Discussing My Health

I don't think anyone actually likes discussing their health, unless they are either in perfect health or are suffering some wasting and/or lingering illness.

And not everyone likes it then, either.

The last few years for me have been all about correcting my health. I've been to the dentist. I've gone through some sleep studies.

But those are peripheral to my core health, which I really haven't (and won't) discuss.

My stubbornness in this area is part of why I'm participating in Movemeber. While it'd be nice to say, "I raised huge piles of cash," I'll be shocked if I break the $100 mark. So I'm not really pushing it via any of my social network outlets, and I don't want you to feel compelled to give.

I do need to get more comfortable discussing my health. It's a weakness of mine. Even my wife treads softly when the subject of my health comes up. And that's really not good.

Because if she can't talk to me about my health, how on earth am I going to feel comfortable discussing it with a doctor?

Traffic

Does anyone like traffic?

Realistically, I don't think anyone does.

But I have more time to contemplate this than most.  You see, I live in Everett, Washington and I work in Tukwila, Washington. This means that my commute is roughly 40 miles long, and it takes me through Seattle.

Seattle is regularly in the Top Ten lists of "America's Worst Traffic Congestion."

Seriously. Take a look at a few of these.

I drive - during rush hour - through some of the worst traffic congestion in the country.

So, even though my commute is 40 miles, it often takes me an hour and a half (or more) to get to work. On a freeway with a speed limit of 60 miles per hour. In theory, I could get to work in about forty minutes. In practice, my commute sucks. There are mornings where I could almost sit and read my Kindle because traffic just isn't moving.

Can I take an alternate route?  Sure. Numerous alternate routes exist. All of them are as congested as my route. Public transportation? Because of the routes I'd need to take, it'd both take longer and more be expensive than my current route for me to ride a bus or take the local light rail.

And the worst thing is that there is no remedy. Despite years of studies and numerous theories, no-one really knows how to clear up the terrible traffic. No-one knows how to make the congestion go away. We're stuck with it.

I'm stuck with it.

And I really don't like that.

Christmas Creep

It's October, now. Right? Grocery stores are all decked out for Halloween, because they sell tons of candy.

Department stores, however, seem to be breaking out the Christmas decorations. Already.

When I was a kid, the department store seasons went like this:

St. Patrick's Day (Started March 1)
Easter (Started 1 month before)
Summer
Back-To-School (Started mid-August)
Halloween (Started October 1)
Thanksgiving (Started November 1)
Christmas (Started the day after Thanksgiving)

Nowadays, I see reports on the Consumerist and elsewhere of Christmas decorations appearing in July and August! Signs up that say, "Christmas is on its way: Are you ready?"

NO!  I'm not ready! I don't plan to be ready until I'm stuffed full of Turkey and have enough leftovers to feed me for the next week!

I really can't stand it.

Reruns

I hate reruns.

I realize that - back in the day - if you missed an episode of your favorite show, reruns were the only solution for you. Otherwise, you might never see that episode again. These days, however, there really isn't much of an excuse.

Seriously. Many (if not most) networks these days put their shows online. Legally. Either on their own website (TNT, for example) or on Hulu or Amazon Instant Video or ... there are dozens of legal places to watch TV.

A decade ago, TiVo was amazing. Now, many cable companies offer Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) that do almost exactly the same thing as TiVo. I rarely watch anything at the time it airs anymore.

I understand that actors and authors and film crews need a break. I understand the reason for a hiatus. But that doesn't mean we need reruns. Seriously. They have hundreds of unaired pilots laying around. Make the summertime Unaired Pilot Summer! Maybe they'll find a hit. At the very least, it doesn't cost much and makes use of something they already have ...

At the very least, it's better than reruns.