tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.comments2013-04-26T09:34:08.941-04:00Scratch One LifeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-20617132477935122772013-04-26T09:34:08.941-04:002013-04-26T09:34:08.941-04:00My purpose is to do what I can to reduce or offset...My purpose is to do what I can to reduce or offset the amount of Discord in my sphere of influence. I am fairly certain that this aligns well with "...smile"RayGeekNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12917885821073267210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-24008858776952385542013-04-25T22:04:19.186-04:002013-04-25T22:04:19.186-04:00I don't believe in deities either (hehe, and I...I don't believe in deities either (hehe, and I'm a Hindu!) But I do believe that the purpose of life is to serve others. You have already made a good start by writing this blog. Keep doing it and look for opportunities to help others perhaps via writing. You'll like it and it will give you peace.Shanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06274030595907852654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-86651125574914312322013-04-25T17:45:07.782-04:002013-04-25T17:45:07.782-04:00While I agree with you on most (and probably all) ...While I agree with you on most (and probably all) of this, I find great solace in -- of all things -- the Moon Program. Nothing (really) could emphasise both the puny meaninglessness of mankind, or our stubborn, misplaced and wholly wonderful refusal to lie down and accept this obvious truth.Mat Morrisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02038404582057221679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-85477203731078281912013-04-25T13:52:29.368-04:002013-04-25T13:52:29.368-04:00Hi Alexander, I love the way you expressed your be...Hi Alexander, I love the way you expressed your beliefs here. I believe exactly the same things but I don't think I could have put it as eloquently. <br /><br />The best "purpose" I've been able to come up with for myself is "the purpose of my life is to be happy and make others happy or at least no worse off". <br /> - Karolina<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-34809811193443938262013-04-25T13:01:00.163-04:002013-04-25T13:01:00.163-04:00That's very kind Meg, but there's no need!...That's very kind Meg, but there's no need! Spare my blushes, and think of me smiling crookedly. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694106554815909544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-64388856261408665522013-04-25T12:43:20.967-04:002013-04-25T12:43:20.967-04:00Smiling is a good option. And if you want, I can g...Smiling is a good option. And if you want, I can go on about the positive impact you have had and continue to have on myself and my family.Megueyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684661434143589901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-83216717817222383842013-03-13T11:27:37.442-04:002013-03-13T11:27:37.442-04:00Thanks Shervyn! I hope your laborious inscription ...Thanks Shervyn! I hope your laborious inscription for me at Burning Con now makes more sense. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694106554815909544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-37048022858794641472013-03-13T09:37:18.302-04:002013-03-13T09:37:18.302-04:00Hey...thanks for sharing Alexander. Thanks for ta...Hey...thanks for sharing Alexander. Thanks for taking the time and the effort.Shervynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01195883030794420149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-89656206790081129682013-03-12T19:11:09.523-04:002013-03-12T19:11:09.523-04:00Georgie, thanks for the good wishes; I share them!...Georgie, thanks for the good wishes; I share them! I love reading, and it's a bit of a bugger being visually impaired.<br /><br />One of the things that I think makes the word "stroke" less helpful after the fact is that although there are many things we have in common, the brain and its damage are individual. So while I have difficulty reading, it's just (!) physical difficulty; I still know how to read. Some people lose that. Likewise although my speech is impaired, I am in no way aphasic, so there's a whole load of problems I just don't have. Yet we're all sufferers of stroke. It's not ideal!<br /><br />But don't mind my musings on word choice, thanks for your kind thoughts!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694106554815909544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-89923572445165750972013-03-12T18:47:36.532-04:002013-03-12T18:47:36.532-04:00Until now I had never really thought about people ...Until now I had never really thought about people living after having suffered a stroke, and this post has really enlightened me to this. I really hope that you will be able to read in the future as it is one of my passions and I hate to see people missing out or being unable to do what they love. Thank you so much for this post and the visual representations that you have made to show what you are going through.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-49105042124448090652013-03-12T15:02:49.102-04:002013-03-12T15:02:49.102-04:00Thank you so much for both those suggestions.
I&#...Thank you so much for both those suggestions.<br /><br />I've been resisting audiobooks for what is probably little more than superstition and self-indulgence. I firmly believe that my brain can learn to use my eyes again properly, but that it won't do so if I find an acceptable, easy alternative. I suspect audiobooks would be just such an easy alternative.<br /><br />In my life I have got so much pleasure out of reading, and I would like to again, and I suspect the only way to do so is to allow it to be as difficult as it is, and thereby force my brain to correct. <br /><br />When i'm tired of the effort, I'll end up with audio, I think, but until then, I am stubborn!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694106554815909544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-36651609731044213352013-03-12T14:34:29.812-04:002013-03-12T14:34:29.812-04:00My son has a print disability, but loves to read. ...My son has a print disability, but loves to read. We have found learningally.org and bookshare.org invaluable. Both are non-profits that offer audio books and, in the case of Bookshare, periodicals to those with vision or print disabilities. Both charge a small fee, but it can be waived if need be. Bookshare is free for school aged children, but that's not you, obviously. You have probably already heard of both of them, but I thought I would write, just in case you hadn't, and also for anyone who reads your blog entry that might need their services, too. Bookshare has over 180,000 titles including periodicals (NY Times, Wall St. Journal, etc...) read by computerized voice. They have an optional feature where you can see the text and have each word highlighted as the audio version plays. I have heard that it sometimes can help the eyes and brain sync up. We do that some of the time, but often just listen to the audio. Learning Ally has over 75,000 titles. They are read by human voices which can be nice for fiction. All the readers are volunteers, so the quality of their expression varies. All the best in your journey. Post Disrupted Mommyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05953020931034914161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-10396505384419700092013-03-12T13:18:17.804-04:002013-03-12T13:18:17.804-04:00Interesting! I guess it's part of your brain t...Interesting! I guess it's part of your brain that's getting too lazy to deal with right eye stuff, and changing task makes another part of your brain take over, so the first part rests.<br /><br />I find eye stuff pretty counter-intuitive, since it's often brain stuff that we are certain is eye stuff. With my hand it seems easier to recognise that the lack of sensitivity is coming from my brain, because the hand is OK (plus or minus some atrophy), but that's harder to do with eyes.<br /><br />For the curious, who wonder about my verbose replies: I touch-type them and look for red squigglies to appear. Then I go back and either take the autocorrect (which I never used to do), or edit manually, which is hardest on words like 'silliness.' My eyes get lost there.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694106554815909544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-25091869600314033492013-03-12T12:46:14.721-04:002013-03-12T12:46:14.721-04:00My right eye occasionally gets lazy enough that it...My right eye occasionally gets lazy enough that it seems to shut down and just stop processing info. My left eye picks up the slack, but I notice because I get tired faster. Changing my task and focus usually helps "wake up" my sleepy eye. It's weird.Megueyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684661434143589901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-40105740030294838992013-03-12T12:42:39.310-04:002013-03-12T12:42:39.310-04:00Thanks, Olivia! I don't have much time for des...Thanks, Olivia! I don't have much time for despair, but it's good to hear from fellow functional cyclopes. I have a friend who's probably a bit younger than me (in her 30s) who has had a glass eye since her teens and you wouldn't know it, so I know that my brain will adapt one way or another.<br /><br />In truth, I'm hoping that my oculomotor muscles improve before my brain just adapts to the way I see at the moment. I want binocular vision back! But if it doesn't, it doesn't. That's life!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694106554815909544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-29055852698920072752013-03-12T12:09:08.905-04:002013-03-12T12:09:08.905-04:00I've always had a single functional eye, and I...I've always had a single functional eye, and I actually have a fair amount of depth perception. The longer you have to rely on a single eye, the better your brain gets at compensating with other tricks, since there are actually a number of ways the brain sees depth. So don't despair :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01935261147124522359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-91715844770524551252013-03-12T11:22:12.111-04:002013-03-12T11:22:12.111-04:00For things like board games, I typically get someo...For things like board games, I typically get someone else to read the rules, and if there is text on the board facing away from me, it gets difficult. Bear in mind that at 6 years old I read story-books to the little kids upside-down, and I've been reading since I was about 2.5 years old.<br /><br />I find that I just do things I used to do less, especially reading. It began to bug me why I was reading so much less, until I realised that it was actually a lot harder, and much slower. <br /><br />I won't say it feels normal, but it seems quite ordinary to me now.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694106554815909544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-35430937333580951882013-03-12T11:16:38.010-04:002013-03-12T11:16:38.010-04:00Excuse the pun, but this is really eye-opening. Ho...Excuse the pun, but this is really eye-opening. How has this affected your choice in board games? I imagine games with lots of small text are much less appealing.Daniel Solishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07683491911441126187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-60153276064634079392013-03-09T18:05:58.317-05:002013-03-09T18:05:58.317-05:00Greta - I'm thinking along those lines. The br...Greta - I'm thinking along those lines. The brain damage is a pretty clear factor.<br /><br />Anthony - that works!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694106554815909544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-86850844895181677582013-03-09T16:19:40.538-05:002013-03-09T16:19:40.538-05:00I'll stick with "Alexander."I'll stick with "Alexander."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-43585108562796771822013-03-09T14:13:07.476-05:002013-03-09T14:13:07.476-05:00I was also thinking to focus on the fact that you&...I was also thinking to focus on the fact that you're just a guy who had episodes of trauma to the brain, and you've adjusted your lifestyle accordingly to get your health back on track. I can't think of a concise term, but the best I can come up with is "health conscious person with some current limitations". <br /><br />Gretahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06645476770426281929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-44837121576800075432013-03-09T12:55:35.445-05:002013-03-09T12:55:35.445-05:00Fine, Meg. Everything is preferable to "victi...Fine, Meg. Everything is preferable to "victim" which I dislike intensely. I'm coming to think, though, that the use of 'stroke' itself as a signifier in the medical world is a real problem. It tends to mask the real work of recovery which is quite possible, but not through a pill or a procedure, through hard work and the sort of long-term treatment that is rarely found in the Western medical tradition.<br /><br />All suggestions as are welcome as Meg's!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694106554815909544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-64019590759688571192013-03-09T12:44:42.083-05:002013-03-09T12:44:42.083-05:00How do you feel about "stroke-affected"?...How do you feel about "stroke-affected"?Megueyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684661434143589901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-72259129472016924752013-02-18T23:20:26.351-05:002013-02-18T23:20:26.351-05:00Actually, the stab wound I got in my left thumb is...Actually, the stab wound I got in my left thumb is much more bothersome when I'm actually doing music, I really don't notice the loss but I do notice the lack of sensation in the thumb.<br /><br />Interestingly enough, on my main instrument I don't notice it at all - indeed, I have the perception that I feel the keys. But when I try to play, say, the keyboard the lack of sensation screams at me.<br /><br />I notice the hearing difficulties mostly when talking to people. But it's been good for me - staring at people's mouths while they speak works very well and makes you look interested too. As long as it doesn't get much worse, I'll be perfectly satisfied...Tom Ritchfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07009479916609344352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2048673308080563667.post-20556926781194989512013-02-13T11:01:27.759-05:002013-02-13T11:01:27.759-05:00Sorry about your deafness, Tom, it must be worse f...Sorry about your deafness, Tom, it must be worse for musical types. My damage, of course, is to the brain, rather than the ear itself, so it's hard to see how H2O2 in the ear canal would help. Tinnitus would be a big challenge: another reminder that I have it fairly easy.<br /><br />I have much to say about acupuncture, coming soon!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694106554815909544noreply@blogger.com