Sunday 8 March 2015

L'Chaim - To Life...

My godson turns 21 today.

I feel very proud, and not a little old.

It's hard to believe that he's about to graduate from college - I mean, I was there when he was born (not actually, but you know what I mean), babysat him when his parents had a night out for their wedding anniversary (he was three), went to his communion and confirmation ceremonies, watched him grow up, and it still doesn't seem like 21 years.

Alex is a good lad, and his parents are my oldest friends and have every reason to be proud of him. Like my nephew, I couldn't be prouder of him than if he were my own son.

Long life to him...

For The Good Of My Health, Part III...

It's been a bizarre few months, health-wise; I've twice been out of work with respiratory infections, and have also had blood tests and some dermatological procedures that, although not life-threatening in any way, have cost more in time, effort and stress than I care to think about.

In some cultures it would have been considered comedy.

The regular reader will have noted that I have had some small concerns regarding my health since June of last year. Possibly involving exposure to deadly Argonite (q.v.) during my career as an interplanetary policeman, there were suggestions of stroke, heart issues and/or other neurological conditions that have largely sidelined me as an active participant in any major heroic endeavour in the last eight months.

And while I realise that such concerns wouldn't stop Clark, Hal or J'onn, I am after all only mortal, so a cardiac event halfway to Neptune would probably mean curtains for the Captain. With that in mind I've been taking things easy for a while and watching my diet, etc.

And it appears to have paid off.

The results of my blood tests came back a couple of weeks ago, and it appears that my cholesterol is 3.0, with all other indicators within normal parameters. This, I'm told by my GP, puts me at 3% risk of heart attack in the next 5 years, while my chance of stroke in the same period is 1%.

I'll take those odds.

The relief is, well, incredible. It's been quite a thing to have had the prospect of early check-out over one's head for the past 9 months, and I think it behooves me to take steps to ensure that I don't need to worry about it ever again.

Life is, after all, too short...

A New Chapter...

 In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Dr. McCoy describes himself as having been, "...for the past 27 years, Chief Medical Office...