FCEtier

Last week a new acquaintance asked me what I do for a living. My reply, “I spend my day telling people things they don’t want to hear. I’m a pharmacist and I deliver the news that  “your co-pay is much higher than you expected,” “your insurance company requires a prior authorization,” “your prescription was out of refills and your doctor has not responded to our request for a new prescription.” The list of examples goes on and on, but these are by far the most common.  People have high expectations of me and my department to make sure they leave the store happy and on the road to recovery from the ailment that brought them into the store.

Stew Leonard owns one of the most successful grocery stores in the world. Does his policy work in every situation?

Years ago, a syndicated columnist stated in no uncertain terms “The customer is NOT always right.” The article continued with the author’s evidence to support the claim. In retail sales, the age old standard is a difficult hurdle to overcome. In pharmacy it’s almost impossible. Once a shopper complains to a member of management outside the pharmacy, it’s a sure bet the manager will side with the customer—unless it’s a patient requesting something the pharmacist is prohibited from doing either by law or regulation. The distinction of roles they play once they enter the portal of a retail pharmacy is blurred. Sometimes, the clarity of a sharp focus is never achieved.

A simultaneous reference(customer/patient) to the people who shop in stores that contain a pharmacy became noticeable back in the 1970’s.  Was this duality the precursor to changes we see in the perception of consumers today? Are these shoppers  customers or patients—or both?

This labeling of shoppers took on more prominence with the rise in popularity of chain drug stores in the late twentieth century.

When pharmacists (usually independents) began leasing space for a pharmacy inside department or discount stores (such as Walmart’s precursors like “Gibson Wholesale”) the change  in,  shopping nomenclature picked up speed as well as consumer awareness of the trend.

Pharmacies are now being paid for talking to patients.

Contemporary retail practice settings such as a prescription department in a grocery store or Walmart, continue that same tradition with shoppers being both customers and patients. I worked for Walmart for 7 years and by the time I left, we had to document counselling encounters in the computer—yet another conversion of a patient to a number.

Another significant event in the change in perception of shoppers was the influx of non-pharmacists into upper level management of both hospitals and chains. [Historical note: Eckerd Drugs (which no longer exists) had a chain of command of pharmacists supervising pharmacists from store level all the way up to the highest echelons of corporate management. The Sr. VP of Pharmacy reported directly to the CEO. Non-pharmacist management types could influence pharmacy only via him. Those days are gone with the wind. By contrast, the top pharmacy position at Walmart is a medical doctor(or was a few years ago.) ]

Retail pharmacists are now required by law to offer to counsel patients on new prescriptions. The requirement comes not from a concern for customer service, but from the government wanting patients who received government funded medication to use it correctly. Uncle Sam wants the most bang for his buck. Insurance companies now reimburse pharmacists for these same “cognitive services.”

Simply stated, insurance companies want pharmacists to talk to their beneficiaries and, just like our Uncle, get the most bang for their buck.

Many pharmacists complain that the reimbursement is not commensurate with the time involved. Many patients don’t want these extra services. They just want their prescription so they can get home, eat supper, and watch television. Perhaps they don’t mind being just another number. Such a mindset could be dangerous to their health.

Whether they consider themselves customers or patients, the shoppers I serve have one thing in common;

they’re all on drugs.

Signalling a penalty in Sept. 2011.

At the end of the 2012 football season, I retired as a high school football official after sixteen seasons. In retrospect, it was a good decision.

The stars of tomorrow. Do they have to start so young?

As a spectator, I lost interest in professional sports almost twenty years ago. Now I’m concerned about the state of college level sports and the influence it has on high school sports. How far does the influence reach?  Is there a level of sports, especially football, that is unblemished?

Acting on the premise that others may share my concerns, I turned to long time coach and official, Joe Sturniolo. We met online in a forum for officials. His comments and opinions have inspired, consoled, and entertained the members of our group for several years.

I didn’t realize just how much the uniforms had changed!

This weekend, I begin a series of blogs to work out my thoughts on football, sports, and their places in my life. My interview with Coach Sturniolo is presented in two parts. Today is part one, conclusion is tomorrow.

Here’s a preview of one of the questions. Coach Sturno’s answer is thought provoking.

FCEtier: Overheard last week in a sports bar, “I lost interest in basketball when the men’s shorts got longer than the women’s.”

Your reaction?

For part one of the interview, including his answer to the above question, please click HERE.

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The Eight Sentences:

Hula girls and a skull dagger.

Claudia asked, “What’s up with the choice of shirts?”
“The dagger bothers you?” asked Debert.
“I’m not sure…” she hesitated wondering what Debert was up to. “Is he mocking me—or is this some dark metaphor?” she asked herself.
Debert assumed a dignified frown, lowered his eyebrows and intoned, “You remember from your study of history, that in medieval times, before the age of printing, events were often documented with marks on the handles of knives.”
“Mmmmm…..that does ring a bell,” Claudia remembered, “and this shirt with a skull at the junction of the blade, handle, and guard?”
Debert smiled, “Well I have no idea how many skulls, or notches on your gun you might have, but I thought one would represent what you do in addition to all of them in toto.”

The Set Up:

In this scene from The Tourist Killer, Claudia is having breakfast with Mr. Debert at the Sandestin Hilton in Florida. His choice of attire becomes the subject of their conversation. And in the news, Claudia got a great 4 star review this past week. Check it out, HERE.

Got eight lines to share? 

Join us here at Weekend Writing Warriors.The  same link will take you to the work of dozens of talented writers. For a treat, please check out their work, too.                                     

Many of the contributors to Weekend Writing Warriors also

participate in the Snippet Sunday group on Facebook.

Welcome to Goran Vale. A small (fictitious) town in New South Wales.

It isn’t far from Sydney and Melbourne.

It’s a long way from home—and farther from the truth than most folks find comfortable.

Author G.S. Bailey places readers right into the heart of town with vivid and detailed descriptions. We can close our eyes and see a little town reminiscent of Twin Peaks—without the picket fences.

A romance served with murder receives 4 of 5 stars.

Meet Kate.

She was left standing at the altar by one of the men in her life.

Early on, we meet them: Paul (her boss), Bobby (adopted brother), Ben (the friendly police officer), Stephen (her first love), and Lance (American insurance salesman). Will one of these candidates be the man for her?

One of them is “special” character. He’s the common denominator that links the major characters. He’s the glue that holds the story together.

Minor characters in Goran Vale are introduced and we learn that everyone seems to have secrets and several have skeletons in their closets (literally.)

Parallel plot lines follow Kate as she looks for the right man and Ben, the cop, who looks for the killer of poor little Melanie Rose.

Bailey does a superb job of weaving a page turner as we rush to learn which search is successful. Clues to the murder turn up when the shooting starts.

Which of the leading men will win Kate’s heart?

Will Kate and Ben find the same man? How do their paths cross en route to the story’s denouement?

A Man for Kate previously appeared as Remains of a Local Girl and Bailey does an efficient job of creating two female characters for whom either title would be eponymous.

A Man for Kate plays well as both a romance novel and a whodonnit. Such are the mysteries of love.

In the end, we leave Goran Vale secure in the knowledge that more books in the “Mystery Loves Romance” series are forthcoming.

Can you hear the Angelo Badalamenti soundtrack?

February 20 of next month will mark the fortieth anniversary of my liscensure as a pharmacist. I’ve been counting tablets and capsules by fives, for four decades.

I earned a B.S. in pharmacy at Northeast Louisiana University [now known as the University of Louisiana–Monroe] and graduated in December of 1974.

It’s been an interesting forty years, including a seven year hiatus in which I left pharmacy for Dale Carnegie Training and New York Life. I returned to pharmacy in 1992.  For “About Me” descriptions in the social media, this is what I list: “Husband, father, grandfather, pharmacist, photographer, and published author.”

Over the next twelve months I’ll post a few blogs with reflections on my career along with some guest blogs by other pharmacists and health care folks I’ve met along the way. In addition, there will be a few blogs to chronicle the my evolution from small town farm boy to small town pharmacist.

Maybe someone will find them of interest.

The Eight Sentences:

Walkers(with the green awning)=Mayberry Soda Shoppe. Notice the open space awaits our guys from LOOM.

White had listened to the conversation and at the same time, looked up Mt. Airy on his Smartphone, “Tripadvisor has a bunch of good ratings for the Mayberry Soda Fountain. It’s on Main Street so it should be easy enough to locate–it’s also known as Walkers.”

Barger smiled at Dryden and said, “Maybe we’ll run into Barney Fife and he can tell us all about the Hummer that did a flip into the New River near Austinville.”

Dryden winked and said, “Yeah, and maybe you can use some of that two hundred bucks you won to buy us lunch.”

Scully executed a perfect parallel park and the four men walked into the restaurant. As they walked in, Barger asked, “How did you get lucky enough to find a space right in front of the restaurant?”

Scully smiled, patted his obese friend on the back as he waddled through the door and answered, “They saved it for me.”

The Set Up:

In this clip, readers learn the result of Hawk’s bet with Mr. White along with my choice of how to handle the scene. I chose this route rather than a detailed description of the shot, the bullet crashing through the windshield, and the explosion of the driver’s head. I think my readers can figure out what happened without a review of the blood, the guts, and the gore. Writing a scene like this is, for me, analogous to writing a sex scene. Everyone knows what happens between the sheets. It’s more fun if it happens in the readers’ imagination anyway. Feedback, please.

You got eight sentences?

Join us here at Weekend Writing Warriors.The  same link will take you to the work of dozens of talented writers. For a treat, please check out their work, too.

Many of the contributors to Weekend Writing Warriors also

participate in the Snippet Sunday group on Facebook.

In the year, 2342, Cynthia is pursued in “border space” by the Cataxi, an alien domain willing to destroy a planet to kill her.

Just as her space ship, driven by her onboard computer, “Chris,” attempts a jump to lightspeed, a shot from the Cataxi takes out the planet from which Cynthia et al just departed. The percussion from the explosion sends our foul-mouthed, video-gaming heroine back to nineteenth century England.  

Cynthia is more concerned about her video game than her real life fate. She passes off the possibility of prison with this remark to Chris, “Damn. I suppose prison is better than starving to death. Let me know when you pick up the guidance beam. I’ll be in the AR3 suite. I want to see if I can finally seduce Mr. Darcy. Take him away from that dreadful Elizabeth Bennett.”

In response, Chris asks, “That Jane Austen game, again? Why don’t you play something wholesome, like Battle for Mars or Kabul Shootout?”

Cynthia the invincible is the Marty McFly of the 21st Century with Chris instead of Doc Brown at her side.  Together they seek adventure, romance, and a little fun while their spaceship is repaired.

Author Amelia Grace Treader, in her fifth book, takes readers through the space time continuum as Major Tom meets Downton Abbey. We like the use of dialog to drive plot with a bare minimal scene-setting. We’ve been into the future with Dave and HAL and we’ve seen the past with Barry Lyndon. Treader allows readers to use their imagination rather than lengthy descriptions—and it works. We find it a refreshing diversion from the typical “dark and stormy night syndrome” often found in this genre. The challenge of juggling space exploration, time travel, and romance is adequately met by this author, who is, herself, a Southern Belle. Readers will be glad to know a sequel is in the works.

Will Cynthia find true love in the past?

Will she give her suitor reasons to love her?

Will she give readers reasons to care about her?

Will she be happy enough in 19th Century England to stay?

Just how old is Cynthia and will she age like Dick Clark?

Pick up a copy on Amazon and get the answers today.

Image credit: Copyright 2014 Wayne Parris Photography, used with permission. Details of this beautiful photograph will be the subject of a future blog. Wayne’s image inspired my short story.

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The Eight Sentences:

“We have too many generations of perfection,” Dr. Culpepper replied.

“How many generations of patients have you treated?” asked his assistant.

“Five. The span of years between each successive generation has gotten progressively shorter–the babies are smaller and our lives are requiring less and less physical activity. Next thing you know, we’ll have a generation of entities without a physical body. Nothing but a conscious being,” he paused, “a spirit.”

“I thought you were an atheist.”

“I am.”

The Back Story:

From my first short story in over forty years.

Genre: sci-fi (futuristic)

Dr. Culpepper practices pediatrics in the year 3905.

He has just seen his last patient of any kind and certainly the last pediatric patient. His speculation on the evolution of mankind to the point that no body would be necessary comes from an interview in Playboy by Arthur C. Clarke. Acting on the premise that such an event would  occur, I chose to write about the beginning of such an era. The Connection is about the first child born with no body.

Here are the links to the short story: Episode One  and Episode Two.

Make your own connection Here:

Join us here at Weekend Writing Warriors.The  same link will take you to the work of dozens of talented writers. For a treat, please check out their work, too.

Here’s the Facebook link for the Sunday Snippett group.  

On New Year’s Day, Chapter Eight of A Year Without Killing debuted HERE.

The next day, my regular Friday blog on Venture Galleries featured the debut of my first short story in over forty years.

The Connection was inspired by the featured photograph and is being presented in two episodes. This is the FIRST.

Then, on Saturday, Jan. 3, I resumed participation in Weekend Writing Warriors, a blog hop in which authors post eight sentence samples of their work (either published or a work in progress.)  My snippet this time was from AYWK and featured a scene featuring The League of Old Men. The snippet is HERE.

Finally, we closed out the weekend with Chapter Nine of AYWK. It opens with one of my favorite passages from the book.

My main character, Claudia Barry is writing in her journal about a dream from which she has just awoken:

The bullet was headed straight towards my eyes. Would it strike my brow just above my nose?

Image credit: Caters News Agency

The markings in the lead from the rifling of the barrel made it easy to see the rotation.

Here comes death.

In ultra-slow motion.

Somehow, I was aware that I had fired the round myself from a hotel room across the street.

Hawk Barger’s “testosterone truck.”

The Eight Sentences:

“If it’s the same car load of idiots we saw at the airport, they shouldn’t be surprised at anything we throw at them–I’m a bit surprised they came back for another dose. Want me to slow down and let them pull up beside us,” asked Scully, “they’re in the other lane.”

Barger reached around to his left side and unholstered a Smith and Wesson .44 magnum revolver with a seven-and-half-inch barrel, “I can take out the driver with one shot.”

Dryden said, “That gun barrel’s probably longer’n your dick. You got a big Harley, a big gun, and I bet you got a big four-wheel-drive pickup truck, too, to compensate.”

White held up a C-note, “I got a hundred bucks says you’ll miss that driver with one shot.”

Barger took the bet, “Make it two hundred and you’ve got a bet, Mr. White.

Barger rolled down the window, leaned out and leveled his big gun at the Hummer.

The Back Story:

We introduced the League of Old Men (LOOM), HERE, last year.

In this week’s snippet, we catch the action as four of their members are about to face an adversarial group for the second time in one morning. Their previous encounter was the subject of this snippet.

This excerpt and the next few will be from my third novel, A Year Without Killing which is now in it’s serial run.

NOTE:  Mr. White is of no relation to the “Mr. White” in Reservoir Dogs. He is, however, a distant relative of Bud White. Without the aid of your search engine, who remembers who Bud White was?

HINT: Bud White is a fictitious character from a big movie a few years ago.

Hit us with your best shot! 

Join us here at Weekend Writing Warriors.The  same link will take you to the work of dozens of talented writers. For a treat, please check out their work, too.

Here’s the Facebook link for the Sunday Snippett group.