On the Day of my Cholesterol and PSA Check

I've been too busy to write - too much going on at work and too much going on at dance.  Getting ready for a new solo to be danced next month at Sugino Showcase -  danced to The Chairman's Waltz by Yo Yo Ma (Memoirs of a Geisha) - danced American style.  The idea is to extend my generally inflexible frame and improve my unpredictable balance using new steps and poses that require stretch, expression and interpretation to the music narrative.  This gives me great pleasure, that is, when I can do it without wobble or bobble.   And, in between, I'm off to the Pediatric Academic Society Meeting in Boston and then to New York and New Jersey for a few days with my sisters. Anyway, wish me luck with my cholesterol and my PSA tests. I really do not need any more drama in my life and hope that my generally good living habits will reward me with a respite in worry about my health.  God know I don't need any excuses to worry - I'm one of the best worriers I know.  In the meantime, if you happen to be out and about in Las Vegas, bored or have lost the family fortune gambling, you might want to check out the restaurant depicted in the following news story posted today.

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In a bizarre "woman bites burger" tale, a patron of a Las Vegas diner infamous for its calorie-laden menu and waitresses in medical garb has suffered an apparent heart attack there - the second medical incident since February.

Heart Attack Grill owner Jon Basso told Vegas' KVVU that the woman collapsed while eating a "double bypass" burger Saturday night; she was rushed to a hospital and is expected to recover. In mid-February, a man had an apparent heart attack while chowing down on a 6,000-calorie "triple bypass" version.

The chain's slogan is "a burger to die for." It gives free meals to people over 350 pounds, and a sign reads "Caution: This establishment is bad for your health," notes the Associated Press.

The 8,000-calorie Quadruple Bypass Burger, with four half-pound beef patties, eight slices of American cheese, a whole tomato and half an onion served in a lard-coated bun, been called one of the "world's worst junk foods." Other menu items include butterfat milkshakes and "flatliner fries" cooked in lard.

After the first incident, the AP reports, the Washington, D.C.-based Officials for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine said they sent a letter to the Heart Attack Grill's owner, asking him to "declare moral bankruptcy" and close the restaurant.

Susan Levin, the group's director of nutrition education, said the incident should be a wake-up call that "bypass operations aren't funny."