"See Pap"

The title of this post for December 15 is a play on CPAP, the acronym for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. This is a device to overcome a condition called sleep apnea, in which the airway to the lungs is cut off during sleep. The device reminds me of Jonathan Swift's take on science: complicated silly invasive procedures applied to human problems.

Don't get me wrong: sleep apnea is a serious problem. But the apparatus you have to wear to solve it is silly-looking. Fortunately, it is worn in the privacy of your bedroom, and privacy should preserve one's dignity if one's spouse is not laughing too loud. I think comedians are missing a great sight gag here. Picture a huge clear plastic nose that you strap onto your face with a giant set of velcro-adjustable straps that hold it onto your head. Attached to that is a long corrugated plastic hose looking for all the world as if you are wearing a vacuum cleaner to bed.

Anyway, if this article does not convince you that I am serious, "See Pap" should.

Hmmm. Maybe I should write a poem about a guy who goes to bed with a vacuum cleaner on his face . . . .