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ltmurnau15 years ago:
It was 1989, and I had just recently returned from my second (and, it was to prove, last) trip to Europe. I went to London, Bath, and Berlin, where I was probably one of the last people to be refused entry into East Berlin. I was finishing up my Army job in Ottawa and preparing to go back to Victoria, where I would briefly share quarters with Gary. This was one of the best phases of my life: I was relatively free, had a bit of money, no prospects but no baggage (except for having my heart broken on a roughly annual basis). One year after this, I was emplaced in my teaching job in Japan (and getting ready for more heartbreak).
10 years ago:
It was 1994, and Akito was about to be born (he actually came about 8 days early). I was living in what I am sure was later a leaky condo on the border of Esquimalt and Vic West (glad we got out of there), and starting to get browned off with my job in the Ministry of Health. I was beginning to realize that I had assembled a frightening amount of life-baggage in only the previous 18 months.
5 years ago:
It was 1999, and I was just coming back to work full-time, almost one full year after a car ran over me (9 December 1998). I was in physiotherapy, and was about done with crutches. My left leg had become very wasted - it looked positively bowed next to the other one because there was no muscle bulk left in it at all. I was working for "Smudge", a Very Bad Boss but not as bad as some of the genuine psychopaths I'd had to work for in my time. My game Battle for China had just been released by the Microgame Co-op, in time for the 50th anniversary of the People's Republic, to positive reviews. I was working on another design on the Algerian War 1954-62. I added to my webpage a gallery of rubberstamp images I made from carved erasers, back when I relied on the global postal system for mental nourishment and cheap laughs. (Still do, but the diet is leaner and the laughs dearer.)
3 years ago:
It was 2001, and a couple of days before "Gizmo", as I called my Ilizarov apparatus, had been installed in/on my leg. Gizmo looked like this:
Eight bolts going into my leg, one thing like a bicycle spoke that went through the top of my shinbone, and four rings about the size of the sprocket the pedals on your bike attach to.
They didn't file off the heads of the bolts so I gashed my leg badly the first time I tried walking in the hospital - wasn't used to giving that leg extra room. The Occupational Therapist there rigged me up with a foot sling made of thermoplastic, bungee cords and curtain hooks that attached to the frame and helped me avoid getting dropfoot. She kindly used the spare bits of thermoplastic to mold over the heads of the bolts, so my pants and bedsheets weren't in ribbons.
I promptly developed a series of serious infections that kept me on antibiotics and very strong painkillers (introduction to the dubious delights of Dilaudid) almost continuously for the next 11 months.
1 year ago:
It was 2003, and I met Betty in person for the first time. Happy anniversary!
Yesterday:
I had breakfast with Betty, and then we went shopping:
Value Village: a couple of books for Aki; some cassette tapes for me
Staples: two purple ballpoint pens
Michael's: two packages of pinbacks, one package of ear posts and one package of earring clutches, all for castings; some tubes of Superglue; a small hand drill for wood
Toys R Us: I didn't get anything but Betty got a large Gollum figure with interchangeable Gollum/Smeagol heads you could change according to mood, that said 22 phrases (11 Gollum, 11 Smeagol) and sang the "Wish for a Fish" song. All to celebrate her finally finishing that goddamn LOTR criticism article!
Dollar Store at University Heights Mall: two fluorescent pencil crayons and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.
Today:
Working on UCFV stuff, found a small Primus stove at VdeP, now writing this. Might go to Value Village after work to look for an ibrik, my new obsession (got an idea for camp at Burning Man next year).
Tomorrow:
More of the same. Going to check out new Middle Eastern deli on Fort St. at lunch.
It was 1989, and I had just recently returned from my second (and, it was to prove, last) trip to Europe. I went to London, Bath, and Berlin, where I was probably one of the last people to be refused entry into East Berlin. I was finishing up my Army job in Ottawa and preparing to go back to Victoria, where I would briefly share quarters with Gary. This was one of the best phases of my life: I was relatively free, had a bit of money, no prospects but no baggage (except for having my heart broken on a roughly annual basis). One year after this, I was emplaced in my teaching job in Japan (and getting ready for more heartbreak).
10 years ago:
It was 1994, and Akito was about to be born (he actually came about 8 days early). I was living in what I am sure was later a leaky condo on the border of Esquimalt and Vic West (glad we got out of there), and starting to get browned off with my job in the Ministry of Health. I was beginning to realize that I had assembled a frightening amount of life-baggage in only the previous 18 months.
5 years ago:
It was 1999, and I was just coming back to work full-time, almost one full year after a car ran over me (9 December 1998). I was in physiotherapy, and was about done with crutches. My left leg had become very wasted - it looked positively bowed next to the other one because there was no muscle bulk left in it at all. I was working for "Smudge", a Very Bad Boss but not as bad as some of the genuine psychopaths I'd had to work for in my time. My game Battle for China had just been released by the Microgame Co-op, in time for the 50th anniversary of the People's Republic, to positive reviews. I was working on another design on the Algerian War 1954-62. I added to my webpage a gallery of rubberstamp images I made from carved erasers, back when I relied on the global postal system for mental nourishment and cheap laughs. (Still do, but the diet is leaner and the laughs dearer.)
3 years ago:
It was 2001, and a couple of days before "Gizmo", as I called my Ilizarov apparatus, had been installed in/on my leg. Gizmo looked like this:
Eight bolts going into my leg, one thing like a bicycle spoke that went through the top of my shinbone, and four rings about the size of the sprocket the pedals on your bike attach to.
They didn't file off the heads of the bolts so I gashed my leg badly the first time I tried walking in the hospital - wasn't used to giving that leg extra room. The Occupational Therapist there rigged me up with a foot sling made of thermoplastic, bungee cords and curtain hooks that attached to the frame and helped me avoid getting dropfoot. She kindly used the spare bits of thermoplastic to mold over the heads of the bolts, so my pants and bedsheets weren't in ribbons.
I promptly developed a series of serious infections that kept me on antibiotics and very strong painkillers (introduction to the dubious delights of Dilaudid) almost continuously for the next 11 months.
1 year ago:
It was 2003, and I met Betty in person for the first time. Happy anniversary!
Yesterday:
I had breakfast with Betty, and then we went shopping:
Value Village: a couple of books for Aki; some cassette tapes for me
Staples: two purple ballpoint pens
Michael's: two packages of pinbacks, one package of ear posts and one package of earring clutches, all for castings; some tubes of Superglue; a small hand drill for wood
Toys R Us: I didn't get anything but Betty got a large Gollum figure with interchangeable Gollum/Smeagol heads you could change according to mood, that said 22 phrases (11 Gollum, 11 Smeagol) and sang the "Wish for a Fish" song. All to celebrate her finally finishing that goddamn LOTR criticism article!
Dollar Store at University Heights Mall: two fluorescent pencil crayons and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.
Today:
Working on UCFV stuff, found a small Primus stove at VdeP, now writing this. Might go to Value Village after work to look for an ibrik, my new obsession (got an idea for camp at Burning Man next year).
Tomorrow:
More of the same. Going to check out new Middle Eastern deli on Fort St. at lunch.
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Hi
Date: 2004-11-09 02:39 am (UTC)You sure had a more interesting life than I did. But hey, you're 10 years older than I am, so!!
Love you're icon and you have a great music taste.
Re: Hi
Date: 2004-11-09 09:08 am (UTC)