The Joy and Horror of Christmas

Going home was quite the adventure this year. Among the highlights:

- White Cowbell Oklahoma concert
- Getting pulled over in Toronto with Eric for making a right-hand turn at a 4-way stop (bunch of savages in that town)
- Rear-ending someone's brand new car in Etobicoke (the crash summarizes my cmas break on a metaphorical level)
- Finding out my eyes had "melted" a little bit from an eye doctor
- Hearing that my grandpa had a mistress who "probably" has his violin according to my uncle
- Engaged in two separate, ridiculous, and unrelated feuds with my grandma
- Having a cold throughout most of this

There is so much more but it's unbloggable. I will share some topics that were discussed over cmas dinner by my family...and only my family:

- Jamaican gun crime
- My mom's plan to get dental work completed in a drug-infested Mexican border town
- Lost, stolen, or broken family heirlooms
- Hitler
- The death of several family members and how there has never been laughter since nor will there ever be
- Casual mention of an impending death (Seriously. While we're eating. And grandma thought we all knew. We didn't.)
- Biscotti

Most of my family had fights with each other multiple times over the 11 days I was home. But somehow we pulled it together to have a normal evening together opening presents, laughing, and even singing cmas carols while I played the piano. We may have even liked each other for awhile. And I suppose that made all the crying, shouting, crashing, melting, and feuding worth it...But I still wouldn't want to do this more than once a year.

Locked-in Syndrome

You may have heard in the news that doctors discovered a man has locked-in syndrome after being in what was thought to be a vegetative state for over two decades. Except it seems he doesn't actually have locked-in syndrome. Turns out a therapist was using facilitated communication . This is a discredited approach to help those with autism, locked-in syndrome or other disorders communicate with others.

Anyway, while I was learning about locked-in syndrome I came across articles about a man who actually had it. Jean-Dominique Bauby had a stroke in his brainstem which is the part of the brain that, among other things, transmits signals from the cerebellum (brain meat involved with movement) and cerebrum (brain meat involved with thinking, speaking, and carrying out action). He was completely paralyzed except for his left eye. While in hospital he wrote a book about his experience called The Diving Bell and the Butterfly which he blinked, one letter at a time, to someone who translated his blinks.

I just watched the movie based on the book (same title) and I highly recommend watching it. A friend of mine recently mentioned a quote that said something like 'you've never fully experienced anything until you've told someone about it.' I thought of that quote while watching the film because the viewer is privy to the character's inner monologue but he is unable to verbalize the majoritiy of it to anyone else in the film. The movie does a good job of helping the viewer feel somewhat claustrophobic by making portions of the video from the perspective of Jean-Do complete with occasional blurry eyes and a cringe-worthy moment when the doctor sews one eye shut. Anyway, just go watch it so we can talk about it :P

Christmas Break

Because I have to have a crazy amount of practicum hours yet to clock, I'm not able to come home for very long this year. I'll be in Ontario from December 16-27. On the 18th I'll be at the White Cowbell Oklahoma Christmas show so I hope all you Toronto people can make it.

For the rest of the break I will be watching seasons 4 and 5 of Boston Legal while eating the following:

Maroc clementines
President's Choice Candycane icecream
Apple pie
Ukrainian meatpies

Please swing by my mom's house if you'd like to join.