Jane at war has a good influence on Frank; besides the content, most importantly because the book is very light weight (in spite of what you would expect given the format) so it's easy for him to handle. When I came in he was reading-sleeping-reading, and when he noticed my presence he complained a bit about his back/spine. So I helped him turn to his left a little and give him a bit of a massage on his lower back. It must be so hard, laying on your back almost the whole day. It helped him a little and he was grateful for it. We talked a bit and what bothers him enormously is what his perspective is. He wants to return to his appartment, wants to sleep in his own bed ("I'm so comfortable in it"), wants to escape from the given situation, all so understandable. And when I asked how he considered escaping he replied "with a little electric car". If only the continuity of his awareness would improve, then an electric device could be an option. I asked him how he experienced his condition from within, what he noticed from his hampered arousal and attention. Upon which he answered "I feel like being in a graduation parade, I constantly pass out". Now I don't know what he means with a graduation parade but I brings back a memory in my mind of a picture Frank showed me once, which was a photo of "the changing of the guards" parade at Buckingham Palace. The picture showed a perfectly straight line up from guards with big heavy hairy hats (Frank calles them beremutsen, I don't know the correct english noun for it) and one of the guards had passed out and lay on the ground. Frank thought it was a very funny picture, quit the contrary of his situation right now. If anyone has other associations with "the graduation parade", tell us, leave your message on the blog, it will help us to understand more precisely how Frank feels and experiences his situation.
Furthermore, I've read him the postcards that arrived and that pleased him so much, he wanted to held them one by one and the pile is growing day by day. Also Frank asked whether people from the GHS from germany had read or reacted to the blog (he finds it very special that he is the subject of a blog). Now I don't know anyone from the GHS but if you read this blog and want to leave a message behind for Frank, we'll convey it to him. We keep telling to him that there are so many people who appreciate Frank in so many ways, in the hope that he can keep up his fighting spirits, he really needs that very badly.
So on behalf of Frank, on his graduation parade, kind regards and thank you for being with Frank and us in any form or way, thanks!
Esther
This Blog has from today one extra reader.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMy visit today to Frank had a second purpose. A few months ago I bought a new laptop and my old one is now my spare one. I'm not doing much with it so my line of thinking was: He can read a book. Can he also read a computer screen? Duh! And I have a spare laptop, not doing much with it. Well... lets try out.
And so I brought my old laptop with me. Just to see if it is possible to put it to use. Second question: Is it readable to Frank and not too dificult in handling and controling it?
While I was setting up the laptop the nurces were giving him apple sauce, with cinamon, (Cinnamomum verum, kaneel, zimt, cannelle) and he was demanding more. He was promised more, later in the evening.
I also noted that he had quite a few new card! Each one helps to keep his mind up, something that he realy needs to do.
Frank has asked, more than once, for the URI of this site and since his current stay has no internet facilities I had downloaded this website on the laptop. It was not possible to get the laptop close to him and also give him a good control over it. But lucky enough it was possible to enlarge the view a bit so that a little bit of extra distance was no problem.
First his comments were things like "who has written this?" and "next page!" but soon his hand found the way to the keyboard and he was fiddling around on his own.
But as it is still very hard for him to keep his full attention and focus on a single subject he dozed off a few times. Each time his eyes returned to the screen and he was reading the next bit. The same style in which he is reading books. We went through a few days worth of writing.
It was a success (if you ask me), he finaly got his apple souce and this URI. And now I'm home with the laptop, fitting it out for Frank. See if I can find a tool to give him internet access, in his next stay I expect that to be of no problem. And I have some interesting pdf books for him that I got from... yeh, Frank!
Great Andre!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI also was figuring out how to arrange internet access for frank, but up till now the only way I can think of is with a dongel. Let's work out this idea, great for frank if you ask me. Cusoon goodnight esther
Request For Comment:
BeantwoordenVerwijderenDoes anybody know a cheap and easy way to get internet at a place where a wired connection is not available?
Any advice is welcome.
OK, this is in Dutch as the English-speaking visitors understand the pun already (I hope ;-)). Over de "graduation/passing parade": in het Engelse leger (en elders ook) is het gebruikelijk dat als een cursus is afgesloten, degenen die de opleiding met succes hebben afgerond aan de staf van de opleiding en gevarieerde genodigden en familieleden voorbijparaderen. Dit is de "passing out parade". Maar "to pass out" is ook flauwvallen, en als dat bij erewacht of parade gebeurt dan wordt dat vaak in een woordspeling ook als "passing out parade" omschreven (letterlijk flauwvalparade). Frank's opmerking is een ironische omschrijving van zijn toestand.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenIk hoop dat dit een beetje helpt, het uitleggen van Engelse humor blijkt best wel een uitdaging. Oh, en het hoofddeksel is een "bearskin", hoewel ik "big heavy hairy hat" ook wel charmant vind
Walter
He walter,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenThanks for your explanation. The thing that strikes me most is that Frank uses irony (again) to describe his situation. Let's hope that he can make much more ironical puns lines. Knowing him for fifty years I sure can tell that's one of his biggest talents, and usually the one who's laughing the loudest is...... right Frankie!
Eshter