12 Days 'til Christmas...
2023.12.13
Song of the day:
I learned last night that Andre Braugher passed away. He was a phenomenal actor and one of my favorites. The song of the day video below is from the movie Duets, one of my favorite roles Andre Braugher played. There is so much joy in this scene, and I can only hope he’s singing in heaven right now with that smile on his face. Rest in peace.
I love music, especially the way it moves me - like the video above does. This is not breaking news; I’ve written about this many times. And over the years I’ve gone to many concerts, which, along with some very loud hockey games, probably contributed to me having tinnitus. Tinnitus is more commonly known as ringing in the ears, and is a fairly common thing for people to have. However, I learned yesterday that only about 12% of people in America have it. I thought it was much more common than that, but apparently it is not.
Yesterday I attended a live virtual class via Kaiser about how to manage tinnitus. Some of it I already knew, but overall it was very helpful. Tinnitus isn’t something that can be cured; you just have to learn how to manage it. New research is now suggesting that COVID-19 can exacerbate the symptoms, increasing the ringing or buzzing noise. So that’s fun. And definitely something I’ve been experiencing. It’s amazing how a virus can affect so many things.
And in case I haven’t mentioned it lately…please get the latest COVID vaccine, and your flu shot, and your RSV shot (if you’re eligible and your doctor recommends it). Cases of all of these are on the rise, and there’s no doubt that the holiday travel and gatherings are going to add to the increasing numbers. Please be safe, please get your vaccines, and please, for the love of all that is holy, wear a mask!
Anyway…not sure why I went down that path today, but here we are.
If you’re on social media of any sort you know that today is Taylor Swift’s birthday. Do with that information what you will. The woman is conquering the world, and looking fabulous while doing so.
Not much else to say over here. Hope you’re enjoying your week. I’ll try to be more interesting tomorrow…but no guarantees. 😎
Video of the day:
I was shocked and saddened to hear about Andre Braugher. He was from Chicago and went to St. Ignatius High School. Someone I work with went to high school with him.
I didn't know you had tinnitus. Is it constant? Are some days worse than others?