One Happy Buddha

Do you recognize this Buddha?

It’s the one that graced the corner of partner’s roll top desk at the Pain Cave ─ minus the ying yang cups that is. The cups are a long time possession of mine.

As to how I came into possession of that happy Buddha, Trainer and partner parted ways last Friday. 

It was amicable.

After a year of wrangling over price, partner decided to move his family back to the Philippines ─ where his other business interests are, and sold his share of the business to Trainer.

Partner abandoned the desk, which Trainer is keeping, and the Buddha, which I offered to buy but Trainer said “No. You can have it”.

Trainer also let me have the lucky numbers from the desk, and these guys ─ which Trainer no longer wanted to see on the walls.

They’re Thai wooden hand-carved musicians, which might be what Dawn calls “found treasure” because of the jewels.

My luck has been pretty good, so I won’t need to hang the numbers. I’ll just store them, and the musicians, in the outdoor storage area until I’m led as to what to do with them.

Heading out to run errands this morning, I left Head Maintenance Guy (HMG) inside my unit alone, tending to the smoke detector. And, yes, the detector decided today was the day to work my nerves and start acting up again.

At any rate, HMG being otherwise occupied upstairs, it gave me an opportunity to talk to Assistant Maintenance Guy (AMG) ─ standing downstairs in the quad, about his experience in having tested positive Covid 19.

Seeing him up close, he looked like bloody hell ─ tired, skin grayish in color, shoulders slumped.

“How are you?” asked I.

He said he was excessively tired, couldn’t walk far without stopping, can now barely make it up the stairs in the complex without holding onto railing.

He has a cough he says he can’t get rid of and, while going through it, he not only could not breathe, he could not eat. Lost 20 pound in two weeks.

And even though he couldn’t eat, he had been plagued with excessive diarrhea during the time he was under medical care ─ where he says, “They gave me everything they could think of”.

”Glad you’re still alive”, said I and asked if he’d been vaccinated before the prognosis.

He had not, but plans to get vaccinated when his wait period ends in something like 30 days.

Evidentially, after testing positive, being hospitalized, recovering, there are x number of days before one can get vaccinated.

As to how he caught Covid, AMG made no mention of HMG having contracted it first, possibly passing it around. He thinks he contracted it at Sam’s Club.

Asking if I’ve been vaccinated, I replied, “No. I’m waiting to see the long-term side effects”.

AMG did not judge me, as Big Friendly Guy and Handsome Man did when they said they’d both been vaccinated, asked if I had and were visibly appalled when I’d said “No. I’m waiting to see the long-term side effects”.

All of a sudden, Handsome Guy took the position of talking down to me, like I was a child ... “It’s like any other shot. You’ve had shots before haven’t you?”

"Sure, but all I'm hearing are short-term effects. I want to know what the long-term effects might be."

Big Friendly Guy actually got mad, a little loud and challenged me with “And just what are the short-term effects?”

“I’ve heard, you get a sore arm and a little tired”, said I.

”Exactly!” said Big Friendly Guy and turned his head away from me, signifying that’s all there is to say.

On no he didn’t, said I to myself, getting hot under the collar that as old as I am, older than either of them, and probably wiser, that they’d attack me over something that was none of their business in the first place ─ my body, my choice. So, I reiterated ─ punctuating my words in a short staccato manner, through clenched teeth, “Those are the short-term effects. I’m waiting to see the long-term effects. I’ll keep wearing a mask, social distance, I’ll be fine."

They got the message, backed off, and I went on my way. LOL.

Big Friendly Guy appears to have gotten over the confrontation because, seeing him in the Laundry Room this past Sunday, he was off his judgmental soap box and back on terra firma.

So, I don’t know about playing it smart, as AMG calls it. It’s a choice I’m making to be cautious ... waiting ... watching, willing to accept the consequences of my action or inaction, saying to AMG, “I’m 77 years old. If waiting is a mistake and I end up dying, I’ve lived long enough.”

Looking at the news this morning, it appears my being cautions ... waiting ... watching has already paid off.

I actually remember scoffing when J&J came out with a vaccine. Isn’t that the group that caused cancer in women with its talc powder ... allegedly, thought I at the time. Who’s gonna trust their vaccine?

Evidently, a lot of folks trusted ‘em. And now we’re hearing about blood clots, with one death.

Would that person still be alive if they'd taken their chances and waited? 

I dunno, but something to think about.

Returning to the complex after those errands, I saw the old smoke detector has been replaced with a newer version. There was also an email from Complex Manager that, if the problem persists, they’ll call in an electrician.

Problem detector replaced, an electrician if problem persists ... I can only attribute this to my having threatened to do what I learned a few weeks back from The Talker ─ I threatened to call the Fire Department, have them come look at what I felt was a defective detector. LOL.