Category: Uncategorized

10 Things That Have Changed In A Year, and One That Hasn’t

compIt seems like yesterday, but it has been about a year since I started writing “Down-Size Maybe,” first as an independent blog on Word-Press, and for the last eight months as part of ChicagoNow. It was meant to be a blog about our home building experience, but like the whole failed concept of “Down-sizing,” the blog has just grown and grown. There have been approximately 125 posts, with poems, songs, raps, some satire, and some smiles along the way. Writing has been a great way to keep in touch with old friends and make some new ones.  I have even learned a little punctuation and speling spelling. So let’s take a look at what else has changed in year.

  1. Castles in the Air: That’s all we had a year ago. A piece of land next to a pond, nothing on it but a forlorn looking For Sale sign. It is now a beehive of activity, about 2/3’s of the way toward becoming our home. The neighbors can’t wait to have all the construction finished with, we can’t wait to move in.
  2. Isn’t She Lovely: We were grandparents of one lovely lady, now we are grandparents of two. Double our pleasure, double our fun, double our number of bedrooms in the loft space of the “Big.”
  3. Tumbling Dice: A year ago Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos were the darlings of Forbes and Silicon Valley while portraying themselves as the future of laboratory medicine. Since then Forbes has delisted Ms Holmes, and Medicare has delisted Theranos. Sometimes when you fly too high to the sun your wings melt.
  4. We are the Champions: We went from losers to winners.  We topped a Halloween Costume Party Contest, one of my blogs made the ChicagoNow “Best Ten Posts of the Month List.” and I sneaked in a win on “3 for Free.” Our total cash compensation? $25, or about 0.00000001% of a decent PowerBall win. But recognition from Jimmy Greenberg and Lin Brehmer? Priceless.
  5. Tears of a Clown:  Early in the primary season: Donald Trump was a loud mouthed, bad-haired buffoon. Oh wait, that hasn’t changed, but now he is a Presidential Candidate (presumptive) of a Major Political Party (also presumptive.)
  6. Norwegian Wood (This Bird has Flown): Yes, a year ago I did have Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. I had sent exactly zero tweets, and posted about as many times on LinkedIn. Now I have posts and followers. Some of my links have wound up on Houzz and the New York Times. I have become a citizen of the 21st Century!
  7. The Games People Play: Bulls a mess, Blackhawks trying to fit under salary cap, Cubs on play-off pace, White Sox languishing, Bears have wide receiver issues. Wait, did I write that last sentence this year or last?
  8. King of the World:  July 2015 – Jon Snow is dead, Cersei is humbled; July 2016 – Jon Snow is King of the North, Cersei is Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Is it time for a Ned Stark resurrection?
  9. (I Want to Be) Elected: A year ago no one had heard of Bernie Sanders and he was opposing Hillary. Now everyone know who he is and he is supporting her. Sort of.
  10. Greenback Dollar: Last year he was just a face on the $10 bill. Now it will take you about 50 of those to get a seat when Hamilton comes to Chicago

And one thing that never changes:

  1. Forever and Ever Amen:  Barb’s hard work and vision. Thanks, Babe!

Music Trivia as always: Who were the original artists for the 11 songs listed above? Let me know at les.raff@post.com

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Cole Porter and Suburbia–A Great American Weekend

Lake Shore DriveJust slippin on by on LSD

Alliota Haynes and Jeremiah- 1971

Yes, I know. I swore I would not go near the Taste. I documented my reasons, and I swear by every one of them, even though Whitney from SpotHero did give me some parking alternatives. What I had neglected to take into consideration was that we had plans for Saturday evening that DID include our making the trip downtown to the lakefront. Friends had invited us for supper in their Lake Point Tower apartment, followed by the Cole Porter Celebration at the Pritzker Pavillion at Millenium Park. So it was into the city we headed!

The drive from the northwest suburbs to the city on any given Saturday can vary from a breeze (a rarity) to a centipede-like crawl (the normal,) but we anticipated the worst for Taste Saturday, so the long slow drive was no surprise and easily taken in stride. It was our hunt for clearly visible but difficult to approach Lake Point Tower, one of the rare buildings east of Lake Shore Drive, that almost doubled our commuting time. The NAV system in the car sent us flying towards the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium-definitely an overshoot. Finally, after several U-turns, a desperation call to our hosts led to their sighting our car from their high-up apartment, and then guiding us to the building, as calmly as any air traffic controller at O’Hare or the long defunct Meigs Field.

Subsidized parking in the building (sorry, Whitney) was followed by a tasty supper and then a bus ride to Millennium Park. What a lovely evening it was for an outdoor concert! An orchestra, a chorus and four soloists going through the Cole Porter song book. I was especially delighted to see and hear Karen Mason, who we had last seen in concert  with Don McLean (yes, THAT Don McLean) in the early 1980’s. Karen looked and sounded great, then and now. After the show we strolled back to the apartment, our way illuminated by the fireworks show at Navy Pier. Final note to suburbanites-you do NOT want to drive west on Ontario to get to the Kennedy on Saturday night. Take Grand to Milwaukee to Ogden. You will save 45 minutes (at least.)

For those of you eagerly awaiting our house progress, well, it looks great. The exterior stone is 95% in place, limestone window ledges mortared in, the roof a fait accompli. Neighbors continue to walk by and compliment the look of the house. Barb’s due diligence is paying off. We also had a productive meeting yesterday with Ham and Jeff, going over some layout details and considering the shape and composition of the backyard deck. Still no decisions there. I am partial to cedar, but know the ongoing maintenance that is required. Any thoughts for us?

A promised shout out to friend and neighbor Barry B for naming the most songs/artists with a year in their title in our little quiz. He bent the rules a bit, but still came up with the most names that met the “Approved” list. Just like “3 for Free” on ‘XRT, no prize for this one.

That’s it for this edition. In the newly learned greeting of our granddaughter, “Have a good day sir!”

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I Recognize Taylor Swift’s Boyfriend-How Cool Is That?

tom and taylorWhat to do with expiring airline miles? Last year, I made the mistake of using them for a slew of magazine subscriptions. Now the mailbox groans with Time and The Economist, Sports Illustrated and ESPN Magazine, Inc. and Fast Company. Issues of Vogue and Glamour stack up unread until they line the bottom of the recycle bin. And then there are the life style rags, People and Us Weekly. A favorite game of mine is to go through Peeps and Us looking at all the celebrity pictures and wondering if I can name or recognize any of the celebrities. Christy Turlington-nope. Kardashians? I can’t tell a Kim from a Khloe from a Rob–or from a Robert, for that matter. Gabrielle Union would draw a total blank, if not for the fact that she is soon to be a Chicagoan, battling it out with Kristen Cavallari for #1 jock wife. In general, if the magazine stars aren’t Queens or Princes on Game of Thrones, I don’t know ’em.

So imagine my surprise the other day to see a cover shot of Taylor Swift and her new boyfriend Tom Hiddleston. His name was only vaguely familiar, but there could be no doubt about the picture. Taylor’s new squeeze and future song fodder was Jonathan Pine! Who, you ask? I may not know my starlets, but I  know my John Le Carré, and TH was definitely the star of the recent BBC production of Le Carré’s 1993 novel, the post-Cold War thriller The Night Manager.

Johnny L and I go way back. It took me a few novels to adapt to his pace, to understand that the point of many of his works was that not much happens. Once I figured it out, I could easily become immersed. Tinkler, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was my escape from text books during my first year in medical school. On our honeymoon in Acapulco,The Honourable School Boy entertained me while Barb was enthralled by Australia and the The Thorn Birds. (Explanation-Barb got very, very sunburned under the broiling Mexican sun leaving us lots of reading time in our air-conditioned hotel room.) I have now read Le Carré’s entire canon, and enjoyed movie and TV versions of most of the novels. My one misstep  was dragging friends to the film adaptation of Tinker, Tailor. I found it fascinating, our friends did not.

BBC’s  The Night Manager was a recent six-parter broadcast on AMC. It tracked away from the plot of the novel, but heroic Hiddleston was there to thwart an arms deal, and successfully bed the beautiful young American heroine to boot — foreshadowing Taylor?  His nemesis was the delightfully nasty Hugh Laurie, freed from his phony American accent. Between Manager and Veep, Laurie has been a hoot this year, but Hiddleston ensured a less than pleasant end for him in this one.

So Tom/Jon, I am rooting for you. And being a John Le Carré nerd has made me hip. Who knew?

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After Watching “Independence Day: Resurgence” I Wonder. Could Will Smith Get Me Through an Apocalypse?

Barb and I had free tickets to the local multiplex, one that features small theaters with large reclining chairs and reserved seating. Unfortunately, it is a theater that caters more to the mall type crowd than to empty-nesters, so the selection of films was less than optimal. We settled on Independence Day: Resurrection, the sequel to the 1996 Will Smith blockbuster. We kicked back into our rockers, and overcoming the urge to nap, SPOILER ALERT saw the intrepid citizens of the Planet Earth once more repel those nasty extra-terrestrials, setting the stage for Independence Day: They’re Back! in 2036.

So no actual apocalypse this time around. But we have seen plenty of  “end of the world as we know it” movies and TV shows. Whether its Mad Max, The Walking Dead, The Stand, The Road, or 10 Cloverfield Lane, we are experts at what to do to prepare for, and then survive, the dark ages that flying saucers, global warming, or nasty viruses might have in store for us. Despite all this good advice I am afraid I would be a terrible flop in the new world ahead.

Some of my inadequacies:

  • I have never fired a crossbow. Yeah, maybe I have played around with a bow and arrow in my summer camp days, but I think even those had suction cup tips. And in the cold dark, future only a powerful crossbow is really going to cut it.
  • Forget it when it comes to operating a short band radio. Unless survival messages from the powers that be show up on Pandora, I am screwed.
  • I am totally unfamiliar with the use of firearms. Apparently this will put me at a distinct disadvantage when dealing with approximately 1/3 of my fellow Americans. So be it.
  • I have not stockpiled water, a first aid kit, and other life preserving provisions. This is one thing that even the State of Illinois recommends.There will be plenty of room in the basement of the new places for a few cases of Evian. Governor Rauner, can you send me some emergency supplies, please? Just put in on my tab, I’ll pay up when the state does.
  • I have never eaten wild game. Or roadkill for that matter. Though I suppose when everyone runs out of fuel there won’t be any roadkill anymore. Not even from a Tesla.
  • I can’t start a fire from two sticks, unless one of them is a match. And even then I find it tricky.
  • I am easily suggestible. Nasty space creatures will have no difficulty implanting dangerous ideas and visions in my brain. Who knows, maybe they are already in control of me!
  • In medical school they taught me how to use a scalpel, but put a machete in my hands (another weapon of choice in Scary Future World) and I am worthless.
  • Scruffy beards don’t look good on me.

Wedding

  • I will never vote for Donald Trump. Ever. And isn’t he our best bet for keeping out aliens?

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A shout out to Rene Paley, the winner of a $25 Amazon Gift Card in our music trivia contest. Nice work Rene.  Now don’t all the rest of you wish you had entered?

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Reading a Prostate Biopsy-Inside the Mind of a Pathologist

tray
One Patient’s Prostate Biopsy Slides

West Suburban Chicago

6 a.m.

“Let’s see, how many prostate cases do we have today. Looks like I get nine. Better get started now before the phones start ringing and before the lab techs start popping their heads in. And oh yeah, I will have urine cytology slides and FISH heading my way.

“Too deathly silent in here though, better turn on the radio. The Sox lost last night, so no point in listening to the Mulley and Hanley on The Score. I’ll flip to FM  and go with Lin Bremer on “XRT.  A little music and a chance at ‘Three for Free.”

“Got my tea, let’s find the first case. My case list start’s with Bobby Bright, routine 12 part biopsy. That will be one of the big trays that can hold all 24 slides. Oh, here it is, top of the stack. All the slides have their labels, and the labels match the requisition and billing sheet. Good, no issues. Flip on the microscope light, grab the first slide and we are rolling.

“Part A is from the right apex.  A few inflammatory cells, but nothing that looks suspicious for cancer. Check off the benign code on my worksheet. Part B, right middle, oh-oh. I don’t like that group of glands. Their growth pattern is too irregular. Let’s look at a higher microscopic power. Yup, there are big nucleoli, and I don’t see any basal cells. Pretty sure this is malignant, but am I sure? I think I will order a PIN4 stain. The insurance company won’t be happy paying for it, but they would be more unhappy paying for a prostatectomy the patient doesn’t need. Mr. Bright wouldn’t be too happy about any of that either. So let’s do the stain. I should have it by this afternoon in time for case review, so there won’t be any delay. Rest of the case is benign, good for this guy, he might only need active surveillance, no surgery or radiation for now. Oh, I better remember to flag this case for possible molecular testing. That will help decide the treatment question.

“There’s my microphone. I guess I forgot to turn it off last night, but it’s still charged. Good thing, I can dictate the diagnoses without having to recharge. The staff can start typing early.

“OK, next case, Grant Aspen. Wow, these glands look really stunted. And the cells are so bizarre. But that blood vessel doesn’t look right either. Hmm, I think I know what’s going on, but let me check the medical chart. So glad we have the electronic health record, it really makes my life easier. Yeah, just what I thought. This guy had prostate cancer five years ago and was treated with radiation therapy. All those freakin’ changes are from the rays. No cancer here. Let’s get this dictated and move on.

“Next case is one of those MRI-Fusion biopsies. Sometimes that MRI is really good at picking out the area in the prostate where the risk of cancer is high. That will be Part M on this case. Here it is, yeah, that’s tumor for sure. But how do I want to grade this. Is this a Gleason 3+3, or a Gleason 3+4. It’s hard to tell on this level. Good thing we have 6 levels on each biopsy. This next level definitely has poorly formed glands, so we’ve got some Gleason Grade 4 here for sure. That will make the Gleason Score a 3+4=7. And I see cancer in some of his other biopsies as well. I am afraid he is going to wind up in the OR for a robotic prostatectomy. Better dictate to flag this patient for our Quality Assurance audit. After he has his prostate out  I can check that pathology report against our biopsy report.

“Damn, there goes the fire alarm. Forgot that we are having a fire drill today. Oh well, the sun is shining and a few minutes standing around in the parking lot will help clear my mind.  Gotta keep sharp, never know what the next slide will show.”

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Our Seven Worst Theater Experiences-One for Every Day of the Week!

shakeThe play’s the thing

Hamlet  Act 2, Scene 2

William Shakespeare~1603

Plop down in front of the TV? That’s a near daily occurrence. Visit the local Cineplex? We may do that a couple of times a month. But for most of us, live theater is a rarer, more delectable experience. It no longer requires donning a sport coat and tie, but whether it is plotting a route to the Loop, planning a theater weekend in New York City, or just a suburban drive to Lincolnshire or Oakbrook, there is a specialness about the experience. I have written about some wonderful theater we have seen. But what goes around comes around, and it’s time to let loose on some of the stinkers. So, in no particular order, here are seven shows we have seen, and wished we hadn’t.

  1. Biggest Disappointment: Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boubil, composers of Les Misérables, will always be our heroes. But their miserable concoction The Pirate Queen, which played Chicago in 2006 before debuting in New York in 2007,  managed to avoid any of the tunefulness or dramatic story lines of its predecessor. No surprise that the show quickly walked the plank on Broadway.
  2. Easiest Show for Us to Make an Early Exit: We have seen some wonderful shows with our intermittent subscription at the Marriott Lincolnshire Theater. Cabaret, from the 2014-2015 season, comes to mind. But that same season also had a production of Godspell that was absolutely dreadful. Half the audience, including Barb and I, filed out during intermission with no intention of returning. Maybe everyone was inspired to head to their favorite church, synagogue or mosque to seek divine forgiveness for buying tickets to this snoozer. Did people really like the original production in 1971?
  3. Best Show to Leave When Your Son Gets a Fever: While we are dissing the Marriott, here’s one more low blow. A production of Chess, the Tim (Evita) Rice/Benny Anderson-Bjorn Ulvaeus (both from ABBA) collaboration was so dreadful we almost cheered when we learned at intermission that Michael had a temperature of 102°. Good thing we left. The reviews said the second act was even worse than the first.
  4. Lacking Star Power: Back in 2009 you had to know someone to get a ticket to see James Gandolfini and the rest of a great cast in God of Carnage. It wasn’t quite Hamilton but it was big. By the time we caught the show a few months after the openning, the cast had turned over, and we were more interested in whether or not we would make our post-matinee flight back home than in the on-stage shenanigans.
  5. Overheated: This should have been a winner. F. Murray Abraham starring as The Merchant of Venice at the Private Bank Theater downtown. We might have enjoyed the show if someone had mentioned to the theater manager that it can get hot in Chicago, even  in March. Without air-conditioning the theater was absolutely stifling; our view of the stage was blocked by everyone fanning themselves with their Playbills.
  6. Sob Story: Barb cried and cried at the movie theater during the Bette Midler tearjerker Beaches. I cried and cried being forced to sit through the interminable stage version at the Drury Lane Theater in Oak Brook. As far as I know, this Pre-Broadway tryout has still not found a path to the Great White Way.
  7. A Hot Mess from Start to Finish: Who remembers the theatrical version of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. I didn’t think so. A good cast featuring Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti, Sheri Rene Scott,  and Brian Stokes Mitchell trapped in musical nightmare. I hear the London version lasted a little longer than the New York City version. That’s reason enough to kick Britain out of the EU.

What’s your worst theater experience? Leave a Comment below. Just remember the Comment section on the ChicagoNow website is after that row of ads. I hate that set-up but that’s the way it is.

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questionWhy do we never get an answer…

…when we’re knocking at the door.

Moody Blues–1970

To those of you who didn’t try last week’s “Downsize, Maybe” Easy Squeezy Tuesday Music Trivia Quiz, shame on you! I told you the contest was easy. I told you that you didn’t even have to get the answers right to qualify for the prize. And I bet you would have known most of the answers anyway. Aren’t you sorry now you didn’t try? Fortunately, a lot of you DID try the quiz. Anyone who answered even one question,right or wrong, was entered in our prize drawing, except for the few of you who didn’t enter a return email address. Sorry about that, but you have to read the directions, folks! I bet the people who didn’t were all guys who throw out the directions before they put together IKEA furniture and then wonder why they have so many left over parts. (Alert, Alert—As I was writing the blog I heard about big IKEA recall–do you know where your dresser is?)

Anyway, for those of you playing along at home, here are the correct answers and a few unrelated comments:

  • Catfish and the Bottlemen (for those of us still listening to new music.)
  • Freddie and the Dreamers (how could anyone miss this?)
  • Florence and the Machine (overshadowed by Adelle, but still a great sound.)
  • Gladys Knight and the Pips (she was a winner on the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour at age 7.)
  • Huey Lewis and the News (would “Back to the Future” be the same without them?)
  • Bill Haley and the Comets (sometimes called his Comets.)
  • Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (tied with Steven Tyler for least handsome rock star in history.)
  • Bob Marley and the Wailers (no, not the Whalers, I don’t think they have whales in Jamaica.)
  • Tommy James and the Shondells (Crimson and Clover, over and over.)

At least one hit record from each decade, 1950’s to the 2010’s, from that crew.

My favorite wrong answer was definitely “Florence and the Nightengales”–and that response came from a laboratorian, not a nurse. Way to go lab people! As for the best newly created name, I would call it a tie between “Randi Libido and the Friskies,” and “Dr. Stone and the Lithotripters.” You have to be involved in urology to love the latter, though.

Our winner has been notified and will soon have their Amazon Card. I don’t have permission yet to use their name here, but I will let you all know when I have the OK.

That’s today’s scoop. Back to the house or the wide, wide world on our next post. Until then, keep on rockin’, and don’t forget to subscribe. Just enter your email address in the box below and click “Create Subscription.” Who knows, you might become our next contest winner, or just enjoy some good summer reading.

Speaking of good reading, check out the blog post by fellow ChicagoNow writter Kerri Morris–it’s a very nice piece about life in our pathology lab. Thanks for the shout out, Kerri.

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Today on “Meet the Press”: REXIT–The Raff’s to Leave Long Grove, Local Economy Trembles.

conglomerate

Dramatic Theme Music ♬ ♬ ♬

Chuck Todd (CT): Good Morning, This is Chuck Todd welcoming you to our weekly edition of “Meet the Press.” Today we look at the dramatic and  perhaps misunderstood decision by the Raff family to cut ties with Long Grove, ending 26 years of intertwined destinies. With me today is my distinguished panel: Bono, lead singer of the Irish rock band U2, Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, the long-time voice of the Chicago White Sox, and Daenerys “Stormborn” Targaryen, First of her Name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhyonar, and the First Men, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, Queen of Meereen, Khalesi, and Mother of Dragons.

CT: Bono, let’s start with you.  Did you see this coming? Did you really believe that one of your biggest fans would leave the comfort and familiarity of Long Grove for the unknown, moving to the virtually identical suburb of Riverwoods?

Bono (B): It’s what I have been writing about, singing about, for years. It’s all about love. Why stop loving the people of Long Grove?  They must be wearing rose colored glasses if they believe they are heading for something better.  Raff’s, why not wrap your neighbors in your arms and move all of them with you? It’s all about love, and album sales and downloads. You must lead with your hearts.

Daenarys Targaryen (DT): Yes. Leadership, that’s what it takes. These Raff”s think of themselves as leaders with their Home Owners Associations and their School Boards. But where are their dragons? Where are the people being burned at the stake? How do you lead when you don’t instill fear in the hearts of your subjects? That is what I want to know.

B: And don’t forget, people anticipating a quick separation will be disappointed. Disentangling from the landscaper, the snowplower, the cleaning lady-that all may take months. And then of course there is Comcast. That may take years.

CT: Mr. Harrelson, what ramifications do YOU see from this vote.

Ken Harrelson (KH): Let me tell you Chuck, back in ’67 when I was with the Red Sox if those owners had tried to trade Yaz, I can tell you there would have been all sorts of an outcry. He was the greatest ball player I ever saw and I saw ’em all going back to the Babe.

CT: I’m sure Hawk,  though I don’t think you are THAT old. And what does this have to do with the Raff’s leaving Long Grove?

KH: It’s no different than the way the umpires all disrespect our White Sox. We can never catch a break and…

CT: Moving on, we have a special guest  to comment on REXIT. With us on the phone is the presumptive Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump.

Donald Trump (Don): Hey Chuck, what’s presumptive about me. I hate that word. I’ve got the nomination all sewn up no matter what crap the delegates try and throw at me. And who’s the chick with aal the hair on the panel with you? Doesn’t she know there is only room for one blonde crackpot here?

DT: Off with his head!

Don: She sounds like Lying Hilary to me! Yeah honey, you can dump those dragons, I’ll show you a hot time.

B: Love, people, just love.

CT: I’m afraid that’s all the time we have today. Join us again next week, and remember, if it’s Sunday, it’s “Meet the Press.”

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Our music contest has ended. The winner of the $25 Amazon Gift Card will be announced in our next post.

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A Progress Report at the Half Way Mark–Will I Get Steamed?

Steam

If it takes a year to build a house, then the calendar on the wall tells us we are just about 50% complete. So our glass is both half full and half empty. Let’s take a look at where we are, and where we still need to go.

Work on the outer shell of the house is well beyond the midpoint. The concrete with additional waterproofing? Done. The wood framing with the green Zip System sheathing? Done and done. Masons are progressing well with the exterior stone; the roof shingles are more than 90% installed. All the sleepless nights (Barb’s, not mine) worrying about the best stone and shingle to choose have paid off, the colors and styles blend beautifully.  And for those of you following since the beginning, the muntons look swell too.

The interior framing of the house has been completed for weeks. A few walls have been shuffled, with a larger powder room appearing here, a closet melting away there. The design for the stairs leading to the loft space continues to perplex, with Ham and Jeff (you remember our architect Alexander Hamilton and builder Thomas Jefferson) going five rounds in a UFC cage match before agreeing on how many steps need to be above the middle platform and how many below. Working with designer Betsy Ross, we all agreed on a creative “slat” effect for the top of the stairs. We like the way it will allow light from the picture window in the loft to filter down the staircase.

PVC and copper pipes have sprouted on all levels, and sheet metal HVAC ventilation shafts are blooming as well. Routing the ventilation has led to some redesign in the office and the basement, but the changes are improvements, not defects. We also did the first half of our walk through with the electrician, placing outlets and switches. Although these were all on the original blueprints, furniture placement has required some variation. No sweat at this point.

As we toured the master bathroom with the electrician, Barb said to me “This is your last chance for a steam shower. Are you sure you don’t want it?” After a ten minute exposition by designer Betsy on the merits of steam on aging bodies (ours, not hers,) I caved and agreed to go for it. But when  Ham and Jeff did some back of the hand calculations and whispered in my ear the cost of adding steam to our shower, I decided I had no problem with a few aches and pains as I age. The steam shower was vaporized.

So here we are, six months down, six months to go. All the behind the scenes work Barb has put in will start paying off soon, as the flooring, light fixtures and appliances that have been selected begin to appear at the construction site. Add in a little landscaping, and we will be partying with all our new, friendly, neighbors before you know it.

The first drink will be on me!

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It’s still not too late to take our very, very, easy music quiz and qualify for out Amazon Gift Card giveaway. Just click here!

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Am I Cooked? Hot Tea and Other Risks

blues travelerOh I like coffee…

…and I like tea

Blues Traveler–1994

Coffee drinkers are rejoicing. A UN study shows no increased cancer risk for java juicers, no matter how many jolts of Joe you go for in a day. So until the next study comes out disputing these findings –give it a week or two–Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and McDonalds can keep your magic elixir flowing. But for me, the news was not so good.

Other than enjoying an occasional scoop of Baskin-Robbins Jamoca Almond Fudge  and a rarer slice of tiramisu, I keep away from coffee.  It isn’t the caffeine I am avoiding, I just have under-developed coffee savoring taste buds. But I revealed my little secret here a few months ago. I am a tea tippler (though not a teetotaller.) And I like it hot. Microwave my tea? You have got to be kidding. “Instant” hot water? Not a chance. I require either a steaming tea pot  on the stove or my high powered electric kettle to give me the boiling brew I crave.

And that’s the problem. The UN study points at the temperature of beverages as a risk factor for cancer. Drinks over 150° F appear to be the culprit, and here I am gulping down about 6 cups of tea a day, as close to 212° as humanly or mechanically possible. I have accepted the risk of a burned lip or a scalded tongue, but am I really ready to increase the chances of esophageal carcinoma? I choose to believe my non-smoking and less than average alcohol imbibing life style make the risk of esophageal cancer pretty low. Add in the lack of family risk factors and I think I am safe enjoying my cups of tea.

Prostate disease is a different matter. Knowing I have the genetic risk factor, I do occasionally consider how my diet effects my chances of prostate cancer. Tomatoes seem to have some preventive effect, validating my love of pizza and a good Caprese Salad. All the other fruits and vegetables I munch on also may also offer some protection. It would be beneficial if I could once more wean myself from red meat, but I returned to that indulgence many years ago. At least we have replaced beef hamburgers at home with Barb’s 5 Star turkey burgers, and I haven’t seen the inside of McDonalds for years. If only I could give up those tasty, garlicky, SuperDawgs.

While we are talking prostate cancer, just a plug for the SEABlue Prostate Cancer Awareness Run on September 11 in Lincoln Park. Donations are still gratefully accepted. Just click on the link. You will have my thanks!

Donate to SEABlue.

Also–our easy music quiz is still going on!  Don’t miss a chance to win an Amazon Gift Card.
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