Burying a hangover

Awhile back, a friend of Italian descent was describing, to me, the tradition that takes place in their family at family gatherings and holidays at meal time.  Whether your hungry or not, your plate is continuously replenished as is your wine glass, so that neither is ever empty.

This Saturday past I reenacted that tradition, at least as far as the wine glass never being allowed to empty goes.

I learned long ago that as I've gained in years my tolerance for alcohol diminishes in inverse proportion to my age.  But after a certain amount of libation has entered the blood steam the mind's ability to recall those experiences becomes dulled and common sense is put to sleep in favor of the fleeting moments of euphoria.

The following morning, suffering from Acetaldehyde (ethanal) poisoning, I attempted various cures; two aspirin tablets washed down with strong French Roast dark roast coffee, breakfast of boiled eggs and toast.  But to little avail.  Time seems to be the only reliable treatment and  that takes, well, time.

It being Sunday, it's the day for my long run in my training for a half marathon event in one month's time.

I did not feel like running.

After my wife said she'd jog with me, I decided to chase my hangover for a few miles and see if I couldn't bury it in exercise.. I gave it a name, Kooker Witherhead and dragged it 4 miles up to the cemetery and therein buried it.  I returned home feeling much revived and swearing to never let that happen again.

That's what I said last time..................................

Alarm clock induced insomnia

Normally, I don't require an alarm clock to awaken in time to go to work.  In fact I can count on one hand the number of times I've been aroused from deep slumber in order to be on time for my job.  Yet every work eve night I dutifully turn my alarm on.

I wake between 2 and 3:30 a.m. everyday for greater than 25 years, work or no work.  This is planned rather than insomnia.  I have a morning routine including exercise, shower, and breakfast that gets me to my place of employment by 0630.

As I've gathered longevity, my hours of deep sleep have diminished to around 4 to 5 hours, but still I can doze in and out of a dream state for a couple more hours, 'til 0330.  With that I mind, I set an electric alarm for 0400 as insurance against "sleeping-in."

This morning when the alarm sounded, awakening me from sound slumber, I arose somewhat more foggy than usual but , no mind, I attended to my morning toilet and proceeded to the kitchen to prepare a cuppa and check my e-mail and face book.  After a time I checked my watch to assure myself that it was indeed the Ides of March and to see if it was time to proceed to my shower.

0:32 stared up at me from my wrist!  No, no way, I thought, there must be something wrong with my watch.  Perhaps I'd left it in timer  mode or some such thing.  I checked all the time devices in my apartment including the alarm clock to have confirmed that indeed it was only 32 minutes past midnight.  And now I'm wide awake.

Earlier in the afternoon I had unplugged my alarm clock to move it to a more reachable night stand.  When I reset it, as one must do when unplugging an electric clock, I forgot to reset the alarm time which resets to it's default setting; midnight.

And so it goes!

An email I received from a friend today:

Remember this Lady?
Irena Sendler
Died: May 12, 2008 (aged 98)
Warsaw, Poland

During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto, as a
Plumbing/Sewer Specialist. She had an ulterior motive.

Irena smuggled Jewish infants out in the bottom of the tool box she
carried. She also carried a burlap sack in the back of her truck, for larger
kids.

Irena kept a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi
Soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto.

The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking
covered the kids/infants noises.

During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500
kids/infants.

Ultimately, she was caught, however, and the Nazi's broke both of her legs and
arms and beat her severely.

Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she had smuggled
out, in a glass jar that she buried under a tree in her back yard.

After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived and tried
to reunite the family.

Most had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes
or adopted.
In 2007 Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was not selected.

Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming.

Later another politician, Barack Obama, won for his work as a community
organizer for ACORN.
In memoriam - 65 YEARS LATER

I'm doing my small part by forwarding this message. I hope you'll consider doing
the same.

It is now more than 65 years since the Second World War in Europe
ended.

This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the six million
Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic Priests who
were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated!

Now, Iran, and others, claim the HOLOCAUST to be 'a myth.' It's imperative to
make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do
it again.

This and that and other stuff

My gym in Dansville is also a physical therapy business. Thursday, as I'm leaving the locker room and making my way to the workout section and the treadmills, one of the physical therapy assistants comments as I walk by wearing an ARMY tee-shirt, "I expect to see you doing a lot of push ups wearing that Tee shirt."  I replied, " you haven't been watching these past weeks have you?"  When I challenged her to a push-up contest, she declined; even after offering to let her do knees down female push-ups.

*****

I'm interviewing a patient for an emergency surgery.  She is a couple years younger than I.  In the course of the interview she mentions having been a nurse's aide some years ago and seeing patients with the same condition she is currently being operated on for.  I asked her when that was. She said it was in the early seventies.  I asked her if she ever met a male nurse by such and such a name.  She said, in surprise, that yes, she'd worked with said nurse back then.  Said nurse and I graduated from nursing school together: File under, small world.

*****

We decide to go out for dinner.  We dress up; you know coat and tie etc..  When the hostess seats us, lo and behold we are seated next to friends of long standing and the ensuing dinner was accompanied by meaningful and lively conversation.  When it's time to leave, a young man and his date stop my wife and I, as we walk by their table, to compliment us on being dressed up for dinner and how distinguished we look and decrying the fact that he and too many people today fail take the time to dress for dinner.  We've discussed the same trend in the past between ourselves and for just that reason, decided to dress for dinner.  It was nice of the young man to stop us and make that comment. 

*****

The new car drives comfortably and I'm still learning all the bells and whistles.  Oh, didn't I tell you that I bought a new car?  Well the Trailblazer developed this quirky little trait of shutting off, for no foreseeable reason, while driving seventy miles an hour down the 90 (NYS Throughway).  The mechanics could not reliably pin-point the problem or even recreate the event that had occurred while I was driving it on 6 separate occasions.  So I bought a Chevy Traverse.  So far it's a delight to drive.

That's it for the moment.....  Stay tuned I'll be back in a few days, or months or perhaps by next year.

I get up early (0330) to exercise and to write.  Well that was the original plan and and it worked quite well until I got addicted to the Internet.  Fortunately I still managed to stick to my exercise regimen but my writing practice fell away to nearly nothing with the exception of daily Face Book updates; that, in itself says a lot does it not?

Now I'm in a new place, literally; a new community to reside in and a new facility to ply my trade within.  The move was in January, the month for new year resolutions.  What better opportunity to establish new routines to accomplish floundering goals.

I still wake up early. I get up and I still troll the net.  I go to work early because nothing else is open.

I go to the gym from work; so that I'll work out.  If I go home first, I'll surf the net and more than likely skip the workout.

From the gym, I go to the library so that I'll read, and perhaps start writing again.  If I go home after the gym I'll..........................  well you know!

Two or three days a week I visit the grocery store and on Fridays, if the weather prevents a journey home, I stop at Jack's for a fish fry and some bar-room chatter.

My time on the Internet is decreasing.  That's a good thing.

ponderings

I stand here pondering the ways of the world; you tell me you want me, more than anything in the world.  I dress the way you like when you say it makes me more naked than when I’m naked. When I beckon you to the table of sensual delight, you smile and wave, but you keep shoveling snow.

Mag #150. image by Daniel Murtagh

Want a cookie little girl?

Magpie # 149

 

Trust

 

image by R.A.D. Stainforth

 



You call him your friend.
He who, like a thief
in the night, steals your
Precious possession;
The breath of your life.

Your heart beats faster.
You cough ‘til you puke.
Your blood pressure goes up
And you tell yourself;
This friend relaxes me!

His lies fill your head;

need me to feel good.

always there for you

while you tell me your

troubles. A friend indeed.

Following  blindly
you drag me into
The abyss of cruel
Agonizing death.
Not my friend, not me.

Steal my money
Steal my breath
Leave me flailing
in the ashes of death.
You are my friend.