Aug 2007
Flooded
Aug 30 2007-17:24
Well, in my travels and my limited existence, I have seen a few things, experienced some crazy situations, but this is a first, and a bit daunting at first. We got flooded here. The river in town floods a few times a year, but nothing serious, the army controls it pretty good. But this time, it wasn’t just the river, there was just too much rain for the drainage system to handle. We got back very early on Wednesday morning (about 2 am) and it was raining. It rained all Wednesday and at about 5pm I went to a friend’s house. There was already some flooding on the motorway, with some rivers running across the motorway! It continued to rain all the time I was at the friend’s place. When I got home at about 10:30pm, the water on my street was just below the door of the car.
I took off my shoes, rolled up my pants, and went to see how I could get into my apartment. You see, the lobby is below street level, so if the street was flooded, then for sure the lobby was too! I wandered to about knee deep, and surveyed the situation. The water was near as high as the overhang over the lobby door. I cannot touch this overhang, so the water was fucking deep! Luckily someone in the back unit was still awake and he let me go though his house and into the hallway. From there I was able to get into my unit. Power and phone were out.
Thursday was not any better. It was still raining, but they had managed to get the water level down from the road, so it was looking up. I waited until about 2pm to see if I could get out of the apartment – still not. Finally went to ask the landlord if there was a way I could get out. For some reason he thought I wanted to do laundry… language barrier I suppose! By good fortune, my boss called at the same time I was with the landlord, and he spoke to him, explaining that I had to get out. A different person on the ground floor let me out, and I went to work to see how bad the flooding was there. You see, I was the only one in town during this. Everyone else on the team had gone to Spa for some testing, so I had to go in and check it out. It was not so bad, just a bit of water in the cellar that I sucked up with the floor washing machine, and went home, where the lobby was finally opened!
Today, we had a very big rubbish bin dropped in the driveway, and I had to empty all the shit out of the cellar that got fucked. There was nothing important at least. It was all just empty boxes that I would have used when I move. They are not hard to replace.
So all in all, not so bad, just a lot of water, and a big mess! Between Thursday and Friday, we managed to get power and phone back, but no cable, so that means no Internet for now. And for some reason, we still have no hot water! So I had to go to work Friday night at like 11:30 to wash my hair!! :)
I took off my shoes, rolled up my pants, and went to see how I could get into my apartment. You see, the lobby is below street level, so if the street was flooded, then for sure the lobby was too! I wandered to about knee deep, and surveyed the situation. The water was near as high as the overhang over the lobby door. I cannot touch this overhang, so the water was fucking deep! Luckily someone in the back unit was still awake and he let me go though his house and into the hallway. From there I was able to get into my unit. Power and phone were out.
Thursday was not any better. It was still raining, but they had managed to get the water level down from the road, so it was looking up. I waited until about 2pm to see if I could get out of the apartment – still not. Finally went to ask the landlord if there was a way I could get out. For some reason he thought I wanted to do laundry… language barrier I suppose! By good fortune, my boss called at the same time I was with the landlord, and he spoke to him, explaining that I had to get out. A different person on the ground floor let me out, and I went to work to see how bad the flooding was there. You see, I was the only one in town during this. Everyone else on the team had gone to Spa for some testing, so I had to go in and check it out. It was not so bad, just a bit of water in the cellar that I sucked up with the floor washing machine, and went home, where the lobby was finally opened!
Today, we had a very big rubbish bin dropped in the driveway, and I had to empty all the shit out of the cellar that got fucked. There was nothing important at least. It was all just empty boxes that I would have used when I move. They are not hard to replace.
So all in all, not so bad, just a lot of water, and a big mess! Between Thursday and Friday, we managed to get power and phone back, but no cable, so that means no Internet for now. And for some reason, we still have no hot water! So I had to go to work Friday night at like 11:30 to wash my hair!! :)
Follow up tid-bits
Aug 15 2007-22:17
When i told my story to a certain friend, she told me she had a very similar occurrence. And she had it from a spiked drink. I still don't think this was the cause, but i am trying to find any other reason other than my own stupidity!! :)
Fun Facts:
-IV needles are plastic, and A LOT longer than i thought!
-my arms have shaved patches where the IVs were.
-nurses don't like you playing around with IV valves!
-when the IV bag is finished, blood back flows up the tubes.. nifty. And when you think about it, completely obvious.
-nurses get pissed when you go to the toilet and don't ask them first (sorry, didn't know this was a kindergarten) (again, when i think about it, completely obvious)
Fun Facts:
-IV needles are plastic, and A LOT longer than i thought!
-my arms have shaved patches where the IVs were.
-nurses don't like you playing around with IV valves!
-when the IV bag is finished, blood back flows up the tubes.. nifty. And when you think about it, completely obvious.
-nurses get pissed when you go to the toilet and don't ask them first (sorry, didn't know this was a kindergarten) (again, when i think about it, completely obvious)
Me 0, dignity -1
Aug 13 2007-16:02
Ahh, yet another tale of woe and despair. You'd think by 30 i would have learned. And i thought i did, thought i was doing it correct this time. But alas, no. And now i have reaffirmed why i hate hospitals. Hospitals are depressing to begin with, but when you don't plan on going, and no one knows you are there, and you get no visitors, and you have nothing but time to think, contemplate and mope, it's difficult to find a 'bright' side; except maybe the fact that nothing 'worse' happened. Get ready for a lengthly tale. I don't write this to be proud (fuck that) it is more for the records, as a reminder to smarten the fuck up.
Street Parade was two days ago, on Sat. It's in Zurich, so i just take a train there on Fri, stay in a cool hostel, meet some new people, party my ass off, and go back home on Sun. Afterwards, i saw a few mistakes that could have prevented this, but whatever. Will try to keep this short.
Sat morning, we are all hanging at the hostel, pre-drinking a bit, waiting for the rain to stop, i have two beers and mix up my Absinth and Red Bull concoction in my Nalgene bottle to last me the rest of the day. Didn't exactly have breakfast (mistake one). Me and the 'new' group of friends get to the starting point of the parade about 1 hour before it starts. (no rain anymore, bright hot sun!) Grab a sausage and some bread. Me and Dave convince Alex to stay one more night so she can see the whole event (she was suppose to leave on a 5pm train). She calls the hostel and gets a bed. I later feel bad because of what happens later. Parade starts at 2:30, it is awesome as usual. We are all drinking the Absinth and Red Bull, so it's not like i had a 1/2 litre of it for myself. We are moving with the parade now, and stop for another beer (3 total, not a lot) About 1/3 through the parade, i tell the gang i am off to the toilet. This was 6pm. Little did i know i would not see them again until about 2pm on Sun.
Side note: in my sketchy history, i have been sick from drinking more than my fair share, and i can recognize when it is going to happen. I get the sways, the dry throat, the pleading with my Maker to make it stop, which is pointless, since it happens anyway. HOWEVER, this time, something is fucked. After the toilet break, there are many blank spots in my memory, and quite a few gaps until about 10:30pm. I will point form what i know up to 10:30. There was not the 'usual' warning that something was wrong, or in this case, completely fucked, which is why i don't think it was only alcohol. Perhaps bad sausage, perhaps not enough food, perhaps a spiked drink?
-remember throwing up once or twice on the side of the street,
-next memory (unknown time later) two guys help me to a 'sick tent'. I assume they are volunteers or something, but they could have been nice strangers
-vague memories of rows of beds with a lot of sick people. i get a little sick bag and proceed to use it.
-next (unknown time later) i am woken up, moved to a wheelchair (get sick again and notice what they have told me) and am told i am being taken to the hospital because i have been throwing up a lot of blood. (wheeee)
-must have been ambulance ride, i assume. Arrive at hospital and it is still daylight (just) so around 8:30 or 9pm. Felt like 10 hours later.
So now it's the thrashing hospital crap you see on TV. three people working on me, wires here and there, 2 IV's, oxygen in the nose, bombarded with questions in 2 languages. The IV's have an instant effect, as does the oxygen i assume. About an hour later, i get the story: throwing up blood is caused by a tear in the stomach lining, it's not good, blah blah. and they will keep me until the morning and then look inside me (wheee).
I spend the next three hours contemplating a jail break, how to disconnect the IV's how much time i would have before i was noticed, where are my shoes, etc. Instead i get some patchy sleep in the hallway (busy night, Street Parade is!) and go through with the 'inspection' in the morning, which involves a General Anesthetic and a fibre optic camera down the throat (wheee!) This found some minor tearing, but nothing crazy (could have done a jail break) even though they fed me Gestapo crap about stomach lining problems being fatal.. if that was the case, you wouldn't have made me stay for 15 hours and you would have done something about it when i arrived; and i could have got back to the party and my new friends that i let down.
Epilogue. I let myself down, i let my new friends down, i made them worry (they actually took shifts looking for me! well, for a couple hours at least) i feel bad for Alex, because it was mostly my nagging that made her stay. I was able to call the hostel in the morning and tell them i would not make the check-out time (they understood) and i left a message for Dave and Alex, so at least they could stop worrying.
I have more details if anyone wants them, i just don't feel like filling up pages and pages here.
Sad.
Street Parade was two days ago, on Sat. It's in Zurich, so i just take a train there on Fri, stay in a cool hostel, meet some new people, party my ass off, and go back home on Sun. Afterwards, i saw a few mistakes that could have prevented this, but whatever. Will try to keep this short.
Sat morning, we are all hanging at the hostel, pre-drinking a bit, waiting for the rain to stop, i have two beers and mix up my Absinth and Red Bull concoction in my Nalgene bottle to last me the rest of the day. Didn't exactly have breakfast (mistake one). Me and the 'new' group of friends get to the starting point of the parade about 1 hour before it starts. (no rain anymore, bright hot sun!) Grab a sausage and some bread. Me and Dave convince Alex to stay one more night so she can see the whole event (she was suppose to leave on a 5pm train). She calls the hostel and gets a bed. I later feel bad because of what happens later. Parade starts at 2:30, it is awesome as usual. We are all drinking the Absinth and Red Bull, so it's not like i had a 1/2 litre of it for myself. We are moving with the parade now, and stop for another beer (3 total, not a lot) About 1/3 through the parade, i tell the gang i am off to the toilet. This was 6pm. Little did i know i would not see them again until about 2pm on Sun.
Side note: in my sketchy history, i have been sick from drinking more than my fair share, and i can recognize when it is going to happen. I get the sways, the dry throat, the pleading with my Maker to make it stop, which is pointless, since it happens anyway. HOWEVER, this time, something is fucked. After the toilet break, there are many blank spots in my memory, and quite a few gaps until about 10:30pm. I will point form what i know up to 10:30. There was not the 'usual' warning that something was wrong, or in this case, completely fucked, which is why i don't think it was only alcohol. Perhaps bad sausage, perhaps not enough food, perhaps a spiked drink?
-remember throwing up once or twice on the side of the street,
-next memory (unknown time later) two guys help me to a 'sick tent'. I assume they are volunteers or something, but they could have been nice strangers
-vague memories of rows of beds with a lot of sick people. i get a little sick bag and proceed to use it.
-next (unknown time later) i am woken up, moved to a wheelchair (get sick again and notice what they have told me) and am told i am being taken to the hospital because i have been throwing up a lot of blood. (wheeee)
-must have been ambulance ride, i assume. Arrive at hospital and it is still daylight (just) so around 8:30 or 9pm. Felt like 10 hours later.
So now it's the thrashing hospital crap you see on TV. three people working on me, wires here and there, 2 IV's, oxygen in the nose, bombarded with questions in 2 languages. The IV's have an instant effect, as does the oxygen i assume. About an hour later, i get the story: throwing up blood is caused by a tear in the stomach lining, it's not good, blah blah. and they will keep me until the morning and then look inside me (wheee).
I spend the next three hours contemplating a jail break, how to disconnect the IV's how much time i would have before i was noticed, where are my shoes, etc. Instead i get some patchy sleep in the hallway (busy night, Street Parade is!) and go through with the 'inspection' in the morning, which involves a General Anesthetic and a fibre optic camera down the throat (wheee!) This found some minor tearing, but nothing crazy (could have done a jail break) even though they fed me Gestapo crap about stomach lining problems being fatal.. if that was the case, you wouldn't have made me stay for 15 hours and you would have done something about it when i arrived; and i could have got back to the party and my new friends that i let down.
Epilogue. I let myself down, i let my new friends down, i made them worry (they actually took shifts looking for me! well, for a couple hours at least) i feel bad for Alex, because it was mostly my nagging that made her stay. I was able to call the hostel in the morning and tell them i would not make the check-out time (they understood) and i left a message for Dave and Alex, so at least they could stop worrying.
I have more details if anyone wants them, i just don't feel like filling up pages and pages here.
Sad.
WTF?
Aug 07 2007-23:10
Well, it's been a fair while, as usual, and what better way to break back into it than with a fucked up dream story... It was not so much last night as it was this morning. It rained during the night and it was still raining in the morning. My alarm is set for 7:10, hit the snooze, and when this dream awoke me, it was 7:12, but as with any dream, it felt like a fuck-load more time than 2 minutes had passed.
This felt quite lucid, perhaps because it was only 2 minutes, and i didn't quite get to full sleep in that time. Not so lucid as in being able to control anything, more so lucid as in it felt a lot more real than a dream. Everything was exactly as it is in conscious mode, i was in my bed, the room was identical, there were no sheets on my bed (that's how i slept that night), the door was open. Anyway, i was on my right side, and then this 'thing' flew in from the door. It looked cat-like, small cat anyway, but moved like a bat. It was black, no other markings. It flew in, straight to the bed, somehow under the duvet, and up my back. The lucid part was that i saw it so clearly, and felt it. Felt it on my back. I jumped, and swung for it to 'shoo' it away. Naturally there was nothing there.
Dreams are fucked.
This felt quite lucid, perhaps because it was only 2 minutes, and i didn't quite get to full sleep in that time. Not so lucid as in being able to control anything, more so lucid as in it felt a lot more real than a dream. Everything was exactly as it is in conscious mode, i was in my bed, the room was identical, there were no sheets on my bed (that's how i slept that night), the door was open. Anyway, i was on my right side, and then this 'thing' flew in from the door. It looked cat-like, small cat anyway, but moved like a bat. It was black, no other markings. It flew in, straight to the bed, somehow under the duvet, and up my back. The lucid part was that i saw it so clearly, and felt it. Felt it on my back. I jumped, and swung for it to 'shoo' it away. Naturally there was nothing there.
Dreams are fucked.