“That’s what was great about him. He tried. Not many do.” (Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild)

Pádraig is one of those people who keeps trying. Yesterday was one of those days when he succeeded. Today had to be different.

First, the kind of thing happened that doesn’t happen very often: the therapists had a double session available for him. Time to bring the tilt table. And then, guess what! They asked him whether he wanted to have a go, not once, but twice! And guess what he ‘said’? NO – sticking his tongue out on the left. Not once. Twice. And guess what the therapists decided? Pádraig is boss. So they let him stay in bed! I mean…? Ok. Well. They came back and said that he’ll have, wait, a *triple* session tomorrow!!! – I can tell you, we spent the whole afternoon trying to get it across to Pádraig that when therapy is on, it’s on. And it’s not really an option, but rather all inclusive! None of this sticking-out-your-tongue-on-the-left-side business!

Later in the afternoon, we had a bit of a scare, like a reminder that we can’t take anything, anything at all, for granted. His oxygen levels went down when he was turned onto his right side by his nurse (one of those caring people that look after him so well). He didn’t like it and made his point so clear that at some stage he had not just one but two doctors in his room. His heart rate went up and his oxygen level so down that he was put back up almost in a sitting position. He got over that bad phase and settled back down to almost normal levels, now on his left side, with at least one, if not several new sensors attached (the latest craze: wearable computing).

Some call it a bucket list. Some call it ‘100 things to do before you die’. No matter what you call those lists, they suggest to capture what life is all about. See the Taj Mahal, visit the Pyramids, climb up the bell tower of Notre Dame. There are travel agencies that make the arrangements. You just have to make the ticks. Life becomes a list of things to do. Life is short so you better get going. Loads of ticks = great life. Last Sunday’s Sunday Times had a report that added another item to that list. In fact, it has become the most visited place on the planet with more visitors that the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids and Disney Land together: the Dubai Mall. It’s official: the meaning of life has become a shopping mall.

Today’s Music Tip
Mercedes Sosa, Alfonsina y el Mar (1969). While the youtube video shows for its 45 years, the song itself is still pure brilliance. Mercedes Sosa was the first to record it on ‘Mujeres Argentinas’. I heard it for the first time in Madrid in the summer of 1979. It has been with me, with us ever since.
What’s hot
Staying on top and trying
What’s cold
Surprises
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Erstens kommt es immer anders als man zweitens denkt.