What’s top of my mind: My health. This isn’t glamourous but it is what’s on top of my mind. The Good Doctor told me I must lose ten pounds on account of my lab work, so I am being cognizant what I eat and how much etc. I’ve eliminated late night snacking; I hope that this in itself does a lot of good. I have no sensation of satiation when I eat. I have to stop at what is allowed, not when I feel full.


Where I’ve been: Nowhere – again. I waltz along the office, the gym, and home. The deviation from this dance is Saturday mornings when I foxtrot to Uncle Albertsons. I lead a dull life. I believe there are some concerts coming at the symphony, which I haven’t attended since 2019. I have some reservations to go. It is never well attended anyway, so I can sit in the back rows with a healthy distance between me and the next patron. With that said ……


Where I’m going: Michigan. It is time for me to fly to MI again to tend to Father. I go at the end of the month; I hope to see some fall colors. Brother #3 decided not to skidoo but stay to see me, which sort of defeats the purpose of the visit viz. giving him a break. As is my family’s wont, when the other brothers got wind I am coming in they are all coming in as well. Brother #3 promises a proper fireplace and a trip to a cider mill. Brother #4 promises to bring some no-rubbish bourbon from his travels to the far off Kingdom of Kentucky. Father is always very happy to have all his sons about him even if we get wound up and talk too loud and over each other.


What I’m watching: Peter Hollens. Mr. Hollens is handsome blond fellow (presumably well over four feet) who has some very clever well-sung Halloween-based posts on The Tube of Yous. Here is my favorite – jolly good fun!


What I’m reading: ‘Lore’ stories. I am almost done reading ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ but Hawkeye and Uncas will have to wait awhile for I want some scary stuff, written in prose, that doesn’t feel like slogging through four feet of an 18th century snowdrift. Mr. Aaron Mahnke (the dear!) has a splendid podcast of same name. It consists of tales about ghosts, haunted places, and malignant miscreants. He put them into three books: ‘Monstrous creatures’; ‘Wicked mortals’; ‘Dreadful places’. I read a chapter or two at bedtime. Rather then provoking anxious insomnia, I go right to sleep.


What I’m listening to: Silence. I am making an effort to turn off from time to time as many noisy things as possible to experience silence. “Silence” has a loose definition. As I type this I can hear the ticking of the batter-run clock, the hum of the AC (still needed in AZ), and the wind blowing against the window. It is quite agreeable and relaxing. Do kids these days even know what silence is, and how salubrious it can be? I will challenge myself to try some silence in the car and at the gym. Both are noisy places to be sure, but if I turn off the radio and remove my earplugs, respectively, there is relative silence. This might better my focus to drive and lift weights. Lovely. Do you experience much silence?


What I’m eating: Gourmet luncheons. Now that I am back at the office, the pharmaceutical representatives are keen to come in to flog their products. The current reincarnation of The Medical Assistant has connected the dots the reps will order anything she asks. As a consequence, she is getting us some pretty good eats. No rubbish-type Mexican/Italian/Asian fare! We get proper gourmet sorts. I wonder though how long this will last before their budgeting departments discover they are spending a small fortune to wine and dine me and at my end few scripts are going out. Brand name prescriptions have in common same challenges: they are no better than generics; they cost a lot; they have convoluted savings plans/coupon systems that rival the U.S. tax system.


Who needs a good slap: Replacements LTD. I recently purchased a pasta bowl to complete a set that was missing a one. Unfortunately what came with the bowl is a constant supply of emails. Replacements LTD seems to send some daily, maybe two a day it feels like at times. They are easy to delete, but when they arrive with the daily emails from The Great Courses, Medscape, Pei Wei, and many others. the emails pile up higher than Fafner’s hoard. I should un-subscribe. they are a nuisance.

I give Replacements LTD and its ilk 1 slap (1 out of 5)


What I’m planning: Mopping the kitchen floor. I have a sponge mop handle whose yellow rectangular sponge head long ago ceased to be useful. It is infuriating trying to find replacement heads. Someone uses a traditional mop, but he wrings it out with his hands – no thank you! My sponge mop has a metal clasp you push down the handle, causing the sponge to fold in on itself to wring out the waste water. The other day I asked Mr. Bezos to send me some replacements, although I am not 100% certain I ordered the right ones; they vary so. If sponge matches handle, I plan to give the kitchen floor a very good cleaning, something it hasn’t had in ages.


What’s making me smile: My Facebook profiles. This month I am changing my profile photo on a daily basis. So far I have been a jack-o-lantern, The Mummy, The Wolfman, Witch Hazel, and Grandpa Munster. FB friends seem to be enjoying this and are tuning in everyday to see what I next become. Their comments make me smile. Does this make me an influencer?