Of course I spoke too soon, as coverage of the Paralympics starts to gear up. Perhaps a concerted attempt to keep the two events separate?
Still, it's good to see the features in many newspapers, mainly from a 'human interest' angle- triumph over adversity, etc. I'm happy about the coverage in general, as this will be my first Paralympics since I broke my back. But then, the fact that I am suddenly more interested speaks volumes about how much of a presence the event had on my radar pre-injury.
That being said, I think my interest has been further kindled by my rubbing shoulders with actual Paralympians. The nature of disability sport making it seem more relevant to my every day experience. It's great that sports which are played by relatively few people around the world get to be seen on such a stage.
On the home front, P has been a Paris pour le weekend. This meant I was home alone with the nipper, and R has been very understanding, even if she has watched a little more television than usual. Ah, the cathode-ray-nanny. Possibly the only way to keep a three year old in one place without ropes,cages and other devices unpopular with social services.
I even relinquished my spot at the Emirates stadium for Arsenal's demolition of Newcastle United. I felt it was important to spend the time with R, and to prove to myself that I was easily capable of looking after her by myself instead of resorting to grand-parntal support.
Suffice to say, I woke up at four a.m. this morning as Spike decided to see if he could be of assistance, and wouldn't take no for an answer. An interesting proposition when it's impossible for me to disappear into an alcohol and sleeper fueled oblivion. I managed to avoid tears for the most part, but it was tough to wince and squirm in front of R, with her hugging me and saying, "Don't worry Daddy," over and over.
Without doubt, pain is the worst aspect of my spinal cord injury. It is debilitating, intimidating, and makes keeping a positive frame of mind extremely difficult. Bah.
On the plus side, I have discovered that the pain won't kill me, and that it subsides to mere irritation (eventually), so if I can cope with seven or eight hours of it, then everything's peachy. Good to know.
Still, it's good to see the features in many newspapers, mainly from a 'human interest' angle- triumph over adversity, etc. I'm happy about the coverage in general, as this will be my first Paralympics since I broke my back. But then, the fact that I am suddenly more interested speaks volumes about how much of a presence the event had on my radar pre-injury.
That being said, I think my interest has been further kindled by my rubbing shoulders with actual Paralympians. The nature of disability sport making it seem more relevant to my every day experience. It's great that sports which are played by relatively few people around the world get to be seen on such a stage.
On the home front, P has been a Paris pour le weekend. This meant I was home alone with the nipper, and R has been very understanding, even if she has watched a little more television than usual. Ah, the cathode-ray-nanny. Possibly the only way to keep a three year old in one place without ropes,cages and other devices unpopular with social services.
I even relinquished my spot at the Emirates stadium for Arsenal's demolition of Newcastle United. I felt it was important to spend the time with R, and to prove to myself that I was easily capable of looking after her by myself instead of resorting to grand-parntal support.
Suffice to say, I woke up at four a.m. this morning as Spike decided to see if he could be of assistance, and wouldn't take no for an answer. An interesting proposition when it's impossible for me to disappear into an alcohol and sleeper fueled oblivion. I managed to avoid tears for the most part, but it was tough to wince and squirm in front of R, with her hugging me and saying, "Don't worry Daddy," over and over.
Without doubt, pain is the worst aspect of my spinal cord injury. It is debilitating, intimidating, and makes keeping a positive frame of mind extremely difficult. Bah.
On the plus side, I have discovered that the pain won't kill me, and that it subsides to mere irritation (eventually), so if I can cope with seven or eight hours of it, then everything's peachy. Good to know.
Ah yes, the Paralympics and our new-found interest. So true. Never really paid that much attention before my accident either... Probably my loss in fact. Some great stories out there (I refuse to use the word "inspirational", having just had a rant on my blog about the term). Saw this article/good story and thought of you and your tennis. Going to challenge her 344 straight victories? http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/31/paralympics