I thought I'd update my friends on my current exciting Adventure! I am off for a few weeks in Malta, then for a couple of days in Paris!
Flying is always a bit of a challenge for me, as I tend to suffer from motion sickness. To treat my motion sickness, I take 2 Gravol tablets. Unfortunately, Gravol tends to knock me out. Mix that with the adjusted cabin pressure and I'm out like a light. Even when I take the non-drowsy version, I still go lights-out for the next few hours. Any attempt at staying awake only causes me to go into a deep trance-like sleep early on in the evening.
My Saturday flight was no different from the rest. I took my Gravol pills an hour before my flight as I usually do, and got ready to board the plane. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the clerk at the check-in counter gave me a window seat in the exit aisle. The extra leg room afforded for passengers in the exit aisle is a special treat for me. The Gravol tends to give me the jimmy legs, and I frequently deboard the train with bruised shins, caused by mt spastic leg movements as I sleep. Another pleasant surprise was the nice french couple sitting beside me. They reminded me of skinny versions of Danny DeVito and Reah Pearlman, if only Reah Pearlman had a horrible bout of halitosis. Aside from the issue that Reah would frequently talk in my direction, spewing halitosis gas in my vicinity and in turn waking me from my flight slumber, it wasn't too bad. Although this flight to Europe was longer than I was use to, it wasn't too bad. I was probably awake for a total of 2.5 hours. 1.5 hours to watch Indiana Jones, 0.5 hours to eat my meal, and 10 x 3 minute mini wake ups due to the yellow fog emanating from my row-mate.
From that point on, the transit between France and Malta was uneventful, which from a guy who frequently profiled when travelling, is quite pleasant. In past travelling adventures, I've been asked to strip to my underwear, asked to go through the explosives detection machine twice in one security check, had my car taken apart twice and have been pulled aside by security and searched while waiting for my plane to arrive in the post-security section of an airport. All in all, having an uneventful transit to Malta is good news for me.
Today, I'm going to head down to the beach and relax
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Schools aren't held accountable
You may have read, or watched on the news that a London boy was punched in the head by another student. As recounted by the victim's parents, the School didn't take the head-injury seriously. The battered student was asked to sit for 30 minutes before being examined by the principle. Even as the child asked to go hom, he was made to sit and wait for the principal.
Story here: London Free Press
It turned out that the victim had a fractured skull and brain damage as a result of the incident.
This issue resonates with me, as I too had a head-trauma issue when I was in elementary school, and neither the teacher nor the principal took my issue seriously enough to call an ambulance.
My story begins with a 6 year old Stephen walking across the monkey bars in the school playground. I thought it would be fun if I were to climb up top of the monkey bars and walk across them instead of hanging from them like a normal monkey child. As the recess bell rang, I started my decent from the bars, in anticipation of the post-recess class room line-up and head-count. Unfortunately, I was jarred on my way down the monkey bars, striking my forehead on one bar and the rear of my head on the other. As I fell to the ground, unconscious. I don't know how long I was outside, but I do recall a couple of classmates, lifting me up to carry me to class. Upon my arrival, my Grade 1 teacher promptly yelled at me for missing the recess bell. I was made to sit on the carpet away from my friends. My teacher, Ms. Divincenzo didn't bother to ask me where I was after the recess bell. She just assumed that I was tardy because I as playing. The funny thing is that my class at the time had a direct window to the playground. Had she looked out the window, she would have seen my laying in the sand. Instead, she yelled at me an assumed that I was just being a bad kid. As I sat on the carpet, and made to feel guilty for injuring myself, I began to experience some discomfort, that soon resulted in projectile vomit being spewed on to the Brown, Yellow and Orange shag carpet. From that point on, I don't remembe much. I only recall my parents being arriving at the school office and my father yelling at Mr.Brian, the principal at the time. My father was quite upset. He must have travelled from Downtown toronto Station A (Now the Air Canda Centre) to come collect me, a drivethat would normally take at least 30 minutes.
Luckily, in the end, I was merely concussed and without serious harm. My issue with all this is that any issue that involves a developing child's brain sholuld be take extremely seriously. The longer you wait, the more damadge could be done. My story could have turned out worse. If I had severe brain traume, and were to wait over 30 minutes before being taken to the hospital, the end result could have been far more grim.
My ask is that people responsible for our children should take these typs of injuries far more seriously.
Story here: London Free Press
It turned out that the victim had a fractured skull and brain damage as a result of the incident.
This issue resonates with me, as I too had a head-trauma issue when I was in elementary school, and neither the teacher nor the principal took my issue seriously enough to call an ambulance.
My story begins with a 6 year old Stephen walking across the monkey bars in the school playground. I thought it would be fun if I were to climb up top of the monkey bars and walk across them instead of hanging from them like a normal monkey child. As the recess bell rang, I started my decent from the bars, in anticipation of the post-recess class room line-up and head-count. Unfortunately, I was jarred on my way down the monkey bars, striking my forehead on one bar and the rear of my head on the other. As I fell to the ground, unconscious. I don't know how long I was outside, but I do recall a couple of classmates, lifting me up to carry me to class. Upon my arrival, my Grade 1 teacher promptly yelled at me for missing the recess bell. I was made to sit on the carpet away from my friends. My teacher, Ms. Divincenzo didn't bother to ask me where I was after the recess bell. She just assumed that I was tardy because I as playing. The funny thing is that my class at the time had a direct window to the playground. Had she looked out the window, she would have seen my laying in the sand. Instead, she yelled at me an assumed that I was just being a bad kid. As I sat on the carpet, and made to feel guilty for injuring myself, I began to experience some discomfort, that soon resulted in projectile vomit being spewed on to the Brown, Yellow and Orange shag carpet. From that point on, I don't remembe much. I only recall my parents being arriving at the school office and my father yelling at Mr.Brian, the principal at the time. My father was quite upset. He must have travelled from Downtown toronto Station A (Now the Air Canda Centre) to come collect me, a drivethat would normally take at least 30 minutes.
Luckily, in the end, I was merely concussed and without serious harm. My issue with all this is that any issue that involves a developing child's brain sholuld be take extremely seriously. The longer you wait, the more damadge could be done. My story could have turned out worse. If I had severe brain traume, and were to wait over 30 minutes before being taken to the hospital, the end result could have been far more grim.
My ask is that people responsible for our children should take these typs of injuries far more seriously.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
