Today is Independence Day in the United States. For the first time since I moved to Austin, I went to Auditorium Shores this evening to watch the fireworks and listen to the symphony. It's not that I haven't witnessed fireworks here before - I just haven't taken part in the traditional Austin downtown celebration - until today. Cool stuff.
Welcome to a special July 4th edition of the Rhubarb Report. It would only be appropriate on a day like today to find some patriotic rhubarb and to share a few thoughts on what makes this country what it is. We live in a country founded on freedom, and there are plenty of powers-that-be that would gladly tear it asunder if we let them do so.
So sit back, relax, raise a toast to the United States, and enjoy the latest episode of the Rhubarb Report.
Let's get this out of the way right now. I will begrudgingly congratulate the Miami Heat for winning game 7 and becoming NBA champions. As a resident of central Texas, it should be no surprise that I was in full support of the Spurs. Needless to say, the last two games have been a little agonizing for us here in Texas.
Now, with hockey winding down, we're left with ... baseball. Ugh. I guess it's time to start counting the days until college football starts again.
The Leafs lost. The Spurs lost. And yes, imagine this, life still goes on. So with that being said, let's get moving with another episode of the Rhubarb Report - where truth is stranger than fiction.
Here I was thinking that Section 215 was in the Alamodome or some other large Texas football stadium. Boy, was I wrong. Little did I know that it's the section of the US Patriot Act that seems to be getting everyone's attention these days.
It's funny that if you are an NFL team, you can't videotape an opposing team's practices - but you want my phone records? Go ahead, take a look. Email? No worries. Web searches? Welcome to Section 215.
Oh, the razor's edge of freedom that we live on. On a day when we remember D-Day, many can somehow turn a blind eye to this sort of thing. Incredible.
Just another snippet of rhubarb to start off Episode 068.
They took me to the brink again. And once again, they left Leaf Nation hanging, uttering the phrase "maybe next season" one more time.
"They" would be the Toronto Maple Leafs, of course, who were officially eliminated from the NHL playoffs by the Boston Bruins in overtime of game 7. That wouldn't be a big deal, except that they had a two goal lead with 1:22 to play. But in fine Leafs fashion, they gave up two quick goals and went to overtime. The rest, as they say, is history.
As a Toronto newspaper so eloquently noted the next day, "The Choke's On Us". I just call them the Chicago Cubs of the NHL. 'Nuff said on that one.
There is never a lack of rhubarb upon which to report. So with that in mind, I bring you stories from the fringe - in Episode 067.
This year is the first time since 2004 that the Toronto Maple Leafs have been a part of the NHL playoffs. They were, until last week, the owners of the league's longest post-season drought. You would also have to go back a lot of years - specifically, to 1967 - to find their last (13th) Stanley Cup win. That gives them the unenviable title of also having the NHL's longest-active championship drought. It's not easy being a Leaf's fan. Trust me on this one.
Just when hopes were high this season, the Leafs have now found themselves in a 3 - 1 deficit against the Boston Bruins. Somehow, this doesn't surprise me from the team that is now the NHL version of the Chicago Cubs. This doesn't qualify as rhubarb as much as it is a painful reality for Leafs fans worldwide.
Reality check aside, and before Leafs depression sets in once again, there is plenty of rhubarb to make you stop and ponder just what makes the world go 'round. Alas, Episode 66 of the Rhubarb Report - game on!
Last month was a tough month. The events of Boston, Massachusetts and West, Texas brought tragedy front and center in our world once again.
The news of the Boston bombings was everywhere you looked. Many were exposed to the devastation that struck the community of West. We are in a world these days in which the more sensational or shocking the news is, the more tragic the event is perceived. It could be Boston or West or Newtown or Columbine or Oklahoma City. You don't have to go overseas to find examples. Just look in our own backyard.
Throughout that fateful week, the overwhelming thought wasn't one of making sense of the evil, the pain, or the suffering. My mind kept coming back to our responses to the tragedies among us.
Rush arrived at the Frank Erwin Center on Tuesday night for the start of their latest tour, just 5 days after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What ended up as a phenomenal 2.5 hour performance started with a song from 1982 called "Subdivisions". It immediately took me back to a place many years ago: January, 1984.
I will admit, those were difficult times, struggling as many do with trying to find your place in the world. While my friends gravitated towards the hollow mind candy of Top 40 hits, I found myself immersed in musicians like Jimi Hendrix and, yes, Rush. I saw the world a little differently than most of my friends, and it certainly wasn't without it's share of friction.
Meanwhile, there was this class called "Canadian literature" that I had to survive. Little did I know that it would change my world and forever alter the course of my life.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".
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