Say what?

A friend of the family learned that, with a coupon from the local paper, he could get a (much needed) hearing aid for $495. At the store, he learned that $495 product, however, wouldn't be good for his type of hearing loss. (You can probably guess where this is going.) The product that he would need costs $5,600, but they'd let it go for $4,800.

I've had a couple of dentist appointments this week. The anesthetics continue to improve, making the procedures minimally discomforting. Not like the old days. The very old days.

We picked up about three inches of snow yesterday at work, and much less at home. We may see more snow showers today, but nothing that requires much attention. (Note to self: put stabilizer in the gas tank of the snow blower before putting it away for the season.)

Yesterday's mail brought an offer for one of the Dummies books. This one, Guide to Life After 50, 60, 70 & Beyond For Dummies, has tips on how to block cancer, cure high blood pressure, eat sweet potatoes, buy golf balls, and feel like I'm 25. The Dummies series of books came out in the mid-90s. A friend of mine edited a couple of books. I argued that it was demeaning to refer to users as dummies (to their faces) and made it hard for the users to value their own skills and knowledge. My friend replied that the users, of course, loved the books. "Have you got something really simple for me?" they'd ask. "Something really basic. Sometimes I feel like a complete idiot." With a gazillion copies sold, the Dummies series has certain found its mark. Of course, Cliff Notes were my only way of making it through Shakespeare's plays in high school.

And, did you know that there is a Koran for Dummies?

So, now, I'll go read Depression for Dummies. They don't make mention a recent study that shows that John Kerry is depressing.

Nice mention of Niece Lori's blog in an LA media trade paper. (Next-to-last item on the page, just above the obituary.)

A study shows that other cell phone users are annoying, but not me.

If you are planning to walk to Russia, call ahead to let them know that you're coming.

Imagine that an American and a Scot would be ahead of a Canadian in curling. 'Tis true. The Finn, one Markku Uusipaavalniemi, misspelled as Uuspaavalniemi in the story, is still in contention, despite an injury.

We're almost adjusted to daylight saving time. About the worst that we have had to ensure is the loss of an hour of sleep on Sunday. Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka claim that their time changes caused the tsunami. The government is discussing a plan to return Sri Lanka to +5.5 hours GMT, the same as India and the same as it had been in 1996.

The keys to a German nuclear power plant are missing. Many people would suspect terrorists. I think it's this guy.