Emerging from the fog ...

awakening 2
Originally uploaded by byrdmn2.

You ever have one of those days?

For me today was one of those days. I am allergic to mold (my doctor says its RAD or reactive airway disease) which means that my lungs go haywire when I get exposed to too many nasty little spores.

And this week in DC, with the warm weather, mold is EVERYWHERE. Even the cherry blossums along the tidal basin are on the verge of budding! That's how warm it is here, and the forecast is for more of the same.But one of the cures for RAD is albuterol, a steroid inhaler, which I found out when I tried to get my prescription filled, is being replaced because aerosol inhalers damage the ozone layer.

Hmmmm. The mold is out because the weather is warm. The weather is warm (so would say) because of "greenhouse" gases, including CFCs and propellents from aerosols. I need an aerosol inhaler to cure my lungs from the reaction they have to the mold that is formed early because of the warm weather because of the greenhouse gases.

Or maybe it's just too many cow farts. That's another theory.

Either way, I need to take a couple of hits on this stuff each day. And one of its side effects is to wire you up like a Christmas tree. Which it did. So I was awake until after midnight. Which means of course I will need more coffee to stay awake to handle my job. Which sucks because albuterol and coffee combined are like the big green muscular guy in the comics when he gets angry. Gonna be shame on somebody.

Do you feel safer?

Saddam is dead; hanged before sunrise this morning. But we are still at war in Iraq, there are still Americans over there being shot at by an enemy they cannot always see and cannot tell from normal Iraqis on the street. Do you feel safer? Oh, and as far as we know, Osama Bin Laden is still alive and well and hiding in Pakistan. One down, God knows how many to go.

The Funk Connection

With all the tributes pouring in this week to James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, I wanted to add mine to the mix.

He was the fountainhead from which several very funky streams flowed. Without James Brown, there would have been no Parliament, no Funkadelic, no Prince, no Michael Jackson. There would have been no one to sample, no one to play really loud in sports stadiums, no way to tighten up. He also kept the lid on a racial explosion here in DC when MLK was assassinated, and was a leading figure in Muhammad Ali's Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.

He had his problems - drinking and women among them. But he was- and will always be - the Godfather.

I got the chance to interview the Godfather at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. (Actually, my funk meter was way beyond full that day, because I also interviewed George Clinton on the same day).

But here I am - country club, white boy, pale face - sitting in the House of Blues in Atlanta, Georgia. The room looked kind of like the Temptations described the "Psychedelic Shack" - carpets on the walls, incense, low, billowy couches to crash on. And I'm there waiting after the young lady who arranged the interview left me to find the Godfather.

And then, he came in.

He was smaller than I had imagined, but his presence filled the whole place. James Brown was wearing a blue double-breasted suit, no shirt (it was hot in Atlanta) black cowboy boots with silver toes, and his trademark hair and smile.

We shook hands and sat on one of the low couches for about 15 minutes to talk. I had to get over the "Oh my God, it's James Brown" reaction and try to ask intelligent questions. The fact that I was in the room with my soul hero was enough to make my trip worth the trouble.

But he was forever cool, and after the interview we shook hands, and he autographed a CD of a remix of several of his hits for me. I double checked my tape (yes we used tape in those days) and then sent the interview back to Washington for one of our music reporters to work with. It was a brush with greatness.

Rest in Peace Godfather. Make it Funky.

Hope ya got ryddim .....

cause 'tis the season to be fat. Unless you can dance like Emmitt Smith and his partner on Dancing With the Stars then you will need some other forms of exercise to burn off that holiday cheer. I read an article (click the title of this post to read it yourself) that listed some of the activity it would take to burn off different holiday foods. It made me want to say "bah humbug!"

The article is by Charles Stuart Platkin, the author of The Diet Detective's Count Down , who came up with a formula to calculate how much exercise would be needed to burn foods.

For six ounces of honey glazed ham: 26 minutes of swimming.

For four bite-size mini pizza? 23 minutes running.

For a candy cane? 19 minutes of yoga.

For one slice of fruitcake (the eternal Christmas food)? 55 minutes of dancing.

For one small (they didn't say what "small" means) of pecan pie? 54 minutes of biking, or an hour of swimming or a one hour, 11 minute run, or two hours and 10 minutes of walking.

See what I mean about the bah humbug!?

I saw comedian Carlos Mencia on "Mind of Mencia" the other night who was busting on fat people. He was merciless. An example: "Happiness is defined as doing what you love over and over again. You're fat, so?" Or another "The reason you're fat, and I'm no doctor, but I think it's because you put more in here (pointing to his mouth) than came out here (pointing to his backside). But again, I'm no doctor."

But we will all eat too much this year. Regardless of what we know about starving children in Africa (or Asia or South America). Even today, a guy at work brought cookies - home made Lithuanian cookies - and laid them on the table. And of course, I had a few. They were great with coffee. I plan to do some high-stress Christmas shopping to work them off. Maybe a few laps around the mall will be enough.