General Update & The Naming of Things & More

It’s been over three weeks since I last posted an article to this blog. It’s possible that the ambitious agenda laid out in my previous post may have been a result of opioid-inspired anxiety. Nevertheless, I do plan to tackle many, if not all of the listed topics.

However, I’ll start this post with an update on my general state of being:

It’s been just over four weeks since I was shot. One of my biggest struggles thus far has been finding the most acceptable way to refer to the incident. Initially, it seemed rather cool to casually mention that I had just been shot. Upon first returning to the wild, the likelihood, on any given day, of my donning a V-neck was exponentially greater than at any other time in my life. I must admit that I got a bit out of a kick out of people’s reactions upon announcing that I’d recently had a bullet shatter my first rib and tear through my lungs and heart.

Recently, though, the novelty has worn off. Aside from the reminder provided by the still very visible scars, the whole rigamarole seems relegated to the distant past. It’s as if my mind has placed the events of the night of November 3rd in a hermetically sealed container, not unlike the way my left lung is (hopefully) partitioning the 22mm slug lodged in it. Still, I’m growing weary of referring to “my shooting” or “the incident” or, even worse, “the accident”—while it’s possible that the fellow who shot me accidentally discharged the weapon, I’d be remiss to refer to the seemingly intentional ambush as accidental. Perhaps I could call it “the misunderstanding” ? If anyone has any suggestions, I’m open to them. I would imagine that, in the early days of spoken language, humans might have referred to each other using long-winded descriptions, such as “that one idiot who, instead of killing and eating animals for sustenance, has stupidly decided that he can cultivate wild flora and produce edible vegetable matter in predictable cycles”. Nowadays, we’d just call that guy Pete or Biff or something simple like that. So, I’m looking for a proper noun, preferably containing fewer than five letters, that expresses everything I experienced and felt on the evening of November 3rd of this year. Again, ideas are welcome.

You were promised an update on my general state of being… I’m doing quite well. Upon first returning home, my entire thorax throbbed. Flights of stairs were intimidating. Shortness of breath was commonplace. My father was kind of enough to buy me an aluminum walker, however, sadly, it did not come with tennis balls to protect the wood floors, so I was forced to discontinue use of the walker almost immediately.

I have returned to work at Resonant Vibes (RV). Everyone @ RV has been extremely patient and understanding throughout “the ordeal”. And for that, I’m deeply grateful. Since I’m a programmer, my responsibilities don’t require me to move much, so the return to work has been somewhat seamless from my end (my co-workers may beg to differ). Stay tuned for a post on RV, my duties there, what we’re trying to accomplish and why you should check us out.

Many concerned friends and family members have suggested that I seek treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Fortunately, I have yet to experience any of the symptoms of PTSD. While I understand and appreciate their concern, I have maintained that preemptively treating a disorder that has yet to manifest itself is not, in my opinion, a good strategy. Perhaps this is because, as a programmer, the maxim “don’t optimize too soon” has been drilled into my head. Or perhaps it’s because I am unjustifiably distrustful of anyone identifying oneself as a therapist. Perhaps it’s because “the happening” was such a random, isolated occurrence. The odds of my being randomly shot twice are comfortingly slim. I take solace in numbers. Especially infinitesimal ones that describe the probability of my absorbing another bullet.

It occurs to me that this post already numbers nearly 700 words. While I have yet to address any of the promised topics, I have provided a general update on my state of being. That will have to suffice until my next post.

Actually, I’ll continue a bit more. Since the holidays are upon us, we’re all looking for ways to exchange our money for gifts to give to ourselves and others (much further down) on our holiday gift list. So, I’ll share some of my favorite sources for holiday gifts:

• Aunt Sadie’s Candles – Aunt Sadie’s is a Boston-based manufacturer and retailer of (in my opinion) the best scented candles in the world. The candles are simple, sleek and extraordinarily well designed. The holiday-themed candles evoke a sense of nostalgia similar to that inspired by the Burl Ives cartoons, Bing Crosby songs and fuzzy-fond memories of Chritmases past. And the scents, especially the Pine scent of the Snowy Tree Candle are second to none. So, if you’re considering candles for those on your Christmas (or Hannukah or Kwanza or other gift-giving occasion) list, look past those tacky, syrupy-sweet Yankee offerings and go straight to Aunt Sadie’s. In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that Aunt Sadie’s is a client and I consider them friends as well. However, I loved their candles before either of those relationships was established.
• That’s really it. Just buy candles. They’ll even giftwrap and ship them for you.

Tags: holidays