I did go get a private x-ray yesterday morning, and in fact I have the results already: Normal. That is what I wanted to hear from the hospital on Tuesday, not this "it-takes-us-28-days-to-read-it" baloney. I know it sounds crazy, given that I'd had clear scans just a few years ago, but I've been having a lot of congestion and shortness of breath and I was worried -- not least because a friend of mine just died from lung cancer last week.
I probably shouldn't go irradiating my lungs anymore or this will become a self-fulfilling prophecy, but at least I know that for now, all is well. (My heart is also fine.)
After I got the x-ray, I took a walk through Hammersmith and Fulham, all the way down to the Thames. Fulham Palace Road, which runs past Charing Cross Hospital and the park surrounding the Bishops' Palace, isn't the most scenic road in the world but I found a few decent photos.
Those of you who read Mr. Pudding's blog will recognize this bookshop, which he posted about a couple of months ago. I had never been there, though I'd ordered a book from them online, so I made sure to find it when I was in the neighborhood. It's surprisingly tucked away but I eventually figured out its location. I did not go inside because at the moment I need another book like I need a hole in the head, but maybe after I'm retired and caught up on all my reading (does that ever happen?) I'll check it out more thoroughly.
All those books piled outside the windows -- lots of travel guides and paperback novels -- are on sale for a pound apiece. I think they stay outside, covered by tarps. There's no way the owner moves them in and out every night.
The books in the windows look more collectible. I'm sure this shop must do a lot of business online, like many booksellers these days. That little shop is so packed that it's a bit intimidating to a casual shopper. (It was to me, anyway!)
After I came back home, I finished my own library book, "Flashlight," at long last. I enjoyed it but it took me forever to read so I'm glad it's finally off my plate. I've started a new one by Evan Osnos, "The Haves and the Have-Yachts," about multibillionaires and the increasingly unequal distribution of the world's wealth, which looks interesting and possibly enraging.
I worked a bit in the garden, and found a dead rat mysteriously lying beneath one of our trees. It didn't look mangled, just dead. I buried it for fear it had eaten poison somewhere, in which case I didn't want some bird or fox to ingest it.
Last night we watched the Huw Edwards movie from Channel 5, which several other bloggers mentioned. I enjoyed it, if one can enjoy such a troubling story. You just gotta wonder what that guy was thinking. I mean, if you're having secret gay fantasies and looking for a way to explore those, there are plenty of perfectly legal channels online, available at a keystroke. How does one go from garden-variety twink porn to communicating with (and paying off) teenagers? Astonishing.
Here's my favorite recent New Yorker cartoon:
I can confirm that retirement does not mean that you suddenly catch up on all your reading backlog. Yes, you can read more, but you are also out and about more with the ability to add to your stash willy nilly at multiple opportunities. 😄
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh out loud. Yes, Steve, Sue is dead on.
DeleteAh, so reaching the bottom of the book stack is like a mirage that recedes into the distance every time you think you're getting closer!
DeleteThat's a great photo of the bookshop - so colourful and sharp. I am astonished that you didn't squeeze inside - just for a quick look around - but I know you are a shy, bashful kind of guy so I think I understand. Somebody might have seen you in there and what would they have thought of you? Best to keep walking.
ReplyDeleteIt seriously looked like it might be the domain of a crazy, wild-haired old book vendor and I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with that. Besides, as I said, I just do not need a book at the moment! :)
DeleteThere’s something so elegant about New Yorker cartoons. The corner bookstore is unreal. Wow!
ReplyDeleteThe cartoons are elegant and absurd at the same time. It's a good combination.
DeleteI found I do read more, but also I aquire more books, so it's all no win situation, finding different hobbies help especially on wet and winter days. Having the time to choose what to do each day is priceless.
ReplyDeleteI am so looking forward to having that freedom!
DeleteThe time for your test result in the public system sounds absurd. At least your mind is now at ease, knowing nothing serious is happening.
ReplyDeleteI think there is still money to be made by owning a bookshop. We have quite a number here that always seem busy. A special book can be chased up, by bookshops, sellers of old and new.
I don't get the cartoon at all. Please explain.
The cartoon really has no point -- just the absurdity of the man having a badger on his shoulder at the doctor's office.
DeleteI think the key to bookshop survival is online sales. If they can sell unusual or rare old books online they'll make money with that.
The cartoons are the best of the New Yorker! That bookstore looks great, crammed with treasures waiting to come home with you.
ReplyDeleteDo I need more treasures coming home with me? At the moment, no! :)
DeleteI could get lost in that bookstore, literally! It's amazing.
ReplyDeleteExcept that it doesn't look big enough to get lost in! Maybe inside it's much more extensive than one would think.
DeleteMy immediate reaction to the bookstore was “All those words!!” just waiting to be read, and the people who wrote them. I must be in an anti-AI mood.
ReplyDeleteYour an author, so I'm not surprised you'd be struck by that!
DeleteThat Book Store Photo Is Absolutely Worthy Of A Thousand Words
ReplyDeleteRighteous Capture ,
Cheers
A million bazillion words!
DeleteI used to frequent book stores, but now I use my online library services. Actually more audio books than print because of poor eyesight. They also have magazines and I use that feature to read the New Yorker, magnifying the cartoons. Every once in a while there will be one I just don't get, but that's ok.
ReplyDeleteYeah, not everyone will appreciate every cartoon!
DeleteOne can never have too many books, you can easily have too little space. The bookstore looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteYeah, too little space is a definite problem. I'd say the bookstore owner has that dilemma!
DeleteI'd be interested and hearing your thoughts on the book especially since wealth inequality has essentially been steady or declining since 2010. On this particular subject, I see a lot of people pointing out specific instances to prove their cases but when one studies the subject in totality, data does not support most of the claims being made about the subject. Here is a good video produced by a South African, if you have the time, showing what statistics and data really show about wealth inequality.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uXaeZgxHRw
Well, he's not arguing that inequality isn't happening. In fact he acknowledges growing inequality over the past decade or two, particularly in the USA. He says it's leveling out now, but I don't know enough about economics to make an argument for why that might (or might not) be true. I think I trust Thomas Piketty over a guy on YouTube, though.
DeleteSeems like the main point of his video is that inequality doesn't result in the negative consequences many expect (crime, authoritarianism, degraded communities). Again, I can't specifically counter this argument, but I remain doubtful. On its face it sounds a little bit like the rich people saying, "Don't worry, be happy!" (While they drag away bags of cash.)
His information about test scores showing performance gaps between poor and wealthy students seems especially dubious. He shows the gap as high in the '60s but narrowing steadily in the '80s, when income inequality was rising again. My hunch, and it is just a hunch, is that his data doesn't acknowledge that in the '60s the USA was just coming out of Jim Crow and there was an entire generation of undereducated minority children who were bound to perform poorly on tests. I think the gap improved by the '80s because educational opportunities and resources were much more evenly distributed, as they remain now, relative to the years of segregation. But that doesn't mean that resource availability isn't endangered by growing inequality.
I haven't watched the whole video yet but those are just some preliminary thoughts.
I'm glad you're not dying! You only need one chronic illness per household. I do hope you're not allergic to DAVE!!
ReplyDeleteI love the cartoon - I think we all have a badger of some sort weighing us down.
I hope I'm not allergic to Dave too! THAT would be a problem. I like the possibility of badger as metaphor.
DeleteI'm glad you don't have pneumonia or cancer. X-rays don't give off enough radiation to worry about, but CT scans do. However, the effects are cumulative and as we age, less of a concern.
ReplyDeleteThat book shop is amazing, it reminds me of one on Charing Cross road I went to thirty years ago.
OK, good to know my x-ray shouldn't endanger my lungs further! Yes, Charing Cross used to be the center of used-book vendors but that is much less true now. There are still a couple of shops there but most have been driven out by high real estate values.
DeleteYour persistent symptoms might be caused by low-level but continuous mold spore exposure.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should buy a self testing kit? Or get airborne spores tested by a professional?
It's possible, particularly in winter when this place is sealed up and the weather outside is damp. But I haven't seen any evidence of mold, at least not recently. I think I have mild bronchiectasis, as I have written in the past, and that comes with periodic "exacerbations" when the problems get worse and then better.
DeleteSteve- sometimes I think you ARE my brother. I tend to place my anxiety squarely into my body resulting in physical symptoms. Real, true physical symptoms. Even knowing this, I go crazy with worry. But perhaps this is not what you do.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I have lost count. Is today your last day in the library? Will there be a cake?
I am always concerned with the issue of whether or not there will be cake.
That bookstore looks like a slice of book cake heaven.
I've always been prone to a degree of hypochondria -- not that I'm making things up, but that I'm hypersensitive or hyper-aware of changes in my body. This tendency comes and goes. And yeah, I suppose it's both a source and a manifestation of anxiety!
DeleteNext Wednesday is my last day in the library! I'm not sure about cake but I will let you know. :)
Hope you enjoy your last day! I bet there will be a celebration for you.
ReplyDeleteGlad your tests all came out fine. Now you are ready to read, read, read and walk, walk, walk! Congrats on your retirement!
Yes, I am so ready for more reading and walking! My last day is next Wednesday, though, so still a few more days. (I'm on Spring Break this week so that doesn't count in my workday countdown!)
DeleteWe do worry about our health from time to time.
ReplyDeleteIt's a natural concern!
DeleteNo lung or heart problems is exactly what you want to hear. The reassurance alone is worth whatever the price is.
ReplyDeleteThat book shop is amazing. I've never seen a wall of books stacked high outside. They must do a great business.
I imagine, given a choice, that store owner would like to be selling more books -- particularly from that outside stock!
DeleteI'm so very glad your XRay was fine. And that cartoon is terrific!
ReplyDeleteWhew!
DeleteIt's good to know your lungs are clear. Were you ever a smoker? If so, they're starting to recommend occasional lung scans to make sure no cancer is starting. Lung cancer is one of those where early detection makes a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteHow I would love to browse that bookstore! If I ever make it to London I'll have to put it on my list. I've been thinking of reading Flashlight. In fact, I may go out today and buy a copy to start before my week off is gone.
I was never a smoker, not really. I flirted with cigarettes a bit in college but, at the risk of sounding like Bill Clinton, I didn't inhale -- I puffed. I DID inhale one evening in 2000 when a friend and I were in a bar in Paris and it seemed the thing to do. I was so sick the next day -- more from the smoking than the drinking, I think. I never smoked again after that.
Delete"Flashlight" is very good -- you won't be disappointed.
Ah ha! So that explains my extra weight- thank you - i will stop feeding the badger.
ReplyDeleteThe bookshop is amazing- I am sure there are plenty of moldy books to be had. Finding just one book in that shop would take decades.
I mentioned it before but I am pretty sure it is just the London air, London mold, that is affecting your lungs. When you are retired you can go to the countryside for a few weeks to see if lungs improve- or take a yacht to New Zealand. sure, why not?
It's possible that London air isn't doing me any favors, but my periodic problems with breathing actually go back to my years in New York and even Florida. I think it's more my body than any external forces. That said, I would not hesitate to take a yacht to New Zealand if given the opportunity!
DeleteHa ha...cute cartoon. That bookshop is simply amazing and all those interesting books. Ellery Queen, Evelyn Waugh and so much more. Makes me want to pick up one of my grandfather's old books that sit on my bookshelf.
ReplyDeleteGlad those ex-rays eased your mind. I know how it is to get a mysterious ailment stuck in the mind. I try not to looks things up on the internet because that research will inevitably lead to worries about crazy ailments.
Yeah, reading online never helps. I did that in this case and it just freaked me out even more.
DeleteI'm glad you're not dying. I will not live long enough to read everything on my TBR, much less my wishlist and I'm not planning on dying anytime soon!
ReplyDeleteNew Yorker cartoons are some of the best!
You have such an extensive TBR, though! I don't know how you do it!
DeleteI thought I would catch up on EVERYTHING once I retired. My cabinets would be ultra organized, my closets perfectly arranged, etc. The laugh was on me. I'm glad your xray was clear! But the mystery remains and that would bug me.
ReplyDeleteI suppose there's always more to be done, isn't there?! I think the "mystery" is mild bronchiectasis, with periodic exacerbations. Probably somehow related to my problems with acid reflux. That's my hunch.
DeleteGlad your results were fast and normal. That’s a very inviting photo of that bookshop. But perhaps more inviting from the outside. Still one has to admire its resiliency of mission. Places like that are disappearing.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they have a good deal on that space and thus can continue on there. Or maybe they have a thriving online business.
DeleteThank goodness for the clear xray. That bookshop does look so inviting - I would get way too many books that I felt were underpriced and need to be appreciated - and then they would gather dust until such time as I had to declutter. I am reading a good book that I got for free from my little local second hand bookshop that is struggling - but I think part of the struggle is that the books are priced too high for what people will pay these days - and then she gives away for free what I would have paid a bit of money for.
ReplyDeleteSounds like she needs to modify her pricing structure a bit -- down for some and up for others! Even if she only charged a pound she'd make something, as opposed to giving stock away.
DeleteSo pleased the Xray was clear.
ReplyDeleteThat bookshop looks amazing.
All the best Jan
Thanks for the good wishes, Jan! If I ever go back to the bookstore I'll try to take some surreptitious photos of the interior. :)
DeleteGood to hear that your x-ray was clear. I used to dream about working in a bookstore (after retirement) as I figured I could dust books and read...I haven't done it and I suspect it never will.
ReplyDeleteI would be cautious about burying the rat in the garden. If there is any lingering odour, the fox may dig it up.
I buried it pretty deep for just that reason!
DeleteI suppose working in a bookstore is a bit like working in a library. People think it sounds idyllic but there's a lot of lifting and fairly strenuous physical work, not to mention all the problems that come with dealing with the public.
There is a time in our life, as we get older, where seeking medical advice is more a prophylaxis than an emergency. And so it should be.
ReplyDeleteYes, exactly -- we need to keep an eye on things and in fact are encouraged to do so!
DeleteKick that badger to the kerb, mate! I love the look of that bookshop, though I don't need anymore books right now either.
ReplyDeleteIt is a fascinating looking place, isn't it?!
DeleteVery good to know that your x-ray resulted in all being good!
ReplyDeleteThat book shop is truly like something out of a dream. A dream that could easily turn in to a nightmare, when you are under pressure to find a certain book, or even just the way out :-D
I bet the owner knows where everything is -- but no one else could find anything at all! Who knows what a labyrinth it may be inside?!
Delete