Contagion 2011

   

Imagine yourself in a world wide pandemic.  No, wait....you've just been in one! 

 For this summer, I've decided to watch a few older disaster films.  I chose Contagion 2011 to watch yesterday. This film is loaded with stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Lawerence Fishbourne, Marion Cotillard and Bryan Cranston.

One of the reviewers of Contagion 2011 wrote, If something like this did ever happen, I shutter to contemplate the societal ramifications.

My reaction to the movie was far different from the first time I saw it.  Who would have guessed that a mire 8 years later, 2019, we would experience COVID, a virus that began in China and eventually killed a million people in the United States alone. 

Contagion 2011 was a tale about an untreatable super virus rapidly spreading across the world.  

Another reviewer wrote after watching the film, I found myself wanting to bathe in a gallon of hand sanitizer.  In real life, I felt like I was drowning myself in a bucket of hand sanitizer.  Every day.

It's doubtful anyone took the movie seriously.  After all, Gwyneth Paltrow coughed in Hong Kong, headed home to Minneapolis, but with a five hour layover in Chicago to meet an old boyfriend.  And a few weeks later people were dropping like flies.  That's just silly, right?

Lawrence Fishbourne plays the Dr. Fauci role, only nine years before Dr Fauci played it in real life.

There are many heroes in this film and a few troublemakers.  Fewer than we had in real life.  And there were no deniers.  What was happening was too real to be denied.  

I saw this film on YouTube for free. 

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Are You Crazy? The Fall Will Probably Kill Ya

 

Remember the quote above from the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?  

The Kid was afraid to jump off a cliff because he couldn't swim.  But, even though he jumped and the fall didn't kill him, statistically, Butch was correct.

According to the CDC:

Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries among older adults.

About twelve years ago, I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease. It's a miserable illness and all I wanted to do was lie on the couch.  But, I knew that wasn't the answer.  I tried several balancing classes recommended by my medical team, but they didn't work for me.  

Then Betsy, the parish nurse at my church, recommended a class led by a woman named Claudia.  It was different.  She had the same philosophy I did.  It sounds counterintuitive but, for most of us oldies, it's truly a "use it or lose it" situation.

Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries among older adults.

For most of us, sitting on the couch is not the answer. Claudia was all about staying strong and exercising, no matter how bad we felt.  She had great tips, like reminding us that it's more dangerous to walk downstairs than upstairs because we tend to fall forward.  

There was an old lady in a wheelchair the class.  Her daughter would wheel her in and return later to pick her up.  After a couple of sessions, Claudia had this woman standing for most of our activities. 

On the third day she was sitting in a regular folding chair when her daughter arrived.  The daughter was obviously upset to see her mom not in her wheelchair and was trying to pick her up.

From across the room, Claudia called to the daughter, "Leave her alone.  She can transfer to the wheelchair by herself."

And she did. 

Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries among older adults. 

Falls happen everywhere, including hospitals.  Especially hospitals!

The best remedy is not to stay in bed.  It's to, as best we can, move!  Of course we need to be careful, but we need to move.  Every day.  If you're afraid and don't feel well and your loved ones want you to sit or lie down 24-7, just remember this:

The Barcalounger will probably kill ya!

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Toodlers and Puppies

 My adorable great granddaughter recently had a third birthday party.  While I wasn't there, this reminded me of a posting I wrote a few years ago about the growing popularity of doggie birthday parties.  

After researching the article, I kept thinking about how the suggestions would work for both toddlers and puppies. Here are a few.

     - Have the party in a fenced yard - with the emphasis on the word "fenced."  Imagine having a doggie birthday party in the house.   Now imagine having the same party for 1 to 3 year olds.  It's the same image, right?  But don't try the yard party without a fence because herding dogs and toddlers is like, well, herding dogs and toddlers.

     - Have a responsible adult accompany each dog or toddler - no drop offs!  The article suggests the dogs should be leashed upon arriving until they get to know each other.  While this is might be a good idea for some toddlers as well, I'm not recommending it.

     - Crates available for dogs who might need "alone time."  OK this is not going to work for the kids for the same reason as the leash idea.  My daughter tells me they used to have a big comfy chair, blanket and cuddly stuffed toy available for a weepy or unhappy children.  Her husband, greeting kids at the door, would text her "potential cryer in foyer." 

     - Costumes - The dog party experts suggest having plenty of props for photo ops like bow ties or tiaras and party hats.  The toddlers might like these as well.  But nothing scary for either group.  That can cause all kinds of repercussions.    

     - Doggie Bags:  The dog experts suggest tennis balls and dog-friendly baked treats.  This could work for both groups. Of course you should give the wee children appropriate treats. Just because they like doggie treats is not a good reason to provide them. 

     - Games:  The recommendation for dogs is "bobbing for hot dogs."  Don't do this with toddlers!  They are notorious for choking on hot dogs.  Besides, many moms today think of hot dogs as the next thing to poison. 

The other game suggestion is non toxic, big bubbles.  "Dogs try to chomp them in the air, it's hysterical ."  This would work for both groups.

The article ends by saying "Luckily, dogs don't know or care how much you spend."  This is true for toddlers as well.  



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The God Particle

 Peter Higgs died last week at age 94.  He was a Nobel prize-winning physicist.  In 1964 he theorized there must be a subatomic particle that would explain how the stars and planets acquired their mass.  It wasn't until 2012 the particle was confirmed.

Maybe you're thinking "so what?"

This particle is known as the Higgs boson and without it, the universe we know and love could not exist.  Hence the nickname:  The God Particle.

It helps scientists understand one of the most fundamental riddles of the universe: How the Big Bang created something out of nothing 13.8 billion years ago.  

I don't want to brag, but I already knew about the Higgs boson theory.  That's because, for years, I was a fan of The Bib Bang Theory.  Even the lyrics to the show's theme song give us an exciting explanation of how we got here.  But it doesn't give us a reason for how we got here.

On the show, theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper explained the Higgs boson theory several times.  But the best one was first aired on January 19, 2010 where he tried to explain the theory while playing Pictionary with Penny.  She, of course, didn't get it. 

But my favorite explanation was given by Young Sheldon on the second season of that show, April 22, 2022.  Sheldon, who is a little severn year old genius, is frightened because his mother, after experiencing a tragedy, is depressed and questioning her faith. 

She tells Sheldon "Faith is something that you can't know for sure is real." 

He was trying to let her know that the beginning of "everything" wasn't by chance. "What are the odds that it would happen all by itself?"  

 It was the God Particle.

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Babie's Rights

 

Have you ever seen a two week old baby with a broken arm?  I have.  How about shaking baby syndrome?  What about a baby born to drug addicted parents who drug the baby to get it to sleep? 

Have you ever seen a child who had never seen a book prior to kindergarten? I have. And almost every public school kindergarten teacher has. 

In central Florida there used to be a huge billboard with adorable, chubby babies all over it.  Every time I saw it I thought some of the babies should have black eyes or body casts.  Because that's reality.

If you're having high feelings in the current political climate, here's something you can do.  Buy diapers, lots of them, for parents you know are short on cash.  Diapers are expensive.  They are also a trigger for spouse abuse, and, even if the baby isn't directly abused, wearing a soiled diaper for 24 hours can cause considerable harm over time, not to mention the excuiating pain the baby endures. 

FOLLOWING IS A POSTING FROM 2015

Today marks the 42nd anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. But (as you know if you know me) I don't discuss abortion. 

What I do discuss - and feel passionately about - is birth control.  I am for it.  I am for women and girls having children only when they want to and choose to.  I am for healthy moms and babies around the world.  While I am not a fan of promiscuous sex, I am also not a fan of pregnancy as a punishment for having sex. 

In this respect, I am a big fan of Melinda Gates.  She and her husband are giving away billions to help people all over the globe in eradicating scourges like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis - but Melinda's special passion is birth control.  She wants to cut world wide child mortality in half. 

Not much research has been done in the contraceptive area in the last 20 years but Melinda says that one day we might have a contraceptive that would dissolve, like a breath mint melts in your mouth, though it would be inserted elsewhere.  Or an implant in your arm that lasts three to five years.

Melinda Gates was raised a Catholic.  I don't know how she relates to her faith at this time.  But even Pope Francis, while he did reaffirm the Catholic Church's stance on contraception, just told us last week that we females "don't have to breed like rabbits."

Thank you Pope Francis.  That's good news.


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Stand Up Comics

 

As most of you who read this blog know, I love stand up comics. And I love it when some I've listened to over the decades, while I walk, have become superstars.  

For example, three of them, Nate Bargatze, Sebastian Maniuscalco and Leanne Morgan. after sharing brutal honesty about themselves, and then exaggerating it all out of proportion, until it's hysterical, for a couple of decades, are now in the superstar category.  

When I first started watching Nate, he presented himself as naive and lazy.  He's now super famous but the persona remains.

When I first started listing to Sebastian, I thought his father was a mobster.  

Leanne is the epitome of a southern girl.  She uses demeaning words to describe people, like "little."  "My little momma and daddy."  But this is common in the south and we're all in on the joke.  She tells outrageous stories about her husband and family.  She rarely laughs.  She has a perfect stare when she's sharing her bad times.  One of her later tours was called her "Big Pantie Tour."  Every woman of a certain age can understand what that's all about. 

Now, about me.  I'm coping with a few health issues.  I have a UTI that won't quit.  For those of you under 60, this is a Urinary Track Infection.  They can do a number on old people, women and men.  I have test strips that let me know when it's visiting (again.)  But don't get nervous, I won't share any further. 

But I will share on of Leanne's bits.  These are not her words, but it is one of the stories she tells about herself.  She had two little tiny children and a traveling husband.  And she missed her period.  So she gathered up her little ones and drove to Walmart to get a pregnancy test.  After buying it she took the children into the restroom stall with her to use it.  Then looked at it with that perfect stare.  Her three year old son said, "Is it positive?"  

I think about Leeane every time I use my UTI strip.  

All three of these super successful "newcomers" who've been doing stand up for several decades, have specials on Netflix. 

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My Current Problems with Barbie and Ken

 First off, I have not seen the Barbie movie.  But every person in the universe knows about it and the billions of dollars it's earned. 

Also, it's important to remind you that I've had a difficult time with Barbie, the doll, over the decades she's been around. I have previously written about my Barbie woes in this blog. 

Back to the movie, even with the rave reviews, there are those who have said that it emasculated Ken,  I don't know how that could happen to "Ken," but that's not my current concern. 

My concern is this:  Margot Robbie was Barbie.  Issa Rae was another Barbie.  Kate McKinnon was a third Barbie.  Greta Gerwig directed.  As far as I know, all of these people are intelligent women.  Unlike the doll, they are successful humans who know how to speak.

So here's my problem.  All I saw on Oscar night was Ken. His Marilyn Monroe inspired musical number has been, and still is, all over YouTube.  I look at Facebook once a day. He's all over it as well, sometimes as Ken, sometimes talking about Ken and sometimes using his other persona, Ryan Gosling.  Yes, I think Ryan Gosling is funny and smart and fantastic to look at.

But, seriously, don't these women have some things to say?

When my niece sent this cartoon it made me think of Ken mansplaining the Barbie movie.

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