Does THIS apply to ME?!

…
"It's NOT who I am 'underneath', but what I DO that defines me."
(--'Batman Begins')


(… YET, "Do as I SAY, NOT as I DO.")

(… HHHMMM)


...

SHOULDA, WOULDA, COULDA

…
PRIOR TO July 6, 2008 (date of my accident)--"A day which will live in INFAMY"(--President Franklin Roosevelt)--perhaps I yelled "SERENITY NOW!"(--'Seinfeld')

…
"Serenity--NOW.
Insanity--LATER."
(--'Seinfeld')


...

Thanks A LOT, "NeuroFit 360"!

…

RECENTLY, I've IMPROVED my ENDURANCE/STAMINA (via the "I-Care"/stepping-machine), LEG-FLEXIBILITY (via GREAT stretching), TRUNK-STRENGTH (via wall-sits & back-bending apparatus) and just general/overall CONFIDENCE/HOPE/BELIEF in my GREAT PROGRESS!

...

I have NO CHOICE.

…

"I'm a 'FUGHTER', so quitting is NOT an option."
((--U.F.C. (Ultimate Fighting Championship) heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem)

CURRENTLY, this is a METAPHORICAL quote for my recovery-process.
PRE-accident, this quote LITERALLY described my motto/outlook on/toward my martial arts AND "folkstyle" wrestling training.



(… "If you're gonna GO, go ALL OUT."
"ALL or NUTHIN'.")


…
"Besides, we both (ALL) know I'm training to be a cage-fighter."
(--Kip, 'Napoleon Dynamite')

(… I actually WAS--PRE-accident.)


...

"I believe that TRUE focus lies between RAGE and SERENITY."

… --'X-Men: First Class'


… Ergo, in order to FULLY concentrate, I MUST remain NEUTRAL--like Switzerland.


(… IF I WERE a member of the X-Men, I'd be "Beast"--with his unique combination of herculean STRENGTH and nerd-like INTELLIGENCE.)

(… HOWEVER, I could be "Wolverine", 'cuz of my "SUPERSONIC-hearing",  RAPID physical-recovery and TENDENCY to be rather BAD-ASS.)


(… I'm watching the film.)


...

WISE/ABSTRACT/CLEVER thinking!

…
"If you FOCUS on the PROBLEM, you CAN'T see the SOLUTION."
(--'Patch Adams')

(… Is it HELPFUL or DETRIMENTAL that I have "FOUR EYES" ("GLASSES")?)


(… I JUST noticed how COINCIDENTAL it is--for ME--that the word "detrimental" contains the word "-MENTAL".
I have a "Traumatic BRAIN-Injury".
Oh, sweet I-RONY!)


(… I feel that I am KINDA like Hunter "Patch" Adams:
"Mastery" of ACADEMIA just comes RATHER easy to me.
I like to use HUMOR to help others LEARN something SERIOUS--whether the subject be MARTIAL ARTS, MATH, NURSING, etc.)


…
"Think … POTENTIAL."
(--Patch)



...

"Lookin' UP!"

… 

"You are the light of the world.  
A town built on a hill cannot be hidden."
(--Matthew 5:14)


(… GOD believes in ME.
Ergo--Consequently--Thus--Therefor---Hence--So, I MUST as well.)


(… Stay POSITIVE!)


...

SAGE/WISE advice:

…
"Do not think of (my advice) as RIGHT or WRONG.
(I am) merely a GUIDE to the PROPER choices."
(--Morpheus speaking about "the Oracle", 'The Matrix')


(… PLEASE do NOT interpret MY quoting this as BLASPHEMOUS or MY causing/creating/promoting "FALSE idolatry".)

(… It's just a KICK-ASS movie!)


...

"I'm just MISUNDERSTOOD."

…
"ALL MY LIFE I've JUST tried to be FUNNY.
But, people think I'm tryin' to be an A--HOLE (EXPLETIVE DELETED)."
(--Howard Stern, 'Private Parts')


Now, I may NOT be as VULGAR/CRASS as Mr. Stern.
But, I share his DISDAIN for/of being CENSORED/IGNORED.

It's RIDICULOUS how IGNORANT MOST of the WORLD-POPULATION are!
People hear "Traumatic Brain-Injury" and see my "letter-board",  and they just FALSELY "ASSUME" that I'm NOT "all there".


(("NEVER 'ASSUME': It makes an ASS out of U (YOU) and ME."))


...

I can/WILL "DEFEAT" my--TEMPORARY--disability!

…
I'd hate to be cliche', but

"Where there's a WILL,
there's a WAY."


(… I didn't even realize it, but that just RHYMED.)

(… Ha ha HA!  STILL,
NUMBERS  >  WORDS  .)



...

(WARNING) CLASSIC "DETERMINATION":

…
So, this morning I was doing my USUAL/DAILY morning-"WAKE-UP" routine of BEATING the "EXPERT"-level of Minesweeper THREE times.

But I was having ALOTTA DIFFICULTY accomplishing my THIRD victory.
For some reason, my "nystagmus" ("dancing eyes") was REALLY "goin' BERSERK!

Nonetheless, I took a brief break, breathed DEEPLY, "collected my thoughts" (over my toilet), "released any/ALL EXCESS/UNNECESSARY 'baggage'"/"excreted some EXTRANEOUS bodily-WASTE"/POOPED then returned to try again.

Sure enough, on just my SECOND post-poop attempt, I was VICTORIOUS!
NOW I may begin my day ...

"'Underneath' this GENIUS, I'm simply a HUMAN."

… "But, I'm ''workin'' on that."
(--''Grandma's Boy'')


It's rather a (COLOSSAL) BUMMER that my car-accident caused such a DETRIMENTAL "Traumatic Brain-Injury", 'cuz I "WAS" RIDICULOUSLY intelligent!
(… I still AM!  My MEMORY is just VERY "SUB-par".)
(  : (  )


"I'm NOT as good as I once WAS!"



...

EEE-EEEWWW! I KNEW I DESPISED this food!

…
"Mayonnaise is 100%-FAT."
(--'Good Eats')


(… Mayo is NOT a "GOOD eat".)

(… My nurse wants me to GAIN or MAINTAIN weight.
Since MUSCLE weighs ~2.2 times MORE than FAT, that's YET ANOTHER reason to NOT consume MAYO!)
(I'm CURRENTLY ~143 pounds = ~65 kilograms.)


...

I just KNEW this movie "struck TRUE" with me!

…
I'm watching the film, 'Revenge of the Nerds'.
(I was a NERD in high school.)

Also, toward the beginning of the movie, the movie plays the song,
"One Foot in Front of the Other'.
(… It's "SINGING" MY game plan for HOW I aim to "WALK".)




P.S. "Would you RATHER live in the ASCENDANCY of a civilization
or in its DECLINE?"
(--SAME film)



...

"WE are the music-makers … and the DREAMERS of dreams."

…
"You should never DOUBT what NO ONE is SURE about."

…
"A little nonsense--now and THEN--
is relished by the WISEST men."
(--ALL quotes by Willy Wonka in 'Charlie & the Chocolate Factory')


(… It's ESSENTIAL to "see" the SARCASM/HUMOR in here quotes.)


…

… MORE Motivational Mantra from "Martial arts"--Bruce Lee:

…
("Alliteration aside."
--'Dodgeball')


…
"Refuse to stay down."
(With ME there's some DOUBLE ENTENDRE/"a PUN" there.)

(… He's SO … CRAFTY!)


...

According to the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT,

…
(JUST TWO YEARS AGO), I did NOT "exist".


((…
"The ROYAL 'we'--the EDITORIAL …"
(--'The Big Lebowski'))

"Then, we TRANSCEND the law!"
(--'The Hurricane')


...

First "step": STEP!

AJ Power Squats Dec 28, 2013 on Vimeo.

[I HAVE TO "work" my LEGS EVERY DAY--like so.
I have since INCREASED my leg-squat ANGLE to ~140 degrees.
But, I maintain a STRAIGHT back THROUGHOUT my SQUATTING-exercise.]




AJ Walking Dec 28, 2013 (Edited) on Vimeo.

[Although MOST of my WALKING-form APPEARS very "SOUND"/stable, I am UNHAPPY that I occasionally step "PIGEON-TOED" with my LEFT foot AND make LOUD steps with my RIGHT foot.]



(… Just to CLARIFY: CONTRARY to how my "walking" on the video may APPEAR, my "caregiver"/employee/"helper" does NOT EVER assist me.)


...

VERY VALID POINT!

…
I viewed some of my 'Jiujitsu'-class tonight, and my "martial arts"-Professor stressed this LESSON during his teaching:

"You've gotta learn HOW TO 'LEARN'."



"To each his own."
So, EVERYONE has his/her little "QUIRKS" that better enable that person to study and "SOAK IN" new "IN-PUT" (--'Short Circuit 2').

(… Until you know HOW TO create your OWN IDEAL "'learning' site"-characteristics, PRACTICALLY everything "goes OVER your head".)


...

(WARNING:) "WHISTLE while you WORK."

… --'Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs')

While I was sitting over my toilet this morning, I made up TWO MATH-"word problems" for my tutoring-service.
(The questions deal with "TRIGONOMETRY" and "GEOMETRY"-principles.)


(… I was working on a THIRD problem, but ALAS!
As the dwarfs sang, since I canNOT "whistle", my "WORK" was NOT to be COMPLETED.)


...

NOT I:

…
"THAT's your PROBLEM--you ALWAYS think.
You NEVER act."
(--Human Torch to Mr. Fantastic, 'Fantastic Four')

(I do BOTH.)


...

… It was a "GOOD OMEN"/"DIVINATION"/.

… At my FANTASTIC gym--"NeuroFit 360"--today, I accomplished GREAT FEATS!

1) I set NEW "marks" on the "I-Care" ("step-machine").  I STEPPED ALONG on the "MANUAL"-setting for FIVE minutes.  I sat down for 30 seconds.  I REPEATED my MANUAL "five minute walk".  THIS TIME I took an ~TWO MINUTE break.  (I was getting TIRED.)  Finally, I STEPPED for two minutes and 12 seconds.

2) NEXT, I walked--WITH assistance--over to a mat, box and slanted cushion on the ground.
THERE I stabilized myself--while leaning on my elbows UPON said "box".
ALSO, I straightened my RIGHT leg STRAIGHT-BACK … and raised it OFF THE GROUND.
(So, I was putting ALOTTA weight/pressure DIRECTLY on my "metal plate"-containing LEFT knee.  OW!)

3) FINALLY, two GREAT staff-members SUPPORTED me as I--we--WALKED across the gym, out the facility-door AND ~one quarter of the way around the complex-area.



MORAL:
"No pain, no gain."

GREAT start to my day!

…
I did my DAILY (walker-assisted) WALK from my bed into my bathroom.
(I used my MOMENTUM to use my leg-weight to swing my upper body UP and OUT of bed.)
I counted

46 steps--ALONE/"COMPLETELY UNASSISTED"

--INCLUDING an ~90 degree left turn into my bathroom AND an ~180 degree turn to SLOWLY lower myself into/onto

my MANUAL-wheelchair.


After I shaved my goatee-area and brushed my teeth, I IMMEDIATELY "WALKED" into my living room to my MOTORIZED-wheelchair.  For THIS "WALK", I counted

62 UNASSISTED steps

--INCLUDING the turn to lower myself to sit on it.

NO/ZERO problems

YAY!


…

"Do you know what makes a human-being DECENT?!"

…  "FEAR."
--'Dogma'

EVERY TIME I stand up to "WALK"--AIDED, I have this slight "FEAR"/worry/anxiety of STUMBLING, FALLING and INJURING MYSELF!

(… THAT is WHY I tend to look DOWN as I step.)

Thus--Ergo--Consequently, I am a "decent" "HUMAN-BEING"!
((… This LOGICAL reasoning is "a FAR CRY" from the IGNORANT (MISINFORMED?) STUPIDITY of the federal government!))
(… They--BASICALLY--decreed that, since I was in TWO SEPARATE COMAS for ~six months, I did NOT EXIST!)

(…)

(… Pardon me.  I vomited.)


...

My (PROFESSIONAL) "outfit":

…
When I do my MATH-tutoring, perhaps I should HEED/"TAKE"/"LISTEN TO" the advice of "The Caped Crusader":

"If you're gonna work ALONE, wear a MASK … (NOT for yourself)
to protect those you CARE about."
(--'The Dark Knight Rises')

(God only knows what Vegas would do … to those CLOSE TO ME, if the casinos KNEW that I can "count cards".)



...

GOTTA BE "glass is half-FULL".

…
"I'm alive.
I'm in 'a WORLD of SHIT'.
But, I'm ALIVE."
(--'Full Metal Jacket')


…. Although I've (TEMPORARILY?) "LOST" MOST of the STRENGTH and FUNCTION of my leg(S), I WILL "OVERCOME" said "OBSTACLES"!


I CONTINUE to make SLOW but STEADY and SIGNIFICANT (metaphorical) "steps" in my "work" in BOTH Speech Therapy AND my workouts (upper AND lower body)!


...

JEEZ, this EARLY?!

…
"Nature called."
"I answered."

HONESTLY, I (INTERNALLY) sang,

"Pee for Houston.
Pee for Austin.
Pee for the state my heart got lost in.
…
Shake twice for Texas."


(… THAT's what Dr. Sheldon Cooper of the television show, 'The Big Bang Theory', utters EVERY TIME as he urinates.)

…
"I'm NOT 'CRAZY'.
My mother had mr TESTED!"
(--Sheldon … AND me)


(… RELAX!
I "made my LIQUID-deposit of URIC ACID"/"secreted kidney-WASTE" ALL into the/my "Universal URINAL-Bank of OUTGOING Bodily LIQUID-Deposits",)
(… Three CHEERS for the ol' "U.U.B.O.B.L.D."!)


...

"No matter what, you've got to STRUT."

… (--Buddy Love, 'The Nutty Professor')

I APPLAUD this OPTIMISTIC, "PROUD-OF-who-you-are" attitude!

EVERYONE has his/her forte.

For example:
I STRUGGLE TO walk (BY MYSELF) and talk (COGENTLY), but I KNOW my MENTAL-math abilities are ASTOUNDING/EXTRAORDINARY--even for a "NORMAL" person!
(I HATE that term--"normal"!  It's so VAGUE, JUDGMENTAL and IGNORANT.)


Example #2:
I may NOT be able to DEMONSTRATE all the moves, but I CERTAINLY have the "KNOW-HOW" of PROPER, INTENSE 'Jiu jitsu'-techniques.
(… I TEACH 'ground-fighting' at my dojo/'martial arts school'.)


...

REMINDERS are so, so, SSSOOOOOOO HELPFUL!

…
'KUDOS' to "The Creator" (--'Matrix Reloaded') of my blog for reminding/"VERBALLY cuing" me to

ALWAYS maintain PROPER/straight neck/head-positioning.

Thus--Ergo--Hence--Therefore--Consequently, I constantly check my email
In doing so, I ALWAYS see the--UNOPENED--email-reminder.
Since I'm a VERY "VISUAL-learner", I then STRAIGHTEN my posture.

("PRACTICE makes (close to) PERFECT.")


...

"FREEDOM is the right of ALL sestina beings."

… (--Ootimus Prime, 'Transformers')

In order to TRULY achieve such METAPHORICAL, AMBULATORY "freedom", I MUST learn to

CONSISTENTLY, COGENTLY, INDIVIDUALLY talk AND walk!


…

"ALWAYS be yourself."

… "Express yourself.
Have faith in yourself."
--Bruce Lee


I ALWAYS tell myself:
"If you're gonna GO, go ALL OUT."

(… ALL or NOTHIN')



(Regarding Mr. Lee, I--too--consider MYSELF to be a bit of a "martial arts"-CONNOISSEUR--to a MUCH LESSER extent.)


...

(FAUX-British accent:)

…
"Well, my FAHTHUH taught me to 'take the GOOD with the BAHD'."
(--''A Knight's Tale'')


(… Although I am--TEMPORARILY--"handicapped", I STILL possess a very KEEN sense of LOGIC/REASONING.)


(To myself:)
"You have been WEIGHED (~143 pounds = ~65 kilograms).
You have been MEASURED (~5'7" = ~67 inches).
You have been found WANTING."  (… new, WORKING legs)
(--MORE ''A Knight's Tale'')


(… "This is my WUHD.  As such, it is be-YOND CONTESTATION!"
--even MORE ''A Knight's Tale'')



...

"There are TWO SIDES to every coin/story."

…


"You gotta harness in the good energy, block out the bad. Harness. Energy. Block. Bad. It's like a carousel. You put the quarter in, you get on the horse, it goes up and down, and around. Circular, circle. Feel it. Go with the flow."
(--'Happy Gilmore')



… Although I'm--TEMPORARILY--VERY--PHYSICALLY--"disabled", 
 I've been making GREAT (METAPHORICAL … AND LITERAL) "strides" to IMPROVE my gait, posture, flexibility and stamina!



(… THANKS, "NeuroFit 360" … AND my own DETERMINATION!)


...

"I'm DOIN' the work. I'm NOT a slacker. PLEASE!"

…
--'What About Bob?'





(… "NeuroFit 360" OBVIOUSLY does PHENOMENAL work!)


(… Although, I STILL need to IMPROVE my WEIGHT-SHIFTS on my hips.)


...

"Don't sweat the SMALL STUFF."

…
"I learned a long time ago that WORRYING is like a rocking-chair: It's something to do, but it won't get you anywhere'.
Write that down."
(--'Van Wilder')



((I'm talking to MYSELF:
(What a TERRIFIC audience!)
"Be CALM.  BREATHE.  Think about NUMBERS."))


...

My EATING:

…
I've been "EATING"--via MOUTH--more and more … with NO/ZERO problems/complications.

I NOW "EAT"--orally--THREE TIMES per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).
YAY!
"Practice makes perfect."


...

(PLEASANT) Warning:

…

T.G.I.F.


"If you're going OUT tonight, don't be an IDIOT."
(--'Workaholics')



(… WISE words!)


...

MOTIVATION:

…
"Gettin' 'SLAPPED AROUND by the UNIVERSE' is ALWAYS a GOOD thing."
(--Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson)

(TRIUMPH over adversity.)


...

AAAHHH, the timing!

…
Early this afternoon I watched 'The Dark Knight Rises'.
A specific part REALLY "struck home HARD":

Batman (Bruce Wayne) was trying to WALK during his "rehab", after a LONG, PAINFUL "break" from his everyday-life.
He KICKS AWAY someone who was trying to help him, 'cuz he wanted to do it HIMSELF.

EARLIER this morning my "caregiver" (DAYTIME-employee) tried TOO MANY TIMES to "HELP ME" during my walker-assiisted "WALKING".
(… NO, I did NOT "kick" him.  I merely insisted, "NNNOOO!")




MORAL:
I can NOT improve, until I try ON MY OWN.
("LEARN from my MISTAKES.")



...

(Wiping the SWEAT from my brow) What a (MENTAL) WORKOUT!

… I JUST beat the "Expert"-level of "Minesweeper
1 … 2 … 3 …

FOUR TIMES!

(I don't really pay attention to the timing, 'cuz the game DOESN'T.
Also, my LACK OF manual dexterity (PRE-accident BOTCHED forearm-surgery) PREVENTS me from "marking ANY bombs".

NONETHELESS, ALL of my WINS were < ("UNDER") 540 seconds (nine minutes).

So, to review:

16 spaces high by 30 spaces wide (480 square spaces) in UNDER 600 seconds (10 minutes) + WIN =

QUALITY-VICTORY


(… TIMES 4 games/WINS = GOOD start to my day!)




((… Yes, I'll admit that my THOROUGH "understanding OF"/"preference FOR" NUMBERS is A TAD (VERY) ODD (/"PECULIAR"--''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''), but "to each his own".))

"It looks like the STUDENT has become the TEACHER."

… --one of the (LATER) 'Karate Kid' movies


… I JUST beat my Speech-therapist in Scrabble.
(RELAX!  After EACH WORD, I SAY said word AND use it in a sentence.
So, I'm still "workin'.)



RECAP:
So, I'm trailing by 19 points going into my FINAL word.
I STRATEGICALLY place "trippy" (SHRUG!  The Scrabble-dictionary RECOGNIZED/VERIFIED it!) for (THREE touchdowns AND extra points) (…)  21 points.
Ergo, after doing the math, ("Carry the ONE."  "Borrow.""Multiplicative-inverse".  "Differentiate".)


I won by TWO points!


(… This is NOT that BIG of a deal.  I just like to create SUSPENSE.
Actually, I win MOST of our games.)


...

Why not BOTH?!

…
"Remember:
CONCENTRATION, not STRENGTH."
(--'The Mighty Ducks')


ALL that I do REQUIRES much focus.
It's "CRAZY"/"UNBELIEVABLE"/COMMENDABLE that I can MULTI-task … so WELL!


...

My WALKING:

…
Although I'm CONSTANTLY told my "NeuroFit 360"-staff to look STRAIGHT AHEAD or UP when I walk, and I TRY TO abide by their instructions.
But,  my brain seems to listen MORE to this quote from 'Swordfish':


"MIS-direction: what the EYES see and the EARS hear, the MIND believes."


(… Now, I'm certainly NOT saying that my 'MIND' is WEAK or GULLIBLE, but MANY of my STRUGGLES are PSYCHOLOGICAL.

UNFORTUNATELY, my brain does not YET trust all my muscle-strength.


...

VALID point!

…
"You can't WIN, unless you're WILLING TO lose it all."
(--new movie: 'Runner, Runner')


Now, I'm gonna "break it down".

1) I can NOT--LITERALLY--"run".

2) I'm a "RISK-TAKER" … AFTER I --QUICKLY--calculate the ODDS of my SUCCESS.
(I "ACED" Advanced Placement Statistics--as an ELECTIVE--as a senior in HIGH SCHOOL!)
(… I can NOT seem to "get this DIRT OFF my shoulder"!)

3) SSSHHH!  I can "COUNT CARDS".


...

"FATE rarely 'calls us' at a moment of our choosing."

… --'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'


'Tis BETTER to blame "FATE" for my UNFORTUNATE accident than something/ANYTHING "religious".

(… Ever heard of "karma"?!)


(…
"Yes, 'KARMA' is a WORD … like LOVE.")
(--''Matrix Revolutions')

"There's no use gettin' ALL RILED UP every time a bunch of IDIOTS TRY TO give you a hard time."

… "In the end, the universe tends to 'unfold' as it SHOULD."
(--'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle')


So, I've gotta exhale SLOWLY, and CONTINUE to be PATIENT.
(… I CONTINUE TO make PHENOMENAL PROGRESS!
… ONE DAY at a time)


...

EVENTFUL morning!

…
So, after getting a haircut today, I "exchanged pleasantries" with my barber--'en Espan(tilde)ol!
(HOW/WHY do I remember SO MANY various LANGUAGE-rules?!
(English, Spanish, Turkish, A LITTLE BIT of German, A LITTLE BIT of Latin, A LITTLE BIT of Italian AND ALL of "numerology")


(… I STILL maintain that the IMPORTANCE of MATH/NUMBERS "DWARFS" that of SPEECH/LETTERS.)


(… WINNING argument:
"Math is THE UNIVERSAL language.")


...

"Are you like ME?!"

… "Do you OVER-analyze EVERYTHING?!  …"
(--'What About Bob?')


...

("Only a SITH deals in ABSOLUTES."--Master Yoda, 'Star Wars Episode III')

…
After my accident, my doctorS decreed that I shall NEVER again be "MORE than a 'VEGETABLE' … with NO functioning CAPABILITIES."

Well, I interpret THAT as a CHALLENGE.
I NEVER shy away from a "CHALLENGE"!


I'm a COMBINATION/FUSION/MELDING of "Neo" ("The ONE" from 'The Matrix') and "Luke Skywalker" (defeated "The Emperor" in 'Star Wars').

Ergo, my ALIAS would be

"NEO-walker"--which is a "play on words", 'cuz 'neo' is Greek for 'NEW' or 'MODIFIED'.


(… How's THAT for CREATIVITY?!
"EAT IT", white-coated--SUPPOSED--"know-it-alls"!)


...

Back in the Habit

…
No, I'm NOT referring to 'Sister Act 2'.
(GREAT film!)

After a RELATIVELY short break from EATING--via MOUTH,
I JUST ate ~one ounce of TILAPIA (fish).

I have ALWAYS enjoyed eating FISH.
Back when I could taste,

1) Fish are DELICIOUS!

2) Fish are HIGH in PROTEIN, which helps develop MUSCLE.

3) Fish are HIGH in Omega-3s (?), which help regulate the digestive system.


...

That was THEN. This is NOW.

…
BEFORE my accident, I KNEW how GOOD I was--PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, LOGICALLY "sound".
But, I did NOT "VOICE" my SELF-satisfaction.
THAT would be BRAGGING/BOASTING.

NOW, however, I've become FAR MORE observant.  My accident has HUMBLED me, and I've RECOGNIZED my SLOW drift toward "The DARK Side" of "The Force".

(… I SHAN'T be like "The EMPEROR":
"Your OVER-confidence is your WEAKNESS.")
(--'Star Wars: Return of the Jedi')



(… Since I canNOT--YET--walk BY MYSELF (withOUT a walker), my NEXT project is to
learn to MOVE things … WITH MY MIND.)



...

SSSHHH!

… I am NOT Batman.
I like to think I bear MORE of a RESEMBLANCE to "Bane"--the enemy of "the Caped  Crusader" in 'The Dark Knight Rises'.
"Bane" possesses both PHYSICAL and INTELLECTUAL "STRENGTH"!

HOWEVER, my HEART possesses MORALS and MERCY.


Although my LEG-strength is VERY SUBpar, my ARM-strength HAS TO compensate.
PLUS, I understand PHYSICS, ANGLES and LEVERAGE.


Ergo--Hence--Thus--Therefore--Heretofore--Consequently, my ARM-strength is … IMPROVING!

(… DON'T believe me?!
… My "UPPER BODY"-trainer can VERIFY that.)


...

Since I'm FAR LESS talkative,

… I get to OBSEVE MORE of people's tendencies.

UNFORTUNATELY, I've noted that--OVERALL--GENERALLY--as a WHOLE--the human intellectual/LOGIC-capacity is VERY SUBpar.

...
"You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity."
(--'Snatch')

(… PHENOMENAL film …. with a PHENOMENALLY-named main character--TURKISH!)
(… Granted, I'm biased.)


...

So,

…
…
…
OH!  I apologize for the delay.  I got distracted.







NOT!




I JUST set a NEW personal "Minesweeper: EXPERT-level" BEST time of

317 seconds.

(… THAT equals 5 minutes, 17 seconds OR ~5.2833 minutes.)

I accomplished this GREAT FEAT, WHILE I "ate"--via G-tube.
How's THAT for FOCUS?!

(I'm BOWING.)
(… No, no, NO!  My smile is looking PARTICULARLY PRETTY this morning.
Ergo, I'll CURTSY.)


(THIS is EVIDENCE that I'm NOT ONLY improving PHYSICALLY
but MENTALLY as well.)


...

… I think I need--YET ANOTHER--hobby.

…
Since I'm kinda "having my way" with Minesweeper, perhaps I could take up "GEOLOGY".
"I suppose it appeals to [MY] METICULOUS nature."
"It's the study of PRESSURE and TIME."
(--'The Shawshank Redemption')


((… There's ALOTTA "pressure" on me to "live up to my EXTRAORDINARY potential".
Due to my NOT having a (paying) "JOB", I have "ALL the 'TIME' in the world".))



(… ACTUALLY, I spend ALOTTA my "TIME" working-out and trying to improve my--LIMITED--"physical-prowess".)


...

WOULD I?!

…
IF I could LOUDLY and COGENTLY scream, I'd be TEMPTED to YELL--upon being MID-flight to visit FAMILY in either Minnesota or 'Turkiye' (Turkey):

"Enough is enough! I have had it with these mother-fucking snakes on this mother-fucking plane!"

(Pardon my 'FRENCH'.  But, I'd MERELY be quoting the film, 'Snakes on a Plane'.)


(… I'm JUST KIDDING!  I'm pretty sure such a FALSE outcry would be ILLEGAL.
After ALL I've been through, I've got BETTER SENSE than to just "THROW IT ALL AWAY".
I'd rather NOT be "imprisoned"--like at my PREVIOUS "Rehabilitation/Recovery-Institute"!

(… This is AMERICA, right?!)



...

Am I … "The Thing"?

…
"Look at me.  You (ALL) have NO IDEA what it's like to be me."
(--The Thing, 'Fantastic Four')

(… Actually, it's a "predicate-nominative".  So, it'd be "… to be I".)



...

"The FIRST step is admitting you have a problem."

…
My name is A.J. Kaynatma, and I am ADDICTED to …

MINESWEEPER.

(RELAX!  It's JUST a computer-GAME!
There's NO alcohol-imbibing … that I KNOW OF!)


(I HAD TO "break it down" MATHEMATICALLY, 'cuz that's just WHAT I DO!)

The "Expert"-level board is

16 spaces LONG     by
30 spaces ACROSS   .

So, there are 480 POSSIBLE spaces.
There are 99 "bombs"/"mines" to AVOID.

Ergo,

99/480 =
0.20625   .

Hence--Therefore--Thus, with EACH of my clicks, I have a 20.63% chance of LOSING.

(… Numbers DON'T/CAN'T lie.)


...

New Year's Resolutions:

…

1) Be EVEN MORE independent.
(Do NOT ask for help, JUST 'cuz it'll be QUICKER.  Try it MYSELF FIRST.)
("GOOD work takes TIME.")

2) Don't use my "Traumatic Brain-Injury" as an excuse … for ANYTHING!
If I canNOT DO something, or I do NOT KNOW HOW to do something, I've gotta "swallow my pride".
(I am "FAR from perfect!")  (… METAPHORICALLY)
"We LEARN from our MISTAKES."

3) Do NOT be so QUICK to "jump to conclusions".
"LOOKS can be DECEIVING."
(… I'm PROOF of THAT.)

4) Be MORE PATIENT--ESPECIALLY with those about whom I care.
By NO MEANS am I faulting myself for having a SPECTACULAR "grasp" of LOGIC and WIT.
However, I mustn't get so frustrated, impatient or upset about "the LITTLE stuff".

5) "Know my limits", but ALWAYS "push myself to the brink".
(… THIS one is PRIMARILY directed at my workouts.)


...