If you were planning to have a pacemaker installed or try a new drug for what ails you, I'd hold off for a while. According to this article in the NY Times, The FDA's enforcement of drug safety laws has steadily declined since...big surprise here...Bush has been president. According to a study by Democrat Congressman Henry Waxman, warning letters to drug companies and medical device makers and seizures of dangerous or defective drugs have both dropped steeply over the last five years. So, I guess Bush can add dismantling safeguards to the fundamental health and safety of individuals to his list of accomplishments. What does he care--he doesn't need a defibrillator.

Here's another opportunity for Boomers to contribute. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is looking for boomers interested in mentoring kids in a one-on-one setting. Our own kids may think we're idiots, but maybe we can make a difference in caring friendships with other people's children. According to BBBSA Boomers account for only 16% of mentors around the country. It's a great way to make use of all these decades of life experience and stay connected too.

Earlier we bid farewell to Clarabell the Clown. Then Congress bid farewell to Tom DeLay. I'm seeing parallels. Unlike Clarabell though, DeLay coudn't manage to keep his mouth shut or to go out with dignity. But at least he was doing the Lord's work.

For those Pink Floyd fans out there (I am not one), here's an interesting
article/review of David Gilmour's movie, The Guitar and Voice of Pink Floyd. The writer also references something I hadn't heard of, Big Screen Concerts,
which presents movies of big-ticket concerts at selected theaters. The site has a bit of the bouncer at the velvet rope feel, with almost no info on upcoming films, but the cool factor is hard to resist.

This from the AP---Goodbye, Clarabell

NEW YORK (AP) Lew Anderson, who captivated young baby boomers as the Howdy Doody Show's final Clarabell the Clown, has died. He was 84.

Though his fame as Clarabell followed him throughout his life, Anderson was also a success as a musician and bandleader. In recent years, his All-American Big Band appeared on Friday nights at New York's Birdland jazz club.

In case you're wondering about the dearth of fresh content here lately, there's a perfectly good explanation. One of us has just quit smoking after 38 years and had neither the patience nor concentration to sit at the computer for long. The other one of us has gone into virtual hiding until the worst of the withdrawal is over---it's a little dangerous around here.

No really, being a defiantly unreconstructed smoker in these days of self-righteousness and bossiness has been a privilege and a pleasure. Standing in doorways and parking lots; braving the 'tsk-tsks' of passers-by to whom my personal choices should be none of their damn business; being made to feel as I'm selling crack to pre-schoolers every time I light up---none of this contributed to my decision to quit. Even our state's recent ban on smoking in restaurants didn't do it.

However, as I approach my senior years, I finally believe the stuff about emphysema and lung cancer--helped along by a nasty cough lately. It occurs to me that, were I to contract either of these diseases, it would be my own damn fault and I would be subjecting friends and family to my time-consuming, annoying, and costly decline.

So, 1 month in, I've gained 8 pounds, can't sit still, sleep a lot, and chew on a lot of straws. I'm sure it'll get better. My brain may even resume normal function. But right now, gotta run--I need a new straw. Oh yeah--if you're still smoking and might want to stop, QuitNet isn't bad. Didn't help me much but it's an awfully friendly warm & fuzzy place to hang out while you're jones-ing.

What was hilarious in the druggie humor of Cheech and Chong is apparently not so funny in 60-something substance abusers. The number of substance abusers over 50-- of both prescription and illegal drugs-- will reach 5 million by 2020. Perhaps it has something to do with our casual and experimental drug use in the 60's and 70's. I suspect it's also tied to a culture that touts a feel-good philosophy where all signs of aging or discomfort can be banished through good living and pharmaceuticals. Whatever the causes, expect more and more of us to be zoned out on pain meds, anti-depressants, and alcohol as we age. A grey-haired doper falling face-first into his bowl of farina is not a pretty picture.

Here are 2 phrases I hoped never to see in a sentence: 'baby boomers' and long-term care.' But we all know bad things don't wait until we're 80 or so to happen. According to this release, a new insurance product affords baby boomers greater funds from long-term care policies for use during early claims.