Halloween Reads

[Sparrow]

Wow, 3 plastic surgeries? Good grief man, glad you made it out alive. I have to ask. Were you wearing a helmet or was your noggin free from it?

Oh no, I was wearing a motocross helmet.
I was screwing around riding at a construction site as the sun was going down, was ready to go home and did a little jump over a slope and landed the front wheel in a ditch and was tossed face first into a trailer hitch... the hitch burst through my goggles crushing my nose, fractured my right eye socket and knocked out my top row of teeth. Otherwise I was alright.
Let me tell you, a nose job is no fun at all. The plastic surgeon had to take part of one of my ribs to rebuild my nose... I don't ride motorcycles anymore.
The irony is that practically everyone I grew up with rode horses, but as I'm scared to death of horses I chose motorcycles instead... because they're safer.

 

[Silvion Night]

The irony is that practically everyone I grew up with rode horses, but as I'm scared to death of horses I chose motorcycles instead... because they're safer.

Sorry man, not laughing at your misery, but like you said, this is masterfully ironic.

 

[Alucard]

Oh no, I was wearing a motocross helmet.
I was screwing around riding at a construction site as the sun was going down, was ready to go home and did a little jump over a slope and landed the front wheel in a ditch and was tossed face first into a trailer hitch... the hitch burst through my goggles crushing my nose, fractured my right eye socket and knocked out my top row of teeth. Otherwise I was alright.
Let me tell you, a nose job is no fun at all. The plastic surgeon had to take part of one of my ribs to rebuild my nose... I don't ride motorcycles anymore.
The irony is that practically everyone I grew up with rode horses, but as I'm scared to death of horses I chose motorcycles instead... because they're safer.

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.

Glad you made that recovery. Sounds grueling. I had less damage made on me from a bomb/hand grenade when I was 9. Only a clean exit wound made by a round (thankfully) shrapnel on my right thigh about 7-10 cm diameter. If it wasn't round, I would probably be missing a leg right now.
Our experiences go to show how this life is fucking random. Seeing that I'm on House MD binge right now, it doesn't help change my mind either.

 

[Sparrow]

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.

Glad you made that recovery. Sounds grueling. I had less damage made on me from a bomb/hand grenade when I was 9. Only a clean exit wound made by a round (thankfully) shrapnel on my right thigh about 7-10 cm diameter. If it wasn't round, I would probably be missing a leg right now.
Our experiences go to show how this life is fucking random. Seeing that I'm on House MD binge right now, it doesn't help change my mind either.

It also shows how different lives can be... when I was 9, as dangerous as my life got was playing with fireworks on the 4th of July or doing crazy stunts on my bicycle. No doubt your childhood was far more harrowing. I do know though, that very often physical scars are accompanied by mental scars... do you have any residual effects from your close call as a child?
It was some months after my motorcycle accident that I think my brain was saying "hey dude, you need to deal with that near death experience". But of course I ignored it for awhile, until I started waking up from a dead sleep with my bedsheets soaking wet with sweat. For a while afterwards I was a very anxious person who felt as though I was on borrowed time. To be honest with you, I began to look into religion again... thankfully I instead went in to see a shrink and was put on low grade medication for a couple of months to calm me down.
Glad your luck held out when you were 9, and at least you have a cool scar to show folks... and stop watching House MD!.. Two years ago my appendix made a valiant effort to stay in my body, but alas I was rushed to the ER and had it removed... when I got home I had loads of time to watch tv, and I watched House for the first time, it was a House marathon! Yikes, life is way too random... and that House guy has a horrible bedside manner.

 

[Alucard]

It also shows how different lives can be... when I was 9, as dangerous as my life got was playing with fireworks on the 4th of July or doing crazy stunts on my bicycle. No doubt your childhood was far more harrowing. I do know though, that very often physical scars are accompanied by mental scars... do you have any residual effects from your close call as a child?
It was some months after my motorcycle accident that I think my brain was saying "hey dude, you need to deal with that near death experience". But of course I ignored it for awhile, until I started waking up from a dead sleep with my bedsheets soaking wet with sweat. For a while afterwards I was a very anxious person who felt as though I was on borrowed time. To be honest with you, I began to look into religion again... thankfully I instead went in to see a shrink and was put on low grade medication for a couple of months to calm me down.
Glad your luck held out when you were 9, and at least you have a cool scar to show folks... and stop watching House MD!.. Two years ago my appendix made a valiant effort to stay in my body, but alas I was rushed to the ER and had it removed... when I got home I had loads of time to watch tv, and I watched House for the first time, it was a House marathon! Yikes, life is way too random... and that House guy has a horrible bedside manner.

I actually think I had amazing childhood. Age 1-9 were all a kid can want. I just grew up a little earlier then most other people.
Other than a wish of wanting to kick the ass of the guy who threw a hand grenade from the 7th floor of an apartment building among two dozen kids in a park, no, not really. He was part of the fifth column. There were many like him during Sarajevo siege. But I find him particular disgusting human being because he took it out on kids. I did sleepwalk when I was a teen. A lot. Maybe that was me dealing with it subconsciously, but then again my dad's side of the family are all sleepwalkers as teens. I got it out of my system when the teen years ended. I don't do that anymore.
It's probably a blessing in disguise, or that's the way I see it, but going through that was much easier at 9 than it would be at 19. Kids are more resilient then adults. My opinion anyway.
Never been to the shrink either. Honestly it hit me harder when my dad died and I was 20 then.

The scars cant be seen much either, only when I'm wearing a short skirt or a swimsuit. I don't mind them one bit though, never did. They don't stop me wearing skirts or swimsuits, so I'm fine with them. It could have been much worse, so I feel like it ain't that big of a deal. Because I've seen people lose their limbs and go on living, so what are my two scars anyway.

Cant stop watching House though The character is an ass, but brilliant. Toxic to everyone around him and himself, but he saves lives. That trumps his personality.
This isn't my first time either, I'm a big House MD fan ^^ This time around I feel like he'd be perfect if he had some Wilson traits sprinkled on him lol

 

[paul james]

Hellraiser I really enjoy as a film however I doubt I will read the book as I have found in the past there is no wow whats going to happen in this book after you've watched the movie. I do really enjoy Clive Barker a very talented man filmaker, writer and artist. Another short novel of his is Mister B Gone.

 

[Sparrow]

I actually think I had amazing childhood. Age 1-9 were all a kid can want. I just grew up a little earlier then most other people.
Other than a wish of wanting to kick the ass of the guy who threw a hand grenade from the 7th floor of an apartment building among two dozen kids in a park, no, not really. He was part of the fifth column. There were many like him during Sarajevo siege. But I find him particular disgusting human being because he took it out on kids. I did sleepwalk when I was a teen. A lot. Maybe that was me dealing with it subconsciously, but then again my dad's side of the family are all sleepwalkers as teens. I got it out of my system when the teen years ended. I don't do that anymore.
It's probably a blessing in disguise, or that's the way I see it, but going through that was much easier at 9 than it would be at 19. Kids are more resilient then adults. My opinion anyway.
Never been to the shrink either. Honestly it hit me harder when my dad died and I was 20 then.

The scars cant be seen much either, only when I'm wearing a short skirt or a swimsuit. I don't mind them one bit though, never did. They don't stop me wearing skirts or swimsuits, so I'm fine with them. It could have been much worse, so I feel like it ain't that big of a deal. Because I've seen people lose their limbs and go on living, so what are my two scars anyway.

Cant stop watching House though The character is an ass, but brilliant. Toxic to everyone around him and himself, but he saves lives. That trumps his personality.
This isn't my first time either, I'm a big House MD fan ^^ This time around I feel like he'd be perfect if he had some Wilson traits sprinkled on him lol

Yes indeed injuries can be a blessing in disguise, so very true... fell out of a tree flat on my back when I was 7, knocked out cold and gave myself a double hernia.
I had awoke that morning before the sun came up and come hell or high water was going to climb to the top of the forbidden oak tree in the front yard. My poor dad came out to fetch the morning newspaper and discovered his ridiculous son passed out dead to the world under the tree he had forbidden I climb. I was rushed to the hospital and got my insides pushed back in and stitched up... but days later at home my parents began noticing a big change in my behavior. Before falling out of the tree I had the worst case of ADHD ever, afterwards I was still hyper but close enough to normal to deal with it on my own, and thankfully I had very good parents. I also went from a C+ student to top grades. I don't know if that counts as resilient, or fragile... but either way the brain is a fickle mistress.... and there's few scars less cool than a double hernia. At least the nurse didn't have to shave me down there before being wheeled into the OR.

What I began to notice while I was watching back to back House episodes two years ago, was that it seemed very formulated; the person is wheeled in with fairly straight forward symptoms with something quirky that goes undetected, they're misdiagnosed by one of the young attractive resident physicians, things start to unravel... enter House who has some arcane knowledge about an insanely rare ailment... he usually underestimates the situation or hasn't put the pieces together yet... because it's just not one aliment, something meaner is brewing. By this time the patient has already almost died and their condition is spiraling out of control. Some sort of random experience or someone says something in passing, and that sparks House to genius and he finally puts all the pieces together... except now there's an ethical/moral dilemma that must be circumvented! If it was me with a mysterious disease I would be demanding that House go out and find a homeless person and harvest whatever organs I need! Let's get this show on the road... I'm entitled!
I have gotten into the habit of watching Monsters Inside Me on the Animal Planet channel. Now that stuff creeps me out.

 

[Sneaky Burrito]

I have gotten into the habit of watching Monsters Inside Me on the Animal Planet channel. Now that stuff creeps me out.

I haven't watched that for awhile. But when I did, I swear half the creepy parasites were acquired in Georgia. Now I will never go outside with bare feet.

(No injuries to share. I had to get 11 stitches once, and I have lost my big toenail on my right foot twice in the past 15-20 years, but that pales in comparison to what everyone else has described.)

 

[TomTB]

I had 35 stitches in my arse once!

(that injury definitely WASN'T a blessing in disguise @Sparrow )

 

[ofer]

I didn't follow up on this. There was no reading buddies I'm afraid I don't have much time to post lately, I'm sorry.
@Sparrow I hope your surgery went well.
@ofer Thank you for your recommendation. I've went with The Hellbound Heart for the Halloween, and it was a perfect choice. I've read it in one day. I really enjoyed the weirdness and gore, the story was interesting, but it wasn't scary for me as it was for you. One small thing that bugged me was character of Julia, specifically how easily she accepted existence of Frank. I completely sympathized with Rory.

Spoiler

The dude loved his wife so much, but she was quite frankly a bitch.

After I've read it, I've read some reviews on GR and it turns out they based Hellraiser on this book, which just upped the cool factor of the book to me. Hellraiser was one of my favorite movies when I was around 13-15. It scared the shit out of me, but I loved it lol
So thanks once again, perfect book for Halloween, bonus points for nostalgic factor

Glad you liked it. Always liked Barker earlier books - Weaveworld, Imajica, Everville and a few others.

 

[Sparrow]

I haven't watched that for awhile. But when I did, I swear half the creepy parasites were acquired in Georgia. Now I will never go outside with bare feet.

(No injuries to share. I had to get 11 stitches once, and I have lost my big toenail on my right foot twice in the past 15-20 years, but that pales in comparison to what everyone else has described.)

Many years ago one of my neighbors contracted that "flesh eating disease", that was in San Clemente California... I remember the first time I saw him after he got out of the hospital... and we shook hands. After we talked a bit and I went back inside my house, I went straight to the bathroom and washed my hands about ten times!

Since moving to Florida I can deal with the extra critters, except for Palmetto Bugs. Roaches that can fly belong in the Amazon!