Today is Sunday, January 13 and there are only 130 days until Memorial Day, so start stocking up on sun block and getting your bathing suits ready.  Today we remember the birthdays of Jan J Goyen, Salmon P Chase and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. On this day in 1559 Elizabeth I was crowned queen of England in Westminster Abbey, in 1794 Congress changed the US flag to 15 stars and 15 stripes and in 1969 the Beatles released the “Yellow Submarine” album. In Ghana today is Redemption Day, in Togo it is Liberation Day and in the US it is Stephen Foster Memorial Day, National Rubber Ducky Day and National Peach Melba Day. 

I heard a news report recently that said most people will break their New Year’s resolutions by January 12 of this year – yesterday. What that means is that a) people made resolutions that were far too difficult to keep, b) people did not really want to keep the resolutions and just made them to sound like they were really going to work on improving themselves or c) were too weak to stay the course and follow through with their improvement plan. I generally do not make resolutions. I have intentions. I intend to walk more and get some exercise. This is simple to do because during the last couple months of last year I did not walk much at all. To walk more would mean getting out even two days a week. So far, I have not completely achieved my intentions, but I intend to, soon.

I have always believed that resolutions should be things that are achievable.  In the past I made resolutions like not dressing like an English gentleman or calling my grandsons Sport. I have easily achieved those and am proud of myself for keeping my resolutions. Many people make resolutions like losing weight or quitting smoking or not drinking as much. Then midnight hits and they drink a number of glasses of champagne, have some pastries for dessert and go outside for a quick smoke before having more champagne and cake.

If you need to wait until New Year’s Eve to do something that is good for your health then you have other issues that you need to work on. That is like resolving to be more careful with a hammer right after you smack your thumb with one. There are things we should do that are good for us or thoughtful or necessary. But we don’t need to wait until the end of the year to do them, especially if we are going to abandon them less than two weeks into the year.

The question that comes to my mind is how are these experts able to pinpoint the day that we will fail? Have they done surveys over the past few years and found that, based on historic information, we are becoming less able to hold to our resolutions and that, as a result, this year we will fail by the 12^th? Does that mean that in the next few years we will ultimately fail before we get started? “I was going to make a resolution to lose weight, but that cake looks delicious, so never mind.”  I think I will make a resolution to ignore this type of information because there is no real data to back it up. What makes it better is that I made it the day after I was supposed to break it, so I have until next year to worry about it!

Here is something that I have been wondering about. I hear this warning all the time. Why do I have to be tested periodically for TB when taking a drug? What could possibly be so wrong with me that I would risk TB to take this medication? Many of the drugs they are pushing tell you that you may experience depression and/or suicidal thoughts. I’m sorry, but a drug taken for depression should not cause suicidal thoughts. That seems somewhat counterproductive. It seems to me that the drugs they are coming out with lately cause more problems than they fix. It makes you wonder if the drug manufacturers are doing this on purpose. Take this drug to fix your joint problems, but it can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, swollen tongue, skin rash, rickets and toe nail fungus. But don’t worry, we have a drug that will combat your depression, but it will cause suicidal thoughts, severe headaches, blurred vision, swollen joints and a desire to laugh like Santa Claus. You should also be tested periodically for TB, scurvy and beriberi.  

One of the pills that really interests me is the drug for Erectile Dysfunction. I notice that they are always very careful to warn you to contact a doctor if your erection lasts for more than four hours. That sounds like more of a problem for your partner than you. “Oh no, not again.  Get that thing away from me.  Go hang clothing on it or something.” I also like the commercial where the couple is sitting in separate bath tubs looking at the sunset. Is this before or after? How do they even have sex if they are in different tubs?  Does she use a different tub in case he goes on for over four hours? Do you have to have sex in the tub after taking that pill, for some reason? Do you have to show that you own the tubs before they will fill the prescription? Just another one of those things that makes you go h-m-m-m-m-m.

This week our fact tells us that each year there are more than 40,000 toilet related injuries in the US. When I read this, I went into the bathroom and studied the toilet to figure out what could possibly cause all those injuries. Quite frankly I am stumped. I can see problems if the seat is left up (yes you guys) but otherwise I am puzzled. I will try to find out more about this and let you know the results of my research.