Sending Big Mike some good vibes

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Big Mike

Trad climber

Mar 27, 2013 - 01:42pm PT

Yay!! "Package for mr hollywood" says the nurse!

I recieved Neebee's beautiful dream catcher today! She also sent some lovely earrings for Sandra!

I just had to take a picture.

Thanks Neebs!!

Hopefully we can get a lampshade for weege's super cool lamp so i can get a proper picture of that too.

Edit

Might as well put up a couple shots of my room i took this weekend too

My humble abode

Phylp's cool print and mh2's awesome collage with the climbing poster scrubber passed on to me.

Elcapinyoazz

Social climber

Joshua Tree

Mar 27, 2013 - 04:01pm PT

Good to see that you're progressing nicely, Mike. You might be home just in time for Spring. Then again, if I had a hot tub, hot nurse, and hot meals...I might stick around a while.

Big Mike

Trad climber

Mar 27, 2013 - 09:03pm PT

Thanks Elcap. Once i leave here, i gotta pay for pt and pain meds, so i'm definetly going to take advantage of this opportunity while i have it. Less distractions here too (besides the sleeping ones) so easier to focus on my recovery.

neebee

Social climber

calif/texas

Mar 28, 2013 - 12:26am PT

hey there say, big mike... wow, the stairs, now THAT is great progress, :O :)

say, it sure took a long time to get the dreamcatcher to you, :))

i could not add all the feathers, in three strings, as i like, 'cause i got
to get more leather strips, so i am using them sparingly, or, i'd
have put more feathers on...

most all my recent ones are the single feather now...
however, i just got some new beads, so am most glad for that...

looks like it came on a great day, though, during your dreams of going home for the weekend... weekend, only? or do you need to stay, for getting
'weller' :) before you can reallyyyyyyy go home to stay...

:)

sooo happy for you, big mike!

Big Mike

Trad climber

Mar 28, 2013 - 02:22am PT

I did two flights of stairs today neebs! I can now officially skip the elevator if i'm feeling bold and have lots of energy. Yes, weekend only. I need more work before i can walk without the crutches, and that is my goal. At least for a little bit.

I also have access to lots of stuff here that isn't cheap when i leave and need to save my funds for my longterm physio care. Daily physio just isn't going to happen anywhere else, and i need to focus, so this the place for me at the moment.

Your dreamcatcher may have taken awhile, but it is timely as you said. Even more so because i found out that my childhood dog Kobe passed away while i was in Vegas before i injured myself today. I geuss with all the commotion my parents forgot to tell me about it.

I was pretty shocked when i talked to my dad tonight and he accidentally dropped the bomb on me. He said he'd been getting up early lately and i said "why to walk kobe?" to which he replied "no, no dog anymore". I said "what???? Kobe died????" "Ya i thought you knew??"

I almost broke out in tears right there but i kept it toghether long enough to get off the phone, and have my nurse leave my room (she just happened to bring my meds right at that moment). Then i wailed like a baby for about an hour, right through my shower and when i got out i called Sandra and she calmed me down a little. I'm tearing up right now writing this though. It's good for my soul to just get it out and deal with it.

I'll be fine. Just a bit of a shock, it's hard to lose a family member. The last time i was home, he snuck out of his bed and came and jumped into mine and we cuddled all night.. I will miss him dearly.. RIP KOBE!!

Ok that's it i'm done for tonight. I hope you are all well and don't worry i'll be fine, i'm just dealing with it still...

Captain...or Skully

climber

Mar 28, 2013 - 08:46am PT

Sorry to hear that, Big Mike...Dogs don't last as long as us. I think it's because all that love can't be contained for very long. Their candle burns bright & fast. RIP Kobe.
I'm amazed & stoked by your progress, though. I think it's the vibes. Keep it up, man. You're doing great. (Mr. Hollywood....Hehehe).
WOOT!

Relic

Social climber

Vancouver, BC

Topic Author's Reply - Mar 28, 2013 - 10:04am PT

I did two flights of stairs today

Holy shiiiiiite man! That's awesome! Hope you have a great time at home this weekend bro.

Roots

Mountain climber

SoCal

Mar 28, 2013 - 12:10pm PT

Awesome news on the progress!

PS make your bed you bum!

Vegasclimber

Trad climber

Las Vegas, NV.

Mar 28, 2013 - 05:52pm PT

Time for some travel stoke!

A couple weeks ago, Christina and I were in Death Valley looking for an F-100 Super Sabre crash site. Here are a few pics of the trip.

Then we took a trip to Kelso Dunes, and found an endangered Desert Tortoise on the road. He kept following me to get in the shade I was casting, so I managed to move him off the road without touching him.

Our second trip to DV last weekend was fun too. We firmly located the site of the F-100, but it's in super steep terrain and our friend couldn't make it up to the site. We then went and located the site of an SR-71 crash, and camped out in DV in awesome temps. The next day, we went to another F-100 site that I have already visited and did some more cataloging of the parts that are there. All in all, awesome trips!

Edit to add, really sorry to hear about your pup. When I lost mine, I hadn't seen her in years, as she had been living with my Mom. It still hurt, big time.

Elcapinyoazz

Social climber

Joshua Tree

Mar 28, 2013 - 06:18pm PT

I managed to move him off the road without touching him.

Perfect! Most people aren't aware that if you handle them, they often freak out (think it's a predator) and void their bladder/intestines as a defensive mechanism...this, in turn, severely dehydrates them and if there isn't adequate vegetation around for them to munch and replinish the lost water, they die.

Once you get on the CA side of I-10,15, or 40 you might notice that the much of the right of way fence has a second layer of fencing on the bottom 1/3 with very small openings, and when the fenceline ends, that smaller opening fencing is run in a sort of "U" shape to act as a forced turnaround/cul-de-sac for tortoise cruising along the fence. This is specifically to excluse tortoise from the roadway, and is present in most of the designated critical habitat area, although not all (not yet anyway. CalTrans usually mandates addition of tortoise fence to areas in critical habitat without it when that section of road is up for resurfacing).

So Big Mike, heal up and come on down to groove on the tortoises.

Big Mike

Trad climber

Mar 28, 2013 - 06:25pm PT

Sorry to hear that, Big Mike...Dogs don't last as long as us. I think it's because all that love can't be contained for very long. Their candle burns bright & fast. RIP Kobe.

Thanks cap! I know. It was just a shock. I'm dealing better with it today. You're spot on about pups. They give it their all and then head off into the blue yonder.

Don't want to sound like your Mom but,
Pick up that messy room Mike and remove that porn from the walls! LOL

Ya right Tad! ;) i'm so tired from busting my ass usually, it's all i can do just to get to my bed and pass out! :D

Yesterday i passed out for a good three hours after pt. She had me on my feet for over an hour! The stairs were the last thing i did!!

Holy shiiiiiite man! That's awesome! Hope you have a great time at home this weekend bro.

Ya buddy!! Killing it!! Have fun in leavenworth!!

PS make your bed you bum!

Thank god the cleaning ladies do that for me! I think i could almost do it now..

Super cool pics Trav!! Sounds like fun!! I take it since you catalogue parts, you guys leave the crash site as is and don't take souvenirs?

Edit to add, really sorry to hear about your pup. When I lost mine, I hadn't seen her in years, as she had been living with my Mom. It still hurt, big time.

Thanks dude. It hurt pretty good last night, but Kobe did his time, and hopefully he's having fun out there somewhere!

I had a good day again today. This afternoon in ot we played some games in the games room i managed to play ping pong without my crutches, but i sucked just as bad as before i hurt myself, and then we played two games of pool without crutches, and i just put one hand down on the table lightly to walk around it!!

My ot suggested i could start climbing again (on toprope) for rehab! He asked my pt and they agreed that when my surgeon cleared me I could start climbing again in the gym!!!!

SO STOKED!! Hopefully we can get my post op checkup done next week!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOO FRICKIN HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vegasclimber

Trad climber

Las Vegas, NV.

Mar 28, 2013 - 06:49pm PT

NIIIICE on getting cleared to top rope! Awesome! I am so stoked every time I read your progress reports. Keep it up!

Yeah, I am very anti removing anything from crash sites. A lot of the ones we visit are close to 50 years old, and some of them have historical significance. Everyone wants to take a "souvenir" and pretty soon there isn't anything left. That's what happened with the SR-71 site - very well known and right next to a road. We found three fragments about the size of a quarter, and the remains of the power lines it hit coming in. Several years back, this guy got the grand idea to go out there and get everything he could find and is still trying to sell the pieces online.

We have visited the site of an F-100 that hit a United airliner here in Vegas, total loss was 49 people. That was the straw that broke the camels back, along with the airliner midair in the Grand Canyon, and caused the formation of the FAA a few months later.

There is another F-100 (yeah they crashed a lot) near here that was flown by a gentleman named Boyd, and the crash almost cost him his Air Force career. He went on to write the book on dogfighting strategies and tactics, many of which are still in use today. The location of that site is a very closely held secret.

Here are a few crash site photos - when jets hit, they usually scatter all over the place. The debris field at this site is almost a mile long, with the engine at the end of it.

kunlun_shan

Mountain climber

SF, CA

Mar 28, 2013 - 10:36pm PT

Hey Big Mike (Mr. Hollywood :)

Thanks for keeping the updates coming. Your stoke is contagious. I bet they'll miss you a lot when you leave GF Strong! Great news about the top roping. Keep working at it. I always check this thread. A year from now and you'll be ripping it up again.

Big Mike

Trad climber

Mar 28, 2013 - 11:14pm PT

NIIIICE on getting cleared to top rope! Awesome! I am so stoked every time I read your progress reports. Keep it up!

Almost. Just gotta convince my surgeon when i get to see him. Everything is healing well as far as i can see so i don't know why he wouldn't let me!

Cool crash site photos man! I understand the logic for sure. Too bad everyone else doesn't. Nowadays the faa comes and cleans up the whole mess for analysis no?

Thanks Kulan Shan! Thanks for the donation and the cool book too! I haven't had a chance to dive into it yet, but i'm looking forward to it!!

Ghost

climber

A long way from where I started

Mar 29, 2013 - 01:44am PT

Tami sez:

Happy Easter Mike

Not being religious, Easter never meant anything to me. And all those stories about some epiphanal bolt-from-the-blue turning some sinner's life around seemed silly.

But the other day, just as Easter was approaching, my work in the garden was interrupted by the arrival of...

No sh#t. This little guy just suddenly showed up and moved in. He (she?) follows me around, likes to be patted (or at least puts up with being patted), and does his share of the work by eating copious quantities of weeds.

And when I got down on the ground beside him yesterday, he came up nose-to-nose, and said: "Get off your f*#king ass and get that package sent off to Big Mike."

I used to mock people who said they'd seen the face of Jesus in a piece of toast, but not any more. I'm headed to the Post Office tomorrow, before something really ugly happens.

RyanD

climber

Squamish

Mar 29, 2013 - 04:53am PT

Ghost born again??

Big Mike, sorry about Kobe. I feel for u there dude, I love my pooch so much but when u get them you know what ur signing up for. Chances are if he grew up with you he probably lived the best life a dog could ever wish for......

As for you tho, sounds like ur kicking some serious ass! Way to go dude, have a great weekend sleeping in your own bed, you are a lucky guy to be bouncing back so quick & it's really cool to see!

wayne w

Trad climber

the nw

Mar 29, 2013 - 10:19am PT

So great to read about your progress, Mike! Wishing you and Baby Doll a fantastic weekend!

Norwegian

Trad climber

the tip of god's middle finger

Mar 29, 2013 - 11:11am PT

a hero's tale,
unfolding right here.

good stuff mike.

thank you for
the reassurance
that we behold within us
a dormant valiance that
that erupts from
the heart when
the feet falter.

ps dude you gotta get a shade and bulb
for the lance, i mean lamp.

mike's got enough on his plate,
could one of you locals pick up
some cheap earth-tone lamp shade
at the thrift shop
(there's probably one write next to the pub)
and a 60 watt (how do canadians quantify illuminance?)incandescent bulb (don't get one of those flourescent jobs they quill the mood.)

please.

Big Mike

Trad climber

Mar 29, 2013 - 03:27pm PT

Have been busier than a one-legged guy in an ass-kicking competition and hated the first painting I started so painted gesso over it today. :-D

Awesome tami!! i love that line!!

No sh#t. This little guy just suddenly showed up and moved in. He (she?) follows me around, likes to be patted (or at least puts up with being patted), and does his share of the work by eating copious quantities of weeds.

LOL!! That's awesome Dave!! Where did you get that acid that made him talk to you?? LOL!!

Too funny man. I needed a laugh. You're sending me a package?? Stoked!!! Thanks!!

Big Mike, sorry about Kobe. I feel for u there dude, I love my pooch so much but when u get them you know what ur signing up for. Chances are if he grew up with you he probably lived the best life a dog could ever wish for......

Thanks Ryan. I miss him, but he's gone to a better place now. He was so cute, last time i was home, he couldn't see, but once he caught a whiff of me he was so stoked. Barking and wriggling around, wagging his tail like hell.. That's how i'll always remember him for sure.

I'm stoked i'm doing so well too. A lot of people are. That just spurs me on even more.

Wishing you and Baby Doll a fantastic weekend!

Thanks Wayne. I still don't know how she ended up with that avatar... Oh well.. It's fitting ;)

a hero's tale,
unfolding right here.

Weege!! Your writing is truly inspiring dude!! I still have that gravity quote on my whiteboard.

Sandra tried to find a shade at the re-use it center, but was unsuccessful in her mission. She simply hasn't had time to look for one anywhere else. As you say, i am pretty busy. If i could just jump in my truck, and go shopping, i would have it done by now. I will have a wheelchair accessible bus pass soon, so it will be easier then, but anything extra is quite a bit of work, and i'm usually super exhausted after a big day of working out.

So, if anyone would like to fulfil Weege's request, i would be quite obliged, and we can get that lance rocking!!!

I am currently writing this from my nice comfy bed, which i got an excellent sleep in last night. I feel more rested than i have been in the past five weeks!!

Whoo hoooo!!

Thanks to everyone especially my lovely girlfriend who got my butt home for the weekend!!