When you're old

 

Old is when....

                                                                        every single stinkin' night

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And that's all she wrote.

Fickle Words

 

Words linger in silence

Just outside my reach.

Once easily they popped to me,

Now, those damn words will

Scamper and bound away.

#//=&$

Perhaps what scares me most

Is when the words pause in mid sentence,

Leaving my brain 

To scramble through the files there, 

Searching for the right words.

Words, words, words.

Words that sing and shout.

Words that fly about.

Zing, zap, and zoom.

Winging their way with wonder

Denying grasps, causing gasps

Written in 1971, at college during teacher training.

A writer in a hazy world

Is a sad writer.

The Brain Does Its Business.

 

What is a Santa Ana wind?

Brains are independent, if somewhat unpredictable and frustrating. This three-pound organ controls the entire body. But does it really?

Yes, of course it does. The brain somehow managed to give Beethoven his music, and Georgia O'Keefe her art. So what in the world was Toby Turner's brain doing??

YouTube, 3 minutes long. Watch it a 2nd time. Why not?

My own brain has been rebelling. These are "dark room days" for me, as the Santa Ana Winds hit our area. It is 84 degrees in Murrieta, California, with the hot winds blowing.  So, I will listen to this song a few times with shades over my eyes. My brain then might start smiling.

There is one delightful part of the verses, where Toby says "Cold Play", but I am certain he says "Cornflakes". Oh well.

Here are the lyrics, since I can almost guarantee you'll want to read along. 

Lyrics: Dramatic Song
Toby Turner

This song sounds dramatic
But I'm bad at writing words
If you don't speak English
This probably sounds pretty good

You'd probably think I'm singing
'Bout some pretty serious stuff
But in reality I'm singing 'bout
The lack of stuff

I'm singing 'bout
This part's intense
And emotional
As long as you don't understand it
Your foreign grandma
Would love this song

Please send it to her
And she'll probably tell her
Foreign friends about the song her
Grandson or daughter sent her today

This song might hit the charts in her country
If parts sounded like Coldplay
If the chorus sounds like Coldplay
Then I put some La-La-La's in there
La la la la la
La la la la la la la la (Coldplay)

Hopefully your foreign grandma
Listens to this song everyday
And if she asked you to translate…

Who wins?? Who won??

Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights was a highly successful TV show that ran five seasons and followed the drama of a coach and a high school football team in a small Texas town. Friday nights in schools are filled with passion and loyalty from an enthusiastic community. BUT...  

Real life high school football is different. Real life football high school is deadly.

The thing is I know those boys' names. 

Their families are part of the community. Their high schools were within walking distances of our former home. Two young men needlessly suffered nearly fatal brain injuries that have taken away their futures.

Here is what happened:

Vu's injury happened in 1992, and Scott's in 2007. Both had had untreated concussions the week before the game, and were told to "lie down for a while".

Both were sent into the game despite their clearly expressed information that they had excruciating headaches. Scott even told the trainer that his vision was blurry and he couldn't focus his eyes. He came off the field and told the trainer again that he was dizzy, his head was throbbing. 

The coach said some inappropriate words that sent Scott back onto the field.

Many years later..

Doctors have confirmed that if they had been treated and allowed to heal after the first concussion, the catastrophic injury would be a non-issue. "Second-impact syndrome" is the term used.

Scott

Vu was down in the first play. His eyes rolled back into his head and he stopped breathing.  He died twice on the field, was resuscitated, then died again in the ambulance.  

Immediate surgery to remove a part of his skull and repair injury to the brain saved his life. 

Scott collapsed on the field in the first quarter, and immediately suffered catastrophic brain injury. He, too, had the same surgery in which a portion of the skull had to be removed.

Both were comatose for a lengthy time. Vu awoke, and spent years in 24 hour care initially, then years in physical recovery. 

Scott eventually became conscious, but remains unable to speak and to stand or move on his own. His mind is keen and alert, communicating on iPad or computer with someone supporting his arm. His health is improving and he has finished requirements to graduate from high school.

Recent lawsuits have been settled. Vu was award about $4 million, and Scott about the same.  Due to lengthy treatments involving full time care, Vu is virtually broke. He owns yoga studio with his wife.

Scott and Vu, now

Although Scott's lawyer and family were suing for $25 million (an amount estimated to provide for his life-long care), Scott received $4.4 million and depends on caregivers to eat, bathe, and communicate. 

His injury has also taken nearly all, and his loving family cares for what Voice of San Diego calls "a living ghost".

I am passionate and angry about these two young men and how denial  of concussion problems continue to plague the entire football industry. 

This is what CTE is.

In pro-ball, "issue" is called Chronic Traumatic Encephalophy. The stats on football players should scare us all. Many retired players have developed dementia, depressions, and other related brain injuries.  Many have committed suicide.

This post is way too long, I know. 

When some 17 yr. kids go through hell because coaches want to demolish the other teams, people must amass a fury so large and so loud that football stadiums explode.

All sports that involve player impact are susceptible and at risk for such injuries. Head helmets are inadequately designed or built to prevent or reduce injuries.

However some sports analyzers have seen an increase in injuries since football helmets have been introduced into games.  They insist that, if helmets were taken out of the game, players would follow the natural response to protect the head.  Hits would be less violent, focus would be on the play, not the bludgeoning. They might be on the right track.

At least this ends on a short, kinda cute commercial. It also shows how young a commitment to the game begins.