Place Your Bets
I’m betting on Mint Juleps. Kentucky Bourbon, brown sugar, water, shaved ices and …… fresh mint.
- Jet Cannon
Endorphins
Just Say NO! Well, Maybe
An article from CNN last year warned that there are serious risks to the growing number of seniors over 65 using some form of cannabis. That is no doubt true. Life for seniors is full of risks including alcohol, driving, ladders, sex, and most concerning of all…. death.
Turns out many seniors are using cannabis for pain relief. They’re not catching a Buzz, they just want to not hurt so bad and maybe get a good night’s rest. Lots of CBD products out there with no psycho-active THC. No Buzz. Just, in theory, relief or relaxation.
What about those who are after the Buzz? The article warns that some of the commercial cannabis is not the weed we smoked back in the day. It can pack a punch. But there are mild variants available, too.
The article does not mention the benefit and also risk of appetite stimulation. Good possibly for cancer patients and not so good for us overweight Boomers. Hide the ice cream.
Interaction with prescription drugs could be a risk. Ask your doc. Also, we are warned to avoid cannabis after heart attacks. That’s not all I’ll be avoiding! No marathons either.
Moderation. Mellow. Don’t mix. Don’t fall. As they used to say on Hill Street Blues, “Be careful out there.”
– Jet Cannon
No buzz in Those Greens!
Brussel Sprouts still suck, just not as bad as they used to. At the table growing up . . . big brothers (cool, snickery); a sister (holding her own); mom (ringleader, cook); dad (dropped off by carpool at 5:23 pm, a little later on his driving day, serving up); and me (punk, dragged in from kick the can or whatever) . . . there was almost always something tasty on offer. Seems incredible even to me, but we all showed up pretty much every night for many years.
Which was fine, a little stiff at times but more than a few laughs along the way and like I say, decent-plus edibles (thanks mom!!). And eating together forms bonds (I didn’t know that then). Except Brussel Sprouts. We weren’t poor so they weren’t canned. But we weren’t rich so we had no notion of “fresh” (dirty? European?) A&P didn’t have fresh anyway. My mom boiled the living Ess out of those frozen, piss-green balls. Stunk up the place. Mouth-feel like the inside of a waterlogged baseball, taste like paste and not the minty kind; rotten spinach, fish? Bad. I cut a deal with the dog – you eat my Sprouts, I shoot you a couple extra Milk Bones.
All that’s changed of course. Now you get BS on the stalk or at least fresh in a zip-lock bag with sell-by date. Try this: Baking pan. A little bacon fat (ok more than a little), salt ‘n peppa, olive oil and lemon. Preheat to 6750 deg. Shove it in and 10 min later, Boom!!. Crispy on the outside — leaves shatter and bacony. Tender on the inside – smooth, the sour gone, almost sweet. Earthy not dirty.
But that pure high never lasts. Along comes oven-roasted BS No. 18, a bigger one that didn’t quite caramelize or tenderize . . . maybe a rough time growing up on Better Than You Organic Farm. Bite into that Eff’er and well, where is the dog??
Old Man Wrong
Pre-Workout Drinks
An energy boost before your workout is a welcome idea. There are numerous powders and drinks on the market but are they safe? In moderation, probably. In many the main ingredient is caffeine which in appropriate amounts is likely safe and effective. If your heart races or your fingers tingle that’s too much.
Some experts recommend going more natural because then there is less concern with what other ingredients might be in that powder. So instead, have a cup of coffee before working out. Or food rich in protein like yogurt.
Use common sense. We don’t want to over stress our bodies. Yet it’s important to keep moving as we age.
– Jet Cannon
Pickleball
Need some exercise? Pickleball is a sport that virtually any age can play. Based on the Single Sport Participation Report of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) on Pickleball, 75% of Core Players are 55 and older (defined as players who play 8 or more times per year).
My wife and I have all the gear. Racquets, balls, shoes, sweatbands, and bags for all our gear. Someday we will actually step on to a court. Looking forward to it though. Do what I say and not what I do.
– Jet Cannon
National Cheesesteak Day – March 24th
Buzzed Boomers, let’s meet at Pat’s and also at Geno’s across the street from each other in Philadelphia and do a taste test. And this is one of those contests where everyone gets a trophy.
– Jet Cannon
Zero Proof Cocktails
My friend Jeff wanted some help with giving up alcohol for Lent. Not help for himself but for others.
You probably know about alcohol-free beer and wine. That’s an option. For cocktails, there’s a nice selection of mocktail recipes available courtesy of Town and Country Magazine and elsewhere online. (https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/drinks/how-to/g785/best-mocktail-recipes/). There is also zero proof tequila, gin, and whiskey if you really miss those flavors in your mocktails.
So where’s the Buzz? Perhaps it’s the thrill of finally being able to socialize with your vaccinated family and friends.
There’s also weed.
– Jet Cannon
A Natural High
It’s been over year since indulging in an IN-N-OUT BURGER Cheeseburger – Animal Style. Catch a Buzz? More like a deep meditative state. Emotional bliss.
The 30-plus line up of cars in the drive-thru was managed in an efficient fashion that rivaled Disneyland’s line management. IN-N-OUT in ten minutes!
– Jet Cannon
Boomeritis
Regular exercise is essential for good health and it can be very useful in creating a natural endorphin Buzz. But overdoing it, and this is good news in a way, can be counter-productive. Exercised muscles need time to rebuild. And as we age, our bodies just need more time to recover from strenuous exercise.
I tested this Boomeritis ailment with classic New Years resolution vigor and daily exercise to the point where it hurt to move. My body was trying to tell me something but I was bent on losing those Covid 19 pounds. Even though I was mixing up the kinds of exercise I was doing, my body rebelled. Burning pain.
Lesson learned. Exercise, yes, but please be careful out there.
– Jet Cannon
Steel Panther – Rock and Roll For Challenged Boomers Like Me
Baby Boomers lived through the creative blossoming of fine music. In 1973 alone, many amazing classic albums were released including Dark Side of the Moon, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Houses of the Holy, Quadrophenia, The Wild the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, Band on the Run, Pronounced Let-Nerd Sin-Nerd, Aladdin Sane, For Everyman, and Mott to name just a few.
Throughout this prolific era, I rarely heard the lyrics correctly and usually didn’t really get the intended message or symbolism involved. For example all the references to “rockin’ all night” I assumed meant we’d be listening to music all night.
The band Steel Panther solves all that. Warning: their music is beyond explicit. It’s politically, and in all other ways, incorrect. They pretty much just come right out and say what they mean without symbolism. And they’re funny. Which I also appreciate. Per Wikipedia, “”Steel Panther is mostly known for its profane and humorous lyrics, as well as exaggerated on-stage pastiche of the stereotypical “glam metal” lifestyle.”” No question what they’re singing about. Their recent release “F*** 2020”…..Well the message is clear.
If you’re not easily offended and you enjoy humorous rock and roll, a la Spinal Tap, check them out.
– Jet Cannon
Celebrate Music, Endorphins and Weed on Bob Marley’s Birthday – Saturday February 6
Music alone can create good feelings and a natural endorphin buzz. But for Bob’s Birthday, a pioneer of reggae, one should probably add a little ganja as he was an early proponent of legalizing marijuana.
He passed away at a young 36 yet left us some great music. The Wailers were Rolling Stones Band of the Year in 1976. Check out 1973’s Catch a Fire album to see what started it all.
– Jet Cannon
National Get Up Day – february 1
Started by the United States Figure Skating Association, “Get Up is about being fearless in the face of falling.” It’s about bouncing back. Good stuff.
For Buzzed Boomers it’s also about getting up and moving. Walk, exercise, swim. Do something active. Generate those endorphins.
You’ll want to have that under your belt to prepare for tomorrow’s post!
– Jet Cannon
Exercise Endorphin Buzz
Getting an endorphin Buzz is going to take about 20 minutes of fairly intense exercise. Check with your doctor before engaging blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.
Assuming it’s okay to proceed, a power drink may be what you need to kick into high gear and get the blood flowing. I like to make a smoothie with fruits and vegetables and powdered protein plus a little energy booster. Just enough booster to at least have a placebo effect on my effort level. Are pre-workout elixirs safe? I have no idea!! That’s why I use just a pinch. It looks like it’s mostly caffeine but I’m no doctor. Too much and you will literally Buzz and that’s undoubtably not good.
The key thing is to build in the exercise habit to your routine and keep working to improve your fitness. It’s good for your overall health and you may catch a Buzz.
– Jet Cannon
High fidelity Endorphins Under The Tree
Music releases endorphins in the brain. Endorphins help you feel good. And music reproduction has never been better. There are so many sources and ways to listen to excellent quality sound; from earbuds to cars to home theaters. Classic music is being remastered to bring out nuances not heard before. And speaker technology continues to improve bringing clarity to those new sounds.
After years of devolving from big horn stereo speakers down to inexpensive, small speakers, I recently purchased some new speakers for the home theater. There is a difference. Wow! And, while earbuds offer great sound, there’s nothing quite like a couple woofers moving some air around. And the high end clarity is startling.
If you haven’t invested in newer sound technology lately and you have the environment and the means, think about some new quality speakers for under the tree. They will add an extra dimension to your personal music scene, which, without concerts, is how we get our music these days.
BTW, when concerts open up again, open your wallet and support the musicians who keep making the music but who are struggling like many folks due to the pandemic. There isn’t much money in recorded music anymore so they count on concert revenue.
Rock on!
– Jet Cannon
