Most folks are off work until January and consumer activity has slowed considerably. Fewer people are emerging from their cars with shopping bags and other signs of holiday commerce.
There is, I think, a general cheerfulness in the air.
As usual, there are a few exceptions.
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Ben has a very good reason for holding back on his seasonal cheerfulness.
By some scheduling quirk or the simple vulgarities of the health care system, Ben had an appointment for a colonoscopy yesterday.
A colonoscopy, I'm told, involves the placement of a very large object into a very small hole.
Thankfully, the procedure is only a preventive one. Ben said he has a family history of defective colons. His doctor wanted him to be "on the safe side."
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According to Ben, yesterday was the only time available for the procedure. If he rescheduled it, he wouldn't get to experience the indignity until some time in May.
Despite the ill-timing, Ben remained quite stoic about the whole affair. If anything, he said it would make the holidays more enjoyable, knowing the test was behind him.
***
When Oscar heard about Ben's woes, he just shook his head and said, "That's a bummer, man."
He also said a lot of other things about bums, colons and large objects. Thankfully, I cannot remember them.
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Oscar has been a bit distracted of late.
He called me to complain about a very perplexing problem. Apparently, he is being plagued by a repetitive song which is "stuck" in his head. While he recognizes the song, he has no recollection of hearing it recently.
He can't understand how it became lodged in his consciousness. Even worse, he says he can't get rid of it, either.
***
According to Oscar, it's a Bob Marley tune, but he can't put his finger on the title. He tried to hum a few lines of the song over the phone. I couldn't make head nor tail of it.
Eventually, he told me not to worry about the song being stuck in his head. He said he would speak to Computer Doug about it. I told him I would do my best to forget the whole thing.
He also said he was going to listen to some Christmas music. Hopefully, this would knock Bob Marley out of his head and replace the late Jamaican master with something more seasonal.
If this didn't work, Oscar said he'd just have to live with it. He says he doesn't mind Bob Marley at all, anyway.
"Besides," he said, "a song stuck in your head is still better than having something stuck in your bum."
He could be right about that.
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"Cul de Sac Blues" will return after Christmas. We wish the best of the holiday season to one and all!
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