Active month starting off the new year with family time, a full exploration of New Orleans, and back to Toronto to begin teaching, arriving at the date for cataract surgery.
Toronto, Ontario; New Orleans, Louisiana
Pizzaiolo Avenue Road: Lunch out on New Year’s Day reduces choices in restaurants. With Chinese food served three meals per day in the retirement home, pizza is a change for those who have lived in Canada for decades. Deal for two medium pies is convenient for ordering toppings on the second as vegan. (Pizzaiolo, Avenue Road, Nortown, Toronto, Ontario) 20250101Centennial Park Conservatory: Show house with poinsettia plants is one of three greenhouses, beside the tropical house in the centre, and cactus house at the other end. Enjoyed the garden maintained by the City of Toronto, open 365 days per year. Walked 5 laps around the greenery. (Centennial Park Conservatory, Elmcrest Road, Etobicoke, Ontario) 20250101Mr. Ed’s PoBoy Shop: Switching from ET to CT, early dinner before sunset in the French Quarter. Oyster platter full of fries, large catfish poboy, and jambalaya spicier than DY normally likes. Emphasis on fried food and paucity of green vegetables noted, we’ll have to keep an eye out for healthy vegan options. (Mr. Ed’s PoBoy Shop, Iberville Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250110
Mr. Ed’s PoBoy Shop: Fun neighbourhood feel in the most casual branch of a well-known restaurant group known for its oysters. We declined to sit by the window with the wintry wind at the door, and bar stools are too spirited for us. Located on a quieter street in the French Quarter, tourists may not have found this place opened 3 months ago. (Mr. Ed’s PoBoy Shop, Iberville Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250110
Bourbon Street: Strolling through clubbing district on Friday 7:30pm, only a few bars are close enough to have loud music duelling loudly to attract customers. Foot traffic seemed light, maybe a combination of chilly temperatures, and the early hour. We started walking from Canal Street to the west, where memorials to the vehicle attack on crowds are still fresh, through to a dark Jackson Square. (Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250110
Mahogany Jazz Hall: From the street outside the renowned jazz club, we caught a few minutes of the Delfeayo Marsalis Quintet near the end of the early evening set. In the first few hours after arriving in the city, we had opted to wander around Bourbon Street to get a feel or the district. The apartment building where we are staying is literally wrapped around this music venue. (Mahogany Jazz Hall, Chartres Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250110
Canal Street, south of Bourbon Street: One week after the vehicle attack on pedestrains, a memorial for each of the victims has been placed on the east sidewalk by the curb. A large truck has been placed at the entry to Bourbon Street, blocking traffic. Waiting on the median for a streetcar, we could see mourners paying respects. (Canal Street, south of Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250111Canal Street, north of Harrah Casino streetcar stop: Watched streetcar 47 Canal Street to Cemeteries pivot from southbound to northbound, pausing beside the 48 Canal Street to City Park before leaving. We were waiting for streetcar 49 Union Pacific Terminal to Riverfront for 15 minutes, and then checked the RTA map forecasting more than another 30 minute wait. We instead walked the Riverfront alongside the Mississippi River to the French Market district. (Harrah Casino streetcar stop, Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250111
Jackson Square: Cold shade on St. Peter St., but warming sun down Chartres Street, as Glory Land Brass Band winds down a set facing The Cabildo. Music was reflected all the way over to Decatur Street towards the Waterfront. This style of jazz seems better heard outdoors, from a tradition before electronic amplification was invented. (Jackson Square, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250111
Blue Nile: Doors to the club were open to the cold, with driving groove inviting visitors to listen to the George Brown Band. The trombonist was leading the bassist, pianist and drummer, with the trumpeter stepping in on this tune. All of the seats in the venue were already taken, my legs were too tired to last another set. (Blue Nile, Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250111
Frenchmen Art Bazaar: Market for handmade and artistic works doesn’t open until 6pm, showing that Frenchman Street doesn’t come alive until evenings. A little farther north than the jazz clubs, it’s not the recorded music that draws in visitors. Families with children noticeable in the district. (Frenchmen Art Bazaar, Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250111
Frenchmen Art Bazaar: Holdover from holiday season theme has throne in jungle lit up with shooting stars. DY had to wait her turn, until a father removed his child. Evening finished with a walk back through Bourbon Street, noisier with more partiers on Saturday night. (Frenchmen Street Bazaar, Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250111The Presbytere: Second floor of norh wing of museum focuses on history of Mardi Gras, and the regalia associated with its parades. The Krewe du Vieux continues the Carnaval tradition of parody and irreverence mocking both local and international foibles. First floor was less joyous, with a review of living with hurricanes, especially learning from the failure of levees with Hurricane Katrina in in August 2005. (The Presbytere, Chartres Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250112Louis Armstrong Park: Walking northwest on Dumaine Street out of the French Quarter into Treme, Tivoli Gardens was the inspiration for the eastern extension of Congo Square. Lagoons are crossed on foot over multiple bridges. Green space was largely unoccupied on a cold January day. (Louis Armstrong Park, North Rampart Street at Dumaine Street, Treme, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250112
Hunters Field: Walked northeast under I-10 overhead freeway for some blocks to track down a traditional parade in Treme, with tractors pulling floats up front, and a brass band following with the second line of pedestrians joining the festivities. We could see the flashing lights of police escorts ahead of slow-moving vehicles from blocks away, directing traffic away from the mess. Event had started late due to the rain, we stood at intersection maybe 2 hours along the route, with another hour to continue. (Hunters Field, North Claiborne Avenue at St. Bernard Avenue, Treme, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250112
Hunters Field: In the pause after the first float onboard krewes offered throws to the spectators, many strings of beads were just left on the ground to be picked up. After Epiphany, the Twelfth Night of January 6 passes in New Orleans, the Carnaval season begins, many weeks towards a crescendo on Mardi Gras. On the home stretch for the parade, we noticed groups dressed in matching colours, increasing the crowd joining the parade to its end. (Hunters Field, North Claiborne Avenue at St. Bernard Avenue, Treme, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250112
Hunters Field: Had found the listing for a second line parade with Dumaine Street Ladies Auxiliary, and so expected a brass band. The revelling pedestrians joined as dancers swamped the crowd, so we could barely hear the musicians, let alone identify them. After seeing the tubas pass, the police cars closed off the end of the procession. (Hunters Field, North Claiborne Avenue at St. Bernard Avenue, Treme, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250112
The Maison: Late afternoon on Frenchmen Street, discovered the Cigar Box Serenaders playing interesting tunes, so we stopped in for dinner. Musical instruments are all homemade from upcycled materials, including a guitar with neck added to a cigar box, electric bass made of a dresser drawer, and drums including the floor bass with a turned over plastic garbage can. Repertoire is wide-ranging, including a surf rock and Scott Joplin. (The Maison, Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250112
Cafe Negril: Expected Tri-Fi to be a piano-drums-bass, arrived to hear organ-drums-guitar-saxophone. Keyboardist was dancing on foot pedals for low notes, to free up left hand. Live performances are different from recordings, audiences sometimes like improvisation on top of familiar tunes. (Cafe Negril, Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250112
Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans: Small wooden maquette of bleachers on the floor projects a large shadow with #ChristopherCozier (2024) It Had Already Been Decided. Reflection on privilege and power of watching others, with histories of colonialization, spectacle and resource extraction. Outdoor sculpture has been produced at full scale cross town. (Contemporary Arts Center, Camp Street, New Orleans) 20250113
Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans: Subtle hiss suggesting a methane gas leak #HannahChalew (2024) Orphan Well Gamma Garden investigates impact of oil and gas pipelines. Salvaged wellhead repurposed as nourishing fountain for living plants. Plasticane mixes shredded reclaimed plastic with waste sugarcane fibrous waste. (Contemporary Arts Center, Camp Street, New Orleans) 20250113
Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans: Room-filling #JeannetteEhlers 2020/2024 We’re Magic, We’re Real #2 rotating ball with ominous sounds. Planet of synthetic afro hair examines identity in African diaspora. Makeshift universe of reflective emergency blankets. (Contemporary Arts Center, Camp Street, New Orleans) 20250113
Ogden Museum of Southern Art: Painting by Louisiana native Dickie Landry (1996) [Ogden] Red Split is in the permanent collection in New Orleans. After teaching in a rural school for 2 years, moved to New York in 1969 as a musician, then becoming a photographer influenced by abstract expressionism. Established as a saxophonist and composer, he moved back to Louisiana in 1995. (Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Camp Street, New Orleans) 20250113New Orleans Museum of Art: Installed on wall on second floor, #LeonardoDrew (2016) Number 59S sculpture resembles debris. Gridded surfaces and protruding tree limbs and branches come from memories of landfill adjacent to childhood public housing project. History of harsh, crowded environments of American inner cities. (New Orleans Museum of Art, Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250114New Orleans Museum of Art: Staged together (i) #JoyceLin (2022) Ghostwood Chair and Table, with (ii) #MarcelWanders (2017) Born, Raised, and Protected Chandelier. Driftwood was shaped by water, desaturated by sun, darkened by fire. Light fixture references a cloud, but barbed wire nests fragile glass eggs. (New Orleans Museum of Art, Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250114Cafe du Monde City Park: Beignets and cafe au lait with chicory at midday, in the more spacious branch a 30-minute streetcar ride north. We visited the more famous location in the French Market, opting against the mob under the dark tent. Eating the French donut leaves powdered sugar on clothes. (Cafe Du Monde City Park, Dreyfous Drive, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250114Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden: Unlikely to close to safety, Coosje van Bruggen + Claes Oldenburg 1999 Corridor Pin, Blue looms overhead. Pop art renders banal objects in disproportion to evoke humour and wonder, reminding us of the everyday. Multiple copies of the sculpture were produced, set in alternate geographies. (Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20240114
The Spotted Cat: Caught last set of a 4-hour afternoon slot by #ChrisChristy Band, playing original contemporary tunes in a town with many traditional sounds. Seating in small venue was full on a Tuesday afternoon. Might have arrived earlier, but another unsuccessful wait for an waterfront streetcar delayed starting another trek across the French Quarter. (The Spotted Cat Music Club, Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 202141116
Bird Island Preserve, Audubon Park: Thousands of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks exhibited sociable behaviour with noisy wheezy sounds. The mostly non-migratory species unusually nests in trees, and enjoys Louisiana weather. We only strolled on the east side of the large park, on the way to Tulane University. (Bird Island Preserve, Audubon Park, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250115
Academic Quad, Tulane University: The Bead Three sculpture, installed in 2020, is a trio of 21-foot steel rods, where students toss their Carnaval throws especially during Mardi Gras season. This installation replaced the former Bead Tree that was struck by lightning and then infested with termites. Happened onto campus near noontime class change, with student travelling many directions. (Academic Quad, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250115Chill Out Cafe: Mixed some academic exchange with prior scheduled vacation, lunch with some faculty from #TaylorCenter for #SocialInnovation and #DesignThinking. Outlined the 10-year journey of the #SystemsChanges Learning Circle, and teaching at #OCADU. Learned about Tulane U. program after 10-years. new emphasis on building collaborative capacity. (Chill Out Cafe, Burdette Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250115Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane: Illuminated by windowed ceiling, Clarissa Tossin (2024) We Are Stardust has blue chiffon fabric hanging in parallel. Celestial shapes populate each translucent sheet bearing the national flag of a country. Conundrum of nation states claiming of-world territories, and private companies commercializing. Background Clarissa Tossin (2022) Future Georgraphy: The Five Galaxies of Stephen’s Quintet. (Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane, St Charles Avenue New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250115Lafayette Cemetery No. 1: Commissioned in 1832, the most famous residents interred in this non-denominational necropolis are the Mayfair Witches, created by Anne Rice in _The Witching Hour_. This graveyard is closed to vistors for repair work and maintenance, levelling sidewalks and removing trees. Movies filmed here include Interview with a Vampire (1994) and Double Jeopardy (1999). (Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, Washington Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250115
Jon Cleary | When You Get Back | Chickee Wah Wah | 2025-01-15:: Coming off a jazz cruise, Jon Cleary filled the room with his solo piano and singing. New Orleans isn’t just about jazz, as we’ve been exploring musicians playing funk. Appreciative audience filled room on a rainy Wednesday night, as we took a short streetcar and bus ride out of the more popular Bourbon Street district. (Chickee Wah Wah, Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250115
Congo Square: Off the southwest edge of Louis Armstrong Park, Sheleen Jones (2010) New Orleans Marching Brass Band depicts trombonist, saxophonist, trumpeter, snare drummer, bass drummer, and tubaist, as part of the Roots of Music Cultural Garden. The Black Code of 1724 established Sunday as a nonworking day, but it wasn’t until 1817 that Congo Square was declared as a place where Africans could dance and be merry. In 1940, this is where the first jazz festival was held. (Congo Square, North Rampart Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250116
St Roch Cemetery No. 1 ~ Campo Santo: Further northeast than most tourists would go, this Catholic cemetery and chapel was built on a 1874 promise by a priest if the congregation was spared the yellow feature outbreak. Vaults positioned above ground, due to the high water table in the region. Visitation of the chapel is available on the first Friday of the month. (St Roch Cemetery No. 1 ~ Campo Santo, St. Roch Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250116
St Roch Market: Originally built in 1838 as a city market in the New Marigny neighbourhood, and renovated in 1875 and 1950s, the building became a supermarket and then Chinese restaurant. Damaged with Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures in 2005, the mayor campaigned for state and federal funding to restore the building. In 2014, the city leased the building to a private business modernizing into a multi-tenant food hall. (St Roch Market, South Claude Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250116
30°/-90°: Soul-jazz trio with #Organami with #AaronWalker drums, #MattGalloway guitar, #TrisDuncan organ. Wearing a Maple Leafs shirt and originating from Toronto, the drummer discovered two couples in audience also visiting from up north. This was the fourth music club on Frenchman Street that we visited, arriving in time to hear two full sets. (30°/-90°, 520 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250116
St. Peters Street: Walking back from Frenchman Street through Jackson Square, heard brass band and saw crowd walking north. Caught up to find wedding couple dancing with the Jaywalkers Second Line Band, celebrating with music. Unclear how many people were part of the procession, and how many chose to follow the group to Pat O’Brien’s pub. (St. Peter Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250116
Historic New Orleans Collection: On 1985 acquisition Francois Fleischbein (1837) Free Woman of Color, local conservator determined funny lace collar and now were not original, and painted over without authorization. In 2016, another conservator examined and discovered collar and bow had been overpainted rather than removed. In 2017, a new conservator uncovered these features to restore to original appearance. (Historic New Orleans Collection – Seignouret-Brulatour building, 520 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250117Historic New Orleans Collection: Reproduction (1927) Green Dragon Brand Dry Pack Shrimp crate label was a product of the Chinese-owned Quong Sun Company founded in 1873, with Chinatown around Tulane Avenue and South Rampart Street. In 1926 the company moved to St. Louis Street in the French Quarter, eventually changing its name to Gulf Food Products. In the 1930s, many other Chinese businesses relocated along Bourbon Street, when it was an immigrant district. (Historic New Orleans Collection – Seignouret-Brulatour building, 520 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250117
Historic New Orleans Collection: Aeolian electric player pipe organ was installed in the 1920s by tobacco magnate William Ratcliffe for home entertainment. Restored and updated with MIDI controller by the Holtkamp Organ Company. Guests would ride the electric elevator to the third floor to hear the pipes in the walls of in this Seignouret-Brulatour Building. (Historic New Orleans Collection – Seignouret-Brulatour building, 520 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250117
Historic New Orleans Collection: Historic New Orleans Collection: Cafe had King Cake available by the slice, a tradition during Carnaval season leading up to Mardi Gras some weeks away. Reminiscent of cinnamon roll pastry, this style had French cream cheese filling. No baby figure was found in our segment, bakeries only started producing 7 days ago, at Twelfth Night. (Historic New Orleans Collection – Seignouret-Brulatour building, 520 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250117The Cabildo: Dark style of George Rodrigue (1973) Sugar Bridge over Coulée (Straub’s Coulée) emerged over three years. Found contrast between Texas with wide open spaces and large sky, compared to Cajun landscape as closed, dark, with very small sky. An early work in the Before the Blue Dog exhibition. (The Cabildo, Louisiana State Museum, Chartres Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250117The Cabildo: The first in the Blue Dog series, George Rodrigue (1984) Watchdog, remembering his mother’s story about loup-garou, a werewolf-like creature of Cajun folktales. Starting from a photograph of his deceased dog Tiffany, the colour blue suggests moonlight streaming from above. For the next 25 years, this imagery would become the focus of his studio practice. (The Cabildo, Louisiana State Museum, Chartres Street, New Orleans, Louisiana) 20250117OCADU Graduate Programs: Guest lecture by @redesign while in town, for a @OCADU_SFI class he originated, now led by @XformbyDesign. Reviewed current community around @RSDSymposium, with history back to two systems thinking classes becoming one. Content-full day for students on the second week of class. (OCADU Graduate Programs, Richmond Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20250122Pape Village: First family dinner of the year accidentally formal, falling on Lunar New Year’s Day. Catching up on stories of January visits to India, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand. May become the new regular periodic venue, since home remodelling of kitchen and dining room are done. (Pape Village, Broadview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20250129
Kensington Eye Institute: Highly efficient cataract procedure seemed less involved than some dental surgery I’ve had. Put into chair, with simultaneous application of drops in eyes, blood pressure cuff, and IV into back of hand. Wheeled into operating room, with doctor and anesthesiologist for less than 10 minutes, then wheeled out to waiting room for pick up release. (Kensington Eye Institute, College Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20250131
A successful cataract surgery returns my long vision, but it will be three weeks until I get my reading glasses!
What a difference a day makes! As scheduled (for some months now), I had my cataract surgery yesterday. This morning, I went for the post-op checkup, and I now can report 20/20 vision in my left eye.
Yesterday, my surgery was scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Diana and I went the requisite 2 hours early, and checked into the day surgery clinic (on the fifth floor at St. Michael’s Hospital). It’s been designed as a welcoming place — some benefactors must have spent some time there! — with a wood panel reception area. We were directed down a very long hall — the place is huge — and were given a cubicle large enough for a reclining chair and two guest chairs. The curtain was drawn in front, and I was given the usual hospital gown (actually designed with a side slit) and a very large white terry bathrobe. I removed my street clothes, and was down to underwear and socks under the bathrobe. The nurses went about to correct the attendant who had brought me down: for cataract surgery, they’re only interested in the head, so I could actually have kept my pants on. I opted to stay in my underwear, because it’s about as comfortable as being in my shorts at home.
A nurse came in to do the usual medical history, and put a catheter in the back of my right hand for the anaesthetic. Diana and I chatted for for about 45 minutes until the intern came. At that point, I handed over my glasses to Diana, so I wasn’t seeing much, either out of the left eye with the cataract, or my normal myopic right eye! I was wearing little booties over my socks, and the staff decided that I might as well walk down to the operating room (rather than take a wheelchair).
As the operating staff introduced themselves — it was impossible for me to make them out without my glasses! — I got up onto the operating table. They put a folded towel under my head, and then — rip, in a sound like a roll of Scotch tape! — they wrapped a strip of tape over my forehead and under the operating table. I remarked that this seemed primitive, but obviously functional. The staff bundled me up in warm towels, including a little tunnel for my left arm. I remember the nurse introducing herself, as she must have connected the catheter in my right hand to the anaesthetic. I remember the intern telling me that he was going to clean my left eye with three swabs of cleanser, counting 1 … seeing yellow … counting 2 …. and then … I don’t remember much.
In the pre-admission visit, the doctor had said that cataract surgery calls for a light anaethetic, because the patient has to be awake to respond to requests to move the eye. I can imagine that I was awake, but I really don’t remember anything. I do remember a few voices as they were working through the surgery … it sounded like they were having a little difficulty getting out my cataract, and I heard when they said that the artificial lens was put in … but everything else is pretty much a blur. I barely remember them taking off all of the blankets, getting down off the operating table, and then getting wheeled down to the recovery area. The surgery probably took about an hour.
The nurses asked me for Diana’s name, and she got paged to join me. (She doesn’t get called as Diana Ing very often). The nurses took my blood pressure, and gave me a turkey sandwich and apple juice. (It was annoying to be fasting since midnight the night before, but I was the last surgery of the day). I wasn’t feeling any real pain, just a slight sensation of a dry eye. I put on my street clothes, got in a wheelchair pushed down to the front door, and Diana and I took a cab home.
At home, I had some soup (I was on a cooking spurt on Saturday, having found tarkeys on sale for half price on Friday!). I watched tv in bed, and put in eye drops every hour. I guess that I fell asleep about 6:30 p.m., for a few hours. When I woke up, I decided to pop out the left lens from my glasses, which seemed to show that I had normal vision in the left eye, but I really couldn’t get my right and left eyes to line up. I had some cereal, watched some more tv, and went to sleep.
This morning, I had a shower, and decided to put in my right contact lens so that I could wear sunglasses to my post-op appointment. (It’s actually a rainy day). I actually haven’t worn contact lenses since last June, because my optometrist then said that glasses would allow more light into my left eye. Now, however, a contact lens works best. There’s no disparity, as with a pair of glasses with only the right lens in. One thing that I do notice is a slight colour difference between my eyes: the right eye has a slight yellow tinge in it, as I guess my natural lens is getting old.
Diana drove me over to the eye clinic. As we were passing over the Richmond Street viaduct, it’s interesting to observe how blind I was in driving with the cataract in one eye. Sure, I could see, but it was pretty much tunnel vision. With two eyes this morning, I could see traffic, the building, the trees. It was an amazing, joyous feeling.
At the eye clinic, the intern saw me first. He looked into the eye, and said that the lens was perfectly centered. I read the eye chart, and he said that I have 20/20 vision. I asked about the lens that they put in yesterday. He said that my eye is about 6, and they put in a lens to correct to 8. Of course, the downside is that I’m now farsighted in the left eye, so I really need reading glasses. The intern said that the human brain will adapt, so I’ll probably start reading more out of my right eye. He also said that my left eye is still dilated, so my vision should improve over the next few days. He was a bit concerned about a bit of pressure in my eye, but Dr. Squires, joining us, mentioned that the pressure was there before the surgery. I asked what I can and can’t do until the final checkup in three weeks, and Dr. Squires said no jumping up and down — so there goes badminton — no heavy lifting or exertion — so there goes bicycling — but otherwise I can live pretty normally (including showering!)
I’ll get fitted for glasses at the appointment in three weeks. In the meantime, my long vision is great, but with drops in my eye from this morning’s exam, it’s hard for me to judge what life will be like over the next three weeks. In a reversal of the condition before the operation, I can see long distances well enough to drive, but have found newspaper type to be illegible. I’ve been playing with the font sizes on Windows XP, so I can be functional on the computer — albeit with less screen real estate!
[Blogging note: I’ behind maybe 6 posts on multiple blogs, so I’ll be playing catch up over the next few days. WordPress has a feature that enables changing posting dates, so the entries on Fuschl, Finland, Manchester and Hull will still appear in correct date order.]
The cataract in my eye has more strange side effects, resulting in another visit to see my naturopath / Chinese doctor David Lam.
Over the weekend, I had a headache, which is unusual. Unprecedented, however, was that my hands and feet were so cold, that I needed to get into bed — twice — to warm up. I phoned my naturopath / Chinese doctor, David Lam, and went over to see what he could do.
I’ve been under the care of Dr. Lam since 1996. He’s dean of the Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine, the oldest teaching school of its domain in Canada. Dr. Lam was a pediatrician in a hospital in Shanghai, and has the advantage of being able to explain symptoms and problems in the contexts both of western and eastern philosophies. Since I’ve had eczema and allergies since childhood, I know that western medicine doesn’t have any answers. For most maladies, I generally prefer to see Dr. Lam and get some herbs. They seem to clear things up in a few days.
It was a nice day, so I decided to bike over to Dr. Lam’s office. It’s in the Dupont / Bathurst area, all the way cross town, so it’s ride over to the university and then beyond, about an hour in traffic. Dr. Lam is used to seeing me show up on a bike, and I could use the exercise, since I didn’t feel up to playing badminton on Sunday.
Dr. Lam asked about my symptoms. He first said that I must have a cold, and that a lot of his patients are coming in with colds because the winds have shifted. As we discussed more, he started the usual exam. The first step was taking my pulse. I don’t know how to read a pulse Chinese style — it’s a three-finger assessment on the right wrist and then the left wrist. Dr. Lam seemed to be taking a longer time on my right wrist. He then checked my left wrist, and said he wanted to check my right wrist, again. He opened up my file (which he usually doesn’t do).
On the last two visits, my resting pulse has been 84 beats per minute. That sounds about right, as the pulse I’ve had my entire life. Today, Dr. Lam said, my pulse was 60. This measurement was taken 5 minutes after bicycling for an hour. My energy is so low that it’s had systemic effect on my pulse!
The one thing that’s really unusual right now is, of course, the cataract in my left eye. Diana has pretty well taken away the keys to the car, and even drives Noah and me to badminton when we go. I’m not much in the mood to go out, and have been spending lots of time on the computer. I’ve taken the opportunity of staying at home to catch up on e-mail, and update my personal web sites, so I’m probably on the computer even more than usual. It’s productive, but since my left eye is a total blur, all of the information is coming through my right eye. I guess my body doesn’t like that. I assume that western medicine would say that there’s no connection between the cataract in my eye and my pulse. Diagnoses like that are why this is the third visit I’ve had with Dr. Lam since the beginning of the year.
If you’ve seen me at breakfast, you know that I usually have little canisters with lot of little pills — the modern way of taking Chinese herbs. I usually take an hour every two weeks to portion out the pills, because it’s annoying to count 8 of this, 5 of these, etc., every time. With this condition, however, I’m sticking close to Dr. Lam’s prescriptions, where I take some pills three times per day, and some pills four times per day.
Dr. Lam suggested that these would nourish the eye. I think it’s less for the eye with the cataract, and more for the one that’s taking all of the load. (When I’m tired, that one gets blurry, too!)
The median wait time for cataract surgery in Ontario is inconsistent with my work style.
In December 2004, my left eye was struck by a badminton bird. (I was turned to my left to take a backhand shot, and missed. The partner for the game was overly aggressive, and took an underhand clear, so the bird flew straight into my eye). Continue reading “Wait times in Ontario“
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David L. Hawk (American management theorist, architect, and systems scientist) has been hosting a weekly television show broadcast on Bold Brave Tv from the New York area on Wednesdays 6pm ET, remotely from his home in Iowa. Live, callers can join…Read more ›
Following the first day lecture on Philosophy of Chinese Medicine 1 for the Global University for Sustainability, Keekok Lee continued on a second day on some topics: * Anatomy as structure; physiology as function (and process); * Process ontology, and thing ontology; * Qi ju as qi-in-concentrating mode, and qi san as qi-in-dissipsating mode; and […]
The philosophy of science underlying Classical Chinese Medicine, in this lecture by Keekok Lee, provides insights into ways in which systems change may be approached, in a process ontology in contrast to the thing ontology underlying Western BioMedicine. Read more ›
In conversation, @zeynep with @ezraklein reveal authentic #SystemsThinking in (i) appreciating that “science” is constructed by human collectives, (ii) the west orients towards individual outcomes rather than population levels; and (iii) there’s an over-emphasis on problems of the moment, and…Read more ›
In the question-answer period after the lecture, #TimIngold proposes art as a discipline of inquiry, rather than ethnography. This refers to his thinking On Human Correspondence. — begin paste — [75m26s question] I am curious to know what art, or…Read more ›
How might our society show value for the long term, over the short term? Could we think about taxation over time, asks @carlotaprzperez in an interview: 92% for 1 day; 80% within 1 month; 50%-60% tax for 1 year; zero tax for 10 years.Read more ›
In 2024, WordPress Studio was released, making installation on a local computer simpler. The instructions were modified from MacOS to Ubuntu Linux, by Daniel Kossmann, “How to install WordPress Studio in Ubuntu Linux” | Jun 15, 2024 at https://www.danielkossmann.com/how-to-install-wordpress-studio-ubuntu-linux/ I already had NVM installed, but in Terminal, with the result “command not found”. In the […]
The appreciation of change is different in Western philosophy than in classical Chinese philosophy. JeeLoo Lin published a concise contrast on differences. Let me parse the Introduction to the journal article, that is so clearly written. The Chinese theory of time is built into a language that is tenseless. The Yijing (Book of Changes) there […]
In trying to place the World Hypotheses work of Stephen C. Pepper (with multiple root metaphors), Nicholas Rescher provides a helpful positioning. — begin paste — Philosophical perspectivism maintains that substantive philosophical positions can be maintained only from a “perspective” of some sort. But what sort? Clearly different sorts of perspectives can be conceived of, […]
Finding proper words to express system(s) change(s) can be a challenge. One alternative could be diachrony. The Oxford English dictionary provides two definitions for diachronic, the first one most generally related to time. (The second is linguistic method) diachronic ADJECTIVE Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “diachronic (adj.), sense 1,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/3691792233. For completeness, prochronic relates “to […]
The selection of readings in the “Introduction” to Systems Thinking: Selected Readings, volume 2, Penguin (1981), edited by Fred E. Emery, reflects a turn from 1969 when a general systems theory was more fully entertained, towards an urgency towards changes in the world that were present in 1981. Systems thinking was again emphasized in contrast […]
