Scar Story
May 19, 2008 1:35 pm Personal
I’m new at this meme thing, but I’m gonna try it anyway.
The way the thing works, you ask a question or issue a challenge to a small number of blogging friends, not only to respond but to tag other bloggers with the question/challenge, to get them, in turn, to respond and tag still others.
Any non-blogger who reads here, if you also want to answer, I’m interested in that too.
So here it is:
Tell the story of a (non-surgical) scar you have somewhere on your body. Answer and tag three other bloggers.
My own answer:
I have a couple of related scars on the front of my left leg, not far above the knee, both the result of a dog bite.
I’d had my big ol’ German shepherd, Ranger, for several years when I happened to adopt another large dog, Tito, a malamute-black-lab cross. I didn’t intend to adopt him; he originally belonged to some snowboarders who lived upstairs from me, and I was only going to save him from being killed and try to find him a good home. But after I had him for a couple of weeks, I simply couldn’t give him up.
Anyway, Ranger was a dominant booger and he would often pester Tito when we were out on our twice-daily hikes. Tito was pretty good natured, but … they got in rolling, snarling dogfights three times. Each time I waded into them, kicking and yelling, and each time my beloved old Ranger ended up biting ME.
I was young enough that it never bothered me much, but the last time, he latched onto my leg, bluejeans and all, and actually left holes in me. Hurt like hell at the time, and we Had Words over it.
But almost 20 years later, I see those little scars and smile. Because they remind me of not one but two great old friends. Wouldn’t trade ‘em for the world. Ranger made himself a part of me.
Or at least his teeth did.
I’m tagging: Jim Downey and Brent Rasmussen of Unscrewing the Inscrutable, and PZ Myers of Pharyngula.
eric lambert :
Date: May 20, 2008 @ 6:05 am
i had a really bad case of tonsilitis about 7 years ago,and the white puss globs that formed on my tonsils caused so much infection,and were so intense that they actually left large pits and scars on both of my tonsils,i was 39 years old when this happened,but its true and i hope it never happens again!!
Dave Featherstone :
Date: May 20, 2008 @ 8:13 am
Some reader feedback (also posted, in slightly different form, on Pharyngula):
Blogger games such as ‘memes’ could reasonably interpreted as a ‘link scheme’, which violates Google’s Quality Guidelines that are designed to prevent manipulation of Page Ranks and general deterioration of web content. See: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66356
Indeed, as a reader I find it annoying to see this kind of circle-jerk crap in my browser. It reflects poorly on the bloggers who participate. Links should be treated like proper academic references. This includes links to other blogs.
Mindless expositions on personal minutia, whether it be ’scar stories’, ‘my biggest turd’, or ‘a list of my 5th grade best friend’, also reflect poorly on the intellect of the blogger. I am likely to stop reading blogs with a plethora of infantile posts.
Not to say that a ’scar story’ couldn’t be good (and in fact yours, Hank, was mildly interesting thanks only to the somewhat sappy end; I love dogs too). But in general this meme stuff and other blogger games should be avoided.
Tom :
Date: May 20, 2008 @ 10:35 am
New Years eve celebrations, Trafalgar Square, London 1975.
Decided to slide down the centre of two extremely long escalators. Sliced my hand open to the bone - probably on a piece of metal.
Only noticed when I was pushing the guy in front of me (who as luck would have it, was wearing a WHITE jacket). I wondered why his jacket was covered in blood. That’s when I noticed the gooey pumping mess my hand had become.
I’ve felt guilty about that ever since, and for my sins have a very noticeable extra lifeline on my left hand.
Tom :
Date: May 20, 2008 @ 10:47 am
Hank, changing the subject somewhat, to the potential for deep psychological scars, how’s the stand-up comedy coming on? Maybe you could update us at some point.
Crudely Wrott :
Date: May 20, 2008 @ 7:35 pm
Scars as symbols of memory, monuments to moments, or markers for some dear souls. More eloquent than tattoos and more fittingly worn. Oh, yes.
hankfox :
Date: May 20, 2008 @ 8:00 pm
Dave, I get the point; I hope I wasn’t too snotty about it over there.
Tom: Stand-up comedy: I was actually at a club just tonight, watching some other novice comedians trying it for the first time. Some good stuff here and there, but I think my workshop group was funnier. It was really cool walking into the place — one of the hostesses recognized me from last time, told me how good I was, and let me in free.
I talked to the teacher, comedian Greg Aidala, and we’re going to keep in touch for when he does the class again. It was strange, watching the others up there on stage, I wanted to hold that mike again myself.
Afterwards, I was thinking of funny stuff all the way home.
I could be up there again. They have open mike nights at this club, if I only have the guts to try it. After writing “The 30,000,” I’ve been thinking a lot about the missed opportunites of the past, and telling myself to NOT miss them in the future.
Crudely Wrott :
Date: May 20, 2008 @ 8:38 pm
Hey, Hank! Ever need a throwaway joke? Try this one, the first “dirty” joke ever told to me by a parent.
My step dad asked, “Did you ever hear the one about the constipated jitterbug?”
Somewhat unclear on just what a jitterbug was I answered, “No.”
Dad says, “Yeah, he couldn’t jit!”
I roared. OK, I was only about seven. Sort of like a well juiced crowd primed for the feature act.
Go with confidence, Hank. Nothin’ knocks ‘em deader.
Tom :
Date: May 21, 2008 @ 1:22 am
Dave: I think you are being a little oversensitive. Being a busy person, I browse my favourite blogs on the train to and from work. It is my equivalent of going to the bar with friends. I don’t know any of the bloggers personally except through this medium. Blogger memes are no different from a group of friends discussing a light-hearted topic over a beer. Not all content has to be ‘worthy’.
Some of the
hankfox :
Date: May 21, 2008 @ 7:14 am
CW: If I tell a joke to friends and they don’t laugh, I say “Well, it wasn’t aimed at your age group.”
A joke I made up about a year ago, specifically for 8 to 10-year-olds, and best told around Thanksgiving/Xmas:
What’s the strongest bird in the world?
They always guess the ostrich or eagle or something like that, but the answer is …
Turkules! (say it like Hercules)
christina patrignani :
Date: December 16, 2009 @ 10:07 pm
ah, your story about Tito and Ranger is touching. I’m practically crying myself. If there ever was a perfect love, it is the love that you had for those dogs and they for you.