A family reunion can raise the BP I think

I saw a piece in Monday's Tribune about the deleterious effects of having ambivalent friends. Such friends raise blood pressure and increase the chances of heart disease. This is according to a new study completed jointly at the University of Utah and BYU to be published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. BP and heart issues are at risk, quote, "In fact... blood pressure and heart rate rises by merely being in the presence of such friends." I have to wonder if this extends to in-laws as I am headed toward a family reunion this weekend. Maybe I will need to take some extra medication. Can I wear garlic around my neck, maybe have a crucifix in my pocket? The study also concluded that when people discuss past negative events with an ambivalent friend, their health suffers. This means for certain any discussion of past uncomfortable events with my in-laws is to be avoided at all costs. I plan on taking along a couple good books though. I am leaning toward secular humanist George Lakoff's "Moral Politics". He has some well thought out insights why R's hate gun control, support the Iraq War, deny the anthropogenic causes of global warming, think the GLTG community threatens mine or anyone else's marriage and believe George W. Bush is a God fearing Christian.

Solamente para mi esposa iré a la reunión, debido a amor. Muchas gracias mi esposa por todas cosas.

A view at the gym

Stanley Parrish is one of the executives with the Tabernacle Choir. He also happens to be a close friend of Orrin Hatch. I have read he gets paid nice sums of money for advice by Orrin along with Mac Christensen. Mac is the president of the Choir and owner of Mr. Macs. Stanley is my first cousin and a gentlemen. This morning at the gym I spied him using one of the nautilus machines. He had on an "Orrin" T-shrt. I complimented him on how well he looked except for that shirt. He responded that it was a great shirt. I advised him I was a Democrat and had voted against Hatch in every election I could. He chuckled and said he knew I was.

We discussed bad backs, politics and old age. Nevertheless, it was nice to see a member of the family even if he is a member of the dark side and close to the evil senator, emperor wannabe.

Dark water and KIng Salmon fishing

Darkwater is not the name of the largest and most well financed mercenary army in the world. That is Blackwater and they are getting paid big bucks in Iraq. The guy in this photo from the stern of the Trek II is known as 'Wally' to the locals of Ft. Bragg CA He is 86 years old and was on Admiral Kimmel's staff in WWII. To win the WWII trivia test you must correctly identify who was Admiral Kimmel without googling or other help. If you know the answer let me know. I knew the answer and told Wally where he was when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Because of that and maybe for other reasons Wally and I struck up a friendship. Later in the war Wally was a driver on a naval vessel off Iwo Jima. Every day at 8:00 AM they buried the American dead. Early on in the Battle of Iwo, Wally said, they were burying four hundred GI's every day. WWII was the 'last good war' a number of observers have said.

Wally has done a lot of things in the world and has seen a lot in his day. He is a master of many things. When I grow up I would like to be like Wally. He knows about catching salmon too and what kind of lure to use on any day. Salmon like dark water the best and the temperature they like off the coast of Northern CA is 52°F. I saw Wally on two days. We went fishing with him on our Friday before Memorial weekend and visited with him prior to our leaving the second day. Wally gave us a salmon to land and take home. He told us what lures to use and where to stand in the boat. #1 daughter and I complied. We caught two fish though one escaped when it was close to the stern. The deck hand did not quite grab it well enough. Tequila Sunrise is a good lure to use when the water is clear. Also the King Salmon like purple lures when the water is clear. Green is a better color when it is dark.

Thank you Wally for being a patriot, for being generous, for caring and truly being an 'officer and a gentlemen'. I am glad you survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the entire Pacific campaign. It was a pleasure meeting you and knowing about your past. The salmon on the grill was superb too.