Going to see Rush on Sunday. They were the first band I ever saw in concert, back when Presto came out. That concert blew my mind. It turns out that not every band has giant inflatable rabbits coming out of hats at their shows, but what the fuck did I know?
Haven't seen them since Roll the Bones. Getting psyched...
Haven't seen them since Roll the Bones. Getting psyched...
Recently stopped lupus-causing, liver-toxic antibiotics after nine months. I suppose that's for the best. Had been planning on drinking to make up for lost time, but recently my wife had a brush with an unpleasant "admirer", and sobriety has seemed the wiser course. Since her cancer, it takes very little threat to her to put me into angry caveman mode. Two phone calls and a probably unrelated van repeatedly cruising the neighborhood pretty much does it.
Note to world: do not cruise my neighborhood. It's boring, and I might hit you in the face if you do it too much. Sorry in advance if you just like my street.
Received "Complete Krav Maga" and Marshall Rosenberg's "Nonviolent Communication" in the mail, will begin classes on the former within a week. Saw, laughed at, rejected, then embraced contradiction in philosophies of nurturing peaceful communications and preparing for ruthless violence. Decided compromise approach will be "Step one, initiate no harm, emit no hostility. Step two, do not react in manner which will escalate threats, defuse hostility with empathy. Step three, if threat or hostility remains, fuck empathy, beat threat savagely with all tools available."
Note to world: do not cruise my neighborhood. It's boring, and I might hit you in the face if you do it too much. Sorry in advance if you just like my street.
Received "Complete Krav Maga" and Marshall Rosenberg's "Nonviolent Communication" in the mail, will begin classes on the former within a week. Saw, laughed at, rejected, then embraced contradiction in philosophies of nurturing peaceful communications and preparing for ruthless violence. Decided compromise approach will be "Step one, initiate no harm, emit no hostility. Step two, do not react in manner which will escalate threats, defuse hostility with empathy. Step three, if threat or hostility remains, fuck empathy, beat threat savagely with all tools available."
Been away for a while.
One of my friends, who is a medic in the Army Reserves, was called up today. She's been an important part of my life for a year or two now; helped me through some difficult times. She has a loving husband and a little boy, just over three. Once she goes, I won't see her for a year... if...
Did you know that when the Army calls you up they don't tell you where you're going? You could be going to stay stateside, head out to Germany (a major medical stopover point for American wounded), Iraq, anywhere. I know they have to fill in needs as they emerge, but that's still fucked. If she stays stateside, her family can go with her. If not, they can't. Either is a ton to prepare for, and to know you're going but not knowing what that means...
I don't seem to be able to finish a lot of these thoughts.
Her son still loves his mother more than anything and hasn't really ever been separated from her for more than a weekend (during her army trainings). He's a handful, but they have a wonderful relationship. Hanging out with them, they just make each other laugh and laugh. I wonder what a year apart will do to him, and how a year in action, scraping burned tissue off soldiers, will change her ability to laugh with her son.
So I'm sad.
One of my friends, who is a medic in the Army Reserves, was called up today. She's been an important part of my life for a year or two now; helped me through some difficult times. She has a loving husband and a little boy, just over three. Once she goes, I won't see her for a year... if...
Did you know that when the Army calls you up they don't tell you where you're going? You could be going to stay stateside, head out to Germany (a major medical stopover point for American wounded), Iraq, anywhere. I know they have to fill in needs as they emerge, but that's still fucked. If she stays stateside, her family can go with her. If not, they can't. Either is a ton to prepare for, and to know you're going but not knowing what that means...
I don't seem to be able to finish a lot of these thoughts.
Her son still loves his mother more than anything and hasn't really ever been separated from her for more than a weekend (during her army trainings). He's a handful, but they have a wonderful relationship. Hanging out with them, they just make each other laugh and laugh. I wonder what a year apart will do to him, and how a year in action, scraping burned tissue off soldiers, will change her ability to laugh with her son.
So I'm sad.
First blog, ever
I understand that blogging is used mostly to complain about shit.
So last week I found out I've got TB.
Not the interesting kind of TB that gets you on the news and everyone wants to know what happened when they chopped out a part of your lung. The boring, stupid kind of TB which is hanging around in your system, waiting to strike when you get seriously sick with something else. Turns out, also the kind of TB that you have to take liver toxic meds for 9 months to kill, with possible side effects like hepatitis (which is parenthetically noted as "severe, sometimes fatal" on the med info sheet), lupus, seizures, sudden weakness, breast enlargement in males, bloody urine, confusion...
Wait, breast enlargement in males? How do you even respond to that possibility? Well, I could die, or possibly just grow huge knockers? Apparently, pharmaceuticals have a sense of humor.
I will say this, however - I happened to be tested for a work related function. Without this routine check we never would have caught it, and then we might have gotten into even deeper levels of shit. I know it's been on the news lately, and therefore your doctor is probably sick of hearing about it, but if you've never been tested consider it. After all, I have it, and you're reading my blog...
I understand that blogging is used mostly to complain about shit.
So last week I found out I've got TB.
Not the interesting kind of TB that gets you on the news and everyone wants to know what happened when they chopped out a part of your lung. The boring, stupid kind of TB which is hanging around in your system, waiting to strike when you get seriously sick with something else. Turns out, also the kind of TB that you have to take liver toxic meds for 9 months to kill, with possible side effects like hepatitis (which is parenthetically noted as "severe, sometimes fatal" on the med info sheet), lupus, seizures, sudden weakness, breast enlargement in males, bloody urine, confusion...
Wait, breast enlargement in males? How do you even respond to that possibility? Well, I could die, or possibly just grow huge knockers? Apparently, pharmaceuticals have a sense of humor.
I will say this, however - I happened to be tested for a work related function. Without this routine check we never would have caught it, and then we might have gotten into even deeper levels of shit. I know it's been on the news lately, and therefore your doctor is probably sick of hearing about it, but if you've never been tested consider it. After all, I have it, and you're reading my blog...
