One hell of a day

I finally got some sleep last night and felt better. Until I decided to be normal.

I got up and puttered around. Then I realized I could sit on my a$$ for a couple of hours before meeting a friend at 11. So I raced through the gym and had a fairly good workout for once. I left the gym and met my friend - actually my old boss form the late 1980s. We had lunch and left the diner. Then my day went downhill.

I realized halfway to my car that I didn't have my phone. My wonderful smart phone that has my whole life on it was missing.  I know I had my phone at lunch because I had to charge it in the restaurant, because the battery was at 4%, at the outlet under our table.

But I didn't have it. I went back to the restaurant and it wasn't there. We looked. The waitress, who I know from all the years we have been going there, helped me look. She even got the cook to get down on his hands and knees and look under the radiator. We gave up.

I left and thought maybe my friend picked up my phone by mistake, but I really didn't think she did. I returned my books at the library and drove home, when a little thought occurred to me. I can find my phone online. I logged in and it said the phone was still at the diner.

I called them and said I would come back with a flashlight so we could look under the radiators. We still couldn't find it. An older woman asked if we could find her bottle of pills that she had dropped at home.  We still couldn't find it.

I went back home and looked online again and it showed that it was still at the diner. I knew it wasn't in the diner. But I thought maybe I dropped it outside instead and there was this big van parked nearby - maybe it was underneath.

So I went back again (its only 1/4 mile from home) and parked across the street. I looked in the gutter, I tried to look under cars. Then I got the idea that maybe someone turned it into to a nearby store. Presto, it was in the third store I went to. It was very stressful.

Then I finally ran some errands and came home to relax. I do not need any more stress at all. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. I will relax. Some day.

Warning - Smart phones are dangerous

"People are risking their health by working on smartphones, tablets and laptops after they have left the office, according to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy."

No, they don't (think they) they cause brain tumors. Its much much worse! They hurt their..... [insert drum roll]... posture! I first read this article a couple of days ago and still find it intriguing in the sense of overhype of stupid bits of news.

"It says people have become "screen slaves" and are often working while commuting or after they get home.

The society said poor posture in these environments could lead to back and neck pain."

Here's the advice:

"Unions said people needed to learn to switch off their devices."

That's it. Use the off switch. Tell your boss to take a hike and stop bugging you after hours - unless you really have a critical profession and the world might come to an end if you didn't check your email or voice mail or catch the latest Kardashian gossip on Twitter.

The chairwoman of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Dr Helena Johnson, said the findings were of "huge concern".

She said: "While doing a bit of extra work at home may seem like a good short-term fix, if it becomes a regular part of your evening routine then it can lead to problems such as back and neck pain, as well as stress-related illness. 

"This is especially the case if you're using hand-held devices and not thinking about your posture. Talk to your employer if you are feeling under pressure."

The general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Brendan Barber, said: "Excessive work levels are not good for anyone. Overworked employees are not only unlikely to be performing well at work, the stress an unmanageable workload causes is also likely to be making them ill.

"By the time someone is so overloaded they constantly feel the need to put in extra hours every night of the week at home, things have clearly got out of hand.

"Individuals who find themselves unable to leave their work in the office should talk to their managers and learn to switch off their smartphones."

This is a real article from BBC. I personally find the article a prime example of the decay of modern society (did I really use that phrase?) Well anyway, here's my thoughts on why this is so bad.

1. Overuse of hype. Good posture is a good thing and we all knew that. Our parents always said 'stand up straight'. But I think the problem is a bit overinflated here. Its not a medical disaster.

2. I don't call it a medical issue anyway. Its a management issue. Unless your job requires it and you knew it signing up, you should not be 'on call' in the evenings and on weekends. Its time management for you and management for your boss.

3. I question how newsworthy this is anyway. I mean there's a lot more going in the world - SJC ruling on healthcare, Syria and Turkey, research on the cure for cancer.

Posture is less of a concern to me than cancer. Sorry. Since my smart phone isn't going to kill me off anytime soon and my back already hurts, posture is low on my priority list.