November 16, 2017 IT TORTURES ME

 I've lost the battle against PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME.  It's time to CROSS TRAIN--NO RUNNING for TWO WHOLE WEEKS. That translates into time at the DREADED GYM. Dragged my sorry BUTT--literally and metaphorically--to the gym last night. 20 minutes on the elliptical-- 20 minutes on the bike --15 minutes on this stepper thing. Besides the fact that the gym is SMELLY AND HOT--I don't really like using the machines because they are TOO EASY TO ABANDON. Follow my logic-- IF I GO OUT FOR A RUN--I HAVE TO COMMIT TO IT BECAUSE I HAVE TO GET BACK HOME. On a machine though--I can think of 100 reasons to get off.  I ACTUALLY have to  bring an extra shirt to cover the CLOCK because it drives me CRAZY. What do you mean I've only been on this torture chamber for 5 minutes!!  I'd rather run through sleet--snow--north winds--ANYTHING--to avoid THOSE  machines. SERIOUSLY. This is my favorite season to run and I'm gonna spend it WHERE???  THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT.

Sheri Fink, an American journalist, gave many people the opportunity to  speak in her multi-award winning non-fiction book of 2013 Five Days at Memorial:  Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital. Fink's book details the events that took place at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After the hurricane, the hospital was left without power and thousands were trapped inside before being evacuated on day five. During the evacuation process, Doctors de-prioritized the critically ill patients--and actually euthanized several--thinking they should get the healthier patients out first to save as many as they could. Fink not only told the events from the perspective of several of the people involved, she also examined the legal and ethical issues that resulted from this tragic situation. A doctor and two nurses were charged with second degree murder; however, the charges were eventually dropped. Fink's book was also a critique of the healthcare system and the government for failing during this disaster. This informative, often frightening book is about 550 pages--or a good 7 mile run--that will have you shaking your head and asking yourself how this could have happened!