"You're early," said Bear.
"I can't seem to get it right, can I Bear?" responded Bum,
"How come?" asked Bear.
"My sleep patterns have been disrupted. I fall asleep without fail, watching TV, early too, and miss good shows for the most part. I wake up in the middle of the night around 4:00 pm when it's too early to get up and make the coffee, and too late to go back to sleep. It sucks, if you must know," finished Bum.
"I thought you were a good sleeper, Bum. What's bothering you?" asked Bear.
"Maybe it's the fucking pandemic," said Bum.
"Hold it right there, Bum, with the cussing. You sound just like those dreadful teenagers who cannot make a sentence at the best of times, and never without fuck in every context, i.e. fuck you, fucking asshole, what the fuck, et cetera, et cetera."
"Fuck you very much for your insightful comments, Bear." said Bum, wryly she hoped.
"Very funny, Bum, but that's enough of the cussing. It offends me, as you well know," said Bear in that disapproving tone he uses.
"How's the pandemic going at your house, Bear?" asked Bum.
"Not well," said Bear. "My master teaches in the United States as you know, and he is unable to return home because the border is closed. His wife is very upset because she's alone in the house and must distance herself from friends and family. The only time she goes out is to make a short run for groceries. Time is passing slowly for her. She complains all the time and you know the only living creature there, is me. She's getting on my nerves, I can tell you. How's it going at your house? Are you and your sister getting on each other's nerves during this lockdown?"
"Frances and I have lived together a long time. We've been getting on each other's nerves for years, so no problem."
"My master's wife is upset because she's running low on toilet paper. She's reluctant to use kleenex because that's getting low too, and she's knows it's not good to flush it down the toilet. Her husband told her that."
"It's the bloody stockpiling that has been going on, Bear. People don't think, or even care, about other people's needs. I was picking up some meat for supper the other day at Nestors and the manager was telling another customer that a man came in the other day and scooped up all the ground round packages. The manager accosted the stockpiler and told him the meat was for everyone in the neighbourhood, not just him. The man replied, I have to look after my family, and left with the full cart of meat."
Did the manager say anything to him in response?" asked Bear.
"Yes, he called him an asshole, and left it at that."
"I think that says it all, Bum," said Bear.
"I find the bare shelves at the grocery stores the most disturbing, Bear. It must've been like that during the war," said Bum.
"I suppose it's the shelves for the paper products, Bum. That's why my master's wife is so concerned about her diminishing toilet paper."
"If that were all, Bear. The shelves for the pasta products are the worst. Luckily, I don't need any of that stuff."
"Why not?" asked Bear. "I remember your love of spaghetti, for example."
"My sister was told by her chiropractor not to eat pasta. I'm not bothered by that because I sometimes have a pasta dish when we are in a restaurant, so it's no hardship for me."
"Have you forgotten that the restaurants are closed during the pandemic?" asked Bear.
"Yes, I had forgotten that, Bear, but it's OK, I have a frozen macaroni and cheese casserole in the upstairs freezer. If I get really desperate, I can always have that," said Bum complacently.
"That's OK then, Bum. But, the more disturbing thing is the lineup outside grocery stores now, and I mean outside."
"Yes, I was at Superstore today, Bear, and we were lined up 6 feet apart for the length of the store. Of course, it started to rain and my umbrella was in the car. Luckily, I was wearing that black hat of mine with the brim and that kept the rain off," said Bum .
"Not that too big black hat with the coloured border around the head that makes you look like an old witch, I hope?"
"What do you mean, old?" muttered Bum grumpily. She's so sick of being asked, or not asked if she's a senior but sees the senior's discount on her receipt later. Remarks about her age are getting on her nerves.
"What's wrong with being old, for God's sake, Bum. At least it means you're still alive. Never mind all that, why would you wear a hot that is obviously too big for you. That brown hat you wear with your coat with the holes all over it is lovely. Wear that one."
"It's really none of your business, Bear, what I wear, but I fixed that big black hat, if you must know, and it is really quite attractive now," said Bum.
"Dare I ask what you did to fix it?" enquired Bear. "As I recall, you use very odd methods to fix things Remember that long camel coat you bought at some Thrift shop that fitted you very well but the sleeves were a bit short. You found an old pair of long socks, again at a Thrift store, and fashioned, although that word's a stretch, curly cuffs for that coat."
"Be as disparaging as you like, Bear, about my creative fixes. A lot of people cannot even sew a button on a shirt, so there. All that aside, I will tell you how I fixed that black hat. I placed the brown hat, which is a perfect fit and even you said is lovely on me, on top of the black hat. I then drew a line with light blue pen my sister had, around the brims. Then, using a new pair of scissors, because the ones in my room are old and dull, much like me, I carefully cut the brim off the black hat to match the brown one. It worked very well, if you must know."
"Was the black brim even, Bum? That can't be that easy to do."
"It was pretty good, Bear. It had a couple of little uneven bits but I carefully cut them off and voila, the hat was ready to be worn. I like it. It is very attractive, if I do say so myself. "
"Back to your stint at the Superstore, Bum. Did you get any toilet paper or kleenex? That's what you were trying to find, right?"
"No, Bear, the shelves were bare so I bought a carton of cigarettes on the way out. Cash is out at the Superstore so I had to use my VISA card. Presumably, cash carries germs, so there you have it."
"So, you are stockpiling cigarettes, Bum. That is so you. What about the toilet paper and kleenex? Have you given up on that?"
"No, of course not, Bear. I decided to try Shoppers Drugs at Parkgate mall. They have a small section for paper products and I'm hoping most people don't know about it. On my way in to the store, a man passed me carrying a large package of toilet paper and a large six pack of kleenex. Looking good, I thought."
"That sounds encouraging, Bum," said Bear, smiling and looking pleased for me.
"Unfortunately, dear Bear, that, dare I call him a gentleman, must have taken the last two big packages. All that was left were two small sections of the small kleenex boxes and small packages of those small kleenexes for your purse. Both kinds were two for $6.00. I took two of each and went up to the cash."
"It doesn't sound like much, Bum, but better than nothing I guess," said Bear.,
"I placed my 4 small boxes on the counter behind the safety plexi glass protecting the cashier. She looked at them and then told me I was only entitled to two items. Yes, I said, but these are small and don't even make up 2 big boxes of kleenex. Two items, she repeated, pointing to a sign behind her. I chose the two small kleenex boxes and left the store. Nitwit, I thought."
"That is so ridiculous, Bum. That cashier doesn't know how to think outside the box, or words to that effect." Bear looked disgusted by this turn of events.
"Well, Bear, she is obviously a great believer of size doesn't matter, as many men out there would be pleased to hear. As you said, she's a nitwit and probably would have no trouble getting a date, using that premise that size doesn't matter."
"I don't like coarse language as you know, Bum, but you got screwed."
"So true, Bear, so true. I have a humorous screwing story for you for tomorrow." Bum left the scene and smiled at Bear's look of astonishment.
Monday, March 30, 2020
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
MORE STRUCTURE
"You're late," complained Bear.
"I slept in," said Bum.
"Why's that, Bum. You usually get up early around 5:30, don't you?" queried Bear.
"It's odd, Bear, the only time I sleep in is when I have to be up by 7:30 am to take the garbage out for pickup. That is what happened today. I tore out of bed, rammed on my shoes, and raced outside in my pyjamas."
"Good lord, Bum, didn't you even have time to get your coat on. It's cold still in the mornings."
"No time for a coat, Bear, but I was wearing my robe which I usually sleep in because it's cold in my room." said Bum, by way of an explanation.
"Good lord," said Bear again. "Why don't you get yourself another blanket for your bed? Like a normal person would, I should add."
"Never mind all that, Bear, let's get on with Structure. We still have more than half of that to analyze."
"OK, what did our lofty editor say next?"
"He said, and I quote, "As written, My Imaginary Dog follows most closely the archetypal Love plot, but, unlike the archetypal Love plot, this one has a down ending rather than a happy ending. In this respect it's a little like, say, Love Story by Erich Segal, or even Romeo and Juliet, but these two partake rather of a different master plot, Illicit Love, and Illicit Love plots end in tragedy. Society disapproves of the love, and so brings about its destruction. In My Imaginary Dog, there is not a clear obstacle to the romance relationship between Janey and Gordon."
"Boy, Bum, your nephew has a hangup about archetypes, doesn't he?" said Bear.
"Indeed," said Bum, "so I googled the definition of archetypes just so we know what we are up against."
"OK," said Bear. "What are we up against, Bum? What is the definition?"
Bum paused for effect. She knows Bear hates that. "In literature, an archetype is a typical character, an action, or a situation that seems to represent universal patterns of human nature. An archetype, also known as a "universal symbol," may be a character, a theme, a symbol, or even a setting."
"It's difficult to dispute that definition, Bum. Paul got it right this time. Janey and Gordon's story is indeed more like Love Story by Erich Segal than Romeo and Juliet. In Love Story, the heroine dies at the end which I suppose coincides with Paul's belief that our story has a sad ending too. Gordon, in real life, is dead now but you let him live on in memory, which I think our readers will like. I wish we had a famous line in our story, Bum," said Bear, as an after thought.
"What famous line, Bear?" asked Bum.
"Love means never having to say you're sorry," answered Bear.
"We should be able to do better than that sucky line, Bear," said Bum.
"Dream on, Bum," said Bear disparagingly.
"We've still got a ways to go with Structure, Bear. Paul has written quite a bit about Gordon leaving and Janey not, and why. But, I have to go now and get started on my exercises."
"What exercises?" asked Bear.
"The ones I've been given by my physiotherapist," said Bum.
"I'm glad you took that radiologist's advice, Bum, and found yourself a physiotherapist, and fairly quickly, which is not like you, quickly I mean. I bet your sister had something to do with it."
"Indeed," said Bum. "My sister, like you, is a bit of a nag, so I knew as soon as I told her, that I would have to do it, and quickly as you commented."
"How did you find a physiotherapist, Bum?" asked Bear.
"I used the one my sister had used a few weeks earlier. She has some back problems too. Anyway, I went down and made an appointment. The physiotherapist resides in an office at the Dollarton Shopping Centre so she is handy. We met for over an hour and she went over some exercises she thought might help me."
"What is her name, Bum?"
"Andrea Bag, or something like that," said Bum, "or maybe it was Box. You know I'm no good with names, Bear."
"What kind of exercises did she give you, Bum, and how many?" asked Bear.
"She gave me 5 exercises I can do in bed. They must be done 3 days per week, so I do them Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Each one has 10 repetitions so I do 1 rep in the morning when I wake up, and 1 rep at night before I sleep."
"That seems a lot," said Bear.
"If that were all," muttered Bum. "I have 4 other exercises which need to be done 2 reps per time, and twice a day, and weekly. Again, I do half in the am and half in the pm."
"Jeez," said Bear. "That's a bit much, Bum. That woman sounds like a sadist about exercises.."
"So true, Bear, so true. That is why I now call her my psychotherapist."
.
"
"I slept in," said Bum.
"Why's that, Bum. You usually get up early around 5:30, don't you?" queried Bear.
"It's odd, Bear, the only time I sleep in is when I have to be up by 7:30 am to take the garbage out for pickup. That is what happened today. I tore out of bed, rammed on my shoes, and raced outside in my pyjamas."
"Good lord, Bum, didn't you even have time to get your coat on. It's cold still in the mornings."
"No time for a coat, Bear, but I was wearing my robe which I usually sleep in because it's cold in my room." said Bum, by way of an explanation.
"Good lord," said Bear again. "Why don't you get yourself another blanket for your bed? Like a normal person would, I should add."
"Never mind all that, Bear, let's get on with Structure. We still have more than half of that to analyze."
"OK, what did our lofty editor say next?"
"He said, and I quote, "As written, My Imaginary Dog follows most closely the archetypal Love plot, but, unlike the archetypal Love plot, this one has a down ending rather than a happy ending. In this respect it's a little like, say, Love Story by Erich Segal, or even Romeo and Juliet, but these two partake rather of a different master plot, Illicit Love, and Illicit Love plots end in tragedy. Society disapproves of the love, and so brings about its destruction. In My Imaginary Dog, there is not a clear obstacle to the romance relationship between Janey and Gordon."
"Boy, Bum, your nephew has a hangup about archetypes, doesn't he?" said Bear.
"Indeed," said Bum, "so I googled the definition of archetypes just so we know what we are up against."
"OK," said Bear. "What are we up against, Bum? What is the definition?"
Bum paused for effect. She knows Bear hates that. "In literature, an archetype is a typical character, an action, or a situation that seems to represent universal patterns of human nature. An archetype, also known as a "universal symbol," may be a character, a theme, a symbol, or even a setting."
"It's difficult to dispute that definition, Bum. Paul got it right this time. Janey and Gordon's story is indeed more like Love Story by Erich Segal than Romeo and Juliet. In Love Story, the heroine dies at the end which I suppose coincides with Paul's belief that our story has a sad ending too. Gordon, in real life, is dead now but you let him live on in memory, which I think our readers will like. I wish we had a famous line in our story, Bum," said Bear, as an after thought.
"What famous line, Bear?" asked Bum.
"Love means never having to say you're sorry," answered Bear.
"We should be able to do better than that sucky line, Bear," said Bum.
"Dream on, Bum," said Bear disparagingly.
"We've still got a ways to go with Structure, Bear. Paul has written quite a bit about Gordon leaving and Janey not, and why. But, I have to go now and get started on my exercises."
"What exercises?" asked Bear.
"The ones I've been given by my physiotherapist," said Bum.
"I'm glad you took that radiologist's advice, Bum, and found yourself a physiotherapist, and fairly quickly, which is not like you, quickly I mean. I bet your sister had something to do with it."
"Indeed," said Bum. "My sister, like you, is a bit of a nag, so I knew as soon as I told her, that I would have to do it, and quickly as you commented."
"How did you find a physiotherapist, Bum?" asked Bear.
"I used the one my sister had used a few weeks earlier. She has some back problems too. Anyway, I went down and made an appointment. The physiotherapist resides in an office at the Dollarton Shopping Centre so she is handy. We met for over an hour and she went over some exercises she thought might help me."
"What is her name, Bum?"
"Andrea Bag, or something like that," said Bum, "or maybe it was Box. You know I'm no good with names, Bear."
"What kind of exercises did she give you, Bum, and how many?" asked Bear.
"She gave me 5 exercises I can do in bed. They must be done 3 days per week, so I do them Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Each one has 10 repetitions so I do 1 rep in the morning when I wake up, and 1 rep at night before I sleep."
"That seems a lot," said Bear.
"If that were all," muttered Bum. "I have 4 other exercises which need to be done 2 reps per time, and twice a day, and weekly. Again, I do half in the am and half in the pm."
"Jeez," said Bear. "That's a bit much, Bum. That woman sounds like a sadist about exercises.."
"So true, Bear, so true. That is why I now call her my psychotherapist."
.
"
Monday, March 2, 2020
STRUCTURE
"Good morning, Bear. Paul said every story needs structure in order to give it shape and make it feel like it's going somewhere. Just as the characters need to be based on archetypes to give them coherence and solidity, the story too needs to be identified as to what basic kind of story it is. A helpful guidebook is 20 Master Plots by Ronald B. Tobias. As he explains it, while a story relates one event after another, a plot connects the events by causation. It's not just this happened and then this happened, but rather this happened because this other thing happened. A plot connects events by cause and effect."
"Hold it, Bum. That's a pretty big mouthful of information to start our day," said Bear. He looked taken aback.
"I know Bear. This section on Structure is so big that it may take a couple of days for us to get through it," said Bum.,
"Well, best we get started then," said Bear. "Paul said a plot connects the events by causation. Thank God he explained what that means."
"You go first, Bear. Give me an example from your life in our book, and make it fast, I have an appointment in an hour and a half."
"Don't rush me, Bum. I know I'm fast and you're slow, but I'm not a robot."
"What do you mean I'm slow? I take exception to that."
"You are a slow talker, a slow walker, and a slow thinker. You always need time to come up with a decision about anything. On the other hand, I am fast as you know, and I take exception to being pressed for speed by a slow person."
"This is getting us nowhere, Bear," and "I'm starting to get annoyed," thought Bum. "Do you have an example or not?"
"I've got one," responded Bear.
"I knew you would," said Bum, wryly.
"I ended up living on Strathcona Road where you walk by with your little book, recording people and dogs you meet. We met one morning, in your imagination granted, because the other thing had already happened. I was born in Calcutta and was purchased by my master, a pilot who had a stopover there. He bought me for the price of a light meal and brought me home to Deep Cove where you were waiting."
"That's pretty good, Bear. I wish I could think of an example of causation as good as that," said Bum.
"Never mind that, Bum. Tell me about your appointment with the radiologist. You waited long enough for it so I hope it went well," said Bear.
"Not so much, Bear. I think it was one of the worst days of my life," responded Bum.
" I don't understand, Bum. You were so happy when your appointment was changed from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. Was there a problem with the parking?" Bear looked puzzled:.
"No," said Bum. "I arranged it carefully so I would arrive at 12:30 which would give me time to buy the parking ticket from one of those awful machines, walk across the street to St. Paul's Hospital and have sufficient time to walk slowly, which I now do, to see the radiologist in the Providence building. The parking lot is part of the building where my doctor, Dr. Lim, has his practice. I purchased 3 hours of parking. I felt that would give me plenty of time for my one hour consultation with the radiologist, and sufficient time to walk back from the hospital, and cross the street to Dr. Lim's. I had already told his office I would drop by after my appointment with the radiologist because I wanted to renew my Valium prescription. I thought I might need it, and I only had one pill left.."
"So, what was the problem, Bum. Couldn't you find the Providence building?" asked Bear.
"No, I found it, Bear."
"Couldn't you find the Radiology department?" queried Bear, still looking puzzled.
"No, I found it, Bear, and that was where my bad day started."
"How so? I don't understand," said Bear. "Did you have to wait a long time? That's always annoying."
"I got there about 10 to 1:00 pm. I checked in and they took down my medical card information and told me to take a seat. The waiting room was full so I had to lean against a wall until someone was called into the office. There were no magazines to read so I took out my book, The Eighty-Dollar Champion, about an old plow horse called Snowman who could jump very high. Frances found it somewhere, cheap, and thought I might like it. I did because I like unusual stories, and I like books about horses, my favourite animal, other than you of course, Bear. Anyway, it was very interesting and I didn't notice the time passing."
"Never mind about that bloody book," interrupted Bear. "What happened in the Radiology department that ruined your day."
"I glanced at my watch finally and saw that I had been waiting about 45 minutes. I went up to the desk to see if they had forgotten me, since most of the people in the waiting room had been taken away to the back. Not only had they forgotten me, but they were not expecting me, and they said the girl who took my medical information should have known that, but of course had now left the building. They sent me to the third floor."
"I hope that girl who took your medical information was fired for incompetence," muttered Bear.
"Get real, Bear. It seems to me that no one is fired for incompetence these days because of fear of a lawsuit. Anyway, you know I am seeing a radiologist because I am having trouble walking, so sending me to another floor to find the right department was downright mean. I traipsed upstairs and wandered the floor, stopping and checking different departments, until I was told I needed the 8th floor. I had now been walking for more than one half hour. One department was locked but had a phone near the door. I called and because I didn't know the name of the doctor I needed, was given short shrift. Again, I walked the corridors of the 8th floor for quite some time, slowly of course as I was fading in the stretch just like a horse, until I found the right place. Dr. Wong couldn't wait for me, I was told, and took another patient. I sat down to wait."
"That is abominable service, Bum," said Bear in a very disapproving tone.
"Yes," said Bum, succinctly. "I was near to the fuck them stage, when the radiologist appeared, introduced himself and escorted me to a back room. Dr. Wong, a lovely man, told me to remove all my clothes below my waist, except for my underwear. I did so and he examined me minutely all over, pressing and murmuring, do you feel any pain, and moving my feet in particular this way and that. He then told me I didn't have enough pain to get the shot they sometimes give for my kind of condition. I was disappointed but it had been that kind of day. He informed me I should walk more. I told him I'd done just that the past hour looking for him. He gave me a funny look but didn't comment."
"God, Bum, all that waiting for a radiologist and there's nothing he can do. I give up on the medical profession, just like you," said Bear.
"At the end of my appointment, he suggested I see a physiotherapist for some exercises for my back, keep up and increase the walking, and that was that."
"Hmm," said Bear non-committedly.
"As I left Dr. Wong, I felt relieved that I had had that pedicure because he spent so much time on my bare feet during his examination. I think that guy's got a foot fetish, Bear."
"Hold it, Bum. That's a pretty big mouthful of information to start our day," said Bear. He looked taken aback.
"I know Bear. This section on Structure is so big that it may take a couple of days for us to get through it," said Bum.,
"Well, best we get started then," said Bear. "Paul said a plot connects the events by causation. Thank God he explained what that means."
"You go first, Bear. Give me an example from your life in our book, and make it fast, I have an appointment in an hour and a half."
"Don't rush me, Bum. I know I'm fast and you're slow, but I'm not a robot."
"What do you mean I'm slow? I take exception to that."
"You are a slow talker, a slow walker, and a slow thinker. You always need time to come up with a decision about anything. On the other hand, I am fast as you know, and I take exception to being pressed for speed by a slow person."
"This is getting us nowhere, Bear," and "I'm starting to get annoyed," thought Bum. "Do you have an example or not?"
"I've got one," responded Bear.
"I knew you would," said Bum, wryly.
"I ended up living on Strathcona Road where you walk by with your little book, recording people and dogs you meet. We met one morning, in your imagination granted, because the other thing had already happened. I was born in Calcutta and was purchased by my master, a pilot who had a stopover there. He bought me for the price of a light meal and brought me home to Deep Cove where you were waiting."
"That's pretty good, Bear. I wish I could think of an example of causation as good as that," said Bum.
"Never mind that, Bum. Tell me about your appointment with the radiologist. You waited long enough for it so I hope it went well," said Bear.
"Not so much, Bear. I think it was one of the worst days of my life," responded Bum.
" I don't understand, Bum. You were so happy when your appointment was changed from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. Was there a problem with the parking?" Bear looked puzzled:.
"No," said Bum. "I arranged it carefully so I would arrive at 12:30 which would give me time to buy the parking ticket from one of those awful machines, walk across the street to St. Paul's Hospital and have sufficient time to walk slowly, which I now do, to see the radiologist in the Providence building. The parking lot is part of the building where my doctor, Dr. Lim, has his practice. I purchased 3 hours of parking. I felt that would give me plenty of time for my one hour consultation with the radiologist, and sufficient time to walk back from the hospital, and cross the street to Dr. Lim's. I had already told his office I would drop by after my appointment with the radiologist because I wanted to renew my Valium prescription. I thought I might need it, and I only had one pill left.."
"So, what was the problem, Bum. Couldn't you find the Providence building?" asked Bear.
"No, I found it, Bear."
"Couldn't you find the Radiology department?" queried Bear, still looking puzzled.
"No, I found it, Bear, and that was where my bad day started."
"How so? I don't understand," said Bear. "Did you have to wait a long time? That's always annoying."
"I got there about 10 to 1:00 pm. I checked in and they took down my medical card information and told me to take a seat. The waiting room was full so I had to lean against a wall until someone was called into the office. There were no magazines to read so I took out my book, The Eighty-Dollar Champion, about an old plow horse called Snowman who could jump very high. Frances found it somewhere, cheap, and thought I might like it. I did because I like unusual stories, and I like books about horses, my favourite animal, other than you of course, Bear. Anyway, it was very interesting and I didn't notice the time passing."
"Never mind about that bloody book," interrupted Bear. "What happened in the Radiology department that ruined your day."
"I glanced at my watch finally and saw that I had been waiting about 45 minutes. I went up to the desk to see if they had forgotten me, since most of the people in the waiting room had been taken away to the back. Not only had they forgotten me, but they were not expecting me, and they said the girl who took my medical information should have known that, but of course had now left the building. They sent me to the third floor."
"I hope that girl who took your medical information was fired for incompetence," muttered Bear.
"Get real, Bear. It seems to me that no one is fired for incompetence these days because of fear of a lawsuit. Anyway, you know I am seeing a radiologist because I am having trouble walking, so sending me to another floor to find the right department was downright mean. I traipsed upstairs and wandered the floor, stopping and checking different departments, until I was told I needed the 8th floor. I had now been walking for more than one half hour. One department was locked but had a phone near the door. I called and because I didn't know the name of the doctor I needed, was given short shrift. Again, I walked the corridors of the 8th floor for quite some time, slowly of course as I was fading in the stretch just like a horse, until I found the right place. Dr. Wong couldn't wait for me, I was told, and took another patient. I sat down to wait."
"That is abominable service, Bum," said Bear in a very disapproving tone.
"Yes," said Bum, succinctly. "I was near to the fuck them stage, when the radiologist appeared, introduced himself and escorted me to a back room. Dr. Wong, a lovely man, told me to remove all my clothes below my waist, except for my underwear. I did so and he examined me minutely all over, pressing and murmuring, do you feel any pain, and moving my feet in particular this way and that. He then told me I didn't have enough pain to get the shot they sometimes give for my kind of condition. I was disappointed but it had been that kind of day. He informed me I should walk more. I told him I'd done just that the past hour looking for him. He gave me a funny look but didn't comment."
"God, Bum, all that waiting for a radiologist and there's nothing he can do. I give up on the medical profession, just like you," said Bear.
"At the end of my appointment, he suggested I see a physiotherapist for some exercises for my back, keep up and increase the walking, and that was that."
"Hmm," said Bear non-committedly.
"As I left Dr. Wong, I felt relieved that I had had that pedicure because he spent so much time on my bare feet during his examination. I think that guy's got a foot fetish, Bear."
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