POLITICS

I had a great afternoon yesterday.  My Rock Steady group had a pizza party celebrating a successful fund-raising campaign.  We are all about the same age and all of us are either dealing with Parkinson’s or the spouses of someone dealing with it.

As usual, when you get a bunch of Medicare patients together, the conversation eventually turns to Covid and vaccines.  Naturally, everyone has a different opinion and quote different sources.  There are few things that everyone agrees on. 

First, everyone agrees that the authorities are constantly sending out mixed messages.  Early in the pandemic, it was easy to understand why the messaging was so confusing.  Covid represented a new disease; and, as in a boxing match, we received a blow by blow description of who was winning the fight (Covid vs. humanity).  As expected, there was a sharp learning curve leading to humanity taking a lead late in the first round.

Unlike prior fights between humanity and viral infections, Covid found itself with a new champion in its corner and its new champions have proven to be more powerful than its ability to mutate and adapt to its environment.  So, who are these champions of Covid that are keeping it firmly in the fight?  Believe it or not, the new champions of Covid are the Democrats and Republicans we elected a few short years ago.

Yes, Covid has become politicized and rather than the CDC, WHO and local health authorities deciding on the best defense against Covid, The Democrats and Republicans have taken opposite sides and fed confusing messages to the public, stifling our ability to fight this enemy.  Compounding the matter even further, the internet has weighed in, mixing facta and physicians into a noxious slurry that too many people have swallowed.

On a daily basis, I receive lots of questions about Covid, vaccines and treatment options.  They are from former patients, and all appear to have consumed the noxious slurry mentioned above.  Many are scared, not knowing what to do.

Until we settle on one set of medical facts and one unified plan to fight Covid, I fear it will continue to plaque us, or worse, end our rein on earth.  In my lifetime, I’ve seen the eradication of Polio, Chickenpox, Measles, Mumps, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Whooping Cough and many others.  We succeeded because we had a unified approach to vaccinations and treatment approaches.  I am not surprised that we need a Covid booster.  None of the vaccines I’ve used over the last 40 years were one and done.  All came with rare risks and all hurt someone.  However, the greater good was accomplished by vaccinating those at risk.  The greater good this time won’t be accomplished until we get politics out of medicine!

Here’s your joke for the day:

A very old man was sitting on his porch when he notices a small boy walking past. “Whatcha got there, sonny?” asks the old man. “Cat wire,” replies the youngster. “Gonna catch me some cats!” The old man starts laughing hysterically.

But sure enough, 3 hours later, the boy walks past the old man’s place with a sack full of cats.

Two days later the old man sees the boy again.

“Whatcha carrying there, boy?” he asks.

“Duct tape. Gonna catch me some ducks!” replies the youngster.

Well, the old man laughs even harder, so hard, he falls out of his chair.

But again, a few hours later, the boy walks past the old man’s house with a sack full of ducks.

Three more days pass and the old man is keeping an eye out for the boy. He finally appears.

“Now what are you carrying?” the old timer inquires.

“Pussy willow,” says the boy. “I’ll get my coat!” the old man snaps bac

PLACEBOS

You’re not as smart as you think you are — and neither is your doctor,” by Claire Unis,MD and published on KevinMD is a must read.  Just click on the hyperlink above.

Here’s today’s joke:

A very successful attorney parked his brand-new Bentley in front of his office, ready to show it off to his colleagues. As he was getting out, a truck came along too closely and completely tore off the driver’s door.

Fortunately, a cop in a police car was close enough to see the accident and pulled up behind the Bentley with his lights flashing.

Before the cop had a chance to ask any questions, the attorney started screaming hysterically about how his Bentley, which he had just purchased the day before, was completely ruined and would never be the same, no matter how any car body shop tried to make it new again.

After the lawyer finally wound down from his rant, the cop shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe how materialistic you lawyers are,” he said. “You are so focused on your possessions that you neglect the most important things in life.”

“How can you say such a thing?” asked the lawyer

The cop replied, “Don’t you even realize that your left arm is missing? It was severed when the truck hit you!”

“OH, MY GOD!!!”screamed the lawyer.

“My Rolex!”


UP AND DOWN

Up, down, up, down and on and on. Life appears to be a series of ups and downs and when it stops nobody knows. Ups and downs can be good.  At the heart of everything, ups and downs represent the rhythm of love and leads to procreating in a most enjoyable way.

On the other end of our existence, ups and downs are bad being the rhythm of depression and sadness.  August was a particularly rocky month and a good example of the ups and downs.

My August “Ups” list goes as follows:

August starts with road trip in my convertible.  My first stop is Richmond to see Abe and Linda.  Seeing them is always uplifting. 

From Richmond, we travel to northern Virginia for a Bat Mitzvah and family celebration of life.

Next comes Norfolk and my 90 plus year old uncles, my sister-in-law, and other lifelong friends and cousins.

Returning home is usually in the “Ups” category but this time leads to the “Downs.”

My weight is down14 pounds.  That’s a good down!

My August downs not-so-good list goes like this:

My father died in August.  I try to celebrate his life; but, instead, I’m living it.  Parkinson’s is no party!

I came to the conclusion that I’m not physically comfortable anywhere other than home. Yep, I need my lift chair, zero threshold shower, bars and, of course, my bidet.

While visiting my sister-in-law, Renee and I discovered that she is dying and in horrible pain.

Even though Renee and I are driving in a convertible, the top was up.  It was too hot to put the top down!

My car was rear-ended and no longer drivable.

Shortly after returning home, my sister-in-law died and we returned to Norfolk for a funeral.

My uncle tried to serve us cookies and fell flat on his face, breaking his nose.

I regained 6 pounds eating comfort food.

Yep, life is full of “ups and downs”.  It’s what you do with them that counts. I write and talk about them. Life is like riding a roller coaster; once you are in motion, you must ride it to the end.  You might as well enjoy the ride rather than fretting about what’s around the bend or at the bottom of the next hill. RIP, Chrissie.

Here are a couple of jokes:

I went on a roller coaster and the woman next to me would not stop screaming.

Seriously, it was like she had never seen a penis before.

A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, observing his wife, looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off, he asked what she’d like to have for her birthday.

“I’d like to be six again”, she replied, still looking in the mirror.

On the morning of her birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to Six Flags theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park – the Death Slide, Wall of Fear, Screaming Monster Roller Coaster – everything there was.

Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down. He then took her to a McDonald’s where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake.

Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M’s. What a fabulous adventure! Finally, she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted.

He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, “Well, Dear, what was it like being six again??”

Her eyes slowly opened and her expression changed, “I meant my dress size, you dumbass!”


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