Timeline for Kelly Thune
10/5-Accident on morning commute to work
10/5-Begin medical leave through 10/11
10/12-Returned to work before pm Doctor’s appointment
10/12-Doctor’s appointment
10/13-Medical Leave reinstated through 10/20 :(
10/21-Doctor’s appointment, Medical Leave reinstated. Returned to work to collect things and discuss events, assigned work from home.
11/4-Doctor’s appointment to re-assess injuries, recovery, and possibility of returning to work
11/5-Medical Leave reinstated through 12/5 with permission to work from home and orders to keep leg elevated. Permission granted to attend Americorps conference in Oahu with compression wrap and elevation, specified in Doctor’s note.
12/6-Next Doctor’s appointment to assess and discuss surgical options if necessary. :((
Friday, November 5, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
October 5th Changed Everything
Funny how in just a split second, your world can fall from underneath you, sending you face-first into asphalt. Literally.
Motorcycle collision October 5, 2010
Riding 790cc Triumph 'America' into the Kapaa roundabout intersection at approximately 7:15am on my morning commute. Equipped with DOT approved helmet, proper eye protection, leather jacket, long pants and riding boots. Entered roundabout where no other cars were present after yielding at sign, making my way round the circle to hook onto bypass road. After passing the second yield sign at the foot of hill to my right, I looked over my shoulder in time to see an off-white vehicle speeding directly into the side of my motorcycle. The hood of their car was so close that I touched it with my right hand. In that split second I realized the vehicle was about to hit my right rear tire, so I jackknifed the handlebars of my motorcycle and laid the bike down onto the asphalt to avoid being thrown into the windshield of the vehicle, putting the motorcycle between myself and the vehicle. The bumper of the car hit the tire of the motorcycle instead of my body, which
catapulted the bike with great force towards the ground. I lost consciousness briefly from the impact and awoke to find that I could not move due to the weight of my motorcycle on top of me. I was being coaxed by a man to lie still and provide him with my contact information. The ambulance crew arrived quickly (perhaps due to a time lapse from blacking out) and they proceeded to board me on a stretcher and treat me as if I had a spinal injury. All proper protocol was followed by emergency personnel and I was taken by ambulance to Wilcox Emergency Room. Complete x-rays and a Cat scan were taken. I was treated and released at approximately 11:30am. Injuries suffered include a broken left hand, severe abrasions to left hand and left knee, facial bruising around eye and left cheekbone, as well as bruising from left knee down to left foot. Bruising on leg is severe enough to require elevation to avoid blood clotting. I have missed one week of work.
"The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change. So that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger, but in wisdom, understanding and love."
Motorcycle collision October 5, 2010
Riding 790cc Triumph 'America' into the Kapaa roundabout intersection at approximately 7:15am on my morning commute. Equipped with DOT approved helmet, proper eye protection, leather jacket, long pants and riding boots. Entered roundabout where no other cars were present after yielding at sign, making my way round the circle to hook onto bypass road. After passing the second yield sign at the foot of hill to my right, I looked over my shoulder in time to see an off-white vehicle speeding directly into the side of my motorcycle. The hood of their car was so close that I touched it with my right hand. In that split second I realized the vehicle was about to hit my right rear tire, so I jackknifed the handlebars of my motorcycle and laid the bike down onto the asphalt to avoid being thrown into the windshield of the vehicle, putting the motorcycle between myself and the vehicle. The bumper of the car hit the tire of the motorcycle instead of my body, which
catapulted the bike with great force towards the ground. I lost consciousness briefly from the impact and awoke to find that I could not move due to the weight of my motorcycle on top of me. I was being coaxed by a man to lie still and provide him with my contact information. The ambulance crew arrived quickly (perhaps due to a time lapse from blacking out) and they proceeded to board me on a stretcher and treat me as if I had a spinal injury. All proper protocol was followed by emergency personnel and I was taken by ambulance to Wilcox Emergency Room. Complete x-rays and a Cat scan were taken. I was treated and released at approximately 11:30am. Injuries suffered include a broken left hand, severe abrasions to left hand and left knee, facial bruising around eye and left cheekbone, as well as bruising from left knee down to left foot. Bruising on leg is severe enough to require elevation to avoid blood clotting. I have missed one week of work.
"The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change. So that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger, but in wisdom, understanding and love."
Monday, August 23, 2010
A month of Transition
Want a juicy opening chapter to an adventure novel?
The end of a journey.
The beginning of a journey.
Saying goodbye to year-long friends and my 2nd derby league.
Parting ways with a lover, my heart shredded by failed attempts to gain his trust and commitment.
Joining a 3rd derby league, newly formed and absolutely green.
Taking a leap across the ocean yet again, this time landing in Kapaa, Kauai.
Wow. What a crazy ride this is gonna be...
My future is wide open.
The end of a journey.
The beginning of a journey.
Saying goodbye to year-long friends and my 2nd derby league.
Parting ways with a lover, my heart shredded by failed attempts to gain his trust and commitment.
Joining a 3rd derby league, newly formed and absolutely green.
Taking a leap across the ocean yet again, this time landing in Kapaa, Kauai.
Wow. What a crazy ride this is gonna be...
My future is wide open.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sobering Tragedy
Have you ever had someone die in front of you? That happened to me a few weeks back, on my trip back home. Life altering.
Fatal car crash. My family and I arrived on the scene after hearing it near our cabin at midnight.
Teenagers.
Two dead, two alive.
I've seen what cancer can do to a person. I've watched someone slowly die that way.
I watched my grandpa eventually die of emphysema (actually, the day after the car crash, we spread his ashes in the lake).
But young kids? Oof.
I kept surveying the scene... it looked like a movie or NCIS or something... so it was a trip to comprehend it was real. Imagine your favorite crime show being real in front of you. Two dead teenage boys, scissored underneath the car, the roof peeled back to reveal one live girl standing on top of one of the dead boys, huddled in the fetal position. She had no idea. One girl still strapped into her seatbelt in the back, deliriously trying to orientate herself. The two boys... poor boys. Unnatural rag dolls, not wearing seat belts.
I'm still having a hard time sleeping.
My family felt so helpless... nothing we could do but keep the two live girls from moving until the medics arrived. All of the EMT, First Aid and medical background of my family, and all we could do was talk to them.
Those girls didn't know what day it was... just their names and where they were from... which is something, I guess.
I keep trying to write about it... but I don't get very far.
This tragedy really changed my perspective.
I think about all of the stupid shit I've done, and miraculously, I'm still alive. With all of my appendages.
I could have ended up like one of those kids, you know... but somehow I didn't... and that astonishes me.
Fatal car crash. My family and I arrived on the scene after hearing it near our cabin at midnight.
Teenagers.
Two dead, two alive.
I've seen what cancer can do to a person. I've watched someone slowly die that way.
I watched my grandpa eventually die of emphysema (actually, the day after the car crash, we spread his ashes in the lake).
But young kids? Oof.
I kept surveying the scene... it looked like a movie or NCIS or something... so it was a trip to comprehend it was real. Imagine your favorite crime show being real in front of you. Two dead teenage boys, scissored underneath the car, the roof peeled back to reveal one live girl standing on top of one of the dead boys, huddled in the fetal position. She had no idea. One girl still strapped into her seatbelt in the back, deliriously trying to orientate herself. The two boys... poor boys. Unnatural rag dolls, not wearing seat belts.
I'm still having a hard time sleeping.
My family felt so helpless... nothing we could do but keep the two live girls from moving until the medics arrived. All of the EMT, First Aid and medical background of my family, and all we could do was talk to them.
Those girls didn't know what day it was... just their names and where they were from... which is something, I guess.
I keep trying to write about it... but I don't get very far.
This tragedy really changed my perspective.
I think about all of the stupid shit I've done, and miraculously, I'm still alive. With all of my appendages.
I could have ended up like one of those kids, you know... but somehow I didn't... and that astonishes me.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Budget Travel, Island Getaways
I've been putting on air miles, despite my ridiculously small paycheck. Hit up Maui for a roller derby bout, then flew to the Big Island the next weekend for a little rest and relaxation. No regrets. Soaked up the beautiful beaches and tropical settings. Saw naked fire dancers at a nudie beach in Maui near Kihei, stole (oops! borrowed) towels from the Hilton on the Big Island to gain access to their immaculate wonderland of water features and what I deemed "White Privilege" (hey... it was mostly rich white folks getting sunburned. What can I say?)
Island-hopping is very similar to landing on different planets. I have concluded that the Big Island is a lot like Mars... Kauai, much like a planet containing Jurassic Park. Maui I didn't see a whole lot of, but it seems to be a country version of Oahu. Minus the garbage. Wow, Oahu is dirty. If Oahu were a planet, it would be where all the other planets throw their trash. All of the canals that drain from the mountains to the ocean are lined with debris ranging from mattresses to construction lumber, abandoned tires to microwaves. Discarded crap litters the sidewalks throughout the city. Of course, where there is trash, there are rats and roaches. You see the grotesque element. It's the most disheartening part of Honolulu, but I suppose unavoidable. Cost of living is high and so is the cost of large specialty item trash removal. I remember it costing my landlord $300 to have the roach-infested couch removed from our lanai back when I lived in Palolo. Man! You could buy a new couch for that! Sometimes it's advantageous to stroll a few blocks away from home and seek out abandoned book shelves... but for the most part, it's just a sad state of affairs. I just heard a terrible tale about the Ala Wai canal the other day that I won't even go into... but basically, it's toxic soup.
All in all, I've seen a lot since moving to Hawaii and have had some amazing adventures. I've acquired a taste for sushi, have effectively mastered the bus system, seen three islands, basked in the sun at multiple beaches, seen rainforests of bamboo, waterfalls... yeah. It's a pretty awesome place to explore. I do miss "weather," though. No thunderstorms, and very few heavy rainfalls. It gets boring to always have it be sunny or misting. I get bored with monotony. It is true in the career field and it is true in my living environment. Things get too comfortable and... BAM!! I need a change. I'm not a nomad, really, but I like to shake things up a bit. I suppose that's where Oscar the dog comes in...
Oscar is a little bit of a drama queen. Since he's arrived, he has done his part to remain the center of attention. Not always in a good way. While I was visiting the Big Island, he started a fight with an off-leash dog that looked his mirror-image, which to his credit wasn't entirely his fault since he was on-leash. He has continually menaced all neighboring dog-walkers protecting their toy breeds. He doesn't seem to understand what I'm doing when I have to weave between parked cars so that he doesn't see the Bichon approaching. It's kinda out of control. I walk him plenty every day and he certainly has his 'Breed Embassador' moments, but I just can't seem to break him of that small animal prey drive. Last week he tried to fit my new roommate's cat in his mouth. I had to pry his jaws off of the poor thing. I think it was a traumatic but necessary initiation for both the new roommate and the cat... but I don't want it to happen again. I am going to start looking for a personal trainer to help me gain control over my powerful and completely obnoxious canine. Maybe Cesar Milan will make a trip here to work with the animal kingdom in my apartment. To date, we now house 5 cats and 3 dogs. It's gotta be breaking the health code, but I'm not saying a word. Apartment hunting for a place that allows a big dog is just too hard.
Island-hopping is very similar to landing on different planets. I have concluded that the Big Island is a lot like Mars... Kauai, much like a planet containing Jurassic Park. Maui I didn't see a whole lot of, but it seems to be a country version of Oahu. Minus the garbage. Wow, Oahu is dirty. If Oahu were a planet, it would be where all the other planets throw their trash. All of the canals that drain from the mountains to the ocean are lined with debris ranging from mattresses to construction lumber, abandoned tires to microwaves. Discarded crap litters the sidewalks throughout the city. Of course, where there is trash, there are rats and roaches. You see the grotesque element. It's the most disheartening part of Honolulu, but I suppose unavoidable. Cost of living is high and so is the cost of large specialty item trash removal. I remember it costing my landlord $300 to have the roach-infested couch removed from our lanai back when I lived in Palolo. Man! You could buy a new couch for that! Sometimes it's advantageous to stroll a few blocks away from home and seek out abandoned book shelves... but for the most part, it's just a sad state of affairs. I just heard a terrible tale about the Ala Wai canal the other day that I won't even go into... but basically, it's toxic soup.
All in all, I've seen a lot since moving to Hawaii and have had some amazing adventures. I've acquired a taste for sushi, have effectively mastered the bus system, seen three islands, basked in the sun at multiple beaches, seen rainforests of bamboo, waterfalls... yeah. It's a pretty awesome place to explore. I do miss "weather," though. No thunderstorms, and very few heavy rainfalls. It gets boring to always have it be sunny or misting. I get bored with monotony. It is true in the career field and it is true in my living environment. Things get too comfortable and... BAM!! I need a change. I'm not a nomad, really, but I like to shake things up a bit. I suppose that's where Oscar the dog comes in...
Oscar is a little bit of a drama queen. Since he's arrived, he has done his part to remain the center of attention. Not always in a good way. While I was visiting the Big Island, he started a fight with an off-leash dog that looked his mirror-image, which to his credit wasn't entirely his fault since he was on-leash. He has continually menaced all neighboring dog-walkers protecting their toy breeds. He doesn't seem to understand what I'm doing when I have to weave between parked cars so that he doesn't see the Bichon approaching. It's kinda out of control. I walk him plenty every day and he certainly has his 'Breed Embassador' moments, but I just can't seem to break him of that small animal prey drive. Last week he tried to fit my new roommate's cat in his mouth. I had to pry his jaws off of the poor thing. I think it was a traumatic but necessary initiation for both the new roommate and the cat... but I don't want it to happen again. I am going to start looking for a personal trainer to help me gain control over my powerful and completely obnoxious canine. Maybe Cesar Milan will make a trip here to work with the animal kingdom in my apartment. To date, we now house 5 cats and 3 dogs. It's gotta be breaking the health code, but I'm not saying a word. Apartment hunting for a place that allows a big dog is just too hard.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
What You Cannot Predict
Sometimes, no matter what you do and how cautiously you prepare for disaster, you have to confront the biggest fear of all: not having control over others.
One of my two new roommates dragged his mattress out of his room into the parking lot this morning. After less than a minute, I knew why, and I wasn't very happy about it. You see... this roommate found this "free" mattress a few weeks before moving to the new apartment. He had been sleeping on it for over three months. It was to my dismay that he just NOW discovered it was INFESTED WITH BEDBUGS.
Yeah, I've seen it all now.
He had bites like a rash all over his back and arms, and was sad when I told him that he would need to do a hell of a lot more than just remove his mattress to get rid of them. "Oh, really?" he asked innocently... YES. Remove the box spring, too. YES, the bedding, and YES, the memory foam you had on top of the mattress that you cannot possibly wash. YES, you need to go to the store and buy a bug bomb and some spray and whatever else they have. NO, spraying the carpet down with Windex is NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
This roommate is a great living example of why you should never smoke pot.
Several days later, I discover bed bugs in MY carpet. Fuck that. Roommate confrontation. Get the bug bombs. We're blowing the place.
I'm happy to report that one week later, after I have bombed, vacuumed and shampooed my carpet, diligently changed my sheets once a day and after countless hours of lost sleep worrying about every little tickle on my skin, I have not seen a live bug in my room.
I will say that I think I prefer the occasional flying cockroach over bedbugs. Happily.
One of my two new roommates dragged his mattress out of his room into the parking lot this morning. After less than a minute, I knew why, and I wasn't very happy about it. You see... this roommate found this "free" mattress a few weeks before moving to the new apartment. He had been sleeping on it for over three months. It was to my dismay that he just NOW discovered it was INFESTED WITH BEDBUGS.
Yeah, I've seen it all now.
He had bites like a rash all over his back and arms, and was sad when I told him that he would need to do a hell of a lot more than just remove his mattress to get rid of them. "Oh, really?" he asked innocently... YES. Remove the box spring, too. YES, the bedding, and YES, the memory foam you had on top of the mattress that you cannot possibly wash. YES, you need to go to the store and buy a bug bomb and some spray and whatever else they have. NO, spraying the carpet down with Windex is NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
This roommate is a great living example of why you should never smoke pot.
Several days later, I discover bed bugs in MY carpet. Fuck that. Roommate confrontation. Get the bug bombs. We're blowing the place.
I'm happy to report that one week later, after I have bombed, vacuumed and shampooed my carpet, diligently changed my sheets once a day and after countless hours of lost sleep worrying about every little tickle on my skin, I have not seen a live bug in my room.
I will say that I think I prefer the occasional flying cockroach over bedbugs. Happily.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Confronting Fear
Sometimes a girl just wants to be saved.
Yes, that sure would be nice... my prince in shining armor, gallantly sweeping me off of my feet, off to his enchanting palace, happily ever after. Tralala.
While I wait for Prince Charming, I'm taking steps towards self-improvement. Demons from life's disappointments have a way of haunting you. I have decided to stop running. They will follow me everywhere. I will always fear abandonment so as long as I let it scare me. If you never walk forward, you will remain in the same place.
This month, the month of March, I have become my own brave warrior, true to my name. I have pulled myself up by the bootstraps and begun a very scary journey to unearth all that has prevented me from growing.
I find it amusing when people criticize self-help books. Are they afraid of them? Are the books a threat to themselves? To their own fears? I am not afraid of books. Every time I read one, no matter how terrible, I learn something. Sometimes I learn I hate the writing style or the author. Sometimes I fall in love with characters. Sometimes I learn the truth. As I trollop through the Summer of my existence, I am entering a spiritual forest of books. They wait mysteriously in Barnes & Noble, the sign 'Self Help' looming above, customers' eyes leering sideways glances at me as they scurry past the aisle... but I'm not afraid of books. I'm afraid of admitting I have some hurdles to jump on my way to happiness. I'm afraid of other peoples' judgment, and I'm not even sure why.
Each day is a struggle to remain centered and conscious in my present state. I can't dwell on my old life, but when I lost my phone early in the month on the derby trip to Seattle, I lost a piece of my past. It was a devastating blow. I didn't see it coming. Sprint doesn't save your contacts, so when that phone was lost on the side of a freeway during a drunk derby girl potty break, I lost every connection I had. One fell swoop. I lost numbers of family, good friends, old friends, new friends. I lost every contact from Minnesota. I lost my safety net of fallback numbers to call when I was extremely lonely. At the closing of this month, new phone in hand, I realize how important that safety net was to me. I am feeling very alone, and have only a handful of numbers in my replacement phone. They are mostly local derby girls and immediate family members. I have recovered the real network that I have in my existence, rid of the entries that were never truly there for me... but because I could see them in my phone, I thought they existed. I have now accepted that those lost contacts are gone. I see those people on Facebook and know that they are shells of my past, and no longer a part of my present. I hate it. I hate knowing that I lost friends. Not maliciously, not because of something bad, but because I made a huge choice; I left. I have to sleep alone and I have to eat alone. I have to spend entire nights alone. I have a dog and an ipod, a laptop and a radio. I have internet and I have family that loves me. I have less old friends than I thought, and they are far away. I have new friends that I barely know and of whom I rarely see. I have a hobby that consumes 4 nights a week, and a job that I have given up on. I have no plan for future and am starting to accept that I have abandoned my past.
Now is the time to get to work on what has held me back, what scares me, what causes me anxiety and sadness, what that barrier is that causes my relationships to fail, where my passions lie, what to pursue in life, what it is about myself that I can improve.. to grow into the best person I can be. Really. Self is all you can fix. I can't control other people's actions, and I can't make a person love me. I can love myself and create a happy existence for myself, and along the way find hope that I will conquer my fears.
Now is the time.
Tonight I'm going to dinner and a movie alone for the first time in my life.
Yes, that sure would be nice... my prince in shining armor, gallantly sweeping me off of my feet, off to his enchanting palace, happily ever after. Tralala.
While I wait for Prince Charming, I'm taking steps towards self-improvement. Demons from life's disappointments have a way of haunting you. I have decided to stop running. They will follow me everywhere. I will always fear abandonment so as long as I let it scare me. If you never walk forward, you will remain in the same place.
This month, the month of March, I have become my own brave warrior, true to my name. I have pulled myself up by the bootstraps and begun a very scary journey to unearth all that has prevented me from growing.
I find it amusing when people criticize self-help books. Are they afraid of them? Are the books a threat to themselves? To their own fears? I am not afraid of books. Every time I read one, no matter how terrible, I learn something. Sometimes I learn I hate the writing style or the author. Sometimes I fall in love with characters. Sometimes I learn the truth. As I trollop through the Summer of my existence, I am entering a spiritual forest of books. They wait mysteriously in Barnes & Noble, the sign 'Self Help' looming above, customers' eyes leering sideways glances at me as they scurry past the aisle... but I'm not afraid of books. I'm afraid of admitting I have some hurdles to jump on my way to happiness. I'm afraid of other peoples' judgment, and I'm not even sure why.
Each day is a struggle to remain centered and conscious in my present state. I can't dwell on my old life, but when I lost my phone early in the month on the derby trip to Seattle, I lost a piece of my past. It was a devastating blow. I didn't see it coming. Sprint doesn't save your contacts, so when that phone was lost on the side of a freeway during a drunk derby girl potty break, I lost every connection I had. One fell swoop. I lost numbers of family, good friends, old friends, new friends. I lost every contact from Minnesota. I lost my safety net of fallback numbers to call when I was extremely lonely. At the closing of this month, new phone in hand, I realize how important that safety net was to me. I am feeling very alone, and have only a handful of numbers in my replacement phone. They are mostly local derby girls and immediate family members. I have recovered the real network that I have in my existence, rid of the entries that were never truly there for me... but because I could see them in my phone, I thought they existed. I have now accepted that those lost contacts are gone. I see those people on Facebook and know that they are shells of my past, and no longer a part of my present. I hate it. I hate knowing that I lost friends. Not maliciously, not because of something bad, but because I made a huge choice; I left. I have to sleep alone and I have to eat alone. I have to spend entire nights alone. I have a dog and an ipod, a laptop and a radio. I have internet and I have family that loves me. I have less old friends than I thought, and they are far away. I have new friends that I barely know and of whom I rarely see. I have a hobby that consumes 4 nights a week, and a job that I have given up on. I have no plan for future and am starting to accept that I have abandoned my past.
Now is the time to get to work on what has held me back, what scares me, what causes me anxiety and sadness, what that barrier is that causes my relationships to fail, where my passions lie, what to pursue in life, what it is about myself that I can improve.. to grow into the best person I can be. Really. Self is all you can fix. I can't control other people's actions, and I can't make a person love me. I can love myself and create a happy existence for myself, and along the way find hope that I will conquer my fears.
Now is the time.
Tonight I'm going to dinner and a movie alone for the first time in my life.
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