the man with the 7-second memory

the other night, i watched a documentary on CBC's "The Passionate Eye" called "The Man with the 7-second memory"...
"Clive Wearing has one of the worst cases of amnesia in the world. Once a renowned conductor and musician, Clive was struck down in 1985 byEncephalitis, which caused massive damage to his brain.Doctors battled to save his life but he was left with a memory that spans just seven seconds. "It's like being dead . . . one long night with no thoughts, no dreams. There’s no difference between day and night, I haven’t been conscious in 20 years."The only person Clive recognizes is his wife, Deborah, who had been married to him just 18 months when he became ill. The illness has meant they have had to spend the last 20 years of their marriage living apart."

the interesting thing was that...although clive cannot remember anything before his accident or after (concrete memories or people), he recognized deborah everytime he saw her. he knew who she was even though he had no "memory" of her...somewhere, dwelling within him, is this complete recognition of her...this recognition of love, i suppose. trying to put myself in her shoes was another thing that really affected me...can you imagine being with a man who no longer remembers all the memories you've created together? the life that you've lead together...the children that you've raised? she said at one point that she is a widow to a man who is still alive...

the sheer redemptive nature of love can burn us from the inside, fueling us to keep on going in this life. even under these extreme circumstances...deborah and clive's relationship still remains intact. the love between them hasn't died despite a complete wipe-out of any memories. strange that the disease has afflicted his mind, but not his heart. the connection that they have is something deeper than memories...something that transcends time. it's love...on a whole other dimension.

needless to say, i was moved.

top 10 favourite (secular) songs of all time

in no particular order.
and...I think I have to exclude Switchfoot from this list...you all know that would require another top 10 list.

1) Coldplay - Trouble tied w/ Warning Sign
2) Sarah McLachlan - I love you tied w/ World on Fire
3) Amanda Marshall - Dark Horse
4) Ryan Adams - Wonderwall
5) Damien Rice - Cannonball
6) Tanya Tsai - The next time love arrives (Mandarin)
7) Collective Soul - Run
8) India Arie - Ready for love
9) U2 - Original of the Species...tied w/ Sometimes you can't make it on your own...tied w/...the entire Joshua Tree album.
10) Paul McCartney/Jem - Maybe I'm amazed

Um...11) The Beatles - Something
I also really really really love James Taylor's "You can close your eyes"

And...top 5 Switchfoot songs of all time...Hehee...(this is so self-gratuitous...but...let's say this is dedicated to all the fellow fans. Yes koosters, that includes you.)

1) The Blues
2) Dare you to move
3) Learning to breathe
4) The shadow proves the sunshine
5) On fire tied w/ Let that be enough

get me out of here!

midnight hour is approaching...term papers...NOT FINISHED.
i'm about three-quarters finished my semiotic analysis of an absolut vodka ad...just needs a nip/tuck here and there...
my history paper...comparative rhetorical analysis...with the use of ethos, pathos, and logos...of three articles about the role of islam in the political sphere...barely begun.
my head...implodes.
15 hours before handing them both in.
i have dug myself a literary hole.
help me out...!!
craving for a sausage mcmuffin.
i am the procrastinating queen.

cannonball - damien rice

Still a little bit of your taste in my mouth, still a little bit of you laced with my doubt
Still a little hard to say what's going on, still a little bit of your ghost, your witness
Still a little bit of your face I haven't kissed,
You step a little closer each day that I can’t say what's going on

Stones taught me to fly
Love, taught me to lie
Life taught me to die
So it's not hard to fall, when you float like a cannonball

Still a little bit of your song in my ear, still a little bit of your words I long to hear
You step a little closer to me, so close that I can't see what's going on

Stones taught me to fly
Love taught me to lie
Life taught me to die
So it's not hard to fall when you float like a cannon..
So come on courage, teach me to be shy
Cause it's not hard to fall, and I don't wanna scare you
It's not hard to fall, and I don't wanna lose
It's not hard to grow when you know that you just don't know

the waters, they rise and they fall

"How long have I been in this storm?
So overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form
Water's getting harder to tread, with these waves crashing over my head
If I could just see You, everything would be alright
If I could see You, the storminess will turn to light
And I will walk on water and You will catch me if I fall...
And I will get lost into Your eyes and everything will be alright...and everything will be alright..."
- Lifehouse

I love this song because it encapsulates to near perfection what's going on within me. I'm slowly coming to the realization that adaptation is the key to survival. As each wave comes crashing over, we fight to breathe...we fight for the air that can help define our purpose. The question of "how long" is what remains...I'm still swimming and in lapses, I drown. November has already arrived...and it's become increasingly surreal that this year will soon end. The new year is approaching, but rather it being a new beginning, perhaps it will be a new end.

Betrayal...or rather what we understand as betrayal (because our own interests are not met) cuts deep within the soul. Like a malignant tumour, it spreads...until it has threatened every aspect of the body. It's funny how the most insignificant acts of "betrayal" can make us feel like we've been "demeaned"...how it can serve to make us feel as insecure as we were in junior high...

mmm...and the day must go on. and anger must subside...at some point.

ellie
p.s A shout-out to Yvonne because she is cool. She leaves me comments and also reminds me to sit down during hockey. (it is highly important that I not block her view)
p.p.s I promise to write something funny next time.

"Come gather 'round people, wherever you roam, and admit that the waters around you have grown...and accept it that soon, you'll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you is worth savin', then you better start swimmin or you'll sink like a stone for the times they are a-changin'"
- Bob Dylan

edit: poe is also super cool cuz she first coined the phrase "adaptation is the key to survival".