Hello, everyone. I want to thank you. It is time for an odd rant about my life. It is both a humongous victory and a sobering reminder. I want to feel full of mirth but I’ve had a rough couple of days. Here we go.
September 22 is the anniversary of The Incident (Editor’s note: graphic images). For those that don’t know, a year ago I was hit by a car in Thailand. I was in a coma. I had a craniectomy where about a third of my skull had to be removed, blood clots scraped from my brain, and the bones were put back in wired together with titanium. Add four broken ribs, a broken bone inside my right ear and a broken shoulder blade. I remember none of this.
I lost a lot of memory. I lost the ability to speak. I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t know who others were either. I didn’t know where I was. I couldn’t explain what happened. At least 3 months of memory is completely wiped from my brain. I now have epilepsy. Seizures, both strong and silly and annoying, occur from time to time.
I bounced back in February. I flew back to Korea and started work. My auditory hallucinations got worse. I wanted to get better and wanted to get back to ‘normal’ life. Sadly, I made this decision too soon and ended up working at the shittiest school I’ve ever worked at. I wasn’t able to function as a proper human and eventually had to bow out and fly back to the US this May. Here I was able to get sharper. I was still having hallucinations but they were lighter in tone. Still memory issues but less severe. Cognitive function and abilities were reduced, but still remarkably better. It was clear that I was recovering.
Last year, Death tried to come for me again, and once more I fought him off. I have had at least six concussions in my life. Had shingles when I was 18. I had to have both hips replaced when I was 25 and 27. I’ve probably broken 38 bones. Successfully preventing a girl from being raped or beaten, I got the shit beaten out of me by being knocked out on the pavement, with a broken nose, cheek, two ashen eyes and a divot in my skull that now is more pronounced. I accept that I will one day lose that struggle with Death. But not today. Not now. Not yet. Not this way.
I have a deep need to get back to life with agency. I want duty and responsibility. I am in talks to going back to Korea again. Contract is signed and sent. To become a person again. This ‘vacation’ has gone on far too long. It needs to end. I want to be back and put my feet back on the asphalt. I don’t just want to land. I want to run. I need to. I can’t be this indigent any longer. The world has for too long used me as a Lab Rat and I have appointments with so many doctors and therapists. On Thursday I have a two-day stay at the hospital for an EEG that will try and see why and how I have seizures.
I want to be careful and make sure that I don’t frighten anyone in the family. If I nail this test with composure then I have their further trust.
I want to share this as it’s especially important for me to do so with this crew. Y’all were so helpful with my GoFundMe. You helped me get on my feet. This is a huge thank you to everyone. I was down and out and needed help. You folk were kind enough to assist me. That’s what’s important in painful and hard moments like this.
Accept help when people offer it. Don’t be brash and don’t refuse assistance. Know that you will need it and try your hardest to take it with gratitude. Yes, it is unpleasant. But resist the urge to put yourself in a box where you feel like a useless child who has to follow everyone’s rules because you’re a loser. Sometimes you’re dealt a bad hand. Complaining doesn’t help. It makes you focus on that loss and leads you to swirl into the descent. Look at every victory you can. Make them count. Don’t take them for granted. Give them their worth. You’ve earned them. No matter how small others may see them. They aren’t small. They give you the power and strength to take the next step. Every one of them counts. Make sure you climb up the ladder rather than descend. Moving onward, it was this help that has made it possible for me to get stronger and sharper.
Now it is soon time to take on my next challenge. The pressure will be me putting it upon myself. I have confidence that I can do it. I want to succeed. I want to be Me again. This is the potent point that needs to be made and accepted for me to move along and become better.
Thank you all. You have been so important. You have no idea. You’ve helped a refugee in despair, one who desperately needed your help. In deep and choppy waters, I reached out a hand. You all came over and helped me get in the raft. If I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t have much. This clearly shows how kind, thoughtful, and helpful you all are. I would have drowned without the help that you and my loved ones have given me. Even for someone with the issues that I have, that isn’t something I will ever forget. I cannot and will not.
Life has its way of fucking with you. It plays its own game and it’s frequently painful. Play hard. Fight back. Take the punches. Then come back with your own. Going all 15 rounds is a victory all of its own, even if you don’t land a KO. Take every single fucking victory you can. Every. Single. One. If you’re still standing, you win in your own way. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. No one. They can’t. Don’t even dream of the possibility that they possess the ability to take them away from you. They are yours. They are a huge part of you. They are important. They are your medals to proudly wear. You’ve earned them. I suppose I’ve never thought about it until this moment as I type, but it’s why my Lady and my parents both independently call me Soldier. You ain’t down and out until you can’t get up. I’m going to Cal Ripken my life and keep on getting up and up and up. There’s more out there. More to explore. More to do. It’s still there for me. I want to experience it all.
Thank you again. Onwards. Upwards. Always.
One Year Anniversary of The Incident
About The Author
God bless you buddy, and I think I had it bad this year, stay strong and Gambol whenever you can
Thanks for sharing. I’ve always enjoyed your posts about your travels and teaching experiences in Asia.
Keep the faith and know that we’re all rooting for you.
[gulp] taking a moment to count my many blessings and to send out one to you
Heroism on one’s own behalf is too little appreciated, especially when the word ‘hero’ is so casually bandied about. You’ve done heroic things, and I have no doubt you will continue to do so.
Shine on, you crazy diamond!
*stands to applaud Evan*
Rock on dude. Seriously.
God bless you.
This
Hear, hear!
I want to experience it all.
DO IT!!!!
You are an inspiration Evan.
Evan, you make me ashamed I have lived a safe life. I admire you greatly.
Don’t feel ashamed. Playing in traffic is not for everyone.
I’ve flirted with death a few times, occasionally unintentionally. I’ve driven my guardian angel to drink.
I don’t believe I’ve been in a great many very dangerous situations, certainly less than many members of this site, but the one thing they all had in common was that during the event I felt nothing at all – no emotions while it was going down. I was instead just supremely focused, all ancillary thoughts set aside, just acting as needed. Since most of these situations involved operating a motor vehicle in less than idea circumstances, I regard this as a good thing.
I’m still amazed that after being surprised by a disabled vehicle hiding behind a curve on an icy road and losing a lot of traction, I was able to avoid the disabled vehicle, the vehicle in the other lane, then when I tried to avoid the guardrail because the road insisted on continuing to curve, go through a 360 degree spin, regain control of the car and go on without anyone going crunch. For some weird reason that curve generates a jolt of fear when driving it again in dry conditions.
Interesting point. I felt similarly both times I’ve had a gun pointed at me, now that I think about it. Scared shitless to be sure – but strangely calm and collected at the same time.
We need more data points on how common this is versus say, panic.
By that I mean anecdata from people who’ve been in situations already rather than putting more people in these situations.
I wouldn’t say that I was calm, but I definitely wasn’t panicked. I went straight to the supremely pissed off state. Both cases were people trying to mug me, both with knives. Only time I’ve had a gun pointed at me was by a cop. I was young and naive, so I thought that since I hadn’t done anything wrong, there was no reason for him to shoot me.
I did nearly get blown up by an IRA bomb in London at the tail end of the Troubles – walked by the (admittedly tiny) car bomb about 30 seconds before it went off. Once again, I really wasn’t panicking, but just irritated that I now had to stick around for the police to arrive to avoid an APB with my description being circulated.
I bounced a car of mine off of Jersey barriers at highway speeds thanks to hitting a patch of ice poorly. The insurance company totalled the car. I had a neck sprain.
A woman I used to know, when she heard about the wreck, asked if I was scared. I said, “I didn’t have time to be scared. I was trying to regain control of the car. Afterwards, there was nothing to be scared about.”
Similar for me. I thought, ” huh, I am going backwards on the interstate, that’s not good.” Then I hit the guardrail. Totally car, but I was able to drive it back on shoulder the wrong way to last exit I has passed.
Why was someone pointing a gun at you?
Rhy lives in NYC.
Pfthht.
Once in Paris and once in Buffalo.
Those Bill’s fans take things too seriously.
Once in Paris…
Lies! We know Europe is a gun-free paradise – why, if only we had common-sense, European-style gun-control in this country, it would address all of our problems.
Either that or the pimp who was running tricks out of his room at the hotel I was on my first day of training at.
Rhywun = Basil Fawlty?
I’ve probably mentioned this before but the lady manager – who lived in the hotel – was the spitting image of Sybil. Same personality, too. Everyone was terrified of her.
+1 Benzedrine puff-adder
I like Fawlty Towers.
Were you training to be the Ho or the Pimp?
That’s when time slows down, right then. Every fucking detail.
Yeap.
Interesting thing I found out the other day is that it doesn’t just work when you’re personally in peril. I was giving my daughter a piggy back ride and caught a crack in the sidewalk funny. Were it just me, I’d have probably ended up on my face, no biggie. With my daughter potentially facing a 6 foot fall onto concrete, my body locked up my abdominal muscles and I did some nifty twinkle toes steps to stay upright. Didnt feel a thing until a few seconds later when I got hit with a wave of guilt.
Sounds similar to me, UnCiv. I put a lot of effort into avoiding dangerous situations, but from time to time you’re up against it. So far, I’ve done OK.
So you like bony men?
If they’re cute, they’re cute.
Is there a female version of the hot crazy matrix for dudes?
Of course there is.
It’s because of Binky isn’t it? Women dig horses.
Dude, what? I can’t stand horses.
Terry Pratchett joke. And yes, I am judging you for not getting it.
That’s okay. I’ll make you cry.
Seriously, Mo.
Even Tundra the semi-retarded got that!
That was below the belt. I mean the puppy one below.
*hangs head in shame*
Pratchett is on my to-read-ASAP list, but I haven’t been reading.
Don’t let them shame you.
Tundra don’t tear yourself down! You aren’t semi retarded! You are high functioning Hockey player.
You hate every writer that isn’t you, and for all I know hate the one that is as well!
Scroll down to the sequel.
Not true. I am very selective in my hate.
The fact that someone hasn’t read something is neither an indicator of hate nor a reason for shame.
I have had two black cats. My current one is a sweetheart (except to his floofy sister/littermate).
Hrmm.. ‘floofy’ appears to have only entered common usage in this century.
Obviously whoever tracks that doesn’t have tween girls around… I hear floofy everytime she sees the dogs.
Her name is Snickerdoodle. She is a long-haired tortoiseshell with a docked tail (“little wiggle-waggle”).
Black cat’s name is Chunky Monkey.
I love you people.
Cancelled/Jar – Your tweens weren’t around last century. “Entered common usage this century” is “in the past twenty years”
If you have sources from the 80s and 90s, that’d be different.
I misread your comment. Not sure how, but I could have sworn it said only used once this century
“I love you people.”
Tundra is drunk.
So have we. One is in a box on the mantel. The other is eyeing that new tabby suspiciously. Both have brought us good luck by their presence in our lives.
Da floof! If there is one thing I remember about anyone here’s pets, ’tis that.
I like Boney M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBXRJgSd-aU
One of my “almost died” experiences was like standing on a train track and stepping out of the way two seconds before the train hit you. Nothing happened, but you were really close to dying. In my case I got a spider bite over my eye and it developed a staph infection. I resisted going to the doctor until my eye swelled shut. “It’s just a stupid spider bite”. Well, the doctor immediately put me on IV antibiotics. “I’m fine. It just itches a little. ”
Well, turns out that the location of the cellulitis was just around the eye capsule – which leads directly to the brain. Once that infection crossed that membrane around my eye, I’d be dead in less than 24 hours, he told me. Yikes! Glad the wife made me go in. I was planning on waiting another 24 hours. Might have been my last 24 hours.
The other experience was not just “like” standing in front of a train. It was exactly that… I was taking photos in downtown Birmingham in the train yard and I jumped between two boxcars, stumbling forward a bit past the parked train…. and there was a train going 70 mph about 6 inches from my face. I pulled back just before any of the bits that stick out the side got me and ducked back between the boxcars. I did not think a train could possibly sneak up on you… but under those conditions… yeah, none of us heard the thing. And my stupid butt almost jumped right in front of it.
So that’s two “missed me by that much” near death experiences where there was no lasting harm at all.
I’m sure there were others that I did not even realize…. maybe I pulled out in front of someone who caught it in time, or maybe there was a shark just inches away from attacking me who decided to go elsewhere.
There’s a lot of ways to die… and only one way to stay alive.
Then there was the stuck gauge on my scuba gear that nearly saw me run out of air at 60 feet. Stupid rental.
And then there was the time that I caught a rotor coming off of the trees and my parachute collapsed on one side, dumping me really hard to the ground. That was probably just a few feet from a long hospital stay.
Then there was that ditch that was hidden in the deep grass that I hit at about 50mph on a dirt bike.. put the handle bar right through my chest. Cracked my chest protector and made it hard to breath for a few weeks.
Oh, and the time that my buddy and I built that black powder “rifle” out of galvanized pipe when we were like 13…. yeah.. really lucky to walk away from that one…
And the 240 line that was “absolutely turned off at the breaker, you don’t have to worry about it” that I checked at the last moment with a tap of a screwdriver. Arc-welded that thing in half. Never even flipped the breaker. Would have been me, with all those amps flowing through. I’d have cooked like a hot dog in a hot dog cooker sold by Ron Popeil.
Ooh… that time I was driving from Birmingham to Atlanta at about 4 am and I was starting to nod… so I decided to pull off at that exit just ahead. I blinked… and the exit wasn’t there. I checked the rear view. No exit for miles. Dang. (I was WIDE awake until the next exit in about 15 minutes, I can tell you that!)
And the time in college that I told the very scary and large football player from the hood who got drunk and got a little handsy with my then girlfriend later wife that if it ever happened again “we can both go to the hospital together”. Yeah.. prolly not the best way to handle that, being that I was all of a buck thirty five at the time. But he could tell that I was crazy enough to be serious about that, so he let it lie and never came around again.
Come to think of it….. I really can’t figure out how I haven’t managed to do myself in. Based on my record, I’m something of an idiot.
What, no black dog?
Thank G_d Im not the only one that watched that stupid movie.
LOL
My favorite!
When I saw the doc in the run up to getting my tonsils out, the doc didn’t know how I was breathing because of how swollen my tonsils were. I demonstrated that I could breath. He said, “You have to have your tonsils removed.” I said that other docs have considered it but decided I didn’t need it.
He looked at me funny and said, “You will see the ENT tomorrow morning. First thing.”
He had his staff set up an appointment with an ENT first thing the next morning. The doc told me, “If your breathing gets worse, call 911.”
The next morning I saw the ENT. He said, “You need to have your tonsils removed but I don’t know if you need emergency surgery. You might also need to have your adenoids removed and I need to figuere that out. I’ll prescribe these drugs and schedule some tests which can’t be done today. If the you aren’t breathing better tomorrow, we’ll do an emergency tonsillectomy then deal with your adenoids later.”
The drugs worked and I realized just how fucked my breathing was. I had both my tonsils and adenoids removed.
My guess is you didn’t notice because the airway constriction was a gradual development. You simply adapted unconsciously.
I had been sick for a very long time. My coworkers had been after me for a week or so before to go to a doc. So, I think you are right.
That’s because you are a dude. Women don’t realize how stupid dudes are. We really are a special breed.
But among that special breed.. there are the super-dude dudes. Like my friend who is in construction.
He took the entire pad of his thumb off with some power tool or other. About an 8th to a quarter inch of flesh. Really disgusting. Not layers of skin… that was all gone.
Dude wrapped it in duct tape and went about his business.
Took a couple of months to heal over… but he never went in. Crazy. But par for the course for a super-dude type dude.
Dude got cancer. Had to miss work because of surgery. But declined to miss work because of chemotherapy. So on chemo days he carried a bucket around the job site with him. He’d be talking to a subcontractor about how they were screwing something up.. casually puke in the bucket and keep on talking.
I’m really not sure how we manage to survive as a species, given that half the population is a bunch of dudes.
I guess I’m a dude. I squashed the end of a finger, the whole last joint, in a garage door. If my keys had been three inches further after I dropped them, I would have had to leave that finger joint in the door or freeze to death.
Wrapped it in a paper towel for the blood, went to bed , slept like a baby.
Got it stitched up the next day. Even hit on the smokin’ MD who stitched it up.
Punch line: it was after my first date with Mrs. Dean.
my first date with Mrs. Dean.
No three date rule for marriage?
I’m really not sure how we manage to survive as a species, given that half the population is a bunch of dudes.
Given that the survival happened, the trait might actually be useful to survival. Could be the same trait that motivated cavemen to fight off saber-tooth tigers trying to eat their kids.
Agreed, the Man has done many things, in a young lifeHuzzah!
Your story’s a great one, a tale of courage and tenacity. We’re lucky to have you among us.
Not today. Not now. Not yet.
Very inspirational. Sorry about the accident, and very glad you are getting better. Somethings take time to heal.
Good for you Evan. I wish nothing but the best for you. You are displaying an important value that is all too uncommon today- you are taking agency for your own life. Huzzah!
Penis embiggening surgery?
Just kidding. Your journey to this point is awesome.
May you have many further adventures, and no further injuries from them.
You’re on my hero list Evan, keep fighting, the rest of us need for you to win.
I hope Trigger Hippie reads this. You’re a great writer Evan. Keep getting stronger.
I hope Trigger Hippie reads it too. Mojeaux, did you hear from him?
I have. He wants to be left alone, so I will respect that.
Good to hear.
Fuck yeah.
Good news.
That’s good to hear.
Good to hear. Thank you for checking on him.
?
OK, as long as he is OK.
Inspiring!
Yes, that’s what I felt as well. Very inspiring!
That’s how you do it!
I don’t feel that way every day, I will confess. So it is nice to see someone who is on the “had it worse” list who keeps their chin up better than you. You always need something to strive for.
Amen to that. I finally started a new job this week after my own surgical adventures this year and it’s kind of scary but feels damn good at the same time. And I’m a lazy fuck.
Cheers, Evan.
Life has its way of fucking with you.
This.
I’m glad you are fighting back. Go get them, kid.
Play hard. Fight back. Take the punches. Then come back with your own.
Going all 15 rounds is a victory all of its own
Thank you Evan. It’s post like this that make all the stupid shit the rest of the assholes around here post worth sifting through.
Fuck you, Hyp.
But I agree.
Yeah, that got a *snort* out of me.
I do include myself in the “rest of the assholes around here” group.
Nobody ever does.
Tundra said it for me.
I like your attitude. I hope you continue to improve and your return to Korea goes well.
You are amazing, Evan! There is nothing more that I can say than that.
If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to ask, because you have a second family here and we’re in awe of your perseverance and your amazing positivity.
I really hope that this trip to Korea sticks for you. I know it’s really important to you that you succeed in Korea, and I know that you will succeed. If not this time, then the next. I’m praying for you, and I’m cheering for you.
Hey, man. You deserve the generosity. I hope all goes great back in Korea and you continue to recover. I think you’ve done incredibly well for only a year out.
Tundra don’t tear yourself down! You aren’t semi retarded! You are high functioning Hockey player.
This comment wins the post.
Thanks to everyone! I am rounding this anniversary with aplomb, in my own way. Monday was rough. Lots of bad emotion came out. I’ve been moaning in depression and uselessness for too long, just getting enough done and that’s it. No strength or will, just doing dumb things to myself making it worse.
But Tuesday and today were totally different. Drive and discipline. Productive days and getting all of my shit sorted and worked out. I signed a new contract for another school in Korea (this one in Sejong City as opposed to to Daejeon, where I’ve lived for about seven years) and I just have to wait on a few documents to get sorted. Quarantine for two weeks over there and then training; my first day of class teaching will be November 30th. This gives me both the time to get everything sorted, to refresh my Korean and to make sure that I am all balls-to-the-wall ready to kick ass again.
I feel so fucking good. Positive. No more reeling in nightmare depression. Playing with my nephews and focusing on projects and productivity. It’s such a strange night and day difference to how I felt before.
My two day stay in the hospital begins tomorrow morning. I’ve been told that they may even let me out after one day instead of needing me there for both. I’m a great patient. I do like cute nurses, even Lady thinks it’s funny that I (especially when things were bad and I didn’t know who/where/nearly what I was) that I just naturally flirtatious with them. I like the assessments and I like talking to the nurses and docs to try and figure things out. I always want to do as best I can. I’m very competitive, but never in a Sore Loser sort of way.
This school may not be where I want to end up, but it’s what I need right now. I need routine and my own money and the ability to make my own life whole again. I’m very excited. I also desperately want to get on the drums again and perform around the country, usually in expat bars but I’ve also played at festivals and enjoyed all of it. I love the anonymity of living in Korea.
Sorry for typing so much! It’s just an exciting and important part of my life right now. There’s a book to be written about my life. This will be an interesting chapter or act. It’s fun having a wild life. Frequently I’ve had to pay in pain, but I’ve also got to explore more than most ever get to. This ain’t gonna hold me back!
Y’all have me gushing with pride and happiness.
You still freelance editing?
I have set up a website and want to get all the way back into my passion again. I was worried before because I doubted myself and was also dealing with documents and looking for work in Korea, where Lady is.
I’m certainly interested. If you have anything that you would like to be looked over then I would be thrilled to go over it in whatever way you’re most interested in.
https://evanmathews.carrd.co/
I do have the hospital stay and so I’m not sure if they’re going to keep me occupied with diagnostics/assessments or what, but if they leave me alone that would a fantastic way of working hard and putting the axe to the grindstone!
There’s that to contact me or mathews . evang AT gmail is another way of getting in touch, if you’re interested in having a dialogue. If you’re just curious there’s there’s nothing wrong with that either. I’ve long wanted to make that a primary goal, and I fully intend on adding it to my list. I also need to move back to Korea so I can be with Lady, so lots of work and projects surround my life right now. That’s the way I like it. I desire and need that routine and accomplishment.
I haven’t finished the current book yet, but finding an editor should be done before it’s ready to be edited.
Well, when you’re happy with your work I’d be more than happy to take a look if you’re looking for some fresh eyes.
Bon Voyage, Brave Soldier!
Way to be, Evan! I hope you get some good luck soon, you deserve it.
When I begin to feel sorry for myself I look around, see Evan, see others with problems I realize my little pain(s) are nothing like Evan experienced. I gotta quit whining. Last winter I was running the snow blower, whining to myself about my plight. When I thought it through I started laughing. It was so trivial.
Glad to know you are up and ready to face Korea or wherever and hope your lady friend will be waiting, you deserve it.
I do the same when I have my problems. Sometimes it doesn’t help even though my problems are minor in the grand scheme of things.
Yeah
Lol.
Evan, be like Fourscore.
Actually, everyone be like Fourscore. You will be really happy,
Roger that. One of the good things about working in a hospital is, it’s easy to keep some perspective.
Yeah, some of that rubbed off on me during my recent stay.
R C: Fuck me. I have to rewrite this private placement memo. My life sucks donkey dick.
*Phone rings*
ICU Director: R C, we’ve got a sepsis patient who just had both hands amputated . . . .
My first roomie in May had just been let off ventilation after 42 days. I would overhear his wife reciting the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish over the speakerphone at 3 in the morning because he was too weak to hold a phone. A couple days later he was much better. I think he’s all right.
Wow. Hopefully he’s OK.
When my son was little he had to go in for some minor surgery it was of course distressing for me, but then we were at Children’s and saw other kids who were so much worse off, needing heart surgeries or fighting terrible diseases, it’s just a reality check I think.
Because I have friends like Tundra and a whole bunch of Glibs, makes life easier.
🙂
Woot!
Nitrile Gloves Made in Thailand for only twice the beforetimes prices.
Oh, It’s these guys.
Yes, I checked the reviews. The users indicate tears while working on mechanical devices. If it keeps spray primer off my hands, it suits my purposes. Besides it doesn’t look like a step down from the stuff I’m currently running low on.
Oo, snazzy black color.
Makes you feel like a Bond villain.
Whereas mine have me thinking, “two by two, hands of blue” every time I put them on.
Yeah I have a box of those too. Hospital freebies.
At least they don’t have you thinking “cavity search”…
There were nitrile gloves, box of 100 for $10 at the supermarket.
Halyard (formerly Kimberly-Clark) makes theirs in Thailand or Indonesia.
Evan, you da man. And you are a good man, I think.
Your writing, by the way, is wonderfully clear and definite. Your cognitive functions seem fine to me.
Agreed – I don’t mean any disrespect, Evan, but your writing has noticeably improved – you are clearly on the mend!
Damn, Evan. Keep on keepin’ on. You’re an inspiration.
Wow, Evan. You’re a tough mofo. As always I wish the best for you.
Wow, Kevin.
You are an impressive person. I feel privileged that you share your life with us
*psst* it’s Evan.
EVan. Doh!
And i never even played hockey.
Ironically, I do.
HA! Don’t worry! There is TheOtherKevin here, and he is also in Indiana! I’m in Indianapolis/Carmel where my brother/Rach/my three nephews live and where our parents moved to become full-time grandparents.
I was born in Bluefield, WV and fully named. When I was six months old my dad interviewed with the Evansville Courier and Press for his column. He got it and I grew up for 18 years in Evansville.
I…well that’s a hard one to escape from. Went to school in Bloomington and have spent the last 11 or so years of my life living and teaching in Korea, Singapore, and Thailand. Haven’t been back to Eville since.
But is he from Kevinsville??
This was nice to read. Thanks Evan.
Thanks for keeping things in perspective Evan. Great to here you’re still moving forward.
Keep at it Evan. One foot in front of the other.
Big respect.
Jeep fighting man.
?Ev’rywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging tires, boy?
OK….took me a few choruses, and me wondering why no one was linking/referring to it.
But, I got there.
Keep…or Jeep…well I don’t remember what type of vehicle hit me…but I WANT TO BE KNOWN AS A MAN WHO FIGHTS JEEPS!
Thus it is known!
🙂
Or keep fighting. Whichever you prefer.
I went to McDonald’s to drive thru today and bought a large coffee. Then I sat in front of my computer all day.
Lana! Lana!
Evan, a big H/t to you. You’re proof that the old saying about what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…is true.
Watching the news. Two officers shot in Louisville during riots.
Winning hearts and minds.
They seem nice.
And Jerry Nadler what his pants.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4909220/user-clip-nadler-poops-pants
shat – like my phone.
Does Nadler waddle because he is fat or does he have a permanent injury?
That’s C-SPAN, and it says ‘poops his pants’.
So there you have it.
…but I want to believe.
“Permanent injury”, like,
pea-braindiminished capacity?I mean…
Smoke or riot control agent on MLK Jr Dr. Of course.
WOW! Evan, thank you for sharing this with us. You are truly inspiring and it is so very nice to hear you are healing and progressing.
Jesus, dude. You are tough as nails. Good on you.
And good on you for learning this lesson. I’m at the halfway marker and have not learned this yet.
Thank you Evan for continuing to lengthen the eponymous unit. Fuck you, Carlos Ibáñez e Ibáñez de Ibero.
Man, these euphemisms get more and more cryptic all the time.
Wait–so, those pills aren’t a scam after all?!
An evan is now another year.
Glad to hear you’re doing better, Evan. This is a great update and great article. I may reach out for some of your freelance editing skillz when I finally get finished writing the book I’m on.
Enjoy some bulgogi for me while you’re back in Korea. Damn, I really loved eating real Korean food the times I was there. And the eyeball liberty was pretty good, too. Korean women have those asian features, but they’re tall and built more like American women. Yowza.
Korean women have those asian features, but they’re tall and built more like American women. Yowza.
Apropos.
The Texans of Asia – big, hard-drinking, fractious, beef-eating people.
Well, that’s mostly dog, not beef, but still. Both of my Korean friends are taller than me and when I lived in Little Korea, there were lots of really good looking well built Korean ladies.
I always call them the Irish of the East.
Drink too much. Fight too much. Blame all their problems on the rest of the world while completely ignoring the impact all that fighting and drinking has on their lives.
My wife would also take offense at the beef eating crack. According to her, Koreans are the best because they eat so many vegetables and so little meat. Of course she is only five feet tall, so maybe she isn’t a typical Korean.
My impression is they eat way more beef than other Asian cultures, but I’ll defer to Mrs. Pope.
(also, not a crack – beef is awesome)
My experience is that if we have a short visit to the in-laws they eat a lot of meat to celebrate (and because they worry about us big noses dying of hunger). If the visit is longer we slide back to “normal” meals which are lots of rice, kimchi and vegetables (maybe they are hoping us big nosed barbarians will get hungry and leave?).
Eating at my in-laws is weird because they came from a generation that grew up during the war when they were always hungry. So feeding people is super important to them. The one lesson I learned is that I have to eat the same amount of any dish. If I eat more of one dish than the other dishes, the next meal will be dominated by whatever I ate more of. My MIL watches what I eat like a hawk and is eager to make more of anything I show an interest in. Then my wife tells me that it would be insulting if I didn’t eat all the extra stuff she made for me.
feeding people is super important to them
Ah, got it – they’re the Jews of Asia.
I married into the tribe; MIL is a Southern Jew, from Louisville (which I was surprised to find out has/had a sizeable Jewish population). Southern food + Jewish food is a good combo.
Kudos to you, PJ–I would nope right the hell out of that sort of situation. Maybe see if I could get myself dis-invited in perpetuity.
Thanks for the words of wisdom Evan. Sometimes peering into the thoughts of someone who has been through some serious shit and is still standing – and still has a positive attitude – can help others with their smaller battles.
LZ–is JB still around? I haven’t seen him post in a while.
Count me inspired, Evan.
Where’s my shocked face at?
https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/09/porltands-parks-bureau-denies-proud-boys-permit-to-hold-rally-at-delta-park-citing-coronavirus-safeguards.html
Oh yeah
https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/06/public-health-officials-warn-protesters-to-take-extra-coronavirus-precautions.html
https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/06/oregon-health-officials-have-not-seen-any-evidence-of-coronavirus-spread-at-protests.html
Seemed like BLM was fading away just a year or so ago and then got reinvigorated with the Floyd killing. Proud Boys seem to be going through the same arc with their own rallying point.
“Events like this are not welcome and are not allowed.”. Sort of gives away the game.
Elected officials believing they get to “welcome” anyone or anything, in any official capacity.
::rage…BUILDING::
-alcoholic beverage sales?
-sexually oriented businesses?
-non-leftist rallies?
Fuck. Off. Slavers.
Bad libertarian, but I didn’t follow the Breonna Taylor case and I think it’s too late to figure out what happened given every article I see on it now is completely politicized.
Her ex seems to have been a drug dealer. They wanted to raid him and suspected that he got packages at her house. They included her address on the search warrant. They may or may not have announced themselves as cops when they broke her door down. Once through the door, her new boyfriend fired a shot and hit one of the cops. Another of the cops mag dumped through a wall without knowing what was behind it. The two front most cops mag dumped into Breonna. The new boyfriend was not hit. He was arrested for attempted murder of a special person. Charges were dropped. No drugs or money was found at Breonna’s house. It’s been months since this happened and they’re just now announcing the outcome of the grand jury. The proceedings were (of course) held in secret. No cops were charged for the actual killing of Breonna, only for negligently firing into a wall and possibly hitting somebody, not named. Should have never been given permission to attack her house in the first place. I think that’s it.
Not saying it’s wrong, just that that is the version I’ve heard, too.
It always seems to come down to:
– we need to no-knock raid this place, otherwise they’ll destroy evidence
– the evidence is drugs
no-knock raids for anything other than imminent threat to human life are an abomination.
(I’m assuming it was a no-knock vs. a bullshit *knock* Police, we have a warrant! *1 second later, bust door down*)
^Ding f’ing ding!^
It was allegedly not a no knock, but we’ll never know for sure.
Regardless, they had some issues.
They couldn’t charge the main (careless) shooter for more than they got him for because he didn’t actually shoot anyone.
They couldn’t very well charge the other guys for murder because they were shooting in response.
So I don’t know what they expected to get exactly.
There was, apparently, some fuckery (lies) in obtaining the warrant, and the officer in question appears to have a shifty history in obtaining these kinds of warrants.
naturally.
Even the boyfriend says they pounded on the door first.
For the lawyerly glibs, how does that work? If you refuse to answer, can they just bust down your door? If so, how long is allowed between you yelling “I’m putting on my pants” and them crashing into the place?
Not a lawyer. Depends I think whether it’s for arrest or search of the premises. If arrest, do they have reason to believe that the person is inside, like they saw him come home but not leave? I don’t think yelling about pants prevents them from gaining entry, depending on department policy and applicable law. Or they think evidence could destroyed or the person is trying to flee.
Of course, crack house occupants are going to be treated differently than country club set.
Nothing about this^ goes against my very limited experience–I haven’t worked for agencies that have/would use them.
So, what GL says.
The idea of knock and announce is charming. In theory, you hear the cops because they announced their presence. You come to the door and ipen it then they enter.
In practice, the door better be swinging ooen about 2 seconds after they announce. After that, they are breaking down the door. I don’t recall ever seeing a published case in which evidence was suppressed because too little time elapsed between announcing and entry.
Your avatar continues to delight, btw
I’m glad to hear you are still above ground Evan. Keep on keeping on. You’ve got the right spirit.
Perseverance seems a pretty rare virtue these days, but it’s great to see that you have it in spades. Glad you’re recovering and soon to be headed back to the Land that Smells of Kimchi .
For Evan
Nice.
?
Uffda! Hope everthing starts coming up Evan, you’ve earned a bit of time in the sun.
Thanks for sharing. Hope things go great in Korea
So much rooting for you, Evan. Have consistent progress with your recovery. I’m always do happy to get updates from you.
There have been a lot of good things written here, but damn if that is not the most inspiring. Good on you Evan, keep on rocking like you do.
Best of luck Evan. And as much normality as you wish there to be. And take it easy.
Never had a broken bone myself, but I was always probably to cautious for my own good… and probably a bit lucky. But reading things puts things in perspective, like my shoulder impingement which caused me a lot of grief going to the gym and even periods of depression, and which is in the end the most minor of things.
Good morning glibbies.
Buna ziua, Pie! (once again lacking diacritics. Is the U pronounced as V or W?)
how would the u be pronounced as v?
I thought it was “zeewa” but I also heard “zeeva”. Have a new Romanian neighbor so I want to get it right.
U is pronounced as u. Romanian is a phonetic language. So I assume closer to what you would consider w. Also the a is in buna is pronounced according to the diacritic.
Multumesc! and noapte buna, at least for me.
I can’t believe how fucking stupid people are. Just four years ago when Trump wouldn’t commit to conceding the election in advance, it was he wouldn’t accept the election results period. Yet on election night, it was Herself that refused to concede when it was clear she had lost. And years of Popular Vote President. Now same thing. Trump is trying to stage a coup because he won’t concede in advance. Which is further ridiculous since coup is what the Dems and the Deep State also tried to do for the past four years.
Oh, this? This is just….piker shit, really.
I agree to a point. Trump never gave assurances he would concede if the vote was fair. Define fair however you like. He continues to do the same thing.
You are absolutely right about Bride of Cthulu. I’m not aware of Biden being asked but there are plenty of Team Blue members openly stating only Biden can win and he should never concede.
Herself chief among them. Everybody fucking sucks.
Forget it, C–it’s Politics.
I’m sure the brash, young newcomer is up to the challenge.
https://dailycaller.com/2020/09/23/democratic-senators-dianne-feinstein-supreme-court-judiciary/
::Shudders and retches violently::
Thanks for taking the time to write this up, Evan. Good life lessons paid for by your blood, sweat, and tears. Bravo.
And if you ever want to chat about epilepsy, you can reach me at my handle at protonmail.
Howdy! How’s the Empress of Explosions?
Mighty fine, Sir Digby! Had a busy day at work, and another 2 on the way. Then the proposals will be done, except for a final read-through.
We want to be back to full time busy mode, but many of our customers are COVID slackers. They don’t even bother coming into their offices to use the SIPRE phone so we can’t even have classified conversations.
Angle bargle. Let us do our jobs!!
If they can’t handle the Wu Flu, how can the be expected to handle….well, you know. Hopefully, the Working From Work is an improvement over being stuck at home. There’s no place like it, but, I wouldn’t want to
livework there.?
…and all my medical tests went well. I’m not kicking the bucket anytime soon.
Damn right! Err, uh, I mean-good to hear.
Congrats on seven months of temperance!
Thank you! Has it been that long? Yep, I suppose it has, just about. Late Feb was my last drink.
It was surprisingly easy. I thought it might be tempting to have alcohol in the house (the spousal unit still imbibes) but I haven’t had any issue at all.
That’s good news HS. Sounds like the diet and giving up alcohol are working for you.
We’re gettin’ multiple Huzzahs! up in here.
It’s all good stuff. I’m not bulletproof, but I can work with was I have for a few more decades.
Outstanding! For comparison, Duran Duran only had one
Yup. And the change of blood pressure medication was helpful too.
Next up I want to figure out an exercise routine or category that will help me get stronger and healthier but that won’t kill my arthritic joints.
Was the med change because they discovered you had been prescribed something ineffective, or, did something change?
Also, my first thought is swimming, if you’re keen. I would also suggest morning or evening walks, if that’s doable. Not exactly vigorous, but, gets you up and outside, and can be easy enough that it gives you momentum for more. Of course, YMMV (heh).
Ned change was a bit of both, I think. He wanted to put me on a beta blocker. Ok by me.
My bum ankle that came about just before I left for my trip meant that along with being alone I didn’t do much outside of the driving and general travel, my trip was enjoyable, I really like driving, except in an RV at interstate speeds, but I mostly avoided that.
Did you just now roll in, or, have you been back?
Got home about 2pm today.
Good to be back, huh?
Well, back to the rigid routine, anyway.
::Do I click that, or not….::
Whatever you want to call it….you do y-well, whatever, you know. It’s cool.
I’m an excellent driver.
Hey–if I haven’t sent it already, here’s an audition reel for any future productions you may have.
Just disregard all that exposition crap .
I’ll probably ask this again on Glibfit, but if I want professional help figuring out an exercise regimen that works with my joint pain and such, should I look for a trainer at a gym, or go to a physical therapist through my healthcare network?
My $0.02–for a “medical” situation, I’d think go the med/Dr. route. Unless there’s extenuating circumstances.
Yeah, and with the Creeping Covid our there, I’d probably get into physical therapy before I can get into a gym..
Brilliant! Hadn’t even thought of that.
Go with the physical therapist. I know a couple people that went the trainer route and ended up worse off because the trainer didn’t know how to modify appropriately.
I don’t want to be the pessimistic one but my feeling on PT is that both doctors and gym trainers, on average, have no idea what they are doing.
But maybe the US is different. But based on what I saw on the interwebz I doubt it.
Try to do as much of your own research as possible. And you will need to take it slow and experiment for yourself, see what works for you.
Local news: https://6abc.com/man-punches-teen-with-special-needs-in-face-at-walmart-police/6519645/
CWAA
It happened around noon Saturday at the Walmart on North West End Boulevard in Quakertown. – I though Quakers were peaceable
I don’t think that dude was a Quaker.
well why was he in Quakertown then? seems suspicious.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/louisville-police-officers-shot-as-breonna-taylor-protesters-take-to-streets
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/23/business/pumpkin-spice-mac-and-cheese/index.html
No.
See–everyone…almost everyone around here just luuuuuuuuvs Fall. But, Fall brings out this bullshit.
Ergo: Fall sucks.
I love fall, but I don’t like pumpkin spice.
Unpossible! You are a White Chick. Does not compute…
Two great tastes that DON’T sound great together.
Tom T has taken to snapping pics at the grocery when he sees a particularly egregious pumpkin spice-laden product. Monday night it was all the pumpkin beer. Also saw pumpkin spice Special K, but that’s to be expected.
Squash flavored drinks shouldn’t be a thing and a are a sign of a decadent society.
They’re not pumpkin flavored. They’re flavored with the pisce mix people tend to use with pumpkin.
you mean pisco I think. nothing wrong with some hard liquor mixed din drinks.
spices.
I’m still asleep.
Hey, Buddy—stop doing that.
I know there is such a thing as pumpkin risotto that some people like although I think it is unrelated to US Fall Madness
Morning/afternoon/evening greetings Earthlings.
Time to shower.
Morning, Sean!
That seems like wasting water
On the other hand, we don’t know what Sean smells like. Could be water’s highest and best use.
HEY!
This is just nuts. https://twitter.com/TheFirstonTV/status/1308874390206140416?s=09
Like I said yesterday, I think this is gonna torpedo his campaign.
Haven’t read Evan’s article yet but just had to dish out this tasty tid-bit. Last weekend our Premier called a snap Provincial election. There was much will he or won’t he from the chattering classes. Well tonight when I arrived at the plant there were literally about fifty tons of ballots and additional election materials already sitting at the back of the warehouse. They must have been planning this for months and had the semi-trailers pre-loaded. Not even Amazon gets shit done like that in two days. This is our system in current year. They lie. They always lie.
Ho. Lee. Shit. Didn’t happen to get pics, did you?
If that stuff is still there tomorrow I’ll get pics. I had that slap my forehead moment on the way home. Sometimes I’m a little slow. Everything is set up and labelled for the various electoral areas. It’s really quite something.
Also: FES!!!
Mornin’ Diggy! I’d hate to dox myself which would happen if I went public with this. Glibs is probably safe but I’d lose my clearance for sure if it went further.
All that being said, Friend Evan is pretty fucking inspiring. I’ve lived through some shit but not quite like that. Bad stuff, to be sure but not quite at that level vis a vis the broken bones. Did survive other things that we don’t need to talk about. I love the adventurous spirit that he displays.
A tiny bit of “It’s about time!” good news.
Definitely good news for all my local musician friends! It’s about to get too cold to play outdoors of an evening.
Mornin’ GT.
Mornin’, UCS. Working from home or office today?
Today is a working from home day (see post below)
Yep. It’s a bitch when the harmonica freezes to the lead singer’s lips, the drum sticks snap and the guitarist can only play open chords.
This has not been good. I’ve been waking up later and later all week. Today I barely woke up in time to connect to work.
Tomorrow is a work from work day, which means I need to wake up earlier in order to do everything I need to pre-commute.
I am not feeling optimistic.
Is a louder alarm in order, perhaps moved across the room to force you upright?
I’d rather try to address the root cause than resort to gimicks.
I have been successfully waking up with this alarm clock for twenty years now. (Yes, the same exact clock)
Still plagued by insomnia?
Oddly, this week I’ve not been waking up as much in the middle of the night.
I think I use an alarm clock like 5 days a year when I need to leave early for the airport or something otherwise I wake up when I wake up… Although it seems I have been waking up later since going full work from home which is weird. Usually it was 6 to 6 15 now it is 30 min later 6 30 to 6 45
I’m a night owl who works the morning shift.
I usually get sleepy about 22ish.. By 22 45 am usually in bed falling asleep…
And you still wake up so late?
?? Is that in metric?
I usually sleep 7 and a half hours but I generally wake up a couple of times during the night and need to re-fall asleep. Sometimes it is fast sometimes not. I probably average 7 ish hours of actual sleep a night which is probably lower than optimum.
It is in what all the time pieces I have show.
To me, “22:45” would be 10: 45 pm – an hour and a quarter before midnight.
well to me it would be the same obviously.
Thanks, Evan, and good on ya for perservering. You are an inspiration.
^^^
So now the bears are aping Antifa! If they can’t get what they want they will burn the whole thing down. I’ve been taking the household garbage with me to work so the bin is empty. Now they’ve escalated. They are pushing over our Costco Brand whirligig things and tearing up our planters. Bear is asshoe. Nearly time for the stick again.
Long stick, large caliber?
Skinny stick with a one inch screw protuding.
Speaking of asshoe bears, WM dutifully came and installed a lock on the bin at the problem work site but forgot to leave keys for building management or the custodian. I have a week’s worth of trash piled up in a storage room. This has gone unsolved. You want mice? Here’s your ever-loving Hanta mice!
“But the bears aren’t getting to the trash.”
It was a pretty passive-aggressive play. Driver doesn’t want to climb down from the cab because he knows that most locations “forget to un-lock” the bin on pick up day. Meanwhile… I hate being caught in the middle of this bullshit but that’s what happens when you sit at the bottom of the totem pole.
That’s chckenshit. So is this…
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2020/09/23/Firefighters-battle-blaze-from-22-ton-pile-of-chicken-poop/5451600895880/
Morning all. Good to hear from Evan. Las Vegas wasn’t burning and I haven’t seen news but I assume Loiusville is a mess?
Two cops shot last I heard but that was still yesterday.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/megan-fox/2020/09/23/ohio-woman-arrested-and-tased-for-not-wearing-a-mask-at-sons-outdoor-football-game-n960705
JFC.
I always click pjmedia links before realizing they want me to select picture of motorcycles or some shit and always close the link because fuck that.
https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2020/09/woman-tased-arrested-after-refusing-to-wear-mask-at-game/
451: Unavailable due to legal reasons
We recognize you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore access cannot be granted at this time.
Anyhoo I don’t need to read…. hangin’ s too good for the likes of her
*shrug*
I tried.
Just say you were emulating Fauci and you were “drinking”.
PJMedia is the “Old Man Yells at Clouds” version of right wing sites. Not too crazy, just a little bit foaming at the mouth.
Portland.
Crazy.
That side cannot be allowed to win. I’m deadly serious.
https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1309064626756345860
Anitfa/BLM rioter hits cop in the head with a metal baseball bat. From behind.
That dude should have caught a couple 9mms.
Truly sickening to see where this is heading.
The worst part was the chuckling at attempted murder. Who raised these people?
No one, apparently.
https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1309051708287451136
LOL. Don’t lie down in the street.
Should have been a Bearcat. That’s it, I’m done.
Evan, this post you’ve written is the best. And you are a very close second best.
God bless, God speed.