Tetanus Shots and "Missing"

Yesterday morning we went to a local grocery store pharmacy to get our tetanus shots, which were covered by insurance.  On the face of it, there's nothing terribly remarkable about that sentence.

The last time I got a tetanus shot was in 2013, the last time we did serious home remodeling by ourselves.  My insurance--provided by my employer--didn't cover a tetanus shot unless one had stepped on a rusty nail or been exposed in some way.  The local grocery store pharmacy didn't carry tetanus vaccine and suggested I go to the ER to get a tetanus shot.

My goal is to avoid emergency rooms, and most hospitals, as much as possible.  Instead, I went to the public health department, paid $35, and got a shot. 

Yesterday we were prepared to pay out of pocket if need be.  Happily, our bronze plan which we got through the Affordable Care Act set of choices and pay nothing for in premiums, covered it.  We got a shot and were on our way.  Hurrah!  And we're also covered for Pertussis and Diphtheria.

Hopefully our immune systems will never meet these invaders.  But now, they've gotten a reminder of what to do.

Later in the afternoon, I watched Missing, the Sissy Spacek movie, not the other one.  It's about the CIA, and the coup in Chile, and the uses of terror and torture.  I'm writing a paper about it for my Social Justice and Cinema class that I'm taking for seminary.  I've written about the first time I watched the movie here; I was 17, and that movie changed me forever.

I've since watched it at least a dozen times, since I used to show it in classes that I taught.  It's still a devastating story even knowing how it will all turn out.

I first saw it in the early 80's, and it seemed to explain so much about foreign policy, the U.S. interfering in so many countries so that national interests--that is, the best interests of U.S. corporations--could be protected.  In future years, will people look at movies being made and see explanations for our current foreign policy?  It's hard to imagine, but I'm also a lot more out of touch with movies being made these days.

Today we've got a lot of home construction happening, but much of it won't involve me.  I plan to sit here and get a rough draft of my paper written.  We are at the point in any given term where I wonder if I've bitten off more than I can chew, but knowing that it's likely going to be fine makes it  a bit easier.