Here's Graham helping daddy get some work done.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Monday, March 06, 2006
Cough Syrup and Its Discontents
Graham caught his first cold this weekend. Small wonder: his mommy has been in bed with a much more severe case since last Thursday. We started seeing some snuffles and coughs yesterday, and then Graham was up half the night hacking last night. Hoping to avoid a repeat performance tonight, I went to the pharmacy this afternoon to find the appropriate drug cocktail. There I found a curious phenomenon: a whole row of cold products labeled as "Infant" but with dosage instructions for children over 2 years of age. Now, I may not be a world-class
philologist, but I'm reasonably certain that most folks wouldn't describe a two year old as an infant. But these products all gave instructions to call a doctor before giving the stuff to kids under two. Very well: they don't want to get sued. But then shouldn't they be calling them "Toddler Drops"? I querried the pharmacist and got a wry expression. "I can't officially tell you that this stuff is OK, but..." with a shrug of the shoulders. Then she got out the Illustrated Magic Golden Book of Pharmacological Secrets and showed me the suggested dose for a 7-month old. "Why isn't this printed on the product?" I asked. "Well, they want you call a doctor first." Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Alright, I get the picture: the big pharm laywers don't want their companies getting sued, but the markerters don't want to lose market share on the parents-of-children-under-two demographic (a notoriously worriesome lot, ready to shell out big bucks at the first appearance of discomfort). So the solution is simple: advertise the product as made for infants, but tell them in fine print that they really shouldn't give it to infants if they don't call a doctor first. Everyone's happy, right? Sure--as long as you're happy making health care decisions by reading between the lines or calling to pester your physician about every over-the-counter medication on the market (and do you really think your physician is going to answer such potentially incriminating questions over the telephone? Dream on.). But that's the price of living in the Land of the Litigious: when it comes to product packaging, passing the buck is safer than giving a straightforward answer.
Sorry for the rant. I'll try not to let it become a habit.
philologist, but I'm reasonably certain that most folks wouldn't describe a two year old as an infant. But these products all gave instructions to call a doctor before giving the stuff to kids under two. Very well: they don't want to get sued. But then shouldn't they be calling them "Toddler Drops"? I querried the pharmacist and got a wry expression. "I can't officially tell you that this stuff is OK, but..." with a shrug of the shoulders. Then she got out the Illustrated Magic Golden Book of Pharmacological Secrets and showed me the suggested dose for a 7-month old. "Why isn't this printed on the product?" I asked. "Well, they want you call a doctor first." Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Alright, I get the picture: the big pharm laywers don't want their companies getting sued, but the markerters don't want to lose market share on the parents-of-children-under-two demographic (a notoriously worriesome lot, ready to shell out big bucks at the first appearance of discomfort). So the solution is simple: advertise the product as made for infants, but tell them in fine print that they really shouldn't give it to infants if they don't call a doctor first. Everyone's happy, right? Sure--as long as you're happy making health care decisions by reading between the lines or calling to pester your physician about every over-the-counter medication on the market (and do you really think your physician is going to answer such potentially incriminating questions over the telephone? Dream on.). But that's the price of living in the Land of the Litigious: when it comes to product packaging, passing the buck is safer than giving a straightforward answer.Sorry for the rant. I'll try not to let it become a habit.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Graham's First Tooth!
Alright, it may not look like much on your end, but this little thing is sharp! Just ask Sarah.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Friday, March 03, 2006
The Graham-a-Phone
Well, Graham has finally uttered his first intelligible word: Dada. Yes, I had a sneaking suspicion it might be dada before mama; after all, I'm the one who swings him around the room by his legs and plays the tickle monster game. But Graham has done me proud. He's not speaking in complete sentences yet, but let's just remember that he's only six months old. We'll give him another month or two.
Where Would Jesus Buy his Printer Toner?
At www.lasermonks.com, of course! The company is run by eight Cistercian monks in Sparta, WI, who sing Gregorian chants while filling toner. They sell new and reconditioned ink and toner cartridges for almost all widely available printers and copiers, and their prices are amazing. I paid over $90 for my last toner cartridge, and they're selling them for around $40. And the best part is, all the profits go to charity.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
GPoD: 3.2.2006
It's been four days since the last GPoD, and public outcry against my slackness has been mounting. Here's a triple helping to help get us back in the swing of things again...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)