At the time of this writing, there is all kinds of warnings about heavy snowfall, freezing rain, and wicked wind speeds predicted to settle into our area and shut things down for a day or two. People are preparing by buying up milk and eggs, calling off meetings or already making notice that they might not be at work the next day. All this reminds me of those days back in grade school and high school when we had snow days. Not only did we get out of school, which was a GOOD THING, but it meant that my friends and I would have an extra day to hang out together and have all sorts of fun.
Should a snow day be declared, on the night before, phone calls would go out to make plans for the following day to meet somewhere (despite road conditions)and make the most of the frozen landscape with snowmobiles, ATV's or shovels. (We could build snow forts like no one's business)
But what I really enjoyed the most were those days when, either it was way to cold to be outside, or the idea of working that hard was not appealing, we would stay inside and play games. Classic 1970's board games geared towards boys. Games like Carrier Strike, Stratego, Chopper Strike, Tank Battle, Battleship!, Sub Search and of course, RISK. There were others too, but these are the ones that stick in my mind as the ones that made it to the game table more often than not.
We would break these games out and play for hours. If someone lost, there would be a rematch and the games would go on until satisfaction was won, or we got bored and moved on to a different game. RISK was a game that could go on for hours at a time, for as you know, there is no domination like total world domination in the classic game of RISK! Never surrender, never give up.
This was the time before video games. It was also before I discovered Dungeons & Dragons. I think this is why I love board games so much. It was such a part of my childhood that it was imprinted on my psyche that quality time equaled gaming time. There was no stigma connected to being a "gamer" at this point and we were never embarrassed to say we played games for hours on end and called it fun! We even bragged about it at school.
I know that snow days now are a high point in the school year, and kids get together to play games to celebrate it, but now they join online games connected via their computer or game console. No need to risk life and limb to get together anymore on a heavy snow day. I find it kind of sad, but it is part of the new world of technology that our kids live in. I embrace it too, but I would like to see my kids and their friends participate in a few more snow days like I used. Probably because I would like to join them...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Steel Wheeled Chariot of Death!
At some point in my childhood, near about the time when most of my friends and I had learned to ride and drive mini-bikes and small motorcycles, our feelings of immortality were reaching their peak. After all, we had just conquered learning to ride motorcycles even before stepping in to a Driver's Education course to learn to drive cars. And as was the nature with those friends of mine, riding a motorcycle was just not enough. Riding by yourself was boring, unless you were in a race, or trying to run over one of your "ground-bound" friends with said motorcycle. (I should stop right here. We did not use motorcycles exclusively for this task. We found that hitting a person had a tendency to make the motorcycle unstable, so we quickly switched over to three-wheeled ATV's for this purpose)
Anyway, at some point, it was just more fun to have your friends come along for the ride and even though you could get one person on the back, having everyone in the group come along for the ride was even better. But how do you do this with a motorcycle that you can fit only one person on? You turn to the Steel Wheeled Chariot of Death.
The S.W.C of D. was a contraption that we created out of a old steel frame of some 1910 or 20's wagon that the wood components had long ago rotted away, leaving only the skeleton of welded and bolted metal to work with. I am not sure how it got there, but one day it appeared in the back part of my dad's yard, near the burn/trash pile. It was like a God-send to us boys and we immediately put it to good use!
We slapped a wooden door down on the frame, secured a back board to that and constructed a hitch of sorts that would attach to the back end of a motorcycle with out restricting the way a bike leans when turning. It all looked good in our minds and the best way to find out was to throw some people on and take it for a spin. Lo! and Behold! The damned thing worked perfectly. It took a bit of effort for the motorcycle operator to maintain an upright position on the bike due to the drag caused by the S.W.C of D. but it was not impossible to clip along at about 10 miles an hour over grass and fields with a few boys happily bouncing along behind in contraption that would eventually start to bend, bruise and almost break a number of boys in very short order.
Riding about on the Steel Wheeled Chariot of Death was fine if you were on soil, but once you hit paved or gravel roads, the ride became almost unbearable. Almost. We discovered that if you were riding in the S. W. C. of D. while on a road, you had to keep your mouth tightly shut or you might bite your tongue or crack your teeth due to the jackhammering that was a result of the bare steel wheels making contact with a hard surface like the road. Some riders preferred to stand, but this made the entire balance of the cart go wonky, so seated was the only way to be able to ride. The exception was standing on the very back of the cart, holding on to the backboard and standing on part of the frame. It was a prime position and one that allowed for quick exit from the cart once the ride was over. So we would jockey for position every time we used the cart and it was a useful contraption for about, oh, a week.
I remember it being a cool fall or spring day. The grass was still green, but it was very wet, and there were no crops in the fields, so it is hard to remember was season it was. Not that it matters. What matters is that a number of us had gathered from some reason in Claytonville. Probably a game day, or a bb gun fight, or something along those lines. Those present that I can remember, were Denver, Mike, Tom, Jeff, myself and I think my brother. We had all found ourselves at the bridge that crossed over the crick (Whiskey Creek) that passed by town. We had all arrived there via motorcycle and the Steel Wheeled Chariot of Death. But it was time to call it a day so we gathered up and headed back to town. (Which is only about a 40-50 second ride) On the motorcycle was Tom. On the S. W. C. of D. was Denver, Jeff, Mike, myself, and again, I think my brother. Everyone was on the cart, with Mike having secured the comfy position on the back. And off we went.
However, something went terribly wrong. Somewhere in the short time it took to get from the starting position to up to speed, someone or something caused the front of the cart to lift up, taking a good deal of ground traction off of the rear tire of the motorcycle and causing Tom to lose control of the bike. At this point, Mike saw what was coming and proceeded to jump off the back of the cart, which not only brought the front end down, but also propelled the cart frame into the back of the motorcycle tire and fender, catching up underneath the fender. Tom sped up immediately to attempt to unlock the motorcycle from the frame, which it did, but it in turned jerked the remaining riders back onto the backboard, causing us to clamber for secure positions.
The rest of this story is what I remember actually happening to me, and what I remember Mike telling us all what he saw after he exited the cart.
Mike said he saw the motorcycle and cart veer off of the road and down into the ditch, which had about a 10-12 foot drop. He said that Jeff tried to jump off the cart, got caught by the wheel as he left and fell onto the road as motorcycle and all were heading down into the ditch. He said, Denver and I had grabbed on to one another like two lovers in a full hug embrace, bouncing up and down on the cart, trying desperately to stay on board. And then the cart started to roll and proceeded to throw everyone, including Tom on the motorcycle, from their seated postions, out into the ditch and accompanying field.
From my perspective, all I remember was seeing the motorcycle in front of me start to fishtail horribly, someone screaming and jumping off the cart, and noticing the cart was no longer behind, but above the motorcycle that was supposed to be pulling it! I suppose this was because the motorcycle was headed down into the ditch, with the S.W.C. of D. in full pursuit. As the cart began to tilt and roll, I attempted to jump out, but the shoulder of my army jacket got caught in the spokes of the steel wheels and it pulled me down and around, my arm actually ripping out the 2x4 that was used to support the backboard to the wood door we used as a floor. I remember seeing things upside down as I rolled on the grass, the Steel Wheeled Chariot of Death flipping over, and Tom and the motorcycle also falling to the ground, to stop at the bottom of the soggy edge of the field. And I remember laughter.
Mike was laughing his ass off. He was standing up on the road, looking down at us and laughing as hard as he ever had. We all stood up, looked to make sure nothing was broken on us, and once assured of that, began the excited retelling of surviving the trip of death on our now bent and broken Steel Wheeled Chariot of Death. My shoulder hurt like hell. Jeff was kind of banged up from landing on the road, and Tom was pissed because something had broken on his motorcycle. I don't recall what happened to Denver, but he survived realatively unscathed.
We limped back home to my house and my friends went their own ways, but the next day at school we had a story to tell! I don't recall was happended to the S.W.C.of D. but we never used it again. I don't even think we pulled it out of the ditch. I supposed someone drug it out and used it for scrap metal, but it, like so many other things from my childhood, was one of those things I will never forget.
Anyway, at some point, it was just more fun to have your friends come along for the ride and even though you could get one person on the back, having everyone in the group come along for the ride was even better. But how do you do this with a motorcycle that you can fit only one person on? You turn to the Steel Wheeled Chariot of Death.
The S.W.C of D. was a contraption that we created out of a old steel frame of some 1910 or 20's wagon that the wood components had long ago rotted away, leaving only the skeleton of welded and bolted metal to work with. I am not sure how it got there, but one day it appeared in the back part of my dad's yard, near the burn/trash pile. It was like a God-send to us boys and we immediately put it to good use!
We slapped a wooden door down on the frame, secured a back board to that and constructed a hitch of sorts that would attach to the back end of a motorcycle with out restricting the way a bike leans when turning. It all looked good in our minds and the best way to find out was to throw some people on and take it for a spin. Lo! and Behold! The damned thing worked perfectly. It took a bit of effort for the motorcycle operator to maintain an upright position on the bike due to the drag caused by the S.W.C of D. but it was not impossible to clip along at about 10 miles an hour over grass and fields with a few boys happily bouncing along behind in contraption that would eventually start to bend, bruise and almost break a number of boys in very short order.
Riding about on the Steel Wheeled Chariot of Death was fine if you were on soil, but once you hit paved or gravel roads, the ride became almost unbearable. Almost. We discovered that if you were riding in the S. W. C. of D. while on a road, you had to keep your mouth tightly shut or you might bite your tongue or crack your teeth due to the jackhammering that was a result of the bare steel wheels making contact with a hard surface like the road. Some riders preferred to stand, but this made the entire balance of the cart go wonky, so seated was the only way to be able to ride. The exception was standing on the very back of the cart, holding on to the backboard and standing on part of the frame. It was a prime position and one that allowed for quick exit from the cart once the ride was over. So we would jockey for position every time we used the cart and it was a useful contraption for about, oh, a week.
I remember it being a cool fall or spring day. The grass was still green, but it was very wet, and there were no crops in the fields, so it is hard to remember was season it was. Not that it matters. What matters is that a number of us had gathered from some reason in Claytonville. Probably a game day, or a bb gun fight, or something along those lines. Those present that I can remember, were Denver, Mike, Tom, Jeff, myself and I think my brother. We had all found ourselves at the bridge that crossed over the crick (Whiskey Creek) that passed by town. We had all arrived there via motorcycle and the Steel Wheeled Chariot of Death. But it was time to call it a day so we gathered up and headed back to town. (Which is only about a 40-50 second ride) On the motorcycle was Tom. On the S. W. C. of D. was Denver, Jeff, Mike, myself, and again, I think my brother. Everyone was on the cart, with Mike having secured the comfy position on the back. And off we went.
However, something went terribly wrong. Somewhere in the short time it took to get from the starting position to up to speed, someone or something caused the front of the cart to lift up, taking a good deal of ground traction off of the rear tire of the motorcycle and causing Tom to lose control of the bike. At this point, Mike saw what was coming and proceeded to jump off the back of the cart, which not only brought the front end down, but also propelled the cart frame into the back of the motorcycle tire and fender, catching up underneath the fender. Tom sped up immediately to attempt to unlock the motorcycle from the frame, which it did, but it in turned jerked the remaining riders back onto the backboard, causing us to clamber for secure positions.
The rest of this story is what I remember actually happening to me, and what I remember Mike telling us all what he saw after he exited the cart.
Mike said he saw the motorcycle and cart veer off of the road and down into the ditch, which had about a 10-12 foot drop. He said that Jeff tried to jump off the cart, got caught by the wheel as he left and fell onto the road as motorcycle and all were heading down into the ditch. He said, Denver and I had grabbed on to one another like two lovers in a full hug embrace, bouncing up and down on the cart, trying desperately to stay on board. And then the cart started to roll and proceeded to throw everyone, including Tom on the motorcycle, from their seated postions, out into the ditch and accompanying field.
From my perspective, all I remember was seeing the motorcycle in front of me start to fishtail horribly, someone screaming and jumping off the cart, and noticing the cart was no longer behind, but above the motorcycle that was supposed to be pulling it! I suppose this was because the motorcycle was headed down into the ditch, with the S.W.C. of D. in full pursuit. As the cart began to tilt and roll, I attempted to jump out, but the shoulder of my army jacket got caught in the spokes of the steel wheels and it pulled me down and around, my arm actually ripping out the 2x4 that was used to support the backboard to the wood door we used as a floor. I remember seeing things upside down as I rolled on the grass, the Steel Wheeled Chariot of Death flipping over, and Tom and the motorcycle also falling to the ground, to stop at the bottom of the soggy edge of the field. And I remember laughter.
Mike was laughing his ass off. He was standing up on the road, looking down at us and laughing as hard as he ever had. We all stood up, looked to make sure nothing was broken on us, and once assured of that, began the excited retelling of surviving the trip of death on our now bent and broken Steel Wheeled Chariot of Death. My shoulder hurt like hell. Jeff was kind of banged up from landing on the road, and Tom was pissed because something had broken on his motorcycle. I don't recall what happened to Denver, but he survived realatively unscathed.
We limped back home to my house and my friends went their own ways, but the next day at school we had a story to tell! I don't recall was happended to the S.W.C.of D. but we never used it again. I don't even think we pulled it out of the ditch. I supposed someone drug it out and used it for scrap metal, but it, like so many other things from my childhood, was one of those things I will never forget.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Story time...
This year I am going to spend more time on the old blog with stories from my childhood. And by "childhood" I mean that period of time when I was between the years of 8 and 17. I seem to recall that most of my memorable childhood stories come from that age range, but don't expect me to be able to nail down exactly how old I was in some of these stories. My childhood was a ton of fun and it all seemed to run together in terms of years. The best I might be able to do is say I was on the older range or the younger range of my childhood. I hope you enjoy these stories and maybe even share this with your child and tell he or she, "Do not do stuff like this!" Maybe someone can learn from my mistakes... but then again, I survived and still have all my parts.... almost. Over time you will come to know my best buddies and members of my family, and maybe figure out just how I managed to survive my childhood and some of what makes me tick.
OF GRILLS AND MUSHROOM CLOUDS
Life as a kid in Claytonville, Il. was one of making your own fun, because let's face it, living in town that consists of 50-60 people, of which 90% were hard working adults, could get pretty boring. And a small town located in east central Illinois,in the late 70's and early 80's, saying that modernity and "civilization" had arrived there, was stretching the truth a bit. Sure, we had heat (downstairs) in the winter, but no air conditioning in the summer. (My parents waited until every kid was out of the house before getting that.) We even had indoor running water, flush toilets and all that, so don't get the idea that it was like living on the frontier, but many modern conveniences that those living in the big cities of Paxton or Champaign took for granted, we did not have. Movie theaters, colored TV or more than three channels to watch, parks, and so forth So, as kids we made our own fun. Usually with things that exploded. Or burnt. Or melted. Or went fast or shot things. You get the idea. Here is one that everyone in my family knows about and for the most part, several members of the families of those involved.
Summers in Claytonville were fun. Jobs were easy to find if you were willing to work on a farm or outside, but work was work and that was not fun. Most of my friends and I worked only in the morning of the summer to avoid the heat of the day, leaving the rest of the day to use as we saw fit. One one particular day, we decided to beat the heat by holing up in a small copse of trees that lined a cornfield. It was your typical hedge row, with tangled Osage orange trees, horse-weeds, wild raspberry bushes and tall grasses all growing in the same small condensed area. It was located just a few hundred yards from my house, right near the railroad tracks that cut Claytonville in half, running east and west. (Debate still rages as to who lived on the right side of the tracks and who did not)
The little hedgerow had served as hideout, enemy territory, hunting ground, and a myriad of other purposes, depending on the mood and ideas of the boys using it. At this particular time, we (Tom, Mike, my brother Darryl, and myself) were using it as shade from the heat and as a private men's club, complete with manufactured luxuries, including a brick fireplace and grill. Despite the heat of summer, we stoked a fire in the tiny fireplace and were enjoying the idea of being men among men, having constructed our own man-cave where we could eat, sleep, and drink anytime we liked. Not that we slept there or ate there, but we did drink there. Soda. And lots of it! Especially root beer and Pepsi.
Empty bottles were scattered about in every direction. Neatness was not something that was high on our club's priorities. Suffice it to say that there were a number of them sitting around and eventually one of these empty bottles must have caught the attention of one of us. I am not sure who started it, but I recall that someone had acquired a bottle, filled it half full of water from a nearby mud-puddle, and had corked it with a mixture of mud and dried corncob, firmly shoved down the neck of the bottle. Said bottle was soon placed on the fireplace/grill and the fire increased until the water began to boil within the bottle, creating immense pressure that would finally result in the makeshift cork to fail and the water to fountain out of the bottle, much to the delight of those present in the little hedgerow. About 4 or 5 bottles were sacrificed in this manner before someone would take our idea on a wicked turn.
Most of the ideas that we came up with to avoid boredom were usually good at first, but then, some idiot, (always one of the usual suspects) would decide to escalate the idea to its most illogical ___________. (fill in the blank with words anything like; conclusion, explosion, concussion, piercing, collision, etc, etc.) Without fail, this is indeed what happened. The idiot in this case (or at the time and age, genius)was my best buddy, Mike.
Mike lived across the tracks and if there is someone who you will meet in these stories more often than not, it will be Mike. Mike was a good friend for me to have. He knew (as all best buddies do) how to push my buttons and made me stretch myself as a person. He dared (and sometimes forced) me to do things I probably would not have done. He was very outgoing and everyone liked him, but I got to call him my best friend.
Mike had stepped out of the hedgerow and had come back with a bottle filled to the top and well stoppered with not just mud and corncob but a hefty amount of clay, which could be found just about anywhere in Claytonville. (There used to be a brick factory that was housed on the ground were my house and outbuildings were located) He came back with almost a wild look in his eye, as he placed the bottle on the grill and added more wood and fuel to the fire. Looking back now, it was obvious what he had done, but at that time, it just did not seem like anything was wrong, at least at first. But then, we noticed, as the bottle started to show the first bubbles of boiling, that the liquid in the bottle was two toned, and that Mike was very cautiously, yet very deliberately, inching backwards AWAY from the fireplace and the bottle set upon the tiny grill plate. Normally, we would get close to things that were flaming or on otherwise about to flame up, but this time, it was different.
Call it some unseen or unspoken signal, some smell of fear, or maybe we were all realizing what might just be in that bottle that we all began moving back to a safe distance of, oh, say, 5 to 10 feet, but at the same time, still give us front row viewing for the upcoming show. And what a show it was!
At some point, the level of heat had made the "water" in the bottle reach the point where it would shoot the cork off. However, Mike had done a marvelous job at securing the cork in the bottle. So much so, that instead of shooting out the corncob cork, the bottle instead burst apart and released what, to our eyes, was essentially the god of HellFire! (There was much rejoicing.) When that bottle exploded, the water, and what ever else was mixed into it, combined with the air and created (Okay, now remember, I am trying to remember this with my child's eye and memory.) a column of fire about 6 feet around, and a resulting mushroom ball of fire and smoke that belched up through the trees (full grown) and out of the canopy for about five feet. After a cursory glance about to see if anyone was dead or bleeding, we all jumped up to survey the damage to our little club and congratulate each other on being present for such a show, much less on simply being alive and in one piece. Our fireplace and grill, and the fire within were snuffed out of existence. Dried grass on the ground and small leaves on the trees above us were still smoking, but for the most part there was little damage done. Once again, God had looked out for us and kept us safe, despite our best efforts.
It seems that Mike had traveled outside of the realm of regular mud-puddles and went to where there was a fuel refilling station that carried, home heating fuel, gas, diesel, and kerosene. This station was, like so many things, just about 150 yards from my house and about 25 yards (certainly more than safe enough distance) from where we were having our little experiment using fire and water. In huge tanks that were suspended horizontally on steel trusses, there was somewhere close to 500,000 gallons of fuel. These resided in a retaining pit, surrounded by only a grass berm, in which was an ever present pond of water that even on a good day, was about 2/3 water and 1/3 fuel mix. It was here that Mike apparently went to fill his bottle. (Thinking back on this, it is a good damned thing none of us ever took up smoking, because had we, eventually, especially with as much time as we spent in, on, or around this place, we would have dropped a lit match or cigarette in this pond of fuel mixture)
While we were excited talking about our most recent venture in to explosive experimentation, and discussing what it would take to rebuild the fireplace so we could do it again, we all heard the one thing that would make us freeze in fear, or annoyance. My mother, who normally worked during the day in the summer, happened to be home and was washing dishes in the kitchen. There is a window right next to the sink and unfortunately, that window looks right out in the direction of the fuel tanks and the hedgerow where the god of Hellfire had just appeared moments ago.
There is not a single friend of mine that will ever forget the shrill voice of my mother calling for me or my brother or any of their names from across the yard or tracks. Normally it was to call us home. This time however, it had a particular "shrillness" that conveyed both anger, fright, and concern. It only took one call from my mother for Tom and Mike to high-tail it across the track to his house to hide out and leave my brother and I to our fates.
For my brother and I, we had the unfortunate luck to have to go home after a parent had seen what had just happened and at the same time, have a the one person also in the house that for some reason, scared us more than our father. My older brother, David. He came charging out of the house and met us as we were coming back and proceeded to chew us out for doing some so dangerous and crazy. And looking back, I think he was more worried (and maybe rightly so) about the fact that we could have ignited over 500,000 gallons of fuel and in a blink of an eye, remove an entire town from the map. I would not be surprised if he didn't think that if we killed ourselves, he would have two less problems in the world to deal with.
But in the end, I cannot really recall what our punishment was for being part of the fireball incident, probably because I was so incredibly psyched up about being so close to something so cool. I think my brother and I got grounded, but being grounded in a small town is not really much of a punishment so it was kind of a wash and I as you will find out, no lesson was learned, except on how to make bigger fireball.
OF GRILLS AND MUSHROOM CLOUDS
Life as a kid in Claytonville, Il. was one of making your own fun, because let's face it, living in town that consists of 50-60 people, of which 90% were hard working adults, could get pretty boring. And a small town located in east central Illinois,in the late 70's and early 80's, saying that modernity and "civilization" had arrived there, was stretching the truth a bit. Sure, we had heat (downstairs) in the winter, but no air conditioning in the summer. (My parents waited until every kid was out of the house before getting that.) We even had indoor running water, flush toilets and all that, so don't get the idea that it was like living on the frontier, but many modern conveniences that those living in the big cities of Paxton or Champaign took for granted, we did not have. Movie theaters, colored TV or more than three channels to watch, parks, and so forth So, as kids we made our own fun. Usually with things that exploded. Or burnt. Or melted. Or went fast or shot things. You get the idea. Here is one that everyone in my family knows about and for the most part, several members of the families of those involved.
Summers in Claytonville were fun. Jobs were easy to find if you were willing to work on a farm or outside, but work was work and that was not fun. Most of my friends and I worked only in the morning of the summer to avoid the heat of the day, leaving the rest of the day to use as we saw fit. One one particular day, we decided to beat the heat by holing up in a small copse of trees that lined a cornfield. It was your typical hedge row, with tangled Osage orange trees, horse-weeds, wild raspberry bushes and tall grasses all growing in the same small condensed area. It was located just a few hundred yards from my house, right near the railroad tracks that cut Claytonville in half, running east and west. (Debate still rages as to who lived on the right side of the tracks and who did not)
The little hedgerow had served as hideout, enemy territory, hunting ground, and a myriad of other purposes, depending on the mood and ideas of the boys using it. At this particular time, we (Tom, Mike, my brother Darryl, and myself) were using it as shade from the heat and as a private men's club, complete with manufactured luxuries, including a brick fireplace and grill. Despite the heat of summer, we stoked a fire in the tiny fireplace and were enjoying the idea of being men among men, having constructed our own man-cave where we could eat, sleep, and drink anytime we liked. Not that we slept there or ate there, but we did drink there. Soda. And lots of it! Especially root beer and Pepsi.
Empty bottles were scattered about in every direction. Neatness was not something that was high on our club's priorities. Suffice it to say that there were a number of them sitting around and eventually one of these empty bottles must have caught the attention of one of us. I am not sure who started it, but I recall that someone had acquired a bottle, filled it half full of water from a nearby mud-puddle, and had corked it with a mixture of mud and dried corncob, firmly shoved down the neck of the bottle. Said bottle was soon placed on the fireplace/grill and the fire increased until the water began to boil within the bottle, creating immense pressure that would finally result in the makeshift cork to fail and the water to fountain out of the bottle, much to the delight of those present in the little hedgerow. About 4 or 5 bottles were sacrificed in this manner before someone would take our idea on a wicked turn.
Most of the ideas that we came up with to avoid boredom were usually good at first, but then, some idiot, (always one of the usual suspects) would decide to escalate the idea to its most illogical ___________. (fill in the blank with words anything like; conclusion, explosion, concussion, piercing, collision, etc, etc.) Without fail, this is indeed what happened. The idiot in this case (or at the time and age, genius)was my best buddy, Mike.
Mike lived across the tracks and if there is someone who you will meet in these stories more often than not, it will be Mike. Mike was a good friend for me to have. He knew (as all best buddies do) how to push my buttons and made me stretch myself as a person. He dared (and sometimes forced) me to do things I probably would not have done. He was very outgoing and everyone liked him, but I got to call him my best friend.
Mike had stepped out of the hedgerow and had come back with a bottle filled to the top and well stoppered with not just mud and corncob but a hefty amount of clay, which could be found just about anywhere in Claytonville. (There used to be a brick factory that was housed on the ground were my house and outbuildings were located) He came back with almost a wild look in his eye, as he placed the bottle on the grill and added more wood and fuel to the fire. Looking back now, it was obvious what he had done, but at that time, it just did not seem like anything was wrong, at least at first. But then, we noticed, as the bottle started to show the first bubbles of boiling, that the liquid in the bottle was two toned, and that Mike was very cautiously, yet very deliberately, inching backwards AWAY from the fireplace and the bottle set upon the tiny grill plate. Normally, we would get close to things that were flaming or on otherwise about to flame up, but this time, it was different.
Call it some unseen or unspoken signal, some smell of fear, or maybe we were all realizing what might just be in that bottle that we all began moving back to a safe distance of, oh, say, 5 to 10 feet, but at the same time, still give us front row viewing for the upcoming show. And what a show it was!
At some point, the level of heat had made the "water" in the bottle reach the point where it would shoot the cork off. However, Mike had done a marvelous job at securing the cork in the bottle. So much so, that instead of shooting out the corncob cork, the bottle instead burst apart and released what, to our eyes, was essentially the god of HellFire! (There was much rejoicing.) When that bottle exploded, the water, and what ever else was mixed into it, combined with the air and created (Okay, now remember, I am trying to remember this with my child's eye and memory.) a column of fire about 6 feet around, and a resulting mushroom ball of fire and smoke that belched up through the trees (full grown) and out of the canopy for about five feet. After a cursory glance about to see if anyone was dead or bleeding, we all jumped up to survey the damage to our little club and congratulate each other on being present for such a show, much less on simply being alive and in one piece. Our fireplace and grill, and the fire within were snuffed out of existence. Dried grass on the ground and small leaves on the trees above us were still smoking, but for the most part there was little damage done. Once again, God had looked out for us and kept us safe, despite our best efforts.
It seems that Mike had traveled outside of the realm of regular mud-puddles and went to where there was a fuel refilling station that carried, home heating fuel, gas, diesel, and kerosene. This station was, like so many things, just about 150 yards from my house and about 25 yards (certainly more than safe enough distance) from where we were having our little experiment using fire and water. In huge tanks that were suspended horizontally on steel trusses, there was somewhere close to 500,000 gallons of fuel. These resided in a retaining pit, surrounded by only a grass berm, in which was an ever present pond of water that even on a good day, was about 2/3 water and 1/3 fuel mix. It was here that Mike apparently went to fill his bottle. (Thinking back on this, it is a good damned thing none of us ever took up smoking, because had we, eventually, especially with as much time as we spent in, on, or around this place, we would have dropped a lit match or cigarette in this pond of fuel mixture)
While we were excited talking about our most recent venture in to explosive experimentation, and discussing what it would take to rebuild the fireplace so we could do it again, we all heard the one thing that would make us freeze in fear, or annoyance. My mother, who normally worked during the day in the summer, happened to be home and was washing dishes in the kitchen. There is a window right next to the sink and unfortunately, that window looks right out in the direction of the fuel tanks and the hedgerow where the god of Hellfire had just appeared moments ago.
There is not a single friend of mine that will ever forget the shrill voice of my mother calling for me or my brother or any of their names from across the yard or tracks. Normally it was to call us home. This time however, it had a particular "shrillness" that conveyed both anger, fright, and concern. It only took one call from my mother for Tom and Mike to high-tail it across the track to his house to hide out and leave my brother and I to our fates.
For my brother and I, we had the unfortunate luck to have to go home after a parent had seen what had just happened and at the same time, have a the one person also in the house that for some reason, scared us more than our father. My older brother, David. He came charging out of the house and met us as we were coming back and proceeded to chew us out for doing some so dangerous and crazy. And looking back, I think he was more worried (and maybe rightly so) about the fact that we could have ignited over 500,000 gallons of fuel and in a blink of an eye, remove an entire town from the map. I would not be surprised if he didn't think that if we killed ourselves, he would have two less problems in the world to deal with.
But in the end, I cannot really recall what our punishment was for being part of the fireball incident, probably because I was so incredibly psyched up about being so close to something so cool. I think my brother and I got grounded, but being grounded in a small town is not really much of a punishment so it was kind of a wash and I as you will find out, no lesson was learned, except on how to make bigger fireball.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Face the Facts.
Face the facts. Then act on them. It's the only mantra I know, the only doctrine I have to offer you, and it's harder than you'd think, because I swear humans seem hardwired to do anything but. Face the facts. Don't pray, don't wish, don't buy into centuries-old dogma and dead rhetoric. Don't give in to your conditioning or your visions or your fucked-up sense of...whatever. Face the facts. Then act.
-Quellcrist Falconer, Speech before the assault on Millsport.
(from the book, "Broken Angels" by Richard K. Morgan)
An interesting way of dealing with life. For a sci-fi book, it has alot of philosphical ideas in it from a character you never meet, but is only mentioned in a historical context, and is quoted at the beginning of new chapters.
-Quellcrist Falconer, Speech before the assault on Millsport.
(from the book, "Broken Angels" by Richard K. Morgan)
An interesting way of dealing with life. For a sci-fi book, it has alot of philosphical ideas in it from a character you never meet, but is only mentioned in a historical context, and is quoted at the beginning of new chapters.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
My Friends, The Things That Do Attain.
MY friend, the things that do attain
The happy life be these, I find:
The riches left, not got with pain;
The fruitful ground; the quiet mind;
The equal friend; no grudge; no strife;
No charge of rule, nor governance;
Without disease, the healthy life;
The household of continuance;
The mean diet, no dainty fare;
Wisdom joined with simpleness;
The night discharged of all care,
Where wine the wit may not oppress:
The faithful wife, without debate;
Such sleeps as may beguile the night;
Content thyself with thine estate,
Neither wish death, nor fear his might.
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Encountered on episode 4 of season 4 of "The Tudors." A series definately worth the time to watch. Netflix, baby.
later.
The happy life be these, I find:
The riches left, not got with pain;
The fruitful ground; the quiet mind;
The equal friend; no grudge; no strife;
No charge of rule, nor governance;
Without disease, the healthy life;
The household of continuance;
The mean diet, no dainty fare;
Wisdom joined with simpleness;
The night discharged of all care,
Where wine the wit may not oppress:
The faithful wife, without debate;
Such sleeps as may beguile the night;
Content thyself with thine estate,
Neither wish death, nor fear his might.
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Encountered on episode 4 of season 4 of "The Tudors." A series definately worth the time to watch. Netflix, baby.
later.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Growing up...
Very recently, I asked my son to clear out some space in his bookshelf to put some other items that were kind of looking for a home. Seeing that those item without a stable home were GUNS, he jumped at the chore with a gusto that I have not seen in a long time. He got things reorganized and set up very nicely, but in the course of clearing out space, he put in a pile, a small collection of items that were part of his childhood. Some were things to sell on a garage sale, and some were thing to save, but they were all big parts of his childhood, and he had decided that they no longer had a place in his room. It made me kind of sad. I remembered buying those items, or helping him make them, or remember something associated with them. Like the little HALO video game figurines. I remember the time we spent together playing that video game for hours and then he would play with the figurines in his room later. Or the models of vehicles. We would make some of them in the basement in my tool room and then paint them, spending many hours together doing this. And very recently, I noticed that his bike tire was flat, and I asked him if he would take it up to the tire repairman to get it fixed, but he said, "I don't think I am going to ride it anymore. You can sell it on the garage sale." I was kind of heartbroken. At one time, that bike was his main form of transportation and he selected it out of all the other kinds of bikes, and now it is no more than something that is taking up room in the garage.
All of these things are most likely destined for the garage sale or storage box, but I am reluctant to let them go away. So many of those things have memories that I have associated with them, and I know he has memories attached to them too, so I am reluctant to let them go, thinking that at some point, he might want them in the future. I have many things that I have kept from my childhood, and while I do not use them or play with them, I will at times, bring them out, look them over and let the nostalgia and memories wash over me. And that is what I don't want him to miss out on. Moments like that are important and I would hate for him to someday be thinking about something and remember that he USED to have an item that relates to that memory. Not that he (or my daughter for that matter) needs to keep everything they have, but I would hate for them to get rid of things that really meant alot to them, just for the sake of making room for something else.
Maybe I will just hold on to them for him.
later!
All of these things are most likely destined for the garage sale or storage box, but I am reluctant to let them go away. So many of those things have memories that I have associated with them, and I know he has memories attached to them too, so I am reluctant to let them go, thinking that at some point, he might want them in the future. I have many things that I have kept from my childhood, and while I do not use them or play with them, I will at times, bring them out, look them over and let the nostalgia and memories wash over me. And that is what I don't want him to miss out on. Moments like that are important and I would hate for him to someday be thinking about something and remember that he USED to have an item that relates to that memory. Not that he (or my daughter for that matter) needs to keep everything they have, but I would hate for them to get rid of things that really meant alot to them, just for the sake of making room for something else.
Maybe I will just hold on to them for him.
later!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Why Steampunk? And why now?
For a short while now, a larger part of my attention and imagination has been focused on the idea of the Steampunk Culture, both in what (and when or where) it is, how it looks, what has been written about it, and how it is written. Steampunk is a fairly new cultural phenomena, coming out of the grunge and goth late 1990's (although the term has been around in literature since 1987) and making it's way in to becoming it's own style and subculture. Here is what some, more learned than I have to say about it.
What is Steampunk?
More what is it?
And one more, with pictures!
For me, I find it very intersting and intriguing, for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, it looks really cool, and I guess that somewhere deep down inside of me, I must have some sort of fashionista struggling to get out. I have always liked the fashions of past time periods. (With the exception of the late 1990's and anything from the late 1960's through the 1970's... holy crap. That is like 22/3rds of the time I have been alive!) The Victorian time period was a great time for fashion and design. It is simply very cool to look at and to wear. But Steampunk fashion is only based in the Victorian time period. It appears Victorian for the most part, but look closer and you can see all that little extras that come from a "history that never was." I like the look of the mix of industrial parts added on to simple (or elegant) clothing, and if done right, some of the clothing can be worn everyday without much notice. (Try wearing a 14th Century European article of clothing and see what kind of looks and questions you get!)
Another big aspect about it, is the history. in the second half of the 19th Century, human events and history was moving forward so fast that it can only be compared to what we are experiencing today. I really enjoy learning about all different aspects of history and this is no exception. That is why I love to do historical re-enacting. And I am starting to understand more about the late 19th Century as I look deeper in the steampunk culture. So maybe it is for me, another possible form of re-enacting. Except that unlike in true re-enacting, you don't have to limit yourself to "what they would have had", or "how they would have done it," to get your personal re-enacting impression down correctly.
For so very long I have been part of groups were you could not have this or that or do this or that because it is not "period correct." Don't get me wrong. I am one of the biggest "accuracy/authenticity nazi's" out there in the re-enacting world. If you are attempting to re-create or retell a period of history, you better do it right or don't do it at all! And maybe that is why steampunk is so appealing to me right now. I don't have to stay within a certain historical time-frame limit with steampunk. Yeah, it is Victorian based, but it is also Science-fiction and fantasy and is really more about portraying a "future-past that never was." It is embracing a love of the past, while at the same time bringing in all the cool technology that we can come to love in our own time period. After all, who wants to be without their smartphone, laptops or MP3 players. In steampunk, you can have them all, but you attempt to bring them back to the 19th century as how "they might have been" had the current 19th Century technology and sciences been able to do all they had hope and theorized it could do. (Think Jules Verne, or HG Wells)
Lately, I have been getting a bit disappointed with my re-eancting hobby. I still love it to death, but as in the case of medieval re-eancting, the events are to few and far between. Most options available to myself and those in my living history troupe are Renaissance faires, and to be honest with you, the attempts at re-creating history most of the people who attend them, is fair to middling at best. So much of it is "farby," a term used to describe something in re-enacting that is not period accurate, or just plain wrong, but used anyway. My 18th Century re-eancting does a much better job of portraying history correctly, but again, the events are often time very far away, usually involves me packing and hauling a great deal of large gear for four people to set up a camp, and lately the events have become rather routine in how an event passes over a weekend. (Set up camp, drill, morning colors, drill, morning battle, shop, drill, morning battle, evening colors. Yes, I know it is a military camp, and so it should be routine, but this is my hobby and I want my hobbies to be fun!) This is all well and good for the presentation of history, but it can get a bit stale at times. There is a movement afoot in the 18th Century re-eancting world to change this up and make events more free flowing and I find those events to be much more refreshing, but alas, they are the minority.
Another aspect of the Steampunk culture is that it seems to be a very social thing. Parties and social events, rather than re-enactments are more the norm, and the whole thing seems to flow well within events such as gaming conventions and the like. (GenCon has a very active steampunk following. I need to look into that for next year.) This year there is the TeslaCon in Madison WI. that looks to be quite an event, but attending it is not in the cards for me this year. Maybe next year!
So, I have begun to dip my toe into the Steampunk pool. I want to bring my wife along but I want to see if it is something we will enjoy. I think we will. (It seems to be a more "adult-oriented" activity and doing something just with her is very appealing to me.) I know for a fact that she would look "smokin-HAWT!" in some of the Steampunk styled victorian clothing. I am looking around for pointers on fashion ideas, gear, and socializing in our area, or at least within a reasonable distance. Hopefully it will be a fun and rewarding experience. If you hear of anything, please tell me! If and when things start to happen, I will let you know and maybe post some photos. Until then, 'Carry on!"
Later!
What is Steampunk?
More what is it?
And one more, with pictures!
For me, I find it very intersting and intriguing, for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, it looks really cool, and I guess that somewhere deep down inside of me, I must have some sort of fashionista struggling to get out. I have always liked the fashions of past time periods. (With the exception of the late 1990's and anything from the late 1960's through the 1970's... holy crap. That is like 22/3rds of the time I have been alive!) The Victorian time period was a great time for fashion and design. It is simply very cool to look at and to wear. But Steampunk fashion is only based in the Victorian time period. It appears Victorian for the most part, but look closer and you can see all that little extras that come from a "history that never was." I like the look of the mix of industrial parts added on to simple (or elegant) clothing, and if done right, some of the clothing can be worn everyday without much notice. (Try wearing a 14th Century European article of clothing and see what kind of looks and questions you get!)
Another big aspect about it, is the history. in the second half of the 19th Century, human events and history was moving forward so fast that it can only be compared to what we are experiencing today. I really enjoy learning about all different aspects of history and this is no exception. That is why I love to do historical re-enacting. And I am starting to understand more about the late 19th Century as I look deeper in the steampunk culture. So maybe it is for me, another possible form of re-enacting. Except that unlike in true re-enacting, you don't have to limit yourself to "what they would have had", or "how they would have done it," to get your personal re-enacting impression down correctly.
For so very long I have been part of groups were you could not have this or that or do this or that because it is not "period correct." Don't get me wrong. I am one of the biggest "accuracy/authenticity nazi's" out there in the re-enacting world. If you are attempting to re-create or retell a period of history, you better do it right or don't do it at all! And maybe that is why steampunk is so appealing to me right now. I don't have to stay within a certain historical time-frame limit with steampunk. Yeah, it is Victorian based, but it is also Science-fiction and fantasy and is really more about portraying a "future-past that never was." It is embracing a love of the past, while at the same time bringing in all the cool technology that we can come to love in our own time period. After all, who wants to be without their smartphone, laptops or MP3 players. In steampunk, you can have them all, but you attempt to bring them back to the 19th century as how "they might have been" had the current 19th Century technology and sciences been able to do all they had hope and theorized it could do. (Think Jules Verne, or HG Wells)
Lately, I have been getting a bit disappointed with my re-eancting hobby. I still love it to death, but as in the case of medieval re-eancting, the events are to few and far between. Most options available to myself and those in my living history troupe are Renaissance faires, and to be honest with you, the attempts at re-creating history most of the people who attend them, is fair to middling at best. So much of it is "farby," a term used to describe something in re-enacting that is not period accurate, or just plain wrong, but used anyway. My 18th Century re-eancting does a much better job of portraying history correctly, but again, the events are often time very far away, usually involves me packing and hauling a great deal of large gear for four people to set up a camp, and lately the events have become rather routine in how an event passes over a weekend. (Set up camp, drill, morning colors, drill, morning battle, shop, drill, morning battle, evening colors. Yes, I know it is a military camp, and so it should be routine, but this is my hobby and I want my hobbies to be fun!) This is all well and good for the presentation of history, but it can get a bit stale at times. There is a movement afoot in the 18th Century re-eancting world to change this up and make events more free flowing and I find those events to be much more refreshing, but alas, they are the minority.
Another aspect of the Steampunk culture is that it seems to be a very social thing. Parties and social events, rather than re-enactments are more the norm, and the whole thing seems to flow well within events such as gaming conventions and the like. (GenCon has a very active steampunk following. I need to look into that for next year.) This year there is the TeslaCon in Madison WI. that looks to be quite an event, but attending it is not in the cards for me this year. Maybe next year!
So, I have begun to dip my toe into the Steampunk pool. I want to bring my wife along but I want to see if it is something we will enjoy. I think we will. (It seems to be a more "adult-oriented" activity and doing something just with her is very appealing to me.) I know for a fact that she would look "smokin-HAWT!" in some of the Steampunk styled victorian clothing. I am looking around for pointers on fashion ideas, gear, and socializing in our area, or at least within a reasonable distance. Hopefully it will be a fun and rewarding experience. If you hear of anything, please tell me! If and when things start to happen, I will let you know and maybe post some photos. Until then, 'Carry on!"
Later!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Thinking back on a great weekend.
11 days ago from this writing was my 45th birthday. And while I don't always deserve it, my wife and kids spoil me on my special day. I spoil myself by taking the day off from work each year, but my family spoils me in a different way. They go out of their way to make the day fun, stress free, and simply a great day. Last year, my wife blew the top off of all other birthdays with presenting me with not only a homemade red velvet cake, compliments of my mother, but she also arranged to somehow talk my friends to buy me a bottle of some the best port wine there is, and then she manipulates, plans, begs, borrows and steals her way clear to get into her possession, (and subsequently mine) a Ruger Redhawk, .44 Magnum pistol for my 44th birthday. Talk about a fantastic birthday! This year, I was not really looking for anything, money is damned tight, and I did not want them to go overboard, so I kind of just layed low with ideas. The only thing I really wanted to do was go to Turkey Run and have some fun on my birthday. They had other plans. As expected, I got to sleep in just a bit longer than usual. (Dogs have no concept of birthdays...) I got a nice breakfast made for me, and then the kids and my wife gave me my gifts. I had mentioned that I would like a certificate for a pedicure (Yes, a pedicure. Don't frakking knock it until you have experienced one for yourself!) and indeed I got one, compliments of my wife and daughter. And then my wife gives me essentially a picture of what the rest of my gift was. Due to mailing problems, I would not receive the gift until the next day, she wanted me to see it. It was a Mossberg, 702 Plinkster .22 Long rifle AR-15 styled rifle and it was sweet!! It is a really nice looking gun and I was thinking of getting this for my son for his birthday, which is why it came on her radar. Now I thought that she bought it for me, but I was wrong. Boy was I wrong. Come to find out, my son bought it for me with the first two paychecks from his new job! And he was actually the one who forwarded the idea of buying it for me. The whole idea was enough to bring tears to my eyes! I was floored and really humbled by their actions. Especially those of my son.
After getting over the emotion of the morning, we set out for Turkey Run with the dogs and had a wonderful time walking the trails, enjoying the fall weather and scenery and simply having a good time. We even hit a few flea markets while visiting in Indiana. And to follow that up, we later had a meal at my favorite restaurant in Gibson City, the Bayern Stube, serving up Oktoberfest goodies!
Throughout this whole day, and for that matter, the whole weekend, I was cognizant to stop for a few moments throughout the day and just drink in the feeling of being alive and healthy, surrounded by my family and friends, and knowing that it is days like this that make life worth living. I want to thank my family for making it a great weekend and I hope I can do the same for them in return. They are the best, and I am lucky to have them.
After getting over the emotion of the morning, we set out for Turkey Run with the dogs and had a wonderful time walking the trails, enjoying the fall weather and scenery and simply having a good time. We even hit a few flea markets while visiting in Indiana. And to follow that up, we later had a meal at my favorite restaurant in Gibson City, the Bayern Stube, serving up Oktoberfest goodies!
Throughout this whole day, and for that matter, the whole weekend, I was cognizant to stop for a few moments throughout the day and just drink in the feeling of being alive and healthy, surrounded by my family and friends, and knowing that it is days like this that make life worth living. I want to thank my family for making it a great weekend and I hope I can do the same for them in return. They are the best, and I am lucky to have them.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Whew... It has been a long time...
Sorry folks... i just have not had the muse to write anything. I blame it on Facebook. Anytime I want to talk about something, I post a tiny status update and it seems to satisfy my need to write about it and hence the old blog gets ignored. NOT that I have anything to say now. But I will start small. Here is a link to me in ANOTHER blog that I follow. Kind of weird seeing my name somewhere else.
Anyway. I promise to write more in the blog. Just let me get my writing juices going again.
Thanks!
Later!
Anyway. I promise to write more in the blog. Just let me get my writing juices going again.
Thanks!
Later!
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Tooting my own horn..
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Post GenCon report
What can I say about Gen Con 2010? FRAKKING AWSOME!!! Yeah. That pretty much sums it up for me. I had hyped myself up for it for about 4 months so anything less than AWESOME would have been a major let down. However, I was not disappointed and I had an AWESOME time at Gen Con 2010! Have I mentioned how AWESOME it was?
Like I said, I was really, really geeked to go to Gen Con 2010 this year. Why so much more than in years past? I don't really know. Some of it may have been that some of my best gamer buddies were gonna be there with me, and despite a shortened trip, my wife and kids would be there too. Added to that, the Gen Con Indy Facebook page kept beating me about the head and shoulders with AWESOME things that were going to be happening at the convention almost everyday with status updates on its FB page. Combined with the fact that I am a true gamer geek, I was primed and ready to go!
I had signed up for 6 games to play over the weekend, and that, my friend, is a paltry amount to sign up for, but I have reasons for limiting my game time, which I will explain later. I love all games, except for collectible card games, and word based games. What I love about Gen Con is that you can play your favorite games and try out some you have heard about, or simply take a shot in the dark and try something "completely different."
I played Poo the Card game, a game based on the unsavory habit of monkeys throwing poo around at each other; Are You A Werewolf?, a fun social game that invovles no board or dice, but simple persuasion and logical reasoning; Conflict of Heroes, a WWII strategy based game that is the game that everyone who has ever played Squad Leader in the past, wishes this game came out alot earlier. And the final three games were Battlestar Galactica, (one of the top three games I have ever played), Memoir '44 (right up there with Battlestar) and Dawn Patrol- Fight in the Skies, a WWI aerial combat simulation game. Of all of these games, I had the most fun playing Battlestar, learned the most from Dawn Patrol, and had the most excitement with Memoir '44. And what really rocked about all the games is that I did not lose a single game I played!!! (In some of these games, simply surviving to the end is being a winner.)
As an aside, I do not play D&D at Gen Con. I did it once, and that was enough to: 1. Say I played at Gen Con, and: 2. Playing styles are so different from group to group; you have no idea what you might get into. As one of my friends found out, playing D&D at Gen Con can be risky, so I don’t risk it. I would rather spend my time playing other games and broadening my gaming horizons…
So, you might ask, if you are having so much fun, then why not play more games? Because half of going to Gen Con, is exploring Indianapolis, or at least the center of the city. If you have not been to Indy in a while, then get yourself over there! It is a happening place! But what makes the time in the city so much fun, is that just about every business there, throws open their doors to 30,000 gamers and doesn't look back. These welcome the gamers, with all their weird, loveable quirks, their out of style (or out of the ordinary)fashions, and there random times of dining and drinking. (It has to fit around their gaming schedule, you know...) Many of the buisnesses change theri decor and menu to fit into the convention better. Take for instance the bar Scotty's or The Ram, where they have a menu completely reworked to appeal to a D&D or Magic the Gathering gamer. Ordering a plate of fried goblin ears is not out of the ordinary at a Gen Con friendly eating establisment! My friend, family and I, go out on the town, we eat at dfferently places and we visit new merchants. And we spend some good money. Our waiter at a wonderful bar called "Tastings",
If you have never been to the convention, it is kind of hard to explain what it is like. My family, friends and I, we do the convention to death! We play games, we shop, we eat, we play games, do some people watching, we eat, we shop, and occasionally try to get 5 hours of sleep in each night. (Weak, I know, but I have kids, and they need their rest) If possible, I would stay up around the clock playing games. My daughter is starting to become a big gamer, already stretching her abilities to play games that are out of the ordinary, or simply just wanting to try a new game to see what it is like. My son, he is comfortable with games that are tried and true for him. To get him to try something new is a bit more challenging, but once tried, he usually will come backt to the table to play it again. My wife, while not a hard core gamer, is one of those gamers that, if a game "clicks" with her, you better watch out, cause she will beat your ass in that game. I don't think she got to play as many games as she wanted but I am sure she enjoyed the convention all the same.
Like I said, I was really, really geeked to go to Gen Con 2010 this year. Why so much more than in years past? I don't really know. Some of it may have been that some of my best gamer buddies were gonna be there with me, and despite a shortened trip, my wife and kids would be there too. Added to that, the Gen Con Indy Facebook page kept beating me about the head and shoulders with AWESOME things that were going to be happening at the convention almost everyday with status updates on its FB page. Combined with the fact that I am a true gamer geek, I was primed and ready to go!
I had signed up for 6 games to play over the weekend, and that, my friend, is a paltry amount to sign up for, but I have reasons for limiting my game time, which I will explain later. I love all games, except for collectible card games, and word based games. What I love about Gen Con is that you can play your favorite games and try out some you have heard about, or simply take a shot in the dark and try something "completely different."
I played Poo the Card game, a game based on the unsavory habit of monkeys throwing poo around at each other; Are You A Werewolf?, a fun social game that invovles no board or dice, but simple persuasion and logical reasoning; Conflict of Heroes, a WWII strategy based game that is the game that everyone who has ever played Squad Leader in the past, wishes this game came out alot earlier. And the final three games were Battlestar Galactica, (one of the top three games I have ever played), Memoir '44 (right up there with Battlestar) and Dawn Patrol- Fight in the Skies, a WWI aerial combat simulation game. Of all of these games, I had the most fun playing Battlestar, learned the most from Dawn Patrol, and had the most excitement with Memoir '44. And what really rocked about all the games is that I did not lose a single game I played!!! (In some of these games, simply surviving to the end is being a winner.)
As an aside, I do not play D&D at Gen Con. I did it once, and that was enough to: 1. Say I played at Gen Con, and: 2. Playing styles are so different from group to group; you have no idea what you might get into. As one of my friends found out, playing D&D at Gen Con can be risky, so I don’t risk it. I would rather spend my time playing other games and broadening my gaming horizons…
So, you might ask, if you are having so much fun, then why not play more games? Because half of going to Gen Con, is exploring Indianapolis, or at least the center of the city. If you have not been to Indy in a while, then get yourself over there! It is a happening place! But what makes the time in the city so much fun, is that just about every business there, throws open their doors to 30,000 gamers and doesn't look back. These welcome the gamers, with all their weird, loveable quirks, their out of style (or out of the ordinary)fashions, and there random times of dining and drinking. (It has to fit around their gaming schedule, you know...) Many of the buisnesses change theri decor and menu to fit into the convention better. Take for instance the bar Scotty's or The Ram, where they have a menu completely reworked to appeal to a D&D or Magic the Gathering gamer. Ordering a plate of fried goblin ears is not out of the ordinary at a Gen Con friendly eating establisment! My friend, family and I, go out on the town, we eat at dfferently places and we visit new merchants. And we spend some good money. Our waiter at a wonderful bar called "Tastings",
If you have never been to the convention, it is kind of hard to explain what it is like. My family, friends and I, we do the convention to death! We play games, we shop, we eat, we play games, do some people watching, we eat, we shop, and occasionally try to get 5 hours of sleep in each night. (Weak, I know, but I have kids, and they need their rest) If possible, I would stay up around the clock playing games. My daughter is starting to become a big gamer, already stretching her abilities to play games that are out of the ordinary, or simply just wanting to try a new game to see what it is like. My son, he is comfortable with games that are tried and true for him. To get him to try something new is a bit more challenging, but once tried, he usually will come backt to the table to play it again. My wife, while not a hard core gamer, is one of those gamers that, if a game "clicks" with her, you better watch out, cause she will beat your ass in that game. I don't think she got to play as many games as she wanted but I am sure she enjoyed the convention all the same.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Courtesy of Wil Wheaton
This was suppose to be posted to the blog BEFORE I went to Gen Con, but apparently, Blogger was not cooperating... so I post it now...
From the introduction of his "gaming Chapbook" which will be on sale at GENCON this weekend. I hope to get one. (and I did)
It sums up alot about what is good about gaming and why I do it. Thank goodness there is someone like Wil, (whose character I really did not like on Star Trek the Next Generation, but I really like as a person in real life.) who is a advocate for gamers and can put into words, those things the rest of us gamers feel.
"Of all the things that make me a geek, nothing brings me more joy, or is more important to me, than gaming. I am the person I am today because of the games I played and the people I played them with as I came of age in the 80s.
This is a small collection of stories about gaming in its various forms, from cards to dice to computers to our beloved tabletop RPGs. Most of these stories were originally published in 2009, when my son Ryan was away at college, and my son Nolan was 17.
Keep playing games. Games are important. Games matter. When you play a game - any game - you’re using your imagination to bring a world to life, and that’s truly special, because while all destruction is essentially the same, when you create something, it’s different every single time. When you create something together, you’re building bonds with your fellow gamers that could last for your entire lives. The Venn Diagram of my best friends, my gaming group, and people from high school I still hang out with is one perfect circle. I suspect that for many gamers of my generation, that’s equally true ... and I know that my kids will be saying the same thing in 20 years about people they’ve never met face to face, but interact with almost every day in an online game that will make Call of Duty look then like Pong looks today."
Roll 20s,
Wil Wheaton
August 3, 2010
Later... Game on! Coming soon, pictures and review from GenCon!
From the introduction of his "gaming Chapbook" which will be on sale at GENCON this weekend. I hope to get one. (and I did)
It sums up alot about what is good about gaming and why I do it. Thank goodness there is someone like Wil, (whose character I really did not like on Star Trek the Next Generation, but I really like as a person in real life.) who is a advocate for gamers and can put into words, those things the rest of us gamers feel.
"Of all the things that make me a geek, nothing brings me more joy, or is more important to me, than gaming. I am the person I am today because of the games I played and the people I played them with as I came of age in the 80s.
This is a small collection of stories about gaming in its various forms, from cards to dice to computers to our beloved tabletop RPGs. Most of these stories were originally published in 2009, when my son Ryan was away at college, and my son Nolan was 17.
Keep playing games. Games are important. Games matter. When you play a game - any game - you’re using your imagination to bring a world to life, and that’s truly special, because while all destruction is essentially the same, when you create something, it’s different every single time. When you create something together, you’re building bonds with your fellow gamers that could last for your entire lives. The Venn Diagram of my best friends, my gaming group, and people from high school I still hang out with is one perfect circle. I suspect that for many gamers of my generation, that’s equally true ... and I know that my kids will be saying the same thing in 20 years about people they’ve never met face to face, but interact with almost every day in an online game that will make Call of Duty look then like Pong looks today."
Roll 20s,
Wil Wheaton
August 3, 2010
Later... Game on! Coming soon, pictures and review from GenCon!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Time to play... a game!
You all know I am a big gamer, but often it can be a struggle to get others interested in games and gaming in general. Here is a great idea to try and break open the barriers to getting more people into gaming.
Check it out HERE
Check it out HERE
Friday, July 23, 2010
I like guns...
Here are some videos that I was recently turned on to. This bloke is from Australia and it seems that he has some of the same desires (and problems) as many American gun owners. Check out his first video, "I like Guns."
His second video is actually even better. If it were not for the accent, this guy could be talking about America.
Enjoy the show!
Later!
His second video is actually even better. If it were not for the accent, this guy could be talking about America.
Enjoy the show!
Later!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Gamer Gurl...
As many of you might know, my family and I are big gamers. We play games of all sorts and attend a few gaming conventions throughout the year, GenCon being the biggest and the best. I love it. I love having a family that games with me and yesterday was no exception, EXCEPT, that yesterday my daughter joined a D&D game that was a trip back to the past for me, and a new experience for the rest of the group. The adventure, or module as it was called in the 80's was White Plume Mountain, probably one of the best D&D adventures ever created. It was a killer adventure in the 80's when I played it, but it has been toned down a bit for the current version of the game, but it is still a very lethal bit of imaginative gaming. But this is not about the adventure, this is about my little girl, who will be 12 soon, playing in a game that I was so excited to host, and then to find out, that despite having never read the core rule books, and having only played one other time before, she nails this portion of the adventure with original ideas, useful and helpful comments and a real desire to be part of the group.
With her help, the first part of this adventure went a little more easily on the players than I remember it from the past, but it was still fun and I think that my players really had to think and act smartly in order to be successful. I was proud of her and how she comported herself during the game. I have both of my kids playing the game I grew up with and they certainly seem to like playing with me, or at least I hope so! But I was really proud of her. She says she had a lot of fun, and I hope she did. She still has alot to learn about the game, and so far, no one seems to mind helping her with some of the more intricate rules and methods of game play. And, in time, I hope she will be able to stand on her own in a game where she is kind of an outsider, but for right now, I like having her as part of my gaming group.
Say what you will about the game Dungeons & Dragons, but in my experience, this game has been nothing more than a positive experience for me, and I hope to be able to make it the same for my kids and the rest of my gaming group. I know what it did for me, and I am interested to see what it will do for my kids.
later!
With her help, the first part of this adventure went a little more easily on the players than I remember it from the past, but it was still fun and I think that my players really had to think and act smartly in order to be successful. I was proud of her and how she comported herself during the game. I have both of my kids playing the game I grew up with and they certainly seem to like playing with me, or at least I hope so! But I was really proud of her. She says she had a lot of fun, and I hope she did. She still has alot to learn about the game, and so far, no one seems to mind helping her with some of the more intricate rules and methods of game play. And, in time, I hope she will be able to stand on her own in a game where she is kind of an outsider, but for right now, I like having her as part of my gaming group.
Say what you will about the game Dungeons & Dragons, but in my experience, this game has been nothing more than a positive experience for me, and I hope to be able to make it the same for my kids and the rest of my gaming group. I know what it did for me, and I am interested to see what it will do for my kids.
later!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
1+1=7....
This...
will get you this!!!
Astrid had her first litter of pups on the 4th of June at 11:45pm and the last one was born on the 5th of June at 2:15am. Everything went perfectly and the pups are thriving. We have only one left to find a home for. All the rest are reserved and will be going to good homes sometime in early August. This has been some of the most fun I have had in a long time. Hard work with lots of worry, but worth it all!
Enjoy the photos!
Later!
will get you this!!!
Astrid had her first litter of pups on the 4th of June at 11:45pm and the last one was born on the 5th of June at 2:15am. Everything went perfectly and the pups are thriving. We have only one left to find a home for. All the rest are reserved and will be going to good homes sometime in early August. This has been some of the most fun I have had in a long time. Hard work with lots of worry, but worth it all!
Enjoy the photos!
Later!
Friday, June 04, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
You learn something new everyday....
Check out this article about how an archer's arrow might have had an effect in the outcome of history during the lifetime of King Henry V. The article is part of the ezine called "The Reenactor". The article I am placing here is very long but well worth the read. Enjoy!
ANOTHER ARROW WHICH CHANGED HISTORY?
By
Kevin Goodman M.Sc.
http://bowsbladesandbattles.tripod.com
King Henry V of England (c.1387–1422) The hero of Agincourt; the man who broke the French; the ideal knight - the epitome of piety and chivalry. He tends to be regarded as a medieval superman, applauded for his genius and dynamism, yet, his shortcomings overlooked. To Mortimer (2009):
“He was an extraordinary man, in that he demonstrated phenomenal organisational skills, focus, determination, resilience, leadership and – above all else – religious conviction; but…he was a deeply flawed individual. He lacked the simpler qualities of compassion, warmth, and the understanding of human frailty that one naturally looks for in all men – yeomen and paupers as well as kings.” (Seward 198, p1-2)
Such aspects of Henry’s personality have proved something of a conundrum for many historians and chroniclers of his life: his sudden transformation from a wild, brawling, drinking, womanising youth to a fervently pious King upon the death of his father Henry IV in 1413; his devout religious beliefs - a contrast to the atrocities he commited: the ordering of the slaughter of noble prisoners at Agincourt in 1415 which defied the chivalric law; his treatment of the inhabitants and defenders of towns he besieged and his persecution of the Lollard sect, (Barker 2005, 2009, Curry 2000, 2005, Dockray 2007, McGlynn, 2008, Mortimer 2009).
According to legend, and to Shakespeare in his play “Henry V”, (written in 1599), Henry, the wild prince who enjoyed taverns and carousing turned into a pious overnight. As a youth, the anonymous “Vita et Gesta Henrici Quinti” (Hearne 1727) describes him as:
“Passing the bounds of modesty he was the fervent soldier of venus as well as mars; youthlike he was fired by her torches, in the midst of his brave deeds as a soldier, he also found leisure for the excesses of untamed youth” (p.21, Dockray 2007).
However, upon ascending the throne as King Henry V on April 9th 1413 following the death of his father Henry IV:
“…[He] suddenly changed into a new man and henceforth devoted himself single-mindedly to live as virtuously as maintaining Holy Church, destroying heretics, keeping justice and defending his realm and subjects” (Anonymous English Chronicler in Dockray 2007, p. 96)
“[He] reformed and amended his life and manners…all his acts were suddenly changed into gravity and discretion” (Tito Livio in the Vita Henrici Quinti in Dockray 2007, p.96);
“…as soon as he was made King he was changed suddenly into another man, zealous for honesty, modesty and gravity, there being no sort of virtue that he was not anxious to display” (Thomas Walshingham, in Dockray 2007, p.23)
This was, and has been, interpreted as Henry having a religious conversion (Seward 1987).
A number of his personal characteristics and behaviours have been seen as admirable in the past and today: his piety; his passion for justice; his bravery and courage; his skills as an administrator and manager who recognised talent and rewarded loyalty; his honesty; his decisiveness in planning and effectiveness in delivering policy. As a military commander he has been admired for: his gift of command: planning and masterminding of strategies and sieges; diplomatic negotiations; maintaining firm control over deployment of manpower; enforcement of discipline and the redistribution of conquered territories, (Barker 2005, 2009; Curry 2000, 2005; Dockray 2007 ; Mortimer 2009; Seward 1987).
In contrast, he is also described as: severe; cold; humourless; aloof; domineering; ruthless; bad tempered vindictive and inhumane. He was intolerant of dissent and prepared to punish, even remove those whose loyalty he suspected. Men feared his anger and avoided questioning the wisdom of his judgements or the rightness of his decisions - when his honour was impugned he could suddenly become very angry (Dockray 2007; Mortimer 2009; Seward 1987):
“*Henry was+ much feared and dreaded by his princes, knights and captains and by people of every degree because all those who disobeyed his orders or infringed his edicts he would put to death without mercy.” (Waurin: Hardy 1868, p.429)
Many of his behaviours have been viewed as excessive. His religious behaviour was extreme, even for the time (Mortimer 2009). He constantly went on pilgrimage to the shrines of saints, heard several masses a day, (refusing to be interrupted while at prayer). The Gesta states:
“*Henry was+ devoted to the hearing of divine praises and to his own private prayers that, once he had begun them there was not anyone, even from amongst his nobles and magnates, who was able, by conversation however brief, at anytime to interrupt them. There cannot, therefore, be denied by the Prince of princes to a prince also, in the judgement of all men, is of such goodness and obedience, whatever he may justly ask of them.”
(p.155, Taylor and Roskell 1975)
He founded monasteries for the most zealous orders: Celestines, Bridgettines and Carthusians (Dockray 2007; Seward 1987; Taylor and Roskell 1975). He has been described as “Messianic”, (Dockray 2007; Mortimer 2009), believing he was divinely ordained as the servant of God, with full divine approval for his actions, (Dockray 2007). Thus, his every deed was moved by God: his will was God’s will and his war against the French was God’s war and the ensuing victories were God’s victory. So fervent was his belief that he had been blessed by God he fought in the front line at Agincourt because God protected him (Mortimer 2009) As he stated:
“I am the scourge of God sent to punish the people of God for their sins” (Dockray 2007, p.222).
This may also explains the atrocities he commited. His persecution of the Lollards, who followed the teachings of John Wycliffe (Hudson 1988; Lutton 2006; Rex 2002), resulted from his intolerance of religious dissent (Dockray 2007). His slaughter of the prisoners at Agincourt (1415) and the savage reprisals against the inhabitants and defenders of Caen (1417), Rouen, (1418), Pontoise (1419), Rougement (1421) and Meaux (1422) were punishments authorised by God. Henry cited the “Law of Deuteronomy”, as justification for his behaviour towards besieged towns in his own correspondence (Taylor and Roskell 1975):
“When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.
If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labour and shall work for you.
If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city.
When the lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.
As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies.”
(Deuteronomy 20:10-14)
His acquired chasteness has also been linked to his religious fervour. His friends claimed he never took a mistress or slept with a woman after becoming King until he married Catherine of Valois in June 1420 and fathered only one child, Henry, (1421-1471), taking no mistresses or siring any illegitimate children, (Dockray 2007; Kingsford 1911; Mortimer 2009).
Mortimer (2009) attributes these contrasts and the enigmas of Henry’s character to his upbringing; however, they may result from the injury he suffered at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403.
THE BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY (1403) AND THE WOUNDING OF PRINCE HENRY
On Saturday 21 July 1403 the armies of King Henry IV and the rebel Henry Percy met in battle just north of the town of Shrewsbury. The royal forces were victorious, (Priestley 1979), but during the battle Prince Henry was wounded in the face by an arrow while leading a cavalry charge. Despite the severity of the wound, he continued to fight on refusing to leave, demanding, according to one of his chroniclers, Tito Livio: “Lead me, thus wounded, to the front line so that I may, as a prince should, kindle our fighting men with deeds not words” (Dockray 2007 p.85).
Henry IV’s surgeon, John Bradmore, treated the wound. He described it as:
“…smetyn in the face be syd the nose on the lefte syd with an arrow the wyche sayd arrow entryd overwharte and after the schafte was takyn owt and the hede ther of a bod styll in the hyndyr parte of a bone of the hede after the mesur of vj ynche” (p.129, Lang 2003)
Cole and Lang (2003) translate this as:
“…[the arrow] struck in the face with an arrow beside the nose on the left side, which arrow entered from the side , and the said arrow, after the arrow was extracted, remained in the back part of the bone of the head six inches deep.” (Cole and Lang 2003, p.95).
Strickland and Hardy (2005) as:
“…[the arrow] entered at an angle (ex traverso), and after the arrow shaft was extracted, the head of the aforesaid arrow remained in the furthermost part of the bone of the skull for the depth of six inches.(p.284)
To Cole and Lang (2003) the arrow was embedded in the interior bone of the skulls posterior.
Pollard and Oliver (2002) describe the arrow as being “lodged in a bone behind the nose” (p.45), although this differs from Bradmore’s description.
The arrowhead was left imbedded in the skull and Bradmore invented a set of tongs to remove the arrowhead, (recreated by Hector Cole: Cole and Lang 2003) (below)
(Photograph by Jo Homfray)
According to Cole and Lang (2003):
“…it is just possible for an arrow to enter beside the nose and lodge at the back of the head without causing immediate death or lasting disability, but the margin of error either way is extremely small, and the Prince was clearly very fortunate indeed to survive the wound.” (Cole and Lang 2003 p.96)
THE WOUND:
The injury Henry received would be classed today as a “penetrating head trauma caused by a missile”. This is a wound in which a projectile breaches the skull but does not exit it, (an injury in which the projectile passes entirely though the head, leaving both entrance and exit wounds, is described as “perforating”), (Vinas and Pilitsis 2006). Patients with penetrating wounds have a greater survival rate than those with perforating wounds, (Aarabi 1999).
In a missile wound, the amount of damage to the brain depends on numerous factors including:
The kinetic energy imparted
The trajectory of the missile and bone fragments through the brain
Intracranial pressure changes at the moment of impact
Secondary mechanisms of injury, (infection caused by the penetrating missile or shards of bone)
(Vinas and Pilitsis 2009)
injury is related to:
The direct crush injury produced by the missile
The cavitation produced by the centrifugal effects of the missile on organ tissue
The shock waves produced
(Vinas and Pilitsis 2009)
Due to Bradmore’s account we know that Henry was struck in the face some where beside the nose on the left side, the arrow entering from the side with the arrowhead remaining in the posterior interior of the skull at a depth of six inches (Cole and Lang 2003; Lang 2003; Strickland and Hardy 2005). Unfortunately, there are number of unknown variables:
The rate the arrow was travelling at when it struck Henry.
The trajectory of the arrow when it struck, (did it come from the left or right side?)
The exact location where the arrow penetrated Henry’s face.
The trajectory of the arrow through the skull.
The exact location where the arrowhead was imbedded in the skull’s interior.
The length of time before the arrowhead was removed, (Henry was transported to Kenilworth Castle after the battle, yet how long it was before the arrow was removed is unknown and Bradmore was not the first physician to attempt to remove the arrow, Lang 2003).
A variety of arrowheads were in use during this period, (Jessop 1996), but Bradmore refers to the arrow as a “bod” (p.129, Lang 2003) or bodkin. This was an arrow head used to penetrate armour and maille, (Strickland and Hardy 2005). The remains of bodkin arrowheads have been found at the site of the battle (Pollard and Oliver 2002).
The rate the arrow was travelling at when it struck Henry is unknown. Stretton (2006) found when shot from a yew war-bow with a draw weight of 144 pounds (65.3 kg), an arrow with a bodkin head weighing 86 grams (1,324 grains), travelling at 47.9 m (157 ft) per second has a kinetic energy of 99 joules. The draw weight is defined as the amount of force, expressed as a weight, which needs to be applied to the string in order to bend the strung bow to its full extent. The formula for calculating kinetic energy: 1/2mv2 = Mass (kg) x Velocity2
2
A fragment or missile striking a vital area with a kinetic energy of 80 joules or more is considered a fatal blow, (Health and Safety Executive 2002).
An arrowhead travelling at this rate is capable of penetrating armour 1.6mm thick to a depth of 7.62cm (3 in), (Stretton 2006). Should the target be moving towards the archer, as in the case of a mounted knight, then the bodkin can penetrate a further 2.54 -5.08 cm (1-2 in), (Stretton 2006). However, the caviation and shock wave damage would be far less than those caused by bullets, (Davies and Harbinson 2002). The injuries inflicted by medieval arrow wounds have been documented (Fiorato et al 2000; Karger et al 2001; Thordeman 2001).
It is not recorded whether Henry lost consciousness. It appears he did not as he was able to continue fighting, (Dockray 2007). This may indicate that the penetrating arrow had ricocheted and its speed and kinetic energy had substantially decreased. There is also no record of any impairment immediately or after treatment.
He was also fortunate in the medical care he received. The arrow head was left in place, patients in whom the penetrating object is left in place have a significantly lower mortality than those in whom the objects are inserted and then removed (26% versus 11% respectively), (Vinas and Pilitsis 2009). The wound was also treated with honey. Research has shown that honey has antibacterial properties and promotes tissue healing and blood vessel formation, (Dunford et al 2000ab; Dunford 2005; Simon et al 2009).
However, despite Cole and Lang’s (2003) assertion that Henry was fortunate to have escaped without lasting disability, Henry may not have escaped entirely unscathed, as his later behaviours are indicative of temporal lobe impairment.
PERSONALITY CHANGES AS RESULT OF LEFT TEMPORAL LOBE DAMAGE
The temporal lobes are areas of he cerebral cortex, located on both the left and right hemispheres of the brain, (below).
Impairment affecting temporal areas tends to leave intellectual functions intact while causing alterations in personality (Blumer and Benson 1975). Left temporal lobe damage produces a number of effects:
Altered sexual behaviour: Increase or decrease in libido (Blumer, 1975; Blumer and Walker, 1975; Geschwind ,1975, 1979; Kolb & Wishaw, 1990)
Extreme, heightened sense of religiosity with augmented sense of personal destiny (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Extreme morality and ethical concerns: Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Paranoia and aggressive rages (Blumer and Benson 1975; Geschwind ,1975, 1979; Kolb & Wishaw, 1990)
Sudden Mood Changes (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Deepened Emotional Response: (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Humourlessness (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975)
All of these are prominent in Henry’s character and behaviour: the disinterest in sex; the extreme religious and messianic beliefs and behaviours; the deeply held moral and ethical beliefs; the cold, severe humourlessness; the feared aggressive and violent rages which would swiftly appear. It may explain his change from a “…fervent soldier of venus” (p.21, Dockray 2007) into“… another man, zealous for honesty, modesty and gravity” (Thomas Walshingham in Dockray 2007, p.23). However, it is unlikely such a transformation occurred as soon as he was crowned as believed by his chroniclers.
The observable impairments may have commenced several years earlier. In 1408, an Oxford academic, Richard Ullerston, noted Henry’s desire for spiritual study and knowledge of the scriptures, (Dockray 2007). By 1409, there were problems developing between Henry and his father, King Henry IV, as Prince Henry launched an attempted coup and in 1412 when Prince Henry had to be restrained from seizing his father’s throne by force, (Dockray 2007; Mortimer 2007; Seward, 1987).
While there appeared to be no immediate impairment after being wounded, it is possible that an abscess on the left temporal lobe may have caused such impairment.
Patients who survive penetrating head injuries are at risk of experiencing multiple complications, including infections and abscesses from bone or missile fragments imbedded in the brain, (Vinas and Pilitsis 2006). Brain abscess can occur after a long period of silent infection. Hida et al (1978) reported a case of delayed brain abscess following a penetrating gunshot injury 38 years after the injury; Pencek and Burchiel (1986), 15 years after an injury and Lee and Kim (2000) 47 years after. Thus it is feasible that Henry could also have experienced similar damage either from a fragment from the arrow or fragment of bone.
This also may indicate a possible trajectory through the skull: not coming in contact with the brain, but passing close to the left temporal lobe from the entry point in the left half of the face.
There are obvious problems in formulating a hypothesis concerning the personality and behaviour of a major historical figure. In this instance, not only is there a lack of archaeological evidence but there is also a deficit of contemporary accounts regarding Henry’s life.
The only contemporary accounts of Henry’s life which survive are the anonymous “Gesta Henrici Quinti” (c.1416) (Taylor and Roskell 1975), Thomas of Elham’s “Liber Meticus de Henrico Quinto” (“Memorials of Henry V”) (Cole 1858) and Thomas Walsingham’s "Ypodigma Neustriae”(Riley 1876). Later works copied them and modern historians place their own interpretations upon them. Further, such original works can be regarded as being propaganda as can later works, which created a medieval superman much removed from reality: “…the ideal Englishman: plucky and persevering, austere and audacious, cool-headed, stiff-lipped and effortlessly superior: simply the greatest man, ever to rule England” (Fernandez-Armesto 2009).
For example, stories of Henry’s wild, misspent youth and his dramatic conversion at his coronation into a sober and righteous King were written long after his reign was over and have become accepted as historical because of Shakespeare, (Barker 2005). Dockray (2007) concludes that there is no evidence of wild behaviour, or at least for a sudden change when he was crowned, although to Curry (2005) “The stories of a misspent youth have never been proven, but neither have they been disproved” (p.30).
The aim of this article has been an attempt to forward a possible explanation for the puzzles surrounding Henry’s character and behaviour, albeit based on the limited information possessed. However, while such information is limited and the conclusion controversial, is it merely coincidence that many of his behaviours match the characteristics that are symptomatic of injuries to the left temporal lobe?
References
-Aarabi B. (1999) History of the management of craniocerebral wounds. In: Aarabi B, Kaufman HH, Dagi TF, George ED, Levy ML, (eds.) Missile Wounds of the Head and Neck. Vol 1. Park Ridge, Ill: American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
-Barker, J. (2005) Agincourt: The King, the campaign, the battle. London: Little Brown.
--- (2009) Conquest: The English Kingdom of France 1417-1450. London: Little Brown.
- Bear, D. and Fedio, P. (1977) Quantitative analysis of interictal behaviour in temporal lobe epilepsy. Archives of Neurology, 34, 454-67
- Blumer, D. (1975) Temporal lobe epilepsy and its psychiatric significance. In: In D. Benson and D. Blumer, eds. Psychiatric Aspects of Neurologic Disease. New York: Grune & Stratton.
- Blumer, D., & Benson, D.( 1975) Personality changes with frontal and temporal lobe lesions. In D. Benson and D. Blumer, (eds.) Psychiatric Aspects of Neurologic Disease. New York: Grune & Stratton.
- Cole, C. A.(ed.) (1858) Thomas,of Elmham ,Memorials of Henry the Fifth, King of England. London : Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, and Roberts
- Cole H and Lang T. (2003) "The Treating of Prince Henry's Arrow Wound, 1403" in Journal of the Society of Archer Antiquaries, 46, 95-101.
- Curry A. (2000) Henry V: A life and reign. In A. Curry (ed.) Agincourt 1415. Tempus: Gloucestershire
- --. (2005) Agincourt – a new history. Tempus: Gloucestershire
de Viriville, V. (ed) (1858) Chronique de Charles VII, roi de France. Paris.
- Davies, J. and Harbinson, M. (2002) Military Surgery 1300-1600. Bristol: Stuart Press.
- Dockray, K. (2007) Warrior King: The life of Henry V. Gloucestershire: Tempus
- Dunford C (2005) The use of honey-derived dressings to promote effective wound management. Professional Nurse, 20(8): 35-8
- Dunford C, Cooper R, Molan P(2000a) Using honey as a dressing for infected skin lesions, Nursing Times. 96(14 Suppl):7-9.
- Dunford C, Cooper R, Molan P, White R., (2000b) The use of honey in wound management. Nursing Standard. 15(11) 63-8.
- Fernandez-Armesto,F. (2009) The Myth of Henry V (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/henry_v_01.shtml)
- Fiorato, V, Boylston, A., and Knusel, C. (2000) Blood Red Roses: The Archaeology of a Mass Grave from the Battle of Towton, AD 1461. London: Oxbow Books
- Geschwind, N. (1975) The clinical setting of aggression in temporal lobe epilepsy in Fields, W.S and Sweet W.H. (eds.) The Neurobiology of Violence. St. Louis, Warren H. Green
- -- (1979) Behavioural Changes in temporal lobe epilepsy. Psychological Medicine, 9, 217-19
-Hardy, W, (ed) (1868) Jehan de Waurin Recueil des croniques et anchiennes istories de la Grant Bretaigne, a present nomme Engleterre.1399 to 1422. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer.
-Health and Safety Executive (2002) Controlling risks around explosives stores. London: HMSO
- Hearne, T. (ed.) (1727) Vita et Gesta Henrici Quinti . Kessinger Publishing
- Hida K, Tsuda E, and Sato H. (1978) Brain abscess discovered 38 years after head injury. No Shinkei Geka, 6(8), 811-3.
- Hudson, Anne. (1988) The Premature Reformation: Wycliffite Texts and Lollard History. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
- Jessop, O. (1996) A new artefact typology for the study of medieval arrowheads. Medieval Archaeology, 40, 192-205.
- June-Ho Lee, and Dong Gyu Kim (2000) Brain abscess related to metal fragments 47 years after head injury. Journal of Neurosurgery, 93(3), 477-479
- Karger B, Sudhues H, Brinkmann B,(2001) "Arrow Wounds: Major Stimulus in the History of Surgery" In World Journal of Surgery, 25, pp.1550-1555.
-Kingsford, C. L. (ed)( 1911) The first English life of King Henry the Fifth, written in 1513 by an anonymous author . Oxford : Clarendon Press.
-Lang, S.J. (1992) John Bradmore and His book Philomena, Social History of Medicine, 5(1), 121-30.
- Lutton, R. (2006) Lollardy and Orthodox Religion in Pre-Reformation England Woodbridge and Suffolk, U.K.: Boydell and Brewer.
- McFarlane, K.N.(1936) “England : The Lancastrian Kings 1399-1461: Cambridge Medieval History Vol.III. Cambridge.
- McGlynn, S. (2008) By Sword and Fire: Cruelty and Attrocity in Medieval Warfare. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
- Mortimer, I. (2007) The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-Made King. London: Cape.
-- (2009) 1415: Henry V’s year of Glory. London: Bodley Head.
- Pencek, T.L. and Burchiel, K.J. (1986) Delayed brain abscess related to a retained foreign body with culture of Clostridium bifermentans. Journal of Neurosurgery, 64(5), 813-815
- Pollard, T. and Oliver ,N. (2002) Two Men in a Trench. London: Michael Joseph
- Priestly, E.J. (1979) Battle of Shrewsbury, 1403. Shrewsbury: Shrewsbury Museums Service.
- Riley, H.T, (ed.) (1876), Ypodigma neustriae a Thoma Walsingham, quondam monacho monasterii S. Albani conscriptum. London : Longman
- Richard, R (2002) The Lollards: Social History in Perspective. New York: Palgrave
- Seward, D. (1987) Henry V as Warlord. London: Penguin
- Shakespeare, W. (2010) Henry V. London: Penguin Classics.
- Simon A, Traynor K, Santos K, Blaser G, Bode U, Molan P. (2009) Medical honey for wound care--still the 'latest resort'? Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 6(2):165-73
- Stretton, M. (2006) Experimental tests with different types of medieval arrowheads. In D.H.Soar (ed.) Secrets of the English Warbow. Yardley: Westholme.
- Strickland S and Hardy R, The Great Warbow, Sutton, 2005, pp 284-5.
- Taylor, F. and Roskell, J.S. (eds) (1975) Gesta Henrici Quinti : the deeds of Henry the Fifth Oxford : Clarendon Press,
- Thordeman, B. (2001) Armour from the Battle of Wisby. Chivalry Bookshelf
- Vinas, F.C. and Pilitsis,J. (2009) Penetrating Head Trauma. (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/247664-overview)
(Biography: Re-enactor and academic by nature, Kevin Goodman appears regularly at venues across the country delivering presentations and demonstrations on Medieval Medicine and Surgery. His article on Historic aspects of medicine can be found in “Adventures in Archaeology: Past Horizons Magazine”: http://calameo.com/books/0000627296b9a5eb2153b)
………………………………………………...
ANOTHER ARROW WHICH CHANGED HISTORY?
By
Kevin Goodman M.Sc.
http://bowsbladesandbattles.tripod.com
King Henry V of England (c.1387–1422) The hero of Agincourt; the man who broke the French; the ideal knight - the epitome of piety and chivalry. He tends to be regarded as a medieval superman, applauded for his genius and dynamism, yet, his shortcomings overlooked. To Mortimer (2009):
“He was an extraordinary man, in that he demonstrated phenomenal organisational skills, focus, determination, resilience, leadership and – above all else – religious conviction; but…he was a deeply flawed individual. He lacked the simpler qualities of compassion, warmth, and the understanding of human frailty that one naturally looks for in all men – yeomen and paupers as well as kings.” (Seward 198, p1-2)
Such aspects of Henry’s personality have proved something of a conundrum for many historians and chroniclers of his life: his sudden transformation from a wild, brawling, drinking, womanising youth to a fervently pious King upon the death of his father Henry IV in 1413; his devout religious beliefs - a contrast to the atrocities he commited: the ordering of the slaughter of noble prisoners at Agincourt in 1415 which defied the chivalric law; his treatment of the inhabitants and defenders of towns he besieged and his persecution of the Lollard sect, (Barker 2005, 2009, Curry 2000, 2005, Dockray 2007, McGlynn, 2008, Mortimer 2009).
According to legend, and to Shakespeare in his play “Henry V”, (written in 1599), Henry, the wild prince who enjoyed taverns and carousing turned into a pious overnight. As a youth, the anonymous “Vita et Gesta Henrici Quinti” (Hearne 1727) describes him as:
“Passing the bounds of modesty he was the fervent soldier of venus as well as mars; youthlike he was fired by her torches, in the midst of his brave deeds as a soldier, he also found leisure for the excesses of untamed youth” (p.21, Dockray 2007).
However, upon ascending the throne as King Henry V on April 9th 1413 following the death of his father Henry IV:
“…[He] suddenly changed into a new man and henceforth devoted himself single-mindedly to live as virtuously as maintaining Holy Church, destroying heretics, keeping justice and defending his realm and subjects” (Anonymous English Chronicler in Dockray 2007, p. 96)
“[He] reformed and amended his life and manners…all his acts were suddenly changed into gravity and discretion” (Tito Livio in the Vita Henrici Quinti in Dockray 2007, p.96);
“…as soon as he was made King he was changed suddenly into another man, zealous for honesty, modesty and gravity, there being no sort of virtue that he was not anxious to display” (Thomas Walshingham, in Dockray 2007, p.23)
This was, and has been, interpreted as Henry having a religious conversion (Seward 1987).
A number of his personal characteristics and behaviours have been seen as admirable in the past and today: his piety; his passion for justice; his bravery and courage; his skills as an administrator and manager who recognised talent and rewarded loyalty; his honesty; his decisiveness in planning and effectiveness in delivering policy. As a military commander he has been admired for: his gift of command: planning and masterminding of strategies and sieges; diplomatic negotiations; maintaining firm control over deployment of manpower; enforcement of discipline and the redistribution of conquered territories, (Barker 2005, 2009; Curry 2000, 2005; Dockray 2007 ; Mortimer 2009; Seward 1987).
In contrast, he is also described as: severe; cold; humourless; aloof; domineering; ruthless; bad tempered vindictive and inhumane. He was intolerant of dissent and prepared to punish, even remove those whose loyalty he suspected. Men feared his anger and avoided questioning the wisdom of his judgements or the rightness of his decisions - when his honour was impugned he could suddenly become very angry (Dockray 2007; Mortimer 2009; Seward 1987):
“*Henry was+ much feared and dreaded by his princes, knights and captains and by people of every degree because all those who disobeyed his orders or infringed his edicts he would put to death without mercy.” (Waurin: Hardy 1868, p.429)
Many of his behaviours have been viewed as excessive. His religious behaviour was extreme, even for the time (Mortimer 2009). He constantly went on pilgrimage to the shrines of saints, heard several masses a day, (refusing to be interrupted while at prayer). The Gesta states:
“*Henry was+ devoted to the hearing of divine praises and to his own private prayers that, once he had begun them there was not anyone, even from amongst his nobles and magnates, who was able, by conversation however brief, at anytime to interrupt them. There cannot, therefore, be denied by the Prince of princes to a prince also, in the judgement of all men, is of such goodness and obedience, whatever he may justly ask of them.”
(p.155, Taylor and Roskell 1975)
He founded monasteries for the most zealous orders: Celestines, Bridgettines and Carthusians (Dockray 2007; Seward 1987; Taylor and Roskell 1975). He has been described as “Messianic”, (Dockray 2007; Mortimer 2009), believing he was divinely ordained as the servant of God, with full divine approval for his actions, (Dockray 2007). Thus, his every deed was moved by God: his will was God’s will and his war against the French was God’s war and the ensuing victories were God’s victory. So fervent was his belief that he had been blessed by God he fought in the front line at Agincourt because God protected him (Mortimer 2009) As he stated:
“I am the scourge of God sent to punish the people of God for their sins” (Dockray 2007, p.222).
This may also explains the atrocities he commited. His persecution of the Lollards, who followed the teachings of John Wycliffe (Hudson 1988; Lutton 2006; Rex 2002), resulted from his intolerance of religious dissent (Dockray 2007). His slaughter of the prisoners at Agincourt (1415) and the savage reprisals against the inhabitants and defenders of Caen (1417), Rouen, (1418), Pontoise (1419), Rougement (1421) and Meaux (1422) were punishments authorised by God. Henry cited the “Law of Deuteronomy”, as justification for his behaviour towards besieged towns in his own correspondence (Taylor and Roskell 1975):
“When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.
If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labour and shall work for you.
If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city.
When the lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.
As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies.”
(Deuteronomy 20:10-14)
His acquired chasteness has also been linked to his religious fervour. His friends claimed he never took a mistress or slept with a woman after becoming King until he married Catherine of Valois in June 1420 and fathered only one child, Henry, (1421-1471), taking no mistresses or siring any illegitimate children, (Dockray 2007; Kingsford 1911; Mortimer 2009).
Mortimer (2009) attributes these contrasts and the enigmas of Henry’s character to his upbringing; however, they may result from the injury he suffered at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403.
THE BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY (1403) AND THE WOUNDING OF PRINCE HENRY
On Saturday 21 July 1403 the armies of King Henry IV and the rebel Henry Percy met in battle just north of the town of Shrewsbury. The royal forces were victorious, (Priestley 1979), but during the battle Prince Henry was wounded in the face by an arrow while leading a cavalry charge. Despite the severity of the wound, he continued to fight on refusing to leave, demanding, according to one of his chroniclers, Tito Livio: “Lead me, thus wounded, to the front line so that I may, as a prince should, kindle our fighting men with deeds not words” (Dockray 2007 p.85).
Henry IV’s surgeon, John Bradmore, treated the wound. He described it as:
“…smetyn in the face be syd the nose on the lefte syd with an arrow the wyche sayd arrow entryd overwharte and after the schafte was takyn owt and the hede ther of a bod styll in the hyndyr parte of a bone of the hede after the mesur of vj ynche” (p.129, Lang 2003)
Cole and Lang (2003) translate this as:
“…[the arrow] struck in the face with an arrow beside the nose on the left side, which arrow entered from the side , and the said arrow, after the arrow was extracted, remained in the back part of the bone of the head six inches deep.” (Cole and Lang 2003, p.95).
Strickland and Hardy (2005) as:
“…[the arrow] entered at an angle (ex traverso), and after the arrow shaft was extracted, the head of the aforesaid arrow remained in the furthermost part of the bone of the skull for the depth of six inches.(p.284)
To Cole and Lang (2003) the arrow was embedded in the interior bone of the skulls posterior.
Pollard and Oliver (2002) describe the arrow as being “lodged in a bone behind the nose” (p.45), although this differs from Bradmore’s description.
The arrowhead was left imbedded in the skull and Bradmore invented a set of tongs to remove the arrowhead, (recreated by Hector Cole: Cole and Lang 2003) (below)
(Photograph by Jo Homfray)
According to Cole and Lang (2003):
“…it is just possible for an arrow to enter beside the nose and lodge at the back of the head without causing immediate death or lasting disability, but the margin of error either way is extremely small, and the Prince was clearly very fortunate indeed to survive the wound.” (Cole and Lang 2003 p.96)
THE WOUND:
The injury Henry received would be classed today as a “penetrating head trauma caused by a missile”. This is a wound in which a projectile breaches the skull but does not exit it, (an injury in which the projectile passes entirely though the head, leaving both entrance and exit wounds, is described as “perforating”), (Vinas and Pilitsis 2006). Patients with penetrating wounds have a greater survival rate than those with perforating wounds, (Aarabi 1999).
In a missile wound, the amount of damage to the brain depends on numerous factors including:
The kinetic energy imparted
The trajectory of the missile and bone fragments through the brain
Intracranial pressure changes at the moment of impact
Secondary mechanisms of injury, (infection caused by the penetrating missile or shards of bone)
(Vinas and Pilitsis 2009)
injury is related to:
The direct crush injury produced by the missile
The cavitation produced by the centrifugal effects of the missile on organ tissue
The shock waves produced
(Vinas and Pilitsis 2009)
Due to Bradmore’s account we know that Henry was struck in the face some where beside the nose on the left side, the arrow entering from the side with the arrowhead remaining in the posterior interior of the skull at a depth of six inches (Cole and Lang 2003; Lang 2003; Strickland and Hardy 2005). Unfortunately, there are number of unknown variables:
The rate the arrow was travelling at when it struck Henry.
The trajectory of the arrow when it struck, (did it come from the left or right side?)
The exact location where the arrow penetrated Henry’s face.
The trajectory of the arrow through the skull.
The exact location where the arrowhead was imbedded in the skull’s interior.
The length of time before the arrowhead was removed, (Henry was transported to Kenilworth Castle after the battle, yet how long it was before the arrow was removed is unknown and Bradmore was not the first physician to attempt to remove the arrow, Lang 2003).
A variety of arrowheads were in use during this period, (Jessop 1996), but Bradmore refers to the arrow as a “bod” (p.129, Lang 2003) or bodkin. This was an arrow head used to penetrate armour and maille, (Strickland and Hardy 2005). The remains of bodkin arrowheads have been found at the site of the battle (Pollard and Oliver 2002).
The rate the arrow was travelling at when it struck Henry is unknown. Stretton (2006) found when shot from a yew war-bow with a draw weight of 144 pounds (65.3 kg), an arrow with a bodkin head weighing 86 grams (1,324 grains), travelling at 47.9 m (157 ft) per second has a kinetic energy of 99 joules. The draw weight is defined as the amount of force, expressed as a weight, which needs to be applied to the string in order to bend the strung bow to its full extent. The formula for calculating kinetic energy: 1/2mv2 = Mass (kg) x Velocity2
2
A fragment or missile striking a vital area with a kinetic energy of 80 joules or more is considered a fatal blow, (Health and Safety Executive 2002).
An arrowhead travelling at this rate is capable of penetrating armour 1.6mm thick to a depth of 7.62cm (3 in), (Stretton 2006). Should the target be moving towards the archer, as in the case of a mounted knight, then the bodkin can penetrate a further 2.54 -5.08 cm (1-2 in), (Stretton 2006). However, the caviation and shock wave damage would be far less than those caused by bullets, (Davies and Harbinson 2002). The injuries inflicted by medieval arrow wounds have been documented (Fiorato et al 2000; Karger et al 2001; Thordeman 2001).
It is not recorded whether Henry lost consciousness. It appears he did not as he was able to continue fighting, (Dockray 2007). This may indicate that the penetrating arrow had ricocheted and its speed and kinetic energy had substantially decreased. There is also no record of any impairment immediately or after treatment.
He was also fortunate in the medical care he received. The arrow head was left in place, patients in whom the penetrating object is left in place have a significantly lower mortality than those in whom the objects are inserted and then removed (26% versus 11% respectively), (Vinas and Pilitsis 2009). The wound was also treated with honey. Research has shown that honey has antibacterial properties and promotes tissue healing and blood vessel formation, (Dunford et al 2000ab; Dunford 2005; Simon et al 2009).
However, despite Cole and Lang’s (2003) assertion that Henry was fortunate to have escaped without lasting disability, Henry may not have escaped entirely unscathed, as his later behaviours are indicative of temporal lobe impairment.
PERSONALITY CHANGES AS RESULT OF LEFT TEMPORAL LOBE DAMAGE
The temporal lobes are areas of he cerebral cortex, located on both the left and right hemispheres of the brain, (below).
Impairment affecting temporal areas tends to leave intellectual functions intact while causing alterations in personality (Blumer and Benson 1975). Left temporal lobe damage produces a number of effects:
Altered sexual behaviour: Increase or decrease in libido (Blumer, 1975; Blumer and Walker, 1975; Geschwind ,1975, 1979; Kolb & Wishaw, 1990)
Extreme, heightened sense of religiosity with augmented sense of personal destiny (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Extreme morality and ethical concerns: Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Paranoia and aggressive rages (Blumer and Benson 1975; Geschwind ,1975, 1979; Kolb & Wishaw, 1990)
Sudden Mood Changes (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Deepened Emotional Response: (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Humourlessness (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975)
All of these are prominent in Henry’s character and behaviour: the disinterest in sex; the extreme religious and messianic beliefs and behaviours; the deeply held moral and ethical beliefs; the cold, severe humourlessness; the feared aggressive and violent rages which would swiftly appear. It may explain his change from a “…fervent soldier of venus” (p.21, Dockray 2007) into“… another man, zealous for honesty, modesty and gravity” (Thomas Walshingham in Dockray 2007, p.23). However, it is unlikely such a transformation occurred as soon as he was crowned as believed by his chroniclers.
The observable impairments may have commenced several years earlier. In 1408, an Oxford academic, Richard Ullerston, noted Henry’s desire for spiritual study and knowledge of the scriptures, (Dockray 2007). By 1409, there were problems developing between Henry and his father, King Henry IV, as Prince Henry launched an attempted coup and in 1412 when Prince Henry had to be restrained from seizing his father’s throne by force, (Dockray 2007; Mortimer 2007; Seward, 1987).
While there appeared to be no immediate impairment after being wounded, it is possible that an abscess on the left temporal lobe may have caused such impairment.
Patients who survive penetrating head injuries are at risk of experiencing multiple complications, including infections and abscesses from bone or missile fragments imbedded in the brain, (Vinas and Pilitsis 2006). Brain abscess can occur after a long period of silent infection. Hida et al (1978) reported a case of delayed brain abscess following a penetrating gunshot injury 38 years after the injury; Pencek and Burchiel (1986), 15 years after an injury and Lee and Kim (2000) 47 years after. Thus it is feasible that Henry could also have experienced similar damage either from a fragment from the arrow or fragment of bone.
This also may indicate a possible trajectory through the skull: not coming in contact with the brain, but passing close to the left temporal lobe from the entry point in the left half of the face.
There are obvious problems in formulating a hypothesis concerning the personality and behaviour of a major historical figure. In this instance, not only is there a lack of archaeological evidence but there is also a deficit of contemporary accounts regarding Henry’s life.
The only contemporary accounts of Henry’s life which survive are the anonymous “Gesta Henrici Quinti” (c.1416) (Taylor and Roskell 1975), Thomas of Elham’s “Liber Meticus de Henrico Quinto” (“Memorials of Henry V”) (Cole 1858) and Thomas Walsingham’s "Ypodigma Neustriae”(Riley 1876). Later works copied them and modern historians place their own interpretations upon them. Further, such original works can be regarded as being propaganda as can later works, which created a medieval superman much removed from reality: “…the ideal Englishman: plucky and persevering, austere and audacious, cool-headed, stiff-lipped and effortlessly superior: simply the greatest man, ever to rule England” (Fernandez-Armesto 2009).
For example, stories of Henry’s wild, misspent youth and his dramatic conversion at his coronation into a sober and righteous King were written long after his reign was over and have become accepted as historical because of Shakespeare, (Barker 2005). Dockray (2007) concludes that there is no evidence of wild behaviour, or at least for a sudden change when he was crowned, although to Curry (2005) “The stories of a misspent youth have never been proven, but neither have they been disproved” (p.30).
The aim of this article has been an attempt to forward a possible explanation for the puzzles surrounding Henry’s character and behaviour, albeit based on the limited information possessed. However, while such information is limited and the conclusion controversial, is it merely coincidence that many of his behaviours match the characteristics that are symptomatic of injuries to the left temporal lobe?
References
-Aarabi B. (1999) History of the management of craniocerebral wounds. In: Aarabi B, Kaufman HH, Dagi TF, George ED, Levy ML, (eds.) Missile Wounds of the Head and Neck. Vol 1. Park Ridge, Ill: American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
-Barker, J. (2005) Agincourt: The King, the campaign, the battle. London: Little Brown.
--- (2009) Conquest: The English Kingdom of France 1417-1450. London: Little Brown.
- Bear, D. and Fedio, P. (1977) Quantitative analysis of interictal behaviour in temporal lobe epilepsy. Archives of Neurology, 34, 454-67
- Blumer, D. (1975) Temporal lobe epilepsy and its psychiatric significance. In: In D. Benson and D. Blumer, eds. Psychiatric Aspects of Neurologic Disease. New York: Grune & Stratton.
- Blumer, D., & Benson, D.( 1975) Personality changes with frontal and temporal lobe lesions. In D. Benson and D. Blumer, (eds.) Psychiatric Aspects of Neurologic Disease. New York: Grune & Stratton.
- Cole, C. A.(ed.) (1858) Thomas,of Elmham ,Memorials of Henry the Fifth, King of England. London : Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, and Roberts
- Cole H and Lang T. (2003) "The Treating of Prince Henry's Arrow Wound, 1403" in Journal of the Society of Archer Antiquaries, 46, 95-101.
- Curry A. (2000) Henry V: A life and reign. In A. Curry (ed.) Agincourt 1415. Tempus: Gloucestershire
- --. (2005) Agincourt – a new history. Tempus: Gloucestershire
de Viriville, V. (ed) (1858) Chronique de Charles VII, roi de France. Paris.
- Davies, J. and Harbinson, M. (2002) Military Surgery 1300-1600. Bristol: Stuart Press.
- Dockray, K. (2007) Warrior King: The life of Henry V. Gloucestershire: Tempus
- Dunford C (2005) The use of honey-derived dressings to promote effective wound management. Professional Nurse, 20(8): 35-8
- Dunford C, Cooper R, Molan P(2000a) Using honey as a dressing for infected skin lesions, Nursing Times. 96(14 Suppl):7-9.
- Dunford C, Cooper R, Molan P, White R., (2000b) The use of honey in wound management. Nursing Standard. 15(11) 63-8.
- Fernandez-Armesto,F. (2009) The Myth of Henry V (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/henry_v_01.shtml)
- Fiorato, V, Boylston, A., and Knusel, C. (2000) Blood Red Roses: The Archaeology of a Mass Grave from the Battle of Towton, AD 1461. London: Oxbow Books
- Geschwind, N. (1975) The clinical setting of aggression in temporal lobe epilepsy in Fields, W.S and Sweet W.H. (eds.) The Neurobiology of Violence. St. Louis, Warren H. Green
- -- (1979) Behavioural Changes in temporal lobe epilepsy. Psychological Medicine, 9, 217-19
-Hardy, W, (ed) (1868) Jehan de Waurin Recueil des croniques et anchiennes istories de la Grant Bretaigne, a present nomme Engleterre.1399 to 1422. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer.
-Health and Safety Executive (2002) Controlling risks around explosives stores. London: HMSO
- Hearne, T. (ed.) (1727) Vita et Gesta Henrici Quinti . Kessinger Publishing
- Hida K, Tsuda E, and Sato H. (1978) Brain abscess discovered 38 years after head injury. No Shinkei Geka, 6(8), 811-3.
- Hudson, Anne. (1988) The Premature Reformation: Wycliffite Texts and Lollard History. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
- Jessop, O. (1996) A new artefact typology for the study of medieval arrowheads. Medieval Archaeology, 40, 192-205.
- June-Ho Lee, and Dong Gyu Kim (2000) Brain abscess related to metal fragments 47 years after head injury. Journal of Neurosurgery, 93(3), 477-479
- Karger B, Sudhues H, Brinkmann B,(2001) "Arrow Wounds: Major Stimulus in the History of Surgery" In World Journal of Surgery, 25, pp.1550-1555.
-Kingsford, C. L. (ed)( 1911) The first English life of King Henry the Fifth, written in 1513 by an anonymous author . Oxford : Clarendon Press.
-Lang, S.J. (1992) John Bradmore and His book Philomena, Social History of Medicine, 5(1), 121-30.
- Lutton, R. (2006) Lollardy and Orthodox Religion in Pre-Reformation England Woodbridge and Suffolk, U.K.: Boydell and Brewer.
- McFarlane, K.N.(1936) “England : The Lancastrian Kings 1399-1461: Cambridge Medieval History Vol.III. Cambridge.
- McGlynn, S. (2008) By Sword and Fire: Cruelty and Attrocity in Medieval Warfare. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
- Mortimer, I. (2007) The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-Made King. London: Cape.
-- (2009) 1415: Henry V’s year of Glory. London: Bodley Head.
- Pencek, T.L. and Burchiel, K.J. (1986) Delayed brain abscess related to a retained foreign body with culture of Clostridium bifermentans. Journal of Neurosurgery, 64(5), 813-815
- Pollard, T. and Oliver ,N. (2002) Two Men in a Trench. London: Michael Joseph
- Priestly, E.J. (1979) Battle of Shrewsbury, 1403. Shrewsbury: Shrewsbury Museums Service.
- Riley, H.T, (ed.) (1876), Ypodigma neustriae a Thoma Walsingham, quondam monacho monasterii S. Albani conscriptum. London : Longman
- Richard, R (2002) The Lollards: Social History in Perspective. New York: Palgrave
- Seward, D. (1987) Henry V as Warlord. London: Penguin
- Shakespeare, W. (2010) Henry V. London: Penguin Classics.
- Simon A, Traynor K, Santos K, Blaser G, Bode U, Molan P. (2009) Medical honey for wound care--still the 'latest resort'? Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 6(2):165-73
- Stretton, M. (2006) Experimental tests with different types of medieval arrowheads. In D.H.Soar (ed.) Secrets of the English Warbow. Yardley: Westholme.
- Strickland S and Hardy R, The Great Warbow, Sutton, 2005, pp 284-5.
- Taylor, F. and Roskell, J.S. (eds) (1975) Gesta Henrici Quinti : the deeds of Henry the Fifth Oxford : Clarendon Press,
- Thordeman, B. (2001) Armour from the Battle of Wisby. Chivalry Bookshelf
- Vinas, F.C. and Pilitsis,J. (2009) Penetrating Head Trauma. (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/247664-overview)
(Biography: Re-enactor and academic by nature, Kevin Goodman appears regularly at venues across the country delivering presentations and demonstrations on Medieval Medicine and Surgery. His article on Historic aspects of medicine can be found in “Adventures in Archaeology: Past Horizons Magazine”: http://calameo.com/books/0000627296b9a5eb2153b)
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Tuesday, May 25, 2010
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