Forward, Into the Past! The Rich Man’s Disease Strikes Again

I have the Rich Man’s Disease, the Disease of Kings.  I have Gout!

Somewhere, the Gods are Laughing.

Artist’s Conception

I’m in good company.  Among the famous sufferers of gout were Henry VIII, Queen Anne of Great Britain, John Calvin, Kublai Khan, Nostradamus, John Milton, Isaac Newton, Henry Fielding, Samuel Johnson, Charles V, Alfred Lord Tennyson, George IV, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, Benjamin Disraeli, Rubens, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, to name but a few.

Notice that all of the names on this list were around prior to the 20th century.  Gout is something I associate with a fat, red-faced English country squire in his powdered wig, gouty foot propped up on a footstool made from a real elephant’s foot, waving his walking stick while damning the Radicals and Freethinkers.

Actually, it sounds like a pretty good gig.

- Poppa

thinking about how I waste time

Thanks to Erin’s most recent post, I’ve been thinking about how I waste time. That part’s simple. I know I waste time on the Internet and watching TV.

What’s not so simple is devising the solutions. I know the solution for too much snacking is “stay out of the kitchen, that’s where the food is”.  The solution for too much shopping is likewise, “stay out of the stores”. But I can’t stay away from the Internet entirely, because the Internet is wonderful! That’s where my e-mail is, and Accuweather, and SparkPeople etc. But the puzzle is how to wean myself from reading celebrity news, shopping sites, and following endlessly entertaining links about amusing topics. The TV is also a tough one. I find myself watching whenever it’s on – even if I’m not the one who selected the program. If John is watching something, I can’t seem to keep my eyes off the pretty pictures. I need to find something I like more than the Internet and more than TV. I’m going to give myself journal-writing assingments and walking assignments.

–Nan

what I do when I’m sick

I’m an impatient person when I’m sick – sort of whiny and miserable. On Tuesday afternoon I didn’t feel so good. I didn’t have my usual enthusiasm for my exercise video Tuesday after work. No really, usually I’m enthusiastic about that. By Wednesday I knew I had a cold. Intellectually I know that the only way to get over a cold is for time to pass. But like I said, I’m impatient. I want to feel better now – you know, the way I felt when I was taking for granted that I felt healthy. Sadly, I can’t take time off from work to have a cold. So I started ramping up my usual illness strategies – orange juice, some of that mucus-buster stuff, soup, no exercise, lots of sleep. But alas, it’s not instant. Again, with the impatience. I devoted this weekend to the business of getting well – no outings, no shopping, no exercise, no household chores. Some of that “no stuff” can be relaxing all by itself. But when coupled with illness, well, I’m just sick and listless – not relaxed.  I found some coping mechanisms that helped me feel better this weekend and I’ll add them to my collection of cold-smashing tactics. Number one, guaranteed to help me feel better – John went to Sen Friday night to pick up Tom Ka Gai soup - spicy, yummy, very encouraging of um, drainage. Other good things - kleenex, many hours of “The Wire” and “The Closer”, foot soaking/pedicure, reading magazines (“The Sun” and “Tricycle”), making Erin’s recipe for Gallo Pinto. Things that didn’t work so well – yogurt, chocolate chip cookies, paying bills. Best thing to do for a cold – let time pass. Then, appreciate it when I’m feeling healthy again.

–Nan