personal blog related to technology, coding and publishing.
health
A note about Saturday
Mar 22nd
I’ve had enough people ask me about Saturday that I thought it’d be best to summarize here – in order to collect all the feedback and questions into one spot.
Here’s the deal:
After a really enjoyable (and uneventful) ride on Saturday with members of The Cretins MC and Los Gordos Gatos clubs, I ended my night with a trip to The Cretins MC’s clubhouse (under the W. Seattle bridge, on Spokane).
The party at the clubhouse was fun: lots of familiar faces, a surprise visit by my wife, and lots of silly movies and activities.
Around midnight, the wife, my friends, and I decided to call it a night and started to head home.
One block from the clubhouse, I hit a detour that was covered in gravel and I went down. Hard.
Here’s the injury list:
1. The bike lost the front left turn signal (I hated the amber turn signals anyway)
2. The bike’s left mirror is in rough shape (it operates, but I think I stripped the threading)
3. My left knee took a banging, which resulted in a dislodged patella, a good sized hematoma (I’m under medication to shrink/dissolve it), and a fair amount of blood.
4. I’m barely walking right now, mostly due to the pressure on the patella and the swelling.
5. I’ll be seeing an orthopedic surgeon in the next week to discuss whether or not I need further attention (read: surgery).
– Image below is a little gory –
From the illustration I’ve horribly hacked together below, you can see how the patella is really ejected, with the hematoma developing below the kneecap. Excuse my :30 photoshop job, please.
At this point, I just need rest, crutches, and some compassion. I wasn’t the only rider to dump at that detour on Saturday, so while my pride is hurt, it’s not the end of the world. I’ve been told by plenty of much more seasoned riders that this “is just part of the bike world; it happens to everyone.”
Thank you to everyone that’s shown interest in my bashup; I’m sorry if early notes were vague or worrisome – that wasn’t mine (nor my wife’s) intentions. I’ll be fine, the bike will be fine (rode it home actually), and all will be well in a few weeks.
In the meantime, if you wanna meet up or hang out, just know I’ll be slower than normal :)
What have I been up to lately?
Aug 13th
An IPTC asset management tool for my employer – allows mobile photographers to upload batches of images and in-browser assign IPTC tags. Completed uploads are routed to various output channels (print, blogs, etc).
A real-estate data normalizing tool that will assist editors and designers in capturing real-estate data from providers, normalize it for print and online, and quickly layout print pages. No more hunting and pecking, or formatting based on each vendor!
Cultivating Conscience – Justine’s baby, really, but a great adventure for us both: Attempting to live within 100 food-miles.
Njoy E-Cigarette
Apr 21st
So my wife, Justine (@justineedge) bought me a present: the Njoy “npro” e-cigarette starter pack.
I’m trying it out today.
While it hasn’t yet 100% replaced my “regular” smoking, it’s off to a good start. A strange-tasting (on the lips) start, however.
I’m sure I’ll do a much longer review soon. Possibly by video.
My bike crash incident
Mar 31st
3 cop cars, ambulance and firetruck - 45th st exit from I-5
So last night, as I was exiting I-5 at the 45th street exit, I was hit by a car. The douchebag clipped me on the left-hand side, knocking me into the brambles on the side of the road and threw me from the bike.
The bike landed on my left ankle, and with my weak-assed arms, I was unable to lift the bike off me (it hurt like a motherfucker*). Trapped under the bike, I was beat up but not broken. The bike has some damage, but is operational.
A kind citizen stopped and helped get the bike off me. However, he was on the phone with 911 (anyone that knows my bike knows how bad that could be for me – the bike isn’t registered, it’s not titled or plated, the plates are from a different bike, and I don’t have my endorsement).
Before I could regain my strength and stand up, the EMT’s, a firetruck, and 3 cop cars were on me. The police officer that took my information was super-duper kind – she could have arrested me and impounded the bike. Instead, she gave me a little bit of a hard time about the illegal bike and no endorsement, and made sure I got off the exit by pushing the bike up the hill to where my wife was waiting for me. That walk, pushing the bike on my bashed up legs, hurt like hell!
Bruises, lots of cuts and shit, but otherwise OK. The cops, firemen and EMT’s that showed up (via a 911 call from a citizen) were awesome – even more so because the police let me leave with my untitled, unregistered (no endorsement, either) bike. Today, I consider myself VERY LUCKY.
The bike will be off the road for a little while – I need to go over every nut and bolt and cable, and this gives me the chance to do the work I’ve long needed to on the bike. I hope I can get some assistance as I will need it for sure!
* I don’t swear much on my blog (as the “about me” blurb will tell), but this time it’s a necessary evil.