Recently in Life Category

I've been trying hard to catch up on my health-care responsibilities, and I went in to see Dr. Voron a couple of weeks ago to have him check on three spots that concerned me. He removed samples from a spot on my forehead, one on my lower right forearm (about halfway from wrist to elbow, posterior) and my left forearm (just below the crook of my elbow, also posterior).

The two forearm spots came back as basal cells, so we scheduled additional surgery to ensure an adequate margin of healthy cells. On the Monday before WFO we did the right forearm, and today, the Tuesday after WFO, we did the left forearm.

The afternoon of each surgery, and the day after, are a little painful. I dug out some serious pain meds from the cupboard, and was able to soldier on.

The spots itch, and it's annoying to have to cover them with Saran Wrap for showering, but it had to be done.

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out is to risk involvement,
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas and
  dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return,
To live is to risk dying,
To hope is to risk despair,
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken because
  the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing,
  has nothing, is nothing.

- William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)

Mar 4, 2009

TOKYO (AFP) — Riding motorcycles helps keep drivers young by invigorating their brains, the scientist behind popular "Brain Training" computer software said Wednesday, citing a new scientific study.

"The driver's brain gets activated by riding motorbikes" in part because it requires heightened alertness, Ryuta Kawashima said after his research team and Yamaha Motor conducted a string of experiments involving middle-aged men.

"In a convenient and easy environment, the human mind and body get used to setting the hurdle low," he warned. "Our final conclusion is that riding motorcycles can lead to smart ageing."

Kawashima is the designer of "Brain Training" software, which incorporates quizzes and other games and is available on the Nintendo DS game console under the name "Brain Age" in North America.

A self-professed motorcycle fan, 49-year-old Kawashima cited a new study conducted jointly by Yamaha and Tohoku University, for which he works.

One experiment involved 22 men, all in their 40s and 50s, who held motorcycle licences but had not taken a ride for at least a decade.

They were randomly split into two groups -- one asked to resume riding motorcycles in everyday life for two months, and another that kept using bicycles or cars.

"The group that rode motorbikes posted higher marks in cognitive function tests," Kawashima said.

In one test, which required the men to remember a set of numbers in reverse order, the riders' scores jumped by more than 50 percent in two months, while the non-riders' marks deteriorated slightly, he said.

The riders also said they made fewer mistakes at work and felt happier.

"Mental care is a very big issue in modern society," said Kawashima. "I think we made an interesting stir here as data showed you can improve your mental condition simply by using motorbikes to commute."

From a funny online obituary, quoting a man's children:

His sons said of Fred, "he was often wrong, but never in doubt".

By LAURA JOHANNES, Wall Street Journal

Is melatonin a myth or a miracle? Dietary-supplement companies say a daily dose of the popular natural hormone aids insomnia and combats jet lag. Recent scientific evidence suggests melatonin does help you sleep at unusual hours when traveling or adjusting to an overnight work schedule -- but doesn't necessarily aid normal nighttime slumber. If you do take melatonin, some sleep experts say smaller doses are better.

I did a Boys double-header yesterday, Alhambra vs. Bell Gardens at Moor Field in Alhambra. We gave out a lot of yellows and two reds, but otherewise the games weren't memorable.

During a lull in the action in the second half of the varsity game, I reminisced about another day I spent at Moor Field. It was a windy Sunday - I think I was around 7 or 8 years old - and we were visiting my dad's mom, who lived in a great two-story Spanish-style house south of Valley in Alhambra. I persuaded my dad to take me to fly a kite. We went to the store to buy a kite - back then most kites were made of paper - and a long spool of string. When we got to Moor Field (which was only a few blocks from my grandma's house), my dad told me to stay in the car for a minute until the blustery winds died down a little, but in my youthful impatience I jumped the gun, and hopped out holding my kite - which promptly disintegrated when I held it away from the wind. My dad was patient, and we went to the store to get another kite, which I treated oh-so carefully. I remember having a great time flying the second kite - watching the hand-tied knots on the cloth tail dance in the wind while I pulled on the string.

I am a sailor and you’re my first mate
We signed on together, we coupled our fate
We hauled up our anchor determined not to fail
For the heart’s treasure together we set sail
Withnomaps to guide us we steered our own course
We rode out the storms when the winds were gale force
We sat out the doldrums in patience and hope
Working together we learned how to cope

Life is an ocean, love is a boat
In troubled waters it keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage
There was just me and you
Now gathered around us we have our own crew

Together we’re in this relationship
We’ve built it with care to last the whole trip
Our true destination is not marked on any chart
We’re navigating for the shores of the heart

Life is an ocean, love is a boat
In troubled waters it keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage
There was just me and you
Now gathered around us we have our own crew

Life is an ocean, love is a boat
In troubled waters it keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage
There was just me and you
Now gathered around us we have our own crew

   John Mcdermott

From kottke:

complaining is silly; act or forget.

These are known as mammatus clouds. This picture was taken in Hastings, Nebraska:

For more, see the photographer's site.

Herbal Help for Hay Fever, Headaches? discusses PA-free butterbur extract.

Prevent Migraines and Pare Pounds? is primarily on Topamax (a neuronal stabilizer, like Neurontin), but also discusses 400 milligram daily doses of vitamin B-2 (riboflavin), which requires a prescription, and use of biofeedback.

MayoClinic.com - Biofeedback: Using the power of your mind to improve your health.

Joy Lunt RN EEG - Biofeedback Certification Institute of America, a biofeedback practioner with migraine specialization in Burbank.

Kris Sharp MPA BCIA/EEG - Biofeedback Certification Institute of America, a practioner in So. Pasadena with no listed migraine specialization.

Southern California University of Health Sciences provides acupuncture/oriental medicine treatements at a Health Center on north Lake in Pasadena.

Daily Headache Linked to Nightly Snoring

Ask the Clinician with Dr. John Claude Krusz and Teri Robert for About Headaches and Migraine: Question and Answer #11 for 6/28/04

I went to see Dr. Wogenson again this morning, to follow-up on my increased Neurontin dosage. The record shows that the number of serious migraines is down, but I'm not happy with my overall quality of life. The Neurontin makes me feel funny - words like "hazy" and "spacey" come to mind. I have an almost continuous feeling of pressure and discomfort centered in my right eye - not nearly enough to justify the side-effects of an Imitrex, but enough to make it a chore to focus and concentrate. This means I have to fight to make it through the work day at the level of productivity required.

So, after a day with the normal stress of work plus the extra stress of fighting past the discomfort and haziness in my head, there's not too much "emotional energy" left once I get home. I spent some time thinking about this cycle, and now believe it's been going on for three or four years. It takes a lot of what I call "emotional energy" to deal with the discomfort and the stress that comes with it.

Luckily, the kids are mostly stress free - if I don't make a big deal about the dirty clothes in the bathroom, cups and plates in the family room, and missed chores, which are all things normal for kids at their age, and not worth getting in a tizzy about. (Over the weekend, I had those stress-cracks I get in the bottom of my right foot, but I couldn't pin down why.)

I mentioned all this (and more) to Dr. Wogenson. He said the haziness and related side effects of the Neurontin may be part of the trade off for reducing the number of migraine days. Neurontin is used because it has a minimum of medical side effects; it doesn't harm the liver or kidneys, you can't overdose on it, that kind of thing. Other medicines for prevention of migraines (as opposed to treatment of migraines) have a variety of minor and not-so-minor side effects, and he continues to feel that Neurontin is the best choice for me. He thinks it's likely that my current haziness will fade as my body gets used to the current dosage, and encouraged me to give it another month. I agreed, but am not overly optimistic.

He reiterated that I have a serious neurological problem, and there's no magic cure. Everyone has burdens in life - I guess this is mine, at least for now. In retrospect, I should have dealt with it more aggressively much earlier, but I got some poor advice from a previous doctor. I started working with new doctors almost a year ago, and have made progress, but need more - much more.

It will be challenging to keep my stress levels to a minimum for the next few weeks. Work continues - as always - and Carole moves back over the weekend. I'm close to starting some counseling, and once things settle down I'm looking to try some non-traditional pain management - biofeedback, maybe acupuncture. It can't hurt, and it may help.

Back in January I loaned some money to a family friend to cover a shortfall while she finalized a reverse mortgage. I had plenty of headroom on my HELOC, and like to help people when I can.

Anyway, we had to get the final paperwork notarized. I watched the nice woman do the notary process with some interest - I always like those procedural things, sort of like soccer refereeing.

The following week, I decided to become a notary. Not as a money-making enterprise, but just to be able to help people out - although I'll happily take a fee for it when possible.

I signed up for an internet training course, and for a test date. The course was amaturish at best, but I did get enough out of it to pass my test with an 83%, which was more than adequate. (Like any similar test, it had a lot of questions on strange situations that most people are unlikely to see in the course of their practice.)

I went to the PCC police office to get my fingerprints taken, and waited for the Secretary of State to complete my background check and send me my commission.

The commission came on Monday. I ordered my bond and other supplies from the National Notary Association. On Wednesday, my journal and fingerprint inker came in, and I mailed my Certificate of Authorization so they can finish up my stamp. I faxed them a copy of my Commission for the bond and the E&O coverage.

Once I get my bond back, I have to go to the County Clerk's office in Van Nuys to file everything and take my oath. Once that's done, I'll be able to begin my notary public career.

A collection of web sites selling gadgets:

• Pak-Lite - cool 9-volt flashlights
• eKitchenGadgets
• Radica Games
• Columbia River Knife & Tool
• Kensington - Laptop security
• Stadium Pal - Eliminate those pesky visits to the restroom...

Here's a PDF with cards you can hand to rude cellphone users who insist on disturbing the peace. View file

When it rains, it pours.

I had a normal Imitrex headache on Saturday morning, and another on Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon, my headache was back with a vengeance, and I took a second Imitrex for the first time ever. (I came close to a second Imitrex on the trip to Fresno for Gabriela's graduation, but it tailed off just in time.)

I woke up Monday at 3:45am with indigestion to die for. I gobbled the last of Tums, then some Pepto pills, and spent the next three hours in that semi-agony of painful indigestion, sleep deprivation, and intense boredom.

It's 9:30am now, and I'm feeling almost human. I had to skip this morning's apheresis appointment - once you're strapped in, there's no good way to get up quickly no matter what your digestive system is telling you.

sigil

From 21.17, Templating with Template Toolkit, in the Perl Cookbook:

Variables in TT2 code have no sigil like $, @, or %.

Here's a great excerpt from an article in the June 7th issue of AW&ST, about the upcoming 100-km. sub-orbital flight of the SpaceShipOne, attempting to be the first private craft to officially reach space. The author is discussing concerns about flight control given the high mach and low atmosphere expected at the end of the main engine burn:

The computational fluid dynamics says it is OK but the pilot will be earning his salary.

TMTOWTDI - There's more than one way to do it

admonish

I heard this year 20 times each day during jury duty.