Barenaked Ladies at Winnipeg Folk Festival - 'I Love Alcohol'

So do I, for all these reasons. Your doctor however will not approve and you should listen to your doctor, because your doctor has such good ideas on getting you to 100% recovery. Everything they say should be taken as gospel truth.  Don't listen to me.

Alcohol for these 12 reasons.

 

A little daily alcohol may cut stroke risk

 

An occasional drink doesn't hurt coronary arteries

 

Six healthy reasons to drink more beer   Red wine benefits are in this one also.

 

10 Health Benefits of Whiskey

 

Barenaked Ladies - I Love Alcohol' 

Lyrics

Alcohol, my permanent accessory
Alcohol, a party-time necessity
Alcohol, alternative to feeling like yourself
Oh Alcohol, I still drink to your health
I love you more than I did the week before
I discovered alcohol
Forget the cafe latte, screw the raspberry iced tea
A Malibu and Coke for you, a G&T for me
Alcohol, Your songs resolve like
My life never will
When someone else is picking up the bill
I love you more than I did the week before
I discovered alcohol
Oh Alcohol, would you please forgive me?
For while I cannot love myself
I'll use something else
I thought that Alcohol was just for those with
Nothing else to do
I thought that drinking just to get drunk
Was a waste of precious booze
But now I know that there's a time
And there's a place where I can choose
To walk the fine line between
Self-control and self-abuse
I love you more than I did the week before
I discovered alcohol
Would you please ignore that you
Found me on the floor
Trying on your camisole?
Oh Alcohol, would you please forgive me?
For while I cannot love myself
I'll use something else.
Would you please forgive me
Would you please forgive me

Cell phone woes at Winnipeg Folk Festival

That time of year again where a bunch of my college roommates get together.
One day our spot in the stage area was in full sun, maybe 85 degrees or so. I had my phone in my lap with the extra battery pack attached to it charging the phone back up. Fell asleep for 15 minutes or so. When I woke up the phone told me two apps had overheated and shut down. Then the notice came that the battery pack was too hot to charge the phone. Moved to a somewhat shady area and both recovered in a half hour.
Friday night walking back from the main stage to the parking lot my cell phone fell out of the holster, velcro had died. I wasn't worried about getting it back because we are in Canada and at a folk festival. It wasn't at lost and found at 10:30 the next morning but at 1:30 it showed up. At least a dozen iPhones were waiting to be reclaimed.
Got a text on Friday that I was supposed to travel back to New York by Wednesday, I was flying from Minneapolis to Lansing on Tuesday, luckily on Tuesday the date was pushed back to Thursday so at least I got some rest before being thrown back into the fray.

Lost keys from Winnipeg

Woke up at 3:40 am Monday morning to search my carryon for my passport, found it and went back to sleep for the 5:15 alarm
On Monday I flew out of Winnipeg at 7:40 am, to Mpls, to Lansing arriving 1pm, I had packed away my keys while at Gregs and didn't find then in my carryon or my luggage. So I rented a car, got spare keys from the apt complex and completely searched my luggage, finally finding my keys in my security neck pouch, where I had removed my passport from earlier,  zipped in. Took a shower and booked the one hour drive over to Grand Rapids, MI for a 5:35 pm set of flights to Harrisburg, arriving at the hotel at 12:30 am. I flew out of GR because on the way back on Friday night it is only a 40 minute drive to Saugatuck and the crew that went to France is meeting there on Saturday.

Rain and an argument at Winnipeg Folk Festival

The 1.5 hours between the small stage shows and the main stage starting up usually has my four friends biking back to the campsite for snacks and libations. I stay at the site, getting dinner and waiting on the tarp for the shows to start. This day it started raining and I only had my jacket along, not my rain pants, so I pulled out a smaller tarp tucked under the main tarp just for that purpose just to cover my legs. It rained pretty steadily but warm and the tarp leaked a fair amount. Maybe 1.5 hours later my guy friends finally came to the tarp, never telling me where the two women friends were. They showed up a half hour later wondering why we all were sitting in the rain while they had been waiting for all of us under the beer tent with beer tickets. That then devolved into arguing which pair had done the most to save Dean. The women who were prepared to save us all like the St. Bernard Rescue Dog carrying a whiskey barrel? They had done the planning ahead of time. Or the guys who actually found me? Of course there were two in each group so they could have split up to find everyone.  Overall there was a lack of planning. If he is at the tarp bring him to safety in the beer tent. If he is in the beer tent fetch the guys back to the tent to celebrate Deans' survival. This argument went on for what seemed like hours, and I was supposed to choose which pair amongst the four best friends was actually the bestest. I refused to do so. We relitigated the argument at the beer tent later and managed to cadge a joint by our marijuana whisperer.
Sorry this is 3 weeks late from when it occurred but when you travel for work every week and social connections fill the weekends it is hard to keep up my prodigious blog output up to date.
 

To Beat Sleep Apnea, Try the Didgeridoo

My sleep apnea was not solved by the CPAP machine, CPAP actually made me not sleep at all. I've actually seen this instrument played by Xavier Rudd at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, takes a lot of lung power.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/inkfish/2016/05/19/to-beat-sleep-apnea-try-the-didgeridoo/#.Vz9Wl3qvHgQ

People with sleep apnea are at war with their windpipes. But they might be able to get some help from a different kind of wind pipe—namely, the Australian Aboriginal instrument called the didgeridoo.
In sleep apnea, obstructed airways stop a person’s breathing over and over at night. It’s normal for the throat muscles to relax during sleep, but for sleep apnea sufferers this relaxation combines with other factors to make breathing impossible. Apnea leads to broken sleep, snoring, and exhaustion during the day. A device called a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine can treat sleep apnea, but it’s pretty drastic, involving a mask hooked up to an air-blowing motor.
Alex Suarez, a didgeridoo instructor in Switzerland, noticed that his own sleep apnea symptoms lessened after several months of practicing the instrument. Some of his students experienced the same thing. So Milo Puhan, a doctor and professor at the University of Zurich, and his colleagues set out to test the didgeridoo effect.
The researchers recruited 25 non-obese adult subjects. All had moderate sleep apnea, with somewhere between 15 and 30 episodes per hour at night. (All them also reported that they snored.)
Fourteen of these subjects were randomly assigned to learn the didgeridoo. They received plastic instruments, which are allegedly easier to learn on than the traditional wooden kind.

A man plays an acrylic plastic didgeridoo.

In a series of lessons, the subjects learned proper lip technique and circular breathing (inhaling through the nose while continuously blowing on the instrument). They also had to practice at home for at least 20 minutes a day, five days a week.
After four months, the researchers assessed all the subjects’ sleep apnea symptoms for a second time. The difference was clear: people who’d been playing the didgeridoo had fewer sleep apnea events at night. And they reported feeling significantly less tired during the day.
They also seemed to have taken to the instrument. On average, subjects practiced six days a week for 25 minutes—more than was required for the study.
The researchers think learning and practicing the didgeridoo strengthened the muscles of people’s airways, making them less likely to collapse during sleep. This was even beneficial to subjects’ partners, who reported fewer sleep disturbances in the night. (Researchers didn’t ask, though, how disturbed the partners were by the didgeridoo music.)

Me Fish Jesus

This is me wearing my Fish Jesus cap at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Friends insist on giving me this.

Entering the tent at the Winnipeg Folk Festival

Normally I would crawl in the tent face first. Then need to turn around quickly to zip the tent shut quickly to prevent mosquito infestation.  That is quite problematic with one useable arm and one foot that won't raise from the ground while kneeling.
Butt first has become the preferred method to enter the tent. That way I can immediately shut the zippers. It only took 6 years to figure out this strategy. 

Hydration at the Winnipeg Folk Festival

Hydration at the folk fest became imperative with three straight days of 90+ weather.  A friend drove up from Fargo just for the day on Saturday.  He insisted on hydrating at the beer area with 4 beers, sitting in the sun at a picnic table. We had a wonderful discussion with two sisters from Winnipeg  That lead to an excellent walking challenge to the food area. And another beer to go with the food. All these challenges make me a better stroke survivor. No one should even consider what I do to be any sort of valid stroke therapy.

Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes at the Winnipeg Folk Festival

They had two drum sets for whole body bass vibrations. And all that music needed for better recoveries. However I didn't see any recent stroke survivors there. Every recent stroke survivor from Winnipeg should have been there, not just for the music but all the extra sensation provided and social contacts.

1.  Exploring a Neuroplasticity Model of Music Therapy

2.  Revealed: The Type of Music That Makes You Feel Most Powerful

3. 11 Problems Music Can Solve

4. How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins

5. Why does music therapy work? The Science Behind the Music.

6. Musical Training Can Increase Blood Flow in Brain

7.  Listening to classical music ameliorates unilateral neglect after stroke

8. Music brings memories back to the brain injured 

9.  Plasticity in the sensorimotor cortex induced by Music-supported therapy in stroke patients: a TMS study

10.  Moderating variables of music training-induced neuroplasticity: a review and discussion

11. Hand-Clapping Songs Improve Motor and Cognitive Skills, Research Shows

12.  Neurologic Music Therapy

 

 

Heads up walking at the Winnipeg Folk Festival

This was not a focused part of the ADLs while I was still in therapy.
On the way out from the main stage with a friend I was focused on the ground as I was walking over the rough spots. Greg asked a question, 'Did you see that?'
'What?'
'That young woman who just walked by us topless.'
'Nope.'
Later that same evening I met one of the volunteers who was also camping in our tent area.
'Did you see the young woman in yellow upper body paint?'
'Nope.'
For those preferring mostly naked guys there were lots of opportunities for 20 yearolds, some of the 40+ crowd had substantial beer bellies. Although I would have to say that obesity in Canada is considerably less than in the US. 
I need help.

Walking at the Winnipeg Folk Festival

For the 4 days of the festival and the travel day after I managed 54,445 steps and 26.05 miles. I tried to set up the chair at one venue during the day so I didn't have to move and could chase the shade all day.

If you’re not getting happier as you get older Then you’re fuckin’ up

Lyrics from Ani DeFranco song "If Yr Not". I am definitely happier as I got older. At least since moving to Michigan.
I just found out about her from the Winnipeg Folk Fest.
Full lyrics here:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/anidifranco/ifyrnot.html

Together we can stop the evil spread of lite beer

From a t-shirt at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. And to prove it via research there is this:
Dark beer is good for you, in moderation

finger action observation stroke rehab at Winnipeg Folk Festival

With all the stringed instruments here this is an excellent place to watch all different kinds of finger movements. And I bet your doctor doesn't even know about the benefits of action observation. But don't do this dangerous activity without your doctors' prescription.
These four pictures are of Della Mae 
A song/video of them here:

Della Mae - "Empire" (Official Video) 

You can choose between watching a fiddler, guitar player, mandolin player or a bass fiddler.

 You could really test your abilities by watching

Jake Shimabukuro on Ukulele

Video here:

6:37

Jake Shimabukuro - "Bohemian Rhapsody" live at Anthology in San Diego

Tarp run/shuffle/skip - Winnipeg Folk Festival

For the main stage shows you can lay down an 8x10 tarp to reserve a seating area for your group.
Schedule;
At 8am ticket numbers are handed out, most people arrive around 7am to get in line, although there are a number of people sleeping in tents in line. Then there are those who get there at 4am bringing a sleeping bag to finish off their nights rest.  Numbers from 1-5 are handed out based on how far up front in line you are.

At 10am  you come to the main stage and get set up in numbered corrals corresponding to your number. Ones are let out first to claim their spots, twos next. etc
This used to be called the tarp run and you would recruit your fastest members to dash to the best spot. That led to some unacceptable behavior and was renamed to the tarp shuffle, although the fastest ones now skip their way there.

At 6 pm the shows start. There are numerous colorful poles flying all sorts of objects so your party knows where your tarp is located.

While it was still a run I didn't help with this but this year in order to pull my weight I was in line for the tickets every morning at 6:30. #2's on Fri., Sat. and a #1 for the first time in our groups history on Sun. This leads to very short nights since the main shows end at midnight and we get into the tents at 1 am.

Fitbit use

I love mine, although right now I just carry it in my pocket because I don't trust the clip. I can look in the evening to see how close I am to 10,000 steps and then take a walk prior to bedtime, of course while smoking a cigar.
Winnipeg use:
Wednesday  Thursday    Friday           Saturday        Sunday
6155 steps    4795 steps 10,255 steps  13,817 steps  13481 steps
11 floors       3 floors      4 floors          8 floors         10 floors
2.95 miles     2.29 miles  4.91 miles     6.61 miles     6.45 miles
2718 calories 2216 cal.   2801 cal.        3097 cal.       2959 cal.
I don't trust the floors since there was no stairs I ever climbed, unless this is counting the number of time I stood up and sat down in my stadium chair or the ditches you had to walk thru to get to the porta potties.

Honesty at Winnipeg Folk Festival

On Wednesday night I lost my Fitbit which was clipped to my pocket. By Thursday noon it had been turned in to lost and found as a pink Fitbit. People obviously do not know colors, it was burgundy.
Just getting it clipped on one-handed is almost impossible due to the rubbery nature of the case and clip. After that I just carried it in my pocket.

Coffee cup stroke compensation

On Sunday night at the main stage it was cold and rainy, mid 50's. Besides a bathroom break I needed something warm and it was going to be coffee. The vendor didn't have a four pack carrier and I needed to get at least 3 coffees back to my friends. I'm wearing a supplex nylon long sleeve shirt with two bellows style pockets. I add cream and snap on the lids.
Notice the nice drinking hole. I put a cup in each pocket and manage to do that without ripping the lid off.I set off for the main stage seating with one cup in hand and trying to walk very smoothly. In about 30 yards my action of walking has swirled the coffee up thru the hole and down my pocket. Luckily the time it took for me to add cream and do all this preparation had cooled down the coffee to tolerable heat on my chest. I probably dumped a 1/4 cup of coffee out of each cup on the way there. Bret was able to pull the coffee cups out of the pockets without spilling all over me.
Much rehabilitation walking work is still needed for me to smooth out my walking.

Guilt on recovery

I'm normally not a very introspective guy but this past weekend  in Winnipeg just pointed out again how lucky I am. I realize that right now I'm probably better off than 99+% of all stroke survivors. I attribute a lot of this recovery to my stubbornness and inability to see danger  and ignore it anyway in order to do the things I want to do. I know a lot of my ability to recover is based on my whole life leading up to this. Athlete quality physical conditioning, intellectual challenges in my work, having to learn multiple programming languages and systems.
Life is great

Putting on pants while camping stroke rehab

You usually want to wear pants all day, during the day for sun protection and at night for coolness. The first day I tried to get my pants on while still in the tent, managed to get both legs in and the waist around my thighs, then got on my knees and tried to stay upright, tuck my shirt into my pants and pull them up all at the same time. After falling over several times I went to the backup plan. Toss the shoes, socks, long sleeve shirt and pants outside the tent. Walk barefoot in my skivvies to the picnic table shelter where I could sit on a bench and easily get dressed. This is all done before the kids start running around  and offend some sensibilities. When camping on canoe trips I use this 3 legged camp chair to get dressed.
http://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountaineering-Grand-Rapids-Chair/dp/B00BI4NC8O/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1405550285&sr=8-4&keywords=3+legged+camping+stool