It's Insane, but Our Insanity

I read the department of Health and Human Services will spend 20 million to place glitter on the ass end of Obamacare, which may turn out to be unconstitutional due to a final determination by the Supreme Court.

"...The advertising campaign will educate the public on staying healthy and preventing illness, a Health and Human Services official told The Hill..."

So, if you read between the lines, the 20 million of wasted money will promote health, so you don't need Obamacare, which will probably end up unfunded and unconstitutional.

I think it's time to dig a moat around Washington D.C. and wait for the government zombie apocalypse to end.

That’s Going to Hurt Later

It’s hot today. Officially, it’s probably around 90 degrees. Unofficially, which is the real world,  it’s 95 with high humidity.

I was driving along, not paying much attention, with Little Feat turned up and listening to “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now”, when a group of motorcycles caught my attention of the rear view mirror. I reached a traffic light first, so I had some time to examine the group, particularly one rider, as they stopped next to me at the light.

None were dressed to ride on the highway, since most were in tank tops, t-shirts and not wearing gloves. I know this sounds a little excessive, but road rash, large bugs and the sun can play havoc on an exposed rider. I credit them for wearing helmets, but your head isn’t the only thing that can be damaged.

Anyway, back to the particular rider: I’d say she was around thirty in age, a few pounds overweight and had eight pounds of boobs - with four pounds exposed to the brutal sun. From my memory of cooking charts, she was somewhere between rare, and medium rare. Considering their path, she would cook for a few more hours. That’s what inspired my title.

Later this evening, I doubt she’ll be without volunteers to place salve, although their efforts will probably be in vain. That woman is going to suffer and there’s little she can do, except never make the mistake again.

Dementia

My mother suffers from dementia. It's not Alzheimer's, and she's not incapacitated, but she struggles with what was once instinctive. The cause is mostly attributed to age and her neurologist stated that most everyone will eventually suffer with dementia is some form or another.

What does this mean? Gentle love and patience that you didn't know you had. That, and the acceptance you'll have your heart broken now and then when you watch how hard the sufferer struggles and the fear they can never completely hide.

It sucks, in my opinion. I miss the long involved conversations about politics and life in general. Since there's nothing I can do to change this, I can only watch and hope it never progresses to the point she's completely unaware of her condition.

So, go give your parents a hug. If they're far away, give them a call and spend some time visiting. You may never get this chance again.

Weight Maintenance

I was a chubby adolescent. My brothers reminded me of this fact every chance they had, which made being overweight worse. I managed to trim my weight and was at the low end of the ideal weight for my height when I finished high school.

My last year working offshore allowed me do gain 40 pounds, which put me back into the pudgy category. Going into the construction industry soon melted the weight away and I was back to about 10 pounds over my high school weight within a year. That was my ideal weight, since the weight difference was muscle, which I gained with physical labor.

My weight would fluctuate, but gradually rose over time. When my gallbladder was removed I'd almost reached the 40 pounds overweight point I'd accomplished while working offshore. I think that was my wake up call. It was time to lose some weight, so I did.

Overall, I've lost 20 pounds and held this weight for a few years. Going by the charts, I'm in the middle of the ideal weight for my height. This is good, but I'd like to lose 10 pounds, or turn ten pounds into muscle. I'll eventually accomplish this task, but it will take time.

So, I've wandered all around the reason I started this post: weight maintenance. I've learned how, but reached the point I realize how little food it takes compared to what was once required. Restaurant servings are at least twice as much as I need. Small servings are required, with the added stipulation to eat at least three meals a day. Missing a meal is out of the question, since my gallbladder is gone. Unregulated bile has unpleasent consequences when the undiluted caustic is dumped into the intestinal tract.

My appetite hasn't diminished, but I'm not allowed the luxury of satisfying my appetite with the amount of food I crave. I guess this is all part of aging, which helps prove the point that getting old sucks.

Update on "Something That Caught My Attention"

After I wrote this post, I payed more attention to the family of Robins that occupied the top of the bricks at my mother's house. Closer attention made me realize there were three hatchlings. They were constantly hungry, which was a full time job for what originally thought was a parent, but soon proved to be parents.

The female, smaller than the male, stayed fairly close. She would hunt in the adjacent yards on the ground for insects. Never out of sight of the nest, she was constantly on guard for any activity in the vicinity. If I lost sight of her, moving towards the nest would get her attention and I would catch her movement as she maneuvered for a better position to observe what I was doing.

On Sunday, while she was across the street, the male caught my eye when he brought food for the now full feathered hatchlings. Larger than the female, he quickly fed the young birds and was off again. Instead of staying close, he flew a few yards away and then disappeared over a neighbor's house.

I spent a few minutes examining the young birds. They completely filled the nest and were aware of me as I watched. As I moved, they turned their heads to follow. I knew they were getting close to having to leave and wondered when that would be. I soon found out.

This evening, I stopped to see my mother and noticed the nest was empty. Scanning around the yard, I looked for any signs they were still around. There were no signs of feathers, which would have indicated a predator found them. Looking around in surrounding planters and small bushes didn't yield anything either. After a few minutes of examination, I heard the peep that was the constant reminder to the parents of the ravenous hunger of their babies. Looking up into the branches of an oak tree, I saw a miniature version of the parents. Soon, another jumped from an upper branch and landed next to the first one I spotted. Within seconds the third flew from a higher branch and landed next to the other two. I searched, but never saw the parents.

So, there are now five robins living in the area. I don't know if they'll stay, or if they'll migrate to escape the brutal heat that will soon arrive. It's been interesting to watch, and I'm really surprised all the hatchlings made it to adulthood. If I have the opportunity, I'll take some photos.