Morning all:

“Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.” — Rabbi Abraham Heschel

In a debate I would argue that all that is fine and dandy, but that every now and then one has to say to oneself – “yes” – for life is just too short.

First let me slurp a bit on my fresh morning coffee while I gather my thoughts.

For the past number of years I have complained strongly about what I perceive to be the wrong direction that my city is heading. I base this on some knowledge of the amazingly rich heritage this town has. Thursday we lost another bit of this heritage when Dr. George Rieveschl passed away at the age of 91. Who is Dr.Rieveschl you ask? Back in the late ‘40s working in his laboratory at The University of Cincinnati Medical Center, under the code-name A524 he created a drug he coined diphenhydramine hydrochloride. Every one of us at some time or other has bought a bottle of his invention under the generic name of Benadryl, the first prescription antihistamine.

One more fact about Dr. Rieveschl. On the day he died he made one more bequest to UC’s Medical Center for $ 1-million. This adds to the earlier establishment of a professorship for research in diabetes genomics research. Some people are just too cool.

To invent Benadryl you have to be a much disciplined person, agree? Yet, I would bet that there was occasion when the research crowd got together, maybe to toast that first bottle of Benadryl, when they ‘let their hair down’. Even if only for a little while.

Last weekend Marcia and I let our hair down.

We just had good time fun for a long Saturday.

With some friends we spent twelve hours swimming, speed-boating, and catamaran cruising. All day was spent in a setting where the rules were that Happy Hour started over every three minutes. Palm trees swayed under tropical breezes. The waters had an amazing array of aqua blues. Hammocks were available between every few trees.

We were like kids, playing, swimming, dancing, singing, and just lazing around. And yes, we did have an occasional Cuba Libre – personally, I preferred my rum with a shot of Espresso.

It is important to discipline yourself into rebuilding, especially after a long and hectic week.

Last night Marcia, Adrianne, Tevita, and I watched a Russian film – the Italian. The sound track was Russian and, you guessed it, Italian. The subtitles were in English. Aside from thinking that Russian is a strange sounding language, Marcia, after only five minutes, had no need to read the subtitles.

Zonk!

Make it a great week. If your hair falls down, enjoy the experience. When ready, just brush it around a bit.

Cheers,

Dirk