Denim Blunders, Reflections and General Nonsense.

[Broark]

@MJF9 I think I might get thrown out of the country if I'm seen wearing that setup...

[MJF9]

31 minutes ago, AlientoyWorkmachine said:

I usually have a bit of fun with this sort of thing, but my family has been in the hospital since before Christmas as we found out our 2 yo son had a large brain tumor. He is recovering from surgery to have it removed and we are awaiting results as to whether or not it was cancerous. Truly an insane holiday season for us. Checking in here is a good distraction. If any internet strangers have a positive thought/prayer/whatever your method to send towards an unknown 2 yo in Michigan please send it. No kid deserves to go through anything like this. 

Before this all happened I was thinking of trying to just go one pair a whole year - something I’ve not done yet, but that might have to wait. As usual the most consistent thing will probably be I’ll have something from Tender on most if not all days. As far as purchases, I try to keep it to one pair a year (for blue jeans) and one jacket. Last year was a pair of Ooe’s still yet to be soaked as I want more wear in my current rotation…but I did buy some black indigofera’s as well…so I think that qualifies as failure to keep the resolution - and then a FW flannel lined jacket.

This year, not sure…looking at a pair of wider jeans…have a few models in mind but we’ll see. I’ll try one jean one jacket again I think. I think pretty soon here my resolution should be to buy nothing denim related for a good 3-5 years or more. 

Non denim related I’m sure this past week should shape my New Years resolutions for years to come…I can’t quite figure out how yet. Thanks for the distraction. 

@AlientoyWorkmachine fvck mate that's super tough... I hope your boy is recovering well and am sending prayers he makes a speedy and full recovery.  My very best wishes to you and your family.  (I hope the denim Wham was a brief distraction for you!)

[MJF9]

5 minutes ago, Broark said:

@MJF9 I think I might get thrown out of the country if I'm seen wearing that setup...

Ahhh mate it'll be cool... I seen on IG that #teamecru is in now, which is the main thing right ... if that don't work, just tell 'em George Michael said it was OK

[Double 0 Soul]

1 hour ago, AlientoyWorkmachine said:

I usually have a bit of fun with this sort of thing, but my family has been in the hospital since before Christmas as we found out our 2 yo son had a large brain tumor. He is recovering from surgery to have it removed and we are awaiting results as to whether or not it was cancerous. Truly an insane holiday season for us. Checking in here is a good distraction. If any internet strangers have a positive thought/prayer/whatever your method to send towards an unknown 2 yo in Michigan please send it. No kid deserves to go through anything like this.

You've got our best wishes..   don't underestimate the kindness of internet strangers.

Not long after this photo was taken my missus.. wearing only a Stussy beanie for head protection was..

.. leaving work and she lost peripheral vision in her left eye.. called at Boots to book an eye test.. they had a quick look, next thing she was in neurocare and diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation on her brain.. We didn't know either.. it's basically a tangle of blood vessels which haven't formed properly at birth.. you have a 5% year on year chance of hemorrhage so by the time you hit your 40's it's almost 50/50, often you don't know you have one until you hemorrhage. Most people who are diagnosed with the condition have an AVM to size of a pea, hers was the size of a golf ball, luckily for us we have one of the world leaders in stereotactic radiosurgery at the local hospital (Love you NHS!) we sat down with Mr Raddatz and his team to discuss choices between pumping her brain with silicone blockers, removing her skull and cutting it out (which i assume was your boy's precedure?) or stereotactic radio surgery otherwise known as gamma-knife.

A few weeks later they gave her an angiogram which she describes as feeling like you've been shot.. they open her femoral artery and she says you can feel blood pumping out of your body and down your legs, they push a camera in there and feed it up through her artery, through her jugular and into her brain, they then fill her brain with contrast, the first time it happened she said she could taste ink in her mouth (she's conscious throughout) the surgeon said the contrast had reached taste receptors in her brain making her taste ink.. f'kin weird shit! I would be out cold at this point. She then sees high quality detailed images of her own brain on the monitors.. they talk to her throughout. The angiogram gives the team an exact pathway to blast her brain.. afterwards she has to remain perfectly still for 4hrs because they can't stitch and if the artery opens up she'll bleed to death.

A couple of weeks after that (when they've studied the results of the angiogram) she goes to the gamma-knife suite.. peeps of a delicate disposition (me included) should look away now. They get a cordless drill and drill 4 holes in her skull, 2x in her forehead, 2x in the back of the skull above the neck.. i can't fcuking imagine how horrendous this must be while conscious, the first time they did it, she clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms and blood ran down her arms...some folks pass out, she never has..she's proper hardcore! (i'm lamecore) it gets worse.. they then screw a large metal frame into the 4x holes with metal bolts, they use the frame to bolt her down to the stereotactic machine which keeps her head perfectly still while they blast her brain with gamma radiation.

Most patients with pea sized AVM's only need one treatment.. she has currently had 5 angiograms and 4 gamma-knife sessions over 6yrs (paused for covid) we still don't as yet know if it has gone because the radiation slowly kills that part of her brain, we're hoping it's her last.. the next angiogram will tell us more.

Her short term memory is f*cked, her balance sometimes isn't great, she can stumble but other than that you probably wouldn't know, i don't think she'll ride a bike again but she keeps fit on her running machine which she bought after tripping while running through the park.

So to sum things up.. don't take shit for granted people!

Edited December 31, 2022 by Double 0 Soul

[Double 0 Soul]

I quite enjoyed this article https://www.openculture.com/2022/11/why-recent-decades-all-feel-culturally-the-same.html

It goes someway towards explaining why decades don't feel culturally distinct anymore

[Toegun]

@AlientoyWorkmachine sorry to hear about your son and our thoughts and prayers go out to him and your family. I have a 4 year old son who is a bundle of energy and who tries my patience countless times but I wouldn’t have any other way, especially when we hug it out. 

[Geeman]

@AlientoyWorkmachine consider positive thoughts sent

[Maynard Friedman]

ATWM, sorry to hear that and like everyone else, I hope your boy pulls through with flying colours.

Neal, I hope Sarah is OK and on the road to beating this thing too.

Hopefully 2023 will be a happier new year.

[Toegun]

@beautiful_FrEaK so to see the year out I just picked up Freewheelers 601XXc and 601RB “Motor Psyclone” black jeans and the icing is the Cushman x CSF WW2 jacket that I’m waiting to arrive next week. But after that there’s nothing on my horizon that I desire. I think in the new year I will take stock of what I have, I did pretty well this year in selling a lot of gear but at the same time I have this feeling that I might have managed to just replace a lot of what I sold (palm to face emoji). I think “enjoy what you have” rings true and not just for denim but on a lot of levels. 

[Maynard Friedman]

38 minutes ago, Double 0 Soul said:

I quite enjoyed this article https://www.openculture.com/2022/11/why-recent-decades-all-feel-culturally-the-same.html

It goes someway towards explaining why decades don't feel culturally distinct anymore

I think technology is partially responsible too. Through various media channels, folks can reenact or relive times past, immersing themselves in the 60s/70s/80s or whatever their preference is. This has always been possible to some - but a more limited - extent in the past. I think previously it was harder work, required more thought and research and not as easily accessible. Obviously as time advances, each decade will have a greater back catalogue of the previous one through increased digital content. 

When you factor in how this is exploited through ever-pervading capitalist marketing ploys on the increasing media channels available - marketing revivals in clothing, music, games, furniture, etc, it’s no surprise we may feel a bit stuck.

Fortunately the folks on this forum are a breath of fresh air with their forward-thinking ways, constantly reinventing their wardrobes and tastes for their Superfuture lifestyles…  :-)

[Double 0 Soul]

When my kid was 18mths old, none of us had ever been to hospital for anything other than broken bones or child birth..

The old house was open plan with no storage so all his plastic crap would live in 'The Corner Of Doooom' one day he managed to twist his hip while trying to reach something (a minor blip comparred to what @AlientoyWorkmachine must be going through) he'd only figured out how to walk 6mths earlier.. he didn't cry or seem to be in pain but he couldn't walk.. we rushed him to the childrens hospitial where you see all the sick and injured children and it sudenly hits you how quickly your life can take a turn.. he was fine after pain killers an a week of rest but the shock will stay with me.

[Double 0 Soul]

2 minutes ago, Maynard Friedman said:

I think technology is partially responsible too. Through various media channels, folks can reenact or relive times past, immersing themselves in the 60s/70s/80s or whatever their preference is. This has always been possible to some - but a more limited - extent in the past. I think previously it was harder work, required more thought and research and not as easily accessible. Obviously as time advances, each decade will have a greater back catalogue of the previous one through increased digital content. 

Yep! that's a good point..

[oomslokop]

@AlientoyWorkmachine sending prayers for your boy from the other side of the world mate. hope the tumor is not cancerous and he recovers well and soon. 

@Double 0 Soul how tough is sarah! amazing. hope the gamma knife has done what it's supposed to do. 

be well everyone

 

[AlientoyWorkmachine]

Thanks for the well wishes everyone.

@Double 0 Soul yes - my kid had a plate from his skull removed and they took the tumor out. He’s now got a good bit of titanium in his head - more than normal. Right now he still has a tube coming out of his brain, draining excess cerebral spinal fluid as he had a lot of hydrocephalus as well. Apparently the tumor was there so long the back of his skull has gotten thinner from the pressure. He compensated for it amazingly well, we only recently noticed symptoms - primarily increasing ataxia (comprised gait) and morning vomiting. With all of the bugs going around now we didn’t think much of it at first because he had been sick and some balance issues post viral are…more common than a big brain tumor. His tumor was about 1/4 the size of his entire brain, the scan is just mind blowing. Thankfully we live near a great children’s hospital with a great pediatric neurosurgeon and we have good insurance…but I’m sure this will still be financially straining…but that’s a distraction for the moment. It will be awhile to know the full scope of the impact of all of this and his future prognosis. His walking, vision and speech may all be compromised but he’s too young for us to totally know at the moment. 

But I fully echo your sentiment of not taking shit for granted. 

[Double 0 Soul]

You will get through it.. we've been a single income household for the last 6yrs.. an artist friend of mine has a permanent tube behind his ear from his brain which is a tap for cerebral fluid, his hair around his ear is always wet.. it's vry strange but it's saving his life by releiving pressure.

7 minutes ago, oomslokop said:

@AlientoyWorkmachine sending prayers for your boy from the other side of the world mate. hope the tumor is not cancerous and he recovers well and soon. 

@Double 0 Soul how tough is sarah! amazing. hope the gamma knife has done what it's supposed to do. 

be well everyone

Ikr!

A couple of weeks ago we had the deluge of snow/ice and she went for a whipper on the icey pavement and broke her arm.. i said how do you know it's broken? she said some kind soul called Wes who took her home (just around the corner) said it was definitely broken (Dr Wes eh?) so i rode home and her arm was all kinds of wonky...

I took her to the local hospital who have a minor injuries clinic, they x-rayed it to find she had 3 major breaks and sent her in an ambulance to the Northern Gen..  they put a cannula in each of her hands, said we're going to put some drugs in this arm and try to pull your bones straight, if this doesn't work they we're going to put some drugs in your other arm and take you through to surgery.. a burly-assed doctor put his knee into her bicep and said "are you ready".. she just said "yep go for it.. i've had gamma-knife surgery" .. and they pulled her bones straight...Ew! ..she was discharged at 2.10am while she was explaining the procedure to me.. i had to lie down on the kitchen floor and put my face on the cold lino

..anyhow.. she had a temp cast put on.. she went back last week for a more permanent cast and they did further x-rays to find out the bones were still not aligning properly so i took her back again the day before xmas eve, she was taken into surgery.. she's had 3 Ti pins put through her broken bones, a plate in her wrist, some nuts and bolts and a few wires.. all while conscious of course..

At least she's comfortably off her tits on christmas morphine..

 

[smoothsailor]

A load of love to internet strangers, especially to @AlientoyWorkmachine and a good recovery for your boy.

 

my boy(13) was out all day doing his fire cracker thing, at about 16.30 I started to worry if he still had all his fingers and eyesight.

thats ofcourse nothing compared to your worry’s .

hope your wife recovers well @Double 0 Soul

❤️

[Double 0 Soul]

When i was his age we would make pen-top bangers.. get those red 1980s paper caps

fold them down the length through the center of the circles, then concertina them into a pen top.. bend the pointy bit of the pen top back push it into a wall, push a match in there.. light it and run

One year i was making a massive one from a fountain pen lid.. i was pushing the folded caps in there and it went Boom! in my hands.. for the rest of the night my ears were making a high pitched Hhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........ sound, while i picked bits of red paper out of my eyes.

Edited December 31, 2022 by Double 0 Soul

[Dr_Heech]

3 hours ago, Maynard Friedman said:

ATWM, sorry to hear that and like everyone else, I hope your boy pulls through with flying colours.

Neal, I hope Sarah is OK and on the road to beating this thing too.

Hopefully 2023 will be a happier new year.

What a year! Really sorry to hear about your boy too @AlientoyWorkmachine - and your Mrs @Double 0 Soul. What with this and Ooms'heart op.... plus l lost my sister who was only 51 to a sudden heart attack at the end of November, l am hoping for some positive signs from the man upstairs, Come on please.

 

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by Dr_Heech
To clarify

[Double 0 Soul]

Overhead.. a rainbow appears.. in black and white

 

[Thanks_M8]

All the best wishes @AlientoyWorkmachine!

And to your wife @Double 0 Soul

[MJF9]

Blimey... wishing health and happiness to the Sufu crew in 2023!

(... and on a completely trivial matter by comparison, I've just seen a blue and white rainbow appear as my team ground out a draw at Man City... hope springs eternal in many forms...)

[AlientoyWorkmachine]

@Double 0 Soul your other half sounds tough as nails. We are pulling for her speedy recovery. Our son almost needed that tube your friend has - they told us they wouldn’t know until during surgery - he didn’t come back with it though and hope it stays that way. 

Right after my last post the resident walked into the room and told us our kid wouldn’t need chemo. No other info about the pathology, but that alone is great news for the day. I’ll give you all some credit in that. Thanks. 

Hope you all have a good new year!

[Maynard Friedman]

Charlie, sorry to hear about your sister, that’s so sad 

[Dr_Heech]

11 hours ago, Maynard Friedman said:

Charlie, sorry to hear about your sister, that’s so sad 

It is mate and l'm still grieving. Such a shocker as she was so healthy. On the more positive side, the heart attack was quick/instant and she didn't suffer at all. Thanks for the kind words, will just take time to heal.

Edited January 1, 2023 by Dr_Heech
Spelling

[shredwin_206]

@Double 0 Soul @AlientoyWorkmachine prayers and blessings to you and your families. 
I am happy to see 2022 go. My four year old son was born with a cardiac defect and it had gotten to a point where surgery was required. 
I hope you never have to explain or witness open heart surgery on a four year old. The scar where they cut open his chest still brings me to tears every time I see it. 
He didn’t understand why he was being around all these strangers and he has all this pain after the surgery. 
Here is to a new year of good health. 

[AlientoyWorkmachine]

@Dr_Heech I too am sorry about your sister. That is devastating. And @shredwin_206 - unfortunately I can now imagine a little bit how that felt, but I hope your son is mending up well. Everyone keeps telling me how resilient kids are (and they are), but these experiences are life altering no matter how well they go. I’m thinking of you all to start the year. Our kid is more himself today than he’s been in awhile, so I will take the start - but the sutures on his head are just surreal to see, and he will need quite a rehab process as he cannot walk now after being bedridden for so long (and his tumor affected his gait.)
Here’s to a better 2023 for all. 

This health stuff certainly qualifies as nonsense to me, but I hope the next poster can come up with some absurd denim concoction to see. 

[Double 0 Soul]

I can't promise denim but i'm sure i can find you some absurdity from the last few weeks of phone pictures..

Oragne snacks

Wife's bracelet

Jiji the cat from across the road

Kid's halloween mask

Breakfast

Feet up

Free folding bike

Panto

Beer run

Vintage Warp tee..

Hotwater bottle

God bless the Infesticons

A pecorino from Yorkshire

With some mushrooms

A tub of dripping

A selection of cheeses, walnuts, kimchi, chilli jam, bread and crackers

Reading..

Good morning Lenny

 

[Maynard Friedman]

Great shots Neal. Not denim-related and dating back to the summer, when I meant to post, these were taken outside the pub on my street. I met the driver a few weeks later when out walking my dog. He’s about 70 with white hair and beard, like Captain Birdseye.

[MJF9]

^ top end mobility scooter or what 

 

 

[Double 0 Soul]

Ha awesome! .. I wouldn't want to drive it around a corner

..reminds me of this ridiculous monstrosity i spotted recently on a street of terrace houses

..what the actual fuck?

Edited January 1, 2023 by Double 0 Soul