Cooler than You: Stupid Things I Say and Do

I can’t remember when, but years ago—or long ago as the literary vein would muse—I found the ideas of Sunday’s in the park to be romantic and the dream. As for the park, I’m not going to lie ... Central Park it is.  Leisurely strolls, bike rides, and perhaps runs always struck me as the ideal, epitome to a weekend’s end. Of course, to be blunt and a snob, scores of other New Yorkers find it the same. Today, I—with those New Yorkers and tourists from the four corners of the globe—found my source of vitamin D and sensory delights within the former pig boiling grounds and Native Lands. Perhaps Frederick Law Olmsted’s crown jewel of his parks, the rush of the city, the pace of life, and endless streams of people typically find a kinder, more peaceful balance within the bricked interior. Of course, not all people know how to—oh I don’t know—look both ways and cross the paths properly, but overall it’s pretty hard to remain beaten and angr...

When summer began, it came in with a series of blows destroying the crops in their wake.  Looking back it paints like a series of farm stands, succulent and fruitful from afar but upon closer examination, the wells of fruit have wilted and rotted under the sun's eye waiting for the next unsuspecting onlooker.  Well, technically that was the end of spring and beginning of the upcoming season.  A couple of months later I'm waking up front the jolts, gasping for air, and--as usual--looking at the changes, carnage, and circus of it all. The summer began with learning a cousin died . . . Another one this year.  This one, one I was fairly close to for years and years died at 49 . . . On his bathroom floor, I hear.  Lessons of the past I don't have it in me to go into, he and I parted angry ways half a decade ago.  Addictions and misgivings left a lot of the be said.  A lot to be desired.  Damage was done, to everyone and especially me, and with h...

The past few days have brought far too many bumps in the road, and tonight I intended on writing a blurb about those maladies.  Instead, lackluster and crap turned into a silver lining.  I haven't written about the chest pains, rashes, and general malaise of Lupus in awhile . . . trust me it is all still there.  These days I use three layers of make-up--yes, three--to hide the butterfly.  If you are wondering Aveeno tinted face lotion, Maybelline Mouse, and Mary Kay mineral powder do wonders to cover and leave me looking more natural than not.  But . . . something good did happen.  No, no securing of health insurance and a full line, but something good for Lupus in the larger spectrum.       Fifty-two years ago Eisenhower was president, Great Britain recognized the independence of Cyprus (that's more  relevant to my research than a tid bit), Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959, the Dodgers won the World Series, and in March (nearly...

One of my friends pondered if she could run around hitting people with a stick and yelling "It doesn't matter, it happened in the past."  I responded, in kind, with "If you wanna end up in the nuthouse pokey, sure."  Well, I'm not intending to run around with sticks, but the events of today are slipping into the past.  A crazy start, and a nice ending. The day started with a 25 mile commute turning into two hours.  Fun.  Two exits of the LIE were shut down, from an accident, and an investigation had to ensue.  Yup, someone died on the roadway.  I sent emails to a couple of students, while I sat in idle traffic, and got the class to start the quiz before I got there.  Slightly odd, but nerve wracking as I was supposed to be evaluated this morning.  My department chair was also trapped in said traffic, so we met for lunch and then he came to my last class of the day.  None-the-less, I was still nervous about the whole eval.  Turns o...

Fifty years is a long time to wait. Fifty years ago Eisenhower was still president, the internet didn't exist, the US hadn't gone to the moon, and Lupus patients didn't have a good prognosis. Well . . . as of July 20th serious progress has been made for Lupus patients. See the following for the full press statement from the Lupus Foundation of America: http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_empty.aspx?articleid=2657&zoneid=99 But, while this is some seriously wonderful news, it does have it's fall backs. The drug (Benlysta) still has the third round of testing to complete, and if you noticed in the article it has only met "most" of its secondary criteria. Honestly, that is no big deal as most drugs do not hit all criteria at once. Eh, it's called a combination of drugs to hit full parameters of 90 percent or more (you should not that not all drugs need extra help, but those for specialized frameworks usually do). So . . . Th...