I wouldn’t call it Writer’s Block exactly. That implies that I’m sitting down and making an effort to write. Instead, I think what I have is more commonly known as Trier’s Block, wherein a person does not even pretend to attempt to write. It’s not that I’m just sitting here making murder eyes at Otto. I’ve been reading a lot. I finished a book yesterday (Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple. Although I loved her first book, Where’d You Go Bernadette, this one is a skip for anyone looking for recommendations). Today, I’m reading Good As Gone. That one is better. I’m keeping up with all of the news, as abhorrent as most of it is. And I’ve been focused as usual on my Google alerts for ALS, which let me know what’s going on in the great world of this rare disease with which I have been blessed.

And that is why I’ve recently seen a couple of studies that make my cranky motor neurons want to fight someone with their flailing little neuron fists. (I’m not a scientist, so I can’t confirm this is possible.) The first was a study showing that smoking cigarettes is bad for people with ALS. Wow. Some real critical thinking must have gone into that one. I hope that absolutely no money went into it, but that’s clearly wishful thinking. The second study, which is in the news today, suggests the very provocative theory that fruits and vegetables would be beneficial for people with ALS. I already said WOW, didn’t I? So this time, let’s see, the word I would use is… Do you think we’re idiots? Who on earth is spending money on stuff that proves what the average kindergartner is already aware of? Why would smoking cigarettes, which is proven to be good for exactly ZERO people, be any different for people with ALS? Read More>