The day was filled with ordinary activities. The laundry was finished, including folding stuff from the dryer. More folding awaits when the items air drying are indeed dry -- more fun for tomorrow. <smile> I did a bit of hand laundry, too. Some light cooking occurred to help make supper more interesting. During the day, I spent a couple of hours completing a peer review of a manuscript submitted to a European journal. The topic was fascinating. During the evening I spoke separately with two friends on Skype. I enjoy such conversations. Seeing and hearing those on the other side of a conversation makes all the difference. Reading messages works fine, but seeing body language and hearing inflection is a gift. While such video calls are not perfect, they are a far cry from the days of letter writing, when a conversation could take up to two weeks to get the next installment. In the days before emojis, actual meaning could be obscured. Even with emojis, actual intent could be masked.
I often think of Marshall McLuhan when I participate in electronic communication formats. In many ways, this conversations are more part of an oral history than a written or printed one. Does this mean we've taken a step back while thinking we moved forward? Hmmm. Will need to do further reading with current media theorists to see where they net out on this concept. <smile>
The song chosen for today is from an album released in 1984 -- so not as current as the newer technologies I've mentioned. It has a distinct techno sound and the lyrics note the foibles of such modes of communication. Enjoy!
What an amazing weather day! We had full bright sun all day. I spent the afternoon walking in it. I headed to the physio just after lunch and then walked up to a friend's place in mid-afternoon. The solar loading felt warm on my back, though it was very bright when walking into the west. I had to take off the sunglasses to avoid major reflection and be able to see where the icy patches were on the sidewalk. In one place, what looked like a puddle was a semi-solid that felt odd to walk through. Temperatures remained very cold with a light breeze adding a bit more cold to the 'feel like' temps. It was bracing <smile>.
The day reminded me of home -- a clear, cold, sunny day with less moisture in the air. Such days bring extreme clarity and sharper colours. Several times, I stopped walking and took a good look at trees, sky and views of town. The beauty was all around me today. <smile> The sunshine on the kitchen floor in the morning felt very warm -- something both the furry one and I enjoyed. The warmth of the sun was evident when walking, so that my cheeks might be cold, but my back or arms felt warmer. Days like this can be treasures when living in a part of the world where cloud cover is most common.
Lyrics from a song ran through my mind as I walked along today. The words and music bring a feeling of calm -- something I welcomed today. Enjoy!
Well, today marks 41 days since I fell and created the physical damage, along with what I've come to recognize as a certain anxiety that has been living in me leading to fear of falling again. Given the freeze-thaw cycles we are currently in, there is much ice around, so walking brings further stress than usual. <sigh> As for the recovery, the arm still has a ways to go, though today has been one the best days in terms of pain frequency and level. I'd felt little change since last week, but today there was a difference -- a good thing <smile>. The mouth is another story. I think the puffiness of the gum around the broken tooth is subsiding. I see the dental surgeon again next week and he will determine if it has reduced enough to do the repair of chips and the chunk of missing tooth. If not, that will take a bit longer. There is no pain around the teeth, but there is a nerve feeling -- not pain -- running from the jaw joint to the ear -- a TMJ (tempero-mandibular joint) thing, I think. I will check in with the physio about that one as he does such adjustments. I do feel that the jaw has to shift a few millimeters to the left in order for the lower incisors to fit behind the upper ones -- this is the only way for the molars to work to chew and grind foods. Leafy things like lettuce still create an issue, and I do eat salads often. Other foods get stuck in the lower molars when they would normally be ground further and swallowed. (Sorry for the visual image of that <smile>).
I do know things will continue to improve, it just takes time. Patience isn't my best thing particularly when it comes to me things. Learning to manage the challenges without frustration is a steep curve. I am working on it and trying not to do the 'pitiful me' dance too much. Some days I succeed better than others. <smile>
The song chosen to share comes from a singer-songwriter featured here recently. This selection deals with healing. The singers bass juxtaposed with the female singers is lovely. The poetic lyrics are included below the video. Enjoy!
Health researchers have linked the construct of resilience with improved health outcome. It plays a central role in recovery from acute illness and management of chronic illness. It is often seen as the ability to recover from any adverse life event. Some health research highlighted the resilience of women, who are socialized to support each other -- a coping strategy for dealing with negative stresses. That doesn't mean that men do not exhibit resilience -- quite the opposite. All adults exercise a certain degree of action to protect themselves (and others) from adverse outcomes of crises. The skill and ability involved in practicing resilience are learned early in life and honed as we age.
Resilient people are often called strong, tough, or adaptable. They recognize the need to accept challenging situations and work with, not against, the threat. Addressing such crises in this manner should lead to learning to live constructively with change. A quote by the German philosopher, Nietzsche -- 'That which does not kill us makes us strong' -- clearly notes the strength that can come from managing adversity well. Some days the necessary problem solving skills may feel inadequate but equipping oneself with the necessary knowledge and behaviors can mitigate the negative outcomes. It helps us to do our best, even should things not go the way we hope. Myriad emotions converge when one is threatened in some way. Resilience helps us to work through these emotions and focus on the problem at hand rather than how it makes us feel. We do need to acknowledge those feelings, but not to allow them to drive the bus. It can take a lot of fortitude, which could be behind the common synonym "strong" for someone who manages to survive life's nasty episodes. We should understand though, that even 'strong' people need some support from their friends and family. <smile>
A song that fits the topic today is by a wonderful vocal group. Their harmonies are wonderful, much like those of their famous musical parents. Enjoy!
I was immersed in the cross-eye nature of formatting and editing a series of short articles for a larger project with a looming deadline. Now -- there was a lot in that last sentence, wasn't there? <smile> A productive meeting helped clarify some of the very few content edits needed. Much of the afternoon was devoted to formatting the articles for style, font, and such. The heavier details involved formatting the references and in-text citations to ensure each and every one of them conformed to the citation system chosen today. This means assuring correct syntax and format -- finding errant commas and periods -- those teeny tiny things that can easily be missed when skimming through on a screen. I formatted text to be bold or italicized as required. URL inclusion for online references must follow specific rules of form. All in all, this could create dry eyes, crossed eyes and one hummer of a headache.
This is just the beginning. Once I get through the edits for the larger project document, I will begin formatting a research article for submission to a specific journal. That will bring a different set of rules for the citations -- thus, I will need to learn a different format in very intimate detail. Yay! <smile>. While this sounds like complaining, it is part of the process. It feels wonderful to be at this stage -- that is, near the end of submission preparation. That will clear a big chunk of my desk real estate for the third project underway -- at least until editors return the two submissions with further editorial requests <grin>.
The song today deals with the little things in life. Enjoy!
Today was a quiet holiday Monday. I finished some household chores, dealt with household accounts and cooked a big pot of spaghetti sauce. The latter will age for a day in the fridge and then be part of supper tomorrow. It is a recipe from my mother, who got it from a woman in her church group. I've finessed it along the way and have even had it published in a professional association cookbook -- as a basic tomato sauce with a three or four recipes that used that sauce as a base. It is yummy <smile>.
Lots of things on the to do list for the week ahead. Weather is all over the place. It was sunny and well above freezing most of the day, but the overnight will see double digit temperatures below the freezing point. Mid-week should have warm temps with some rain possible, followed by extra cold days again -- though the cold will be accompanied by sun. So -- one will need to check outside before dressing for a walk this week, it seems. <smile>
An indigenous woman has been honoured with a humanitarian award to be bestowed at the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards in May. For six decades, she has been devoted to music, education, and social justice. As a music legend, her songs have had a political slant. I was privileged to see her live on campus a couple of years back, where she spoke about reconciliation. Her message clearly showed how anger would not help, and how all sides of the conversation could begin to understand each other. Energy emanated from her that evening. She is one of the many 'older' women who travel much to deliver messages of hope.
The song today is by this singer-songwriter. It was from 49 years ago, but the words still fit today. Enjoy!
While wandering through the household chores today, I pondered how central to baby boomer culture the guitar has been. This generation may have been the first to widely idolize men with guitars. Country and blues players from the early 20th century did have a following, but this wasn't anywhere the size of the global rock guitarists that grew with the boomers. The blues and country genres are still going strong with the original acoustic guitars being replaced by electric and acoustic with electric capability. Other generations of the later 20th century such as the early gen Xers, might have been exposed to some of the rock genres from the 1980s where guitars predominated, but millenials may be less exposed to stereotypical rock band styles as they stream music from many genres. Those exposed to the music of their parents -- the retro crew -- will have heard a very different sound than is common today. The music industry is heavily influenced by electronic music and the takeover of the hip hop scene -- each with far fewer guitars on stage.
Boomers identified themselves through the electric sound. It formed a soundtrack to life. When speaking with others of this generation, a song, and often just a guitar riff, can bring back memories of time, place, sound and emotion. In effect, the music helped to cement memories and now can help to recall memories years down the road. Huge stadium concerts became part of the boomer experience, something that may not translate well to newer generations. Music continues to be part of life for younger groups, but the way it is used has changed dramatically from that of the boomers.
I chose two songs to go along with the musings of today. The first describes the influence of a guitarist and the solitary aspects of the life of an artist. Since not all guitar players are male <smile>, the second song was chosen from a band fronted by sisters with singing, guitar, and song-writing roles. It contains some great guitar work. This song was the first US top ten hit for the band, and for some obscure reason has been stuck in my head of late. Enjoy!
