Dare I Say It?

While at Urgent Care this morning, I had another strange experience with one of those people who plays the role of doctor without actually being a doctor. I know that nurse practitioners and the like are preferred by many because they tend to be more generous with their time and words. But I've found them to be lacking in the reasonably important area of medical knowledge. Today's non-doctor expressed bafflement when I told her my asthma was better during the humid times of year. "That's not possible. People with asthma do better in dry climates."

I protested that only some people with asthma do better in dry climates, while others, like me, do better in wetter climates. She wasn't buying it. Finally, I said, "Why do you think they use vaporizers and/or steam for people who are suffering from a bad cough. "I never thought of that," she replied.

Then she went on to argue with me that penicillin and amoxicillin aren't functionally equivalent for the treatment of strep. "You're getting penicillin. That's all we prescribe for strep." I told her I was pretty sure that the prescription would be for amoxicillin. "No, that's for something else. You're getting penicillin." Guess what I just brought home from Walgreen's: amoxicillin.

I Want Lozenge

In an effort to distract myself from the Bad Feeling in my throat, I was paging through the latest number of The Believer, their third-annual music issue, and finally took the time to read Gustavo Turner's "Schema: The Ends of Innocence" in its entirety. It's one of those chart pieces that require you to turn the magazine ninety degrees to read. I've found some of them rather boring. But this one is really good. Turner provides layers of background for the Bow Wow Wow hit "I Want Candy," covering everything from pedophilia to Manet to Bo Diddley with impressive perspicuity. I suspect he was inspired in this task by Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette slated to hit the States this fall, which includes a Kevin Shields-remix of the song, as well as other Bow Wow Wow material and New Order's gorgeous "Age of Consent," on the soundtrack and apparently borrows from the band's Malcolm McLaren-devised sensibility in its irreverent approach to the historical material. Whatever Turner's reason for picking that song as the occasion for his "thick description," however, the result made for a sweet interlude in a day of sour swallowing.