Here's my best Terry Bones story. When he first came to Chicago Terry or "Tezz" (all these limeys have ridiculous nicknames) was planning to put together a version of Broken Bones and take it on the road. I don't know why he was planning a reconstituted Bones. It's not like it was really even his band. His twin brother who I believe is actually named Tony is "Bones". Maybe he figured his twin wasn't going to sue him over the name the way "Oddy" or "Soddy" or "Rainy" or whoever might have had he called this thing Discharge.

At the time Hazardous Youth was really hitting a stride, playing a lot and just super fucking tight. But somehow Tezz got ahold of our bass player at the time, Chris Splatter- or maybe it was Splatter that got ahold of Tezz- anyway, Splatter was going to be the bass player in the new Broken Bones. Jimmy Kangles from Lost Cause was going to be taking Bones's spot on lead guitar. And a guy named Pete Murray would be on drums. It ended up working out okay for us as we picked up Casey to play bass.

So before the tour began the new Broken Bones was going to play a kickoff gig at Medusa's. All the little punk rock kids that hung out at The Alley and in the Dunkin' Donuts parking lot on the weekends were hyped up about this show. The legendary Broken Bones right here in Chicago! Medusa's really hyped the hell out of the show and on the night of the gig the place was packed. The latter day Life Sentence with Jeff and Gus opened the show. They were going out on the road with these guys too.

It was pretty late and everyone in the place is waiting for Broken Bones to take the stage. The place is jammed to the rafters with suburban punks kids. Finally the boys walk out on stage and Splatter starts plucking that galloping bass line of "Seeing Through My Eyes" and suddenly this 16 or 17 year old kid yells loud enough to be heard over the bass, "HEY! THAT'S NOT BONES! THAT'S JIMMY KANGLES! I WANT MY FUCKIN' MONEY BACK!!!!!!"

"Helmet For My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific" by Robert Leckie
"With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa" by E.B. Sledge

I'm just getting started with Indianapolis by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic. It's pretty exhaustively researched and I thought it might be a pretty dry military history but they do a good job picking out particular servicemen and amplifying their personal stories which makes it a lot more interesting on an emotional level. A good friend of mine's father was on the ship when it sank. He's mentioned a couple times in the book.

"Helmet For My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific" by Robert Leckie
"With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa" by E.B. Sledge

3 chapters in

I just received a paperback from Amazon the other day.
"Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis.
I'll be in the hospital for most of Wednesday afternoon, so I plan to crack it open so I can ponder my mortality even more.

Thank you for asking. I periodically have to get fluid drained from my abdomen due to self-inflicted damage. Last time I went was the 1st week in December last year. There was a time when it was semi-weekly a few years ago. So it could be worse. But I used to be able to walk 2 blocks to the hospital, now it's about a 15 minute drive away.

It's called ascites. The procedure is called paracentesis. You go the hospital an hour and a half before the actual procedure for reasons I'm not sure of. They vacuum about 7-10 liters out, put you back in a room and hook you up to an Albumen IV which takes about an hour. Then eventually a nurse will walk in your room and tell you can put your clothes back on and you're free to go home. Tomorrow, being month and quarter end, my wife probably won't be able to pick me up until around 6:30 PM. I'm not complaining because I'm sure (hope?) I'll feel a lot better when it's done. It's just a lot of "Hurry up and wait". Like maybe a 30 minute procedure but on average, a 6 hour experience. I'm just gonna bring a phone charger, a book and be patient (literally). There's a Target to the east of the hospital and a bunch of food options to the west, so I'll figure something out. Again, thanks for asking.

Thank you for asking. I periodically have to get fluid drained from my abdomen due to self-inflicted damage. Last time I went was the 1st week in December last year. There was a time when it was semi-weekly a few years ago. So it could be worse. But I used to be able to walk 2 blocks to the hospital, now it's about a 15 minute drive away.

It's called ascites. The procedure is called paracentesis. You go the hospital an hour and a half before the actual procedure for reasons I'm not sure of. They vacuum about 7-10 liters out, put you back in a room and hook you up to an Albumen IV which takes about an hour. Then eventually a nurse will walk in your room and tell you can put your clothes back on and you're free to go home. Tomorrow, being month and quarter end, my wife probably won't be able to pick me up until around 6:30 PM. I'm not complaining because I'm sure (hope?) I'll feel a lot better when it's done. It's just a lot of "Hurry up and wait". Like maybe a 30 minute procedure but on average, a 6 hour experience. I'm just gonna bring a phone charger, a book and be patient (literally). There's a Target to the east of the hospital and a bunch of food options to the west, so I'll figure something out. Again, thanks for asking.

The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.

If you're looking for something similar regarding Chicago history, this book can't be beat: Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West. Truly a masterly synthesis of environmental, frontier, and economic history. https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Metropolis-Chicago-Great-West/dp/0393308731

Of course, if you're looking for the true master analysis focusing on the influence of the environment and geography on historical development, the classic text is Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393317552/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502313862&sr=8-1&keywords=%27guns+germs+and+steel%27

Damn, Shirtless, I'm really sorry to hear about this. Your condition isn't considered malignant, is it? I hope not and am wishing the best for you.

Thank you kind words,TM. It's what happens when you spent the last 27 years drinking. I brought it upon myself. My GI doctor referred me to a doctor at Froedtert in Milwaukee. I should probably make that appointment.

This seems like it'll be a thing.

did you skip high school or something? Don't miss out on All the King's Men this time

did you skip high school or something? Don't miss out on All the King's Men this time

Catholic school. Didn't have a ton of reading classic novels. Beowulf, Shakespeare and a couple others. Not many.

You were assigned all these books Ive been reading in high School?

A tale of two cities
1984
To Kill A Mockingbird
Crime and Punishment
A Brave New World

I mean I wish we did. The stuff we did was pretty boring

High school is for winning games and bird dogging chicks.

Dave Grohl is an overrated and overhyped disturbance to the music industry.