TIM CONWAY

Tim Conway did a dental skit with Harvey Korman on the Carol Burnett Show years ago. Everyone should see it. The next time you visit the dentist, you'll be glad he is competent.

MONK

It's time to promote my favorite program. Monk has finally come to network television. It has been on cable for several years. Up until now, the only way we have been able to watch it is to rent the videos of past shows. I'm not sure why I like it. Maybe I recognize something of myself in his personality. We all have obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Monk lives it, so we don't have to.

The writers of this show have had a lot of fun thinking up interesting scenarios for someone with OCD. So far my favorite scene is when he is strapped down in the dentist chair and the dentist is preparing to torture him. Monk isn't overly worried about the torture, but he is concerned that the dentist isn't wearing gloves. He begs, "In the name of all that is holy, please wash your hands."

There is a lesson in this for all of us. Sometimes we become overly concerned with the small things, while not giving proper attention to what is really important. I think we need to stay focused. This week in Portland we had a house slide down a hill. Those below saw it coming toward them, and the father started to retrieve his new Honda. He was stopped by his son, who properly recognized that his dad's life was more important than the car. I hope there will always be those around who will remind me of what is really important, and I trust I will do the same for them.

IT PAYS TO BE BLAND

Here is more information to support my suspicions about creativity. There are some advantages of being dull.

PRIORITIES

Economic times like this are being described as unprecedented. It makes me examine my priorities. How important is it for me to have a retirement nest egg? What if I lose my job? What if I can't pay my bills?

What is the worst case scenario? Will the entire banking system collapse? Some families are facing hard decisions right now. Others will face them in the coming months. In these past economic boom years we have had beggars at the main intersections just off the freeway, with cardboard signs and messages designed to inspire guilt. Will they lose their job too? Will the guilt donations slow, or will their numbers swell?

Will we hear accounts of suicides because fortunes have been lost? How prepared am I to face several years of economic slowdown? What is my responsibility to others?

There is an investment that does not lose value. That is when we invest in the lives of others. I find myself evaluating my investing. I try to be prudent and save for retirement, but what about those I love? Has my attempt to be financially responsible taken away from investing in people? I hope not. After all, if an economic collapse occurs, I'll need lots of people to hang out with. That doesn't cost any money.