A sign of the time

In the past men wore fairly big watches and women wore small, dainty ones.

Ever since many women started to wear man-sized watches, many men have transitioned to practically wearing wall clocks on their wrists.

The entertainer Flavor-Flav started things off by wearing a wall clock around his neck as jewelry. I'm sure everyone who attends his gigs always appreciates knowing the time.

Last night my son and I ate at Panera Bread.

I forgot my watch.

Fortunately, I was able to read the time on a mans watch who was sitting on the other side of the dinning area. It was much appreciated.

Maybe she's too worried about her diet?

Recently saw this post, from a friend, on Facebook. While I suspect the author found the worst possible photo of Gillian McKeith (maybe someone snapped the picture immediately after she underwent a colonic irrigation?), it's still sort of an amusing short piece that promotes dialogue.

Some time back I read about folks who practiced a VERY RESTRICTED calorie diet. They hypothesize that they will live longer (we know calorie restricted laboratory rats do live longer). Only problem to date has been the markedly increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures and a markedly decreased libido (sexual drive). That sure sounds like a great way to spend your extra days on earth!

My recommendations for diet tends to be the same as I try to practice everyday-moderation (although I'll be the first to admit I've gone overboard in the past on things like my Oreo consumption).

"Date Night, Notarized"

A colleague recently sent me a copy of this Joel Stein article from the June 11th issue of Time magazine:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2116121,00.html

It's got some great stuff condensed into one page (the perfect length).

A whole lot of empty courts

I visit a lot of retirement communities seeing patients. Without fail, they all have shuffleboard (also called shovelboard) courts. The full history of shuffleboard is not known but we do know the following:

"The game was played and gambled over by King Henry VIII of England, who prohibited commoners from playing; evidently he did not always win, as the record of royal expenses for 1532 show a payment from the Privy Purse of GB£9, 'Paied to my lord Wylliam for that he wanne of the kinges grace at shovillaborde' -contemporary translation: 'Paid to Lord William, for he won, by the king's grace, at shovelboard' (reference: Masters, James, 1997. The Shovelboard Family History and Useful Information)."

The picture below is a great example of what I usually see:  a beautiful court (s), in a beautiful setting, with no one in sight playing. Maybe all the residents are commoners? I'll have to start asking the folks I see. Maybe I'll also ask anyone I see playing if they have any royalty in their background.

Bad timing

I knew the President was scheduled to be in town yesterday (for a rally speech at Rollins College).

The local newspaper and news show reported "some streets will close temporarily for the President's motorcade."

(The motorcade has two parts: the first is the secure package-usually 2 limousines that are heavily guarded by local law enforcement and the secret service (all cars are driven by professional drivers) and the second part-vans that transport White House staff members and select members of the press, vans for communications, an ambulance and additional police vehicles)

I was out making home visits.

I was approximately ten miles from Rollins College but when I left one home to go to another, ALL the streets in the vicinity were shut down (I was ten miles from Rollins College, but was only about 3 miles from the executive airport where he had flown into town...my bad!).

I tried multiple short cuts and alternative routes but to no avail.

I finally settled in and spent 50 minutes sitting in my car waiting for the motorcade to appear and to pass (a police presence precedes the beginning of the presidential motorcade to clear the way and to block traffic).

I came across some previous articles on the Presidential motorcade. One stated, "it's exciting when you spot a motorcade, but once the initial thrill is gone, well, you find yourself cursing the motorcade's existence as you wait for the long flow of vehicles to pass by."

I can confirm that this is a true statement.

On further reflection, however, given the evil presence in the world, I wouldn't want it any other way. I spent the rest of the day behind schedule but had a good excuse.

It's Friday!

Some quick Maya Angelou quotes:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”

“Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”

“Most people don’t grow up. Most people age. They find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. What that is, is aging.”

“Nothing can dim a light which shines from within.”

And finally, “I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t laugh.”

I can't drive anymore?

Obviously, most adults cannot fathom being questioned about their ability to drive safely.

It's stressful at any age, including the very elderly. "American life is built around the car. More than just getting around, driving has an emotional component. It represents competence, independence, and freedom."

Statistics confirm that the absolute number of accidents in the elderly is much lower than the younger population, but the percentage of accidents PER MILES DRIVEN is much greater.

Also it's hard to estimate the number of accidents that occur behind an impaired driver who continued on his/her way, unaware of the commotion that occurred behind him/her.

In Florida, to report a possibly impaired driver, go to the following website:

http://www.flhsmv.gov/FloridaGrandDriver/reportUnsafeDriver.html

It's confidential.

"What happens when I send the report in to the department?
Reports are carefully screened by medical disability specialists and forwarded to investigators who work for the department. These investigators make contact with the driver and submit reports on their findings to the medical review section in Tallahassee. Investigators may interview family members, neighbors, or the driver’s physician as part of the investigation. As a result, drivers may be requested to submit a medical report from their physician, or they may be required to report to a driver license office for re-testing if necessary. If the investigator does not find any substance or validity to the complaint, no further action is taken."