We all have activities that define us. They say, “you are what you eat”. That’s a phrase with a surprisingly deep history for something that sounds like a modern wellness slogan. The saying traces back to the French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, who wrote in his 1825 masterwork Physiologie du Goût (The Physiology of Taste): “Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es” — “Tell me what you eat and I…
As a continuation of my physical trauma of last week, I will start by declaring that after a week of my new thumb reality, I have seen some minor improvement in the strength of my left thumb, but it ain’t back to anywhere near 100%. I am using a very simple test every day to track the situation and since I do not have any strength calipers, I am using my ability to touch each…
For a while now I have been noticing the new emergency room series called The Pitt (a play on Pittsburgh, the high intensity and grit, and the fact that ER’s are on the lower level of hospitals) on my Hulu feed. Then my trainer, who is a grad student in kinesiology working towards his Physical Therapy certification, told me I had to watch it, so I did. I loved it. It was incredibly realistic, perhaps…
To cruise, or not to cruise, that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous travel, or to take arms against a sea (or river) of troubles, and by opposing end them? To dine: to sleep; no more (from seasickness); and by a nap to say we end a long shore excursion day. The heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, ’tis…
Today we are heading home to sunny San Diego and our little Buddy. We wrapped up our visit with Frank & Barbara in Stuart by visiting the Elliot Museum, which is a well-appointed vintage car and motorcycle museum. We went to look at Frank’s old 1931 Model A replica, which is exactly like the car he purchased in blue when he was 11 years old and has fastidiously maintained ever since. Not many of us…
It’s not unusual for me to get into a disagreement with somebody on the subject of affluence. I recall in college during freshman year having a debate with my friend Debbie about the definition of affluence. Debbie was one of 10 children in a family headed by an Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, and as we sat there as freshman at an elite Ivy League school, I argued that she came from an affluent family.…
I have a classic “moth to the flame” personality. Being irresistibly drawn to something — or someone — that is ultimately dangerous or destructive seems to be in my DNA. The attraction is so powerful that I cannot help myself, even when the outcome is potentially or predictably bad. The armchair shrinks in the audience will say that this implies self-destructive tendencies that forces me to operate through compulsion more than it’s about trickery by…
During the day, I sometimes hear phrases that catch my attention. That happened yesterday while watching a special about the life and times of Linda Ronstadt. I don’t even remember the context, but when she said in an interview, “sometimes I wish I didn’t”, it stuck with me. Linda got Parkinson’s somewhere along the way and it affected her ability to sing. She last performed on stage in 2009, when she was 63. She was…
Riding a motorcycle through the desert during the winter does interesting things to one’s mind. You think about the strangest things. That’s especially so when you decide that it’s not as interesting to listen to music through your Bluetooth helmet, but rather to take in yet another book on tape. Lately I have very much gotten into listening to one book after another, mostly because of the time I spend each day on my treadmill…
Have I ever mentioned how much I like The Economist as a publication? Back in my days on Wall Street, I used to think The Economist was too highfaluting for regular usefulness. It seemed to delve into the esoteric aspects of geopolitics and global economic issues that seemed less than fully connected to the practicum that mostly interested me. That has all changed dramatically for me in retirement. I now read the publication religiously, but…