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Welcome to the Danger Zone!
- Thread starter dangerousdon
- Start date
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
I can see the resemblance!
I am so THAT GUY!
Thanks on the Congrats! I'm not sure it has really sunk in yet. Oh yeah...I am going to bask as much as possible on this past year! It was undoubtedly the best college football season in LSU history. I might argue it's the best in SEC or NCAA history. But I know that is very subjective. But when you consider that LSU went 15-0, won the SEC Championship and then went on to win the National Championship. I won't mention who they played to get there either. But also factor in that Joe Burrow won the Heisman, Maxwell, Walter Camp, Johnny Unitas, Davy O'brien, and Manning Awards. As well as earning several player of the year awards and being a unanimous All-American. Grant Delpit won the Thorpe award and Ja'Marr Chase won the Biletnikoff Award. Ed Orgeron won National Coach of the Year and Joe Brady (on to the Carolina Panthers) won the Broyles award for bet assistant. The Offensive line won the Joe Moore award for the best offensive line. Yeah...I might be a little proud...
.Pray-tell...what university did you attend and what sport did you play? Inquiring minds want to know. The wife's family is steeped in athletic tradition...I myself...well let's just say I played in High School and leave the rest unsaid. The Father-in-Law wrestled at Penn State and the wife's uncle played basketball at Penn State. The wife herself was offered a softball scholarship to...can you guess where? Yup...Penn State. She went elsewhere for school though, as an academic scholarship paid for a lot more than softball.
But yes..I enjoyed the season.
Cute little shaver. Though I studied the biology of pregnancy and childbirth, pictures such as this remind me of the wonder and miracle of it all.
I did not mean to mislead you into thinking I played (cough, suppressing howls of laughter) basketball for UCLA when Wooden coached. When I got on campus, Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) was playing. In the years that followed, Sidney Wicks, Keith Wilkes (Jamal), Bill Walton and many other really good players. I knew one or two players but the only way I got into Pauley was by buying a ticket with one notable exception. I snuck into Pauley to watch a practice or two when Walton played. That was an eye-opener--seeing John Wooden run a practice.
Alcindor playing for UCLA blocking a shot. Note where his waist is in relation to the other players' heads, where his head is in relation to the basket and where his right hand with the ball is. Like you I played sports in high school but probably unlike you, not well. So sadly, I did not play sports at UCLA other than intramurals.
Sorry...guess I read too much into it. But man! Those are some years you attended college. At the time we have no idea what kind of impact on the sport players like that will have. Either way...those were some epic teams and must have been amazing to watch!
They never made it to the National Championship...but while I was in high school I got to see Shaquille O'Neal play. Not quite the same thing as what you experienced. But amazing nonetheless!
You know some water has passed under the bridge when a man you said hello to is now memorialized as a bronze statue next to Pauley Pavilion in approximately the same place you greeted him all those years ago. But the memories are still strong as are the emotions. Magical times. And yes, the teams were epic. Be quick but don't hurry.
Wow, what a treat that must have been! Jealous.
Entirely Jealous!
Razor: Merkur Progress
Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock Permasharp Stainless (4th Shave)
Soap/Cream: Ariana & Evans - Khalifa
Brush: Stirling Synthetic
The Penultimate Aftershave: Superior 70 and Witch Hazel
The Ultimate Aftershave: Figaro Monsieur
This was actually Friday's shave. I was graciously given this tub of soap by @Maryland998 and I am very appreciative as this scent has Don written all over it. According to A&E...this scent is inspired by Black Afgano by Nasomatto. A&E describes this scent as...
"One of the most unique scents I ever smelled. Khalifa is a mix of mysterious & exotic 'resins', tobacco, vanilla, oud, coffee and incense. It's a dark, mysterious, smokey, woody mix that is reminiscent of a fine niche fragrance."
So yeah...this scent is totally in my wheelhouse. For me...the oud is VERY forward. It's very spicy. I know that might turn some people off...but not me. And my wife...even in her pregnant state and able to smell what the family two blocks over are eating for dinner tonight...yeah...even she liked it. Actually she liked it a lot.
This soap base is one of the better soap bases out there. If you load and lather it properly, the soap will reward you with an amazing shave. I have to figure out if this soap is in my top five or top ten...but it is definitely up there. Off the top of my head...the only other soap bases I like better (that I have tried) are (and not in order or preference): Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations Artisan Soap; CBL Premium Shave Soap - With Hemp Oil; and Declaration Grooming - Icarus Base. To the best of my recollection other soap bases that I would put on even footing with A&E are Noble Otter, and Wholly Kaw. I am sure there are others that I have forgot...but you get the idea. AND these ore out of soaps that I am or have used on a regular basis.
I paired this shave with the Figaro Monsieur. It paired well...but honestly...I think Wholly Kaw King of Oud is almost a dead ringer for this scent. King of Oud might be a tad spicier. I probably just need to pick up the aftershave or the EdT if it ever becomes available.
The Danger Zone!!!
Okay...as I have recently revealed...my wife is pregnant. And Life just got real. But in a good way. Anyway...as I have also chronicled, she was in the hospital last weekend for parainfluenza and a respiratory infection. Yeah...my life is great. Anyway...so the OBGYN wants the wife's PCP to manage her medications that she would normally take everyday. From what I understand, this is pretty common practice.
Before I get into my issues, I want to let you all know that I have the utmost respect for doctors and especially nurses. I don't always agree with their methods and treatments or their "bed-side manners," but I have a lot of respect for them. In a different time and place I think I would live to be a nurse or certain types of MDs or DOs. Also, I know these people are not Superman or Superwoman...they can't be everywhere at one time. I also understand that a busy practice means a tight schedule.
Issue #1
Getting in to see a Doctor - Trying to get into her PCP takes an act of congress. Whenever she calls to make an appointment, it's a minimum of two weeks out. I expect this from a Cardiologist, Orthopedist, Neurologist, or another type of specialized medicine. My wife knows and likes the other doctors in her PCP's practice and will often ask to see one of the other doctors if it is a pressing issue, but usually it is the same thing. Coming out of the hospital last weekend, the discharging doctor was adamant that she see her PCP the following day for follow-up and adjustment of medications. It took several hours of talking with one doctor's nurse then referred to another, and then the other to finally get squeezed in to see one of doctors. This is absolutely ridiculous to me. My experience with my Primary health physician is that I have always been able to get an appointment either the same day or at the very least the next day...ALWAYS. So all of this with my wife is a bit frustrating. To make everything worse...she really likes her PCP. And this is key...because my wife doesn't trust a lot of doctors. Additionally, my wife called her OBGYN before she went into the hospital, when she found out that she was pregnant. She is on a medication that we know is not good for pregnancy. Her OBGYN was on vacation and the nurse consulted one of the other doctors in the practice. The conclusion was that obviously she need to stop the medication but she needed to call her PCP for another medication that is safe for pregnancy. So, the wife called her PCP. She talked to one of the nurses in the practice and she said that Richelle needed to call her OBGYN. Richelle instructed the nurse that she already did and they told her to call the PCP. The nurse said that she would have to consult the doctor then. Are you kidding me? Maybe you should have consulted the doctor before you called! We didn't get a call back until the next day close to noon. The solution? My wife was switched to a pregnancy safe medication.
Issue #2
Doctor's Office Administration and Staff - For the most part I am talking about the non-medical/non-revenue producing staff...the receptionist, the appointment taker, assistants and such. On a rare occasion this may apply to a medical professional. I have seen some office staff that are better than others, but honestly...I have never seen one that I would consider exceptional. I understand that theses are some of the lowest paid positions in the industry, and like the saying goes...you get what you pay for. But it also seems like (and again...these are broad strokes and I know there are good ones out there) there is no interest in actually helping a client/patient/customer from this class of employee. They are almost always rude or at the very least...curt. In my wife's case I am pretty sure that she was dismissed by several people and I could almost see the "eye roll" while she was on the phone, before she actually talked to someone who could help her. But mind you...I have experienced this before in my dealings over the years with doctor's offices as well. So this is not limited to just my wife.
Issue #3
Why can't the patient/customer interview a medical professional before he/she hires them? - My wife has made the decision that she needs a new PCP. It's a shame, because she really likes the one she has right now. But if she can't get in to see him for weeks or if she can't get a nurse to respond to a pretty important question...then it's time to move on to someone who can better assist her. No hard feelings. It's just that her current PCP and his staff are now too busy to accommodate her needs. But finding a new PCP isn't all that easy. So we can all look online at reviews, get recommendations from friends, family, other doctors, people we know who are doctors and nurses. In the end...you never really know how much you like your doctor or the office they work at until you go there. So why isn't there a way to "interview" a new doctor or a new medical professional? Yeah...I know this has a whole bunch of issues. But why can't there be a way for one to figure out if a medical professional and a patient is a good fit for each other?
Okay...this was a particularly long post. Sorry for that guys.
Hope the Cadre has an absolutely great rest of the weekend!
Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock Permasharp Stainless (4th Shave)
Soap/Cream: Ariana & Evans - Khalifa
Brush: Stirling Synthetic
The Penultimate Aftershave: Superior 70 and Witch Hazel
The Ultimate Aftershave: Figaro Monsieur
This was actually Friday's shave. I was graciously given this tub of soap by @Maryland998 and I am very appreciative as this scent has Don written all over it. According to A&E...this scent is inspired by Black Afgano by Nasomatto. A&E describes this scent as...
"One of the most unique scents I ever smelled. Khalifa is a mix of mysterious & exotic 'resins', tobacco, vanilla, oud, coffee and incense. It's a dark, mysterious, smokey, woody mix that is reminiscent of a fine niche fragrance."
So yeah...this scent is totally in my wheelhouse. For me...the oud is VERY forward. It's very spicy. I know that might turn some people off...but not me. And my wife...even in her pregnant state and able to smell what the family two blocks over are eating for dinner tonight...yeah...even she liked it. Actually she liked it a lot.
This soap base is one of the better soap bases out there. If you load and lather it properly, the soap will reward you with an amazing shave. I have to figure out if this soap is in my top five or top ten...but it is definitely up there. Off the top of my head...the only other soap bases I like better (that I have tried) are (and not in order or preference): Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations Artisan Soap; CBL Premium Shave Soap - With Hemp Oil; and Declaration Grooming - Icarus Base. To the best of my recollection other soap bases that I would put on even footing with A&E are Noble Otter, and Wholly Kaw. I am sure there are others that I have forgot...but you get the idea. AND these ore out of soaps that I am or have used on a regular basis.
I paired this shave with the Figaro Monsieur. It paired well...but honestly...I think Wholly Kaw King of Oud is almost a dead ringer for this scent. King of Oud might be a tad spicier. I probably just need to pick up the aftershave or the EdT if it ever becomes available.
The Danger Zone!!!
Okay...as I have recently revealed...my wife is pregnant. And Life just got real. But in a good way. Anyway...as I have also chronicled, she was in the hospital last weekend for parainfluenza and a respiratory infection. Yeah...my life is great. Anyway...so the OBGYN wants the wife's PCP to manage her medications that she would normally take everyday. From what I understand, this is pretty common practice.
Before I get into my issues, I want to let you all know that I have the utmost respect for doctors and especially nurses. I don't always agree with their methods and treatments or their "bed-side manners," but I have a lot of respect for them. In a different time and place I think I would live to be a nurse or certain types of MDs or DOs. Also, I know these people are not Superman or Superwoman...they can't be everywhere at one time. I also understand that a busy practice means a tight schedule.
Issue #1
Getting in to see a Doctor - Trying to get into her PCP takes an act of congress. Whenever she calls to make an appointment, it's a minimum of two weeks out. I expect this from a Cardiologist, Orthopedist, Neurologist, or another type of specialized medicine. My wife knows and likes the other doctors in her PCP's practice and will often ask to see one of the other doctors if it is a pressing issue, but usually it is the same thing. Coming out of the hospital last weekend, the discharging doctor was adamant that she see her PCP the following day for follow-up and adjustment of medications. It took several hours of talking with one doctor's nurse then referred to another, and then the other to finally get squeezed in to see one of doctors. This is absolutely ridiculous to me. My experience with my Primary health physician is that I have always been able to get an appointment either the same day or at the very least the next day...ALWAYS. So all of this with my wife is a bit frustrating. To make everything worse...she really likes her PCP. And this is key...because my wife doesn't trust a lot of doctors. Additionally, my wife called her OBGYN before she went into the hospital, when she found out that she was pregnant. She is on a medication that we know is not good for pregnancy. Her OBGYN was on vacation and the nurse consulted one of the other doctors in the practice. The conclusion was that obviously she need to stop the medication but she needed to call her PCP for another medication that is safe for pregnancy. So, the wife called her PCP. She talked to one of the nurses in the practice and she said that Richelle needed to call her OBGYN. Richelle instructed the nurse that she already did and they told her to call the PCP. The nurse said that she would have to consult the doctor then. Are you kidding me? Maybe you should have consulted the doctor before you called! We didn't get a call back until the next day close to noon. The solution? My wife was switched to a pregnancy safe medication.
Issue #2
Doctor's Office Administration and Staff - For the most part I am talking about the non-medical/non-revenue producing staff...the receptionist, the appointment taker, assistants and such. On a rare occasion this may apply to a medical professional. I have seen some office staff that are better than others, but honestly...I have never seen one that I would consider exceptional. I understand that theses are some of the lowest paid positions in the industry, and like the saying goes...you get what you pay for. But it also seems like (and again...these are broad strokes and I know there are good ones out there) there is no interest in actually helping a client/patient/customer from this class of employee. They are almost always rude or at the very least...curt. In my wife's case I am pretty sure that she was dismissed by several people and I could almost see the "eye roll" while she was on the phone, before she actually talked to someone who could help her. But mind you...I have experienced this before in my dealings over the years with doctor's offices as well. So this is not limited to just my wife.
Issue #3
Why can't the patient/customer interview a medical professional before he/she hires them? - My wife has made the decision that she needs a new PCP. It's a shame, because she really likes the one she has right now. But if she can't get in to see him for weeks or if she can't get a nurse to respond to a pretty important question...then it's time to move on to someone who can better assist her. No hard feelings. It's just that her current PCP and his staff are now too busy to accommodate her needs. But finding a new PCP isn't all that easy. So we can all look online at reviews, get recommendations from friends, family, other doctors, people we know who are doctors and nurses. In the end...you never really know how much you like your doctor or the office they work at until you go there. So why isn't there a way to "interview" a new doctor or a new medical professional? Yeah...I know this has a whole bunch of issues. But why can't there be a way for one to figure out if a medical professional and a patient is a good fit for each other?
Okay...this was a particularly long post. Sorry for that guys.
Hope the Cadre has an absolutely great rest of the weekend!
woodpusher
TSC’s International Man of Meh
Finding a new doctor is a trying experience at the best of times, let alone when you NEED one.
Amen Brother!
Hey Don we did interview doctors and MOST where okay with it. Others where not well guess what we didn't pick them. When we found out we where pregnant we took a couple weeks to find a really good OBGYN and finally found one we both liked alot and understood our values. Then when my wife was about 6 months along we started meeting with pediatricians we wanted and again asked very specific questions. We found a wonderful pediatrician who was at the hospital within 30 min of each of our kids being born where they then assumed our children's care. My son's birth was very scary and honestly having the right OBGYN and pediatrician honestly ensured that both my wife and child where healthy.
So yes! Interview the doctors!
So yes! Interview the doctors!
Thanks Chad! The wife has a good OBGYN that she really likes and trusts. I guess I didn't realize that you could interview doctors because well...I just didn't think that was what you could do. The pediatrician is someone I REALLY want to make sure that we have a good fit. Right now though...her PCP is the main concern. I love mine...but she is not very convenient to get to from our location. I followed her from somewhere else. The wife would love to go see her if she was closer to our home. Thanks for the info Chad!
Hey Don. So glad you enjoy the soap. It has found a good home. Feel your pain with the Doctor situation. Hope you both are able to find good people and get the care she deserves.
Have a good Sunday.
Fluffy
Have a good Sunday.
Fluffy
We learned a lot Don. If you ever want to chat about it text me and we can set up a time to talk
Good thoughts posted, @dangerousdon. We have also moved on to other providers if we decided that someone else may do better. Hope all works out for the best!
