Day 22

What a day!

A Minneapolis jury found the policeman who murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for some nine and a half minutes guilty on all charges - manslaughter, 2nd degree murder, and 3rd degree murder. While this was obviously the correct verdict, it does nothing about addressing the underlying systemic problems with policing and racism in America.  I'm glad that justice was served in this one particular case, but this nation still has a long way to go before all its citizens can enjoy equal treatment and protection by and from the law. 

The day started for me with a 9:00 am meeting at the house with my construction contractors.  Nine in the morning may not sound too early to you, but I didn't retire because I wanted to have places to be at 9:00 am. These days, I consider the day off to a good start if I get my fat ass out of bed by nine.

The electrician got the exterior spotlights put up today, and a few other minor interior repairs. Insulation will get blown into the attic tomorrow morning and a cleaning crew should start tomorrow afternoon.  And there's a lot of cleaning to do - the whole inside of the house is coated in a layer of sheetrock dust.  The floor guys will start on my bedroom Friday, or Saturday at the latest.  It looks now like I'll be able to move back into the house on Wednesday, April 28, after the lacquer dries. 

But a 9 am meeting wasn't the worst part of the day.  I had dental work done this afternoon.  One molar was extracted and another one capped. If you ever get the chance to have a molar removed, pass.  It's no fun.

The dentist gave me prescriptions for antibiotics and pain, but the CVS I went to refused to fill the painkiller script (hydrocodone, an opioid). Walgreen's agreed to fill the script for me, but said they require a 24-hour waiting period. When I explained that the novocaine was already starting to wear off, they agreed to fill the script with only a 45-minute wait.  

I went back to the house and started to put things back in order, and when I returned to Walgreens after 45 minutes, I still had to wait another 15 minutes before they rang me up.   I'm back at the condo now, with a mouth full of bloody gauze and an opioid in my bloodstream. I don't plan on driving anywhere tonight.

The fact that George Floyd had an addiction to opioids is beside the point.  He was murdered by the police for passing a counterfeit $20 bill, possibly without his knowledge.  And for once, finally, a White policeman was held accountable for his actions.