o, i called at exactly 13:00 and let it ring almost 20 times before the line disconnected. did you hear it ring?

you mentioned we'll figure something out. ok. these are the facts:

1) there's no way to reach me directly over the phone.

2) i can call out in theory, but can't reach you at this exact # for some unknown reason.

3) while i would really like a date for an appointment to be clarified, i am comfortable waiting for a bit until in-person appointments resume. i was previously under the impression that dr. ===== could do something for me that i now understand he cannot.

i am not a mask wearer (and i think the statistics are indicating that they are not working very well, anyways, given that people are not trained to use them properly. even the politicians on tv take the masks off with their bare hands and put them in their pockets, defeating the point. it's a symbolic thing, really, that is all. and, i'm reminded of the image of a mutually masked kamala harris and joe biden lifting their hands up into the air together, as a symbolic demonstration of how mask use can lead to overconfidence in self-defeating ways), but i am essentially self-quarantining and have been for months. i haven't been anywhere except stores and hospitals since march. i'm pretty low risk, even as a silent spreader.

another idea would be to communicate over email or some kind of chat software. as you can see, i type a fair amount.

otherwise, we could perhaps just direct a request to dr. ===== to put me in to see an endocrinologist and/or a urologist that is willing to talk about over-prescribing (and i understand *now* that i am requesting an over-prescription that dr. =====  himself cannot prescribe). that as the first thing.

further, i could perhaps even call around myself and find somebody willing to do the operation. that was the second thing. this is a procedure that should only take ten minutes and doesn't even actually require a visit to a hospital, it's just that few doctors seem willing to actually do it. if i can get that scheduled soon, the medication issue resolves itself.

it would be very useful to me to have a concrete date in mind to firm both of these things up, but i'm otherwise flexible, and will take the initiative to do what i can on my own and fax the information to the office as it becomes available, given the continuing bizarre state of reality around us.