|
Fifteenth Job of Bob - Lawn Service Part VIII - Small business health care; Son, I can pull that tooth for 19 Dollars!
This entry was posted on 1/4/2011 1:30 AM and is filed under Jobs of Bob.
Not much time had passed after I left working for the City - perhaps it was just over a year later. I had gone through some pretty severe health challenges in the fall of 1990 with my battle with Meningitis and then a month later, a bout with blood clots. The next summer I cut back on my work load and worked alone, bidding all my part-time helpers adieu. Working alone, I could take a break when I wanted, without having to worry about delegating work assignments to my helpers. I never had a system set up back then to put someone in extended charge in my absence. I never had the money to pay someone the wage that that position would require. I usually, ran things myself - a recipe for problems as I found out during my illnesses. So in 1991, off I went, back to square one just like when I started my business - by myself. I had health insurance though Heide's job. I of course had to let my City plan go when I quit the Park Department. I did however, not have dental insurance through Heide's plan. Being an old farmer, when I got a tooth ache, I usually just toughed it out. But on one occasion, a bad tooth just got the best of me. After a couple days of agony, I sought the service of a dentist just down the street from my shop. He was a good old Texan. But, he was up on his latest technology and doctor-patient psychology. After a look at the problem he launched into a monologue: "We can grind that tooth down, do a root canal, then put a pretty new tooth on it. And, we probably should do the same to the tooth next to the bad one since it is also infected. You've also got a couple teeth missing so we better work up a bridge..." "Hang on Doc," I said as I held up my hand and stopped him. "How much is all this going to cost?" "Hmmm," he said and thought a second and then said, "We should be able to fix'er up for around 4,000 Dollars." I smiled as best I could and said, "Ain't got no insurance, Doc." He did not skip a beat and nodded his head just ever so subtlety, rubbed his hand on his chin and said without batting an eyebrow, "You know son, I can pull them trouble makers out for 19 Bucks apiece." I left his office that day, 38 Dollars and two teeth short. The next day I was already feeling back to somewhat normal. Note: This blog "Jobs of Bob" Category does not list the jobs chronologically - I write about the experiences as they pop up in my memory and I often revisit an older job. Go to the Cooldadiomedia Web site and the Jobs of Bob Page for an ordered chronology. Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
(each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)
Captain Derek Anthony Dobogai, 26, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin died on Wednesday, August 22, 2007. He was one of 14 soldiers killed when their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed while returning from a combat mission in Multaka, Iraq. Captain Dobogai was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned Derek "was a gifted runner and a top student in his high school class." He attended Winnebago Lutheran Academy, and graduated from there in 1999. Derek was remembered as a good student, particularly in chemistry, and he had two brothers who also attended the school. He was one of the top 10 students in his senior year. Dobogai was also remembered as a track and cross country athlete, and he was recognized as an academic letter winner with good grades in each of his four years. Derek was the middle of three brothers.
According to a news release by Western Illinois University, Derek Dobogai had been a member of the Western Illinois University Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC), and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army on Dec. 12, 2003. He earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in law enforcement and justice administration. Dobogai was a member of the ROTC Bulldog Battalion. He was among the top cross county runners and ran the steeplechase in track. Derek was a U.S. Army Ranger School graduate and also a U.S. Army Airborne School graduate. Dobogai served combat tours in Afghanistan as well as in Iraq, and he had recently been selected to the U.S. Army Special Forces
The Web site iraqnam.blogspot.com via information from the Fond du Lac Reporter noted Dobogai was an iron-man competitor and an academic standout. He was the fourth Fond du Lac County soldier to die in the Iraq war. At the time of his death Derek Dobogai was survived by his parents Lisa and David Dobogai and brothers David Jr. and Daniel. Derek Dobogai was the 79th Wisconsin military service person to die in Iraq since the spring of 2003.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
99,285 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,815 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,433 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1445 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
834 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
32,106 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,828 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
103 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
27 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
145 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
21 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf; and, icasualties.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
