MEETING RECAP
Strong Heart; Sharp Brain
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Strong Heart; Sharp Brain
John Magnuson
It seems to be inevitable – the New Year’s Resolution Apathy. On January 1st I looked over a journal I keep. I was surprised to see that a year passed without me “becoming a better person.” I wondered why and decided the answer was beyond my ken. I decided to hire The Gallop Pole folks – not to be confused with The Gallup Poll folks. The Gallop Pole folks I met with - from Mukilteo - were much cheaper than those high-falutin’ folks from Washington DC you hear about on the TV set. The Gallop Pole folks make telephone poles in Snohomish County. I set forth an objective: survey people and ask them to express their opinion as to why I didn’t become a better person in 2023.
They selected a bunch of people from The White Pages of the telephone directory. They sent them a one-page questionnaire asking that question. They included a SASE for responses – all very high-tech. I’ve included a summary of their responses to the question of why people thought I had not become a better person. Here are the results:
I decided to not become a better person in 2024. So far no one has noticed; except our cat.
Why Are We Here…?
President Mary began the meeting interrupting a stimulating conversation between Dave, Ralph, Carole and Ole on Zoom. To summarize: It is colder where Carole is in Minnesota, Dave has weather in the 70’s on Oahu, Ralph is keeping his ponies warm and Ole is wondering about his cat. That conversation precluded listening to the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Family Dream Team up-set the meeting facilities. They are: Tom George, James Oswunda, Rob Erb, Wynn Hoffman, Terry Roarke and Rick Selden. You can recognize those gentlemen because they wear their Varsity Letter Sweaters to the meetings. The Junior Varsity consists of Bob X at the $2 table, photographer Walt Richardson, Cookie Jar John Lowney and scribe – Ole aka John Magnuson. President Mary is so polite to mention VIPs Bill Potter, Tony Camoroda and Greg Horn. For your entertainment you can choose whom of those folks are PDG, DGN and AG – here’s a clue: all three have PP’d here and there. She also recognized our wonderful Puffins. Here’s an important question for the day: Who are more important – the VIP’s or the Puffins? Show of hands here – Oh Wow - that is much closer than I thought it would be.
Getting’ Down to Bidniss….
Wendy McGowan gave a Sunshine Report with information that PP Bob Lordahl’s memorial service will be Friday, January 26th at 2:00, Little Church on the Prairie. Rick Selden gave a nice eulogy for longtime member, Ray George. Ray was that quiet man who sat right over there and always showed up to work on anything and everything. His memorial is Saturday, January 27th, 11:00 AM, Sunset Bible Church. Wendy also reported that Bob Martin’s kidney surgery went well. I always wonder about that phrase “went well.” Imagine if you put a comma between the words, how it would change the meaning. As in “It went, …well, somewhere.” Never mind.
President Mary inducted new member, Phillip Lindholm. Chaplain Captain of the Air National Guard, Dr. Lindholm has an impressive resume. Several Master’s degrees in the world’s religions, a PhD and a cat that cares! Check out Dr. Lindholm on Ted Talks. The only other Captain Chaplain I know of was the fictional character, Captain Chaplain Tappman in Catch 22. He was played by Anthony Perkins. He was an Anabaptist Minister, but everyone called him Padre; which he wasn’t. Welcome Phillip.
PP Chris Kimball counted the birthdays, wedding anniversaries and club anniversaries amongst the membership. Using his Texas Instruments 4 Function, portable handheld calculator he totaled an amazing number. A number to which we should all aspire. A number we should bet on when we gamble tonight at the casino. A number numerologists long for. Yes, fellow Rotarians, Chris Kimball totaled all the years of marriage, years of Rotary membership and age in years – and that number is SIX! Wait, that couldn’t be right! It must be more than six, it should be more like one thousand five hundred and two or three. Anyway, this month’s grand prize winners in the various categories are: Jim Bisceglia – 50 years of club membership, Ralph Johnson – 96 years young, and Phil and Judy Eng – 39 years of absolute wedded bliss!
Paul Harris Dropped By…
Steve Enquist had the enviable job of awarding T. Roarke his 6th Paul Harris; Tyler his 4th and Mary Marlin her 3rd along with PP Potter’s 3rd. Congratulation to all.
Secretary of Everything Greg Rediske clarified a $2,000 donation to The Lakewood Baseball Club. The recipient, Jonathon Garcia, announced that former Husky football head coach, Kalen DeBoer would be the new coach of Lakewood Baseball. Seriously!? Just kidding, it will be Pete Carroll. Eric Warn contributed to LBC also.
Honey Jar a little slim….
Steve and Ellen Mazoff were in Florida visiting family: I think I heard $50. Steve Enquist may have donated something as well. We had technical issues along the way, so please excuse me if these nuggets of news prove inaccurate. We do the best we can and I believe it was James who came to the rescue. Keep in mind, none of this makes me a better person!
Jason Whalen was once more elected by fellow city council members as Mayor and Mary Moss as Deputy Mayor. I didn’t get a count of their donations to the Cookie Jar. Eric Warn was named Volunteer of the Year at the Lakewood YMCA. I noticed John Lowney was not in tears, so I assume the donations were adequate at least. John and Pam’s cat is named Missy.
A Speaker Near and Dear to our Hearts: Strong Heart; Sharp Brain
Greg Horn introduced Joe Piscatella, President and Founder of The Institute for Fitness and Health. A friend to many in Lakewood, Joe’s career as an author, speaker and expert in heart health and longevity began quite by accident. He suffered a heart attack at the young age of 32 resulting in bypass surgery. He was fit, young, successful, had a young family and in disbelief of what his doctor told him.
It has been 46 years and 18 books authored since that bypass. Joe has spoken to audiences totaling more than 2 million people. He concludes that all aspects of life affect our heart health. That includes where we live, our lifestyle, our attitudes, diet, exercise, our sleep, and the stress we deal with. Joe related data that should concern everyone. The USA is beset with obesity and diabetes and high blood pressure – all lead to heart disease and stroke. Count yourself lucky if you don’t suffer from those ailments as you age.
One in one million people die of AIDS. One in ten thousand die of murder. One in five thousand die of traffic related accidents. But, one in three die of heart related disease. Alzheimer’s has become the sixth leading cause of death. Longevity is declining at a time when it should be increasing: Women – 81.2 years, Men – 76.4 years. Chronic loneliness is the equivalent to smoking 17 cigarettes per day. Boy, John Prine nailed it in his song, “When I Get to Heaven.” I quote: “When I get to heaven, I’m gonna have a cocktail, Vodka and Ginger Ale and smoke a cigarette that’s nine miles long.” Well, John ain’t with us any longer after suffering from cancer and a stroke!
Joe told us to read about Blue Zones, places where people regularly live to 100 years and beyond: Sardinia, Loma Linda, California, Okinawa, and Greece. Follow their lifestyle and diet choices. And finally, walking is always best. But if you can’t walk, stand and balance on a Bosa Ball while you pass a smaller ball left and right. Be sure and have someone film that so we can enjoy it.
A huge thanks to Joe Piscatella: first for his longevity so he can share his wisdom and second, thanks for the visit.
Terry Roarke came in second in the raffle drawing, winning $5 that he will spend on his cat.
Who Reads This Stuff?
Ole
John Magnuson
It seems to be inevitable – the New Year’s Resolution Apathy. On January 1st I looked over a journal I keep. I was surprised to see that a year passed without me “becoming a better person.” I wondered why and decided the answer was beyond my ken. I decided to hire The Gallop Pole folks – not to be confused with The Gallup Poll folks. The Gallop Pole folks I met with - from Mukilteo - were much cheaper than those high-falutin’ folks from Washington DC you hear about on the TV set. The Gallop Pole folks make telephone poles in Snohomish County. I set forth an objective: survey people and ask them to express their opinion as to why I didn’t become a better person in 2023.
They selected a bunch of people from The White Pages of the telephone directory. They sent them a one-page questionnaire asking that question. They included a SASE for responses – all very high-tech. I’ve included a summary of their responses to the question of why people thought I had not become a better person. Here are the results:
- Who? 25 replies
- You must be joking! 19 replies
- (Scoffing sound) 15 replies
- No longer at this address 129 replies
- Who gives a rip!? 3896 replies
I decided to not become a better person in 2024. So far no one has noticed; except our cat.
Why Are We Here…?
President Mary began the meeting interrupting a stimulating conversation between Dave, Ralph, Carole and Ole on Zoom. To summarize: It is colder where Carole is in Minnesota, Dave has weather in the 70’s on Oahu, Ralph is keeping his ponies warm and Ole is wondering about his cat. That conversation precluded listening to the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Family Dream Team up-set the meeting facilities. They are: Tom George, James Oswunda, Rob Erb, Wynn Hoffman, Terry Roarke and Rick Selden. You can recognize those gentlemen because they wear their Varsity Letter Sweaters to the meetings. The Junior Varsity consists of Bob X at the $2 table, photographer Walt Richardson, Cookie Jar John Lowney and scribe – Ole aka John Magnuson. President Mary is so polite to mention VIPs Bill Potter, Tony Camoroda and Greg Horn. For your entertainment you can choose whom of those folks are PDG, DGN and AG – here’s a clue: all three have PP’d here and there. She also recognized our wonderful Puffins. Here’s an important question for the day: Who are more important – the VIP’s or the Puffins? Show of hands here – Oh Wow - that is much closer than I thought it would be.
Getting’ Down to Bidniss….
Wendy McGowan gave a Sunshine Report with information that PP Bob Lordahl’s memorial service will be Friday, January 26th at 2:00, Little Church on the Prairie. Rick Selden gave a nice eulogy for longtime member, Ray George. Ray was that quiet man who sat right over there and always showed up to work on anything and everything. His memorial is Saturday, January 27th, 11:00 AM, Sunset Bible Church. Wendy also reported that Bob Martin’s kidney surgery went well. I always wonder about that phrase “went well.” Imagine if you put a comma between the words, how it would change the meaning. As in “It went, …well, somewhere.” Never mind.
President Mary inducted new member, Phillip Lindholm. Chaplain Captain of the Air National Guard, Dr. Lindholm has an impressive resume. Several Master’s degrees in the world’s religions, a PhD and a cat that cares! Check out Dr. Lindholm on Ted Talks. The only other Captain Chaplain I know of was the fictional character, Captain Chaplain Tappman in Catch 22. He was played by Anthony Perkins. He was an Anabaptist Minister, but everyone called him Padre; which he wasn’t. Welcome Phillip.
PP Chris Kimball counted the birthdays, wedding anniversaries and club anniversaries amongst the membership. Using his Texas Instruments 4 Function, portable handheld calculator he totaled an amazing number. A number to which we should all aspire. A number we should bet on when we gamble tonight at the casino. A number numerologists long for. Yes, fellow Rotarians, Chris Kimball totaled all the years of marriage, years of Rotary membership and age in years – and that number is SIX! Wait, that couldn’t be right! It must be more than six, it should be more like one thousand five hundred and two or three. Anyway, this month’s grand prize winners in the various categories are: Jim Bisceglia – 50 years of club membership, Ralph Johnson – 96 years young, and Phil and Judy Eng – 39 years of absolute wedded bliss!
Paul Harris Dropped By…
Steve Enquist had the enviable job of awarding T. Roarke his 6th Paul Harris; Tyler his 4th and Mary Marlin her 3rd along with PP Potter’s 3rd. Congratulation to all.
Secretary of Everything Greg Rediske clarified a $2,000 donation to The Lakewood Baseball Club. The recipient, Jonathon Garcia, announced that former Husky football head coach, Kalen DeBoer would be the new coach of Lakewood Baseball. Seriously!? Just kidding, it will be Pete Carroll. Eric Warn contributed to LBC also.
Honey Jar a little slim….
Steve and Ellen Mazoff were in Florida visiting family: I think I heard $50. Steve Enquist may have donated something as well. We had technical issues along the way, so please excuse me if these nuggets of news prove inaccurate. We do the best we can and I believe it was James who came to the rescue. Keep in mind, none of this makes me a better person!
Jason Whalen was once more elected by fellow city council members as Mayor and Mary Moss as Deputy Mayor. I didn’t get a count of their donations to the Cookie Jar. Eric Warn was named Volunteer of the Year at the Lakewood YMCA. I noticed John Lowney was not in tears, so I assume the donations were adequate at least. John and Pam’s cat is named Missy.
A Speaker Near and Dear to our Hearts: Strong Heart; Sharp Brain
Greg Horn introduced Joe Piscatella, President and Founder of The Institute for Fitness and Health. A friend to many in Lakewood, Joe’s career as an author, speaker and expert in heart health and longevity began quite by accident. He suffered a heart attack at the young age of 32 resulting in bypass surgery. He was fit, young, successful, had a young family and in disbelief of what his doctor told him.
It has been 46 years and 18 books authored since that bypass. Joe has spoken to audiences totaling more than 2 million people. He concludes that all aspects of life affect our heart health. That includes where we live, our lifestyle, our attitudes, diet, exercise, our sleep, and the stress we deal with. Joe related data that should concern everyone. The USA is beset with obesity and diabetes and high blood pressure – all lead to heart disease and stroke. Count yourself lucky if you don’t suffer from those ailments as you age.
One in one million people die of AIDS. One in ten thousand die of murder. One in five thousand die of traffic related accidents. But, one in three die of heart related disease. Alzheimer’s has become the sixth leading cause of death. Longevity is declining at a time when it should be increasing: Women – 81.2 years, Men – 76.4 years. Chronic loneliness is the equivalent to smoking 17 cigarettes per day. Boy, John Prine nailed it in his song, “When I Get to Heaven.” I quote: “When I get to heaven, I’m gonna have a cocktail, Vodka and Ginger Ale and smoke a cigarette that’s nine miles long.” Well, John ain’t with us any longer after suffering from cancer and a stroke!
Joe told us to read about Blue Zones, places where people regularly live to 100 years and beyond: Sardinia, Loma Linda, California, Okinawa, and Greece. Follow their lifestyle and diet choices. And finally, walking is always best. But if you can’t walk, stand and balance on a Bosa Ball while you pass a smaller ball left and right. Be sure and have someone film that so we can enjoy it.
A huge thanks to Joe Piscatella: first for his longevity so he can share his wisdom and second, thanks for the visit.
Terry Roarke came in second in the raffle drawing, winning $5 that he will spend on his cat.
Who Reads This Stuff?
Ole
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