In Proust's eyes--Françoise and her headless chicken

For years, I spoke of Françoise and her headless chicken de Proust--sheer memory sur la recherche du temps perdu.

So I decided to find out whether it was true that Françoise put off a fight with her headless chicken... (the only one thing I recall from the limited amount of Proust I have managed to read so far in my life) and so I found...

When I went in, I saw her in the back-kitchen which opened on to the courtyard, in process of killing a chicken; by its desperate and quite natural resistance, which Françoise, beside herself with rage as she attempted to slit its throat beneath the ear, accompanied with shrill cries of "Filthy creature! Filthy creature!" it made the saintly kindness and unction of our servant rather less prominent than it would do, next day at dinner, when it made its appearance in a skin gold-embroidered like a chasuble, and its precious juice was poured out drop by drop as from a pyx. When it was dead Françoise mopped up its streaming blood, in which, however, she did not let her rancour drown, for she gave vent to another burst of rage, and, gazing down at the carcass of her enemy, uttered a final "Filthy creature!"

Proust, M. (1966). Remembrance Of Things Past. Vol. I. Swann's Way  http://www.gutenberg.org/: Project Gutenberg.  Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7178/7178-h/7178-h.htm 

Quand je fus en bas, elle était en train, dans l'arrière-cuisine qui donnait sur la basse-cour, de tuer un poulet qui, par sa résistance désespérée et bien naturelle, mais accompagnée par Françoise hors d'elle, tandis qu'elle cherchait à lui fendre le cou sous l'oreille, des cris de "sale bête ! sale bête ! ", mettait la sainte douceur et l'onction de notre servante un peu moins en lumière qu'il n'eût fait, au dîner du lendemain, par sa peau brodée d'or comme une chasuble et son jus précieux égoutté d'un ciboire. Quand il fut mort, Françoise recueillit le sang qui coulait sans noyer sa rancune, eut encore un sursaut de colère, et regardant le cadavre de son ennemi, dit une dernière fois : "sale bête ! " 

Proust, M. (1966). A la recherche du temps perdu. Du côté de chez Swann  http://www.gutenberg.org/: Project Gutenberg.  Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2650/2650-h/2650-h.htm 

Comma, no comma in "Philosophy Scholar XYZ ABC"?

Didn't not intend to stay up so late-- actually, intended to go to bed earlier today.

Yet, yours styleless and Missy Bad English got stuck with this question about a specific usage of English punctuation, and finally got it resolved after 4-5 hours of studying the Chicago Manual of Style online...

"Comma, no comma in 'Philosophy Scholar XYZ ABC'?," which is posted in my "Research Kinda thing in Ratology" blog (Does it even exist? 8-O lol)

So they say, easy come, easy go.

Also, 4-5 hours to get to this answer, guess it's gonna be pretty hard for me to forget this rule! 8-O lol

Can't believe that I got it.... 8-O

Time to go nite nite.

First major project for 2013 accomplished: got to the toilet

Today I got the first big project for the new of 2013... I got to the toilet.  8-O

And, no ordinary toilet but the Modern Toilet... lol



What is significant about this toilet in comparison to any other toilets I frequent on a daily basis- other than it is actually a restaurant?  One step at a time, I- go go go... allez allez allez... with hands moving around helping me move...  I walked all the way from the area of Sogo Department Store in the East district （東區） to the West district （西門町） without the cane.  It took me only within 1.5 hours to cover the distance of 5.1 KM or so- not to mention the stairs I had to climb up to get to this restaurant on the second floor and on time!

I had thought that I might not be able to get this project accomplished to get to the Modern Toilet because I got out late and may not be able to get there by the meeting time.  Yet, I did it!

Though might need to treat my body with the Epsom salt bath tonight... the first major project for 2013 I accomplished today!

(Related post in Ratology at Large: Today I got my own behind up to the Modern Toilet)

My rehabilitation doctor

The recent times are some times with benchmark after benchmark...

In addition to walking diligently rain or shine almost ever day for all these years, I also go to do my physical therapy religiously.  As a result, I would upset my body once ever so often given the extended workload to the body and have to send the even more beaten-up-truck state of body into the shop to get it repaired by my rehabilitation doctor.  8-O lol

A rehabilitation doctor I highly recommend shall you be in Taipei!  

http://www.drhsu21.com/

A loose cannon losing the cane

Today marked the first day for this loose cannon to lose the cane....

Though I have been practicing for weeks if not months to walk my cane instead of walking with the support of my cane, it remained buzzard to walk down the street without the cane in hand and it remains to be more effortful.  As a result, I cut down on the distance I traversed today to accommodate the change in my routine as per da Purta Plata Principle.

Three reasons why walking seems to be more strenuous without the cane:

1. When carrying a cane and even without using its support all the times, it provides a sense of security when walking.  As a result, the simple fact that the cane is not there when needed (which happens) makes me feel more tense and, I guess, makes the body more tense as well.  
2. The aforementioned psychological factors do have its basis in reality.  Though nothing skinny, I can be easily knocked down when people brush through me because I do have problems with motor control.
3. After using the cane to help me walk around for the past two years, I think the body has developed the "caned" habit.  The body is having confusions on how to walk.  8-O lol  I would simply have to give the body its time to find its path to walk.

One thing different I know between my losing da cane last round in 2008 and this time is that... the bodily structure has changed further and it would take far more work till... hopefully, one day the day will come, shall the day ever come, when I can walk again like how I walk post-June-19th-2007 accident and prior to Jan. 7th, 2011 when, noch ein mal, the body got reset to ground zero.

Whether the day will come or not, that's not my business now since- what good does it do for me such to entertain?  To stop me from working better at walk simply because it might be a dream never to be fulfilled?  I do know that I have to proceed with cautions.  In addition, the next phase... living with semi-invisible disabilities and the ensuing unfolding....

It's only the beginning of a new beginning.  The never-ending pursuits in life!

Yet, without the cane, today at large I walked!

Puerto Plata principle

Actually, other than my finally climbed up to the top of my world (8-O lol), another benchmark I am getting closer to is to get done with the lingering thought broadcasting symptom.

Regardless, delusional as usual.  If things coming out of my mouth is recorded as per da reality in my imaginary world, they'd be listening to two things that keep on getting repeated like a broken record.

"Stomach" and "Puerto Plata principle."

Stomach?  A reminder for myself to use the stomach muscles when moving.

"Puerto Plata principle?"

When I was in the resort of Puerto Plata, DR., there were open bars everywhere and they even come to restuff alcohol in the refrigerator on a daily basis.  A drinker's paradise!

The only problem was that it wouldn't be too much fun if I get too boozed up and wake up with one of them hangovers that last for days with me religiously worshiping the porcelain God by giving back everything I consume.  As a result, I had to be disciplined with my drinking- drinking enough to get the money's worth  yet not so much that I would wake up with a huge hangover.  It was an art to appropriate and an essential art to keep on drinking.... 8-O lol

So, during my recovery process and still, every day, when I find myself having the propensity to push and push even more, so I say to myself... "Puerto Plata principle."

Benchmark!

For the past few months, I have been working on da unterwegs zum losing the cane.  After getting better walking on "flat surface," I switched the emphasis of my training on slopes in the past few weeks... starting from observing how normal people walk on slopes and their postures.

The conclusion I draw from observing how normal people walk and trying to do the walk myself is that- when doing the slopes, the thighs are placed in front of the remaining of the torso and the torso has to be adjusted to the "right" angle (some kind of leaning forward) so that the center is located appropriately to make moving more ergonomic.  It is also not necessary for on knee in the front leg to be straightened before moving the one in the back forward.

In addition, I have to keep on reminding myself to use the stomach and leg muscles to help me move.  Another curious observation I made one day is that, when doing the slopes, the body does not adjust its own posture automatically and I actually have to use visual input to adjust my posture.

So I did my slopes... starting from the slanted surface possibly unobservable to the common people without the support of the cane..... adding more distance, speed and steepness gradually... till today, I conquered the slope at the Taipei Arena leading up to the south entrance without the cane!

So, I got up to the top of the slope... feeling like what Rocky might have felt when running up them stairs.... though all that I did was-- not counting the passersby- all along and moved my fat butts up da slope.  8-O lol

The benchmark had shifted gradually throughout the time.. starting for the first pole, the second to all the way up to the top.  Yet, what is accomplished today is one of the grand benchmark I set for myself!  Though I had not gotten the goal accomplished by the new year's eve.  3 days kinda variance?  Gladly accepted!

After this, awaiting is the cane-less walk!

My biggest accomplishment of 2012

Been working hard on the loosing da cane effort... with the past few weeks focusing on doing slopes without using the support afforded by the cane.  Because of the holidays, for 3 days, I had not been keeping up with my walking and doing da slope routine.

Yet, when going back to da really steep slope by the RT-Mart today, I realized that.. "man, still got it."

So it is... my biggest accomplishment of 2012, getting myself to the state that I can do this slope without da cane de moi.

Brova!