29 July 2012

Long time no hear

Hey how's it going?
Not much news here. Apologies for going AWOL. I was away for a couple weeks, but I'm back now. You care.
I'll post a report on my travel experience in a day or two. In the interim here's a video that Big Cheese forwarded to me. It's near and dear to my heart in that it covers two subjects about which I feel strongly: quality of life, and also gaming. Enjoy.

In the event that the embed doesn't work you can use this link to go directly.


17 July 2012

We've all been there(?)

Awkwarrrrrrd
This little tidbit comes courtesy Alligator Sunglasses. They probably have a proper credit for it but hey, it's craigslist and that's the public domain as far as I can tell.

The story itself reminded me of the time my former roommate took a similar gamble at Newport Brewing Company and had to drive home to change out his ensemble. He couldn't even sit on the seat because frothy, foamy shit was coming out of his pants above his beltline. (Why this happened - and I mean the poop above the belt, not 'why he shit his pants' - is still a mystery. Capillary action? Bowel pressure? Super tight boxer briefs? Some combination of the above? We'll never know.) He had to operate the pedals with one foot and keep the other locked against the floor so it would wedge his upper torso against the seatback to prevent further befouling the interior of his 4Runner. Sooo, yeah. That happened. He ended up doing such a quick costume change that his then-girlfriend never noticed that he was gone. Well played, sir. Well played.

It's been an up and down week over here. Sold the 600RR for a fair price. This is mixed news. I'm a bit sad to see her go but I didn't need two bikes. Still have the big bike and it's awesome. I'll have to do a bit of work to to make it track ready. Not too, much, initially, just tires and traction control / quick shifter, and a quick turn throttle tube. It'll make the bike safer to ride. Safety first. You care.

Thanks for reading.

16 July 2012

Update to the update: mom is out of the hospital

Update on my mom's condition: She is out of the hospital, getting ready to start physical therapy.

The long-term prognosis is guesswork. She still suffers from severe headaches and they don't know if that will get better in time. It's likely that it will, but for now it's tough sledding. (It's not surprising that her head hurts after someone sawed through her skull and poked and prodded at her brain. The brain has no nerve endings but that doesn't mean it won't react if handled.)

She has problems with her memory and speech. She can't remember what day it is, for example. Her conversation skills are somewhat limited. Early progress was good but it's coming much more slowly now.

Her attitude is joyless and miserable. That's not a huge departure from before the injury but it's worse now, and she isn't much capable of talking about much because she can't remember and also not much happens. So mostly she lives in the present, and her present pretty much sucks. (Full disclosure: it is 100% her own fault that she is in this condition.) 

Hopefully the occupational / physical therapy will enable her to make some progress. She has full-time care so someone is able to look after her, get her to therapy and appointments, etc.

That's the summary. Definitely a drag to read but that's the way it goes for now. The good news is that her neurological, mental and physical health should improve over time. I will keep you posted.
Thanks for reading. 

13 July 2012

John Terry acquitted of racism charges, still a d-bag

Warning: The following post contains foul language and it's not for everyone. I apologize in advance. If you're offended then please skip it and come back on Monday for rainbows and unicorns.
Thanks for reading
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John Terry was acquitted on his charges of racism. If you don't know who he is then don't trouble yourself with a search. He's an asshole who, among other things, shagged his teammates wife. He's also a titanic ass when he's on the pitch, with too many low blows and late tackles to even begin to list here. He plays for Chelsea, which makes sense because that club is a disgrace.* He also has the dubious distinction of being an overrated shite on his national team. So that's fun.

The trial and related bullshit only serve to highlight the fact that if you stare long enough at words to parse them endlessly then they stop meaning anything at all. The presiding 'magistrate' said there was no doubt that Terry said the words "fucking black cunt" during the end of the game, but the trial hinged on what he meant. It's possible he meant something else, something not racist at all. It's also possible that you are an idiot, and you are a magistrate in the English judicial system.

This is a clear example of the law tripping over its feet and falling on its face. If you ask a 10 year old what it means when you call someone a 'fucking black cunt' then you will get the same answer every time: it means what it says, every word intended to injure and offend. It is not a phrase laden with subtlety and nuance.

That Terry is chavvy trash is well established. He knows what he said, and he knows what he meant to say. He should be fined and suspended - it won't change his racist attitude but at least we won't have to look at him for a while.



* It is true that I loathe Chelski. However, Terry would be a rat bastard no matter where he suited up, even if it were glorious Arsenal.

10 July 2012

A fun interlude

This from Sonz, because she wins at the internet today. It's only got 300ish views as of now, which is a travesty. If you stick around to the end you get some bonus cookie monster c is for cookie. It's worth it. I love cookies.


Where have you been?

Well, here and there, if you must know.
I had a track day, which went well. Bike was great, went fast, etc. Didn't get as many photos as I wanted because guys kept crashing. I did get moved up to the faster group and did my fastest ever lap (1:55), so that was cool. I have a good anecdote about that I've been working on, but I didn't get to it because right after my track day...

Then my mom spent 6 days in the ICU because she fell on her head. I had to fly to Oregon to see her. It was touch and go for a while but after the second craniotomy (which was the fourth surgery) she woke up from her coma. It's a bad deal. As of now she's out of the ICU and recovering in the neuro center. Her vocabulary and diction aren't impaired but it does take her a long time to form sentences. She talks much more slowly now, is what I'm saying. And she also repeats herself, as though she forgets underlyaing conversational elements that you might otherwise take for granted. Not sure if she does this because she has trouble finding other words or if she doesn't remember saying it in the first place (both?).The neuro people will figure all that out I guess.

Her motor control is moderately impaired. She will be using a walker for the foreseeable future, maybe forever, given her balance has been an issue for some time. The doctor that looked at her brain said there was evidence of previous damage from blows to the head, likely caused by falls. So that happened / is happening. She is 65, looks 80. The long term prognosis is not encouraging but she could surprise everybody. She is capable but she has to quit some of the bad habits that put her in the hospital in the first place. Easier said than done. We'll see.

That's the latest. I will keep you posted.