What to Do? What to Do..

I did it! I have gone through all my music I currently own to find something to review! What did I find?

NOTHING.

So I figured I would do some sort of review on my progress.

I started this magical journey with the doctors, my friends, my family, all assuming that I died. If this were true, it would have been the most unimpressive death... After I proved I wouldn't die, they believed I would be brain dead. Then they thought I would be brain dead and have no higher brain function. I proved that wrong pretty quickly. The next "diagnosis" was that I would never move my hands or arms ever again. That took some time to disprove. Everything else was stated between November 2013 and January 2014, with life support pulled back on November 30th. I regained movement of my hands and arms in March and was told in the middle of that month that I would never walk with or without assistive devices. I am proud to say that, though with assistive devices, I am making my way forward. The other day I walked 100m without a rest. I am moving up in the assistive devices pyramid every month, with this month being the introduction of the 4-wheeled walker, otherwise known as a "rollator."

It may have been one year since I first fell over, but I am far from giving up. I have a great support system around me, and I really hope to be back to work soon. Muscle movement is coming along really quickly, for what is expected. I have all the major muscles back, at some capacity. My ankles are still angle-specific, but I finally have some motion coming back to them. Toes: There is no movement on the right side. Feeling is pretty well all back. There are certain areas where the feeling is not quite back to normal, but I can feel pretty well everything. My balance is still shit, but that is part in parcel with being in a chair for months. OH: it is also in response to the coma I found out! YAY IT'S NORMAL!

The main reason I am writing this, other than to let those who are interested in what is new and stuff, is to rant. I am trying to cut down on the self deprecating humour. I think I might be offending people. I know that I am painting a horrible picture of myself, at the very least. It is just so easy to think of ways to ridicule the situation I am in!

What I will say on the topic of music is that I have been listening to a large amount of Canadian content. Canada has a sound that doesn't seem prevalent anywhere else in the world. We do indi rock well, we do folk well, we do metal well. Why? I just think we decided to express our nationalism in our music rather than politics or army. Most bands from Canada share an overtone, or at least a timbre. If you compare Canadian songs from the 90's to Canadian songs of today, there is a certain quality that gleams through.
Of course I started typing this because my current playlist went Said The Whale, The Tea Party, then Holy Fuck. Seriously, I found what I want to say: if you do not know those three bands, check them out. They do not have many similar qualities, but they are all awesome.

I think for my next update, I'll finally fill everyone in on what I actually listen to. The answer it a bit more specific than "everything."

One (very strange) Year

There was no way I could have predicted where this year has gone. It is exactly one year since I got home from Iceland and a few weeks before I wound up in hospital. I have gone from world explorer to a dead man to mentally with it but physically still suffering. The only good thing to come out of all of this is a reset to my life and cutting smoking sharply. Yes, I am still working on everything. I have most (almost all) of my feeling back. Mainly, I am still working on regaining muscle and stamina. It is really not fair of myself to be aiming for the physique I was in prior. Though I was not in the greatest shape, my arms were like the trunks of trees flowering for my torso. I really should just be aiming to return to a life once lost.

What I find crazy is that I still have people in my life that knew me before all of this happened, and they are still around! I respect that not everyone could be there at every stop, but Chrissy and Adam have been by my side as much as they can. I love them both very much, and I will hopefully swindle something to share out of them, soon. They are far from the only two I have to thank, though. My hat tips to everyone at the Beat Goes On. Their support has been great, and I want to make this up to them sometime soon. I also have to thank Katie Maz for being a shoulder to cry on (?) and Luka Kelly for being, well, Luka. I cannot do a thank you for every person who has been amazing, but know I love you and am floored you are still here.

I guess I should thank my girlfriend for being, you know, cool with everything. She came in a year ago next week, or something, to look for Tarantino movies at the store. We talked for a bit in the store, and a little bit online. Then I vanished. Since she was a customer, there was no communication with any friends or relatives. We did not talk, in any capacity, for seven months. I randomly messaged her and apologized back near the end of July, and she still replied! I explained my story, and she is still around somehow. I won't go on and on, though I am really tempted. I am quite smitten with her. Just know that she has made everything more manageable, and I am eternally grateful she is around.

WELL THAT WAS SOMETHING I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER WRITE! I'm sorry for the lame shit. Onto what everyone cares about; MUSIC!

THROW BACK!
Sister Amadeus - High Art
This is a local gem from 2004. I always look at it like if Pearl Jam tried to do something Radiohead influenced. Every musician is fantastic. Every note sings. It is creepy without being pretentious. The LP is catchy without being annoying. This album is the very definition of what juveniles can do when tasked with a dream. I have played a number of shows supporting this group of fine fellows and find myself entranced by there lack of effort in being amazing. They just looked like they were having great fun played songs that they poured everything they had at the time into. I wish thee good luck in finding these songs, if you are intrigued at all. I do fucking recommend it. I will go on record as saying it is one of the greatest local albums ever recorded.
Link to the song in question.

This took for fucking ever to find.