Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

Back on 4 April 2023, I had a cardiac ablation procedure.  I survived and am on the road to recovery…
A few days later I posted my “milestones to recovery” timeline.  Here is my post-30 day update:
1) Survive the procedure (check)
2) Survive the first 24 hours and go home (check)
3) 1 week post-op review and EKG with cardiologist / staff.  (check)  EKG results are normal sinus rhythm.
4) Survive the first 11.5 days.   According to the NIH, this is the median point for fatalities in the first 30 days after the procedure.  Fatalities for the procedure are “roughly” .46% – so 1 in 200, but the majority of those deaths are related to co-morbidity factors, which I do not / did not have.  (check)
5) Survive 30 days post-op.  Again, according to the NIH, this is the critical time frame after which fatalities from the procedure drop to near zero(0).  (check)
6) 90 days evaluation of post-op medications and return to almost “normal” activity.
7) After 90 days, and assuming the procedure was successful, my “odds” of living a “normal” life expectancy (compared to those on or off of AFib medications) are the same.
How do I feel at the 30 day milestone?  So-so.  My cardiologist told me it can take anywhere from 30 to 90 days for the heart to heal and I have to continue to go-slow and pace myself until then.  I’m feeling it…  I have a “weighted chest” at some point almost every day.  This happens with or without exercise.  I am also frequently finding myself short of breath – normally when walking.  Most times, it passes quickly, but sometimes it can last for more than an hour, and this is with and without the weighted chest feeling.  I am also popping into AFib most days, although these sessions tend to be of only a few minutes.  (Yesterday, I had my first instance of weighted chest, tight chest and shortness of breath – combined – which lasted about 75-90 minutes.)
The bottom line is the external incision points have closed and are well on the way to being fully healed, but questions remain about my heart.  Not so much about immediate consequences of the ablation procedure, but whether or not it’s helped with my AFib.  So, I have begun light exercise to go along with my daily walk (increased from .4 to .8 mile) around our block.  I do one lap with my wife (walking our dog) and then a second lap on my own.  My resting HR is in the mid-to-high 60bpm range.  Most of the walking is in the 80-90 HR range, but I almost always get a 30 second to 2 minute bump to 140 – 155 HR range.  I’m not “doing” anything different to make it go up (walk faster) or down (walk slower).  It just seems to happen on its own.
In addition to the walking, I’m also doing some light weights exercise – 40lbs pull downs, inclined pushups and pull-ups, body-weight squats and 25lbs dead-lifts for 10 reps (each exercise) of three sets (in cycles / circuit).  I’ve been adding an exercise to each circuit about one per week.  I have brief pauses between each exercise and each set and I have not experienced any significant HR issues during or immediately after these exercises (sets or circuits).  (I originally started with at least one full hour rest between circuits, but I don’t do that anymore.)   I was hoping to start some “Niko-Niko” jogging after the 30 day milestone, but given my walking HR issues, I don’t think I’m up to that level of aerobic exercise quite yet.  Maybe in a week or so…  Ah, well…  Slowly, slowly, Inshallah.
Disclaimer:  As always, I would like to remind anyone reading this that I am NOT a doctor, I am not recommending this medical procedure or exercise program to anyone, and you should ALWAYS consult with your own medical provider / primary physician if you notice any personal health issues and before beginning any diet or exercise regime.  My “road to recovery” checklist is based on my conversations with my cardiologist and my personal research on the Internet.
For anyone who is interested…  I just received my insurance statement for the ablation procedure / over-night stay.  My hospital billed at $260,790!!  Medicare paid $33,000 (rounded) and my insurance paid $1,600.  My out of pocket cost is $0!!  While I’m happy my cost is nil, I have to ask:  Is this any way to run a health care system?  I feel for those people / families too young for Medicare and without health insurance.  Without both insurances, this procedure would have bankrupted us or burdened us with debt for the rest of our lives.
Finally, I (again) offer my thanks to anyone who has or is offering up a prayer or positive thought for me.   I am and will remain extremely grateful.
.
On This Day In:
2022 The Edge Of Today
2021 Why I’m Wrinkled With Age
Is There A Generic Available?
2020 I Feel Noblesse Oblige
2019 Live For Something
2018 My Dogs Beat ‘Em Up
Is Your Sky Falling?
2017 Unseen Here, Too
2016 Criticized Anyway
2015 Sometimes The Truth Hurts
2014 All Agreed, Say “Aye”
2013 Two Books, Two Movies
Just Because
2012 God’s Requirements
2011 Greater Purity

Read Full Post »

Back on 4 April 2023, I had a cardiac ablation procedure.  I survived and am on the road to recovery…
A few days later I posted my “milestones to recovery” timeline.  Here is an update:
1) Survive the procedure (check)
2) Survive the first 24 hours and go home (check)
3) 1 week post-op review and EKG with cardiologist / staff.  (check)  EKG results are normal sinus rhythm.
4) Survive the first 11.5 days.   According to the NIH, this is the median point for fatalities in the first 30 days after the procedure.  Fatalities for the procedure are “roughly” .46% – so 1 in 200, but the majority of those deaths are related to co-morbidity factors, which I do not / did not have.  (check)
5) Survive 30 days post-op.  Again, according to the NIH, this is the critical time frame after which fatalities from the procedure drop to near zero(0).
6) 90 days evaluation of post-op medications and return to almost “normal” activity.
7) After 90 days, and assuming the procedure was successful, my “odds” of living a “normal” life expectancy (compared to those on or off of AFib medications) are the same.
I have not been able to find out the mean point for fatalities after the procedure – only the median.  As such, I am hoping the “mean” is on the left side of the “median” and not the right.  (LoL – I am still demonstrating my OCD personality type, seeking control / security where there is no certainty.)
The bottom line is that although the external incision points may have closed and are well on the way to being fully healed, this is not true for my heart.  My cardiologist has said it can take anywhere from 30 to 90 days for the heart to heal and I have to continue to go-slow and pace myself until then.  So, I have begun light exercise to go along with my daily walk (.4 mile) around our block.  40lbs pull down for 10 reps in three sets spaced at least an hour apart.  Ah, well…  Slowly, slowly, Inshallah.
Disclaimer:  As always, I would like to remind anyone reading this that I am NOT a doctor, I am not recommending this procedure to anyone, and you should ALWAYS consult with your own medical provider / primary physician if you notice any personal health issues.  My “road to recovery” checklist is based on my conversations with my cardiologist and my personal research on the Internet.
Finally, I offer my thanks to anyone who has or is offering up a prayer or positive thought for me.   I am and will remain extremely grateful.
.
On This Day In:
2022 Widening The Moat
2021 Core Strength
Thinking Of You
2020 Rising Danger
210 Day Health / Weight Update (Apr 2020)
2019 Never Let ‘Em See You Sweat
2018 Just Two?
2017 Living Without Love
Good News!
2016 At This Moment
2015 Still Dreaming
2014 Good Wins
2013 Before
2012 Look To This Day
2011 One View Of Man

Read Full Post »

Notice, we never pray for folks we gossip about, and we never gossip about the folk for whom we pray!  For prayer is a great deterrent.
    —     Leonard Ravenhill
[This afternoon, at roughly 2:30pm, I should be starting my heart “surgery” / ablation procedure.  The procedure normally takes between 2-3 hours, with a similar amount of time in post-op / recovery.  This means I will probably have to spend the night in the hospital under observation.  If all goes well, I should be home tomorrow with a heart that’s still tickin’.
Please keep me in your positive thoughts and prayers…
    —    kmab]
.
On This Day In:
2022 If That’s What You Mean
2021 Awakening The Glow
I Remember
2020 Golden Eagle
Like #45: Incompetent Donald
2019 #45: Who Lost By Three Million Votes
2018 Torn Between Two Loves
A Girl And A Boy
2017 I Think They Are Starting To…
2016 Living There
2015 Bookin’ West
Beyond My Reach
You Never Call Anymore…
2014 Winning?
2013 Still Inventing
2012 Motivated
2011 Waiting In Line At Starbuck’s

Read Full Post »

Each morning, I interrupt my dog’s life long personal research of eating and napping for a walk around the block.  In her younger days, we would go out for over an hour and cover several miles.  Now, she’s getting on and has arthritis in her shoulders and hips.  Despite her aches, her enthusiasm for the upcoming variety of smells is infectious and I’m sure this is what she’s thinking…
After a bit though, she looks at me and I’m sure singing the chorus to this….
Ah, well…  As long as the tail keeps wagging, we’ll keep doing what we do…  After all, a dog’s gotta dog!
.
On This Day In:
2022 Following His Own Path
2021 Show A Brother Some Love
Beyond Words
2020 Especially You, Bro
Words Without Explanation
2019 Enjoy!
2018 Happy Birthday, Bro!
2017 Love Can Change The World In A Minute
2016 60, Little Bro!
2015 Vision and Courage
2014 58 – Little Bro
2013 New Adventures And Old Hopes
Caving In
2012 Bits And Bobs And Birthdays
Always Hope
2011 Wet Snow And Long Hills

Read Full Post »

Happy Birthday, Bro!!
We may both be on the wrong side of 65, but at least we’re both still on the sunny side of the grass!
Enjoy the day!
Love ya,
Kevin & Hil
.
On This Day In:
2022 Following His Own Path
2021 Show A Brother Some Love
Beyond Words
2020 Especially You, Bro
Words Without Explanation
2019 Enjoy!
2018 Happy Birthday, Bro!
2017 Love Can Change The World In A Minute
2016 60, Little Bro!
2015 Vision and Courage
2014 58 – Little Bro
2013 New Adventures And Old Hopes
Caving In
2012 Bits And Bobs And Birthdays
Always Hope
2011 Wet Snow And Long Hills

Read Full Post »

Honor the sacred.  Honor the Earth, our Mother.  Honor the Elders.  Honor all with whom we share the Earth:  -Four-leggeds, two-leggeds, winged ones, Swimmers, crawlers, plant and rock people.  Walk in balance and beauty.
    —     Native American Elder
.
On This Day In:
2022 Keep Playing
2021 The False Stereotype
Extraordinary LOVE
2020 Fate, Agency And Dumb Luck
2019 You Too Can Choose
2018 In Line
2017 Just Get It Right
2016 In Support Of Common Core
2015 Oscillation
2014 Truth Shift
2013 Real Heroes
2012 Controlling The Beast
2011 1,002

Read Full Post »

Health Update:  For those who haven’t been following my blog for long, I’ve spent the last dozen (plus) years suffering from non-continuous Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), which is an irregular and rapid heart rate that occurs when one or both of the two upper chambers of a heart experience chaotic electrical signals.  Basically, “AFib” is a fast and irregular heart beat.  The heart rate in atrial fibrillation may range from 100 to 175 beats a minute.  A little more specifically, AFib is a condition where your heart has a kind of loose electrical connection, and the top part of your heart (the atria) fails to pump smoothly – essentially it flutters (fibrillates).  If left unattended, the flutter can cause your blood to pool in your heart and eventually the pool coagulates and forms a clot.  Then, since your heart is still beating, your heart can push the clot to other parts of your body and you can end up with a heart attack (if the clot lodges in your heart) or stroke (if it lodges in your brain).  The clot can cause various other issues depending on where it finally settles.  (Obviously, this a VERY simplified explanation).
 
My most common symptoms include:  chest palpitations, sweating, a shortness of breath (difficult to fully inhale) and a “feeling” of weight on my chest.  Most of the time my symptoms are brief – a minute to a half hour.  My most frequent symptom is the chest palpitations.  Occasionally, the symptoms double up or last longer.  Rarely, the symptoms go to three and or last more than 90 minutes. When that happens, I go to the ER.
 
Just to be clear, many folks live with continuous AFib for decades.  As my cardiologist told me:  “Most AFib patients don’t die from AFib.”  They die from blood clots and related illnesses:  stroke, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism.  My AFib has been non-continuous for most of the last decade.
 
To make a longer story briefer, last Monday (2 January 2023), I entered (more or less) continuous AFib.  About 4am, I woke up with difficulty breathing and very strong palpitations.  I was unable to breathe while laying down, so I got up, dressed and went to sit up in a chair.
 
Anyway, I hoped it (my heart) would revert to a normal rhythm on its own.  It did not, so I took one of my “as needed meds” to try to slow my heart and take the edge off the AFib.  The med, kind of worked, but not fully. I normally take my blood pressure (BP) three times a day.  My pulse slowed and I was falling back into a regular rhythm, but it was not consistent.  I continued to check my blood pressure / heart throughout the next few days and the AFib continued more consistently than the normal heart rhythm – but it didn’t get worse (or better) or have significantly different secondary symptoms.  In the end, my wife an I decided it was time to go to the ER – which we did today (Friday 6 January).  In the ER they decided to forgo IV drugs and just go for electrical cardioversion.  Basically, they hit your heart with an electric charge which “in effect” re-boots the electrical system of the heart.  Yes, it stops your heart, but only for a fraction of a second (everyone hopes).  For those of you keeping count, this is my third “jump-start” since retiring in October 2017.
 
The procedure was successful (big shout-out to all the staff, nurses and doctors at John Muir Hospital in Concord, CA) and (by the mid-afternoon) I was sent home with my heart in normal rhythm.  I’ll be chilling out for the next few days / week to make sure I don’t slip back into continuous AFib and then (again) I have to concentrate on dieting and exercise to lose weight and strengthen my heart.
 
Knock on wood…  That’s the plan, anyway.  In the meantime, it’s contact all the doctors on Monday and see about additional medical steps (Catheter Ablation is the “most likely” next step).  Still, it is much better than the alternative…  Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers (if you are that way inclined).
 
.    
On This Day In:
2022 Defeated: So Far (Anyway)
2021 Elections Have Consequences
  It’s Cold Way Down There
2020 Fearless Security
2019 I Prefer A Neat Single Malt
2018 Seeking Finer Fruits
2017 Something That Is Absolute
2016 Animate And Encourage
  Out Of Time
2015 In Time
2014 Robust Interconnectivity
2013 What Have We Here?
2012 Tributaries And Eddies
  An Honest Politician
2011 Penultimate
   

Read Full Post »

Cheers to you, my blog readers!  Here are my wishes for you for 2023:
May you always find three welcomes in life
In a garden during summer,
At a hearth during winter,
And in the hearts of friends throughout all your years.
    —    A traditional Irish blessing
Please don’t “drive under the influence”…  Stay Alive.  Stay Healthy.
Please have a happy (and safe) New Year’s Eve!
.
On This Day In:
2021 Best Wishes For 2022!
A Toast To Innocence
2020 Best Wishes For 2021!
Tomorrow Starts A New Year
2019 Best Wishes For 2020!
World Views: End Of 2019
2018 Best Wishes For 2019!
2017 Best Wishes For 2018!
2016 Best Wishes For 2017!
2015 Better Red Than Dead
Tomorrow Starts A New Year
2014 Recovering
Best Wishes For 2015!
2013 Best Wishes For 2014!
2012 My Creed
2011 It Probably Isn’t So

Read Full Post »

The Ulitimate Rule ought to be:  “If it sounds GOOD to YOU, it’s bitchen;  and if sounds BAD to YOU, it’s shitty.”  The more varied your musical experience, the easier it is to define for yourself what you like and what you don’t like.  American radio listeners, raised on a diet of ____ (fill in the blank), have experienced a musical universe so small they cannot begin to know what they like.
    —     Frank Zappa
From his book:  “The Real Frank Zappa Book
.
On This Day In:
2021 A Model Democrat
Listen Mister
2020 The Main Thing: Vote!
No Other Reason
2019 A Big “IF”
2018 Committed To Thinking
2017 More Pictures From My (Family) Retirement Party
A Fondness For Sins
2016 Are You Waiting?
2015 The Future Myth
2014 Hands
2013 Because You Have Lived
2012 47%
2011 Conservative Values: Low And Lax
2010 A Non-Zero Sum Game
What If “c” Isn’t A Constant?
2009 Pictures from UCLA trip…

Read Full Post »

[Maurice “Mo”] Pinel dedicated a fair portion of his life to disseminating his ideas, and he left behind artifacts such as his YouTube videos that will forever serve as repositories of his eccentric wisdom.  But there was so much he never managed to articulate, so much teaching he still had left to do.  And because he operated in a field that withered a great deal during his decades of involvement, there is perhaps no one left with his breadth of experience nor his bone-deep sense of bowling’s elemental splendor.
This is what the mercilessness of the pandemic has abruptly robbed from us:  tens of thousands of men and women whose rare and hard-won knowledge can never be replicated.  This is how artisanal skills are forgotten, how dialects vanish, how the stories meant to sustain us ebb away from our collective memory.  And it’s all happening at a pace far faster than we can grieve.
After meditating on all that’s been lost, I could come up with only one fitting way to honor what Mo’s time here meant.  As I write these words, I stand precisely 12 days away from being fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.  I plan to celebrate by taking my kids bowling.
    —     Brendan I. Koerner
From his article:  “One Man’s Amazing Journey to the Center of the Bowling Ball
Appearing in:  Wired Magazine;  dtd:  July / August 2021
.
On This Day In:
2021 I Think They Mean It
An Endless Stream
2020 ITF (365) – Update
Word Up!
My Fear: A Second More Tyrannous Term
2019 Reality And Imperfection
Day 8: One Stone
2018 Pity The Nation (Part 1)
Day 41: Hiccup Or End Of Days?
2017 Sharp-Edged Beauty
2016 Start, Keep, Finish
2015 Lifetime Friends
2014 Acknowledgement
2013 Longevity, Tenacity and Diversity
2012 What Reagan Really Cared About
2011 Seeming Sane (Or Not)

Read Full Post »

This post marks the first day of my 14th year of blogging here on WordPress.  A great deal of this post is a repetition of last year’s post…  (And, yes, it’s a long one…)
With almost no change from last year…  The number of countries who’ve visited this site continues to (slowly) grow and the number which haven’t continues to decrease.  North Korea and Cuba are still among them (the latter…)  I’m also still missing a belt across the middle of Africa (but it’s no longer coast-to-coast) and a few spots in Asia.  (Slowly, slowly…  Resistance is futile.)
On reviewing my content over the past year, I’m mostly back to one post a day.  They are almost entirely just quotes with occasional political opinions, infrequent film reviews and rarely book reviews.  I haven’t added near as many posts about learning guitar or music as I thought I would.  I’m not terribly sure why.
My blog is continuing to be part of my “normal” retired life (since 2017).  I routinely receive about 20 to 60 emails (per day) from the roughly 300 blogs I follow.  I say “roughly” because I don’t check how many I follow.  I just looked, and I (still) have fewer than 2,000 followers myself.  Every year there is a trade-off:  you pick up a few steady followers and a few drop off.  Those who actually post about leaving (their own sites) say they are simply moving on to other things.  Most, don’t bother and just stop posting.  A few come back after some period of time.  Many do not.  It doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve stopped blogging.  Some just move to a hosted service to try to monetize their thoughts and don’t provide me a way to follow them.  Or maybe they did and I simply missed the link…
I do have bone to pick with some (many?) of the posts I receive.  Three bones, actually…  First, I receive a large number of posts which don’t contain “Like” options.  This means I have to click to your site and log into WordPress to give you a like.  Most of the time, I will not do this.  I’m just lazy and if you don’t want the feed back, I’m happy to not provide it.  The second is an email with a title and five or six words from your post and then a “read more”.  Again, sorry – PROBABLY 95% of the time, I no longer click through to your site.  If you don’t give me at least a paragraph to hook me, you’ve lost me for that post.  It’s different if you are running a visual / photo site, but not by much.  If you give me one (or two) image(s) per post – fine.  If you regularly have 10 – 15 – 20 images in a single post, I might view one post a week.  And, lastly, in general I only view one post a day from a single source and it’s kind of random…  Sometimes it’s the first.  Sometimes it’s the last.  Sometimes it’s just whatever…
At any rate, I easily spend an hour per day reviewing the posts I get (via email subscription) and sometimes that is simply overwhelming.  It’s not always the average blogger’s fault.  If you post something interesting, I (still) will go off and investigate it further:  authors, artists, locations, books, movies, science / math / history topics – they will all lead me off down the rabbit hole.  And that hole can be DEEP!   There are a few (a handful) of sites which I know are visual and I more frequently click through to the actual site, because I’m interested in the bits which are not offered in the smaller / limited / text based emails I tend to receive.  I apologize if my failure to click-thru affects your view stats negatively…
So, besides this blog, what am I up to?  My health has been mixed.  I’m still morbidly obese and none of my “lifestyle” changes (diets) have stuck.  The problem I have is I’ve had some changes in my meds so I’m not sure if they are affecting me or if I’m just getting older and less motivated – or a combination.  As always, one has to balance the good of the med versus the adverse (potential) effects.  The two which seem the best (for me) are the juicing / blending and the “40hr water fast twice a week”.  The former for losing and the latter for maintaining.  If I can get my meds stable, I’ll probably go on an alternating schedule of these two for a prolonged period.
In January 2021, I purchased my first guitar and I’ve been practicing most every day since. (I miss about one day every other month.)  I “know” my basic (C, A, G, E, D, F, Am, Em, Dm) open / “cowboy” chords and major / minor scales – single string and in first position.  Strumming, finger-picking (Travis style) and chord changes are coming slowly (slower), but they are getting better now that I’m practicing them more consistently.  I now own three acoustic guitars and five electrics, and I have another acoustic on loan from my brother.  I had them on a monthly rotation calendar, but shifted to three weeks at the start of the year (2022).  I’m planning to move to a weekly rotation.  I’m looking into picking up a few (three) more inexpensive guitars and I’ve dropped the idea of basses (for at least a while).  There is no time pressure.  It’s all about my ability to save (here and there) until I can justify a purchase.  [Wife:  How many guitars do you NEED?  Me:  …One more.]  At the moment, the plan is one more strat (type), one more tele (type) and a round-back acoustic.  I didn’t really even think about round-backs before.  I thought they were only over-sized guitars for Mariachi style music, but I’ve learned otherwise.  Anyway, they “tend” to be plastic / fiberglass backs, and I’m interested in what that sounds like.  I have a distinct memory of strumming an “Ovation” (round-back) guitar MANY years ago, but I don’t remember anything about it (sound or feel).  We’ll see…  I am also going to start looking into amps and pedals for the electrics.
The few things I’ve learned (mainly about myself) have truly been amazing (to me).  I do seem to have a smidgen of musical ability (although it’s still buried under layers of doubt).  I’m (still) finding the ability to concentrate on practice to be as relaxing as zoning out in computer programming used to be (in my youth).  Sixty to ninety minutes can easily seem like five or ten minutes.  There is also the complete exhaustion which results from prolonged concentration – however “relaxing” it may feel at the time.  In a strange way, it feels good to be mentally tired at the end of a practice session.
But, am I getting any better at playing?  An objective opinion would be:  Yes!  Am I any “good”?  An objective opinion would be:  No!  Does it matter a whit?  No.  Why not?  Because, like blogging, I’m doing it for the enjoyment of doing it and not for the expectation (mine or anyone else’s) of being any good at playing guitar.  Again, like blogging, as long as it’s fun and interesting and fulfilling, I’ll just keep doing it…  My not so secret goal remains to write a song (lyrics and music) for my wife.  (LoL)
I posted a while back about my guitar goals for the remainder of 2022, but I can easily see them (the goals) extending into 2023.  If I have ANY disappointments over guitars it’s that developing my luthier skills has definitely fallen by the wayside.  I’m happy being able to change strings, round fret ends and play with action and intonation, but it turns out, if you buy inexpensive instruments, the decent quality luthier tools and better quality parts are almost as (or more) expensive as (than) a new instrument.
So, it’s guitar playing and blogging to keep me occupied (and mostly out of trouble).  LoL!!
Other than that, we got one of our bathrooms remodeled back in February 2022 and we’re hoping to get our other one done in early fall.  All things in their time (LoL – and with available funds!)
Once again…  “Excelsior!!
.
On This Day In:
2021 Happy 12th Anniversary Of Blogging
We ARE…
2020 Happy 11th Anniversary Of Blogging
2019 Happy 10th Anniversary — Thoughts On My First Decade Of Blogging
2018 Happy 9th Anniversary — Three Thoughts
Day 2 – Notes On Progress
2017 Happy 8th Anniversary
2016 Happy 7th Anniversary
2015 Happy 6th Anniversary
2014 Happy 5th Anniversary
2013 I Resemble That Remark!
2012 Happy 3rd Anniversary
2011 Is America Safe Tonight?
2009 Hello world! (See how it all began…)

Read Full Post »

When there isn’t enough food, the body has to make a decision on how to invest the limited foodstuff available to it.  Survival comes first, growth comes second.  And in this kind of nutritional triage, the body seems obliged to rank learning, last.  It sort of it’s better to be stupid and alive, than smart and dead.
    —    Carl Sagan
.
On This Day In:
2021 Life Finds A Way
In The Palm Of My Hand
2020 I’m Not Worried
2019 Forgiving The Chasm
2018 A Sure Sign Of Age
Before The Fall – Cheat
2017 Distant Goal
2016 More Lives
2015 Go Shopping More
2014 Say What?
2013 Accepting Beauty
2012 Transitional Choice To Ride The Wave
2011 Freedom Isn’t Always Perfect
Just That Simple

Read Full Post »

I would say that I don’t know how we got through that first shaky week of this third pandemic-impacted school year, hugging our kids and checking to make sure their masks were secure before they left each morning, except that I do know:  We had no choice.  We still don’t.  Though we’re grateful to their teachers and glad that our kids are once again learning alongside their peers, the worry persists, an undercurrent to which we’ve been forced to adapt as we settle into routines both familiar and new.
Each week brings more pediatric infections, more student quarantines.  Each day, I’m conscious of the fact that I’m allowing my children to assume a risk from which I, working at home, am protected, and this feels hopelessly backward.  I read every update to the school COVID-19 guidelines so I know what to expect after the inevitable exposure, but I can’t tell my kids what they have long wanted to know:  When will things go back to the way they remember?
Over the past 18 months, a common refrain has been that this pandemic should compel all of us to recognize our interdependence, the inescapable fact that we will not address this or any of the other grave threats we’re facing without collective action.  This is a lesson that I expect many of our children are also learning, though the cost and the danger to them feels too high.  I know I don’t want my kids to conclude that they are or forever will be powerless, or that there is no one who will fight with and for them.  There are many things I still have to hope for to get through each day, and while our children’s survival and health top the list, I also want them to retain their faith in themselves and in their ability to look forward to something better than this — to find, as they so often do, their own reasons to hope.
    —     Nicole Chung
From:  “The View Essay: Parenting – Did I point my kids to the wrong North Star?
Appearing in:  Time Magazine;  11/18 Oct 2021
Also online at:  https://time.com/6102019/covid-19-hope-for-kids/
The online version appears as:  “There’s No End in Sight for COVID-19. What Do We Tell Our Kids Now?
.
On This Day In:
2021 The Rush Is On
Another Rerun
2020 It Is Still About Sharing And Cheering
2019 Sounds Like #LyingDonald
2018 Start Building
2017 Woof! Woof!
2016 Cast Out
2015 Small Pieces
Happy Father’s Day!
2014 Uncertain Work
2013 Unpatriotic And Servile
2012 What Price Freedom?
2011 Particular Importance
Three From Bette…

Read Full Post »

Back in the 1980’s I developed a “repetitive stress injury” to my wrist(s) – mainly my right wrist, as I am right handed.  It happened due to overuse of a mouse while working on computers.  Back then it was more “popularly” starting to be called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  Of course, back then, there was no significant use of either term in the general populace.  The closest we (the public) came to it was “tennis elbow” and its cousin “golfer’s elbow / wrist”.
I was lucky and mostly got over it (RSI) by playing Aikido for a few years – where you do a number of wrist flexing exercises during warm-ups / before practice.  When I stopped Aikido, the symptoms began coming back and I went to a sports doctor (specialist) who gave me a sheet with wrist exercises to do several times a day.  He said it is more important to do a few repetitions several times during the day than it is to do a massive number in one long session.  He said he normally suggests using 1lb to 3lbs weights, but as I was muscular (back then), I should use 5lbs weights.  He added if a weight is not available, just use a book.  I’m in the process of going through some of the stuff I used to have in my work cubicle and found the exercise sheet so I’m offering the image of the exercise instructions to anyone who may have similar wrist issues.  (Click on the image for a larger and more readable version.)

Wrist Exercises for RSI Relief

[Disclaimer:  Please remember I am NOT a medical professional and the “tips” in this post are based on my positive anecdotal result(s) from a therapy recommended by a certified physician.  Consult your personal physician before starting any diet or exercise regime.
I recently drove by the location of his storefront office and it is no longer there.  He was older than me, so he’s probably long retired.  As such, I have removed his office information from the image.  I did a quick browse around the web to see if there were similar instructions / exercises available from a website I could provide attribution to.  I was not able to locate anything similar.  I am making no claim to ownership of the image and I am merely offering it up to help others in need.   —    kmab]
.
On This Day In:
2021 It Doesn’t Stop
I Feel Like I’m Winning
2020 #45: 14.81 Lies Per Day
2019 Less Miserable Now
So Near And Yet So Far
2018 I Doubt #45 Is Listening?
2017 Life’s Oddity
2016 Just Asking…
2015 Two Thoughts On Thinking
2014 From The Top, Please…
2013 You Are The Stars
2012 Just One??
2011 Anything But

Read Full Post »

I do not know which of our afflictions God intends that we overcome and which He means for us to bear.  But this is certain:  Some I have overcome, some I continue to bear.
  —  Jean Toomer
[Another (2022) COVID Update:
This update is being written on 5 June 2022 (for posting on 12 June).  There have now been:  1,003,803 total deaths;  247 average deaths per day;  84,565,697 total cases (about 1% fatality rate);  97,611 new average for daily cases;  and, 258,747,147 vaccinations (at least one dose and over 5yrs old) – for a rough 83% of the (eligible) population.  Over 90% of hospitalizations and deaths are of those who have not been vaccinated.  I have not been able to determine if the (remaining) less than 10% are fully vaccinated and current with their booster(s).
What do we know?
Surprisingly little (IMHO) at the end of 18 months…  The early prediction was a fatality number of 2.2 million in the first 18 months IF WE DID NOTHING.  We temporarily shut down a significant portion of society (NOT the economy).  We halved the total deaths to date, but not the rate of deaths per cases.  The economy (and society) are roughly back to “normal”.  Most people can (do) now work from their offices (and / or homes).  Stores and restaurants / bars are mostly opened, but business levels have not recovered.  Most importantly:  we still have little to no publicly available information about the rates or effects of “long-term” COVID, the number of folks with current boosters, or the duration of the vaccine (or booster) effectiveness.  We DO know there is a general decrease in the vaccine(s) effectiveness – hence the recommendation for boosters.  We don’t know the breakdowns by factors such as age, gender, over-all health, etc.  I’m not saying the number(s) isn’t (/ aren’t) out there somewhere or that someone, somewhere isn’t tracking this data – only that I can’t find it readily available.  And, here we are:  “Only time will tell…
As a side note:  much is being made about the pandemic’s effect on the economy – past and current.  While we (in the U.S.) have accepted deaths and illnesses as a “cost” of returning to a “normal” economy, the world’s manufacturer (China) has not.  They continue to impose local and wide area shutdowns to prevent the spread of COVID whenever there is another surge.  Our (U.S.) demand continues to grow back to normal rates (pent up and current demand).  Goods are not being made / delivered to meet demand – so prices increase.  They will continue to do so until supply (roughly) matches demand.  No matter what the Federal Reserve does to interest rates to “cool” inflation, it will have little effect until the manufacturing / delivery conditions change.  How long will that be?  How long is a piece of string??  You never know until have it’s been finally cut (until it’s over).    —    KMAB]
Original post (from 2020):
[This is an unusual post for me.  This post is being written on 28 May, three days after the Memorial Day weekend.  Yesterday, the U.S. passed 100K in deaths due to COVID-19.  We are dying at just under 1,000 lives per day.  We are engaged in a great social experiment testing whether we can open our economy without a plan to deal with the virus.  This post is scheduled to go online roughly 15 days after the holiday weekend.  If the President’s gamble was correct, the average death rate will be at or below 1,000 per day.  If his gamble (with our lives) is incorrect, the death rate will be higher – and potentially much higher.  Only time will tell.   —   KMAB]
(2021) Follow Up to Last Year’s (2020) Post (115,000+):
The “post” above is from one year ago.  It is still too early to tell how good / bad a gamble President Trump took with the health of the nation.  Partly because it is still too soon to have had academia take a look at the data and partly because a number of states – mostly (but not exclusively) with Republican governors (Florida) – are using their office / administrations to hide the true / accurate numbers of illnesses and deaths for political reasons.  We do know that since the Inauguration, the vaccine count has gone from under 50 million to over 300 million.  Over 50% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of vaccine.  Part of this success is attributable to a competent President / Administration and part to the manufacture and distribution of the various vaccines ramping up.
As for our losses, the current “rolling” weekly death average is under 500 per day.  A few weeks ago, the CDC also updated the information on their site to “confirm” that not only are the vaccinated unlikely to get seriously ill and die (still 5 – 10% chance of illness, and less than 1% chance of death), you are also unlikely to become infected and ill at all (15 – 20% illness rate once vaccine period is completed).  Again, it’s too early to KNOW the exact numbers, but in this case it’s because (it is my understanding) “illness” is being self-reported.  Still, this is “good” news and we should see the economy and society begin to return to normal.  We’ve dodged a bullet this time folks.  I am not making light of the individual losses to family members and friends, but the virus could have been a lot more lethal and we still have a considerable way to go on getting the rest of the way to herd immunity.  Let’s hope we are better prepared for the next epidemic…
.
On This Day In:
2021 One Year Later (Now 604,000+)
Good Intentions
2020 115,000+
2019 One Generation’s View
2018 The One Thing
2017 Never Give Up
2016 Which Generation Are We?
Congratulations, Kyle!
2015 Centered
2014 Economic Trinity
2013 At Both Ends
2012 Holding Allowance
2011 The Power Of Good

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

%d bloggers like this: