Author: Bob Benz

I got to put my latest gadget to the test yesterday. Lara and I are in Dallas visiting Wes. Wes and I decided to look for a cigar store. But he didn’t know where the nearest one was, and we were already on the road. So I pulled out my new cell phone and started surfing the Internet looking for one. It was far from a flawless search. The first one I found in the directory didn’t exist. We plugged the address into his car’s GPS, and when we got to the location where the cigar store was supposed to be it was a residential interestion.

So I tried again.

This time it worked. I found the address, we plugged it into his GPS and the car took us right to the place. I was a little worried that the Internet availability wouldn’t be too useful, but I’m starting to rethink that, especially given how much I travel. It will allow me to check flight schedules and weather reports online, and having instant access to online yellow pages is pretty handy. I also liked that GPS system. Again, it isn’t flawless. But it’s pretty useful. And that’s really the key gauge of a gadget’s worth.

Outrage of the day: I’ve been using 1800PetMeds to save A LOT of money on prescriptions for my pack. It’s convenient, too, with the drugs being delivered right to the door. But now my veterinarian has decided that PetMeds isn’t reputable and I have to come to the vet’s office to get a written prescription each time I want to refill my dogs’ medication.

We’re talking 275 pounds of dog here. Four of them, two of which are senior citizens and consume a lot of medicine.

Basically, the vet has decided to make it so difficult to get cheaper prices on these meds, that I’ll have to go back to being charged through the nose at the vet. I went round and round with the fine folks at Pellissippi Veterinary Clinic, reminding them how much I spend on routine exams and other services each year. But there were adamant.

Then I called another vet. They, too, have decided that PetMeds is dangerous. Well, it might be dangerous to their unscrupulous practice of overcharging pet owners for medication. But I don’t see how it’s dangerous to the dog. The dogs have to have medical records at the vet. PetMeds calls to confirm that the dog is current on its shots, etc., and really should be getting the prescription.

Looks like the vets of America are aligning against PetMeds and other low-cost providers of medicine. Fortunately, I finally found a vet who is willing to work with PetMeds. I’ll be stopping by Pellissippi today to get my dogs’ records and move them to the new vet. Bastards.

Lara and I saw Gillian Welch and David Rawlings last night at the Bijou, a small, very intimate theater in Knoxville. It was incredible. I still think her “Time (The Revelator)” CD is one of the best I’ve ever heard. I haven’t picked up a copy of the new one, Soul Journey, but the cuts from it that they played last night were great.

Highlights:

— There was a lot of banter with the audience, and Gillian and David departed from their set list almost as soon as the show began. It felt very impromptu and informal. After David played a scorching guitar piece, someone in the audience hollered: “What kind of guitar is that?”

“A good one,” David deadpanned.

— Beautiful encore version of “I’ll Fly Away.”

— After “I’ll Fly Away,” they came back out one more time, stepped out from behind the microphones and stood at the very edge of the stage to do an acoustic-beautiful version of “Long Black Veil.” The theater was dead silent. Totally sublime. It was like having Gillian and David in your living room.

If Gillian comes to your town, check her out. You won’t regret it.