I went to the chiropractor this morning with my bundle of x rays in hand. I'd borrowed the previous years' shots to share with my massage therapist student, and last week had this year's comparative x ray taken. The one shot that excites me is the head-and-neck. They measure the angle at which your neck rests subject to your spinal alignment, shoulders and head position.
Back in 2006, my first x ray showed a curviture of 32 degrees.
Normal is 45 degrees.
After the initial 6-month aggressive treatment plan of 4 visits per week for 8 weeks, 3 visits per week for 8 weeks and 2 visits per week for 8 weeks the x ray showed an increase to 38 degrees - very rare, apparently, to have such an improvement in the short period.
One year later in 2007 I'd slipped to 34 degrees.
In 2008, 32 degrees.
Dr. Mike was beaming today when he came in to show me the most recent x ray. He reviewed the numbers from previous years, then popped the film up on the viewer.
Are you sitting down?
My neck curviture now measures...
43 degrees!
Translation?
My head now rests further back over my shoulders, and my upper back is - although not perfect - straighter.
A lot of the progress is due to massage therapy too, and to be honest I've not felt all that great muscle-wise over the last three months. I'm incredibly tight and my muscle tone is lacking.
I don't drink enough water.
I don't stretch enough.
Exercise? Got lots, thanks - I reno'd a basement in May!
OK. I've been SLACKING.
But good news on the neck front!
Otherwise, I'm quite literally exhausted. I've never felt so absolutely worn out, and after a chat with Dr. Mike today, have come to the conclusion that my long-term go-go-go lifestyle has been to blame. I don't sleep enough, and when I rest I tend to put my body to rest but I don't always quiet my mind. I'm facing a lot of my days tired and not sharp-of-mind.
I've decided not to go on the housing project in New Orleans. Instead, I must focus hyper-locally: quite literally on my body. I've lost a fair amount of weight since September, and I'm feeling the effects. I've always had trouble maintaining my weight, and the last six months have proven even more challenging. Tiredness takes over sooner rather than later simply because I'm not charged - physically.
Off to rest my body, and quiet my mind.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
A piece of Canadiana: Kiri's Piano
Messing around on iTunes, I downloaded this tune to my iPhone the other day. I was lying in bed listening to it last night and discovered it's the story of a Japanese war-time internee in British Columbia. This song brought back memories of my English studies last year in 370 - a historiographic metafictional piece, Joy Kogawa's Obasan: a reflection on some of Canada's ugly history.
I've always loved James Keelaghan's music, its local flavour (he's from Calgary) and his sense of story telling woven into amazing music. He's playing here in a couple weeks and I'm excited... really excited. He often opens his solo shows to audience requests.
I think I have one:
Kiri's Piano
James Keelaghan - 1993
Of all of Kiri Ito's joys,
the thing she loved the best
Was to play her prized piano
when the sun had gone to rest
I used to hear the notes drift down
Along the silent water
As Kiri played the notes and scales
for her dear sons and daughters.
Now me I played piano
though not as good as Kiri
She went in for that long haired stuff
but my she played it pretty.
The old piano had a tone
would set my heart to aching.
It always sounded sweetest though
when it was Kiri playing.
In December when the seventh fleet
was turned to smoke and ashes,
The order came to confiscate
their fishing boats and caches.
And Kiri's husband forced to go
and work in labour camps,
And Kiri left alone to fend
and hold the fort as best she can.
But the music did not drift as often
from up the cove at Kiri's house.
And when it did it sounded haunted
played with worry played with doubt;
For Kiri knew that soon she too
would be compelled to leave,
And the old upright would stay behind
and Kiri she would grieve.
I loaded Kiri on the bus
with stoic internees.
The crime that they were guilty of
was that they were not like me.
And if I was ashamed,
I didn't know it at the time.
They were flotsam on the wave of war
they were no friends of mine.
I went up to Kiri's house
to tag all their belongings,
And set them out for auctioneers
who'd claim them in the morning.
One piece that I thought I'd keep
and hold back for myself
Was that haunting ivory upright
that Kiri played so well.
But Kiri had not left it there
for me to take as plunder.
She'd rolled it down onto the dock
and on into the harbor.
That old upright in strangers' hands
was a thought she couldn't bear:
So she consigned it to the sea
to settle the affair.
So many years have come and gone
since Kiri's relocation;
I look back now upon that time
with shame and resignation.
For Kiri knew what I did not:
that if we must be free,
Then sometimes we must sacrifice
to gain our dignity.
Yes Kiri knew what I did not:
that if we must be free,
Then sometimes we must sacrifice
to gain our dignity.
James Keelaghan plays the Rosemont Community June 20, 2009 @ 7:00 PM
Turtle's attending.
I've always loved James Keelaghan's music, its local flavour (he's from Calgary) and his sense of story telling woven into amazing music. He's playing here in a couple weeks and I'm excited... really excited. He often opens his solo shows to audience requests.
I think I have one:
Kiri's Piano
James Keelaghan - 1993
Of all of Kiri Ito's joys,
the thing she loved the best
Was to play her prized piano
when the sun had gone to rest
I used to hear the notes drift down
Along the silent water
As Kiri played the notes and scales
for her dear sons and daughters.
Now me I played piano
though not as good as Kiri
She went in for that long haired stuff
but my she played it pretty.
The old piano had a tone
would set my heart to aching.
It always sounded sweetest though
when it was Kiri playing.
In December when the seventh fleet
was turned to smoke and ashes,
The order came to confiscate
their fishing boats and caches.
And Kiri's husband forced to go
and work in labour camps,
And Kiri left alone to fend
and hold the fort as best she can.
But the music did not drift as often
from up the cove at Kiri's house.
And when it did it sounded haunted
played with worry played with doubt;
For Kiri knew that soon she too
would be compelled to leave,
And the old upright would stay behind
and Kiri she would grieve.
I loaded Kiri on the bus
with stoic internees.
The crime that they were guilty of
was that they were not like me.
And if I was ashamed,
I didn't know it at the time.
They were flotsam on the wave of war
they were no friends of mine.
I went up to Kiri's house
to tag all their belongings,
And set them out for auctioneers
who'd claim them in the morning.
One piece that I thought I'd keep
and hold back for myself
Was that haunting ivory upright
that Kiri played so well.
But Kiri had not left it there
for me to take as plunder.
She'd rolled it down onto the dock
and on into the harbor.
That old upright in strangers' hands
was a thought she couldn't bear:
So she consigned it to the sea
to settle the affair.
So many years have come and gone
since Kiri's relocation;
I look back now upon that time
with shame and resignation.
For Kiri knew what I did not:
that if we must be free,
Then sometimes we must sacrifice
to gain our dignity.
Yes Kiri knew what I did not:
that if we must be free,
Then sometimes we must sacrifice
to gain our dignity.
James Keelaghan plays the Rosemont Community June 20, 2009 @ 7:00 PM
Turtle's attending.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Exhausted
It's done.
The suite is finished, new tenant in - settled - happy.
And I'm exhausted.
Yesterday was a write-off, really. I tried to function, really I did. It seems the more I sleep to restore and the more I eat to refuel, the more exhausted I feel. It's crazy. I put in half a morning loading my neighbour's truck for a dump run to clear out the yard and I powered out. Literally.
I need a vacation, and soon. Was thinking of New Orleans in July to help out on a housing project down there, but I dunno - I think I need to get away sooner than that. Must see where the dust settles with the dollars and cents before I do anything too wild. I have so many things I'd like to do around the house that maybe a stay-home holiday is best. Maybe I need to enter a sleep-a-thon or something. The crazy days of up-at-7:30, to bed at 3:00 have taken their toll, apparently.
Going to a Keelaghan show in a couple weeks - that'll be a blast as it is always.
I think I'll have a bite to eat and hit the pillow again. I've been treating these last couple days like a cat: getting plenty of rest between naps.
Turtle out.
The suite is finished, new tenant in - settled - happy.
And I'm exhausted.
Yesterday was a write-off, really. I tried to function, really I did. It seems the more I sleep to restore and the more I eat to refuel, the more exhausted I feel. It's crazy. I put in half a morning loading my neighbour's truck for a dump run to clear out the yard and I powered out. Literally.
I need a vacation, and soon. Was thinking of New Orleans in July to help out on a housing project down there, but I dunno - I think I need to get away sooner than that. Must see where the dust settles with the dollars and cents before I do anything too wild. I have so many things I'd like to do around the house that maybe a stay-home holiday is best. Maybe I need to enter a sleep-a-thon or something. The crazy days of up-at-7:30, to bed at 3:00 have taken their toll, apparently.
Going to a Keelaghan show in a couple weeks - that'll be a blast as it is always.
I think I'll have a bite to eat and hit the pillow again. I've been treating these last couple days like a cat: getting plenty of rest between naps.
Turtle out.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Bad tummy and an update
I guess it's about time to blog again. It's been a whirlwind of activity around here, and frankly I've had no time nor inclination to write about what's been going on.
In a nut shell: (or Turtle shell as the case may be)
I have a grumpy tummy today and I'm sad to think that it may be a result of having eaten at one of my favourite places because it's the only thing I can think of that would cause the trouble. I visited the pharmacy today for some relief, but it's not all back to normal just yet.
The house it topsy-turvy these days with an all-out renovation downstairs. My long-time tenants Terri and Emarie were graciously refacing the suite during their tenancy and as quirky circumstance would play out, gave their notice to move only two weeks prior to a double-whammy sewer backup and freshwater flood which has necessitated their early departure by two weeks and an all-out re-renovation. Including the drywall dust, I've been eating, sleeping and breathing basement renos because I have a new tenant lined up for June 1st. As with a lot of 'repair' projects -from what I hear - mine has escalated from 'restore' to 'restore and upgrade', subsequently turning this into a much larger-than-anticipated project. It deserves its own blog post, so by month's end I should have the whole story complete with photos.
Personal stuff - well, it's personal, but suffice it to say no less demanding than basement renos and the like.
Business stuff - moving right along, and sometimes screams for the attention that it's been starved. I took a course a few weeks back called "Real Money, Real Profit", offered by ATB - my favouritest bank... but I think I've mentioned that before. It was a two-day seminar encompassing the essence of Economics 201 - a little micro, a little macro and a lot of number chasing. Had an opportunity to rub shoulders with several folks in other industries, our common interests of course being the course and our financial institution of choice. I even had an opportunity to put my professional skill to work when the hotel PA system wasn't working correctly. A minor adjustment to our instructor's lavaliere microphone and some setting changes and we were back on top. Felt good to contribute in my professional capacity, however minimal.
Around about the time of the flood, I was closing in on the completion of my Aboriginal Literature and Film course at the U. This along with everything else was quite simply too much. I was close to dropping the course and accepting an F grade because in the grand scheme of things a recreational course rates pretty low on the scale of priorities when one's house, and let's face it -- partial income, hangs in the balance. One of my classmates called the other day to inquire as to "what's up??". She encouraged me to chat with our prof and possibly work something out. As it turns out, I've been offered an unofficial deferral until the end of May so as to complete the course. There is, indeed, a God, not to mention good-hearted souls here looking out for me.
I still think of Dad on occasion, and sometimes out of the clear blue. The busy-ness of my own life has kindof overshadowed my connection with his spirit, but every so often I notice his presence, and it quite frankly - causes some tears.
That's about it for now - stay tuned for the Great Flood of 2009 coming soon to an Armchair near you.
Turtle out.
In a nut shell: (or Turtle shell as the case may be)
I have a grumpy tummy today and I'm sad to think that it may be a result of having eaten at one of my favourite places because it's the only thing I can think of that would cause the trouble. I visited the pharmacy today for some relief, but it's not all back to normal just yet.
The house it topsy-turvy these days with an all-out renovation downstairs. My long-time tenants Terri and Emarie were graciously refacing the suite during their tenancy and as quirky circumstance would play out, gave their notice to move only two weeks prior to a double-whammy sewer backup and freshwater flood which has necessitated their early departure by two weeks and an all-out re-renovation. Including the drywall dust, I've been eating, sleeping and breathing basement renos because I have a new tenant lined up for June 1st. As with a lot of 'repair' projects -from what I hear - mine has escalated from 'restore' to 'restore and upgrade', subsequently turning this into a much larger-than-anticipated project. It deserves its own blog post, so by month's end I should have the whole story complete with photos.
Personal stuff - well, it's personal, but suffice it to say no less demanding than basement renos and the like.
Business stuff - moving right along, and sometimes screams for the attention that it's been starved. I took a course a few weeks back called "Real Money, Real Profit", offered by ATB - my favouritest bank... but I think I've mentioned that before. It was a two-day seminar encompassing the essence of Economics 201 - a little micro, a little macro and a lot of number chasing. Had an opportunity to rub shoulders with several folks in other industries, our common interests of course being the course and our financial institution of choice. I even had an opportunity to put my professional skill to work when the hotel PA system wasn't working correctly. A minor adjustment to our instructor's lavaliere microphone and some setting changes and we were back on top. Felt good to contribute in my professional capacity, however minimal.
Around about the time of the flood, I was closing in on the completion of my Aboriginal Literature and Film course at the U. This along with everything else was quite simply too much. I was close to dropping the course and accepting an F grade because in the grand scheme of things a recreational course rates pretty low on the scale of priorities when one's house, and let's face it -- partial income, hangs in the balance. One of my classmates called the other day to inquire as to "what's up??". She encouraged me to chat with our prof and possibly work something out. As it turns out, I've been offered an unofficial deferral until the end of May so as to complete the course. There is, indeed, a God, not to mention good-hearted souls here looking out for me.
I still think of Dad on occasion, and sometimes out of the clear blue. The busy-ness of my own life has kindof overshadowed my connection with his spirit, but every so often I notice his presence, and it quite frankly - causes some tears.
That's about it for now - stay tuned for the Great Flood of 2009 coming soon to an Armchair near you.
Turtle out.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Monday, April 06, 2009
Morning walk
The days are turning warmer here. Rumour has it that the temps are supposed to reach +16C this week, which is fine by me.
I was up early today and walked to the coffee shop - about 2 miles round trip.
Lately I've been mired in a myriad of internal and external challenges that have diverted my attention from a lot of the things that make life truly pleasant. On my walk I re-experienced a lot of those things that make it all worth while: A lady walking her dog greeted me with a smile and a quick chat, excited that Spring was finally on its way. At the coffee shop, the fellow at the counter seemed genuinely happy and content to be there. On my return trip I met one of my neighbours (also named Dave, but no relation) walking his dog. We engaged in a 2-minute update on life and I quickly heard of his recent trip to Seattle. We bantered about the Pike Market and the Pier and moved forward.
I'm feeling content and satisfied right now that everything is where it needs to be - mostly - and looking forward to the end of the course at the U. and tying up some loose ends with a sound system installation contract.
The weekend yielded a great purge of long-accumulated junk which begs the question,
"Where does it all come from, and when will it end???"
Nevertheless, it's forward motion and I'm liking it - a lot!
I have several plans on paper for house projects which, if all goes according to plan, will see a dramatic change in the physical space here by the end of June.
Life has its crappy little moments, but overall is really quite pleasant. Here's to Spring, new beginnings and a ramp-up to vibrant times.
I was up early today and walked to the coffee shop - about 2 miles round trip.
Lately I've been mired in a myriad of internal and external challenges that have diverted my attention from a lot of the things that make life truly pleasant. On my walk I re-experienced a lot of those things that make it all worth while: A lady walking her dog greeted me with a smile and a quick chat, excited that Spring was finally on its way. At the coffee shop, the fellow at the counter seemed genuinely happy and content to be there. On my return trip I met one of my neighbours (also named Dave, but no relation) walking his dog. We engaged in a 2-minute update on life and I quickly heard of his recent trip to Seattle. We bantered about the Pike Market and the Pier and moved forward.
I'm feeling content and satisfied right now that everything is where it needs to be - mostly - and looking forward to the end of the course at the U. and tying up some loose ends with a sound system installation contract.
The weekend yielded a great purge of long-accumulated junk which begs the question,
"Where does it all come from, and when will it end???"
Nevertheless, it's forward motion and I'm liking it - a lot!
I have several plans on paper for house projects which, if all goes according to plan, will see a dramatic change in the physical space here by the end of June.
Life has its crappy little moments, but overall is really quite pleasant. Here's to Spring, new beginnings and a ramp-up to vibrant times.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Reminiscing, what’s going on today, and future plans
One year ago at this very minute, I was riding the rails underground in Montreal. I had flown out to see Nathalie and had a full day to spend in Montreal before departing to Quebec City via Via Rail. I had, admittedly, one of my best life experiences on that trip. Upper Left - My day pass and a coffee: cheaper than a cab
Lower Left - A map of the Montreal Metro - I've been to every stop.
Lower Right - On the platform at Quebec
What am I doing today? Nothing quite as exciting as jet setting across the country and riding the rails in new-to-me territory. Nope, today I’m pushing paper. I likely won’t look back on today a year from now to reminisce about the experience. It’s kinda cold and grey outside, as is my mood.
As for future plans? I found myself standing in the back yard with my friend Norm a couple days ago. We talked about two projects I want to see come to fruition this year: one is (hold on to your seat) eaves trough and facia repair and the replacement of badly worn downspouts. (OK, be honest, doesn’t this compete with a vacation to Quebec?) The second is a chain link fence project. For years my yard has been in need of a real fence… a full fence… one that actually surrounds the whole yard. We talked at length about moving some lengths of fence to give a different shape to the yard, and to what we might consider in terms of changing the “map”. This includes relocating trailer parking, moving a shed, and possibly foot printing a section for a future garage development, being mindful to maintain the existing fire pit. Oh, and a new wood crib for firewood… that would be nice.
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About Me
- Turtle Guy
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- English student, Pottery enthusiast, Yoga novice and lover of all people. I make friends over a warm handshake and a beverage. I discover, every day, someone willing to help me along my path.