Glamour Drugs?

Before you google or search “Glamour Drugs”, the following is my definition for its use in this venting/blurting/blog. Glamour Drug: beautiful ads for drugs we see online, on television, and in print. Wow, I wouldn’t mind getting some of them; most are very enticing which makes for good ad copy. I guess the drug companies need to recruit all of us medical laypersons to lobby our doctors for that which we seek (or uninformed about)!

I grew up as a healthy child. At least I thought I was healthy, and still feel that way. The medicine cabinet in our home consisted of 1 bottle of aspirin, 1 bottle of iodine (for me, the only boy; burned like hell), 1 bottle of mercurochrome (for my three sisters; did not burn), 1 jar of Vicks, and a box of band aides. I ate three meals a day, drank milk and water and, if I was lucky, indulged in one bottle of soda every two weeks. During the school year my schedule consisted of school, ball practice, dinner, chores, 1hr personal time, then bed.

Before the second grade, I frequented the emergency rooms of hospitals more frequently than “Tim the Tool man Taylor”, so I was told. I could not stay out of stuff. However, beginning with the second grade, I knew how sharp razor blades, glass, and knives were. I learned the dangers of fire, how metal fans worked, and that bicycle spokes don’t just disappear when you are peddling the bike when the bike is in the upside down position (that one cost me a portion of a finger). I also learned about depth perception when it came to jumping off a barn into a six-inch swimming pool! Hey, I threw my Beagle in first and she did not limp the next day. Further, I learned not to eat the chocolate bar in the blue & white box that was occasionally in our refrigerator or drink a lot from the non-refrigerated grape juice bottle on the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet next to dads cough medicine. Oh yes, beginning in the second grade, on the rare occasion I went to the doctor, the professional opinion was usually “growing pains”. That’s it, until the seventh & twelfth grade when some attention had to be given to my legs (I abused them in sports, actually, Jeff B. abused one of them in the twelfth grade).

Today, if you have diarrhea, you probably take something to stop it, then after you are stopped up, you take something else to “clear the way” usually ending back to diarrhea. Glamour drugs are available for ANYTHING today. There are even glamour drugs that take care of the side affects of glamour drugs.

When my grand parents were 70+ years old (early 1980’s), they had one, perhaps two prescriptions that they were taking. When my mother-in-law passed a few years ago, she had a Monday-Sunday pillbox for Morning, Noon, & Evening. Fifteen to twenty pills a day and many doctor office visits to “keep the dosage right”! She lived 6 years longer than my grand parents and two years longer than her mother.

Quit complaining about the drugs and be thankful you’re healthy!

Yes, I hear you. However, I am concerned that glamour drugs are replacing proper rest, exercise & diet. I will reduce the final part of this blog to one pill, Viagra.

To start with, I’ve never had Viagra or any of the Viagra want-to-be’s. Lucky me?! However, a deaf and blind man will turn his head and pay attention to an advertised disclaimer stating, “ in the event your erection lasts more than FOUR HOURS …”. What, I want to run to the store and get some of that! Are you kidding me? I’d be “King of the hill, A number 1, King Kong”! Awoooooo!

Ok, that was close; I almost had to google some. Seriously, my circle of male buddies and or acquaintances is quite small; lets say 150 to 200 guys (included all acquaintances). During the past two years 6 have died, all between 46 and 53, all that would want to be “King of the Hill”. Found dead in bed, the bathroom and one while getting up to get the remote for the television. Heart failure.

If the government (FDA) is NOT FOR prolonging life but rather sustaining life to the extent of the current status quo, then, is our health not a ping-pong ball in a small wooden box rapidly ricocheting off the walls of pharmaceutical companies? What if we learn 10-20 years from now that the glamour drugs, that use to be advertised on TV (you’re kidding granddaddy, advertised?), actually lowered life expectancy? Perhaps that would stretch out entitlements a few more years?

I continue to explore my uncharted boundaries as an adult, as I did as a child. Trying new things, like this blog. Eliminating that which is inside, via this blog, purges one thought and provides room for another. It’ kind of like being In-Between Swing Sets.

It's Only my Mother...

Well, the title could have said, my Dad, Uncle, Aunt, or any other Family Member or Best Friend.

My wife called around noon today, wondering when my 17-year-old son was going to show up at work (she is his boss). Her tone and what seemed to be a few hundred words (reminded me of when adults talked in any Charlie Brown episode) meant she was angry. Our son was taking advantage of having his mother as his boss.

I intercepted our youngest child (he has an older brother & sister) before he got into his car to go to work and recited dad's advice #14,234. I think that is the number. "Son, when your parent is your boss, coach, teacher or any other authority figure you need to work a little harder, demonstrate more respect, and be more considerate, just to be an equal of non family." Right or wrong, as a coach, my children had to work harder than their counterparts to be equal.

As parents (mostly biased parents), we have seen sons & daughters of instructors, coaches, directors, etc. catapulted to stardom when their skills did not demonstrate the "greatness" of others. We could complain, change venues, educate our children how unfair life is or use the energy to better ourselves.

Readers, please don't get in my face on this one. Equality? Fairness? Get Real! This is life.

Son, ALWAYS choose to be better.

-There is no difference in the professional world. As an Instructor for a college I have seen individuals teaching that did not know the subject matter of what they were teaching, when others, with years of experience, were available.

-At a trade show, a man was conducting a session on how to profit from multiple owned shops while he was entering bankruptcy trying to run multiple shops.

After my child left, I reflected back on my teachers & coaches. My mother and father never coached me in any sport, and they were not formal educators.

My best recollection concerns Kevin and myself. Kevin and I played trumpet. Kevin's dad was a great man, which I owe much to, and he was our band director for years. Long story short, Kevin was better than I at sight-reading, tone and dynamics. I guess I was good at douits - dits - wawoos -neya or other weird sounds (soulful I might add) than Kevin. Kevin and I would vacillate between 1st and 2nd chair when Kevin should have always been the 1st chair. What a guy! Admit this 30+ years later? Well, clarity introduces itself when you’re In-Between Swing Sets.