Great Line

From idiodyssey.blogspot.com

Pubic Hair
It doesn't keep you all that warm -- unless you're thinking about someone else’s.

The makings of a better golf swing

At my golf class, the instructor gave us an interesting tip and it has helped my iron shots tremendously. He said that PGA tour players grip their clubs at only 25% of their total grip strength during their entire swing -- this also includes when they make contact with the ball.

I hit iron shots for 30 minutes after digesting this tip and the ball did go farther and straighter. I always thought that at contact with the ball, your grip strength should be at 100% ... wrong!

Here's why a loose grip helps your shots. If you are gripping the club too tight, your swing will be affected as your muscles tighten in your hands, arms, back, stomach and neck. Your swing won't be as smooth and contact with the ball won't be optimal. My main problem. The looser you are, while maintaining a proper swing path, the easier it is to make better golf shots.

Take a look at Ernie Els' golf swing. It looks as is if he's barely swinging. This is because his grip is at 25% and thus his body is relaxed and is able to make a proper swing motion without undo muscle tension.

Once you feel comfortable with this grip, concentrate on your swing speed. This helps in hitting the ball farther.

Like I'm the one to ever give advice in golf, but it seemed to help me. I could pass on Angus Glen instruction to you on a weekly basis ... try it and let me know if it helps!

Another phlebitis update

Background reading

After almost two weeks of having slight discomfort in my arm due to phlebitis, it seemed to get better. Than, the other day, I get pain in the arm again, only in a different area. I take a look at the arm and realize that another vein looks swollen. It looks like a big worm has been sewn into my forearm. I had enough of listening to a dentist give me medical advice about my arm and made an apppointment with my doctor.

He looks at the arm and says the original vein will take some time to heal but he's not sure why this second vein has taken ill. He prescribes me with a different kind of anti-inflammatory and says to see him again in a week. He also mentions that if I start to feel any tingling or pain in my fingers, I should get to a hospital immediately as a main blood-supplying artery may have become "phlebitisized" ... this, obviously, is a bad thing. Lovely!

I can see the headlines in the Economist ... "Markham man first person to die from wisdom teeth extraction!"

Ode to tea

I'm really enjoying my cup of English Breakfast tea this morning as I stare out my office window. I find there's something about tea that calms me. When I think of coffee, I think of fast-paced business environments and something to drink to "fire you up." When I'm sipping on tea, I think of family and friends. It relaxes me and slows down the pace. Tea soothes and mellows me and my mood usually brightens. It takes me someplace green and warm. I never have an "experience" the rare times that I do drink coffee.

I had an urge to write this down ... could be the intellectual effects of tea!

"Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company." ~Author Unknown

Boston vs Nirvana

I read an article in the Globe about how certain songs sound the same and how the song writers "borrow" from other songs.

Here's an example of how Kurt Cobain used the guitar riff (he has acknowledged it) from Boston's "More Than a Feeling," to write "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

http://www.deadparrots.net/audio/Boston_vs_Nirvana.mp3

Only a dream

Last night I had a dream that my dad and I were discussing where we were going to watch the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals ... in which the Leafs were playing!! We were giddy with the knowledge that the Leafs were so close to winning the Cup. I could feel my heart racing and I could see the smile on my dad's face -- and then I woke up -- back in the reality of the 38, going on 39- year drought.

Just Because

Cute as a bug on a rug

1) Does anyone know the origin of that saying?
2) C'mon! My nephew is way cuter than any bug on any rug.

That's news to me

I was just on the road and for the first time realized that Leslie Street turns into Don Mills Road at John Street. Am I the last one to discover this?

Think this is hot? Wait till next year

Here's a great article from the Montreal Gazette:

Wed 20 Jul 2005
By Mike Boone

David Suzuki was right. But you didn't listen, did you? All those years during which Suzuki was warning about pollution and climate change, you were watching dumb sitcoms.

Now the humidex is higher than your bank balance, your butt sticks to the toilet seat, the nature of your thing doesn't bear thinking about and old episodes of Charles in Charge won't help. To paraphrase Hardy's admonition to Laurel, it's a fine mess we've gotten ourselves into this time.

All of Suzuki's dire predictions are coming true. And scientists who know what they're talking about - i.e., the ones George W. Bush doesn't listen to - say it will get worse.

The opening scene of this week's Six Feet Under episode showed a guy dropping dead during a bad performance of Chekhov. Then the screen flashed his date of birth: 1948.

Same age as me - only I'm going to keel over watching a saxophone player on Ste. Catherine St. unless the weather improves.

People around town this week say this is the hottest summer they can remember. Wait'll next year - and the year after that, spinning as far into the future as burning hydrocarbons and computer-projected climate change can carry us.

It's like living through a slo-mo disaster movie. Every summer gets a little hotter - OK, this year a lot hotter. And what are we supposed to do? Tell China and India to stop industrializing? Send Bruce Willis up with a giant needle and thread to repair holes in the ozone layer?

Here at The Gazette's Childish Acts of Rebellion desk, we dream of walking around town, clicking our red shoes together and making egregious gas-guzzlers like the Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade or the plus ultra of wretched excess, the execrable Hummer, turn into those cute little two-seater town cars.

It's not going to happen. But you can't blame an Ozone Avenger for fantasizing about making some rich dipspit wonder what happened to his disgusting toy.

Critters in the roof?

The icing on the cake to all my wisdom teeth woes, read previous posts to catch-up if necessary, happened last night. As I'm trying to fall asleep, while my arm throbs with phlebitis, I hear noises in the ceiling like something's crawling up there. The wife noticed some noises a few nights ago. I'm thinking what else could possibly happen to me this past week. I start to sweat as I think about what could be up there and if it could possibly fall through the ceiling and land on our bed. I leave the wife, as she likes her sleep, and I go downstairs to sleep on the couch -- I couldn't hear that scratching noise anymore coming from the ceiling -- it really freaked me out!

So, today I plan on calling some pest control places to see what kind of dealio I've got in my roof -- there's no way I'm popping my head up there to see what it could be -- that's not my bag, man.

I'll keep you updated as things transpire.

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Update: July 19
Since this last posting, I have heard no more of the scampering in the ceiling. I still listen intently just before I fall asleep though.

Phlebitis and me

I have developed phlebitis in my arm. Oh, the joy! My last few posts have related to my wisdom teeth extraction and that's how I developed phlebitis. When the dental surgeon injected the anaesthetic into the vein in my arm, the needle somehow irritated it and the result is phlebitis -- it's an irritation or clot in the vein (click here to read more about phlebitis -- I just love saying that word -- phlebitis -- not glad I have phlebitis though because my arm is killing me!) . So now I'm on anti-inflammatory pills for a week -- to go along with the penicillin and the Tylenol 3's, which I've stopped taking.

Although my jaw pain is almost gone and my gums are healing nicely, the lasting discomfort is coming from my arm -- crazy!

Yes, more on my wisdom teeth

It's been two days since they've been pulled and my face shows no signs of swelling. Well done Dr. Tocchio. Aren't they beauties?!

Kickin' it with a ukelele

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More on the Wisdom Teeth

It's been 8 hours since the teeth have been yanked. This is what I look like currently. Tylenol 3s helping big time although I'm starting to feel a bit of soreness in the jaw, which is still numb. Good news is that there's no swelling yet. Bad news is that I've had pudding, oatmeal and soup so far today ... I'm a little famished. I guess I'm on the wisdom tooth diet!

Adios to my final two wisdom teeth

Yes, in three hours time, I'll be getting my two wisdom teeth yanked. I've only been told by my dentist for the last 20 years to do it! I've never been under anaesthetic before so I'll let you know how I feel in the next posting. I'm still planning to go to my second golf lesson tonight.

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Update: July 19
Anaesthetic portion of the program? I needed help to get back to my buddies car...wobbling everywhere. As for my second golf lesson, I never made it out of the house that night.

Golf School --Lesson 1

I signed up for the Angus Glen Golf School and last night was my first lesson. It's a two-month course, twice a week for an hour each night. After we introduced each other and explained why we signed up, we began the first lesson which was all about putting. After the "theory,"we spent 30 minutes putting on the carpet in the Mackenzie Room. The two instructors went around to each person and gave them simple pointers on how to improve their stroke. Hopefully, it won't be raining on Wednesday, when lesson two takes place, so we can actually putt on some greens. It appears that there's a mixed bag of skill level in our co-ed group of 10.

I'm hoping these lessons improve my game. I'll let you know with further postings in this blog.