Tag: dementia

Government, Politics

The Real Debate Takeaway

It was obvious going way back to the 2020 election. The DNC kept Biden in the basement under the pretext of Covid. They didn’t let him answer press questions, he had virtually zero rallies, and wasn’t allowed to interact with the public other than to offer commentary on ice cream. From day one it was obvious to EVERYONE that Joe Biden was a doddering old man incapable of a quick trip to the grocery store, let alone running the country. If you didn’t think so, you’re lying. As his term progressed, Captain Applesauce’s decline has accelerated. It’s been impossible to ignore. Trump derangement syndrome may have prevented you from saying it out loud, but deep down you knew. Joseph Biden has not been the one running the country. So the frightening takeaway from the debate is the complicity of the media.

For three and a half years the mainstream media has ignored, hidden, and otherwise looked the other way as Biden’s Parkinson’s and dementia rapidly advanced. Literally every other day there’s been a new video of Biden walking like a robot, freezing up, mumbling incoherently, and getting lost on stage. It’s been impossible to ignore. Yet the media chose to pretend it wasn’t happening. Again as a reminder, Trump walked gingerly down a ramp after giving a speech and the media en masse contemplated for days if he was still fit enough to remain president. The difference in media coverage couldn’t be more stark.

Following the debate I tuned into the CNN panel to see what the reaction would be. To watch the phony shock at suddenly seeing Biden’s condition for the first time was performance art at its finest. Every single panelist pretended like they had no idea Biden’s cognitive state was so bad. Van Jones was practically in tears. HOW COME NOBODY TOLD US THE PRESIDENT WASN’T FUNCTIONAL?!?!

These people in the media are scum. They knew damn well what the state of his condition was and happily obfuscated it while it served their allegiance to the DNC. Now that the bat signal has gone out, everyone clutches their pearls and says he can no longer remain the candidate… and maybe needs to step down now. How do these “journalists” look at themselves in the mirror each morning? Just evil.

So the question you have to ask yourself, if the media is perfectly fine with actively hiding the mental and physical condition of the president of the United States while it supports their political leaning… what else are they willing to hide? Why should I trust anything the media reports on? (hint, you shouldn’t)

So as we move forward with the removal of the assisted living patient from the Oval Office, remember what the media did. They lied and actively obscured the physical and mental state of the president for years because of party loyalty. Anything they say about the president or whomever is selected as the new candidate will be nothing more than talking points handed down from the party apparatchiks.

However much you hate the media, it’s not enough.

Health

A Record High Score

As mentioned in a previous post, I purchased a Fitbit almost a month ago. I only wanted a cheap way to see heartrate but discovered the sleep tracking feature and have been obsessed ever since. I thought I was a good sleeper. I tend to go to bed fairly early and always fall asleep within 5-10 minutes. I wake up pretty early, but figured that was ok since I go to bed early. Turns out the data shows that I’m a horrible sleeper.

I have yet to sleep eight hours. With a sleep scale from 0-100, I rarely crack the 70 mark, which is only considered “fair”. Most nights I’m sleeping 5.5 to 6.5 hours. My REM and deep sleep cycles average 45 minutes to an hour. That’s pitiful. It also partially helps explain why I constantly need a nap and always feel low energy.

It’s no secret that you need a good nights sleep. But we are also bombarded with sayings like “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” and seeing Jocko’s daily 4:30 am Instagram post, shaming you to get up and work out. So just how important is a good nights sleep? Well, I just finished Dr Peter Attia’s book on longevity titled “Outlive”. I highly recommend it. He considers sleep the number two item to combat chronic disease (exercise is number one). He goes through great detail about why the REM and deep sleep cycles are so important. I’m sold. I am now fully convinced that I need to teach myself how to get a good nights sleep.

At my age can I really teach an old dog new tricks? I’m not sure. But… last night I scored my highest ever sleep score. I scored an 87 with 7 hours and 40 minutes of sleep. I was in REM for two hours and 10 minutes, deep sleep for an hour and 27 minutes. I don’t know what voodoo Fitbit does to figure this out, but the studies I quickly looked up show it’s reasonably close to an EEG test. Good enough for government work I figure.

I’ve noticed another few data points that are interesting. Specific to sleep there are two measurements it tracks – heart rate variability (HRV) and temperature. You want as high a variability as possible. Mine is pitifully low and probably reflects a poor overall level of fitness. Temperature shows how much your body temp drops from it’s baseline when you sleep (dropping is good). Here’s the interesting thing… when I drink alcohol, my HRV gets worse, and my body temperature rises instead of dropping. I knew that alcohol is not good for sleep – but I’d never seen it so dramatically illustrated. Not specific to sleep, but after a night of a handful of drinks, my resting heart rate goes up for much of the next day. Crazy how impactful it is.

I’m not sure how to improve my sleep score further. In my part of the world, it’ll soon be light until 10:30pm and light again at 7am. Starting at 2-3am every night the dog gets restless and starts going in and out of the room. A sleep mask would be too claustrophobic and runs the risk of being suprise attacked by zombies in the middle of the night. Ditto earplugs. It’s a challenge.

It’s a challenge I accept however. Among my many other goals this summer, I want to get to the point where I am regularly hitting the 8-hour mark for sleep and averaging high 80’s for a sleep score. My HRV needs to improve drastically, and my resting HR can stand to drop another 10 points.

It would be nice to not feel like I had to take a nap every day. It would be wonderful to pop out of bed and feel refreshed. It would be fantastic to not end up with dementia my last decade of life (poor sleep is one of the associated factors). Good goals to have.

Cool, Daily Life, Health

Return To The 18th Century
  • Our power went out early yesterday morning. There I was reading another fascinating online article about the benefits of juice vs coffee cleanses, and poof, the world went dark. My heart began to race as I sat there, plunged into darkness. Was this it? The beginning of the apocalypse? Did that plump little dictator in North Korea set off an EMP over the US? Thank god I have years of prepper know how-under my belt. I stumbled downstairs in the dark and struggled to find a flashlight. Should I grab the bug-out bags or the weapons first? Damn, I think the truck has only a quarter tank of fuel. I’ve already violated a pepper rule by letting it get below a half tank. Meanwhile, Mrs Troutdog was tearing apart a junk drawer looking for a second flashlight. Once located, we realized the batteries were dead. Another frantic search in the dark for batteries and we were back in business. A brief moment of panic set in – I don’t remember if I replenished our toilet paper supply. This could get ugly in a hurry. I may have to start looting the local co-op before the zombie hoards realize how vulnerable we are. Then out of the corner of my eye, I spotted it. A twinkling of light outside. I moved to the front windows and and realized my neighbors have power. A deep sigh as a wave of relief washed over me. We can stand down from DEFCON 2. It’s only a local power outage. As we sat there, huddled in the dark, I contemplated my pepper failures. When go-time came, I wasn’t ready. I have brought shame upon the prepper community. By the time the power was restored an hour later, I had resolved to better prepare and rehearse our defensive strategies. The credit card is coming out and truckloads of supplies will be ordered. Well, maybe tomorrow. I want to go skiing today. Ok, this week for sure I’ll get it done.
  • I haven’t written much lately. I think I’m on outrage overload. I keep reading and seeing the ridiculousness that this country is plunging into and vow that I’m going to write a blistering and brilliant essay on that topic. By the time I sit down I realize that I just don’t care. It’s pointless. From time to time shouting at the moon may make me feel better, but it really serves no purpose. I do have some sympathy now for the left though. Four years of perpetual outrage at the bad orange man must have been exhausting. I can see why they were ready to vote for anything that had a pulse that wasn’t Trump. I feel that way and it’s only day 60 something of the Biden administration. I can’t imagine how I’ll feel after four years. I might even be tempted to vote for Jeb! just to get rid of President Harris.
  • Watch this short clip and honestly tell me this man is the one who’s in charge, setting the agenda, and running the country. It’s a little scary. Today’s press conference should be interesting.
  • I took a motorcycle class. Mrs Troutdog signed up for a 102 level class to gain some additional skills on a heavier motorcycle before her new one arrives. I joined her in support. Plus it’s always good to learn and practice skills. Unfortunately this turned out to be a beginner course for people who need to get their motorcycle endorsement but have ridden before. Oh well, it was still fun to practice on a different bike. And I passed. It would have been embarrassing if I couldn’t do the skills after riding so many years. Now I just have to improve my confidence on the new ginormous motorcycle.
  • I know it’s blasphemy, but I’m ready for summer. Normally I love winter and don’t want ski season to end. This year has been weird. We’ve had virtually no blue sky, spring skiing days. Lots of gray and low visibility days. It wears on me. And with the new motorcycle my attention just hasn’t been as much on skiing. Having said that, it’s currently dumping snow. I guess I’ll get one more powder day in. Life is rough.
  • I have no idea what this video is for, but I can relate to many of the accidents. I’m not as smooth and suave as I think I am in my head.
  • Sorry for this, but I’m going to waste the next twenty minutes of your day. This website lets you draw an iceberg and then it will show you how it would float. It’s bizarrely addicting.

Song of the day: Lo Fidelity Allstars – Battleflag