Electric Football

I recently read the book "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid", by Bill Bryson. What a hilarious read. Listening to the audio book while riding my bike I wonder what people thought when they saw me break into a laugh for no apparent reason. I found it particularly amusing since it covered the author's childhood in the 50's and early 60's, so I could relate to so much of what he wrote about. I'm sure I can harvest several blog posts by this read, today's being the first.

About 1960 my brother and I received an electric football game as a Christmas gift, one like the photo below:



This was the era before computers and video games, so we are talking state of the art high tech for 1960, and Barry and I were so excited. The actual playing of the game was not so easy, though. You would line up your players into offensive and defensive formations, then the offense would decide which player had the ball, and turn on the electric vibrator. The players had these plastic tabs on their feet bent in such a way that they moved forward. Generally. But not always.

When a defensive player touched the ball carrying player then he was down. The offense could opt for a forward pass, and a small spring device was used to fling the small felt football towards a downfield player, but it was very rare that the ball would hit the player for a completion.

When I think back on the experience it all seems a tad ludicrous. Did we actually enjoy playing the game? I don't know, I'll have to ask my brother Barry what he remembers about it.

I got this from wikipedia:

In Bill Bryson's "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir," the author describes electric football as "The worst toy of the decade [the 1950s], possibly the worst toy ever built...it took forever to set up each play because the men were so fiddly and kept falling over, and because you argued continuously with your opponent about what formations were legal and who got to position the final man...it hardly mattered how they were set up because electric football players never went in the direction intended. In practice what happened was that half the players instantly fell over and lay twitching violently as if suffering from some extreme gastric disorder, while the others streamed off in as many different directions as there were upright players before eventually clumping together in a corner, where they pushed against the unyielding sides like victims of a nightclub fire at a locked exit. The one exception to this was the running back who just trembled in place for five or six minutes, then slowly turned and went on an unopposed glide toward the wrong end zone until knocked over with a finger on the two-yard line by his distressed manager, occasioning more bickering." (hardcover version, page 113)

Mayhem -- Epilogue

Seven months have passed since my bad bicycle crash. I made several trips back to the hand and neck doctors, as well as numerous trips for physical therapy on my hand and neck. Things are healing and recovering as expected, though slower than I might have thought or hoped. The stiff neck persisted for some weeks, and it was a couple of weeks before I tried to drive, four to six weeks before I could resume tennis and cycling (I did engage in a spinning regimen to try to stay fit). I counted the days (about 40) until they could remove the two pins from my hand.

There's still a bump on the bone on my little finger metacarpal. It is totally functional, but it is stiff in the morning and the grip isn't as strong. My neck seems totally healed--not sure if there is residual stiffness as it never was very limber. I still have ringing in my left ear and noticeable hearing loss--but improved from previously. Doctors say some healing will take a year--it has been seven months.

Psychological effects still persist. I'm not as confident on the bike, go slower down hills or generally when I don't feel I control all variables. At intersections I am more nervous about cars pulling out in front of me, for example. I've not been on a group ride or in a paceline since the accident, but it will come. I still have no memory of the actual impact or couple of minutes afterwards.

In some ways my injuries and (lack of) bicycle damage are puzzling. The bike had very minimal damage--scrapes on the brake lever and knocked out of kilter. Relatively minor road rash on my knees, but significant damage on both hands (one broken). No significant bruising torso or legs. Neck and left side head injuries. I speculate that the rider behind impacted with me and landed with his weight on me (not my bike), which made the trauma more severe than it might have been. Last I knew, he also had no memory of the impact but I will ask him again. Fortunately, it was on a very low traffic road, though a doctor did drive by right afterwards (fortunately).

Overall it has been a very interesting, enlightening, and novel experience, if not one I would choose. Being unconscious and "dreaming", the subsequent calm and semi-lucid feelings, the help, kindness, and love from friends, strangers, medical professionals, and family. Being in the hospital, broken bones, operation, physical therapy, huge medical bills. I have a profound new appreciation for all of these things, and greater empathy for others experiencing similar.

The Good Samaritan

Yesterday I related the tale of my bicycle crash and subsequent hospital stay. Today I'd like to reflect upon it and how it gave me a new perspective and appreciation for the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10).

Like the "certain man" in the parable, I lay wounded on the road, "half dead". My cycling buddies attended to my immediate needs, protected me from traffic, called 911, called my wife, gave comfort, and ultimately took care of my bicycle and repaired it before returning it to me. A total stranger, a doctor, stopped her car at the scene and gave immediate attention and assurance, and provided a towel. The emergency personnel did their job efficiently, gathering me up, doing initial triage, protecting my back and neck, and instilling confidence and comfort.

The emergency room personnel were competent and reassuring, and kind (saving my jacket, for instance). They were accommodating for private time with family visitors. Suzanne and Blair (wife and son) rushed over and gave comfort. A home teacher came and gave a priesthood blessing.

The nursing staff in the regular wing were skilled and extremely caring. Several times I felt they went beyond customary duties to make me feel comfortable and reassured. I felt confident that the doctors and medical staff were all competent and that I was in good hands.

After returning home there were numerous well wishes, cards, and treats delivered. And heartfelt prayers offered in my behalf. Here is an example of a card composed by the primary children in my ward.



"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him."

Bicycle mayhem

Last year I wrote a post about a bicycle crash I experienced, and noted it was my only real accident in over two decades of serious cycling. I had thought I should be good for another couple of decades of accident free riding. But it wasn't to be.

On April 2 of this year I was 3rd in a paceline of four cyclists on a lonely country road in wet conditions. The lead cyclist slowed unexpectedly, we got bunched up, and the fourth rider crashed into me. I have no memory of the impact, nor of the few minutes immediately following. But I clearly went down quite hard.

While unconscious I felt like I was dreaming and still riding my bike on similar roads. I awoke on my back with a lady leaning over me, reassuring me she was a doctor and an ambulance was on the way. I had a neck injury and wasn't to move. I felt oddly calm and at peace, and a little out of it. My hands hurt quite a bit and there was blood seeping through my gloves. I was relieved to see I could move and feel my hands and legs.

The ambulance personnel lifted me carefully into the vehicle and started asking me questions, which I thought I answered fine, except I thought it odd that I wasn't sure what year it was. I was lucid enough to recognize they weren't taking me to the nearest hospital, but to the trauma unit at Emanuel Hospital in Portland.

Once there I continued to feel calm and reassured that I was in the hands of professionals. They cut my clothes off, being careful of my back and neck. I was relieved they asked about and followed through with saving my nice jacket from cutting.

Suzanne, Blair, and home teachers arrived soon and provided company and a blessing. My hands and full bladder (from IVs, I'm sure) were my primary discomforts, while my neck grew increasingly stiff. Eventually I was wheeled to xray and scanning machines to assess my injuries, and checked into a regular room.

Later that day they tried to set my broken 5th metacarpal in my hand, no luck. They stitched up a deep gash in my other hand. Preliminary news on my neck was that C7 was broken, but manageable. I think it was the next day before I was reassured it wouldn't require surgery and was in a relatively benign location. Surgery for my hand was scheduled for early the day after, so I ended up spending two nights in the hospital. The stiff neck was horrendous and it was a chore to rise often to urinate due to the extensive IV solutions.

Here is the helmet that most assuredly saved me from more serious injury.



I believe this was after my hand surgery.

Gat no heat

Yesterday morning there was a puddle of ice on our back deck. And, for the first time since March or perhaps April, warm air coming from the heater ducts in our house.

We have a heat pump, which efficiently heats in winter and cools in summer. We had a rather mild summer so never turned it on. So the unit has been sitting idle for about seven months. I'm not sure that is entirely good for it, but I was relieved when it kicked on without a fuss.

There were only a few very hot days (90's) this summer, and we utilized ceiling and portable fans to manage our comfort. When the temperatures dropped the past couple of weeks we wore jackets inside and held out for November 1st. It didn't get below 60 inside, and seemed to hover around 63 the past few days. In our bedroom we actually open our window at night and enjoy the refreshing cold while cozy under our down comforters.

We have enjoyed our reduced electricity bills the past months, and feel a sense of satisfaction for our sacrifice and economy.

Halloween memories

Another Halloween has come and gone. Perhaps my best memories are when our own children were young and we would go around the neighborhood with them. Below is a picture of Teresa and Steven in 1994. One year we had the whole Juhasz clan visiting for Halloween. Some years would be wet, or windy, or both. This year is was rather nice, if a bit chilly.


I'm sad that we don't get as many trick or treaters come to our door as in years past. This year we had 21, and all but two came by 7:15PM. The upside is that I can overbuy Snicker bars and snack on them the following weeks.

I also miss extracting our 10% tax by choosing some of our favorite candy from our children's haul.

I'm also sad that our own children are grown, but now we have grandchildren who come over and we can go around the neighborhood with. Here are Brooklyn, Eli, and Jonah.

Some of our neighbors go all out with decorations. One has strung wire high across the street for hanging ghosts and other creatures. This one is rather creepy.

Such a fun holiday. Though I feel sorry for all the school teachers on Nov. 1, dealing with overtired children on sugar highs.

Books Read in 2010

I read 44 books in 2010. As I've noted previously, most of these I listened to on my mp3 player, which is how I get through so many.

I'll list the first six as the ones that I enjoyed the most, or found most enlightening or inspirational. For most of the others I'll include brief comments.

With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa – E.B. Sledge.

This book is the real deal about the horrors of modern combat, especially in the Pacific in WWII. Yes, there is plenty of gore and violence, but it was also personal, poignant, inspiring, and enlightening. I laughed out loud at some spots, and wept at others. I am thankful for and honor those who served in these horrible conflicts.

Cry, the Beloved Country – Alan Paton

This is a fictional story set in South Africa about 1948. This is not an “in your face” portrayal of the injustices of apartheid, but an intelligent, even-handed, powerful and well written story of whites and blacks caught up in the times.

The Last Train from Hiroshima – Charles Pellegrino

This was such a fascinating read, despite learning afterwards that the author was discredited for sloppy research and outright untruths in the account.

Truman – David McCullough

I was surprised at the impression this book made on me. It is quite lengthy, but was worth the investment. For a man and president I knew so little about, I understand better his monumental impact on history (and I think in a positive way). And he was in so many ways such an ordinary man.

Emma Smith, Mormon Enigma – Newell and Avery

I think this is an even-handed treatment of a controversial figure in early Mormon history. Fascinating events in a different time and place from ours.

The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy – Mearsheimer and Walt

This is a lengthy and detailed treatment of how the authors believe the tremendous influence of the Israel lobby (in its many forms) has damaged U.S. interests worldwide. I confess I see several pro-Israeli biases at work in me and will never look on modern Israel the same again.

Fiction:

Catching Fire and Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins

Interesting continuation and conclusion from the much more impressive first book, The Hunger Games.

Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand

For such a landmark and influential book, I struggled a lot with it. It was so, so long and I nearly bagged it a couple of times. While I agree with some of the philosophy (free market) I have serious issues with other concepts (self focus). See my "review":

The Veteran (5 short stories) – Frederick Forsyth

The Worthing Saga, Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead – Orson Scott Card

Interesting and creative stories, but after each book I think I won’t read any more of Card’s works.

Crime and Punishment – Dostoevsky

Dracula – Bram Stoker

I liked this book more than I thought I would.

Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad

I thought this was a great book, and is based on non-fictional characters and events.

The Lemon Tree - Sandy Tolan

A fictional account presenting two sides to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Book Thief – Zusak (again)

While I think this is a very good book, somehow it doesn’t work on me as much as it does for my wife and daughter.

North and South – Elizabeth Gaskell

Poisonwood Bible -- Kingsolver

Non-fiction (Cold War themes):

Daring Men (Berlin Airlift) – Richard Reeves

President Reagan, Triumph of Imagination – Richard Reeves

Red Moon Rising—Sputnik… – Matthew Bzrezinski

Day One – Before Hiroshima and After – Peter Wyden

I was motivated to read this as a more accurate account after "Last Train From Hiroshima". It had a broader scope and, despite several slow chapters, was very informational about the development and deployment of the atomic bomb, and its aftermath.

Other Non-fiction:

Salamander – Sillitor and Roberts

A fascinating read for those of us who remember the sensational developments.

Empires in the Forest, Jamestown and the Beginning of America – Chenoweth and Llewellyn

The Universe in a Nutshell – Stephen Hawking

A Long Stone’s Throw – Alphie McCourt

Mildly interesting, but not as entertaining and engaging as his brother’s books (Frank).

Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked– Robert Graysmith

The first book is rather interesting, the second not so much.

102 Minutes – Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn

Evidence of the Afterlife – Jeffrey Long

A State of Blood – Kyemba

I count my blessings I live in the USA.

Highest Duty – Chesley Sullenberger

Culture Shock: UAE

Stolen Lives – Malika Oufkir

Does this stuff really happen in the modern world?

Isaac Newton – James Gleick

The Six Wives of Henry VIII – Alison Weir

Uranium – Thomas Zoellner

I nearly added this to the “Cold War” list of books.

City of Gold, Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism – Jim Krane

Great read to prep for our trip to UAE.

The Raft – Robert Trumbull

Amazing story, if told in the campy style of the 40’s.

To America – Stephen Ambrose

Baseball – Geoffrey Ward

Open – Andre Agassi

I was looking forward to this read of such a great and influential tennis player, but came away with an unsettled feeling about Andre and the state of the professional game.

King Leopold's Ghost -- Hochschild

I read this (and Poisonwood Bible) since Steven was reading it for his high school class. Both very interesting books, and prompted me to read The Heart of Darkness. I learned much more than I ever have about central Africa and its history.