Bag of Randomness for Thursday, August 10, 2017

  • In speaking with both orthopedic and neurology staff, one common trait of people not realizing they have a back issue is the purchase of new furniture. Many think their mattresses, office chairs, and living room furniture is simply uncomfortable and don’t realize it’s really their back. So before seeing a doctor, a lot of back patients have bought a lot of new furniture. I’m guilty of that with the office chairs and living room furniture. It’s another case of treating the symptom and not the problem. Sometimes it’s hard to realize one isn’t the other.
  • Fox in ‘Preliminary Conversations’ to Revive ‘King of the Hill’
  • Stephen Colbert to interview Scaramucci on August 14
  • Nissan Leaf will be cheaper than Tesla Model 3 and Chevy Bolt, but have less range
  • Armchair political pundit thoughts:
    • There’s no telling what special counsel Robert Mueller might find or where he might go with his investigation. Remember, the Clintons were investigated because of real estate investments and it led to the discovery and publication of a very improper relationship with a White House intern and then an impeachment. I have more faith in the integrity of Mueller than Kenneth Starr, but there’s no telling where this could go.
    • I think the Russians were influential in getting Trump elected, but I don’t think they ever thought they could control him with blackmail or anything. I think their plan was simple, they wanted to create chaos and doubt in the mind of the American voter and how we view our system of government being invulnerable to certain extents.
    • In the book I’m reading, Nixon made a comment about how George. H. W. Bush ended Desert Storm too soon, how lengthening it would have assured him re-election, and it worked with him and Vietnam. If I’m to use history as a guide, I wouldn’t expect Trump to do anything with North Korea until close to re-election time.
  • When the Prescription Is a Recipe
    • After years of telling patients to skip junk food and prepare homemade meals, a growing number of doctors and medical groups are now going a step further and teaching them how to cook. Some are building teaching kitchens or creating food pantries right next to their practices. Others are prescribing culinary education programs in hopes of improving their patients’ nutrition and overall health. Some medical schools have even introduced culinary curriculums to train more doctors to talk to patients about food.
    • A perk of having a kitchen right next to her office, Dr. Fernando said, is that she can take patients right in and demonstrate something she wants them to try, such as how to grind flaxseed. That costs the patients nothing. But patients pay out-of-pocket for cooking classes, which vary in cost depending on the length. For example, a five-day “food adventure” camp for 7- to 12-year-olds costs $125. A popular class on how to make nutritious baby food costs $17.50.
  • Einstein’s Theory Passes a Massive Test
    • The most basic physical laws you’ve learned—those drafted up by Isaac Newton in the 17th century—don’t work for everything. Once you try to applying them to really fast things moving nearly at the speed of light or things heavier than stars, they start to fall apart. That’s where Albert Einstein’s expanded theory of motion and gravity, the theory of general relativity, comes in.
Posted in Personal | 6 Comments

Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, August 9, 2017

  • My visit with the neurologist, my second opinion for my back, went well yesterday. It started with me bringing a CD of my MRI.
    • In the most professional, polite, and direct way, he said he wasn’t too fond of the interpretations and diagnosis of my radiologist (for the MRI) and orthopedic. My orthopedic stated he was concerned about nerve damage leading to a loss of bladder control, and I shouldn’t put spinal fusion surgery off too long. The neurologist thought that was dramatic and maybe a bit of scare tactic. It was interesting go through his diagnosis and then compare it to the orthopedic’s, and it was a bit entertaining watching him read the orthopedic’s patient notes after he gave me his diagnosis.
    • He did agree that I more than likely need surgery, but it wasn’t as emergent as the orthopedic put it. He also said a spinal fusion wouldn’t be the option he’d suggest, but the less invasive (but still invasive) lumbar laminectomy, “surgery that creates space by removing the lamina — the back part of the vertebra that covers the spinal canal.” Basically, remove some bone to make more room for the nerves.
    • The next step is for me to get a CT lumbar myelogram. Basically, a CT scan with some dye injected into my spine to see what kind of nerve blockage I have. If there is a stoppage, surgery is almost a sure thing. If little to no stoppage, I can put off surgery for a while.
  • Pecan Lodge was only a five minute drive from the doctor’s office. He arrived there at 2:00 PM, and hour before closing, and thankfully they still has some brisket left.
  • Armchair political consultant – As I’ve stated before, if I were a paid political consultant to President Trump and my focus was not what’s best for party or country but to set him up for re-election victory, I’d advise him to “liberate” North Korea. It’s becoming more real with Trump’s comment, “They will be met with fire and fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.” Politically, he has nothing to lose. His base and the majority of conservatives don’t like the idea of a soft president and national security is important to them. For instance, here’s what First Baptist Dallas’ pastor had to say: ‘God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong Un,’ evangelical adviser says
    • “When it comes to how we should deal with evil doers, the Bible, in the book of Romans, is very clear: God has endowed rulers full power to use whatever means necessary — including war — to stop evil,” Jeffress said. “In the case of North Korea, God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong Un.”
  • Houston police put an end to the use of Whataburger tents as crime scene markers
  • Something for Texas Google Chrome users – A plugin that removes Tennessee from drop down menus. For you non-Texans, when you hit the “T” key, Tennessee first appears and you have to hit “T” again to get to Texas. Yup, a first-world Texas technology problem.
  • I’m certain he’ll still keep the beard – David Letterman Returning to TV With Netflix Talk Show
    • It seems like the new show will mainly focus on interviews, which I think was his strong suit anyway. I don’t think I read anything about an audience, so that would be interesting not hearing any laughing or reaction in the background. And what about Paul? Surely he’ll be along for the ride somehow.
Posted in Personal | 4 Comments