Opinions and Qualifications

I am going to air a pet peeve today. It irks me when members of the media are interviewing celebrities and ask said celebrity for their opinion on various current events. As if everyone wanted to know what Britney Spears thinks about the war in Iraq or what Paris Hilton has to say about family values. Oh, I forgot, Madonna is lecturing on family values these days. I am not impugning Britney, Paris, or Madonna. I just think their opinion is of little value given their expertise on the given subjects.

If I am in the gallery at the 15th hole at Augusta, my opinion about Tiger's club selection is laughable. Not that I am a moron, but I am when it comes to golf.

Sometimes the media is not to blame. The celebrity is not asked for an opinion, but one is given anyway. The usual venue for unsolicited opinions is often awards shows. Some actor receives an award for acting and they feel empowered to use that soap box to promote their own political view, as if we should give a rat's arse.

Let's take this idiocy to its logical conclusion. Let's say Katy Couric wakes up with some medical problems; nothing serious, a pounding headache, coughing up blood, and a growth the size of a golf ball coming out of her neck. Would Katy call Britney Spears or Hillary Clinton for their medical opinion? If one of Jay Leno's cars is on the fritz, would he phone Elton John or a mechanic?

Celebrity worship leads to this sort of thing. I suppose the logic goes something like this. Gee, so and so can read jokes on TV and make me laugh, I wonder what they think I should do with my 401K? Celebrities have no special powers of insight or brilliance. They are just people. More often than not, they are people with more problems than the people seeking their uneducated counsel.

I don't want the guy who slept at the Holiday Inn Express flying the plane, I want a real pilot. I hope my doctor has a medical degree, and when I want to be entertained, I will check out a celebrity.

This concludes my unsolicited rant.

Until the next time
John Strain

Over the Hump

Barbara has had a case of the flu. It had been building last week, and then Saturday she took the brunt of it. Fever, headache, difficulty breathing, and just feeling miserable was her world. Sunday, the fever broke and she began improving. I would say she is about 50% at this point.

I am guessing it is the flu, because I had a flu shot and I have been spared thus far. The medicine the doctor gave her has provided little relief, but maybe it is kicking in now. I will be glad when she is back to normal. With her sick, I have been pulling more KP and other responsibilities.

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I ran 20 miles this morning, 2 hours 33 minutes and 58 seconds. That is 7:42 per mile. The marathon in New Orleans is two weeks from today. From here on out, the training runs are not so intense. I can run at a nice easy pace until race day. I am keeping my fingers crossed to stay healthy.

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John got back from Lake Tahoe. Here are more pictures from the trip. February 14 is his one year anniversary with Ashley. They met at our Olympia Parade party last year.

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Happy Valentine's Day Everyone

Until the next time
John Strain

Who Cares?

This clock used to hang on the wall in my counseling office. A lot of people looked up at it and laughed. That clock served as a perfect segue from our small talk to talking about the problems that drove them into counseling.

This unorthodox timepiece was a gift from my mother. It is a good symbol for philosophies I embrace, namely:

Don't take yourself or things too seriously
Don't worry
Laugh

Now, this chronograph sits near my computer monitor. It is a good reminder to loosen up. I encourage people to have something humorous or something that reminds them of good times sitting around their work area. Stress is relieved when you look at that photo, stuffed animal, or knickknack. Just a positive thought or remembering a happy time is all it takes to interrupt an avalanche of stress.

Do you have anything on your desk like this?

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Until the next time
John Strain

Geriatric Dog

I have been asked about my pup Hobo. He will be 14 in June if he makes it that far. The past two years has been a dramatic decline for Hobo. The muscles in his hind quarters have withered away. He is only bone back there. As the muscle deteriorates, it gets harder for him to get up and to walk. As it is, I have to help him up many times a day. He falls a lot and is unable to get up. He does not complain though, he just lays where he fell and waits for someone to notice he is not around. I have an internal clock of sorts. If I don't see him laying nearby, I go looking for him. More often than not, he is laying somewhere unable to get up.



In addition to his declining mobility, he is incontinent of stool. He has no control and drops surprises all over the house. Because he cannot get up, he may poop while he is laying down, then grind it into the carpet trying to stand up. I have become very good at cleaning poop out of carpet.



Other than this, he enjoys the same things he always did. He begs for food and sleeps. I suppose when he can no longer walk at all, we will have to have him put to sleep. I am resisting that though. I wish he would drop dead and spare me that decision. For now, he is not in pain, so I see no reason to kill him just because he poops on the floor.



I do not think he has a lot of time left. He has probably seen his last Christmas, and these are most likely photos of his last Mardi Gras.



I am going to hate to see this old friend go, but I know it is inevitable.



Death is the flip side of life. It is sad to contemplate death and separation, but he has lived a good life. We provided a good home for him and loved him. He, in return, gave us lots of joy and laughter. Given the limits of life cycles, it is unrealistic to expect more.



So here's to Hobo - a good dog - and a much-loved member of our family.



Until the next time

John Strain

Some Have it Rough

I have a prayer request if you get a moment today. Remember my son, John, who could not be home for Mardi Gras. Instead he had to go to Lake Tahoe with his girlfriend and family.



To get an idea of the utter pain he is experiencing, look at this photo.



I think you get the idea. It is times like these I feel so inadequate as a parent. There is nothing I can do to help the poor boy. At least he will be home Thursday. I hope he can recover from the torture he knows as Lake Tahoe.



Until the next time

John Strain