Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to me!

How fortunate I have been in the joys, relationships and careers I have experienced. My down moods seem absurd, except, of course, when I'm in them.

I expect improved health and new interests.

Tide Pool

I used to enjoy visiting the tide pool on the ocean side of Point Loma, near the end of the landmark peninsula. I waded in the shallow cove, took lots of photos, looked out to sea. The incoming tide splashed dramatically against the rocks, sending up geysers of whitewater and bubbles. The outgoing tide uncovered mossy rocks, and once in a while a small abalone. Kids found great adventure negotiating the rocks, windmilling their arms for balance. In the shallow puddles on shore, there was the occasional tiny crab scuttling, or a small starfish. Sea slugs are big and purple and kind of disturbing, the way they blob and slide along.

People aren't supposed to take anything away from the tide pool, but they've been doing so for many years. It's sad that there are so few life forms, compared to the tide pools film shown in Cabrillo National Park. There are some anemones, seaweeds, lichens, and lots of limpets. Limpets cling to the rock so hard that it is scarred all over with round pits. It makes an interesting texture.

A ranger explained one day that when abalone thrive, the otter population explodes. The otters eat the abalone. When there are no longer enough abalone to feed all the otters, the otter population shrinks. Then the abalone increase, until the cycle starts again. Harvesting abalone is forbidden now along the US coast. It used to be a good cash crop. I had some years ago and liked it very much. It's still legal in Mexico, but the shells I've seen are a lot smaller than the old shells I've seen used to burn sage in Lakota ceremonies.

The sea is still there. We no longer think of it as inexhaustible. But it sure is big. And the salt wind is refreshing.

Cut Cards

Strange Campaign Choice

Sarah Palin seems a strange choice as a running mate for McCain. I think it was David Brooks on the Lehrer report who said McCain wanted Joe Lieberman or a governor whose name I forget. Supposedly McCain was told (by his party?) that he couldn't have a running mate who wasn't strongly against reproductive choice. Palin fits that bill. But surely there aren't that many voters whose religious/ethical opinion on that subject completely overrides common sense. A Veep can become a President. What about ability in Congressional politics, which has to involve compromise and mediation? What about a sense of the big picture, nationally and globally? What about careful decision-making process? Palin's performance has shown she has often been so sure she was right that she didn't need to gather information and support, relying instead on her gut instincts. She's flamboyant and interesting. In a televised interview with Charlie Gibson, she also showed a disconcertingly smug affect, impervious to ideas and needs that didn't fit the campaign agenda. She's in way over her head. She appears to be having a wonderful time with all the attention. I guess she could be a figurehead, managed by party bigwigs and civil servants. Or so they may think. She looks pretty unmanageable to me.

Inspiration

Last night at the Denver stadium, Barak Obama convinced me that he can be a gifted and inspiring leader. He's grown into the stature that has been hoped for him.

Can he do what he says he will if he is President? Who knows? No past president has achieved much more than progress on goals for US society and economy. No one person can or administration can. All too many have brought regression instead.

The video about his life showed that he really does know our people and has been at work in grassroots, bottom-up democracy for many years.

Go get that Goliath, David.

"How To" Article Can Help Prevent Alcohol Problems

This morning I was awakened by a phone call of congratulations on my letter to the editor, which I had not realized was published yesterday in the San Diego Union Tribune. The caller was an enthusiastic parent and activist who supports a ban on booze on Ocean Beach. Several beach communities in the area have already taken this step, which makes it much more pleasant and safe to enjoy the beautiful beaches nearby.

I had responded to yesterday's Union Tribune Health feature called "Sober Assessment," which gave succinct practical information on how much alcohol various drinks contain. It gave good guidelines on how to tell if one is too much affected by alcohol to drive with good judgment, and reported on heading off alcohol problems before they become severe.

Color photos of various drinks showed how much volume it takes to get one ounce or "one shot," a basic measure of alcohol. An ounce of whiskey, 6 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer contain the same amount of alcohol. Many people who drink a six-pack of beer in a couple of hours are amazed that they have had the equivalent of six shots of hard liquor.

Another part of the article asked doctors to query their patients routinely about how many days recently they have had at least one drink. That simple question can lead to taking alcohol use seriously as part of health care. Many medications become harmful or deadly when they combine with alcohol.

It made me very uneasy to read that drinks served in bars are usually stronger than people realize. An ounce and a half of, say, gin, in a fruity mixed drink, or a beer glass that holds 16 ounces or more, starts impairing a person faster than the person expects. Relaxing and socializing shouldn't make a person sick.

Olympics Awe

Teenage girls hurl themselves through punishing gymnastics routines, to win by a few tenths of a point. They're all so good, and they represent only a tiny percentage of thousands of young girls all over the world who train, and dream, for years. Like the girls who train in ballet, some will make a life career, most will not. Maybe everything later will seem second best; or, maybe, they will transfer the courage, discipline, and drive to new goals.

What a feast of excellence we are witnessing through the televised Olympics. Swimmers, divers, discus throwers, the Jamaican sweep in Track and Field, team sports, solo sports - it's overwhelming how much achievement we are witnessing, and how much it takes to organize and support sports. It's encouraging.

I certainly would rather experience nationalism and conflict through sports than through war.