The Good News Is Rat Poison Is Cheap

[eskemp]

Just to get the whole medical drama in one place. (If you don't care about medical drama, go ahead and skip; it's not terribly interesting, or at least as Aileen said, "It was very interesting for five minutes, then it got really tedious.") I'll do a post later on gaming scales of interaction, because I have some interesting theories on dungeon-as-

Comments

[eskemp]

On the plus side, I now get to say "Okay, gotta go take my rat poison" every night.

That's some neat herbalism stuff right there. The folks' cows have very standard grazing pastures, and it's all wet and muddy with them huddled around the hay bale pen at the moment. Cow pastures in wintertime will strip all the romance out of the "pastoral life with cows" image right there.

[mackatlaw]

I'm glad you're okay. I'm a former White Wolf intern (summer of 96), before grad school and law school, and I remember you fondly as being a cool guy. You were friendly to an editorial intern, and you wrote one of my favorite games (Werewolf: the Apocalypse). I enjoy your blog -- keep writing and keep taking care of yourself.

Best,
Mack

[eskemp]

Wow, back in time! Thanks for the kind wishes (though I must correct you and say I didn't actually write Werewolf: The Apocalypse, I just line-managed it for a good long while). I plan not to be going anywhere any time soon.

Time Travelling

[mackatlaw]

Well, you wrote some introductions and conclusions, anyway. :) (And I know line-managing is a big job which stamps your mark onto a line.) I recently got a copy of the last book, Apocalypse, to add to my collection since I had never picked it up when it came out. Call it refusing to concede to defeat (or lack of money in grad school).

Apocalypse brought back all those memories of gaming. I like the new WW books, but I'm actually running an old school 1985 New Orleans V:tM game, guest starring the Garou, because my group of players had all the books and well, just because it's fun. So there's still life in those old books yet.

Stay healthy!

Mack

[wyrm_chris]

it eventually came out that I had a nasty blood clot or three behind my left knee, and that some of it had migrated to my lungs. At this point everyone is making "This Is Very Serious" noises, for although my vitals look generally good, it's explained that people die from pulmonary embolisms.

This was you being VERY lucky. Good to know you're fine now.

[eskemp]

Everybody keeps saying this, including the wife. I guess I'm the only one who didn't know just how lethal these things could be before I was taking a comfy little nap.

[wyrm_chris]

I'm not a real expert on these things, only a paramedic, but I can say for certain that I know a few patients with similar symptoms who, well, fared less well that you did. Blood clots, especially those that get into your pulmonary systems, are Not Good.

It is good to know you're doing better! After all, and I'm speaking purely motivated by egoism here, who other than you could do such a great job developing all these fine books? :)

[nerdwerds]

As soon as I read you had blood clots my eyes kind of went wide and I thought "He is so fucking lucky he didn't die!" and then I read that they had migrated to your lungs and I thought it again.
I'm glad you didn't die. That would have not only sucked for your wife and family, but I believe the gaming community as a whole is enriched by your work.

Alternately, I'm sorry you didn't die comfortably on your mudroom floor. I almost drowned once and I can assure, though the water was cold and I had a moment of coughing water and air out of my lungs, once you lose consciousness its very warm and comfy.

[eskemp]

Thanks. I'm glad I didn't die comfortably, don't get me wrong: I just hope it's comfy eventually when it must happen. But that's pretty much small potatoes compared to just how damn uncomfortable it would be for everyone else right close to me, so I'm very glad it got diagnosed when it did.

Even if having a couple of women massage your legs with oil and rub a sonic wand over them in a warm, dimly-lit room is not actually nearly as sexy as it might sound.

[nerdwerds]

I had a woman massaging my legs in a warm, dimly-lit room just last week.
Yeah, it wasn't that sexy. Felt good though!

[rob_donoghue]

Jeebus! Really glad to hear you're ok, and finger's crossed for the long term.

[eskemp]

Thank you, sir! Prognosis is quite optimistic; all the danger was apparently right in that one moment Monday morning, and it got dodged. From this point on, we're hoping that the blood-thinners will keep unexpected clotting from happening again.