Ode to the NHS

Once upon a London time
A smart, handsome climber boy
Would climb up a bouldering wall
Like the wall was just a toy

Then a flip of his meniscus
With a twisting of his joint
Was the plot twist to this story
Like a cruel flip of a coin

No diagnosis and no treatment
No real doctor with good eye
All he got were plain old X-rays
Physio callback, and “bye-bye”

But his girlfriend was a doctor
And a nosy one who cares
When she sniffed out complications
Her nose was stuck everywhere

“Diego Surname?” someone called him
For his private image study
“Diego Surname, Here’s your CD
Wanna read it? Good luck, buddy!”

Sexy hero on two crutches
Leading with determination
Just to get a CD reader
They travelled across the nation

On his free PACS she discovered
Is this… is this… oh my God!
“Hi, my name is Bucket Handle
Thanks for finding me, hello!”

“Diego, Diego, you need surgery!”
She was pleading, sad, and baffled
He said, “I’m not leaving London”
So they went and had some waffles

When they finally hit the Notfall
Lachgas, stretching—what a mess!
Then they told him, “Just walk on it”
You can’t trust the NHS!

For the way to avoid disaster
Was through daily medication
Her long pharma tour in town
Got him anticoagulation

Between Clexane injections
After sweat, tears, and despair
Three long weeks, one cancellation
His meniscus got repair

“Take one pill every four hours
It’s strong stuff, so you should wait”
“Just one pill every four hours?
Well, f*ck that,” and he took eight

His nosy girlfriend returned
To put his leg in a bag
Nosy and smelly don’t mix well:
It was time to take a bath

He’s been brave and so resilient
Lovely climber boy of mine
So I wrote this silly open
Hoping I could make him smile

Wonderful

I got lucky with my night shift today, the third one in a row. It allowed me to listen and actually pay attention to this. I haven't felt this in awe of a speaker and their eloquence in a while, and the array of fascinating ideas and their interconnectedness gave me chills at times. What a wonderful thing it is indeed to enjoy consciousness and everything else that life as a fully functional human being has to offer. Absolutely delightful.

Bryan Adams

Back in high school, I must have been 15 or 16 when Bryan Adams performed live in the Canaries. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong island. I remember feeling both extremely excited and deeply disappointed about him being so close yet so far at the same time. I remember seeing his picture on the front page of the local newspaper the next day, which I immediately asked my parents to buy for me.

Fast forward almost at least 15 years later, at the beginning of this year, I wasted exactly zero seconds after being notified by Spotify about his upcoming concert in Basel. I immediately secured my place and spent months eagerly anticipating this one evening, which did not disappoint.

At 65 years of age, his professional experience, passion and confidence shone through his commanding stage presence, flawless live vocals, and youthful energy. With an audience whose average age was about twice mine, I initially felt coy and reserved. But even the most conservative concert-goers were progressively swayed by Adams’ incredible music, standing and jumping more with every song. This allowed me to let go of any inhibitions I’d felt at the start. By the end, I was jumping, dancing, and singing more freely and passionately than I ever had at any other concert I’ve ever been to.

That evening was an absolute dream come true. I feel so lucky to have had the chance to see him live. I will forever absolutely adore his voice, his unmistakable style, his guitar solos and heartwarming lyrics. Nobody speaks to the hopeless romantic in me the way he does.

PS.: I may or may not have already purchased front-row tickets to one of his upcoming concerts in Spain.