Some Bloke In New York: November 2008

My employer endorsed medical insurance company has decided in it's infinite corporate wisdom that it's profits are more important than my health and has decided not to pay for any more physiotherapy on my knee. Who would have thought that a profit driven entity would decide to end treatment as soon as possible?

My physio people agree that I need more treatment. But what is that worth to some bean counter?

Do I sound bitter?

So where am I at with the knee? It straightens to within a few degrees of my good knee. Similarly it will bend to within a few degrees of my good knee. Good progress.

A lot of the time at physio has been strengthening exercises. And I can obviously continue those on my own and definitely will. But what I think makes the most difference is the painful bit: the physical manipulation and forcing it to straighten or to bend. This is the part that is tougher to do on my own. There is only so much force one can exert in straightening one's own unwilling knee joint.

I plan to enlist the help of my friends. Shopping for a new unqualified physiotherapist. The job itself is not that complicated. And I'm sure some will enjoy inflicting the pain. So I must choose wisely.

But seriously it strikes me as completely absurd that it comes to this.

Now hopefully without sounding like a wanker, I earn more than double the average American wage.

And it comes down to this. Getting your mates to push on your knee in the right way just so you can hope to walk properly for the rest of your life. It's enough to make a bloke want to hope on a plane a go home.

And what hope does the average American have?

At least there is light at the end of the tunnel for me. I know I will be looked after when I go home. And in my older age. Having seen this system I will never complain about my taxes or paying the medicare levee.

The 47 million Americans without any health insurance?

A fair bit more than twice the entire population of Australia without any basic medical care.

The rest with this quality of medical care?

Poor souls is all I can think.

And the medicos who must have to time and time again provide limited or substandard care to people thanks to the whims of the medical insurance companies whose first priority is the share holders.

I guess we all hope that with a new government will come change. But I don't like the chances of reforming a multi billion dollar industry and all the lobbyist and kick backs that come with it.

Anyway, it was a sad day to have to say goodbye to the people that I had got to know and had cared for me over the last few months.

A&R have been back in Australia for 3 weeks now. Of course with Andrew gone a lot more work falls on me, so not much life outside of that during this time.

It's no secret that Bailey dog is a pretty big deal around these parts. He would have to be one of the most photographed dogs in history. Robyn has gigabytes of photos of him.

Anyway, with the aus trip Bales has been "sent out to the farm" to be looked after. The business that looks after these mutts posts photos for the owners to check up on them. And Bales is never one to miss out on the opportunity to strike a pose and look pretty.

Now Bales is a pretty energetic dog. With personality. So it's no surprise that there are so many photos of him. And so many of them look like he is nearly at warp speed and barely touching the ground. There are some great action shots, these people clearly enjoy what they do.