Hospital trips and Puppies with Parvo

 

I’m finding out that Uber on Saturday morning is quite a joy. I don’t rush like I do on a Wednesday or Thursday. I’m peaceful because I’m don’t fight traffic or react to honking horns and angry drivers. It’s like everyone on the road just agrees, let’s take it easy today alright?

Do you need to pass?…after you sir. No blinker?…no problem. U-turn in the middle of a busy street?...why not.

Today was such an occasion. The weather was perfect and I was still on my morning runner’s high so my mood matched the sunny conditions. Yes I know that runner’s highs don’t last that long but let me have this. I had an interesting crop of riders from both last night and today. No duds thankfully, although I did have a woman who made an unscheduled stop. As a general rule I don’t mind letting someone run into Quik Trip for a 6 pack or some lottery tickets. Out of the way trips that aren’t scheduled on the app are kind of a no-no per Uber. There might be a safety aspect but mostly it’s because we aren’t getting paid. Not me and certainly not Uber. And anyway it’s an easy fix. Just update the trip.

Her stop was to the liquor store which was at least marginally near her apartment. She was in and out as quick as possible but it could go either way. A customer might decide to do a little shopping, or get behind in long line. I’m out money when they do that and it’s seriously rude.

Early today I picked up a man with a scheduled hospital visit. He wanted McDonalds first and it wasn’t on the trip. He asked me for help to add it as a stop, which was decent of him. That was fortunate for me. Now I can show riders how to do it. He turned out to be my favorite type of passenger, a Tulsa native who is over the age of 60 and likes to talk about the city. Sadly he has health problems on top of health problems. I get the feeling he needs regular treatments and medicine to get by.

On second thought the McDonalds stop was a probably a bad idea. So now I’m complicit.

I accepted a ride from a woman in East Tulsa who asked about dogs. “Do you take dogs?” She asked of course after I accepted the ride. It’s really my fault though. I don’t remember if I allowed for dogs when I set up my account. Truth is I prefer they bring a cage but since most people hold their dogs anyway it doesn’t matter. She told me she would bring a towel so I relented. Towels are known to be the exact equivalent of a cage. What could possibly get past a full size towel?

Her trip was to an animal clinic for regular treatment of Parvo. I’m not sure if this was a shot or a pill but she had taken her Dalmatian mix puppy in a few times before. He was a bit squirmy but friendly and curious. This was a relief because when I saw this women coming out with this dog is her arms he was growling at some of the neighbors walking past. I thought, “Oh great, a nasty little mutt”. He was nice to me though. The owner was skeptical about his diagnosis. One of the symptoms of Parvo is lethargy. No problem there with this rowdy guy.

I’ve thought about calling the owners from now on and asking them about the breed. “What breed did you say it was? Retriever? Absolutely I take dogs.”

“Sorry did you say Chihuahua? No I don’t take dogs.”

I picked up another hospital ride later in the day. She was tall and lean like a basketball player. She couldn’t have looked more like an athlete if she came out in a mesh jersey and Jordans. I guess she was here visiting parents. Her home is in New York now and she’s a sports industry attorney. And yes, she played in the WNBA for a few years after playing at Duke. Naturally I wanted to learn more about her life. I would have liked a longer ride, 10 minutes was all I got. She had strong opinions on elite youth sports and even stronger opinions about the coaches and industry that churns them out like widgets. I’d defer to her experience but hearing that many of the coaches are selfish task masters wasn’t exactly surprising.

 I told her I sold sporting goods at a local store, so we’re basically the same. “You spent years playing professional sports around the world and practicing international law? I know exactly what you mean. I sell basketball uniforms to 8 year olds so I can SOOO relate girl.”  

Anyway she gave me a very nice tip and I thanked her profusely like a silly fanboy.

The theme this week was hospitals and animal clinics.

 I had one more drop off at an animal shelter in Tulsa, a veterinary student. She volunteered to increase her exposure and experience. I liked that she understood the importance of real world practice in the industry she was studying. A common complaint with industry professionals (in multiple jobs) is lack of practical understanding of the business from young graduates. This girl got it. I’m sure she’ll do well. I asked her what she knew about Parvo. She seemed confused “I’ve never heard of that” she said with interest.

Well, I might know someone who can help.

 

 

 

   

Growth and Striving

 

“How am I growing spiritually?”

 It’s a question that all Christians should ask themselves periodically. Treat it like a quarterly review at work. No I don’t get them either but I’ve had jobs where raises were based on performance. You start with a pretty meager hourly wage so making a good impression is essential. Impress the boss but don’t kiss up and make enemies of your fellow co-workers. At level 1 (that’s what I’ll call it) a good employee shows up for work on time, keeps the sick days to a minimum and does what he/she is told.

 Attitude is important too; no one likes a grumbler or a “bare minimum guy”. You know the type; they mop up the floor after a spill but only if told to, and very slowly. They avoid extras at all costs and never seem to be around when help is needed.

 Level 1 is a kind of baseline for everyone. If you can’t complete these fundamental requirements what good are you? But these are often where workers get tripped up.

The level 2 (clever titles huh?) worker aces level 1 and contributes on a larger scale. They don’t need to be asked to fix things or clean up floors. They understand when something is off or needs attention. When the toilet overflows they make sure it gets fixed by getting the right help or doing it themselves. They aren’t perfect but they can be counted on to handle responsibility that goes beyond just their job title. They get promoted easily because everyone likes to work with them, they’re team players.

For years I’ve transferred the idea of ‘good employee’ to spiritual growth, thinking incorrectly that Christians need to impress God and be rewarded with wealth, relationships and good health. I’d never say it that way of course, it’s too merit based and grubby. But underneath all the “God looks at our heart” talk, a lot of us are keeping score. We measure ourselves against others, sometimes unconsciously, and mark our progress the way toddlers measure their height on a wall with slashes.

Don’t misunderstand, our laboring is service and not obligation. Our strength to overcome the struggles of life comes from Jesus. When we stay connected He perfects us and our growth is easier when we follow His path. Here is John 15: 5-8

 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

 Our lives show God’s goodness and blessing, that’s our fruit. It’s the aspect of our character we exhibit to others around us. But we don’t strive for promotions in the competitive way like we do at work. John doesn’t say “abide and work hard on conquering you demons”. John is saying stay close to Jesus and don’t worry about the labor, the score, the progress.

 Step away from that wall that shows your last slash and let the Holy Spirit fill you. Our daily existence in Christ begins with humility and a Fear of the Lord. It’s Ok to track our progress as long as we understand the Christian life isn’t merit based. We don’t prove our diligence to the Heavenly Father and wait for the tokens when we’ve checked the boxes.

There is an inherent choice to make as a believer. As John says to those who don’t “abide” they are “cast out as a branch…” and tossed into the fire. The Father demands production of His children. We are given much and forgiven everything, but there is work to do. He needs us to reach the lost and the broken, the ones who might never know about His goodness without us.

That’s an awesome responsibility and not one we could ever work for anyway. It’s refreshing to lose our sense of striving for rewards and competing for affection. Forget about the levels and let the Holy Spirit build something you could never build alone.

 We couldn’t come up to His level, so He came down to ours.

He conquered death because we never could. What does He ask of us today? What is our service, our contribution, our job? Only this. . . abide, and let Him reveal your task so you can produce fruit for the kingdom.

The Dithering Heights

 

I hired the services of a website designer last night.

 I took the night off from driving Uber to work on my page. I’ve been stuck for weeks on trying to build out a decent looking website. It doesn’t need to win awards for creativity or feature video montages. A simple design with the option to scale up later is all I need right now. My progress is painfully slow and I work two jobs already. But even without the extra work it’s a slog for me. So I added my name to a directory where website designers contact you. I didn’t want to spend too much since I already paid for the space and a host. The Wordpress builder was giving me fits and needed to do something. 

Enough with the delay already!

Once I entered in my phone number on the directory I started getting calls. I went with the first guy and the first offer. Maybe not an ideal situation but I’d had enough foot dragging and needed to get moving. I’ve had this webpage put together in some capacity since March and no business to show for it. Not because no one responds to my half assed site but because I won’t promote it yet. Not that I haven’t solicited business. I have, but through other channels like Craigslist. I’ve let friends in the area know what I’m doing as well, at least the ones connected to local business.

There is always someone cheaper who can build a site for less. But eventually you have to get the thing done and stop dithering over the process. No decision is perfect and mistakes are part of it, but making no decision is worse. I realize I struggle with this, the whole ‘to stay or to go’ double mindedness. It’s almost as if the fear of doing the wrong thing overwhelms the fear of stasis. But the decision is to stay by default. I’ve made the choice to do nothing, which is still a choice. And it’s safer because I didn’t move forward. I didn’t pass Go so I’m not responsible.

If pressed, most of us would admit to some weakness of character we’d change in an instant if we could. For me it’s a general indecisiveness on life’s big and small choices. The why isn’t important. It’s a stumbling block that demands consistent pounding with a sledge hammer in order to break it down. Identifying the block is the first step; planning to break it up is the second.

If you’ve ever seen a weak leader you’ll know what I mean. He suggests to one group he is on their side and to another he expresses different emotions. He’s never tied down by anything so vulgar as a firm opinion. Better to delay, Hamlet like, and pretend to search for best course of action while really just avoiding the consequence. 

Some of us want to be liked, or more accurately we don’t want to be hated.

Decisions require taking sides and once you take sides, you alienate the other. That means the side in the opposite camp has good reason to not like you. But life is about making choices and leading. You can’t always sit in the back row and hope the teacher doesn’t call on you for an answer.

 I see a lot of reluctant dads who got “volunteered” to be the little league coach of their son’s team. The team needed one and no one offered. A few clever dads said they’d help out, assistant coach they call it. But the 'assistant coach' line on the form was a ruse. They got snared into the spider’s web hoping to just squeak by as the alternate, the help, not the main guy. They ended up the main guy and had to figure out how to make it go.

Suddenly they’re buying equipment and uniforms and listening to the other parents complain about colors and designs. Colors and designs that they (the ones who didn’t volunteer) could well have been in charge of. They come in flustered in the first year. The other parents can’t agree on anything. The pants don’t fit, the yellows are too yellow, the hat logos aren’t centered and look cheap. Some want to use knicker style pants and high socks like the old throwback teams of the 1920s. Tyler's dad wants the kids to look like Shoeless Joe Jackson.

My advice to the new, frazzled coaches is always the same. Don’t give the other parents a choice. Tell them what colors and styles they’re going to wear. Tell them which kid plays first and who pitches. Tell them what Your Lineup will be on Your Team. Tell them and don’t ask them. Once you start asking for advice or trying to steer the choices you’ll invite conflict. You don’t need to be brusque or make a scene, but let them know that you run the team and the decisions are yours to make. They can run their own team if they like.

I need to start following my own advice. It’s pretty good right?

  

Following the Good Shepherd

 

 I was a avid follower of the news up until last year during the Wuhan Virus scare mongering.

 Actually my news interest probably peaked years ago. When I say “news” I’m really describing national and international affairs. The Celebrity stuff never interested me. My knowledge was never expert but I liked to read and listen to opinion podcasts like the National Review editors and the Ricochet offerings. . I used to tolerate NPR too. I had a fondness for the show “Wait Wait. . . Don’t Tell Me”. I didn’t see a massive conflict between being a conservative American and on occasion, listening to public radio. Fairly or unfairly a lot of this changed with Trump. I’m sure that sounds like a solid accusation against the man and his presidency, but look closer. The press made up news about the soldier bounties in Afghanistan, and Trump supposedly mocking military heroes among others. For two years they led nightly broadcast with Russia gate nonsense, knowing it was a lie.

 I actually just googled "lies about the Trump administration" and got nothing back but lies FROM the Trump administration on the first page.

I thought the press was wildly biased before; now I think they are a propaganda arm of the Democrat Party. Maybe that’s not quite right either. There’s a globalist cabal at work here and I don't care if it sounds nutty. Everything is connected. A strong America means our allies thrive. A weak America means our allies flail, if they even have our support. I’m thinking of Israel right now. The Jews are under attack from Hamas who is backed by Iran. Why now? Maybe because our president is senile and the far left that hates Israel sees an opportunity to rearrange the alliance in the Middle East. Who is stopping them now? Russian, Iran and Turkey are making a pact to shore up their part of the world and push us out.

I can’t pretend to know what all the shifting of alliances means anymore. I can admit that I don’t know anything about what’s really going on and who the players are behind the scenes. It’s tough to admit that when for so long I’ve assumed I solid grasp on world affairs. But there is too much to know and everything we see in the news, read in print, is filtered through prisms designed to scatter the light.

 Ironically the more I’ve tuned out of the daily Sturm und Drang the more confidence I have in God’s plan. I don’t just mean His plan for me but for all of humanity. It’s seems counterintuitive to unplug and deprogram from following the important developments with a sharp eye. But too much of what’s reported is half-truths, propaganda and outright lies.

It does feel like humanity will start waking up Matrix style in our cocoons and seeing a dystopian world that’s been there the whole time. Ok that’s dark. Maybe instead think of the Disney movie Wall E. A future where overfed, lazy humans existing on big gulps and naps suddenly wake up when the feed gets cut to the TV. But instead of the feed getting cut all at once, one by one we start waking each other up. We start noticing more that the culture isn’t quite right.

Anyway I don’t completely check out of news. 

I’m a reader just the same as before but the difference is in the extras. I haven’t felt the need to download any podcasts or opinion shows anymore. This isn’t just true of politics but sports as well. The change is welcome. I’ve been a man adrift in some ways, looking for knowledge and information in all the wrong places. Ok so the sports were just a welcome distraction, something fun to follow, no longer. The SJWs have ruined sports and the spineless corporate lackeys that run the league can lose their asses over it. They’ve welcomed BLM (Black Lives Matter) like a Trojan horse and now their sleeping while the woke Mafioso destroy their businesses. Maybe they’ve never been sports fans or felt anything but distain for the people that watch it.

I’m no longer a man adrift though. I’m a new creature in Christ and old things have passed away. The best part is I don’t have to figure out how to read a particular situation. Who are the good guys and bad guys? What’s the truth about the border? Will the fraudulent 2020 election ever be rectified and those responsible for stealing it be made to pay? Is the United States over as we once knew it? Will we emerge victorious and see lost people added to the kingdom?

Funny how important areas of life can disappear quickly and we don’t miss them. It’s possible if we fill our cup with everlasting water and eat the bread of life. Only by being connected to Christ can we understand and see into the spiritual realm, the battle that’s been raging for eternity. Our present lives and daily machinations are a blip on the radar screen of existence. Only when our mindset becomes eternally motivated can God use us for His kingdom.

Uber stench and driving for gas money

 

I need to watch an Uber video on how the software works. It feels like I’m missing out on a lot of rides. Tonight I only made $30 in the time it usually takes to make $50. I drove around waiting for requests more than I had riders in the car. What makes this particular Tuesday a slow night I’m not sure. Normally I do Thursday and Friday with some Saturday mornings thrown in for extra money. But right after work should be hot with requests popping up one after another. It’s been a little slower the last few times I’ve driven anyway, even during the normally busy 5:00-7:00.

I know there are other drivers on the road. Are they doing better? Does the app reward those who’ve logged more hours? Or does the algorithm prioritize drivers near the pickup sites? I have a lot of questions about what I see on the screen as well. Certain times pay better than others and bonuses exist for rides beyond a certain point. Mostly though I’m tired when I finish and the idea of researching something after 9:00 is not appealing. I’ve been working since 8:30 this morning after all. Ok so driving isn’t like real work, I get it. But it’s not sitting at home watching Netflix either. Sitting in traffic and getting honked at isn’t exactly refreshing. I'm not stacking hay or digging ditches either so I won't complain.

Of the few rides I had tonight the saddest was the pick up at the hospital. She was there for her friend who is staying overnight with her little girl. Sadly the girl is having brain surgery, actually she had surgery already but needs two other operations. My rider is the friend of the family being put through this particular medical nightmare. The girl complained one night of feeling like her head was on fire. Her screaming and agony demanded a trip to the ER. They ended up at OSU medical for evaluation because it was the closest to home. They didn’t find anything with a scan and send the family back. The next day was worse. They went to Saint Francis this time and did an emergency procedure. I guess the problem was a blood clot. My passenger didn’t know all the details of the operation but seemed to think they’d be in the hospital for a while. I’m sure they’ve had plenty of sleepless nights over the last month.

I dropped off a Floridian at a car dealer to pick up his ride for a return trip to the sunshine state. He and his wife rent an apartment here in Tulsa when business demands it. She works for a company that builds airline parts. I think he said they have an extension here, or maybe Florida is the extension and Tulsa is the hub. We talked about the aerospace industry in Oklahoma. I was under the impression that it’s a small part or our overall economy but he said he thought it was quite large. Nothing is larger than the oil and gas industry but aerospace might be in the top 5 of employable businesses. Nordam is a big company with its headquarters here and American Airlines and countless other industry giants have at least some presence.  So it makes sense.

I made a quick stop after my last drop off to buy some Lysol for the car. I do pretty well keeping the handles and doors wiped down with Clorox. I don’t have a disinfectant for the seats, or at least I didn’t. I had a friendly heavyset girl tonight that had rotten body odor. I couldn’t wait to drop her off. I found myself inhaling very slowly to avoid breathing in the scent.  Fortunately it was a short ride. I couldn’t wait any longer on the spray though. It’s the second time it’s happened and I didn’t have any on hand. It’s not that I pick up a lot of stinky passengers but when I do, I can’t easily forget it. Why is the hygiene issue such an issue for some people?

I’m starting to feel something like a rhythm in responding to calls and reading the map. The good news is if I needed to I could put in a lot of hours on short notice. Overall it doesn’t pay great but it’s a constant need for any city even if certain times are dead. It’s always an option and I’m grateful to have some extra money, even if it feels like I'm driving for gas money.    

Reel Me In Already!

 

I’ve read a few books recently and it’s really time to do at least one review. I’m waiting to finish the movie Philomena and do a review about that as well. I started it a week ago and made a decision to hold off watching it until I could write it shortly after. Nothing is worse than waiting too long to write and forgetting the critical aspects. Some of the thoughts you had at first have faded into the background and you can hardly remember the story. I always put more pressure on myself for these types of reviews. It’s as if one man’s opinion about a film must adhere to strict rules of cinema writing. It’s silly I know. There are so many ways to do a review that seems ridiculous to even mention it. 

I normally opt for the direct approach.

 What is the director trying to say? What messages are tied in and what symbols (if any) are apparent to me? Then I mention what worked and what didn’t, how the characters came off. Another way is to talk about things like lighting and camera work, who did the score and did it fit. Here I’m not usually convincing because I know so little about sets and industry mechanics. I’ve read plenty of reviews that talked about the difficult work of getting funding or how certain actors were brought on late. I don’t focus too much on the ingredients, the presentation is what interests me. Too much background and it feels like an episode of Project Greenlight, HBO’s documentary about film making in the early 2000s. The show was dull for the same reasons that dress rehearsals are dull, it's just preparation. 

 If a movie doesn’t grab me right away I’m liable to click off. Roma was one such movie. Netflix put together an absolute bore of film and then took the color out of it. “Oh wow it’s black and white, how novel!” I turned it off after 15 minutes of watching a middle class family make popcorn and turn on the TV while the maid cleaned up. Waste of time. Reel me in already! 

I could never do it for a living because I just don’t have the patience to watch everything. They can’t all be great but even in decent movies there should be some element of mystery or humor or adventure. I used to read Roger Ebert a lot. His page is still around (oddly) but someone else writes reviews on it. He did a very snarky review of Constantine that had me howling. Instead of telling us what it was about and all the different ways it failed, he made a joke about it and trashed it. I remember thinking he probably wanted to leave the film after about 20 minutes but because he couldn’t, he thought he’d have fun with it instead. 

With historical movies you can examine the characters on screen versus the historical record. There were critics who didn’t like seeing Daniel Day Lewis’ Lincoln cursing on screen. I guess it came off as a modern interpretation and not likely the way Abe Lincoln behaved. I didn’t see the film but that sounds about right. I don’t have any way to know how common swearing was in the mid 19th century. Historians weren’t put off but a little foul language but it didn’t fit the character of the 16th president.  

Interpretations can be wildly off too. When I guess at messaging I try to make the views solely my own, and it’s often vastly different from what others say. But there isn’t always one way to see a movie. We can all watch the same thing and get different ideas. The important thing is to find a common theme and stick to it. It helps to read other reviews as well to get a sense of how to dissect a movie.

I always write my own thoughts in a rough draft to keep my opinions original. I don’t want other critics’ ideas to infect my ideas, even if mine are wildly off the mark. I’d rather get the purpose of the movie wrong then take ideas from another writer. Like every other kind of writing you do, mimic the styles of the ones you admire. It’s perfectly natural to do this. It’s a starting place until you develop your own personal style. I find myself falling into certain ditches on all my writing that isn’t always there to exploit. I love ‘against all odds’ stories (like Hillbilly Elegy) but sometimes the theme just isn’t there. A lot of dramas are ‘coming of age’ or ‘revelations’ where the main character finds some eternal truth. Philomena looks to be such a movie but I’ll know more next week.