Hands down, the best quote of 2011.

Came in at the tail end, too.

 A woman at the Los Angeles Zoo elephant environment, while dozens of onlookers watched, crawled over two fences, hurdled over a little retaining wall, and walked down a little glade to meet the curious multi-ton elephant face to face.

She petted the elephant, he swung his trunk around a bit, turned and then walked back into his environment, away from the watching people who stared aghast at what the woman did.

Let’s think about this – some of the onlookers wondered, “hey, if she can do it, can I?”  You know that.  Others most likely shook their heads in bewilderment and under their breath, mumbled something like, “that lady is f’d up.”

But, one thing for certain?  No one tried to stop her.  No one called out to her and restrained her.  They probably pointed at her and watched – not hoping for a tragedy, but their hearts were racing, their mouths dried up a bit, they squinted in the sun – and they waited to see what would happen.

Well, the elephant was less interested in her than the people were.  Nothing happened.  The woman petted the elephant and then went back to the fences where she was met by zoo security.  When asked what the hell she was doing (not sure how it could have been more clear), she responded:  “I’m mentally ill and not taking my medications.”

Ok, she’s mentally ill, knows it, knows she’s not on her meds, and knows she took some risk in doing what she was doing.

Something called to her to get into that environment.  She heard it and followed the call.

Folks, Happy New Year.

Take your meds.

It’s an old joke: “Doctor, it hurts when I lift my left arm over my head!”

“Well then, don’t do that!”

The causes of pain aren’t always obvious. Con­sider these unexpected sources:

Back pain.

Taking your vitamins? Chronic back pain can be caused by low levels of vitamin D. Another possibility: constipation caused by block­age in the colon. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and fiber for better digestion. (Source: Prevention magazine)

Achy feet. Wearing sandals or flip-flops can cause pain in your feet, ankles and knees due to poor arch support. (Source: the Web MD website)

Headache. Cheese may be the culprit. A substance called tyramine in cheese can trigger headaches. Also, low blood sugar can create a headache even before you realize you’re hungry. A snack like whole-grain crackers with peanut butter can bring quick relief. (Source: the Web MD website)

Bizpain (bizpayn) n.  (slang)  1.  Mental suffering related to your occupation.  2.  Unpleasant feeling caused by job-related loss of control.  3.  The conflict you feel with the people you work with.  4. The knot in your gut on Sunday when you remember you have to work tomorrow.  5. (old use)  punishment.  Bizpain v.  to cause someone else to have bizpain.  I feel your bizpain, (informal)  comforting someone exhibiting bizpain symptoms.  You’re in bizpain, (common) confirming someone’s symptoms.  Bizpain.com,  (modern) a visit a day turns work into play. 

You may crave a tall, cold malt beverage after reading this: Two-thirds of U.S. adults drink, according to a recent Gallup poll, and beer is their favorite alcoholic beverage, followed by wine and then hard liquor.

The proportion of American drinkers in the poll is the highest since 1985. Beer is the drink of choice for 41 percent, and it’s been No. 1 since 1992 (except for a blip in 1995, when wine was more popular). Men under age 50 are beer’s biggest fans; women older than 50 are most likely to favor wine.

Gallup found that church attendance is one of the most significant indicators of alcohol consumption:

Those who report going to church rarely or never were more likely to say they drink than people who attend church services regularly.

(editor loves that last line)