Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Other plans.

So last Tuesday I went into the hospital to have a large mass removed from the right side of my brain, and then spent a week in the ICU after some complications in recovery, with the result that I am presently enjoying my first full day of recovering at home.

The good part of this is that -- thanks to a hideously blackened eye, shaved head, and jagged row of metal staples across my cranium -- I now look like a scary Russian convict; the type of person that a bookish sort like myself would normally shy away from. I also have a small section of scalp that goes in when pressed like a hidden key to a secret cave entrance.

The bad part is is that the words are still swimming in my head. Composing a text message of any complexity on an iPhone is the closest thing to Hell that Bruno Mattei could envision. This means it will be a bit before I get back to writing again at full steam.

This is a shame, really, because I would really have liked to dedicate no small amount of written tribute to the passing of Ray Harryhausen, a childhood idol of mine. So obsessed was I with the man that my mother to this very day sends me clippings about him whenever they turn up in the local paper -- no doubt fueled by memories of having waited in a long line with me to get into the matinee opening of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. This Harryhausen fandom of mine thrived during the days before one could buy garage kits or vinyl figures of the Ymir to fuel it, and was instead dependent on youthful reading, watching and research; In this regard, his long awaited Film Fantasy Scrapbook was a lifeline.

Like a lot of kids who idolized Harryhausen, I entertained the idea of doing what he did, leading to a fairly prolific series of modeling clay based epics shot in a makeshift basement studio. This enthusiasm was later washed away by my all consuming desire to play bass in a punk rock band. Fortunately, I found my way back to film in one way or another and am today able to say thanks for the memories.

And memories, under the present circumstances, are indeed something to be thankful for. Not to mention simply having a functioning -- if presently a bit addled -- brain in which to house them. I have a long stretch of road back to full recovery ahead, but getting back to 4DK is primary in my mind. Watch this space.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to see that the surgeon didn't accidentally remove your way with words. ;p

Best wishes for a quick recovery!

carol said...

Whenever you want a new or different thought, just press the magic scalp spot!

Gialloman and DontIgnoreMe said...

best wishes

Eric the Echidna said...

I'm happy to say that I (indirectly) went from obsessing on Harryhausen, to obsessing on the very bands you played bass for.

Mr. Cavin said...

Dude. This is a nice tribute to Harryhausen, someone who I just assume is already a hero to anyone who sticks around here. I kind of wish I was one of those people who could say that the man was an inspiration for my concrete body of related work. But I can't, and I hope that it doesn't diminish my regard for him and his work that I am merely a loving fan.

But. It's kind of impossible to read this scary post and come away thinking about Ray. Sorry about your head; you get well. I'm a loving fan of your work, too.

memsaab said...

Tell us what you SEE when you press the soft button in your head, Todd :D

Thinking of you and wishing you a speedy comeback. Hugs.

memsaab said...

Tell us what you SEE when you press the soft button in your head, Todd :D

Thinking of you and wishing you a speedy comeback. Hugs.

Jack J said...

That's terrible! Here's to a speedy recovery, my friend!

Timothy Paxton said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Timothy Paxton said...

Tumors are a bitch. Speedy recovery, man.

Unknown said...

Quick recovery, Todd. And it takes practice, but 'magic scalp spot button' will release your telekinetic powers. Use your power for good!

Cheers
D.

Todd said...

Thanks, all. I have the best readers any blogger could ask for.

Unknown said...

You did a better job of writing this than I could have right after my own hospitalization in December, and I didn't have invasive surgery or anything removed from my brain. Heal quickly.

Todd said...

Thanks, Ian. I can't say it wasn't a halting process, but it was nice to see it all fall out in the right order.

Ben said...

I'm a bit late coming to this post, but just thought I'd join the chorus wishing you the best, Todd.

4DK is a beacon of light in my daily trawls of the internet, and it will be great to see it back up to full power, but y'know... no hurry.

Anonymous said...

Well, it's time. I have been contemplating a new blog for some time. So starting now I will be blogging here. When I started this blog, I had something entirely different in mind than now. Before I was linking to other sites and commenting on news, culture and theology.

Anonymous said...

Now I write.

Nothing really original about that. But I just wanted a more focused place. No links. No drive-by posts. Hopefully just thoughtful writing written well.

We'll see.

Jack J said...

Seems the fucking spammers have found you, mate. Argh!

Todd said...

Gotta love that they all chose the post where I talk about my brain cancer as the ideal context for their sales pitches.