Is your CPAP on the shelf?

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Respironics DreamWear Nasal CPAP Mask

CPAP for moderate to severe sleep apnea can be life saving. You may need some help and coaching to make it work well. The biggest problem is the interface – how to connect the machine to your nose or mouth. It may take some experimenting with nasal pillows, nasal/mouth mask or even a full face mask. Different manufacturers have different styles, shapes, etc. The one above is a popular “nasal pillow” device from Respironics.

Resident Sally Soest is our local expert having written a book for patients with sleep apnea with Dr. Ralph Pascualy. She notes that patient adherence to CPAP is often due to lack of education and support. In addition to following closely with a sleep specialist she recommends viewing this educational support site.

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Philosophy of dogs (or politicians)?

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Jim deMaine

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Joseph Oregon and the lost wax process

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Jim deMaine

austin_barton-attitude_adjustmentIf you’re on the road to Sun Valley, you can turn off at Pendleton heading toward LaGrande, then turning off to Enterprise ultimately winding up in Joseph in the northeast corner of Oregon.  Named after Chief Joseph, the famous Nez Pierce leader who lived  in this gorgeous land, the area remains sacred to their descendants. If you love sculpture and the beauty of nature, this area is definitely worth the detour and is relatively “undiscovered.”

Multiple artists, two bronze foundries and several galleries are present in this tiny town tucked into the Wallowa Mountains and Eagle Cap Wilderness. A tour a foundry is a must to learn about the ancient lost wax process.

A beautiful example created by our resident artist is beautifully displayed in Skyline’s 5th floor elevator lobby.

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Ancient Wisdom

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Jim deMaine

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Grief

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Just as loss becomes more acute with aging, grief tags along affecting us all in waves varying over time depending on the circumstances. The New York Times has a worthwhile article stating: “Although many of us are able to speak frankly about death, we still have a lot to learn about dealing wisely with its aftermath: grief, the natural reaction to loss of a loved one.

“Relatively few of us know what to say or do that can be truly helpful to a relative, friend or acquaintance who is grieving. In fact, relatively few who have suffered a painful loss know how to be most helpful to themselves.”

Click here to read this excellent overview which also recommends a few books worth reading. I’ve never liked the term “closure.” We never really close the door on grief, but some degree of resilience allows us to keep going.

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The difference of new and old money

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Jim deMaine

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Posted in Humor | 1 Comment

A Man Called Ove

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Jim deMaine

The Skyline book club will be discussing “A Man Called Ove” in its February 12th gathering. All, of course, are welcome whether you’ve read the book or not.

How can a book about an old Swedish curmudgeon, the death of a spouse, grieving, fights with neighbors and a such characters as a pregnant Iranian woman, an obese boy, a gay boy in crisis and an obsession with automobiles wind up being, of all things, a comedy! The story has themes of hardship and friendship combating grief in which a kind heart becomes gradually revealed. I found that the movie follows the book quite closely – both are worth seeing/reading. The movie is available on Amazon Prime.

Apparently this top-selling movie has done so well that Tom Hanks is starring in a remake English language version. I love Hanks, but can’t imagine how he can improve on the original (other than speaking English instead of Swedish).

Posted in Grief, Humor, Movies | 1 Comment

The Twin Terry Towers, starting 2/12

Posted on January 15, 2018 by William Calvin
Looking west over the top of the Frye. That building in the middle is The Terraces. The Skyline Tower is hidden behind the northern twin tower; it is four stories shorter than the new twin towers.

Looking west over the top of the Frye, with St. James to the right.  That building in the middle, between the twin towers, is The Terraces. The Skyline Tower is hidden behind the northern twin tower; it is four stories shorter than the new twin towers.

This shows the original design where each floor stepped a little sideways; the final design has no creep but instead one big step every ten floors or so.

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Portland’s weirdness facing some unwelcome changes

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Jim deMaine

For years, Portland has been the symbol for laid-back, inexpensive quirkiness, but the city may be losing that identity. 60 minutes had an revealing report yesterday showing that Portland’s problems are beginning to echo Seattle’s problems. Despite being a progressive city, it has problems with clashing cultures, growth, expensive housing and homelessness. In a state that once outlawed African Americans, the diversity in Portland doesn’t begin to match Seattle’s. Click the link below to watch the reporter’s take on the city which can’t remain the same as pictured in the TV series, Portlandia.

https://www.cbsnews.com/videos/portland/

 

 

 

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Be Prepared

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Jim deMaine

missle threat 2

A friend was vacationing in Kauai and reports some local news: “One of the best stories was from a humorous employee of Living Foods – the Whole Foods-like market and coffee bar. The dairy products and ice cream had just arrived outside when the alert came. The store was to be closed and the employees were to seek shelter at the Marriott.

“John, refused to go and said leave a door open so I can bring the dairy products into the store. They told him that, “what if the missile explodes on the island”?

John said, “I’ll have seared Ahi tuna and plenty of wine, which I’ll bring down on my bike to the Marriott bunker”!

He also felt this might have happened —-

Launch not lunch

Let’s hope this fake news is a warning in itself – as the Boy Scouts (and Tom Lehrer) have always said “Be Prepared.”

 

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Wine for dinner?

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Jim deMaine

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Oregonians freak out about pumping their own gas

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Actually, I think Oregon may have had it right. Can you remember pulling into a nice Texaco station, being welcomed at the pump and filling up for 26 cents a gallon, having the oil checked and windows washed? Those long gone days actually weren’t in neighboring Oregon. Oregon was only one of two states that, until January 1st, where it was against the law to pump your own gas. Actually, I wouldn’t mind staying in my car on these cold rainy days getting friendly service for my car and it might even provide a few jobs for those who need them.

Oregonians seem to be missing the pampering and coming up with all kinds of, gasp, dangers and problems in trying to fill your own tank. George Wills of the Washington Post has a funny take on this. Click here for the article.

Posted in Business, Essays, Humor, Law | 2 Comments

Waiting for a charge

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Tesla charging station

Two hours north of of LA we pulled into a small town to check into a motel. Right next door was this beautiful well-lighted place that looked weirdly futuristic. It was one of multiple national Tesla charging stations. In a way, Tesla had to “over build” these in order to sell Teslas. The problem is the well publicized delay in the Model 3. There aren’t enough of them out there to fill up these charging stations. Click here for the article in Wired.

Remember the documentary back in 2006 “Who Killed the Electric Car.” You can watch it by clicking here. General Motors had a pretty good head start beginning back in the 90’s with the EV1, but it was killed off and all models destroyed – reportedly from pressure from the oil industry. General Motors could be far ahead if they hadn’t caved in.

If you order a Tesla now, you may want to make sure you get one before the 200,000th one is sold. Under the current tax law, the $7500 tax credit will be phased out. According to the NYT, “Electric Vehicle Tax Credit Survives, but G.M. and Tesla Aren’t Cheering.” Click here for the article.

 

Posted in History, Science and Technology | 1 Comment

Modern Medicine

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Jim deMaine

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A sign of the times to come

Posted on January 12, 2018 by William Calvin

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In the neighborhood (remember to look up)

Posted on January 12, 2018 by William Calvin

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Working in her pajamas

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Jim deMaine

PBS had an interesting presentation about a millennial who is trying to describe what work is when one is so into social media. I’m not sure of any lesson learned, but I found it interesting that she felt towards the end that we may well need to go backward toward a slower pace sans cellphone – perhaps to keep our sanity.

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Looking too much alike

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Jim deMaine

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“WeCroak”

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Jim deMaine

I’m somewhat shocked about this one, an app for your phone reminding us 5 times a day that we’re going to die. Wow. I felt like death was my constant companion when I was in Critical Care Medicine where mortality was always in question. The nurses joked that they would give me a black cape for making rounds (typical gallows humor in the medical workplace).

But someone has created this app and for only 99 cents one can get an (annoying) mortality reminder although I doubt anyone our age could possibly need it. Perhaps though there is an argument though that the generations below us could benefit – probably the millennials for sure.

In the NYT: “WeCroak, Mr. Bergwall said, was born of Bhutanese folklore saying that to be happy, one ought to contemplate death five times a day. For the more than 9,000 users of WeCroak, most in their 20s and 30s, he said, there is no time like the moment to get a grip on life by embracing mortality.

“Hovering near the top of the App Store’s paid health and fitness chart, the app, which I first read about in The Atlantic, is an exhortation to mindfulness. “Meditation urges you to focus on your breath,” Mr. Bergwall said. ‘It’s the same thing with remembering that you’re mortal. You forget, so you need something strong, someone telling you straight out, being blunt about it.’”

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Note from American Society on Aging (ASA)

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Jim deMaine

“ASA cheers last night’s passage in the U.S. Senate of the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act, which aims to examine new strategies for supporting family caregivers throughout the country, where they make it possible for older adults and people with disabilities to live independently. The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version in mid-December and the bill next goes to the president’s desk before becoming law.

The RAISE Family Caregivers Act instructs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a strategy to support family caregivers by establishing an advisory body that brings together representatives from the private and public sectors to advise and make recommendations. The strategy will identify recommended actions for communities, providers, government and others to take and support family caregivers.

Family caregivers are the backbone of services in this country. The nation relies on their contributions and we should identify ways to offer them support.

The RAISE Act is a common-sense step to help support family caregivers nationwide and we urge President Donald Trump to sign the bill into law as soon as possible.”

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Operation Sack Lunch

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Jim deMaine

From Freeway Park Association: “Join us for our first ever Community Lunch in the Park! We have partnered with our friends at Operation Sack Lunch and Compass Housing Alliance to offer a free, hot and nutritious meal in the park, to inspire community, conversation and enjoyment of Freeway Park.

We will be serving from 12-1:30pm and we will provide tables, chairs, heaters and live music from beloved busker, Pasquale.

We will be accepting $ donations to support Operation Sack Lunch’s acquisition of an Mobile Meal Kitchen vehicle.

Friday January 26, 2018
12:00-2:00 pm
Seneca Plaza (600 Seneca St.)”

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The President’s Physical

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Flash! On physical examination several love bites were discovered. On further investigation they were found to be self-inflicted.

Posted in Humor | 1 Comment

There was a time B.A. (before Amazon)

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Jim deMaine

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Posted in Business, Finance, History, Humor | 2 Comments

Experts Forecast Long-Term Stock and Bond Returns: 2018 Edition

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Jim deMaine

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Morningstar summarizes the predictions for equities and bonds in a lead article: click here to read the somewhat gloomy returns predicted. Other experts, of course, disagree. Someone once defined an expert to me as “some SOB from out of town with a briefcase and a glitzy PowerPoint presentation.” Well, what’s your prediction? If it’s 4% for equities and 3% for bonds over the next 10 years, it’s going to be rough going for a lot of retirees.

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