and has recently been able to get into an outpatient program for homeless alcoholics.  I am not complaining, mind you.  I have far greater ... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1159458 Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:31:00 +0100 1159458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1142281&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Faimlessly-we-wander.html This afternoon found me aimlessly occupying the bench next to the dollar store.  Rosa was with me.  She loves to hang out down there and smoke cigarettes.  We had just eaten a lunch of tuna sandwiches at Rosa's house.  "This is just like my homeless days, except there are few homeless people," she told me. "You are forgetting Ferret," I replied. "He's homeless by choice. He doesn't count," Rosa responded. I laughed.  I had heard from Clara this morning and was telling Big S about it. "She has turned her life around," I said. "She is still sober, going to outpatient treatment, and attending A.A. meetings." "Damn," Big S replied. "That is hard to believe.  She was worse than Ferret when it comes to drinking." "Believe it, my friend," I said. Now, Rosa has expres... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1142281 Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:47:00 +0100 1142281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1081760&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fsolitude-interlude.html I couldn't sleep tonight.  My bout of insomnia found me down at the park near midnight, drinking coffee from my thermos, and enjoying this warm December night.  Fog had rolled in off the grand Chattahoochee.  Halos of light circled each street light casting an eerie hue.  The Cinematic Orchestra played on my mp3 player.   All was right in my little world.  I sat in the dark for the longest time as a few lonely cars paraded past on the highway.  I felt so alive and vibrant.  Talked to Clara last night.  She was in good spirits.  The sober life is treating her well.  "We're still having our Christmas Eve date, right?" she asked. "Can it be the eve of Christmas Eve?" I said. "I promised Joyce I would cook a meal Christmas Eve." "Okay... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1081760 Sun, 09 Dec 2007 07:43:00 +0100 1081760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1070955&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fadolescence.html I've known a lot of homeless people.  Ferret and Clara come to mind as the most pertinent examples.  There seems to be common themes.  Substance abuse and/or mental illness are the most glaring causes of homelessness.  I was homeless mainly because I was an alcoholic who couldn't get sober no matter how hard I tried.  I lived to drink and lived for the next drink.  I couldn't afford rent with my drinking problem when confronted with my paltry income.  I made a conscious choice to be drunk and homeless, than sober with a home. Another thing I have noticed with homelessness, is the petulant and childlike qualities a homeless person will exhibit.  It is as if they never grew up.  I've been reading The Homeless Guy for years and it never ceases to a... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1070955 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:47:00 +0100 1070955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1064816&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fwinter-wonderland.html I woke up thinking of snow and ice this morning.  Brrrr.  Our neighbors to the north got some pretty decent snowfall to start off December.  Some even got an ice storm.  It is that time of the year that I habitually frequent weather blogs and weather websites that went neglected all throughout the summer months.  I become a man obsessed. "Don't you want it to snow?" I asked Charlie last night as we were sitting in my den watching the weather coverage. "Dammit! Hell no!" he exclaimed as he laughed. "I don't want to have to drive in that mess!" I had dreamed I was homeless and it snowed last night, and I was having trouble keeping the snow out of my tent and sleeping bag.  I woke up feeling bitterly cold and immediately walked into my hall to turn the heat up.&n... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1064816 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 16:00:00 +0100 1064816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1048684&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fmeet-me-halfway.html I met Clara halfway to Columbus, Georgia late last night. It was a spur of the moment encounter I so enjoy.  I was pulling up into a convenience store's parking lot as she got out of a friend's truck and ran over to greet me. She looked so well, and had gained about twenty pounds. Her cheeks were rosy, and the color had returned to her skin. That old alcoholic pall had been cast away. "Tell me about your living arrangements," I asked her as we sat in my car, smoking our cigarillos. "I only have to pay 1/4th of my monthly income for rent," she said. "I got totally lucky in finding that apartment. The waiting list is usually two years for section 8 housing." "Are you happy?" "I have good days and bad days," she told me. "I still struggle with the drinking. I had a slip up a few weeks ag... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1048684 Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:55:00 +0100 1048684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1048368&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Flargesse.html Determined to scrounge up some money, I placed a large computer desk, unassembled and still in the box, on my front lawn by the road. I hung a sign on it saying, "Fifty dollars and it is yours. Originally $129." Within moments, a man in a truck stopped to look. I walked out to talk to him in the cold morning air. "I'll give you two twenties for it," he told me. "Sold!" I said, and I helped him load the heavy desk into the back of his pickup truck. Excited and with money in my pocket, I walked down to the diner for a feast. Merl's diner was hopping with patrons. The clink of dishes being washed could be heard in the background as the low mumble of many conversations played out around me. A perky young waitress walked out to greet me and take my order -- her eyes a deep blue with blonde hair... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1048368 Sat, 24 Nov 2007 14:32:00 +0100 1048368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=914029&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fthunderbird.html The morning started out innocently enough, but went downhill as the sun rose high in the sky.  I found myself standing in the line of the convenience store with four green bottles of Thunderbird wine in hand and an uneasy feeling.  I almost felt nauseous knowing what I was doing, but the urge to drink was just too strong. It is a compulsive urge that is hard to describe.  You can't think farther than the moment at hand -- an acute lack of foresight and conscience.     "Did you get them?" Clara asked me anxiously as we walked back up to the shopping center. She had been waiting outside the store for me. "Here," I replied as I handed a bottle of wine to her. Impatiently, she unscrewed the cap and took a long drink after looking around for the... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=914029 Sat, 29 Sep 2007 14:07:00 +0100 914029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=911763&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fkeenly-i-walk.html The rains of yesterday were a distant memory on this gloriously sunny morning.  I trudged through my neighborhood on the long thirty minute walk to the shopping center -- keen to tell Clara I had ordered her a nice goose down sleeping bag.  My Google check having arrived and being much more than I thought it was going to be.  Dew glistened in the grass on the side of the road like little twinkling diamonds in the rough.  Mesmerizing me.  These days I seem to see beauty in the most mundane things -- an artist's eye I hope to nurture when I start painting in a few weeks. Stopped by the convenience store on the way there -- the beer was so tempting, but I purchased a harmless Gatorade instead.  My favorite clerk had long gotten off for the day.  No doub... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=911763 Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:50:00 +0100 911763 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=889558&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fgleaned-from-kind-soul.html Last night at A.A. I gleaned a word of wisdom from a long time A.A. goer. "Walk," he said. "Feel like you are going to drink? Get out of the house and walk."  That is what I did this morning. I got up.  Ate a granola bar.  And set out through my neighborhood in the chilly air to shake off these urges I was having.  I donned my radio and made great strides early this morning as I passed by the many houses -- their occupants sleeping within. Fueled by my desire to be a sober man -- a respectable member of society. It really does work.  I felt so calm when I arrived back at home.  The urge to drink had left me. Another A.A. goer last night also shared with me that he reaches out to newcomers when he feels the urge to drink. "Be of service to others," he said. "Al... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=889558 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:11:00 +0100 889558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=882514&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fcall-in-dark.html George called me this morning.  It was the first time I have heard from him in weeks.  I miss George deeply, very deeply, but just can't deal with his drinking ways.  George and I would be best friends if he were just sober all the time. I have tried to get him to come to AA with me, but he refuses. He says AA is a religious cult for the brainwashed.  I worry about George's health.  George asked me to come to a cookout this weekend at the lake. "We are having lots of beer and burgers," he told me. "I would like for my brotha to be there. Bring that woman of yours as well." I told George I would think about it. We talked for a while longer about what was going on with the gang. "That homeless woman is still hanging out down at the Piggly Wiggly," George said. "They ... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=882514 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:06:00 +0100 882514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=837406&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fspoils-of-war.html The scuttlebutt down at the shopping center yesterday was that Clara got arrested for "public indecency." She soon came sauntering up the sidewalk looking as if she didn't have a care in the world. I was glad to see her free. "You're supposed to be in jail," I said as I laughed and she walked by. "Yeah, well, don't believe all the shit Big S tells you," she said as she turned and grinned. I looked over at Big S and he just shrugged his shoulders. Ferret also made an appearance along with Dumpster Diving Dan. Ferret was trying to get Dan to "hook him up" on dumpstered groceries. What Dan finds in the dumpsters is meager pickings.  I don't think he relished any competition from Ferret. He certainly didn't look happy at Ferret's encroachment. "I don't see why that old man would want to b... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=837406 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 12:13:00 +0100 837406 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=829885&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fhomeless-makeover.html Clara is not an ugly woman. With some makeup and nice clothes she could look really presentable.  She is in her late thirties and still has perky breasts and a shapely bum. "I couldn't have kids," she told me one day. "That's why no man wants me."  I stifled back a remark about how she lives her life is why a man wouldn't want her, but who am I to judge? She had gathered herself today and was doing better. "You hungry?" I asked her, wanting to buy her a meal. She flashed a wad of what looked like five dollar bills as she grinned furiously. "Been panhandling over by restaurant row," she replied. I sat with Ferret as we talked about our postponed camping trip -- our homeless homecoming. "You know what I hate?" Clara said interrupting Ferret and me. "I hate when you ask for a f... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=829885 Wed, 29 Aug 2007 22:23:00 +0100 829885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=827890&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fworse-for-wear.html I thought I would go for a long bike ride today. Preparations were made. Bottles of water in my backpack. Snack bars in the side pockets. I was ready to go and set out in the abnormally cool morning air. I rode downtown and stopped at the tracks to watch a freight as I munched on a sweet and salty trail mix snack bar. My initial hopes were to get some of this wanderlust out of me. I grew tired though -- out of shape. I used to could ride for miles without tiring.I moseyed on up to the shopping center and chained my bike to a post. Big S asked me where I had been. "Not far," I said as I laughed. "The tracks and back." George was also down there and we had a little talk about why he has been avoiding me."You've become militant about this whole not drinking thing," he told me."I just don't wa... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=827890 Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:51:00 +0100 827890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=822274&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fpanacea.html I am listening to Joni Mitchell's Hejira as I sit listlessly down at the shopping center as people escape their cars to come and shop. That song Black Crow begins to play on my mp3 player and my foot taps contagiously to the beat. There's a crow flyingBlack and raggedTree to treeHe's black as the highway leading meNow he's diving downTo pick up on something shinyI feel like that black crowFlyingIn a blue skyIt reminds me of the first time I heard this album. I thought I had found heaven. Drunk songs. That's what they are. Songs listened to on long drunken drives out into the country -- to escape the people that so mystified me and scared me. Soundtracks of a life that once was. I shouldn't be listening. It makes me long for a beer.Clara, the homeless woman, is mulling about down there toda... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=822274 Sat, 25 Aug 2007 20:51:00 +0100 822274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=821256&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fenabler.html A whole passel of the gang is out today at the shopping center. It is scorching hot with a thirty percent chance of precipitation. I say a little prayer for rain. I am sitting on a bench by the dollar store as I watch clouds billow and build in the sky in the afternoon heat. Big S is sitting by the grocery store sweating profusely -- a handkerchief in his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. I am also sweating something terrible and notice I smell. Clara comes sashaying down the sidewalk -- a vibe in her steps. It is contagious. "You got five bucks?" she asks me as she stops. "I can't enable your drinking," I say honestly. We then get in an argument over the semantics of the word enable.   "I am going to drink no matter what you do," she says coarsely. "So wh... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=821256 Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:08:00 +0100 821256 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=816565&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fgotta-do-what-you-gotta-do.html Most of the morning was spent down at the shopping center. Lazy. Yawning. Smoking. Watching people come to and fro. I noticed Clara busily panhandling. People would escape the grocery store only to get caught in her web. I never could panhandle. My social anxieties would prevent me. It was too much like being a door to door salesperson except your customers come to you."Doesn't that embarrass you?" I asked her during a lull. "I gotta do what I gotta do to eat," she said. You gotta do what you gotta do to drink, I thought flippantly. I would watch her garner about five dollars and go in and buy a bottle of Boone's Farm wine. The cheap stuff. $2 dollars a bottle. Clara finally tired of panhandling when she had generated enough money. She came and sat beside me -- her wine hidden in a brown p... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=816565 Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:44:00 +0100 816565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=814073&cid=t_141488_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fsuspicious-minds.html I've always been a morning person.  I awake well before dawn and start my day.  Rosa can sleep till lunchtime much to my chagrin. Of course, Rosa is not going to miss a beat and will soon stir when she hears me up and about. This morning was the same. We drifted down to the shopping center this morning after our walk. The air was cool and pleasant -- hovering in the seventies. The parking lot was already brimming with the cars of early shoppers. I walked down to the diner to get us some bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits.  I got one for Clara and Big S as well who were already panhandling in front of the Piggly Wiggly. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Clara, the homeless woman, asked suspiciously as I handed her a biscuit. "I still say you want s... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=814073 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:57:00 +0100 814073