Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
The nation’s attention seems to be directed at our hospitals, though perhaps not enough of us are attending to the precautions we should take to stay out of hospitals.
A friend of mine had a heart attack this week. Younger even than me, he and his wife were surprised by his sudden heart pains. The paramedics wisely transported him to a hospital in Sacramento that had the sophisticated equipment necessary for doctors to diagnose and treat his heart.
I’m grateful that my friend’s medical procedures were successful, and now I have deepened my understanding of angioplasty and stents, miraculous technologies that save and lengthen lives. As I write this, my friend is already back at home resting comfortably. He said tonight that it was strange not to have buttons on the side of his bed. His sweet and enormous dog, with whom I got to spend several hours on Wednesday, is happy to have him home.
Any of us could imagine much worse outcomes for my friend. The New York Times revealed this week that the omicron variant of the coronavirus is so contagious that many people who go to the hospital for unrelated reasons, such as to set a broken bone or to have a baby, are testing positive for the virus. Hospitals in wealthy and in economically depressed areas of the country are overrun, with the staff shortages causing even more problems than the overflow of covid patients.
I’m no health educator or epidemiologist, but I believe that it is time again to flatten the curve, primarily by staying out of buildings where people can be found. A friend re-shared this dark poem online today:
2019: avoid negative people
2020: avoid positive people
2021: avoid people
2022: a void
Another friend reminded me of a statement by the Canadian health educator Joyce Sunada: “If you don’t take time for your wellness, you will be forced to take time for your illness.”
Do such memes console us in a time of such widespread anxiety and grief? Even the healthiest among us who attend to the best wellness advice (typically that means eat lots of greens and healthy fats, exercise and sleep regularly, and avoid even the most popular toxins) will one day have to take time to attend to our illnesses.
We grow the most from mistakes and mishaps, either our own, or those that we see or read are being experienced by others. But for that growth to take place, we have to take important first courageous steps. As Maya Angelou said, “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”
I hope that 2022 is more an opportunity for courage, rather than a void, for all of us. January is a time of resolutions. I hope the results of your wellness resolutions include you staying out of crowded buildings, and staying healthy enough to support the people in your circles and in our community who need it most.
This week’s Pub Quiz will feature some topics raised above, as well as questions on the following: Snakes, quarters, illegal drugs, Nobel Prize winners, peninsulas, American cities, seeds, furtive words, McDonald’s, ersatz boats, big gorillas, mints, state history, jotters, messengers, champions, spoons, backup dancers, people born in Canada, babies, speeches, caps, important books, Oscar winners, somewhat recognizable flags, kilograms, assists, fairies, current events, and Shakespeare.
Poetry Night Thursday at 7 will feature Gabrielle Myers. Join us via Zoom. Find details at the website Poetry in Davis.
Be well!
Dr. Andy
P.S. Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:
- Internet Culture. Divisible by eight, what is the number of bits in a byte?
- Newspaper Headlines. What restaurant this week announced its $10 a month daily taco membership?
- Four for Four. Which of the following countries is among the top ten countries with the most comprehensive mobile network coverage in the world: Senegal, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden?
- Know Your States. How many US states does Idaho border?
- U.S. Presidents. When he was Secretary of State, the future sixth U.S. president negotiated the treaty which provided for the American acquisition of Florida. Name him.