So. Stuff That Happened.
Wow. Just looked and it's been almost 3 years since I posted anything.
This is going to be long, but here's why...
First up I took on another job. I moved just a bit across the hill to live on a horse farm belonging to a prominent businessman who likes to breed his own racehorses, but obviously is too busy to do all the work. This involves all the care of the horses, from conception to death, except when they go to the racing trainers. The death bit is most often old age related, but there have been a couple of tragedies. You have to expect that with a constant group of 20-30 high strung running machines.
This guy loves his horses and comes to visit them on weekends, just to give them cuddles. It's awesome.
So I have a nice house, rent free and OMG it is beautiful here. Some days lots to do and other days only feeding. But it took it's toll on my old, worn out body, working two horse jobs. So after 11 years I quit the other one and did a security course.
Got a job doing mobile patrols straight away and I absolutely loved it. Driving around all night, making sure other people's shit was secure and attending alarms was actually fun most of the time. Stressful occasionally, but I love driving and I love working alone, so it was perfect for me.
Then some drunk idiot turned in front of me at an intersection and after the bang I was in a pretty substantial amount of pain. I had to be cut out of the car and spent 5 hours strapped to a spine board while doctors poked things into my feet and poked me with needles and told each other things like, "She has to be bleeding internally, look at the swelling in her abdomen and she's too pale. Take the bloods again." and, "That leg's fractured, probably the right hip too."
Turns out they were all wrong and miraculously I had no fractures and no internal bleeding as such. Just a lot of nasty cuts and haematomas and some knee damage.
I was a very brave girl and got stitched up, even though the local didn't work, and I didn't cry once... until they gave me a sponge bath. I lay there with tears seeping out of my face and swore I wasn't going to endure that again. (It was apparent the nurse was not a lesbian. I swear she was using sandpaper down there.) And no way was I going to use a bedpan. Just no.
About 8 hours after the accident I managed to get helped into a wheelchair and got trundled into the lav.
Next morning I told the nurse I was having a shower and there was much tutting and "You really shouldn'ts" but I was adamant and managed to shuffle to the bathroom and do everything myself. It hurt and it was slow and I saw how black and red and purple I was all over and I thanked God and anyone else who cared for keeping me alive and not smashed into pieces.
I got to go home that night because I made myself walk around and go to the lav on my own and generally prove to the doctors that I was not worth keeping around.
Unfortunately that was about all that I managed quickly. 10 months later I still have numb patches on my right hip and left leg. Sometimes they feel like a burn, but mostly just nothing. I also still have lumps and bruising there. Both knees are horribly scarred and my left one blows up like a balloon when I spend too long upright. It hurts like a bitch when it's bent for too long. My upper right arm is just plain ugly and I had to throw a tantrum to get the glass cut out of it because they just wanted to wait until it pushed out on it's own. I still have quite a bit of pain in my left shoulder and upper chest. These are things I've been told I am stuck with. If it's not better by now, it's not going to be is the consensus. I refuse to believe that.
I'm able to do everything I could before, but now have to make allowances for lack of strength in my left arm and I do hurt a whole lot more than I used to. But I am alive and whole and still grateful every day.
I was shown photos of the car a long while afterward and was told that the fireies who pulled me out, the tow truck driver, the insurance guy and the wrecker who was storing it all said variations of "Driver was killed then?" That's how mashed it was.
And I am essentially fine. How lucky am I?
There were some sad times with my darling critters. My darling mare, Pammy somehow fractured her skull and after treating her for pain for as long as we could, it became apparent she was never going to be without a headache. She also had some other issues that suggested brain damage. I had to say goodbye to her.
Then her daughter, Marley, somehow became entangled in wire from the neighbour's fence. (We have only wooden ones.) and stripped one of her back legs to the bone, fracturing her pastern. My lovely vet, Mel thought that with the amount of time she would need to be confined and bandaged for the wound, the fracture might heal well enough. She was right. Marley has a pretty impressive scar but against the odds is fully sound and may even get to race.
I lost my old Puffy horse to colic. He was stuck in a fence when I got home one night and I stayed up with all night, had the vet out twice, but he was too old and too far gone to recover.
My Bear dog had a stroke and I had to say goodbye to him, as well. Cried for days and days.
This all happened in a space of about 6 weeks. I was starting to feel like the angel of death, but Mel told me that my critters were always ridiculously healthy and lived to ripe old ages, and that shit usually happens in piles. So very true.
There is good stuff. I've been on another snow holiday. Frog didn't have a great time, with all the bad luck in the world following her there. But there was snow! So it was all good in the end.
I have a new puppy. His name is Beauchie, after Francois Beauchemin. He's tubby and white and a little bit odd. The puppy that is. He's a Maremma Sheepdog, so we're in for interesting times with obedience but food treats are proving a great motivator so far. He's crazy smart and has learned a whole slew of things already.
The mobile patrols part of the company I work for has been sold off, so there's not much work for me at the moment, but I've managed to pick up a few interesting bits and pieces here and there, plus I have the farm stuff, so I won't starve anytime soon. And anyway, it gives me some time to start writing again and get in touch with people I've missed.
After the accident I had to get myself an automatic car because I couldn't use a clutch for quite a while. I bought a 1992 Mazda 929 that's seen better days, but somehow just stole my heart. I totally went all Richard Hammond/Oliver on her. She had a little Chinese symbol tag thing hanging from the wiper controls that said Serenity and that is her name. There's also the fact that in her time she was a really nice car and with a few little repairs she's good to go anywhere. (Firefly fans will get that.) She even rocks like a boat when we go over bumps. Found out later that in Canada her model is called Serenia. So yeah. It's unnatural how much I love that car.
Fannishly? I still love all my usual stuff, but am currently obsessed with Top Gear. I've always liked cars, but am now becoming quite enamoured with them. And it's funny and there is some eye candy, although I'm not sure if I think Richard and James are hot because I like the other stuff about them, or if they are actually hot. Doesn't matter I suppose. It is was it is.
Don't mind a few new shows, but when I'm pressed for time Top Gear is my default for winding down with.
Hockey. Do I need to say more? Well I will anyway.
We are possibly getting a team in the AIHL. Had a few exhibition games with a couple of other teams and so far have been competitive, but I don't think the other teams have taken Perth Thunder seriously. Okay, crap name and yeah, crap jerseys, but some of the players are remarkably good. Frog and I have been scoring the ones held locally and it's hard to behave impartially when you've been watching some of these guys for a couple of years and actually care how the game plays out. But we are professionals and only quietly comment to each other.
Penguin wise, I'm sad. No more Max Talbot. The Flyers have him, which hurts even more than his leaving. I like to believe he went there so he's still not too far from Flower.
There's got to be more stuff, for me to have been so caught up, but none of it seems important enough to remember right now. I think the long hours of working probably broke my brain for a good while, but I intend to put my life first and my work second from now on. Not getting any younger and all.
I've missed quite a few of my LJ friends while I've been gone. I'd often be driving around at ridiculous o'clock in the morning, listening to the radio and thinking about you. Wondering what's happening to you and trying to figure out when I could sit in front of the lappy long enough to find out. But 12 hour night shifts kinda make you sleepy when you do get days off and between horses and sleep there wasn't really time for anything other than the bare essentials. Eat, shower, feed critters, cuddle critters, return work related emails, sleep again.
But YAY!!!! I get to have a life now and you guys will be sick of me in no time.
This is going to be long, but here's why...
First up I took on another job. I moved just a bit across the hill to live on a horse farm belonging to a prominent businessman who likes to breed his own racehorses, but obviously is too busy to do all the work. This involves all the care of the horses, from conception to death, except when they go to the racing trainers. The death bit is most often old age related, but there have been a couple of tragedies. You have to expect that with a constant group of 20-30 high strung running machines.
This guy loves his horses and comes to visit them on weekends, just to give them cuddles. It's awesome.
So I have a nice house, rent free and OMG it is beautiful here. Some days lots to do and other days only feeding. But it took it's toll on my old, worn out body, working two horse jobs. So after 11 years I quit the other one and did a security course.
Got a job doing mobile patrols straight away and I absolutely loved it. Driving around all night, making sure other people's shit was secure and attending alarms was actually fun most of the time. Stressful occasionally, but I love driving and I love working alone, so it was perfect for me.
Then some drunk idiot turned in front of me at an intersection and after the bang I was in a pretty substantial amount of pain. I had to be cut out of the car and spent 5 hours strapped to a spine board while doctors poked things into my feet and poked me with needles and told each other things like, "She has to be bleeding internally, look at the swelling in her abdomen and she's too pale. Take the bloods again." and, "That leg's fractured, probably the right hip too."
Turns out they were all wrong and miraculously I had no fractures and no internal bleeding as such. Just a lot of nasty cuts and haematomas and some knee damage.
I was a very brave girl and got stitched up, even though the local didn't work, and I didn't cry once... until they gave me a sponge bath. I lay there with tears seeping out of my face and swore I wasn't going to endure that again. (It was apparent the nurse was not a lesbian. I swear she was using sandpaper down there.) And no way was I going to use a bedpan. Just no.
About 8 hours after the accident I managed to get helped into a wheelchair and got trundled into the lav.
Next morning I told the nurse I was having a shower and there was much tutting and "You really shouldn'ts" but I was adamant and managed to shuffle to the bathroom and do everything myself. It hurt and it was slow and I saw how black and red and purple I was all over and I thanked God and anyone else who cared for keeping me alive and not smashed into pieces.
I got to go home that night because I made myself walk around and go to the lav on my own and generally prove to the doctors that I was not worth keeping around.
Unfortunately that was about all that I managed quickly. 10 months later I still have numb patches on my right hip and left leg. Sometimes they feel like a burn, but mostly just nothing. I also still have lumps and bruising there. Both knees are horribly scarred and my left one blows up like a balloon when I spend too long upright. It hurts like a bitch when it's bent for too long. My upper right arm is just plain ugly and I had to throw a tantrum to get the glass cut out of it because they just wanted to wait until it pushed out on it's own. I still have quite a bit of pain in my left shoulder and upper chest. These are things I've been told I am stuck with. If it's not better by now, it's not going to be is the consensus. I refuse to believe that.
I'm able to do everything I could before, but now have to make allowances for lack of strength in my left arm and I do hurt a whole lot more than I used to. But I am alive and whole and still grateful every day.
I was shown photos of the car a long while afterward and was told that the fireies who pulled me out, the tow truck driver, the insurance guy and the wrecker who was storing it all said variations of "Driver was killed then?" That's how mashed it was.
And I am essentially fine. How lucky am I?
There were some sad times with my darling critters. My darling mare, Pammy somehow fractured her skull and after treating her for pain for as long as we could, it became apparent she was never going to be without a headache. She also had some other issues that suggested brain damage. I had to say goodbye to her.
Then her daughter, Marley, somehow became entangled in wire from the neighbour's fence. (We have only wooden ones.) and stripped one of her back legs to the bone, fracturing her pastern. My lovely vet, Mel thought that with the amount of time she would need to be confined and bandaged for the wound, the fracture might heal well enough. She was right. Marley has a pretty impressive scar but against the odds is fully sound and may even get to race.
I lost my old Puffy horse to colic. He was stuck in a fence when I got home one night and I stayed up with all night, had the vet out twice, but he was too old and too far gone to recover.
My Bear dog had a stroke and I had to say goodbye to him, as well. Cried for days and days.
This all happened in a space of about 6 weeks. I was starting to feel like the angel of death, but Mel told me that my critters were always ridiculously healthy and lived to ripe old ages, and that shit usually happens in piles. So very true.
There is good stuff. I've been on another snow holiday. Frog didn't have a great time, with all the bad luck in the world following her there. But there was snow! So it was all good in the end.
I have a new puppy. His name is Beauchie, after Francois Beauchemin. He's tubby and white and a little bit odd. The puppy that is. He's a Maremma Sheepdog, so we're in for interesting times with obedience but food treats are proving a great motivator so far. He's crazy smart and has learned a whole slew of things already.
The mobile patrols part of the company I work for has been sold off, so there's not much work for me at the moment, but I've managed to pick up a few interesting bits and pieces here and there, plus I have the farm stuff, so I won't starve anytime soon. And anyway, it gives me some time to start writing again and get in touch with people I've missed.
After the accident I had to get myself an automatic car because I couldn't use a clutch for quite a while. I bought a 1992 Mazda 929 that's seen better days, but somehow just stole my heart. I totally went all Richard Hammond/Oliver on her. She had a little Chinese symbol tag thing hanging from the wiper controls that said Serenity and that is her name. There's also the fact that in her time she was a really nice car and with a few little repairs she's good to go anywhere. (Firefly fans will get that.) She even rocks like a boat when we go over bumps. Found out later that in Canada her model is called Serenia. So yeah. It's unnatural how much I love that car.
Fannishly? I still love all my usual stuff, but am currently obsessed with Top Gear. I've always liked cars, but am now becoming quite enamoured with them. And it's funny and there is some eye candy, although I'm not sure if I think Richard and James are hot because I like the other stuff about them, or if they are actually hot. Doesn't matter I suppose. It is was it is.
Don't mind a few new shows, but when I'm pressed for time Top Gear is my default for winding down with.
Hockey. Do I need to say more? Well I will anyway.
We are possibly getting a team in the AIHL. Had a few exhibition games with a couple of other teams and so far have been competitive, but I don't think the other teams have taken Perth Thunder seriously. Okay, crap name and yeah, crap jerseys, but some of the players are remarkably good. Frog and I have been scoring the ones held locally and it's hard to behave impartially when you've been watching some of these guys for a couple of years and actually care how the game plays out. But we are professionals and only quietly comment to each other.
Penguin wise, I'm sad. No more Max Talbot. The Flyers have him, which hurts even more than his leaving. I like to believe he went there so he's still not too far from Flower.
There's got to be more stuff, for me to have been so caught up, but none of it seems important enough to remember right now. I think the long hours of working probably broke my brain for a good while, but I intend to put my life first and my work second from now on. Not getting any younger and all.
I've missed quite a few of my LJ friends while I've been gone. I'd often be driving around at ridiculous o'clock in the morning, listening to the radio and thinking about you. Wondering what's happening to you and trying to figure out when I could sit in front of the lappy long enough to find out. But 12 hour night shifts kinda make you sleepy when you do get days off and between horses and sleep there wasn't really time for anything other than the bare essentials. Eat, shower, feed critters, cuddle critters, return work related emails, sleep again.
But YAY!!!! I get to have a life now and you guys will be sick of me in no time.