The perfect metaphor

During the last week of this past August my Dad found out he had Colorectal cancer. But as he awaited treatment details in the subsequent month and a bit since being diagnosed, the less dire everything seemed to be. His doctor’s weren’t rushing back to him with any news. And when they finally did, they were pretty confident their prescribed treatment — being major surgery — while still very serious, would eradicate the issue. I gathered he just wanted it over with. Dare I say it, we all did?

Then along came the day prior to Hallowe’en, the day of his surgery. While it ran long, it was successful. However his initial recovery was slow. And the following Tuesday morning, while involved in his “physio,” if I may label it as such, he had what his doctor labelled a “cardiac event.”

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking to place blame on anyone. But everyone involved in his care after this occurring wasn’t entirely clear on what had happened. Or what was continuing to unfold. His doctor being chief among “everyone.” Point being, “why” is no longer a question I’m particularly interested in asking anymore. I’d much rather focus on the way in which my Dad handled things which he was dealt. Whether it was how he immediately put his entire life on hold when I needed an advocate, or how he passed from this world.

Continue reading The perfect metaphor

CNN Strikes Again

Last night I tuned into CNN’s Election coverage. And believe me, no-one is more sorry than I. I should have known better. Totally my fault, I know.

A very small minded Republican, I assume, sitting on their “panel” actually told the audience if Obama wins minorities no longer have any excuses. Wow, what a relief, I feel so vindicated. All it took was a single Black man to be elected as President of the United States for an entire planet to drop their small-minded, selfish tendencies? What took so bloody long?

“Fucking goof…”

Just Read The Damn Book

Book JacketNearing the end of July I saw the movie The Diving Bell And The Butterfly and subsequently wrote a piece entitled Let Your Imagination Set You Free. Since then I’ve had an opportunity to read the book, by the same name, which set this all adrift. Not to mention my interest in what he so valiantly accomplished. The authoring of some memoirs.

I seem to recall hearing a few professionals, at a rehabilitation hospital I was admitted to in March of ’97, recommend my family read a book written by a bloke who suffered from an affliction painstakingly “similar” to mine. The “affliction” being, as I’ve mentioned previously, “Locked-in Syndrome.” And “the bloke” being, I assume, Jean-Dominique Bauby. As it turns out Bauby’s book was originally published the very same week I finally began my climb out of my body. Weird.

Anyway this is a quick read. One I suggest people read in “collaboration” with the movie. The nature of both medium’s provide an important context into each other. I guess having “lived it” provides me a perspective I felt the book didn’t provide. No cut on him. And seeing it on screen I was better able to grasp what he experienced. The movie allows a person to witness difficulties he faced, the most prevalent being writing. Whereas the book, just as relevantly, tells that same person what he thought and felt.

It’s really a great story. Take my word for it…

Continue reading Just Read The Damn Book

FLOW The Film

Have you seen T. Boone Pickens’ on TV touting his plan to switch from a dependence on foreign oil to an energy “strategy” based on wind? I remember thinking to myself “could you [The U.S.] even do that?” Not really my point. But It seems that’s not all keeping a “Greasy Man” busy these days.

On Friday Democracy Now ran a bit on the film “FLOW: For Love Of Water.” A new documentary citing a global water crisis and the growing reality of a “global water cartel.” Frightening…  Continue reading FLOW The Film