The Holocrons of Darth Grampus

I'm really grateful for the inspiration to write about one of my very favorite people on earth; my best friend, my lover, my bride and, since May 8th, my nurse and caregiver, too. Gentle reader, please let me tell you about the wonderful, the wise, the kind, dedicated, devoted, intelligent and loving Mrs. Darth Grampus.  If this reads like some unrealistic, overly positive perspective on my wonderful wife, then good. GOOD.  My wife is freakin' awesome from any angle you look at her, and alongside my children (all of them) and my precious grandson, she is the greatest blessing of my life. I want to tell everyone about her because she's not just my bride, she's my hero, too.  My wife is the 2nd of four children in her family. She is Thai-Chinese and both her Mom and Dad's families are of Hakka Chinese descent. Her great-grandparents fled China during the communist revolution with little more than lint in their pockets and the hope it might be easier for them to surviv...

On May the 8th of this year at approximately 9:45 am, my wife and I were in an accident on my scooter; a lil 125cc Honda Click doing about 35kph (22mph). It was a sunny morning, the roads were dry, traffic was minimal. I wasn't driving too fast or in any way anyone would say was "unsafe." As we approached an S-curve in the road, this man came around the corner going the other way. He was on a motorcycle and was in my lane. I had to slam on my breaks and swerve to miss him. My wife and I ended up falling and I obtained a pretty serious injury. My wife got some bad road rash on her knees.  People nearby came out quickly to offer us help. One called the hospital for an ambulance, one called the police. I lied on the pavement for about 30 minutes before the ambulance got there in pretty intense pain fearing I had dislocated my left hip. I told the medical professionals that, and did so in the Thai language to prevent misunderstanding. Forty minutes or so after the accident, w...

We left the hospital today. As luck would have it, the most comfortable place in my house for me to sit is in the chair I'm typing from right now, so I wanted to provide a quick update.  Surgery went very well and without any complications. Within 18 hours of the repair, I was no longer having muscle spasms when I coughed. I don't think I've slept more than four hours total any night since the accident (May 8th), but getting even close to comfortable seems to be an impossibility at present. I've got bad road rash over my left hip where I fell (good three stinging layers deep), two long and lovely incisions across my guts, and 32 staples keeping them closed. My left home is the host of three new titanium alloy plates and a bunch of surgical screws keeping my ol' bones held together and "stable."  There's a lot to say about all of this, but I want to collect my thoughts and get some pics uploaded so I can post them for reference. A few of them are pretty...

Consolidation I've been writing a blog as Darth Grampus for a while now, but not under the Google profile for him. That changes today. From now on I'll be writing and posting all Darth Grampus blogs here. If you'd like to read the earlier content, send me a message or leave a comment and I will send or post a link to all the earlier entries.  I know everything I'm trying to do will be a bit easier if it's all consolidated under the same umbrella. There should also be better continuity and ease for any would-be readers who find their way here from my YouTube channel. Shameless plug:  DarthGrampus on YouTube And if you're a new reader who found their way here by some other means, a very warm and hearty welcome to you! I empathize greatly with people who's feed suggested this to them, or who's search led them here! HA! We are not alone my friends!  Reintroduction I became a grandfather last year. Honestly, the experience affected me in ways I didn't exp...