Margret Sloan

Years ago I would keep a backgammon board in the car. It looked like a little grey leather briefcase, with two luggage latches and leather handle. Inside were the dice and markers, a deck of cards, and an envelope with two dollars worth of quarters. Every time we went to the emergency room, one of us would grab the backgammon board to take in with us, so we had something to do and keep us distracted for the 4- 6 hours wait time we would have to endure. We would play backgammon or Acey Deucey for hours, and even taught the ER registration clerk how to play one night when it was very slow.

Now I play backgammon online when I need a mental health break from the busy days around here. I love the way you can go online and jump into a game with a worthy opponent with almost no wait time to find another player. I’ve had the same screen name for years, and now there are dozens of other players who recognize my name and will search me out for a game or two.

Interesting how the only way I ever would have met these wonderful people is over the internet. All those terrible days and nights of waiting in the hospital emergency rooms have evolved into friendships with people from all over the world who share the same interest and passion for a game of online backgammon.

Some of us play in online backgammon tournaments, too. Those are great fun and a better test of skill and staying power than just a casual game or two. If you can win 8 or 9 games in a row, then you are a deserving champion or very very very lucky.

Our grandson was here over the weekend. His mom dropped him off Saturday morning and we got to spend the whole day together. He usually goes to bed pretty early at home and I like to keep him on the same sleep schedule although not on the same routine.

At home he usually falls asleep watching TV and his mom moves him to his bed and leaves his clothes on him, then in the morning he gets a bath in a big hurry because he has to leave for school.

At my house (my rules!) he takes a bath after dinner and puts on pajamas, then he is allowed to watch TV or a movie and then he puts himself to bed. I tuck in the covers and say, “Sleep tight - don’t let the bedbugs bite!”

Well, I’ve always said that because my parents always said that and their parents always said that. We’ve never had to worry about bedbugs - it was just a cute rhyme that we said out of love. But what do you do if you really do have to worry about letting the bedbugs bite? Well, there is a web site that can help people with that: bedbugsguide.com and I found it while surfing the internet with my grandson, because he asked what bedbugs look like.

So if you have a problem with bedbugs where you live, check out this site for how to kill bedbugs and soon you will be able to “sleep tight” again.

Decided this was a good time to read up on ED (erectile dysfunction) and check out the options for treatment, as this conversation might be coming up soon.

I checked a couple medical sites and then I found a website that is an online pharmacy that sells the top three most popular treatments for ED, called edrugstore.md and read through their pages on the three prescription drugs:

• Cialis
• Viagra
• Levitra

The page on Cialis talked about how this medication works for up to 36 hours, can be taken with or without food, and begins to work as quickly as 30 minutes after taking it.

The website has good information about their policies and how they work - all medications are brand names - no generics or counterfeits. They only dispense FDA-approved prescription medications and guarantee the lowest prices on the internet.

There is also a section on their home page that links to articles, such as “What Exactly is Cialis and Is It Right For You? ” and other helpful articles. I find reading these in the privacy in my own home is a lot easier to absorb rather than sitting in a doctor’s office and listening to him quickly go over the main points before handing us over to a medical assistant or, worse, their billing department.

The website also has a forum for discussions and a pharmacy blog. I like the way this company is really up to date on technology and writes in plain English so I can understand all the information on what can be a difficult subject for a lot of people to talk about.

Every once in a while if I’m out and about I run across someone special and have had to learn how to handle those brief encounters.

I was at the vet with one of the puppies for his routine exam and shots, and ended up sharing the waiting room with Leon Russell. He was there with his dog, and we had the chance to chat for a few minutes before he was ushered to one of the treatment rooms. What a nice man!

Leon was born and raised in Oklahoma but he’s been living here for years and keeping a low profile, not doing a lot of shows any more but doing a lot of behind the scenes things, like producing for other artists and some charity concerts. Until chatting with him at the vet’s, I didn’t realize that he has 16 albums out - I just know that one of his songs has been a classic in the DJ gigs I used to do, years ago. He does have an album out now, called “Angel in Disguise,” and I’m going to hunt for that at the store next time I’m buying music.

Several years ago I was heavily involved with a state-wide nonprofit group. Part of the reason was that I cared about and had been personally affected by that particular medical condition, but also because I do like to contribute to charities and I felt that I had some talents that they could use. But after 5 years, the makeup of the board and the leadership changed quite a bit, and I got discouraged with the bickering and sometimes heated arguments that precluded every single decision, so I took a break.

I still hear from quite a few of the people involved with that organization, and last night received a call from the new Executive Director asking for my input on some of the issues with pharmaceutical companies. Well, I always have an opinion and I’m using quite willing to share my thoughts on any issue.

He asked if I would be willing to participate in a pharmaceutical marketing research group that was being formed. I asked him for more details and agreed to think it over. I know that research groups play a big part in the marketing strategies for drug therapies, and that the outcome might well affect thousands of people and their health. So it is something I don’t take lightly.

The research company, Decision Resources, is well know in the medical industry. They research and prepare in depth reports and many well known diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes 2, multiple myeloma and many more. My family has been touched by all of those, so I want to read through their website and see what I can learn about their studies before making a decision.