老人健保新政／莊峻華

 老人健保新政／莊峻華

昨日赴一牙醫診所門診，我希望奧蘭多醫生，給我一假牙估價，自上次超然幫我裝上假牙，我又掉兩顆，而且另一顆也需要處理，原本今年準備返台整治，但因武漢肺炎肆虐，行動不便，無法成行，每天隨時都有牙齒問題困擾，原因是美國牙醫昂貴，老人健保並不包括牙齒，所以進退維谷。

上週換輪胎，在店外靜候，接到內科醫生診所電話，追究眼科醫生報告，因我有糖尿病，內科主治，需要有我眼球血糖報告，我聲稱未接到眼醫轉診許可，於是我們再辦一次手續，查對老人健保帳號，我發現新卡有牙險，於是電話保險公司，證實牙險一年可賠二千美元，於是我找一家附近牙醫，可以接受我之保險，診所小姐聞畢，馬上安排門診，我想如果可以，分開兩年做假牙亦可。

我的門診，先有兩次愛克司電光，然後洗牙，奧蘭多醫生，仔細查看牙床落牙空隙，比較一下，我在台北裝置之兩假牙，然後就要門診經理記下，幾號幾號牙齒，準備送估價報告給保險公司核准，她說如批准，全部理賠。此門診經理，就是我猜之先生娘，年輕貌美，跟上跟下，當然奧蘭多醫生，也是年輕高大英俊，這是一非常成功之牙醫診所，超然是我表弟，其夫人也是診所經理，診所有七位牙醫，兩位是兩大公子，其先父就是我舅父，假牙專科牙醫，超然也能植牙。

我好奇查一下老人健保新増牙險緣起，原來這是牙醫業，推廣業務到老人健保，經過保險公司同意，價錢有折扣，不再是天價，逼我返台就醫，平常也不作牙齒維護，當然我也有我的打算，壽命畢竟有限，返台整治牙齒，需要一個月時間，而且不包括武肺三週禁閉，再加上旅館肺，食衣住行育樂，假牙都是中國製造，就是超然舍弟工廠，折扣有限，美國牙醫也精算，非常有趣。

Taking Arthur to the Grand Jury Select/Carlos Pueblo

 Taking Arthur to the Grand Jury Select/Carlos Pueblo

Arthur is on a Grand Jury Select duty this week, I must take him to the old Astro Arena because it is too far for him to reach on buses and very confusing even for me. I used to take buses to and from airports in Houston. He doesn't like to drive and that is his preference life style in Texas. I take I-10 and turn into I-610 to Kirby to enter that old Astrodom area. After the professional baseball game moves to the old downtown area, the Astrodom becomes a vaccination site while the old Arena becomes a jury assembly site, of course, the formal trial is still at the downtown court houses.

The parking space is plenty and I ask the door man to make sure that is the correct site. Then, I turn away to my eye examination with Dr. Kopel. My attending physician needs my eyes exam report to monitor my blood sugar for my diabetes. His office is near by the Medical Center. Once I finished, Arthur was still not discharged. I drove back to the Arena and passed the security check similar to the airport and waited inside the hall. I texted him and let him know that I was on site.

He woke me up and was outside of the parking lot. On our way back, he tells me that he is not going to vote on elections in order to avoid the jury duty. I disagree. I tell him that the jury duty is a civil duty for every citizen in order to keep our rule of law and our democracy. Of course, there are too many lawsuits nowadays. I would rather live in a democratic society than the other kinds of society.

He is required to come back for the final selection of the duty on May 4. He needs to take another work day leave. The second of his two annual incident/sick leave. I don't know how his company to compensate him because he is an hourly pay employee working on different amount of hours in every day. Like I was on commission based compensation; therefore, I shall not get any unemployed benefit in case I am terminated by any of my employers. I am alright and I take care of myself.

送元兒上大審團責任選／莊峻華

 送元兒上大審團責任選／莊峻華

元兒被徵召大審團責任選，地點在舊職棒宇宙場旁宇宙廳，市公車不到，於是我自告奮勇，送他到宇宙廳，感謝愛美的上帝，剛好我同時也需在附近眼睛體檢，於是我們提早出發，我年紀越大，發現身體功用更多，每天都過有意義之生活。

車經十號公路，轉往六一零，然後看到宇宙場大巨蛋，現在充當武漢肺炎疫苗注射，宇宙廳在東側，過去豐華一世，現在一面充當大審團責任選場地，我將車停好，詢問門口地點無誤，內有廁所，也給元兒零錢買零食，然後離去，我的眼科醫生在附近，所以一舉兩得，摸蛒蜊兼洗褲。右眼球有絲毫血糖，其他一切正常，視力二十二十，感謝這位眼醫，妙手回春，他將一年後，再看一次。元兒無話來，我再沿路摸回宇宙廳，車廳廣大停車場，攜一盒巧克力進場，需要像機場搜身，我寫電話便條給元兒，然後就吃糖打嗑睡。

過些時有便條聲來，元兒已結束外出在車場曰，五月四日需再來一次，決定是否入闈，這大審團是刑事案，選十二人，後補四人，培審是公民責任，美國訴訟很多，很多陪審責任選，不禁讓我想起孔子名句，聽訟吾猶人也，必也無訟乎？民主法治，就是訴訟多。我說願意再送他來，陪審是公民責任，比打疫苗更積極。

元兒需請事病假出席，一年可以有兩次，我仍搞不懂，公司如何補償他，因他是論工時計償，一日公出算幾小時？就好像我失業多次多年，永遠拿不到失業補助金，蓋我是論件計酬者，不領薪資者也，很不方便，但也習慣無妨也。

Taking Arthur to the vaccination/Carlos Pueblo

 Taking Arthur to the vaccination/Carlos Pueblo

It's Arthur's turn to get the shot. Amy got him registered on the second available day of his age. I prepared to take him to the drug store. When I heard that he was offered to get a shot at his own store pharmacy and he didn't take it, I was furious because he was very inconsiderate. He should take it and cancel the original appointment. The offer was become available due to a cancellation. I took the opportunity to lecture him.

I am back to my former experience now. I check my old Harris county Key Map. I still can find the location by imagining all streets are connected now. His location is on Gessner street at Philippine where is near Amy's site at W. Little York at Fairbank North Houston. It was at a Saturday noon appointment and there were many people on the line. We had to wait until 15 minutes before the appointment time. He waited another 40 minutes on the line to get his shot and another 15 minutes to recuperate.

There was another busy tent station outside of the parking lot, a low cost vaccination for pets. I saw many cute dogs waiting nearby with their parents. It was like a paradise to me. I love dogs. Many of them were very diplomatic and friendly coming to say hi and allowed me to pet and sweet talk to them. I estimated that there were 5 shots all together. An assistant would hold the small one on the table and the vet would apply 5 shots quickly. Before the dog felt the pain, it's done. They waited around the parking vehicles to pay their fees. I ran into a cute bull dog, I was mistaken as a boxer. The big cut dog is a deaf as the owner explains to me. It is a birth defect; therefore, they must communicate with him in sign language. We started with some basic ASL, the American Sign Language, because when Arthur was born till age 6, there was a NG tube through his neck. I did go to school to learn some ASL in order to communicate with him. This dog's name is Russco, a very adorable.

One large dog was very mean and resistant. In addition to a collar, the assistant did place a mask to cover his mouse to be  sure safely. The vet managed to apply shots quickly on his legs and body by throwing the syringe on the ground and late pick them up for disposal. Only that one was the most noise among all big dogs. I saw many other big one like the German Shepherd and the Husky were alright to get their shots.

Now, we must wait another three weeks to get his second shot. Amy will get her second shot in a few days and I have done mine for two weeks by now. We're protected and we can feel more confident now for the disease. 

攜元兒注射疫苗／莊峻華

 攜元兒注射疫苗／莊峻華

拜登政府執政下，武漢肺炎疫苗注射，進度神速，現在已經打到所有成人，愛美順利替元兒登記，昨日我已經攜元兒到市郊藥局注射，行前一日，元兒曰其工作超市藥局，也提供他有機會注射，因為有人臨時取消注射，他未答應，我聞言大怒，當場兇他一頓，這是非常不知體諒他人，如果他接受邀請注射，我可以省下路程和時間，也給其他一人有機會早注射，元兒啞口無語。

注射藥局和愛美注射藥局接近，現在疫苗増加，市內注射繼續，市郊有新増藥局，提供全民就近注射，拜登原定就職百日注射一億人口，早已突破，現在向兩億注射人口邁進，我很順利之沿兩超速公路，接上店址，有些毛毛雨，因早到，因此需要在店內外等候，等候超過一個半小時，一刻前入列，再排隊四十分鐘，週末人多，但打完後等待恢復，已經無人排隊。

我運氣好，藥局停車場，也有愛犬疫苗注射，當然不是武漢病毒，是一般疾病，一共有五枝注射，一般愛犬都非常訓服，只有一兩隻巨犬，稍有掙扎，獸醫有一女助手，先將愛犬套上自己提供繩帶，然後抱上愛犬上桌，獸醫就一針一針，四腳腿酒精一揮，就注射完畢，針管丟棄，再換一針，待愛犬知痛，已經被抱下桌，如是巨犬，則需要帶口罩，防止咬人，也是環首一大抱，掙扎中迅速完成注射，大部分之愛犬，都很規矩。注射完後，家長在外等候交費。

我真是福氣，我不斷和愛犬打招呼，甜言蜜語，有一隻巨大公牛犬，和男主人在車上等候，就是後座，後門敞開，因他有兩隻不同顏色之眼睛，非常可愛，於是我和男主人聊天，始知此愛犬耳聾，天生如此，主人需要學手語與之交談，剛好我也學過手語，於是我們更多話題，此家庭喜歡公牛犬，當天我誤認為拳師犬，主人和氣，未與更正我的誤認。

武漢肺炎在美國已經開始控制住，現在每日死亡人數降低，感染人數不再狂飆，和全民注射疫苗和戴口罩有關，我已注射完畢，愛美和元兒，均等第二針。

Replacing new tires for an old car/Carlos Pueblo

 Replacing new tires for an old car/Carlos Pueblo

Recently I have had two minor maintenance with my old 98 Q45, one was the windshield wiper replacement and the other was replacing new tires. Once driving aged vehicle, we are expected to have some kinds of the issue. The passenger side of the front tire was flat as Amy warned me one day. I drove the car to Costco to fill up the air and also made some other chores. The nest day after tennis, I had had that experience of replacing the windshield wiper and the tire was still flat. I finally noticed that there was a big nail bud shown on the tire. Tony estimated that I could drive to the store yet the tire might not be repaired due to the damage.

After tennis I carefully drove to the store that was an hour earlier before the store's opening time. I sit right outside of the door and waiting and watching shoppers coming by me to the main store. The clerk took my order and told me that might be two hours waiting as no appointment was made. It is alright with me as I am used to it. He called while I was doing some viewing of items at Lowe's. He said the tire was installed in 2013; therefore, it was too old to be replaced. I walked back to the tire store and paid the cost. It was alright that I just received my third rescue check.

I changed my nap location to the picnic bench of the air filling station. It was still not quite comfortable due to the notice of the high pressure of air release. A clerk from my doctor's office called to remind me to have an appointment with an eyes doctor to exam my blood sugar on my eyes in order to monitor of my diabetes. It was because that the referral was not my own eyes doctor and I didn't like to go through all medical questions. Merna, the clerk, called back and scheduled me for a proper referral.

I was still waiting and checking my vehicle's position on its bay. It was still up that indicated it was not ready. I have learned to get the most of my time while waiting for my vehicles ready through out those years. Shoppers are coming in and out of the main store. I even went to a liquor store on the other side. I saw a price tag on a bottle of XO and realized how much my bottle at home worth nowadays.

換舊車輪胎／莊峻華

 換舊車輪胎／莊峻華

剛換舊車雨刷，前日因輪胎漏風，勉強開到大賣場灌風，隔一日前輪仍舊無氣，發現有一根大鐵釘，穿入輪胎，我只好再開回大賣場修理，輪胎匠曰，輪胎已是八年，太舊不能修理，所以選一店裏稍便宜之輪胎換上，我就在店外呆坐，也順便逛到附近店面，我甚少開車，所以開舊車，舊車偶而需要維修，維修需花錢，但較便宜，而且責任險保費，也較便宜。

這大賣場生意很好，顧客絡繹不絕，愛美每兩週就來購物一次，平常家裏舊車輪胎維護，就是我的責任。我到附近的五金行大賣店，觀看五金產品價，一般電冰箱都是外國進口，昂貴者可以到五千美元一座，平常陽春型，約在千元之普，我也看吹風具，但未購買，我仍舊是掃把掃地，連垃圾桶破損，都用廢棄紙板墊底，非常將就，不像是富人。

車輪已換妥，停在車位上，技工正在整理書類，我知道歸家時近，愛美曰此四輪，可以開到我老去，第一，需要引擎一切都安然無恙，舊車像古戰車，而且亦僅開車打球，買牛排耳，連愛犬路過球場，均注意到舊車，知道我在球場。