Shower

“I really enjoy taking an outdoor shower.”  David Duchovny

“My favorite way to blow off steam is to sing obnoxiously loud in the shower.”  Chris Pratt

“I always sing Adele in the shower. But everyone should know you never sing an Adele song in public because no one’s better than Adele.”  Lea Michele

(Photo taken 8/5/2015.)

Medical marijuana debuts in Illinois but some patients turned away

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-illinois-medical-marijuana-first-day-met-20151108-story.html

After years of taking anti-inflammatory drugs and prescription painkillers that messed up his stomach, the 52-year-old Chicagoan who has degenerative spinal disease said he hoped that marijuana would help him reduce his use of such medications. After seeing cannabis help his sister with multiple sclerosis, and trying it himself in Colorado, he said he’s convinced of its benefits…

Further lending a mood of secrecy to the proceedings, no customers are allowed inside the dispensaries unless they have been certified by a doctor as having one of about 40 specified debilitating medical conditions, such as cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis. Patients have to submit fingerprints to pass a criminal background check and must show a state-issued photo ID.

Some patients were turned away because they had not yet registered online with one dispensary, as required. Some said they didn’t have time to register since receiving their IDs as recently as Friday or Saturday.

One of those who left empty-handed was Ryan Flannigan, of Palos Heights, who has spinal arthritis and muscular dystrophy and walks with a cane at age 24.

“It’s depressing. … I’ve been waiting two years for this moment,” Flannigan said…

Second in line outside The Clinic was Edwin Schlesser, who drove north from Streamwood to buy medication that he said is preferable to the narcotics prescribed to him for a spinal condition.

“My doctor was actually proud of me for never taking the pain pills,” said Schlesser, expressing worries about addiction…

Thinking of Andrew Alan Myers, Jennifer Vasquez, and Christy Galella

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-horwitz/the-price-of-normalizing_b_8521488.html

On Halloween Day, Naomi Bettis of Colorado Springs saw her neighbor across the street walking around with a black rifle, a handgun and two gasoline cans, and she called 911 promptly at 8:45 a.m. Bettis was so unnerved by what she saw that she canceled her own plans to get in her car and leave home. She also reported that the man appeared to have broken the window of a ground-floor business.

The dispatcher’s response to Bettis? “Well, it is an open carry state, so he can have a weapon with him or walking around with it, but of course, having those gas cans, it does seem pretty suspicious. So we’re going to keep the call going for that.” The dispatcher ultimately created a possible burglary in progress call. Colorado Springs police have clarified that a priority 2 level call of this nature describes a situation “with potentially dangerous circumstance but no apparent imminent life threat.” No officers were dispatched to the scene.

At 8:56 a.m., Bettis called 911 again. By this time it was too late to prevent tragedy. “Some guy was just riding his bike through the alley and the guy [armed with the rifle] started shooting him,” Bettis reported, crying. “[The man who was on the bike is] laying in the driveway … Please send somebody here.” …

Police confronted the suspect, Noah Harpham, 33, in the street. When he pointed a gun at the officers, they were forced to kill him. He was armed with an AR-15 rifle, a .357 caliber revolver and a 9mm semiautomatic pistol. By the time they brought him down, Harpham had killed three people: bicyclist Andrew Alan Myers, 35; and then Jennifer Vasquez, 42, and Christy Galella, 35…

Most Vets Don’t Qualify For VA Dental Care. So These Dentists Are Giving It For Free

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/veterans-dental-care_56426cc3e4b0f128bfdafef0

As part of its growing efforts to support underserved patients, Aspen Dental, which has more than 500 offices nationwide, dispensed a mobile unit throughout the country for the first time last year…

Before connecting with Aspen, Bell says his mouth’s decrepit state turned him into a recluse…  “I didn’t go out in public,” Bell said. “I had such an ugly smile, I didn’t get out at all.”

He told HuffPost that the VA repeatedly turned him down for dental care and didn’t provide him with any information about potential plans he could even pay for. The VA does offer veterans the opportunity to purchase dental insurance through Delta Dental and MetLife at a reduced cost, Meagan Lutz, VA press officer, told HuffPost.

While Bell didn’t have the confidence to leave the house, or resources to take care of his oral hygiene, he did his best to deal with his other plaguing medical issues, which were covered by the VA. In 2010, cancer led the Arkansas man to have a kidney removed. He’s now in remission. Bell was also facing diabetes, which he says is now at bay after he lost 90 pounds.

Though Bell also had big dreams of becoming a pilot with the Arkansas Forestry Commission, he felt he had no chance of getting accepted because of his appearance. But Bell says he’s now feeling confident about putting those plans into action after getting a full workup at an Aspen Dental office in Bryant, Arkansas…

Through its Healthy Mouth Movement, the organization dispenses a mobile office to 30 states throughout the year. Local Aspen dentists and hygienists volunteer to work on the tractor-trailer when it comes through town, which handles services from X-rays to extractions.

Back in June, Aspen dentists committed a day of service on a Saturday to seeing underserved veterans and, starting Veterans Day, it’s offering a 25 percent discount to any vet through the end of 2015…

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(Photo taken by my sister at the 2013 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.)