Reviews and More

Have you noticed how it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish one city or suburb for the next? I think a big reason for this is the fact that national chains have displaced local businesses to the point that wherever you go, you see the same restaurants, stores, banks, and even auto service shops. This trend is getting out of hand, in my opinion, and is making the landscape much too uniform.

That’s why I like to patronize local businesses instead of national chains whenever I can. For example, I’m more likely to go to a local auto body shop to get my car repaired than to a national chain. The service and quality are usually a lot better, plus local shops are more likely to go that extra mile for me when needed. Spend a few minutes on the website of MasterGlass, a company that handles San Diego windshield repair and you’ll see what I mean. It’s evident that safety and customer satisfaction are their top priorities, whereas national chains would be more concerned with the bottom line.

I also like how MasterGlass tells you exactly which kinds of windshield problems they can repair and which ones would require full replacement. I’ve noticed that a lot of other auto service shops are hesitant to commit themselves in writing like that. Another point in favor of MasterGlass is the way they’ll bill insurance companies directly (when possible) so customers don’t have to go through that hassle themselves.

I wish more people would support local businesses instead of going national. If we did that, our cities and towns would retain more color and flavor, which of course benefits all of us!

I’m moving right along with my House Season One DVDs. Through ten episodes, I have to say that this show is definitely a keeper! I just got done watching 1×10, which originally on February 8, 2005. I wonder what I was watching back then that I couldn’t fit House into my schedule? At any rate, here’s what happened on “Histories”.

Mysterious Symptoms of the Week: A homeless woman is brought into PPTH after having seizures at a drug party/rave in a bad part of town. She exhibits the classic signs of a drug overdose, including hallucinations. But Wilson (BTW, I just LOVE Robert Sean Leonard in this role!) notices that the patient, a Jane Doe for now, has a wrist twitch and some lesions on her skin. She also develops sensitivity to light and fear of water.

Mistaken diagnoses: The woman’s tox screen comes back clean, so her problems aren’t drug-related. Later in the episode, the doctors also theorize that she could have a brain tumor, ovarian cancer, tuberculoma, an electrolyte imbalance, and meningitis.

Final diagnosis: Rabies — most likely contracted from a bat bite.

Character development: Foreman hates homeless people? I wonder what that’s all about.

My Reaction: I thought “Histories” was a decent episode. It wasn’t the best House episode out of the first ten, but it was solid. I was completely grossed out when House tasted the woman’s two-day-old vomit. Wouldn’t there have been a more, um, normal way to determine whether or not the vomit was salty? Yuck.

Also, I’ve been meaning to bring this up before, but am just remembering now: do doctors really go to patients’ homes (or makeshift tents in the case of the homeless) to find out if there are any environmental causes for the symptoms? This is like the fifth episode out of ten in which members of House’s crew have done investigative work. Does anyone know if this sort of thing actually happens??

Anyway, on to episode 1×11!!

I’ve been working from home for the last two years and couldn’t be happier. I’ve been making great money (much more than I ever thought I could make) and, more importantly, have been able to spend lots of quality time with my family. This is an ideal situation for me — one that I wish I’d thought of a long time ago.

The only drawback to working at home is that I haven’t yet learned to take time off from what I do. I write nearly every single day, including weekends and holidays, and often spend at least eight hours (daily) at my computer. Because I can’t tear myself away from my work, I should at least make sure that I’m as comfortable as possible when I’m doing it. For example, I want to purchase ergonomic office furniture so that I don’t experience as much back, leg, or wrist pain from typing at the computer all day long. In fact, a good desk chair is the very high up on my list of thigns to purchase, and I hope to do so as soon as I take care of my taxes this month.