Yeah, “Beauty…” I’ve heard it, too, but that’s not where I’m headed tonight.

What you see, and what I see, are often two different things, even if we’re looking at the same scene. This is why “eye witness” testimony is often unreliable. Two people can experience the same event, and describe it in such a way that it’s hard to believe they both saw the same thing. Because they didn’t.

Experiment after experiment shows this phenomenon. What you see isn’t solely a function of what was actually there. It’s what you noticed about what was there, filtered through your own history and experience. Is the glass half empty, or half full? Yes. Both may be correct interpretations of the state of the glass.

I often come onto a scene that’s already in progress. I’ll round a corner or enter a room, and catch an expression or a few words, but not enough to make sense of what I’m seeing or hearing. Yet my brain insists on completing the story, so will fill in the gaps in a way that makes sense. To me, and my peculiar history. (That’s “peculiar” as in unique, not as odd.)

Don’t call me a liar because you didn’t see what I saw. You and I didn’t see the same thing, even if we were walking side by side when we saw it.

June 14th rolls around this time each year, and some people get very excited about Flag Day. Maybe June 14th is your birthday, or anniversary. Or maybe your connection to June 14th is the flag.

I’m not one to put the flag out every day, although some in my family do. I keep the flagpole in the front closet, and bring it out for patriotic holidays. I don’t fly the flag on Christmas, but it’s waving on Memorial Day. It goes up on Independence Day, and, on Flag Day.

I’m not really clear why there’s a special day for the Stars and Stripes. But I like it. Don’t really celebrate except to fly and salute the flag, but it feels right nonetheless. It is a nice-looking emblem, and I have many memories of reciting the pledge of allegiance while saluting the flag that was hung in the corner of every elementary school classroom I attended.

Flag Day? Bring it on. And order up a nice breeze to let that flag really fly!

If you read our mini-bios at the top of the page, you know I’m in radio. What you may not know is I’m been in radio since before audio-visual signals were delivered to our homes via satellite. (Cable’s been around longer than I have.)

Back in the day, to receive broadcast signals, you’d use a little set-top antenna, consisting of two pieces of metal sticking up like an elongated “V.” Somebody thought it looked like rabbit ears – and the term stuck, although it’s not as common these days to see them. (Actually, right now, we don’t have satellite or cable, so we have a “rabbit ears” antenna on each TV.)

That’s why I thought it was funny when I came to work at the radio station and saw this fellow (adjusting his rabbit ears for best reception?).

Well, I guess you had to be there.

I’ve had trouble getting enough sleep, really feeling rested, for quite some time now. My doctor even referred me to a “sleep lab.”

At the lab, I was given a comfortable sleep outfit consisting of a couple of strap-on sensors and some oxygen tubing, connected to a battery-powered recorder. After spending a (mostly) restful night thus encumbered, the lab tech downloaded the information from the recorder, and informed me that I had a mild case of sleep apnea.

Next step, the sleep class. With a group of similarly-afflicted and somewhat haggard people (we don’t sleep much), I met with a doctor for a two hour class where the group of us were told, among other things and much to our surprise, that one of the devices available to us by prescription could be (should we balk at the $150 price tag) made instead with common household items.

Biggest takeaway from the class: many cases of mild sleep apnea can be cured by losing some weight. In the meantime, avoid sleeping on your back.

This only applies to mild sleep apnea. The range (AHi, or Apnea/Hypopnea index):

< 5       normal

5-15     mild

15-30  moderate

> 30    severe

Even though those in the class had all registered with mild sleep apnea, several treatment options were shown (including surgical options for more severe cases), but with the exceptions of positional therapy (don’t sleep on your back) and weight loss (to a BMI of 23-25), all of them had side effects to contend with. In the “con” column for weight loss – it’s difficult. But given the options, I’m going to give it my best try.