Weekend Economists Salute the 99% September 26-28, 2014

[MattSh]

19. I'm Jealous...

I'm at home this weekend with our son while my wife is 470 miles up the road, in Moscow. It's sort of a girls only event, even though that wasn't quite the original plan.

Originally, I was also to be a part of this trip. And originally, this trip was supposed to be the second weekend of October, which would've been sufficient time for me to apply for and hopefully obtain a visa for Russia. Then it was decided to move it up two weeks in the hope of getting better weather in Moscow. The weather turns colder a bit earlier there than it does in most places. So it just would not have been possible for me to obtain a visa in time.

Her cousin is paying the total cost for the room in Moscow, so we only had to pay for travel and additional expenses. Still, that's a nice chunk of money, but we're making the best of it. My wife is replenishing her supply of a expensive enough medicine. While this disease does not fall into the "rare" category of diseases, but that medicine has been quite difficult to get here in Kiev, not just now, but even last year. On a couple of occasions, I had to walk 15 minutes to the nearest Metro station, take the train for four stops, exit, then walk 10 minutes to the pharmacy that had the medicine. And this is in Kiev, the most important and influential city in all of Ukraine. And still a medicine that should be easy enough to find often became a project to actually obtain.

So we came up with this idea to call around to pharmacies in Moscow. And lo and behold, that is not only was it quite easy to find, but it costs about 65% less in Moscow than it does in Kiev. So I told her to stock up. Minimum of three months worth, 5 to 6 months would be even better, assuming you don't have to spend the whole day walking around Moscow to find that much. She's also stocking up on a couple other items, so this trip may pay for itself. And when that medicine starts to run out again, it's a perfect excuse for a trip to Moscow again, or possibly to Crimea, where her cousin's family owns a house. That's if the medicine can be found there.

As for myself, even the doctors over here recommend statins for me, but I refuse to take those. The last cardiac event (angioplasty) I had was over 10 years ago, and October 1 is my ninth year anniversary outside of the USA. Coincidence? I don't think so. It's not meat and eggs that cause heart attacks, it's the crap that pollutes the food chain in the USA. Trans fats is a biggie, but I also believe things like high fructose corn syrup, other artificial sweeteners, artificial colors and preservatives, and even GMOs are all part of the crapification of the American diet. So for me, it's no statins, but meat and eggs every day for me.

Oh, and speaking of Crimea, is a YouTube video of some "happy" people there. Enjoy!

Pharrel Williams - Happy - Feodosia, Crimea -