Updates, Reiteration, and Book Reviews

I had an amazing BodyTalk session yesterday. I was pretty immobile when I went (I have been since Friday.) I could walk - but only just and it looked rather amusing (I'm assuming) because there was no movement above my legs. But I was a completely different person when I left. I could twist (gently), bend, walk - it was amazing! The soreness is still there, but I can move! My practitioner has recently had some training in Matrix Energetics and she's been combining that with the BodyTalk with great success. I am just so grateful for being led down this path and having BodyTalk in my life. What a wonderful blessing.

I had my first physical therapy appointment today and was actually a bit disappointed. I'm not sure how to even describe it - whether my therapist was rushed, or not quite sure what I wanted or what my doctor wanted or what he should do - it was just not very satisfying. I don't know. It just didn't seem very thorough. He checked my reflexes, he asked me to bend back and to the sides as far as I could without pain. But that was it. He didn't feel my back - see if there was any swelling or bulging - nothing. And considering the wonderful treatment I've had from TOSH in the past, I was a bit baffled and disappointed. I do have an appointment for some pool therapy on Monday, so hopefully that will go better. And the therapist did get me started on some core strengthening exercises.

Now on to fun and fluff. I finished "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief", by Rick Riordan, a couple of weeks ago. It was fabulous! It was so much fun. It's about a sixth grade boy who struggles with dyslexia, ADHD, and school in general who discovers (after being kicked out of his sixth boarding school in as many years) that his problems can be attributed to the fact that he is the son of Poseidon (of Greek mythology.) He literally attracts trouble because he is a "half-blood." So he goes to Camp Half-Blood for the summer and ends up on a quest to recover Zeus's master lightening bolt. This book is very well written, has a ton of Greek mythology in it, and is very clever and witty. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend it. I can't wait to read more books in the series. I believe that three books have been published and a fourth is due in May.

I'm currently reading "North and South", by Elizabeth Gaskell. I'm tantalizingly close to finishing it. I've seen the BBC movie and loved it (and no, it's not about the civil war - as I mistakenly thought when Angelfish told me I had to see it - it's about the difference between the Southern gentility and Northern manufacturing parts of England during the 1800's.) But I was a bit nervous to read the book. As mentioned previously, I was scared to try out my "new" brain and find it lacking. But, I was brave and was rewarded! I'm glad that I saw the movie first. It's pretty faithful to the book, and I think it helped that I was motivated to get to the good parts and that I can picture these characters so well. Of course, it's helpful to me in my first venture back into the Classics, but is totally unnecessary if you've never lost your brain! The only recommendation I would urge is to make sure you read a copy with a glossary at the back and be aware that there's a glossary at the back. I recently discovered it and had many dialect words explained that I'd been frustrated over. Some of the characters kept talking about "clemming" or not wanting their children to "clem" and I had no idea what that was. Turns out it means "starving" or "starve." There are a few others examples as well. So, the glossary is very beneficial. I'm going to have to add this book to my library (I'm borrowing Angelfish's copy - Thanks!)