It appears I am doomed to be surrounded by people who have no knowledge. Not that I have a lot, but I know when I am being bamboozled. As I have stated before, there are an increasing number of us who either are reaching or have reached our "Sell-By" date. This appears to wave the green flag in the face of anyone under 30. That means that they (the whippersnappers) believe that they can pass anything off on us, the experienced.
Went to the local witchdoctor the other day with the Gaffer. Now I go along for truth, accuracy, comic relief. He goes along because, I made the appointment, dragged him out and forced him to go. The results are usually all the same: "You are extremely healthy for someone of your age". (Did find out he was allergic to hampsters) YEAH, HAMPSTERS - aren't going have none of those in this boardinghouse.
Anyway, the Gaffer and I are both "retired" paramedics. Broke our eyeteeth on the streets of Washington, D.C. Have a few tales we can share with ambulancedriver over a few cold ones...but enough of that...a little background...the Gaffer was one of the first nationally registered paramedics in the nation (Sell-by date, remember) and he taught Trauma medicine at Georgetown University, so it is really hard to put one over one him, although I try every day. So when the Witchdoctor comes in and looks at me, who is just sitting there waiting for the fun to begin, and speaks to me as if the Gaffer was not there - "We will need him to take his shirt off because we are going to take an xray"...I can hardly hold back the snorts and giggles, when the Gaffer speaks up and says: "AP and Lateral, right?" Suddenly, the Medico goes all pale and begins to backtrack. It only gets better from there. The Gaffer is finishing the Medico's sentences and lets him know that the Gaffer has had his body longer than the Medico has been alive and would he (the Medico) like to know about autopsy procedures on someone this healthy?
It is about this time that the Medico realizes that s/he has become an ultracrepidarian...
Le Conteur
Sell-By dates are fine, but I object to those who think that age makes one a "Stationary Target"
ReplyDeleteRemember all those tradespeople who think they can con you (me) into buying "stuff" we don't need? And the people who think of themselves as "Helpers" as they push by you in the line?
A pox upon all their houses!
LOL!!! I suspect that Medico needed the lesson Gaffer served right there. Bless you both for being good-natured about it. People who are arrogant or patronizing often did not intend to be so. You may have helped that young man to be more sensitive in future. At least I hope he will be!
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