What fun is retiring well-off if you're not all there to enjoy the ride?

Anyone unfortunate to have witnessed the ravages of Alzheimer's certainly understands. But almost all of us have experienced some kind of preview of diminished capacity to come -- glasses "lost" perched right atop our brows; forgetting whether or not you just took that vitamin; mentally misplacing long-burned-in info, like your mom's birthday. It starts earlier than most of us want to admit.

There's good news, in the form of research showing the brain has more plasticity than previously thought. In laymen's terms, our aging brains can likely benefit from regular exercise, to help stave off what was previously written off as inevitable, age-induced, mental atrophy.

If you have money to burn and you're allergic to pet dander, but you'd really like to have a cat; have I got a deal for you! ABC News reported recently that a company called Allerca claimed two years ago that they had developed the world's first hypoallergenic cat. Allergic cat lovers immediately began paying deposits for ownership of the sneeze-free felines.

Selling prices range anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000 for your average tabby all the way up to $35,000 for an exotic variety of "wild cat." Emergency room doctor David Avner, who has researched the key feline protein believed to cause allergic reactions, says hypoallergenic cats are a fallacy. That's where the matter becomes a bit cloak and dagger-ish.

File this under the heading of "What will they think of next?" The condom marketer Lifestyles has put a new spin on an old photo booth. Gone are the days when you and your love could snuggle, giggle and mug it up in the five-for-a-quarter photo booth. Back then, you dropped in your coin and you got a strip of black and white snap shots. These days you put in your money, pose for some snaps and you could get your pictures along with... you guessed it... condoms.

Lifestyles brand debuted its novel new photo booth concept in January at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Since that time, the company has expressed an interest in having more of the booths built for placement in large city clubs. Personally, I think the idea would present too much of a logistical nightmare for the company to be of any real value. I think the idea is more of a timely yet quirky publicity stunt.

Now, I have some ideas for other ways to move condoms. They could give them out at gas stations for when you get screwed at the pump. Or how about having the IRS send condoms out on a regular basis to taxpayers? In that scenario, they might want to furnish some complimentary KY Jelly also. My state Department of Motor Vehicles could put one in the envelope along with the yearly vehicle registration payment notice they send. We might also start looking for them in with those handy Social Security benefit estimates we're supposed to get each year.

Kudos to Lifestyles for coming up with an original condom awareness device. The approach is to be admired for its novelty. But honestly folks, It's my opinion that photo booths are for picture taking and they should be reserved for that purpose. Condoms on the other hand, are for... well... you know.

Fast food has been blamed for the plague of Dunlop disease in the U.S. ("My belly dunlop over my belt.") Certainly, a typical meal at McDonald's takes a lot of work to burn off. A Quarter-pounder with Cheese (in Europe, a Royal with Cheese), fries and a medium Coke contains 1,100 calories. The average person needs 1,800- 2,500 calories for an entire day to maintain consistent weight.

However, most chains now offer waistline-friendly selections. For example, McDonald's has compiled suggested menus that don't require you to eat leaves and twigs. These include-

Breakfast:
Sausage Burrito
12 oz. orange juice
440 calories
(For comparison, two glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts have 400 calories)

Lunch:
4 pc. Chicken McNuggets w/ honey dipping sauce
Side salad with a half pack of Newman's Caesar dressing
Small Sprite
470 calories

Supper:
Cheeseburger
Apple dippers with low-fat caramel sauce
Small Diet Coke
400 calories

Certainly these menu selections aren't perfect; they are high in fat, sodium and cholesterol. However, for sedentary workers they make a lot more sense.

This week, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is sponsoring Cover the Uninsured Week, a program launched in 2003 to raise awareness of the plight of the 47 million Americans who lack health insurance.

The foundation's web site is packed with helpful information and resources, as well as moving personal stories and facts and figures documenting the problem. Perhaps most helpful are the state profiles with specifics on eligibility and coverage information, and state-by-state guides on how to find low-cost and free health insurance programs. The site also links to events happening across the country to provide health education and to sign up families for health insurance. For example, ten health fairs are being held in California this week and weekend by various community organizations. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also sponsors back to school week in August to help uninsured school children enroll in health plans.

Here in Connecticut, I read about the campaign in a local paper, which mentioned that Americares runs three free clinics in the state, in Bridgeport, Danbury and Norwalk. To find out if you're eligible, visit the Americares free clinics website. The Stamford-based charity opened its first free U.S. clinic in 1994 to serve the medical needs of the working poor, although it is better known for its international relief work.

Daily Deal for Thursday, May 1, 2008: Save thousands of dollars on melanoma treatments by using inexpensive sunscreen liberally. No-Ad Maximum Sun Block Lotion SPF-45, 16 oz., $8.95 plus shipping, drugsdepot.com.

The American Cancer Society has some sensible precautions you can adopt to reduce the chance of developing skin cancer: avoid exposure during the sunniest part of the day, wear a hat and sleeves, and, of course, use sunscreen. Unfortunately, many of the brand-name sunscreen products are very pricey.

But not all. Consumer Reports recently named No-Ad Maximum Sun Block Lotion SPF-45 as a best buy, as it stands up to comparison with the top brands in performance yet sells at a price that won't tempt you to skimp on its use. The 16 oz. bottle is a good value, although if you can find it in your local pharmacy you might do better than this mail-order price, since shipping will eat up much of the savings. If you can bundle this purchase as part of a $100 order from drugdepot.com, however, shipping is free.

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish with your sunscreen, unless you like the notion of having a big ugly cancer on the tip of your nose. That's not a good look.