3 Things I Learned In Week 5 of 2009

While visiting Random Ramblings, I learned that bamboo isn't just for Panda bears--people can eat it too! Read more about this at Bamboo.


I discovered there is actually a place that sells hoodies for Dachshunds. I found this at Ollie Day.com. Apparently, other doggie clothes do not fit Dachshunds well because of their long bodies and short feet. Here is the site where you can order these from: PPE Pet Supplies.


Michael J. Fox is the actor who played Alex Keaton on the family sitcom show, "Family Ties." I loved to watch that show because I liked Alex, the character. The premise of the show was about parents who were former hippies raising a teenage boy and girl and a preteen girl. Alex was the older brother who loved money, was insensitive, very conservative and very funny! I don't know many actors, but I did know Michael J. Fox played Alex Keaton. He made him likeable in spite of his faults. As a browsed the library shelf, I came across "Lucky Man" which is Michael J. Fox's memoir and just finished reading it this week. It was very interesting and I feel like I know the actor now. Here are some things I learned from reading his book:

1. His middle initial is not really J. He just picked it because in the actor's guild, there was already a Michael Fox so he had to use something else.

2. He is a Canadian! I didn't know that.

3. He had a drinking problem but thankfully, quit and overcame it with help.

4. He had a very close relationship with his grandmother who always called him "Michael" because she didn't like the name "Mike" and predicted he would be famous one day as Michael.

5. He was often at odds with his dad because of his poor grades in the important subjects. He got As in the electives that were along the lines of creativity and art.

6. He married the actress who played Alex Keaton's girlfriend on the show in about 7 episodes. I was glad to learn that his marriage was solid.

7. He got Parkinson's disease way earlier than normal. He was in his 40s and had to deal with the disease most people don't get until after 60.

8. He survived brain surgery!

9. His passion is to help raise money for Parkinson's disease research because scientists believe a cure could be found within a few years if they had the funds to proceed. Michael founded an organization to do just that and is an advocate for Parkinson's disease research--his passion.

I enjoyed reading this book very much because he shared about his childhood, his family, his career, his challenges and his own family. I didn't really know much about Parkinson's disease until I read this book. It not only talks about the physical symptoms of the disease but also the mental and emotional aspects of dealing with it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Michael J. Fox and wants to learn more about him or to anyone dealing with Parkinson's disease or who knows someone who has it.