How we shop.

Price determines value. If the price is high then it will have a corresponding value. If it's low then the value follow suit. Right? I've decided that either I'm semi foolish or maybe just open to the idea that price doesn't always have to dictate the quality of a product or in my case a service received. In the past few weeks 3 people I know, 2 in the medical profession and one a neighbor, have made comments on a bump in had on my neck. I'm not sure why I paid them any mind. I have had it since I was 20ish and done a pretty good job of ignoring it ever since the doc i went to at that time told me that doing something about it might not turn out so positively. So these three people got me a bit worried and I started entertaining the idea of getting it seen. One of my concerned friends picked up her phone and called a handful of surgeons and told them her thoughts, she was a gp doctor, and then on the end of each conversation asked them how much the consultation would cost. They ranged from 200 to 400 cordobas. I immediately ruled out the 400 guys. That my friend is highway robbery. Even 200 was a struggle. I had a roledex of items that pulsed through my head of things that equaled one doctor visit. Let me enlighten you. A 200 cordoba doctor consult = 1. one ham and cheesepizza and 4 cane sugar sweetened Cokes 2. 8 banana trees 3. a day long stay at the laguna de apoyo 4. 4 world class burritos at the only legit mexican place in Masaya 5. nearly 3 pounds of freshly toasted and ground coffee from the highlands of Nica 6. one pound of Eisenia fetida. 7. Half of a bicycle 8. 20 pounds of beans 9. an electric mosquito racket 10. a 45 minute boat ride for 4 through the isletas in Granada. Puts it in perspective doesn't it. So I biked over to this robbers office the next day and within 5 minutes he let me know that it was what I thought/had been told 10 years earlier and that it would be a good idea to take it out. Then I went blank. Two people went through my mind at that point. My mother and this girl named Claire that was one of our medical interns last year. The common bond was both are detail oriented and seem to have a knack for asking an immense amount of questions about everything and anything. I was still blank and then looked at the doctor and said "is there anything you can think of that i should be asking you?" A few days later I was sitting on my doorstep chatting with my neighbor and her nephew and she let me know that he was good friends with such and such surgeon and that I should at least go see what he has to say. I had already heard about the guy as being the best in town but he also belonged to that category that charged 400 cordobas just for the appointment. I went. He wan't in but the head nurse was and said that the day was done but that I should come back in the morning and that they would sort it out. The nephew then said "well are you at least going to take his name down and put it on the appointment list?" she said that wouldn't be necessary and that it would be sufficient to say that I was a friend of Miguel, the nephew. Sure enough the next day when another nurse came in to do the roll call and asked for my name she said that i was no where to be found on the list. Then she looked at me and said "are you the friend of Miguel". I love how formal these guys can be, it does nothing but inspire confidence in you. I went in and the doc took a look and said that he could schedule for the knife just after he finished with some organ removal which would be around 12. I said ok, went back home prepared myself with a lot of water and a small sheet of paper instructing who would receive my two bicycles, guitar, and computer if things didn't go well and then went back around noon. This is getting a bit long. It worked! Well I think it did and I have a stitched up incision on my throat about a yard long that hopes the same. If you want to see pics then let me know. I thought they might be a bit much to post on a blog. Doctors orders are to take it easy for a few days so I am going to share some interesting recent happenings with you over the next few days. Que tengan una buena manaña!