Power went out for 60% of Hawai’i residents when Lala blew through. My little corner, where the power historically has gone out when the weather gods so much as sneeze, was spared pretty much every consequence; the power stayed on with nary a flicker, and the only problem was a partially flooded bedroom from the lanai drain clogging during the night. Messy, but curable using the carpet cleaner as a wet vac. Lots of other people experienced far worse, many to the point of catastrophe.
For the second time this year, the company handling mental health benefits for the insurer managing my Medicaid cut off my (es)ketamine treatments on the twin bases that I wasn’t at immediate risk of harm and that I’m not taking a traditional antidepressant, the latter of which I am and which the insurer might oughta know since 1) they’re owned by the giant pharmacy company that fills my prescriptions, and 2) they do an annual review of all my meds. So all that stuff is literally a mouse click away.
The philosophy of Magellan, the treatment benefits manager, is that if a patient gets better and stays better because of the esketamine treatments then they don’t need the treatments anymore, and they’ll have to deteriorate to the point where the psychiatrist attempts distance evisceration of the bureaucratic impedimenta before the company will restore access.
And speaking of “customer” “service” reps, when said shrink pointed out that the status of my psych meds was a click away for the company, the rep told him that they simply don’t have time to check the status of every patient. “And I do? My time is worth less than yours?”
Anyway. Fuck me. Fuck them. The treatments have been re-re-approved, though.
Was Jared Kushner Pulling A Fredo?
The only legitimate reason I can think of for Hakeem Jeffries to meet with Kushner in secret is that the latter is offering to sell out the crime family. The notion that the meeting was instead an exploration of potential legislative common ground between Democrats and the historic band of criminals and traitors occupying the executive branch is absurd even if —especially if—true. Kushner can’t promise anything, his word isn’t worth shit even if he did promise something, and in any event there’s no point in talking before the elections, assuming we have meaningful elections, unless, again, Kushner is betraying Trump.
The more likely surmise is that Kushner was sent to scope out how easily and how thoroughly Jeffries can be snookered in the event we do have reasonably free elections and Democrats win them. The fact that Jeffries agreed to meet and to keep the meeting secret is probably a good sign for the mob.
I need a 12-inch both-sideser on this tariffs thing, stat!
I submitted a comment on this story about how some Republicans are “concerned”—concerned! guess who!—by the most recent tariffs insanity. Regrettably, I didn’t think of the column inches hook until after the fact. Also regrettably, the comments gatekeepers seem disinclined to publish it although I like to think they at least chuckled.
I don’t actually know if the reporter is young but she’s on a fellowship for early-career reporters so maybe.
Music!
I’ve been looking after my beloved toddler grandkid most of my waking hours so the opportunities to explore new music have been scarce. Today’s abbreviated collection is mostly comfort tunes.
The Who covering Eddie Cochrane’s “Summertime Blues”
Wednesday, “Townies”
Jeff Tweedy, “Lou Reed Was My Babysitter”
Anna Erhard, “Short Cut”
Big Special, “Shithouse”
Stevie Ray Vaughn, “Lenny”
Dry Cleaning, “Cruise Ship Designer”
Subscribe and etc
Anybody reading this is most likely already subscribed but in the event . . .
Thanks for sticking with me through the (seriously) thin times. Take care, be well.
Jared sees the writing on the wall, and as with the Saudis, he's trying to get his piece of the action before things go sideways for La Famiglia Trump.