I Don't Even Know Where to Start With This...

First, I hope I never die. Because every day I am astounded at the stuff that develops. It just gets better and better.

So I've got the TV on, not really watching. There's this commercial on for something called "Mirapex," a treatment for RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome), a dread disease you never heard of ten years ago. I SWORE I heard them say one of the side effects is "an urge to gamble!" I thought I must have heard that wrong. So it comes on again and sure enough,some of the side effects may be an urge to gamble or engage in sexual activity. All this to keep your legs from kicking?

They'll be putting this stuff in the water supply out in Vegas.

Remember AC-DC?

Those guys were geniuses.

Peace Corps Update II

This past week I got started on the medical and dental clearances needed to finish my Peace Corps application. First came a couple visits to Art, my personal physician. He shot me up for Tetanus, a polio booster (Who ever heard of a polio booster?) and measles/mumps/rubella. Three needles in two minutes. Ouch! Actually it wasn't all that bad. I remember being dragged kicking and screaming to Dr. Baldwin's for those original polio vaccinations a lifetime ago.

My eyesight checked out at 20/15 in the left and 20/20 in the right, jet pilot eyes.

Blood pressure: 114/70. Resting heart rate: 48.

Thursday I had the dentist visit for X-rays and cleaning. Turns out the last time I had been to the dentist was 1995! Surprisingly my teeth are in pretty good shape in spite of that.

All in all I'm in pretty good shape.

Once I get all the forms filled out and the appropriate physician signatures I should be complete. It'll be up to the Peace Corps docs to approve and give me final clearance.

Then it's just a matter of waiting for an invitation. No I don't know where I'm going yet. I won't know until the invitation.

Plus I still have to sell this house...

Why Sometimes I LIKE Flying

Commercial air travel these days is largely a pain. Late flights,oversold flights, missed connections, lost luggage, non-existent bad airline food, cramped seats.

But, sometimes you get a cool moment. The other night I was on the Red-Eye from Vancouver to Chicago. The skies were clear all the way to the deck. It was a moonless night and not much light pollution so the stars were in full view. Way off behind us to the northwest was a line of thunderstorms, lightning flashing below our altitude.

That in itself was beautiful to see. But then a meteor flashed overhead. A "Wow" moment!

You don't get that with your feet stuck on the ground.

Back From British Columbia

And it was an awesome trip! I swear someday I'm gonna move up there. Maybe Victoria or Vancouver, BC. Post-Peace Corps of course.

We kayaked for MILES and saw all kind of marine life. Orcas, Minke and Humpback whales, seals, sea lions, a bear, a million bald eagles, loons (my favorite call), ate fresh caught wild salmon, relaxed aboard the 68 foot refitted ship, The Columbia III. Just had the best time.

Have a look at my pix on Picasa.

So you can go there for a look. I'll add more as I get them from my fellow shipmates.

Meanwhile I'm doing the medical clearance thing for the Peace Corps. No prostate exam required, but still a kind of a pain in the ass.

The Parents Respond

This morning's earlier post brought this quick reply via e-mail from my mother:
"...the story is pretty much accurate....the condition of the Lady was more
than just age!!! She was deaf, nearly blind and since her fur was graying,
she blended in with the gravel. Dad has grieved for many years over this
accident and even today says it hurts him....."

Hey, at least they didn't claim "Executive Privilege!"

At Last The Truth Comes Out!

It's a scandal worse than Watergate. Finally my parents (who shall remain anonymous) let the proverbial cat out of the bag yesterday when they acknowledged that on July 9, 1975 Dad accidentally backed the car over "Lady," our long time pet Cocker Spaniel. "Lady" had been a member of the family (even though she was never actually allowed in the house) for many years and in her old age liked to sun herself out on the driveway. At the time I had recently been stationed in South Korea, so a cover-up was undertaken. As always the cover-up is worse than the actual crime itself! The details of "Lady's" last moments are still murky. But, suspicion has it our then neighbor, an Ohio Highway Patrolman, was recruited to apply the coup de grace.

Apparently the parents were leaving for the hospital to celebrate the birth of my niece and their first grandchild Jill.

So Happy Birthday Jill! Many happy returns.

I'm like Mr. Bojangles. "After thirty years he still grieves..."

I'm Pretty Sure I've Seen It All Now...

Was I dreaming or did I see a Paper-Scissors-Rock "Championship" on ESPN last night? They even had a $50,000 grand prize!

I'll just go ahead and die now. There's nothing left.

New Seven Wonders of the World Announced

Something called the New Open World Corporation (NOWC) among a little controversy announced the newest "official" Wonders of the World were announced on July 7th. The list consists of:
1. The Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)
2. The Taj Mahal (India)
3. Machu Picchu (Peru)
4. The Roman Colosseum (Italy)
5. The Great Wall (China)
6. Chichen Itza (Mexico)
7. Christ the Redeemer Statue (Brazil)

The Pyramids were sort of "Grandfathered in" based upon complaints their inclusion should never have been questioned in the first place because it is the only surviving member of the original Seven Wonders. The whole process was a little bogus since it resulted from a combination of free and paid votes and was not available to people who didn't have access to the internet. NOWC even admitted someone could vote multiple times.

But, I would say it's a pretty decent list. I've been to five of the seven. The five I've visited without exception had a huge "Wow" factor.

I would have included Angkor Wat in Cambodia or Stonehenge in the UK over maybe the statue in Brazil. It just seems the stuff built in ancient times are cooler.