Yesterday was World Stroke Day and a bunch of stroke bloggers did some kind of post on their blog about something having to do with strokes. I did a post about it being National Cat Day. Oops. Oh well, I like cats much, much, much more than strokes.
Categories: Miscellaneous
mycerebellarstrokerecovery 
I missed the World Stroke Day memo. Unfortunately, I missed your National Cat Day post too. My kitties will be so disappointed! 😱
That’s ok, you can pretend it’s today!
lol cats are the royalty in your house. A stroke is a royal pain. Of the two I prefer cats.
She is royalty, that’s for sure!
World Stroke Day is totally worthless, Cat day is great. Moar cat.
I am designing a greeting card for National Cat Day (seriously). What would a greeting card for National Stroke Day say? Any and all suggestions are welcome. My choice is “sometimes a chicken has to die”, but that might not be a big seller, and PETA might go after me.
YAY, you’re gonna LOVE her Julia!!!!!!
Sorry – WORLD Stroke Day, as if everyone in the world is thinking about strokes on that day. Naming it doesn’t make it so unfortunately.
Everyone is thinking about strokes on October 29th, everyone!
I missed the Cat Day post to. How did that happen? I always get email notification about your posts and comments; sometimes that’s a lot of email.
I used to have a wonderful cat who came running when I called her. If a cat acts like a dog is she still a cat? And since I loved her, does that mean I love cats or do I love just dogs?
If I were a cat I would be really pissed off at comments like “My cat is so great – she’s just like a dog.” I love cats precisely because they are unapologetically cats and not dogs. But then again, I love dogs precisely because they are like dogs. Would anyone ever say “My dog is so great. He’s just like a cat?” As a society we are clearly species-ist. By the way, all my cats have answered to their names. Name + food and they start answering real quick.
🙂 my husband has always fed the pets; I’m the cuddler. Also, she didn’t come when we called her name; she came to “Leedle-lee,” which was my son’s attempt at “kitty” for our first cat. Her name was Mickey. Even now, when I see a cat, I hold out my hand, rubbing my fingers together and call the cat Leedle-Leedle-lee, no matter what her name is. Just like Brian did in his early years.
BTW, we have always had a cat or two, just not now. My husband has the same “no more pets” policy he had as a child. He broke down though re Turbo because he spoils me. Yes, I’m spoiled, but not rotten.
Lol that’s cute. Where did the name Turbo come from?
I had a Jetta turbo when I had the stroke – I LOVED that car – it was telepathic: all I had to do was think of what speed I wanted to go, and there it was! It was a standard transmission, so I knew I’d never be able to drive it again (I have a boring manual Honda Civic now). So, I wanted to name my dog after my car. “Jetta” didn’t work for me. Because he’s a French breed, I wanted it to be a French name, and it turned out that “turbo” is the same in English and French. Plus he became his name: he’s been a dervish since he was 8 weeks old.
OOps … obviously, it’s an automatic Honda.
Okay, here’s my entry for a WSD slogan:
I’m a stroke survivor.
That’s why I’m going to smack you.
Maybe a little to militant?
Love it!
Love it, but I have an addition: “Signed, Dean”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I would like a name for our tribe, something we can use to sign letters to stroke organizations, letters to the editor, etc. It would be an organization open to ONLY those survivors in our bin: disabled ones. None of this “I had a massive stroke and run ultra-marathons now because I NEVER GAVE UP” crap. Maybe by invitation only, with an application essay.
We’d need a mission statement too.
Any interest?
Suggestion: “Stroke Survivors, Limited”
Yes an application essay for sure. We’ll need recommendations too.
Stroke Avengers – Dean or whatever nom de plume you want
Like the name. I’m in. Every year we could have a fund raising event and solicit sponsors. I’m envisioning a realistic mini-marathon for stroke survivors, like ten yards.
Eh, let’s make it 15 yards, I’m ambitious like that.
YESSSSS!!!
We could have it be SS Olympics: walking, stair-climbing, marching, arm wrestling, endurance fanatical massed practice, driving, cooking, making beds, and so on.
SS Olympics!! HI-LARIOUS!!
I don’t know about that, 15 yards might have to be designated a half-marathon. All entrants get a SACHTD t-shirt, and the winner gets a cranial crest.
What’s SACHTD?
Do I live farthest west? The storm front is here. Not much rain yet, but lots of wind. I’m working from home today, thank goodness. Be safe everyone.
Sometimes A Chicken Has To Die
Our weather is supposed to be windiest on Saturday, when we’re driving to western Penn. for a memorial service (Tom’s elderly aunt).
Raining here in NYC but in that peaceful pretty sort of way.Our tribe needs letterhead and a logo, and of course a website. This massive stroke thing drives me nuts. My stroke was larg-ish but I wouldn’t say massive and yet I’m way more fucked up than all those marathoners with their massive strokes. Maybe I’d be better off if my stroke had been massive. What’s wrong with huge, gigantic, all-encompassing? What’s so special about massive?
I’ve found that most, but not all, stroke survivors call their strokes “massive.” I have a rant in my book about survivors acting as though it’s an f-ing competition. “I had a massive stroke, was in ICU for 3 weeks, and had to relearn how to walk, talk, and write.” I think they want to say it was hell, and they’ve come so far since then because they NEVER GAVE UP. That’s my non-Buddhist Barb ranting now. But you get it.
I’m in love with non-Buddhist Barb! Great ranting is an art form unto itself.
I’ve read almost every stroke inspirational story out there, trying to feel less alone in my efforts. With the exception of Mycle Brandy, none of them are what I would call genuine. They’re either people with short-term strokes, or they didn’t directly confront their weaknesses (e.g., ran when it was their upper-body that was affected). There is a place for people who don’t give up, and it’s not to breast-beat, it’s to tell people what they did in hopes of helping others. At least, that’s what Captain America told me.
Scott, I love the way you put that … The stories are not genuine. Fundamentally, people don’t know how to write, how to show instead of tell. I had a teacher who told me that I should never write the word “heart-breaking,” but should break the reader’s heart instead. That’s hard, but making someone cry is always one of my goals; if I can make them cry, there’s a chance they understand.
A PR lady told me that if you can make someone cry and laugh in the same post/lecture/speech, you’ve suceeded. I’m pretty sure I’ve made people laugh, but I don’t think I’ve made anyone cry. I definitely don’t think I’ve done both.
With that kind of understanding of the written language, I’d love to read any short stories you might have, Barb.
hmmm, I’m going to have to back-pedal here: I try to make people cry, but don’t know how successful I am, PLUS I wrote short stories SO MANy years ago – I’m sure they’re awful. don’t you tear up a little reading some of my blog entries?Now that I’ve finished my stroke recovery book, I’m working on a novel.
Oh yes, your blog entries are very affecting. Your recent post “Tribal Life”—that one was immensely powerful. However, it’s your insight and perception that are the really big draws for me. I can’t wait for your books to come out. You can believe I have my Kindle good and ready!
My Kindle broke!!!! Grrr!!!
Yeah, you’re right. I’m gonna stop saying that.
And don’t get me started on “suffered” a stroke.
My lifelong love affair with words puts that word in the pity category. Call me a victim before you say I suffered a stroke – same thing. I DO like using “strike” as a verb for having a stroke. As in, “I was struck,” etc.
You’re right. Please call me on it if I ever use the phrase “suffered a stroke” in anything I write.
I hate CVA – cerebral vascular accident. Like who would be stupid enough to do this to themselves on purpose?
Right, as though the person were doing something dangerous and had an accident. My former boss used to call it my “injury,” which I didn’t like because it focused on the damage; I had enough reminders of that.
Lol. yeah I hope it’s a given that this wasn’t a CVOP- cerebral vascular on purpose.
Come on Amy, you haven’t seen those ancient skulls that were trepanned while the owners were alive?
Uhhhhh no…..I don’t think…..what’s trepanning?
Amy,Amy, Amy, Google is your friend: trepanning is a “surgical” procedure that makes a burr hole in someone’s skull. Ick.
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While they were alive???
Enjoy,
http://thesam.blog.com/2011/03/15/trepanning/
note the rounded and healed over edges;
Oh sweet Jesus…..that’s horrific. I have a hole in my skull but I was not trepanned.
I intend to enter several of the SS Olympics mental imagery events, including 100 meter dash, pole vault, and jiu jitsu. I’ll let you know who won each event. Trust me. What I’m especially looking forward to, though, is the post – Olympics chicken barbecue ceremony presided over by Julia in all her Shaman regalia. Can’t wait.
Jim, this cracks me up every time I read it, which is whenever I want a laugh.
It cracks me up too. I love chicken barbecue.
Happy Halloween everyone. Trick or Treat has been cancelled here because of the weather, so no little hobgoblins. Halloween isn’t much of a holiday without kids around. Okay I’m depressing myself.
Yes, Halloween is nothing without children. And we haven’t had even one trick-or-treater in our 8 years here