OCTOBER 3 • 2019 | 5

W

hile we’
re still 
enduring a season 
of road construc-
tion, there is one completed 
stretch worth celebrating. It’
s 
the new Rails-to-Trails path 
that begins 
where the West 
Bloomfield 
Trail previ-
ously ended at 
Haggerty Road. 
The asphalted 
path is approx-
imately 1 mile, 
connecting 
walkers, joggers and bikers to 
the M-5 Metro Trail, which is 
now accessible by a beautiful 
new pedestrian bridge that 
extends over the highway. It’
s 
all part of a scenic network of 
194 trails that crisscross our 
state for 2,835 miles. (Visit 
railstotrails.org.) 
The photo of me was taken 
by a kind lady, Emily, who 
took pity on my lack of coor-
dination as I tried to take a 
selfie. I had already ridden 
7 miles, while Emily, having 
already biked from Berkley, 
was riding to her sister’
s house 
in Ann Arbor. She figured she 
had another five hours ahead 
of her. You go, girl! (Before 

you get too impressed, Emily 
told me she wasn’
t riding back 
home. Her husband was pick-
ing her up. Just sayin’
.) 
My endurance challenge? 
I biked back 1 mile to carbo 
load at the Breakfast Club 
restaurant on Haggerty. 
Fabulous multigrain pancakes 
— and they give you a choco-
late- covered strawberry with 
your check. The perfect nutri-
ents needed to ensure a safe 
6-mile journey home; which 
included one more break to 
get a Yoz Yogurt at Crosswinds 
Mall. (Caution: My training 
regimen is not for everyone. 
Check with your doctor before 
attempting to duplicate my 
efforts.)
Before the snow falls, I 
intend on making my way 
back to the pedestrian bridge 
for an inaugural ride on the 
M-5 Metro Trail. At that 
point, the trail will safely make 
accessible either LuLu’
s on 
Welch Road, great omelets, 
or the Commerce Costco 
for free samples, an all-beef 
hotdog and a slice of pizza. 
(Suggestion: The signs on the 
trail that identify wildlife you 
might see should also include 
restaurant locations.)

By the way, did you 
happen to notice my 
bicycle riding attire? 
Unlike many male riders 
I’
ve seen of a similar 
age and (ahem) girth, I 
have the good sense to 
wear my skintight, TMI, 
cycling shorts under 
a pair of gym shorts. 
You’
re welcome. 
Meanwhile, I have 
an update on another 
healthy journey I shared 
a few weeks ago — my 
CPAP treatment. I 
received emails from 
readers who shared their 
apnea adventures. Even 
several doctors weighed 
in with opinions. More 
medical care that doesn’
t 
go toward my deductible. 
 
After three months of CPAP
, 
I can definitely feel a marked 
improvement in my daytime 
energy. And I have the num-
bers to prove it.
My obstructive sleep apnea 
has been eliminated. However, 
it turns out I’
m also dealing, 
with success, with a trickier 
problem called “central sleep 
apnea,
” which is when your 
brain actually doesn’
t tell your 
muscles to breathe while you’
re 
sleeping. Isn’
t that special?
My brain doesn’
t do a lot 
things. It doesn’
t remember 
where I put my cell phone. It 
often doesn’
t remember why I 
went from one room to anoth-
er. It doesn’
t tell me where I 
parked my car. It has never 
been able to stop me from 
watching Lions games. But my 
brain not telling me to breathe 
at night?! Thank goodness it 
at least still has the courtesy to 
wake me twice a night before 
I go to the bathroom. Stay 
tuned. 

Alan Muskovitz is a writer, voice-
over/acting talent and emcee. Visit 
laughwithbigal.com, “like” Al on 
Facebook and reach him at 
amuskovitz@renmedia.us.

for openers

Happy Trails!

A NICE BIKER NAMED EMILY

Alan 
Muskovitz
Contributing 
Writer

Views

publisher’
s notebook

We Hear 
You
T

hank you again for 
your feedback and 
comments about the 
new format of the Jewish 
News. You told 
us that one of 
your concerns 
was the size of 
the typeface for 
editorial content 
— it seemed a 
bit smaller and 
lighter than 
when we were using standard 
newsprint. You’
ll notice 
(hopefully!) that the typeface 
now has a different shape and 
density, making it easier to 
read.
You also recommended that 
with a larger cover logo, the 
Jewish News would be easier 
to identify, especially from 
other glossy publications. 
We’
ve incorporated that 
suggestion into our updated 
front cover template.
In recent weeks, one of 
our biggest challenges has 
been returning to a level of 
consistent delivery for some 
of you. As devoted readers, 
you rely on the successful 
execution of a weekly 
sequence of events that brings 
the Jewish News to your 
mailbox. 
We transmit final pages 
and updated subscription lists 
to our printer. The printer 
“plates” the pages for printing, 
stitching and trimming. The 
publication then moves to a 
mailing area, where address 
labels are ink-jetted in zip 
code/carrier route sequence, 
bundled and trucked to U.S. 
Postal Service entry points for 
expedited distribution.

Arthur
Horwitz

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