Coincidences

For those who bother w/ my scratchings here... in the Bodywork thread, mentioned a meeting with someone at the park today (09 Dec), with the same knee bad... but 10 mos ago, they got it replaced.

Also in that entry, mentioned I don't believe encounters, esp with people, are random (have felt this since childhood).

Basically... someone up there placed another in my path, that I needed to see. Let me tell you, rather than ignore or disavow this as would've countless times in my less-than-ideal life... hung it out there, and began a conversation w/ a stranger who at first, didn't even acknowledge I existed -- a typical JA reaction, esp for Maui

But watching their gait... man I don't f***ing want that. But it's as if a gentle voice said, 'now you know a branch of the path, not that far away for you. Don't front like I never warned you... rest is up to you'.

I can intellectualise these encounters away easily enough with other things... but this was too effing specific. They would've reacted to a stranger asking out of the blue about their leg (which may've been self-conscious about)... exactly as I would've.

Pay attention -- if you're of sound mind, often these little signs can lead to growth in a positive direction. When they turn out eerie like this... it's because someone cares enough to get it through your thick-arse skull, because you need it

 

Well that was weird...

One of the dietary changes made specifically for this knee rehab... is cutting out all foods even close to being poor nooch; i.e. 'clean-ifying' intake. One is high amt of chicken breast vs. other types of protein (allowing greens / beans sources, of course)... and for in-between meals, rather than popcorn and once a month, high-quality dark chocolate (Hu Salted 70% Dark current fave, cheap and responsible) or nuts (cinnamon pistachios)... switched to apples, which I'd forgotten 1) how good a Fuji apple is, and 2) how filling whole fruit is (tonnes of fiber).

Have perhaps 2 / day... a new staple. And feel better to boot. Like you never remember how good something is -- can't even recall the tiniest mote of that, after a decade+ away -- until you try it again. Can't imagine not liking them now

But how very strange... me & this apple thing... when a random hair washed over to watch NF, waiting for a client.

'Adolescence', is a big deal -- The Guardian says it's the most perfect TV they've rated in decades. Meh -- saw them mentioned for Emmys, Golden Globes, etc... but nothing convincing enough to actually start watching (btw, took until S8 to watch my first EP of GoT, for your elucidation ). Until enough buzz from the right places cross my sightline, usually get into it way after buzz dissolves -- that's me, the perpetual tardy-to-the-party contrarian... but recovering

Watching the first EP... what's the first thing the first character on screen's doing?

Eating an apple.

Not just one... he's eating several of them a day, for health reasons (his, was to replace cigarettes and quit smoking).

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Weird

 

Oh, not dissing it for others -- if your knee replacement surger(-y / -ies) worked, good for you -- pls make the most of the new freedom

But man -- watching that stranger kick their leg around like a prosthetic... hope they just need PT to build muscles and nerve 'maps' to get closer to natural movement... because it was too close to marionette-like for my liking. But 10 mos is a long time to still need PT for the sake of building back to natural gait -- so for me if I can avoid it, nope-on-a-rope

 

Guess shouldn't be too surprised YT reccied these back to me after a couple of years... but was neat they referred two of my all-time fave jazz performances and a Bonus-GET, at the same time:

This is the late George Duke and his Trio's performance of 'It's On', at Java Jazz Fest in Jakarta 15y ago:

Thing is, I've not a musician-ship bone in my body. If 6y of clarinet resulted in a middling player, then pretty hopeless. Which is why I boggle at people who not only have the potential but the drive to get to a stage these three were at. And jazz is intrinsically about playing limericks in a language even most musicians never actually master all 12 key centers of. You really have to know the technical part so well, you can't help but play...

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Speaking of playing in the deep end of the pool:

Cory Henry's obviously the star of this 11-yo video for that incredible keyboard solo (a prodigy rumoured to have perfect pitch)... but the depth of talent in that room's amazing: Larnell Lewis on drums; Shaun Martin on keys next to Cory, and of course Michael League on bass with the rest of Snarky Puppy. They rehearsed this piece several times before cutting this final version... and apparently Cory'd tried some different solo experiments that didn't end up working, as is the time to find out. But all in attendance are highly-disciplined jazz musicians... if I were to pick a video to show what it felt like to be awed by a musician, this'd be top 5 for sure. How about those two guitarists in almost imperceptible sync in the chorus?

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Last one:

If you watch this actual stage in full... when Jacob 'seeds' his Vienna audience with E B G# C# D# F# A#... he raises their volume to close out the performance with this chord, cut off in this short... and it's magic. His 'audience choir' concerts are all good... but the Vienna and Rome stops in '22 - '23, were exceptional -- not surprising, as those cities have centuries of history celebrating Western music woven and evolved thru at least wealthy & educated society...

Jacob, another prodigy w/ confirmed perfect pitch... has a deep, intrinsic understanding and fascination exploring the bones of music, bordering on sorcery. Even Herbie Hancock respects him, someone who made his name in the 2nd of Mile Davis' fabulous Quintets over 60y ago. That's how transcendent Jacob's talent for hearing tonal relationships is. When you make your name w/ microtonal music, and understand Western classical music theory to his degree of effortlessness... fascinating watching him try to explain these things to me, a comparative tone-deaf knob

 

Was wallowing a bit in a more-flashy past life as a rider, wrench, and brief time racing... looking at some footage of the Everest peak of moto roadracing, MotoGP. Can't drill too far down that rabbit hole... w/o the subject of death coming up.

Been an automotive Grand Prix fan since the mid-'80s crazy-turbo Senna-McLaren era, and motorcycle GP fan since '91, buying my first sportbike. You can't separate the two -- winning at that level, and risk of death -- and though each side of the sport's come a long way to make that '60s / '70s expectation of dying in during a season reality, it still holds today (though much more rare). Unless magical 3025-technology force-field-ing and levitating every racer from the violence around them's mandated into regulation... a front wheel coming at your neck at 60 mph, will kill you thru all your thousands of dollars of airbag countermeasures and D3O-enabled armour. It's safer, but only postpones and softens the inevitable (as someone whose track injuries ended their racing career, can comment with a bit of exp).

Watched Daijiro Kato, Shoya Tomizawa, and Marco Simoncelli's stories -- the first 3 in the modern MotoGP era to succumb to injury during their seasons... and couldn't help but notice something about their racing numbers.

MotoGP racer Kato's number, was 74 -- 7 + 4 = 11. 11's an eerie number I see a lot re: celebrity and death. His ended FIM racing at Suzuka Circuit, and remains to this day. He died in 2003, on lap 3, exiting the newly-modified infamous 130R turn into a modded-closer Casio Triangle -- the same year the change to the track was made.

Moto2 racer Tomizawa's number, was 48 -- 4 + 8 = 12. Tomizawa rode with Kato's number 74 on his leather's shoulder, as tribute. His death occurred at Misano, the 12th race on the calendar in 2010... on lap 12.

MotoGP racer Simoncelli's number, was 58 -- 5 + 8 = 13. We all know about the number 13... but his death occurred in '11, at Sepang's Turn 11. In November 2011 (11-11), Misano World Circuit officially planned to add Marco's name to its own, which it did the following summer.

After Simoncelli, the pattern stops -- Moto2 racer Luis Salom's number was 39, and Moto3 racer Jason Dupasquier's -- the most recent death, in '21 -- was 50. But should be noted these two latter deaths didn't occur during an actual race (Salom died in practice, and Dupasquier during qualifying). The pattern seems to hold only for FIM Grands Prix.

Weird it stops at 3, tho... which is the number of places on the podium. All racing numbers have been rightly retired by the FIM, in remembrance of these deaths.

There are more coincidences from this subject, but these stretch of credulity the least, if having any to begin with.