hotels

I'm staying in a very nice hotel in Wrocław. They've supplied me with soap, shampoo, shower gel, shower cap, sewing kit, and vanity kit. Why no toothpaste?? A shower cap is something you can easily bring on an airplane, as is a sewing kit (I brought many needles accidentally on a few flights this summer). Toothpaste, though, requires a little travel tube to get through airport security, which I never have when I'm about to travel. I'm not even sure what's in the vanity kit, but whatever it is, it's way less useful than toothpaste.

another in the line of french medical "horror" stories

Last night, I noticed, taking a break from working (shock!), that I had triple vision in my left eye. I couldn't decide if I'd had it for long, but I went to bed with a worried feeling -- I have a pending eye appointment, but the earliest I could get was September 24th, and I didn't want to wait a month with triple vision in one eye. This morning, it was gone, but against my natural laziness, I started calling ophthalmologists. The first was gone all of August, but the second, after learning that I was going to Poland tomorrow, agreed to see me today. The secretary warned me that it would cost at least 79 euro. I saw the doctor, who guessed that I probably had had a visual migraine (migraine without a headache). The bill was 23 euro. Now the confusing part. Their machine was broken, so I got a form which I'm supposed to give to my health agency. They will then reimburse me for part of the 23 euro. So (I guess) the full bill was 23 euro, which (a) sounds insane, and (b) means I don't understand something basic about the 79. The doctor was in no hurry -- chatted with me about mathematics research, and spoke pretty good English. In total, what we have is a same-day eye appointment for what will probably turn out to be around 10 euro if I ever turn in this form, and 23 if I don't. Score one for French health care over every other health plan I've ever had, in which vision was never included.

From a NY Times article on marijuana

The people who become chronic users don’t have the same lives and the same achievements as people who don’t use chronically.

Don't you mean "people who don't use chronic"?