Defeated By The Common Cold.

 I was supposed to have eye surgery today.  It's not something I wanted to do so soon, or of course at all, but had come to accept it.  But I came down with a cold the last few days, and so my surgery has been put off.  All because of a virus that most of us just find a nuisance.  

Poked.

I just received my first COVID 19 vaccination a bit over an hour ago.  So far so good.  It was of the Pfizer vaccine.  Since my parents also received Pfizer with little effect I assume I won't be bothered either.

Unless you've got a legitimate reason to worry, such as having a problem with your immune system, go and get your shot at the the first opportunity.  We need as many people vaccinated as possible to stop this pandemic.

Zero Day.

 Good news on the COVID 19 front.  Today Saskatchewan reported no new cases.  Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.  To date we have had 1601 cases, 1490 of which have recovered.  We've had 23 deaths.  

COVID 19 Arrives.

Unfortunately COVID 19 has arrived in Saskatchewan, and Saskatoon.  A man in his 60s, who had visited Egypt, began to exhibit symptoms.  He is now considered a presumptive case, and is self isolating at home.  Hopefully that is all he will need to do.  It was really only a matter of time.  If we're lucky the number of cases here will be low.

Meanwhile Saskatoon Fire Station Number 4 is under a precautionary quarantine after firefighters were called to help a person who had been tested for COVID 19.  A pair of paramedics, and several people involved in dentistry, are also under precautionary quarantine.

The 49th annual Juno Awards, Canada's equivalent of the Grammies, were supposed to be held in Saskatoon on Sunday.  They've now been cancelled.

And nationally Prime Minster Trudeau, and his wife Sophie, are now self isolating. She began to exhibit possible symptoms late last night, so they will stay isolated until she's been tested.

Take Care Of Your Teeth.

Seriously, if you can visit a dentist.  I didn't for a long time and I'm suffering the consequences as a result.  Things would be a lot better if I'd done something sooner.

My current dental clinic is Wheatland Dental if you're looking for a Saskatoon dentist.  They've done fine by me given the mess my mouth is.

"Do not take if you are allergic to..."

This is a line that's increasingly heard in US drug ads.  How does that work, exactly?  Do doctors have some sort of allergy test for such drugs?  Are people asking their doctors to prescribe drugs they already know they're allergic to?  Or is it just a general legal CYA for the drug companies in case people are hurt by such allergic reactions?  "Hey, we warned you not to take Zigsergon if you're allergic to it."

Buzzed.

As you may have heard there was a claim recently that Donald Trump drinks up to a 12 pack of Diet Coke a day.  That's a lot of caffeine.  How much?  Online sources, including Coca Cola itself, state Diet Coke contains 46 milligrams of caffeine per 355 millilitres/12 ounces.(Oddly standard Coke and Coke Zero only contain 34 milligrams a can.)  So 12 cans would contain 552 milligrams of caffeine.  Trump supposedly drinks little or no coffee, but that's still a lot of caffeine.

Health Canada suggests the average adult can consume 400 milligrams of caffeine without adverse effects, but suggests not exceeding that limit.  But even that presumably will give most of us a good buzz.  Trump drinks perhaps 150 milligrams more than that.  So there might be a good reason he tweets a lot in the early morning.  The caffeine keeps him awake. 

Bulky.

I don't know how long it had been since I last weighed myself, but I decided it was well past due this morning.  I wasn't surprised that I've put on some weight, but not as much as I thought.  I'm planning on cutting down on some of my unnecessary eating in 2018, but I've still got some Christmas goodies around to munch on. 

Good For 100,000 More Blinks.

Yesterday I had an appointment with an ophthalmologist, as the optometrist who issued my new prescription thought my eye pressure was a bit high.  But the verdict was that I don't have anything to worry about in the near future, although I do have a very small risk of glaucoma due to family history.  Now if only I could be that sure about the rest of me.

I Hope You Were Safe.

Yesterday's solar eclipse didn't seem all that spectacular from a Saskatoon vantage point.  Nonetheless I didn't look at the Sun, not having any equipment handy to do so safely.  I hope you didn't either.  Apparently there is nothing they can do to repair eye damage caused by improper eclipse viewing.  Interestingly I had an optometry appointment Friday(with the conclusion I need new glasses), but neither I nor the optometrist brought up the eclipse.

Mocking The Clickbait 2: But It Sounds Sciency.....

Stephen Hawking Says Smart Pill Is Proven To Double IQ.

First of all, IQ doesn't work that way.  Intelligence quotient is determined by taking a group of tests.  Your performance on the tests, and hence your score, can improve, but not dramatically enough to double, such as going from 100 to 200, which would be a jump from average to a high genius level.  No pill will change your brain in a way that makes this possible.(And all this is ignoring things like whether the IQ test is a legitimate way to determine intelligence, what determines intelligence, and so on.)

As for Stephen Hawking, he is a brilliant theoretical physicist.  He is not a doctor, a chemist, or a biologist.  Being really smart about one area does not mean you always know what you're talking about regarding anything else.  I'd no more go to Hawking for medical advice or information on the latest studies of the brain than I'd go to a heart surgeon for the latest information on string theory. 

Of course it's a pretty reasonable guess that Stephen Hawking said nothing of the sort.  But using the name of someone everyone knows is really smart tends to work better when you're trying to find new suckers to buy dubious medical products.

Not My Favourite Exercise.

Snow shovelling serves as exercise, but it's not my favorite exercise.  Especially when the snow is like what received over the last 24 hours, sticky and very heavy.  I would imagine someone in Saskatoon will have a heart attack today from shovelling snow given how quickly the weight on your shovel builds up.

The Ultimate Betrayal.

For many if not most of us the ultimate betrayal is from our bodies.  No matter how well you treat it sooner or later something will go wrong with it, and there are just so many things that can go wrong. Even if you're very lucky aging will ultimately do you in.  So if you're healthy enjoy it while you can.

I'm Not At My Physical Best, But.

I've got some annoyances that come with being a bit overweight and getting older.  But sometimes my body surprises me in a good way. 

(This one gets labelled as a cryptic statement because I probably won't remember the specific reason I wrote this a couple years down the line.)

Fading Out.

If you've been paying attention to coverage of the death of Keith Emerson you probably know by now that he committed suicide.  This was apparently prompted by health problems in his hands that were increasingly effecting his ability to play.  Emerson had problems in the early '90s, but seemed to have gotten past them.  But that was 20 years ago, when he was 50.

It made me think of this Rush song, one of their lesser known pieces, from 1982's album Signals.  Ironically Rush themselves are currently trying to figure out their future as health problems make the rigours of touring hard on Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart.  We're going to be seeing this hit more and more rockers in the next few years. 

A Bunch Of Sickies.

That's me and my parents over the last few days.  Mom caught some sort of flu, then Dad caught it, then me.  I had just about no appetite on Sunday, and had trouble staying awake at times.  I wonder if this is going around Saskatoon at the moment.  Fortunately for some Saskatoon residents I've spent the last couple of days at home, so they won't be catching it from me.

Crackdown On Vice.

If I ever needed more incentive to cut down on my consumption of sugary crap now I've got it.  The prices of some of the donuts and cookies I eat have gone up.  I suspect other junk food will soon follow.  So I should really stop buying it, and save myself a bit of money every week.  I could also do to lose a pound or ten.

When I Rule The World 29.

Equipment will be installed in every washroom to insure anyone over the age of five who uses the toilet washes their hands.  If it detects you not doing so you will get an electric shock as punishment.

Still Ill.

I'm afraid I must bore you and note I'm still not running quite right.  I'm starting to think it was something I ate, because that's the only thing I did differently from usual before I started feeling unwell.

An Illness Advantage.

If you're sick, and your appetite is low, you won't go out and buy junk food.  Of course it doesn't make up for the disadvantages.