It just wasn’t explained to them sufficiently, otherwise they wouldn’t have voted ‘no’ in the referendum. Seven years ago, something similar happened in Ireland in relation to the Lisbon treaty. The Irish people voted ‘no’, but – so what? The nice thing about democracy is that you can have another vote until you get the ‘right’ result. If the people don’t get it the first time, well, you can try again until you get the ‘right’ vote. Angela should be on her way to Greece tonight, explain the issue to the Greek people properly (after all, Germany’s wealth depends on the Greeks repaying their depts) organise a second referendum for next Sunday, a proper referendum, get the right outcome and tell Alexis and Yanis to get on their bikes… Europe’s banks (mostly based in Germany) would be saved.

One of my all-time favourite films is Falling Down for which I found this brief summary of the opening scene: It “features Michael Douglas sitting in a horrible traffic jam in a car with faulty air conditioning. If you’ve ever been inside of a car that isn’t moving and has no air conditioning in a heat wave, you can understand how a person might go all Charles Bronson on people.” Check out the trailer or, if you want to watch one of the best scene of the movie, check out the Hamburger Scene – with one of the funniest lines, “Rick, I think we have a critic here”.

Hamburg is not quite “falling down” yet, haven’t seen a “hamburger scene”-type incident yet (we’re sticking to salads these days:), but we’re getting close to it. It’s just too hot, especially on this top floor we’re living in, especially without air conditioning. And it’s not just hot, the humidity is unbearable. The good news it that it should all get better tomorrow.

Talking about tomorrow. On the radio today, I heard someone saying that everything is in the past because the moment anything happens, it’s gone and in the past. An interesting view of the presence, isn’t it? – I have to think about that one a bit…

Pádraig hasn’t “falling down” yet either. But the weather is hard on him. We discovered what apparently everybody knows tastes just fantastic: frozen yoghurt. I stuck a yoghurt in the freezer this morning and when we got back from our walk, it was just ready: really cold and really refreshing. Pádraig had no problem eating this at all. In no time it was gone without a single cough. Looks like it is easier to eat things that taste nice.

Just today, it occurred to me that I had sent a copy of the Open Letter to the Attorney General and the Governor of Massachusetts to the Irish and German Departments of Foreign Affairs, Embassies, and Consulates. – Neither of them have acknowledged receipt, never mind answered.

I hear that some German friends would like to send letters asking for an independent investigation into the accident.

Here is an example in German and English of a letter to the Attorney General and the Governor (of which you could send a copy to the Außenministerium:).

Sehr geehrter Governor/Attorney General,

ich möchte Sie dringend bitten, eine unabhängige Untersuchung des Unfalls von Pádraig Schäler einzuleiten, der am 27. Juni 2013 auf dem Weg zur Arbeit in Brewster, Cape Cod, von einem Truck angefahren wurde und sich seitdem in einem Zustand minimalen Bewusstseins befindet. Ich bin davon überzeugt, dass die von der örtlichen Polizei vorgenommene Untersuchung einseitig und unzureichend war. Ich danke Ihnen im voraus für Ihre Bemühungen.

Hochachtungsvoll,

Dear Governor/Attorney General,

I would like to strongly suggest to you to instigate an independent investigation into the accident of Pádraig Schäler who was hit by a truck in Brewster, Cape Cod, while cycling to work on the morning of June, 27, 2013 that left him in a minimally conscious state. I am convinced that the investigation conducted by the local police department was one-sided and inadequate. I would like to thank you in advance for your efforts.

Yours sincerely,

Here are the addresses:

Massachusetts State House
Office of the Governor
Room 280
Boston, MA 02133
USA

The Attorney General’s Office
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108-1518
USA

Today’s German Music Tip
Chris Doerk und Frank Schöbel, Heisser Sommer. This clip is a jewel, don’t miss it! It’s from the 1968 East German musical film of the same name, considered by promoters in 2001 as “The East German Grease”.
What’s hot
Customers – they’re always right
What’s cold
Hamburger joints not serving breakfast when you want it
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Ochsenkopfantenne – I bet you’ll have to look that one up!

An  Saol – Live your Life 

It says 37oC on my phone. But, honestly, what would a phone know about the weather? It was built to make calls, not to be a weather station! Or was it?

Anyhow, I’ve arrived in the centre of the European heatwave. It must easily be above 40oC. That kind of temperature is unbearable unless, of course, you are on a summer holiday when you would be disappointed if it was any way else.

In Dublin, work on Pádraig’s extension is progressing. You can see where his new rooms are going to be, you can get an idea of the dimensions. In my mind I can see him moving in.

Next week, if all goes according to plan, the floors should be finished and the bricklayers should get started. No one is giving me a finish date, but we are still aiming for September.

Back in Hamburg, the windows were closed and the temperature in our apartment was approaching 30oC – still considerably less than outside. Pádraig was hanging in there, taking in loads of water, bathing his feet and hands in water. This weather is not easy for anybody, for him it must be agony. That he is hanging in there, that he is able to handle it, is brilliant.

When I go to Dublin I always plan to get a good night’s sleep. In reality, it never works out. Mostly for the right reasons. Yesterday evening, I visited a family who very kindly allowed me to see their house conversion and the car they had bought for their son who, like Pádraig, has an acquired brain injury. They visit their son during the day, so we met late in the evening and by the time we said good-bye it was way past midnight.

It was so good to talk to these parents who became our friends, and to see and hear what they have been doing to build a life for their son, as independent and supportive as possible.

The previous night, I had met two young men and one of their parents, also our friends now, who told me about all the incredibly hard work they are doing to get the best care and therapy for their sons. The work they are doing is phenomenal. The conditions under which they are doing this work with their sons is unbelievably hard.

Every day of their lives, every day from the time they get up in the morning until they go to sleep at night, they do what they can to make the lives of their sons better, helping them to become more independent and self-determined.

What makes the situation almost bizarre is that they are doing this often, if not always, completely on their own. You would think there was a health system supporting their efforts. From the perspective of these parents this is often not the case.

I could be wrong, but I am getting the impression that parents of children with an acquired brain injury would like their children to be at home if at all possible – if only they were getting sufficient support to do so. They are not getting this support. What they are getting is nursing home care. Nursing home care for young adults. An oxymoron.

I could be wrong, but creating an independent life, as independent a life as possible, is what most parents want to achieve for their children. This cannot happen in institutions.

Today is Independence Day, the 4th of July. There should be an Independence Day for young people with an acquired brain injury.

We need to build a road to “An Saol – Life your Live”.

PS: Any ideas how this logo could be improved? – Should it?

Today’s German Music Tip
Snaga, Mitternacht. This is classic rap made in Germany. These days, ‘rap’ is what the ‘Neue Deutsche Wells’ was some decades ago. It’s big.
What’s hot
Independence
What’s cold
Dependence without self determination
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Alter, is das heiß!

Over the last two days I have met three families with young adults who also have a severe acquired brain injury. Today, I got a phone call from a young woman whose parents had a very bad car crash that left her mother.

There is nothing but huge respect you could feel for them. Their work is incredibly dedicated and meaningful. Every day they spent very long hours with their sons, every day they are fighting for their son’s welfare in a system that is telling them that they are hopeless cases.

Pádraig today went out for a walk in the part with Pat on Hamburg’s hottest day, so far. He is drinking now out of a water bottle and having a regular picnic in the park.

Happy 4th of July!

I thought I’d got up really early this morning until the man doing the groundworks on the extension said well, that’s about the time I get up every morning now. Right, I thought. 5am is not as early as I would’ve thought. A short walk, a train to the Hauptbahnhof, a train to Bremen, a tram to the airport, Ryanair to Dublin – and then, not the bus home, but a lift in a wonderful and comfortable car driven by a really good friend to his house where the best ever Irish Breakfast was waiting for me! It couldn’t get any better! After that, I was prepared for the day!

Builders, garage (trying to get the car fixed for the re-test), visit at a friend’s house. These friends had recently organised a coffee morning that generated several thousands of euro for Pádraig’s fund. Check out the photos here.

A trip out to a care facility in North County Dublin to meet the parents of two other young people with a very severe acquired brain injury, as well as, of course, their sons. I had not met them before, neither the parents nor their sons.

It might sound strange, but it was in a way one of the most wonderful experiences I’ve had for some time. I had heard to much about them before and had been looking forward to seeing them, meeting them, talking to them.

They are fabulous people, beautiful people who are trying to live life, their life, to the full.

Pádraig had a good day today, on a really warm, almost hot Hamburg summer’s day. The heat makes him a bit tired, but I’m sure he’s enjoying it. He’s eating is three meals a day, and taking in loads of fluids to make up for the sweat in this hot weather.

Big building-related meeting tomorrow morning.

Where is this letter? The one. Not all the others on my desk, on the floor, in the shelf, in the plastic storage boxes, in the arch lever folders, on top of the shelf, on top of the boxes, or in the kitchen. There must be hundreds of them from some state offices, the hospitals, the insurance companies, the courts, the waterworks, the electricity company, the carers’ company, the Wohnungsgenossenschaft, the Wasserbeschaffungsverband, the critical care company, the Apotheke, the bank, the credit card company, and I don’t know from whom else. They are all writing us letters. It’s a wonder there’s any trees left.

All those letters are here in this room. It’s a small room and it faces to the East which means that you better avoid it in the mornings, because these days it gets really hot when the sun shines in. I’ve looked through all of these hundreds of letters several times today. I’m telling myself how useless I am in organising all this stuff. All the letters are there. Everyone of them. But not the one I’m looking for. The important letter. The one.

I’m praying, I’ve tears in my eyes, I’m asking Pat: she’s the one who always finds lost items in our house, long after St. Anthony has given up (although, he might just take his time when I’m getting too impatient). Even she can’t help. There’s absolutely no sign whatsoever of this letter. Anywhere.

At least Pádraig’s had a good day today. No sign of a cold anymore. Three meals, small and pureed, but three meals. Pat went out for a walk with him and while I kept looking for this letter getting more and more desperate, the two of them enjoyed the blue sky and the sunshine. It’s not too hot here (yet), just a beautiful summer’s day. Physiotherapy and speech therapy sessions, followed by an occupational therapy session. More than he got on a good day in the hospital – especially if you count the walk in the park today as an extra two hours of therapy.

One last desperate look, passed all the really old papers and letters, down to the bottom of the transparent plastic box with the pink lid. An envelope with the letter in it. The one. I can’t believe it. The relief is something else. But still, why am I not better organised? Is the German in me dead and gone? What happened to the organised me? Did I just get overwhelmed by this masses of paper from all these people all looking for all sorts of stuff, from money to information?”

Off to Dublin tomorrow to check on the extension. I’ll take a day off during the weekend to sort out all the letter, answer them, fill them in, pay the amounts requested. A day might not be enough…

Talking about letters – the one to the Governor and the one to the Attorney General of Massachusetts have neither been answered yet.

Today’s German Music Tip
Gestört aber GeiL & Koby Funk feat. Wincent Weiss, Unter Meiner Haut. Uploaded mid March of this year, this song got 6.2m views on youtube. It’s a good song, I guess, they don’t play it on the radio, must be a club hit! I wonder is it the really cool apartment the two are living in that makes this so attractive?
What’s hot
Bins
What’s cold
Paperwork
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Papier ist geduldig

‘Change will come’ was the message a friend from sent Boston today. Yes, it will. Change will come. We will make sure it will. Actually, not so much me and my generation but Pádraig, his friends and their generation. There must have been dozens of messages and letters and emails and tweets that were sent to the Governor and Attorney General of Massachusetts. So far, we haven’t received a reply to the open letter, but important things take time.

It has been so warm today in Hamburg that I am sitting, for the first time, on the roof terrace writing this blog. There is no wind, the sun is going down, some DIY enthusiast (in Germany, you’re never far away from a DIY enthusiast)  is cutting something with his electric saw, Pádraig is relaxing in his bed behind me, and the world is not so bad. It’s funny, how not thinking too much makes the world a better place!

Today we got a visit from a German physio living and working in Dublin. We got out Pádraig’s big Vojta table and he got an extra hour of therapy. It was great. Each therapist has their own individual approach. Getting an extra, very different, hour of therapy today was a real bonus. I also learned a few new ways of keeping Pádraig fit.

I thought more of An Saol – Live your Life! today and the many things that could get started straight away, like a website with information, very pragmatic stuff, things that we learned over the past two year, things that other families learned and are happy to share. That would be a good first step.

Change will come. That has to be our message to all of those who think they could just continue in their tracks.

Change will come.

Today’s German Music Tip
La Resistance, Alienbesuch. Well, this is an unusual one. Uploaded about 6 years ago and just 4600 or so views. It’s rap, not my kind of music normally, but I like this. Not just because of the lyrics… Was ist das für ne Welt…? Sag mir bitte, dass ich meinen drei Augen nicht trauen kann.
What’s hot
A clear message
What’s cold
Business as usual
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Mensch Meier!

Help! I’m falling! – Don’t blackmail us!

Fair play to the Grrrreekz! They demonstrated two facts today: one, whatever happens in Greece will profoundly affect the rest of Europe and the world: when they declared a week of bank holidays today, stock markets and the euro went down worldwide; second, of course the decision on Greece’s future can never be left to unelected bureaucrats and even less so bankers who have nothing on their mind than profit margins for them and their client investors/gamblers, so they announced a referendum in about a week’s time.

All this, of course, because they are intelligent, well-versed in Game theory, and firmly grounded in democratic principles. Greece is where democracy was born, they even invented the word for it. They certainly don’t need a lecture from the Germans, nor anyone else for that matter, on democratic principles.

The heat is on – not just in Athens, but also in Hamburg. If you believe the weather forecasters (can you really believe anyone on the telly these days?) temperatures in Hamburg will exceed 30o. It’ll be hotter in our apartment, being on the top floor and exposed to the sun all day long with no shade whatsoever. It’ll be fun! – We are prepared though: when Lidl had those blow-up canoes on offer, we bought one planning to use it the other way round. Instead of putting it on water, we’ll put the water into the canoes and create a mini-pool for Pádraig. Can’t wait to see it working!

Talking about Pádraig, he still has a tiny bit of a cold, but nothing serious, really. He continues eating his three extremely healthy ‘meals’ every day (ReadyBreak with stewed fruit, soup, and carrots with potatoes – mustn’t forget to change the menu one day).

A new problem we’re facing are mosquito-type flies who seem to wake up in the night, make this awful noise, and love sucking blood out of innocent people, leaving itchy marks behind. We’ll have to find an effective solution for that one soon…

Live your Life!

The Andy Warhol – type poster of Pádraig really impressed me! Like the brilliant picture of the Dreamboat on the cover of Amhrán do Phádraig it was done by one of Pádraig’s really talented friends. Pádraig once produced a ‘logo’ for his An Saol podcast, using a very cheap internet-based service.

I want to start working on PR material for An Saol – but I could never produce a logo of the quality of any of the stuff prepared by his friends…. They’ve just got so much more talent! (Get the hint?:)

Anyhow, here’s to An Saol – Live your Life!

Today’s German Music Tip
Glasperlenspiel, Paris. “Wir können immer noch frei sein… Lass’ es jetzt nicht vorbei sein…” The brand new song of one of Germany’s best known bands.
What’s hot
Talent, intelligence, and democracy
What’s cold
Blackmail
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Der schnöde Mammon

Pádraig is alive and keeps getting better.

So infinitely more than any of the doctors who treated him would have thought.

There are many hundreds of people all over the world who have in a real and very significant way contributed to his very slow but very steady recovery.

There are thousands of people, some are random strangers, who have heard about what happened to him, who have heard about he phenomenal support by his wider family and friends, who spontaneously send messages of supports and contribute to caringforpadraig.org.

Right now, two years ago, we were frantically booking tickets to get to Cape Cod as fast as was possible. Pat and Pádraig’s sisters here in Dublin, myself in Sanya, on an island in the South China sea. Nothing was real.

They promised us that he would be alive when we got there.

Today, Pádraig had a picnic in the park with Pat, and a beer, to celebrate. He is alive and keeps getting better. And soon, he will be back in Dublin.

Now, how’s that, Dreamboaters?

There is no two ways about it: Pádraig’s friends, the young, the old, and those of no determinable age, have this joie de vivre that is just contagious.

I will write More details about the Féile Schaler later in the morning.

Have to go to bed. Good night!