U.S. Open: Federer falls in five-set thriller

What a match!
I'm definitely a Roger Federer fan and would have wanted him in the final against Nadal. But Novak Djokovic prevailed and overall, toward the end, looked fresher.
Here's my question, though: How do you go five sets, at more than four hours, and still look like you've just walked out of your living room? (I'm a major sweater.)
Another question: Whom to root for Sunday?

Livestrong.com: Guilt

What is guilt?
Guilt is:

* Feeling of responsibility for negative circumstances that have befallen yourself or others.
* Feeling of regret for your real or imagined misdeeds, both past and present.
* Sense of remorse for thoughts, feelings or attitudes that were or are negative, uncomplimentary or non-accepting concerning yourself or others.
* Feeling of obligation for not pleasing, not helping or not placating another.
* Feeling of bewilderment and lack of balance for not responding to a situation in your typical, stereotype manner.
* Feeling of loss and shame for not having done or said something to someone who is no longer available to you.
* Accepting of responsibility for someone else's misfortune or problem because it bothers you to see that person suffer.
* Motivator to amend all real or perceived wrongs.
* Strong moral sense of right and wrong that inhibits you from choosing a "wrong" course of action; however, you assign your own definitions to the words.
* Driving force or mask behind which irrational beliefs hide.
How do others play on your feelings of guilt?
Read it all: here.

Admittedly, I am one of those who takes on too much. (Guilty!) I often take on responsibility for things that aren't mine. But the other day when I had one of my "episodes" of guilt, I was able to work through it. At least mostly. Guilt can be a great "check" on you; you can right wrongs. Yet there are some who feel no guilt at all, about anything, and perhaps have no issue with doing things that might lead to a feeling of guilt, such as robbing a bank.
Anyone else want to weigh in?

Jamie Lee Curtis: Recovery is 'single greatest accomplishment'

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis has said that recovering from years of drug abuse is her "greatest accomplishment" in life. (Well, that and motherhood.)
In an interview on NBC's Today, the actress admitted that ending her addiction is what allowed her to lead a successful life.
"My recovery is the single greatest accomplishment of my life. And without that, the rest of my life would have fallen apart," she explained.
Read the rest here.
Mainly I applaud Curtis, and others like her in the limelight, for naming their struggles with addiction. It takes the power out when you say or write things. However, the mixed-bag I have with Curtis and others is two-fold: One, that recovery work can be glorified. (We seem to hear every day about so-and-so actor going to rehab. So it becomes sort of the "in" thing.) And two, I tire easily of celebrity news. "Actress X stubbed her toe today while shopping for a bathing suit. News at 11."

Harvard Medical School: Students look down the road 10 years

"Therefore, if you know one Dominican patient, you know exactly one Dominican patient, and not all Dominicans."

Here, a few first-year medical students at Harvard weigh in on the future of their future profession. And I like what the one guy said above, which should be a lesson to us all--whether in medicine or the arts. Generalizations, while helpful in making certain categorical judgments, miss the particular. What patient/person doesn't want to be seen and heard?

Medical school: Seeing patients on Day 1

Fascinating shift from a formula enacted 100 years ago: Medical schools, such as NYU, are putting medical students in contact with real-life patients on the first day.
Read the New York Times story here.
Of course it's not clinical training, yet--mostly testimonials from patients in the classroom. But it seems necessary. If nothing else, I presume, the would-be docs can associate names and faces with long names of diseases. And in the long run, become more-compassionate physicians.

U.S. Open: Poet-in-residence?

That seems kind of weird.
But this columnist offers a "return of serve" to the tradition at Wimbledon. And the concept of poet-in-residence wouldn't have to be limited to tennis tournaments. What about restaurants? Waffle House?
Here's a Waffle House Haiku (just written by Yours Truly):
Scattered, smothered, chopped
Hashbrowns ready when you are
Ceramic mugs: coffee

If you're laboring this weekend, don't work too hard.
Meanwhile, catch U.S. Open action here.

Tiger Woods: What recession?

The housing market in the United States may still be in the tank, but that hasn't stopped Tiger Woods from taking out a hefty sum for his newest residence.
Just days after he finalized his divorce with ex-wife Elin Nordegren, Woods took out a $54.5 million mortgage for the mega-mansion he's building on Florida's exclusive Jupiter Island, according to TMZ.com.
Tiger has agreed to pay the loan back by January 15, 2016.
Legal documents filed in Martin County and obtained by TMZ.com indicate that Tiger's property will span across three parcels of land. The mansion will also include a tennis court, oxygen therapy room, multiple pools and a state-of-the-art fitness center.