6 April 2013 ~ CHAMPION, ALDINITI; LIFE



It was thirty-two years ago on Saturday, 6 April 2013, that a gentleman by the name of Bob Champion (incredibly apropos last name) won the Grand National on a marvellous horse named Aldiniti.  The race actually took place on Saturday, 4 April 1981, at Aintree racecourse in my old hometown of Liverpool. 

First, I want to briefly talk about the time before the race with a few things of note here…

• Bob Champion had been diagnosed with cancer and went through chemotherapy and recovered.

• Aldiniti spent six months in his stable with a plaster cast on his leg because of injury; a vet had even recommended he be humanely put to sleep because he would probably never race again.

• The Grand National is a gruelling race in which horse and jockey have to jump over thirty fences, some of them brutal, on a circuit that runs just longer than four miles; a true test of stamina, courage and focus.

They even made a movie; it is called ‘Champions’.  A great name for a movie because horse and jockey were both champions of the highest calibre.

In April of 1984 a young man took a young lady on a date.  It was their first date.  They went to the movies.  They watched a movie called Champions.  They already knew, within their own hearts, that they were in love with each other and had to find their way through the clumsiness of youth to share how they felt.  They failed.  They broke up for about twelve months before he had the courage to ask her out once again.  He had to get over the death of someone he already loved and would never come back.  She felt that she could not compete with a woman who was already dead.  Such is life (and death); complicated, confusing, complex.

I was that young man.  That young lady was, and is, my lovely bride of over twenty-six years.  I cannot speak for my wife, but that movie touched me in a way I had never been touched.  It showed me, for the first time in my young life, how to face adversity.  In this movie I was watching Bob Champion go through what we all wish to avoid; cancer, and the treatment.  He went through that treatment, whilst a horse that could have been put down was trapped, literally, in a box for half a year.  And they both stuck with it and came through.  But here’s the thing; they not only came through, but they went on to win one of the most famous horse races in the world.  There is not a single horse-racing fan that has not heard of the Grand National, I would wager!

You can pay good money to go and listen to a voice of value at a seminar (and there is nothing wrong with that) to find inspiration for ones’ self.  Or you can spend about $10.00 on Amazon and buy this movie.  Not only is the movie a wonderfully up-lifting true story, but the musical score is an almost eclectic mix of James Horner’s work on Titanic and the work of Vangelis with Chariots of Fire.  The music is simply uplifting as a stand-alone item; but combined with the story in this movie it is elevated way beyond that.

I cannot be certain, but this movie may be the reason that I have the life I enjoy today.  It showed me how to have courage even when unsure and afraid.  It showed me that we all have our road-blocks in life and that we have to work around them or plow through them; you decide.  It showed me to never give in; I believe that one of my mentors, Sir Winston Churchill, said the very same thing during the adversity of World War Two.  It showed me that just when you think it is over; done and dusted, it is not because you get yourself up and you dust yourself down and by the Lord God Almighty you move forward and you go on. 

Onwards and upwards!

24 March 2013 ~ VIVA LOS MARRIOTT EL AEROPUERTO TORONTO

 

 

Vacation.   Such a lovely little noun; and we have already set off on our little noun.  As I type, Mr. & Mrs. Steve and Helen Knowles, along with my lovely bride, Jane, are all sitting by the Toronto Airport Marriott Hotel pool surreptitiously sipping virtual coffee (which is really booze in a coffee cup).  We are doing this for a reason; we suspect that we are all on double-secret probation by the hotel staff.  Why, you ask?  Because they have already come by to see us and to tell us to stop drinking beer out of glass bottles by the hot-tub; yet the only people here are us!  We are behaving ourselves and we are being quiet; in fact we really are just enjoying some quiet time!  And then Jane went to the washroom, only to report back to us all that she was followed by a pair of shoes (that’s all she could see from under the toilet door), the shoes were definitely dressed for business purposes.  The shoes walked in, walked around and walked out; never to be seen again. 

There is now grave concern within our group that my Marriott Silver status could be in jeopardy.  Are they treating us like this because I used my points and not real cash?  One will never know, but we got a really good deal on the parking!  Hopefully Steve’s truck will still be here when we get back from Cancun.

Well, time is of the essence and we have already over-shot our ‘beddingtons’ dead-line; our plan was to have enough virtual coffee by 7:00PM in order hit the sack and get up at 2:00AM for the shuttle bus to the airport terminal, and then catch our 6:00AM flight to Mexico.  So I am wrapping this up with an abrupt Adiós.  Between the four of us, we have had a chuckle trying to put this blog together before leaving Canada.

And so this blog will be closed out by Mr. Steve Knowles himself; and I quote…

LOL, LOL, LOL the end.

15 March 2013 ~ SPONTANEITY; ON DEMAND

 

 

 

 

I seem to be in a rather philosophical mood this afternoon.  I am about to stare my 55th birthday in the face in just a few short months and for some reason a part of my brain has kind of been fired up.  It’s okay; it’s not a sense of middle-aged urgency or mid-life crisis.  In fact I’m not sure if I have even had a mid-life crisis; well, maybe it was the sunroof on my minivan, but I’m really not sure.  Anyway the point is this; I have been so darned busy lately that I haven’t had much time to do something that most men don’t enjoy doing, and that is something called thinking.  I like to think.  Maybe that’s why I like to write.  After all, if you’re not thinking then there’s bugger all to write about.  If I want to publish two blogs a month in my quest to become a better writer, then I have to be more disciplined in allowing myself some thinking time.  Instead of waiting for inspiration, I think I might have to adopt a more ‘on demand’ approach.  It would be great to just be able to sit and wait for it to happen but I can’t; there’s too much on the go in my life.

 

So anyway; I am thinking about how good a life I have.  Other than being a bit of an orthopedic train-wreck I appear to be in relatively good health.  I certainly hope that I am not tempting providence with that remark!  But really; except for the bit of my thigh bone that is attached to my C5 and C6 vertebrae with a metal plate and some associated hardware, my fractured ribs (which are healing nicely, by the way) and my new right prosthetic knee, I would have to say that all is well.  I am certain it is better to be in a bit of pain here and there than to actually have a serious illness.  Pain can be dealt with ‘on demand’ whereas as an illness can be very much an ongoing thing.

 

I don’t know if it still is written on the back of English bank notes; but as I recall it used to say something like “I promise to pay the bearer, on demand…” which is essentially an IOU (I owe you) for whatever amount the bank note was for.  What does all this mean?  I haven’t a clue; I just thought there was a theme growing here with this ‘on demand’ thing.  It has cropped up about three times so far and I haven’t even finished typing!  Once again I digress.

 

Back to my philosophical thoughts about my life thus far; absolutely no complaints from this writer, I can tell you.  I love my life and all its surprises.  If you can get this far and still be married to the same ‘hot chick’ and have three children that have all grown up relatively normal (at least by my standards), and everyone still has a sense of humour as well as a sense of purpose, then it can’t be all bad, can it.  I have swallowed up so much joy, to date, that it’s a wonder I don’t have indigestion of sorts! 

 

On demand is definitely the way to live, I think.  It has this sort of spontaneity to it.  How sad it would be if one was living a life that had spontaneous surprises at regularly scheduled intervals.

 

Well I think that’s it for now.  Whatever part of my brain that ‘fired up’ has now somehow ‘fizzled out’.  That’s enough ‘on demand’ for me, for now.  So, until my next regularly scheduled, yet spontaneously written blog later this month; I have to get back to work.  There’s a scheduled dead-line I have to meet!

 

 



15 February 2013 ~ NOW; A MOMENT IN TIME

15 February 2013 ~ NOW; A MOMENT IN TIME

 

What a lovely moment; it is now about 9:30 on a Friday evening. That's my living room and I am sitting just out of the left side of the picture. My young ladies, Zoe and Alex, are both working and my lovely bride, Jane, is at the gym. Because I am not as active as they are yet, I sit here with my laptop, enjoying my fourth can of that lovely English beer, Old Speckled Hen; aahhh… Got some vinyl playing; gentle Irish ballads, at that. I would have to say my collection of music is somewhat eclectic in its variety; Vivaldi to Vangelis, Beatles to Bocelli to Bach and so on. Everything but rap I guess; after all, I suppose I have to include my lovely bride’s punk music. But then again, she does tolerate my country music; well, some of it, maybe.

This moment that I am in reminds me of my misspent, but happy youth.  Those years from about 19 to your late 20s are so liberating!  Like any young man of the 1980s, I was always on the go with soccer, the lads, the ladies, most sports really; rock climbing, judo, squash, swimming, etc., etc., etc.  Good, carefree times.  As much as I loved them, and I did, I wouldn’t change where I am now for the world.  What I would give to have my old body back, though.  But wouldn’t we all really!

This moment is special; I can look back on those days of yore whilst basking in ‘what is’ instead of ‘What will happen?’ when wondering about your ‘real’ adulthood that lies ahead beyond, say, 28 years old.  Mine turned out pretty damn good.  I have a great wife of 26 years with my lovely bride, Jane.  I have three fantastic kids that are all adults in their own rite with my son Martin and my daughters Zoe and Alex.  I share my life with some brilliant people that are part nuts, part caring, and part crazy; but always, always, always have my back.

This moment is so comforting right now.  It might be the Old Speckled Hen.  It might be the remnants of my pain-killers.  Wow; it might be both!

Not as much need for pain-killers now.  I’m practically waltzing around the house.  I was even ready to show my physiotherapist the steps to the Foxtrot; probably a good idea, on his part, that I didn’t.  Almost 3-weeks since my total right knee replacement and I only need crutches for longer walks outside the house; inside the house I'm an independent and mobile member of the homestead.  I actually lost about 8 pounds in the first 2 weeks.  My lovely bride said it’s because I couldn’t get to the refrigerator; I love that woman.

Anyway; that’s it for now.  A great moment shared and a second blog published. 

10 Febraury 2013 ~ NEW RIGHT KNEE; NO PAIN, NO GAIN!

 

 

This blog is basically about my total right knee replacement, or in medical terms, total right knee arthroplasty.  I am writing about this in case there is anyone that is considering this procedure or is even scheduled for it.  Why write about it?  Because I have a blog and it seemed like a good idea!

When I was getting wheeled in to the operating room I was getting very anxious and hyper-ventilating; quite frankly, I was feeling terrified.  I think there was something significant missing from this whole ordeal, and that was my own lack of educating myself more on the subject.  I appreciate that this procedure is somewhat routine, however to the recipient it is a potentially life changing event; and it is also a journey through unchartered waters for me, so my mistake was in my lack of due diligence.  Big mistake!

Let me pass along some advice in your quest of educating yourself; don’t go on You Tube and watch the surgical procedure the night before you are getting it done.  This was a foolish move on my part and probably was the root cause for my distressed state when getting wheeled in to surgery on the gurney.  I had been so busy trying to complete a work project and I had never given myself any time to find out more about what was about to happen; hence my curiosity on the eve of my surgery when I finally had time to focus on it.  In hindsight, as previously mentioned but well worth re-iterating, I should have taken the time to learn more.  I believe in this day and age it is incumbent on the individual to get educated, and I really, really, really dropped the ball on that score.

The reason I had this done was simple enough; pain and lack of mobility.  My years of playing soccer and other sports had paid its toll on my knee.  This surgery was my ninth, and hopefully last, operation on my right knee, so I wasn’t going in totally naïve; I was, however, ill prepared mentally and I only have myself to blame.  Between ACL reconstructions and cartilage tears and ligament damage, this surgery was inevitable.  My right leg was distorted and my knee didn’t look like a knee.  I was bone on bone and the osteoarthritis was painful.  I couldn’t do anything physical, such as a round of golf, without factoring in my current condition.  I knew I would need pain meds and ice and that I would not be as mobile after golf as I was before I played; at least not for a couple of days, and then things would return to their previous ‘natural state’ prior to golfing.

The surgery was on the Monday afternoon and I was discharged on the Wednesday morning.  I felt that was too soon, but I was also glad to get back home.  My wife wheeled me down to the main level of the hospital and dropped off the prescription for the pain killers and blood-thinner shots at the pharmacy.  I was parked in my wheelchair while Jane took my belongings to the car and then pulled up outside the main entrance and returned for me and the meds.  This took about 20 minutes; by which time the pain was invading me and becoming all consuming.  By the time I got in to the car I was getting distressed again because of the pain and my sense of vulnerability.  I immediately took pain meds and we left the hospital.  We stopped to call in to our old friends and neighbours where we used to live when we were in London, Ontario.  Jane had been staying there while I was in the hospital in London.  I made my way in to Marcy’s home and had a coffee and rested for a while.  The pain meds started to lose their effect after about one hour!  I waited a while and then took some more before we set off on the hour-long journey home to Sarnia.  By the time we arrived in Sarnia we made a smart play.  Jane pulled over and gave me more meds.  By the time we got home I was able to get in to our home and sit down.  My daughter, Alex took the photo of my knee that accompanies this blog; 2 days post-op.

My first night at home was a tougher one for Jane than me, I think.  My lovely bride was up a lot and administered ice-packs and meds and changed my pyjamas and the bedding three times due to my sweating from the pain.  I actually felt rested from having some ‘quality’ sleep; something that eluded me for the two nights in hospital.  The events of the night were nothing but a vague dream for me, even though it was reality.

When I woke up it was now Thursday; 3 days post-op.  Thursday was a good day, but Friday was a bad day.  I had my first visit from the physiotherapist on the Saturday.  It went well and I was encouraged to make it back down the stairs to the main floor.  The stairs were scary, which is why I had remained upstairs in my bedroom since I had got home on Wednesday.  But it felt good to be on the main floor with all the family.

As I write this it is Sunday; 2 weeks post-op.  I am now getting around quite well with just one crutch and some weight-bearing.  The key to progressing so well is one word; physiotherapy.  You have to do the exercises and work through the pain.  You absolutely have to bend and straighten your leg.  You have to work the muscle groups in your leg, which was very hard in the beginning.  You make ice your new best friend.  You have to take your pain meds if you are doing your physio as aggressively as I was; I am self-employed and do not have the luxury of taking a lot of time away from work.  But the good news is I can do a lot of work from home if I am not travelling and conducting training.

There is an incredible amount of bruising that runs from my ankle all the way up to my groin almost.  I was told by Jane that it’s a good thing because it is healing.

My staples come out Monday, that should be easy, and I have my first physio outpatient appointment on Tuesday.  The visiting physiotherapist is pleased with my progress.  But holy shit; those first few days post-op were a killer and I will be eternally grateful for pain-killers.  I wish I had been prescribed a few more, but that is really my only gripe; had the pain management been handled a bit better it would have all been much less of an issue.  As for ice; I have used enough ice to sink the Titanic, but it helps immensely.

I am pleased with my range of movement; 96 degree bend, but not so good for extension.  I was told it would take a while before I can get my leg straight.  My strength is pretty good and I’m okay with some weight-bearing but after a while I have to stop that!

The knee feels weird; sort of numb in places on and around the knee-cap.  As I understand it, that will come back with time. 

To sum it up, my “doos & don’ts” would be as follows;

• Do your due diligence beforehand so you are well informed because this is your responsibility to yourself. 
• Don’t be afraid to ask for pain meds.
• Do use lots and lots of ice because it helps a great deal.
• Do your exercises as soon as possible. 
• Don’t despair when you try to work the quad muscles in your leg and nothing happens, because it takes a bit of practice to get them fired up again, but they will work. 

Total knee arthroplasty is a painful procedure but I am feeling really good after just two weeks.  If I was given the choice I would not change a thing and I am glad I had it done.  Mind you; I would have told you a completely different story a week ago!

19 January 2013 ~ CARING, CAREFUL HANDS

I am a Transport Canada licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, or A.M.E. as we’re known; most of you know that already.  For the past 10 years or so, in my 35+ years in aviation, I have been a maintenance technical instructor; most of you know that too.  Most of you also know that, at times, I fly more than I would care to call ‘glamorous’.  But every time, before I get on an aircraft to fly, I always think about the guys that were working on the aircraft last night while I was sleeping.  They’re probably sleeping now, and sleeping with a clear conscience; their work is done, and done safely, in a manner of professionalism and meticulous attention to detail that the general public may not comprehend.

 

It used to drive my wife crazy whenever I undertook a home improvement project.  Not because I’m one of those husbands that doesn’t finish what he’s started (although I am guilty of not starting soon enough), but more the manner in which I would take on the task.  I think it is in the AMEs’ DNA to carry out their work in the same manner that a surgeon would.  My wife would get so frustrated when I do something as simple as putting up a shelf and not be satisfied until that bubble on the level is exactly smack-bang in the middle of the sight-glass; even though there is some room for error.  A good AME doesn’t work with error if it can be avoided.  Whatever task we do, I can guarantee it is checked more times than Santa’s list.  I only hope that the surgeon who is going to see me lying comatose in the operating room, later this month, will carry out his work on me in the same manner as this AME would ply his trade; with caring, careful hands.

 

I have had the honour to work with some crazy folks over my years in aviation maintenance, but there’s not an aircraft I would refuse to fly in because of them; the AME is a marvel to behold.  Although we work in a strictly regulated industry, you wouldn’t believe the improvisation and ‘creative engineering’ that gets employed from time to time; and never will safety be compromised.  I could sit here and type for hours giving you examples galore, but that is not my purpose today.  The AME deals not just in engineering, but also ‘engine-uity’!

 

This isn’t exactly a ‘trade-secret’, but you know when you have used tape to mask something off and sometimes, when you remove the tape, there is always some of that sticky stuff left behind?  Of course, you have to remove it; but what to use… A lot of folks reach straight for the isopropyl alcohol, not a bad choice, but a classic rookie mistake.  Others may resort to trying to scrape it off; perhaps using their finger or thumb nail.  But do you know the best way to get sticky tape residue off of a surface?  Sticky tape!  Yup; just make a loop with the sticky surface on the outside, slip your fingers through it and ‘dab-and-roll’ over the sticky stuff and it just work its way off.  Like I said; it’s not exactly a ‘trade-secret’.  But when you’re working with a surface like the skin of an aircraft, the last thing you want to do is scrape it off and damage the paintwork; not because it will look bad, but because you will leave the metal (usually aluminum) exposed to the elements and that will mean corrosion and corrosion will compromise the structural integrity.  I hope I’m not boring you!

 

As I approach my 55th birthday in June, I am finally going to succumb to a total knee replacement.  On Monday 28 January, a little over a week from now, I shall be heading to the University of Western Ontario Hospital for my ninth, and hopefully last, right knee surgery.  Just routine for the surgeon, but potentially life-changing for this writer.  It has been a long time since I have done something as simple as kneel down, or squat, or even be able to take a little jog around the block.  Whenever I do anything physical there is always a price to pay, guaranteed; and the currency is pain.  I have lived with it for so long, now, that I accept it as an integral part of my life.  But the thought of being able to carry out a mundane task, like tying up my shoelaces, without factoring in my right knee is rather exciting!

 

The marvellous thing about orthopedic surgery is that it is just like doing a structural repair on an aircraft; literally.  They use similar tools such as hammers, drills, chisels, etc., and even have manuals to follow!  I know this because back in 1984, when I had my ACL ligament reconstructed after a soccer injury, I actually managed to read up on the 'Jones Procedure’ whilst in the hospital medical library.

 

I have been told that my surgery is not a big deal.  After all, it isn’t heart by-pass surgery.  Well I beg to differ.  Any surgery that renders you comatose, and places your future in the hands of others, is a big deal.  My emotions run from trepidation to exhilaration.  I find the whole ordeal of having another operation rather daunting.  It could be, perhaps, because I know what to expect; the process of painful recovery, the discomfort of physiotherapy, the slowly building up of lost muscle mass with exercise, etc.  Despite all of that, I am convinced my life will improve greatly with every passing week.

 

I just need to get the surgery out of the way first; with the skills of some caring, careful hands.

15 January 2013 ~ OXYMORON, METAPHOR, ANALOGY; WORDS

 

A new year of blog writing beckons; and we’re off… 

 

Ever heard that expression, “Don’t look at me in that tone of voice”?  A long-winded oxymoron perhaps?  An oxymoron, by definition, is essentially where two words, that are the opposite of each other, can be used for the purpose of emphasis; at least that is my take on it. 

 

During my recent annual Holiday correspondence with friends old and new I had an interesting experience.  It was also a good reminder of another phrase oft heard in my days, "Perception is reality", which could mean something along the lines of, that which one perceives to be true; one believes to be true.  This is often the case whether it is real or not.  Example; a guy walks in to a restaurant and orders a steak and kidley pie.  The server says, “Steak and kidley!  Do you mean steak and kidney, sir?” and the guy replies, “That’s what I said diddle I?”  Or perhaps the lonely traveller that stops at a wayside inn for the night and is enjoying a glass of ale at the lounge bar of the inn.  There, in front of the roaring fire, is the innkeeper’s dog, a handsome St. Bernard that is curiously licking away at his canine genitals.  The traveller turns to the inn-keeper and says, jokingly, “I wish I could do that.”  To which the innkeeper replies, with a serious look on his face, “He’s a good dog; if you give him a biscuit, he’ll let you.” 

 

Where am I going with this?  With the spoken word, the chance of creating a misunderstanding in the message is quite small; above example accepted.  But the chance is much greater with the written word; such as an email or even this blog.  An old friend of mine and I were recently catching up with each other after about a year and somehow each other’s message got misinterpreted.  I had unintentionally offended my old friend, and in turn I felt offended also.  Words.  How carefully one must use them, yet how poorly one does at times; albeit unintentionally.  I am pleased to say that I believe it all worked out okay with my dear old friend of many years. 

 

Words.  So if we now know what an oxymoron is, the question that begs would be:  What, exactly, is a metaphor and analogy?  I could be wrong, but as I see it… 

 

Metaphor is just a figurative use of terms, in the context to which, they are not literally applicable; whereas analogy would be some sort of pesky noun that makes you itch and sneeze. 

 

Happy New Year!  I promise to work harder with my words!