september 15, 2006
I got my teeth cleaned yesterday! We also had
our H.U.G.S. meeting. I made a ceramic tray with a moon
& three stars! I hope that it turns out okay! Our
Ceramics Instructor’s name is Terry Lee Something.
I saw my ex-boyfriend, Ryan, there @ H.U.G.S. because
he also has Traumatic Brain Injury, plus, he wanted
to do Ceramics. My sister, Christina, also came to that
group!
--
september
13, 2006
Today, and every Wednesday, I go to Life
Skills, where I had Music Therapy. We all got to play
our own drums today! We also sang John Lennon’s
song, “Imagine.” We also sang. “Hello,”
and, “Good Bye.” I also set goals today
with Marcus, one of my Instructors.
--
march 13, 2005
well, let me think…
i recently began e-mailing my old friend, dave, from
junior high school. he currently goes to a college up
in san francisco, and he will invite me to his wedding,
which will be located in thousand oaks by my friend
ryan’s house. there has got to be more…
i rode my horse, willie, on saturday afternoon. i learned
that he used to be a racehorse. i saw my caregiver,
lalioni during the week. i began to work out at a place
called, “progressive recovery.” it is especially
for those with special needs. my friend. ryan, works
out there also, i found out.
--
no matter what you call it… it’s brain
injury:
got my bell rung, bonked my noggin, had a concussion,
got clocked, had my lights, punched out, had my brains
scrambled, saw stars, got shook up, cracked my coconut,
my lights went out, got whacked upside the head, was
knocked unconscious, took a head hit, had my brains
rattled, was pegged, got nailed, was pegged, faded out
for a while.
--
fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you
if you're young at heart.
for it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
if you're young at heart.
you can go to extremes with impossible schemes.
you can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams.
and life gets more exciting with each passing day.
and love is either in your heart, or on it's way.
don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth
to be young at heart.
for as rich as you are, it's much better by far
to be young at heart.
and if you should survive to 105,
look at all you'll derive out of being alive!
and here is the best part, you have a head start
if you are among the very young at heart.
and if you should survive to 105,
look at all you'll derive out of being alive!
and here is the best part, you have a head start
if you are among the very young at heart.
--
mind aerobics: ways to keep your memory in shape
exercise regularly! eat healthy! learn something new!
get enough sleep! create your own memory strategies!
socialize! organize! shut off the tv! (mine’s
off now) write down new information! solve brainteasers!
--
living with brain injury: facts about traumatic brain
injury
what is a traumatic
brain injury (t.b.i.)?
a blow or jolt to the head can result in a t.b.i., which
can disrupt the function of the brain. concussions,
also called “closed head injury, are a type of
t.b.i.
about 75% of
t.b.i.s that occur each year are concussions or other
kinds of mild t.b.i.
how many people
have t.b.i.?
each year in the united states, an estimated 1.4 million
people sustain a t.b.i., and 80,000 to 90,000 people
experience the onset of long-term disability associated
with t.b.i.
among children ages 0-14 years, t.b.i. results in an
estimated 37, 000 hospitalizations, and 435,000 emergency
department visits.
what causes t.b.i.?
the leading causes of t.b.i. are falls, motor-vehicle
traffic, and assaults.
--
coping
by katie berke
watch for the
next instance in which you find yourself becoming annoyed
or angry at something trivial or unimportant, then practice
letting go – make a conscious choice not to become
angry or upset. do not allow yourself to waste thought
and energy where it isn’t deserved. effective
anger management is a tried-and-true stress reducer.
breathe slowly and deeply. before reacting to the next
stressful occurrence, take three deep breaths and release
them slowly. if you have a few minutes, try out a relaxation
technique such as meditation or guided imagery. whenever
you feel overwhelmed by stress, practice speaking more
slowly than usual. you’ll find that you think
more clearly and react more reasonably to stressful
situations.
coping skills
that almost anyone can use:
call a friend, write poems, sing a song, listen to music,
talk to someone, write in a journal, play a game, draw,
bounce a ball, drink a glass of water, write all your
thoughts on an empty piece of paper, go online, write
a letter, read, play an instrument, write the lyrics
to a favorite/meaningful song, chew gum, lay flat on
your bed and focus on a single part of your ceiling.
--
did you hear about the composer who took too many baths?
he began to write soap operas.
february
3, 2005
for those of you who happen to not know…
i had my first jaw surgery last wednesday. remember
that i broke my nose in my motorcycle accident over
a year and a half ago. the jaw surgeons (there were
two who operated on me) removed 5 inches of bone from
my left hip and then inserted that bone mass into my
upper jaw. you see, most of my upper jaw was removed
from me already. my hip area did hurt so badly after
my operation. currently, i am still healing from all
of that. nowadays, i put ice packs on my left hip to
help me tremendously with the pain. i used to use my
walker just to walk, now i use my cane instead. i am
on a fierce but not strict liquid diet. my upper jaw’s
swelling is still going down slowly. my stitches from
my hip will be removed from me on tuesday.
yesterday morning,
i had a surprise visit from my old friend, fereshta.
she brought and gave me so many gifts. her presence
was the best gift of all.
then last night,
i got a visit from my mama’s best friend, sioux.
she knows that purple is my favorite colour. she gave
me a purple heart and a purple mug to drink from.
before yesterday
though, i received a visit from one of my best friends,
maria. she is russian. she is from russia. maria gave
me a gold bracelet. maria also brought and introduced
her new boyfriend, robert, or as i like to call him,
"roberto." maria used to live in westlake
on lake sherwood with her mom. that was so long ago.
now, maria attends school at the arts institute in orange
county. i really appreciate her visits because her and
i go way back, plus she is one of my best friends.
yesterday, i
finally cried about my parents’ divorce and blood
dripped from my mouth! you see, my upper right molar
somehow caused me to get a blood clot in my mouth! i
have to put up with so much now.
january
24, 2005
"this passage was typed in different
parts of chile, south america.
shaun, brother…
i do miss you terribly. i miss you so bad that today
that i looked at our family photo or the songoten picture
that you drew and gave to both our grandparents. i love
to see you smile, so here i go: what did the teacher
say to dracula? count. what did the ghost eat in italy?
spook-etti. why aren’t ghosts allowed at baseball
games? because all that they do is “boo!”
what did the dracula take to help with its cough? coffin
drops.
so… what
have you been up to besides working and band practice?
i bet that you and your band rock. you all should give
yourselves a band name, if you all practice. do tell
me what you have been up to please. i do still long
just to see you, my darling. today, andres or as mom
now calls him, “andre” gave me this super-cute
gold chain and it has a star pendant on it in gold,
too! yeah! i am still in con con at abuelita’s
house. i nicknamed grandma, “abuelita” by
the way. she says that you can’t live with someone
24/7. andre lives in this house as well, actually, so
does antonia. mom had to buy me a pair of new glasses
here in chile because my other pair from costco broke
sadly. we will have to return the older pair at home
now. it is summer here now! tomorrow, i will wear my
tank-top dress. it was so very nice to pack my sandals
to wear! mom is my roommate here as well, except we
actually share a room in this house.
i do frequently hear birds chirping here. it’s
always seagulls or other birds. my underwear diapers
do not work here at all. it’s so terrible. early,
the other morning, i felt a small earthquake. these
macintosh’s can be so retarded sometimes. i have
two things (gifts from our great great great aunt gabby)
to show you when i get home by you. i get so frustrated
with these relatives speaking spanish.
jokes here: what
do ghosts use to clean their hair? sham-boo. what do
ghosts like to chew on? boo-ble gum. cute, huh? funny,
huh? i want to buy my gold so dang soon. i still would
like spaceballs on dvd please. then no presents until
you can afford a gold ring with a ruby or rubies (my
birthstone) on it please. mom is the most generous roommate
that i have ever had. i just got seashells to show you
as well as the first two things. the beach that our
house is on top of is called, “playa amarilla”
because the buildings at the beach are painted yellow.
the last sunday, i went to our great uncle juan’s
house for lunch plus, i was their guest of honor. j
i heard that our family reunion was canceled because
uncle pablo’s partner got sick. l but i could
be wrong. mommy stayed at uncle pablo’s ranch
as well for three days, plus our uncle christian’s
2nd apartment (she was there for three days as well).
i decided the other day that i will celebrate christmas
from now on because i like having a reason to give and
receive gifts. today is christmas eve and you are now
up to date. i do see your oh yeah! grandma and grandpa
still have that picture that you drew back in 1999 (the
same year that i graduated from high school) framed,
so now, when i do miss you a lot, i look at your art
work as well of this family portrait that mom took.
i do love that picture porque or because you are leaning
your head on my head, also i am winking my eye at the
camera. oh yeah!
more jokes: knock
knock. who’s there? boo. boo who? please don’t
cry. knock knock. who’s there? ice cream. ice
cream who? i scream whenever i see a ghost. if you’re
american when you go into the bathroom, and american
when you leave the bathroom, what are you in the bathroom?
european. (you’re a-peein’) i do appreciate
your ability to remain alive. you have remained there
for me through thick and thin. j you do not take life
for granted. abuelita’s christmas cookies are:
frosted gingerbread cookies in different shapes. i cannot
wait until our sisters arrive here tomorrow or manana.
i also can hardly wait until i get my jaw surgeries
and my nose job. abuelita has a dog named, “tomasa.”
antonia has a nice figure. mommy likes lilies because
abuelita does.
one more joke:
why did the blonde get fired from the m&m factory?
because she kept throwing away all of the 'w's.
december 27
yesterday, we all went to uncle pablo (nice spanglish,
huh?) for our huge family reunion party. shaun, we have
such a big-sized family! at least here, in chile, we
have a big familia. today, later on at 7 p.m. (this
time is 5 hours ahead of our time there in california)
we will all go to valdivia and, or y, temuco (down south)
and we will be gone for three days. we all arrive back
here january 1st. i will type more then. ciao! (that’s
“good-bye” in italian.) for christmas this
year, i was given gold jewelry by abuelita. j i received
a beautiful gold bracelet as well as a gold ring. she
said that they were from peru. j i am on a bus now,
heading for temuco.
december 28
okay, i am in villarrica now at an apartment of some
son of some relative. we all just got back from pucon
, a small town that specializes in hand-made crafts.
mom bought me a new purse there and a keychain of a
wooden copihue flower. a copihue is chile’s national
flower. abuelita bought me two wooden keychains. one
says, “mama” and the other says, “maria,”
you know for my dearest friend from russia. i only had
breakfast and dinner today… f.y.i. i am now “home”
alone with abuelita.
december 28,
2004 tuesday
i am now going to asleep. buenos noches! christina
december 29,
2004 thursday
i just got back from valdivia. we were about to go on
a boat, but amie gets motion sickness easily. it started
raining as well, so of course we all didn’t go
sailing. it is andres, mommy, abuelita, abuelo, amie,
christina, and also little ol’ me. j that’s
all of us here, now. mommy bought me a keychain and
another hair-tie. christina says, “hi!”
to you shaun. valdivia was 2 hours away from villarrica,
where i am. tomorrow, we will all be taken to pucon
again so that i can have mommy buy a keychain for our
cousin, daniella, with her name engraved on it. we haven’t
been back to temuco yet, though. did you know that antonia,
our cousin, is now 21, your age. j also, andres was
married to rebecca, martin’s mom, who i met at
our great uncle juan’s luncheon. i play brain-boost
games so bloody often. i went with mommy to aaa to get
her international driver’s license. so, she now
drives a rental “toyota yaris,” so does
andres.
january 1st 2005
on a new subject and in/or on a different place, i am
now on a train heading back to con-cón with everyone.
right now, mommy is playing canasta with abuelita. i
do miss joshua, my ex-boyfriend. i am listening to this
jungle (drum and bass basically) cd that he kindly donated
to “little ol’ me.” he actually gave
me a lot more cds. this is only one “mix.”
it does sound so incredibly groovy. i have several more
hours, sadly, on this here train. yesterday, i went
to pucón again with mommy and our siblings. by
the way, christina had a caricature of herself made.
i also bought daniela a keychain that said her name
spelled out in capital letters. i think that she will
like it a lot. in valdivia, mommy bought me a cute keychain
and a new, cute wooden hair-tie. the hair-tie is a wooden
flower (which they all have a lot of down south here
or back there. okay… now i am in con con again
with only mama, andres (my uncle), abuelita, and grandpa
jorge. i do miss my ex-boyfriend sometimes. i thought
that i should ask him if he could please burn me a copy
of “jungle” whenever he receives a new mix.
okay… again… here is my city checklist:
reñaca, el monte, concón, pucón,
valdivia, valparaiso, viña del mar, temuco, and
santiago (that’s the major city and the country’s
capital close by us where we all are). right now, mama
is making me dinner again. also, i am now wearing a
straw cowgirl hat. earlier this afternoon, we all went
to reñaca, angélica, a friend of my abuelita’s),
drew a picture of me. she is an artist. she also drew
andrés and mama. mama’s picture is so good.
my portrait, in my opinion, looks sort of geeky to be
honest. my dinner’s ready now. i must go. hasta
luego!"
december 1, 2004
lalioni is here. i firmly believe in feng shui because
my life is peaceful all because of my mom placing my
new bed in the right feng shui place. attached is my
old hamster’s song: “huah! yah! yee-ah!
everybody was kung-fu fighting! those cats were fast
as lightening! they fought with expert timing! ho ho
ho ho ho! ho ho ho ho ho! ho ho ho ho ho! ho ho ho ho
ho!”
november 27,
2004
well, i will be traveling by airplane to chile on december
7, 2004 to visit my mom’s whole family. you see,
my mom came here to america as a foreign exchange student
when she was 16 or so. i can hardly wait to go to chile.
i will fill you all in on a chilean secret: they use
manjar to make things taste sweeter. you see, manjar
can be made with sweetened condensed milk that has been
boiled for one hour. it ends up tasting and looking
like caramel. i truly can hardly wait to eat a manjar
cake! my friend a. will come over today from 3-5 p.m.
he comes over every saturday around those times. same
with ryan n. he comes on sundays, same times. i am quite
a social butterfly! i met them both at my brain injury
support group in ventura.
november 23,
2004
okay... i have been socializing lately, like with both
of "my" ryans, and lalioni, and mom. i went
with ryan needham and his mom and dad to go see a play
entitled, "split second" on sunday. very very
good play. i could tell you about it but then i would
give it away. okay, here i go: this black cop shoots
(with a realistic-sounding gun) a white guy for calling
him "n*gger." then the white guy drops dead
because the black guy shot him on his heart. then the
black guy has a wife and a father and a friend. the
black guy said that the shooting was an accident, so
he did no time for the murder. it was like watching
a movie, only it was live-action. i also went with my
mom to santa barbara to see our friend, berney. you
see, he recently bought a boat. so now, he will move
out of his house. he sold so much stuff at his "garage"
sale. he gave me a pair of elk boots (cowboy boots)
and a pillow which i now use to decorate my bed. i told
berney that he is kind of like my father now. he said
that my mom is like a sister to him. it's all too weird.
mom brought the tv, that my little sister has, inside.
thank goodness. i had an assembly at my former elementary
school. why? because there must be a face to my name.
some kids are doing chores just to help me raise money
for my jaw surgeries. at my assembly, i gave a speech,
thanking everyone for their help in changing my smile.
november 13,
2004
yesterday, mom and i went to santa barbara to eat dinner
with berney at a very very nice restaurant for her birthday
(late). my tv is still broken. it’s sad. oh well.
also, mom and i went to aaron brothers to buy some frames
for her schoolwork. i just washed my mom’s car
(with her help).
november 6, 2004
today, i played scrabble with my new friend, ryan anderson.
then he left and my older sister, amie, came over. she
turned 28 today. she came over, so did her boyfriend,
burke, so did her friend, hugo, so did my former 6th
grade teacher, mr. moccia, so did my mom’s friend,
sioux, so did my younger brother, shaun, and so did
my baby sister, christina. they all just left. i am
going to get ready for bed now.
november 3, 2004
i am attempting to kill time before my caregiver, lalioni,
gets here. i miss my older sister, amie, a lot. i will
see her soon because her birthday is on this saturday.
she went through hell recently because her car was stolen,
now she will get a ride this saturday with this guy
that she is dating, burke. he is attractive, i can say.
i must put the dishes away now.
november 2, 2004
so, now i am chatting with my ex-lover josh on aol instant
messenger. he says that he gained weight. :( he told
me that he weighs 220 pounds. that is a tremendous weight-gain
for him. josh is 6' 3" and cute as hell. he is
going to bring me a jungle music cd. :)
november 1, 2004
here are some jokes: if you are american when you are
going into the bathroom and the same when you're coming
out, what are you in the bathroom? european why can't
the witches get pregnant? because it's a hollo wiener
why'd the blonde get fired from the m&m factory?
she threw away all of the w's. how do you you know a
blonde has been using your computer? there's white out
all over the screen lol
november 1, 2004
lalioni, my caregiver, came to my house from 9-3 and
that was that. she comes every monday and wednesday.
we played board games and did brain exercises. we also
went for a walk. i did my 100 situps and my other "counter"
exercises.
october 31, 2004
happy halloween everyone! (especially to the witches).
later today. my mom's friend, berney, will take my mom
and i out for lunch. you see, he lives in santa barbara,
so everything is good with him. later on, i will play
board games with my friend, ryan needham, who has traumatic
brain injury as well. he still uses a cane-sort-of-thing.
he does, sadly, walk slow. but, the slow-walking just
takes time to heal.
october 27, 2004
today just gets better and better! at noon lalioni will
come over and later she will take me to my brain injury
support group in ventura from 4-6 p.m. board games until
the group! weeee!
october
23, 2004
yesterday, i went to the brain injury support group's
day center with ryan needham and i was given pitures
by jean that she took of me getting my toe-rings, then
i played rummikub with ryan and tillie. changing the
subject, today i voted on my absentee ballot.
october 20, 2004
lalioni will come over from noon until 6 p.m. and that
is that. i may go to the brain injury support group
from 4-6 if it does not rain again. i may get a visit
from joshua brecunier, an ex-boyfriend, and his chihuahua,
zeus, because josh said he would bring me jungle (it's
drum and bass music) cds and a country cd also, which
i will give to mom. josh says that zeus is a little
bastard and he growls a lot more than he used to. i
told josh, "he obviously misses me. " he went
"lol!" what else? i guess that's it.
october 5, 2004
today i saw a woman from the ada (american disabilities
act) and she took my picture for an id. then joanne
(she's blind) came over briefly and gave me a clock
where all you have to do to tell time is push the clock
down. she's from the department of :)
october 3, 2004
my baby sister, christina, spent the night each day
this weekend. i am currently grooving to "the best
of george harrison." hmm... other than that, nothing
else is happening in my small world.
september 30,2004
okay... here i go: today, earlier, i went with my friend,
ryan f., to the brain injury support group's day center
in ventura and we played rummikub twice. i am now listening
to weezer's blue album. woo! hoo!!! later on today,
mom and i will go to smart & final to buy tissue
and then to albertson's, then to see bjorn, the horse
that i do thankfully ride, then out to taco bell, then
to moody court because mom's starting a new brain injury
support group gladly. on saturday, i will go to my friend
ryan anderson 's to play board games. then sunday, the
other ryan will come over to my house to play board
games. then monday, i will get massaged by emily in
the evening. that's all folks!!! peace out!!!
september 28.
2004
well... i am currently waiting for mom to finish with
her "documents" and oh my god!!! i won the
case when i sued my former landlord bill in small claims
court for not giving me my deposit back. i am happy.
later on, i will go to my older sister's place for dinner
and board games. i do not have any hobbies. :( amie's
(my sister) car broke down on her way to work this morning.
:( tomorrow, i will go to the brain injury support group
with my new friend ryan anderson .
september 27,
2004
lalioni is here and she will play board games with me.
at 4 p.m. , i have an appointment with my reconstructive
nose surgeon and at 7 p.m. , i will see emily for my
massage. i got my haircut. peace out!!!
september 25,
2004
my baby sister, who will be 19 next month, christina
spent the night last night and she is still asleep.
:( i got my first job also! i am a pet-sitter for a
small dog that looks like lassie pretty much, i take
him outside to do his "business" and to go
pee and to give him a "biscuit." my mom and
my sister are still sadly sleeping. my new friend ryan
is coming over later at 3 p.m. to play board games.
then pat, my dead dad's ex-girlfriend, is coming over
at 5 p.m. to take me to islands for "mmmmm"
onion rings. today is very eventful!!! to me at least.
i am stunned because the man who got me in the motorcycle
collision, damion, hung himself and sadly committed
suicide the day before his court date. he was obviously
scared. i am still shocked. oh yeah! my surgery is covered
by medi-cal! hello there shaun! i miss you dearly. i
will happily see you tomorrow, i hope.
september 22,
2004
today, lalioni took me to the brain injury support group's
day center so that i could watercolor. she also took
me to taco bell in ventura . in a few minutes, ryan
anderson 's parents will take me to the t.b.i. support
group. my refrigerator is broken. :( it will get fixed
though. :)
september 21,
2004
i am currently burning a christie front drive cd for
a friend with t.b.i., ryan anderson . i am also listening
to d.j. heather luckily. mom is taking me to my older
sister, amie's soon. any day now.
september 20,
2004
lalioni came over again and the two of us played upwords
and uno. she also helped me copy a cd. i also did four
assignments. we also had lunch together
september 18,
2004
christina can groove, too!1! i am going to go to my
brain-injured friend ryan's house later this afternoon
at 3 p.m.
september 18,
2004
i went to my new dentist yesterday and i got my teeth
cleaned! woo-hoooooo! i am now listening to d.j. heather!
welcome to house music! dooj-dooh. bum-bum-bah-dum-dum.
i am grooving! i just taught my littlest sister christina
how to dance to house. oh yeah! byoom-byoom-byoom-byoom.
september 15,
2004
lalioni came over and played board games. i had a killer
headache last night. i am okay now.
september 9,
2004
i am all done with my speech therapy. i accidentally
forgot my dentures in ventura on a tray at taco bell.
now i have to go get them.
august 7, 2004
mom's going to csun later and lalioni is coming over.
my therapy is ending so i am running out of things to
do. i need two hobbies. any ideas can be e-mailed to
ktbwon@mac.com. peace out!!! love always, katie bee
august 29, 2004
yesterday i went to my new friend ryan's house. i knew
his brother because many years ago, i dated a friend
of his younger (but at least one year older than me)
brother, quinn. quinn no longer hangs out with john
tjulander because john moved to simi valley with his
older sister. ryan lent me 14 dvds! all are comedies.
(of course) ryan and i played this new game he had called
abalone. it has marbles that you have to push around.
we also played my game othello. then his mother took
me back home. peace out!!!
august 20, 2004
ana, a friend of mom's from csun, came over. later dora,
friend from csun also too, is going to come over. my
older sister amie leaves long messages. okay ... peace
out!!! love always, katie bee
august 17, 2004
ok. today i played rummikube, upwords, uno and go fish
with laliani. also, julie came over to prepare us for
our stamp party. i got another card from mr. moccia,
my former sixth grade teacher. abadia abadia, that's
all folks.
august 11, 2004
earlier today, mom and i had our house inspected. then
mom took me to speech therapy and then to trader joe's.
i just ate sushi. christina came over earlier and will
take me to the brain injury support group in ventura
at 4 p.m. love always, katie.
august 10, 2004
well well well... i am very bored. there is nothing
to do now. lalioni came over and is still here and i
am supposed to be doing my typing tutor... eh well.
what the? what the? hmm i am really looking forward
to christina coming over tomorrow. she is going to take
me to my brain injury support group. that is going to
be all the way in ventura for the records. that's all
folks! love always, katie bee.
august 8, 2004
yesterday was a dramatic day. okay... mom and i drove
down to hollyweird to pick up her friend sashana from
norway. sashana lives now in borne, england and gave
me a nice bracelet which is on my left wrist. on the
way there, mom's lights inside went on, her brake light
and service engine light. so mom rented a chevro-crappy
and then i was scared of a sound it made so we rode
with aaa tow truck and dropped it off at the place she
rented it from: basic car rental. sashana went back
to her hostel last night. whew! i cried last night.
our lights went out in the rental and i was scared shitless.
i still cannot believe that i actually cried over this.
ah well. such is my life. never go rent from basic car
rental please. thank you. peace out!!! love always,
katie.
» kt just
completed two weeks of swimming classes, and she can
now float and swim. her favorite is the 'kt style':
breast strokes and freestyle kicks. "the accomplishment
i am most proud of." -ktb
