Hello, again, everyone. It is still cool and damp here. The weather reporter on the morning news says that this will be one of the coldest Octobers on record if the pattern continues for the rest of the month. This is already, thanks to a wet spring, one of the wettest. We are supposed to get sun and a bit more warmth over the weekend. I hope so because I have one more planter to clean out and I need to finish getting things ready for winter out there on the patio.

I found this item on MSNBC as I was going to the e-mail. I think we can file it under the 'more things change, the more they stay the same.'

And here is an item that has sneaked in under the radar embedded in the health care reform legislation. I guess having a corporate 'big brother' if fine but not a governmental one. Frankly, I see this as another give with one hand and take away with the other situation. First problem--how often do we hear about health problems that defy attempts to find the underlying medical condition? Just think of how many stories about lupus sufferers who went from doctor to doctor over years trying to find out what was wrong and how many were told it was all in their heads. Next problem--how often do we read about a study that declares some behavior or some component of our diet to be unhealthy only to find later that the study was flawed? And who do we trust to give us good information? The government agencies who depend on industry studies to make their pronouncements? Next problem--how much of our 'unhealthy' lifestyle is due to the very structure of our modern society? Sedentary work, long commutes, the 'choice' of getting some sleep or cooking a healthy meal at home? Here is an irony for you--my weight is at its lowest level in 25 years thanks to two years of unemployment which has allowed me to reset my meal times, eat at home, and get adequate sleep. Or consider a hypothetical situation. I get a job and my employer has some 'wellness' program that requires blood tests for cholesterol, tobacco and drug metabolites, blood pressure and body mass index screenings. I don't take illegal drugs so I have no problem with that although I have read of false positives for people who drank certain herbal teas. I guess I would have to give up that 'vice.' My cholesterol and blood pressure have always tested in the low normal range no matter what my weight. I have lost 60 pounds in the last 2 years but still would not pass a bmi. But then I would be in good company since many well conditioned football players and other sports figures would also fail that test. The tobacco metabolites would also be a problem because I live with my mother who smokes. Now, Mom is 79 (this year) and has been complemented by new doctors who don't know that she smokes on how clear and healthy her lungs are. I think you can see where I am going with this. I see the proposed measures as simply a way to legitimize the last acceptable bastion of prejudice and allow some to legally discriminate against others.

Well, I guess it is 'Good Morning, again' since I started this on Friday and it is now Saturday (Oct. 17). We got busy with errands and trying to figure out a problem with Mom's computer. We are still trying. She is reconfiguring after we reinstalled the operating system. We will see if that works.

I found this on MSNBC this morning. Isn't it wonderful how the banks we taxpayers have bailed out are no so healthy? And yes--I am being sarcastic.

Oh, well--best laid plans and all that!! The reinstall and reconfiguration on Mom's computer failed totally. So we spent the better part of yesterday looking at, buying and setting up (at least in part) new computers. Yes that is plural. My machine was actually older than mine and I had been having some issues with it. So, we replaced both. together. We have managed to adjust to one car but one computer--that is much harder. It is now Sunday, Oct 18, and I have a whole lot of reading and e-mail to go through.

The little MacBooks (cheap edition) are doing very well. It is evident that both of the old machines were going out because the new ones load so much faster and navigate so much more smoothly. I guess we should have expected that since the old ones were somewhere around 8 or 9 years old.