Random thoughts about aging

My last blog post was in 2011! No one reads these musings except me. I have not been invited by Ellen or Oprah to appear on their show. Who would watch an honest, honorable version of Dr. Oz, anyway? They  don't want an aging fat man on a porno site either-alas!

Nothing has changed. W,Cheney and Wolfowitz have not been charged with war crimes......Yet!
Members of congress are still chasing campaign dollars on K Street and the majority are placing party before country and trying to f__  k Obama when ever they can.

There are changes. We have moved to Denver at the behest of two rotten daughters who bid us move across the country to be near them! I have lost 30 to 40 lbs, thanks to bladder cancer and several surgeries. Cancer may be related to a medicine for type 2 diabetes.  I have a cystoscopyscheduled next week and hope the damn thing remains in remission. Don't want to die just yet, at least until the Donald becomes president so I can laugh myself to death! ROTFLMAO.

TTFN

Restaurants

Now look, I'm nearly 75 years old, I'm fat and have eaten at many,many restaurants. Never again will I go to a "trendy" restaurant. If the place is a palace or a joint, if it's filled with twenty-something's -I'm off to Burger King. Last week at the oh so trendy Fig and Olivein New York, we couldn't hear ourselves talk! We did, however,have NO trouble hearing the percussion accompany to the stupid Muzak! NEVER AGAIN! The food was good, but not THAT good.

And again last night at the Vesta Dipping Grill in Denver, I was the dip! It was so dark that you needed dark vision goggles on loan from the Navy Seals just to read the menu! Once again, full of twenty-somethings. I should have known. The percussion on the stupid Muzak came through loud and clear! Menu was truly innovative,but I prefer Elway's.

Yeah, yeah the senile rant of an old man, but it's the old poops that pay the bills. Big macs forever!!!

Those fools in congress!

Both parties are placing party ahead of country. They should all be charged with treason!

"Best Served Cold." my novel is getting good reviews. One person has called it a page turner and a good yarn. The book is available on Kindle and at Barnes and Noble.com as well as Amazon.com.

Notes on Independence Day

I thank God daily that I am an American!

That said, our senators and representatives should be ashamed. A pox on both their houses! The fact that they are paying more attention to their base or to their party instead of the people's business is disturbing.There is NO way we can make any progress on deficit reduction without decreased spending AND increased revenue. Neither side gets it.

My book, "Best Served Cold," is starting to sell and getting some good reviews. I really have done very little PR to date.

Republican Debate, Amazon.com

Well, it looks like Mitt Romney was the big winner! I just wish he would say, OK folks, its the economy and nothing but! Drop the social agenda. The country is now too diverse for a group of gray haired white men (sorry Herman) to be dictating our mores. If Bachmann wants smaller government, fine. Let's start by NOT telling us whom we can love and marry, AND what women can do with their own bodies.

My book, "Best served Cold," has been published in soft cover. It is available at Amazon.com.

Ethics, Heidi St. Pierre

What about the spate of poor choices we have seen in the press of late? Congressman Weiner says he is guilty of no crime- I propose a fine for terminal stupidity. King Carl XVI Gustave of Sweden is caught in a strip club scandal-A Swedish Berlusconi? A former FCC commissioner who participated in the decision to allow Comcast to buy NBC/Universal leaves for a job with Comcast. That creep, John Edwards still suffers from ethical blindness. Doctors used to follow the precepts of Hippocrates, now they appear on TV advertising Restasis, Pradaxa and other drugs. Not to mention Goldman-Sachs or Lehmann or the horribly infected and affected Bank of America. The old doctor wonders WTF is going on?

Heidi St. Pierre is the mother of Ricky St. Pierre-the anti-hero of my newly published novel, "Best Served Cold."

The Old Doctor Wonders: Memorial Day, Bud Jacobs

The Old Doctor Wonders: Memorial Day, Bud Jacobs

Memorial Day, Bud Jacobs

Today, Memorial Day 2011, I'd like to honor my fellow veterans. I know that you feel as I do, that it is an honor to have served this-the greatest country on earth!

Bud Jacobs, a defense attorney who practices in New York and Denver, helps to defend Lizzie Smith in her trial. Find out what she is accused of in my upcoming novel, "Best Served Cold."

Joplin,NY Times Op-ED

Of course when I wrote of Topeka and tornado damage, I meant to write of Joplin, Mo, but had a senior moment. That does not lessen my pain when I look at the photos of the town.

The New York Times had an op-ed today that showed how some expensive treatments whose effectiveness is not fully substantiated by medical evidence is costing medicare billions. It is time to revisit payments for many of these high-cost, frequently performed procedures. Are my fellow physicians merely lining their own pockets, or can they submit verifiable evidence that the procedures they perform are really necessary. Remember your oath- primum non nocere ( first do no harm.)

I am also following closely the proposed Vermont law which will provide health insurance for all. I will be interested to see how it will be funded. Once again will New England lead the country?

Topeka, Lizzie Smith

I guess the world did end, after all for some of the folks in Topeka. The devastation is beyond belief.
I can not imagine Hartford or St Francis Hospital reduced to rubble as was St. John's.

I am planning to self-publish my novel, "Best Served Cold." To do this I must upload the completed novel to amazon and also their affiliate, createspace.com. Stay tuned! I am hard at work on a sequel to BSC. It is as yet untitled.


Lizzie Smith is a young woman who is one of the central figures in my crime novel. She has been sexually and physically abused by her stepfather, and is key to the blackmail scheme that he conceives.

Earthquake in Japan

My heart goes out to the people of Japan. What awful tsunami photos!

Who is Richard Lamar St. Pierre? Wait for my book to find out.
"Best served Cold" published soon!

AT and T Voicemail

So last week we received a letter outlining AT and T's new voicemail system. My wife and I with 4 college degrees among us couldn't understand the letter! Also the guide to the system that was supposed to be enclosed in the envelope, wasn't! So, to solve the problem, we switched our service to Comcast. Just press *99- where's the easy button?

 My book is now completely edited, copied and typed. I have appointments with three literary agents in a few weeks. Ready to cast George Clooney and Laura Linney for the movie!

The Old Doctor Wonders: Gasoline prices

The Old Doctor Wonders: Gasoline prices

Gasoline prices

Now, come on! We get only 2% of oil from Libya. Egypt has NO oil. Why are gas prices so high? Big oil has us over an (oil) barrel once again.

I have mixed emotions over the situation in Wisconsin. The left part of me is sympathetic to the wage earner, but the right part of me thinks unions ARE too strong. The easy acquiescence to union demands in the past is coming home to bite us. First bitten, autos, where sweetheart contracts nearly brought the US auto industry to its knees, Next bitten, the teachers union, making it nearly impossible to fire a teacher for incompetancy.  Next up government workers, some of whom in this state, earn more than the governor!

Retirement, My novel

I am truly enjoying retirement. If I knew it was so wonderful, I'd have done it sooner, and I think I will try it for a while longer.

I have completed my crime novel, "Best Served Cold." The manuscript is being edited and will soon be submitted to a literary agent to be published.

My editor likes the book. She says it is a real page turner and has it all-murder,sex,blackmail and even redemption!

In subsequent posts, I will reveal snippets of the plot and text. Stay tuned!

Greenspan

So, Greenspan says he was 70% accurate. He is a professional, as am I. If I were 70% accurate in my profession, I would be disgraced and drummed out of my profession. Let's ignore this dope and let him sink back into ignominy.

Robert Rubin claims he was unaware of the subprime problem. Americans suffrered and he walks with millions and millions. Talk about being rewarded for incompentency! He should be tarred and feathered on Trinity Place!

The health plan will go down in flames

Once again, the country lacks the political will to go forward on some sort of much needed health plan. There are so many negative forces. The bishops who would sacrifice a plan because of abortion, yet were silent about the deaths of 4000 young people caused by the Bush/Cheney lies. The bishops decry abortion and yet also decry condoms and birth control. As a physician and a father and grandfather, I think abortion is a terrible decision, but so is unplanned pregnancy. Where was Rep. Stupak and his ilk when votes to commit our troops to foreign wars were held? Speaking of hypocrisy!!

The republicans would vote no on any democratic proposal. I believe that most of the negative around Obama is pure and simple racism. They will not let our African-American president look good. Well folks, he is a breath of pure air after the stench of Bush and Cheney.

I have decided to resume my blog. There is so much going on in this greatest country that ever was, that I won't run out of things to comment about. I remain an ardent Obama supporter. That said , I am very disappointed in his presidency to date. He bit off too much and his attention has been scattered. He should have left off health care until he had built up more political capital. No one understands the whole bill (of 2700 pages). The doctors are screwed, the free choicers are sacrificed on the altar of anything to get the bill passed, and the insurers and other fat cats will win another victory.

OK-Check this out: My health care solution (ta da!):

First- Draft all the docs into national service. (a la TSA). Give us all the rank of Colonel (or Captain). A good health and retirement plan. Base housing and a new BMW every 3 years would be nice, too. (ok a Chrysler!) New grads get the rank of Major with rapid merit promotions. Nobel prize winners in Medicine and true innovators can become 4 star generals (or admirals). Pay off all medical school debts. Nationalize all medical schools and make tuition free. Encourage innovations and and cost saving strategies. Reward then generously to incentivize. Increase taxes on all Republicans to 50% marginal tax rate to pay for the programEliminate for-profit health care corporations and the bonuses paid to the CEO's will fund the program further. Ration health care to the patients reasonably expected to survive. Standardize end-of-life care.

See....it's easy! Told 'ya so!

Kid's Medical Insurance

Imagine, W. will veto extension of the SCHIP program which provides health coverage for poor kids! He keeps digging the republicans a deeper grave and making it easier for Hilary. This old doctor wonders what the administration has against this program.