While I haven't posted here in quite some time, I want to alert all of you over the age of 60 about the relatively new vaccine to prevent, or at least mitigate, the effects of shingles. If you had the chicken pox, you will definitely need this vaccine.

When you get chicken pox, and then recover, the virus stays in your system just waiting for a time to appear much later on in life. The results can be a mild pain-in-the-a$$, or be absolutely devasting. My Aunt, who is now 82, got hit with one of the worst cases of this about 5 years ago, and it has left her essentially disabled. This woman is the last person on Earth to deserve this fate. I can't tell you what a shame this is.

So, when I turned 60 last month I gave myself a present by getting this vaccine. I've been waiting for years. I was told by the Pharmacist that the pain from Shingles is one of the leading causes of suicide for people over the age of 50. Please, I'm begging all of you, get the damn vaccine. You will never know what you have avoided, if you do. We are so very lucky that this has come on the market in the last few years.

Tony LaRussa, the baseball manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, has recently had to leave his team to get treated for this. I have had a crush on him for a very long time.

Get the Vaccine, people.