David Altshuler, M.S.
(305) 978-8917 | [email protected]

Author: David

Headline

Should have made the The New York Times, the lead story on the nightly news on all the networks. The international press should have been clamoring, lines of paparazzi photographers camped outside our home. On January 25th 2021, my younger daughter loaded the dishwasher without being asked. How did the

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Coin Pusher Machines

I love coin pusher machines. The lights, the sounds, the expectation that, at any moment, dozens of shimmering quarters will collapse into my eager hands—are all glorious enticements. Unlike traditional slot machines with levers or buttons, coin pusher machines have quarters—hundreds of them—right there where I can see them. The

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Welcome. It’s Nice to See You.

Apparently there are physiological reasons why Mile 20 is notoriously wretched. A 150-pound person can store about 2000 calories and uses around 100 calories per mile. At mile 20, the stores are depleted. No more glycogen. The body–starved for fuel–burns everything available. Think about a bitterly cold night, a fire

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The Fountain of Youth

Ponce de Leon is most often associated with the Fountain of Youth, but Herodotus wrote about the allegedly magical place two thousand years earlier. Alexander the Great in the 4th century CE, King Prester John in the crusades 800 years ago, Caribbean people during the early 16th century*—the Fountain of

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Janet of the Apes

JANET  But it’s pretty bad, isn’t it? I know it’s pretty bad. Ever since I can remember…ever since I was a little girl…people have turned away from me. The very first thing I can remember is a little child screaming when she looked at me. I never wanted to be

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Future Anxiety

Amy’s senior year schedule is as follows: AP Calculus BC; AP English Literature; AP Chemistry; AP Government and Economics; Spanish IV; and Yearbook, a publication of which she is the editor. Her scores on the SAT and the ACT are in the 90th percentile. She is active and involved in

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Jeer Pressure

One of the great things about being a runner is that getting older is a good thing. You’re 65-69? Great! You’ll do better in your new age bracket, now that you don’t have to compete against those fast, young bucks in the 60- to 64-year-old group! One of the great

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Simple Distinction

One of my running buddies tells a story about his immigrant grandfather. Arriving from Europe after the First World War, Mike worked long shifts as a dishwasher, was promoted to cook, eventually opening his own diner. A generation later, my buddy’s grandfather owned four restaurants, employing dozens of people. He

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Horse Sense

Alan Strang, the protagonist of Peter Shaffer’s Equus, commits an act so heinous as to impress theater goers long after the final homeward bound subway ride. Critics view the text as “Shaffer’s exploration of the way modern society has destroyed our ability to feel passion.” They write of Alan’s psychiatrist

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Silence is Golden

Sorry to be late. My granddaughter has a fever. Nothing serious. Maybe 99 point something. Also, this isn’t my computer; I’m using my wife’s computer. So her name is showing up in the Zoom. Not my name. Her name is Peggy. But my name is Bob. So my computer screen

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Copyright © David Altshuler 1980 – 2022    |    Miami, FL • Charlotte, NC     |    (305) 978-8917    |    [email protected]