(no subject)

[squeequeg]

Notes on the weekend:
- I am well aware that Mr. Sunscreen is my friend.  However, what I did not realize is that Mr. Sunscreen would wash off at the first splash of water, leaving me to obliviously bask to my current shade of lobster.  I don't call that very friendly of Mr. Sunscreen.
- I will eventually need to fulfil my plan of building a sandcastle of Minas Tirith.  Any assistance would be greatly appreciated (yes, siblings, that's a hint).
- While working up at the cabin in the woods is great for revision and early-stage plot work, it's a little difficult to revise a story that's strongly related to the lake.  I've got a plan for fixing the story, but it felt somehow disrespectful to be writing about a different, imaginary lake, even if it was inspired by the real lake.
- Related to the revision above: Anyone know where I can find out how bad exit wounds tend to be?  I'm tempted to appeal to the vast wealth of firearms knowledge on the Viable Paradise list, but don't want to clog it with my minor questions.
- I can say with certainty that the mosquito population of Mt. Monadnock is in no danger of starvation.
- Hiking for seven hours means that I will be walking funny for at least three more days.  Owie.
- Granted, I tend to be tired and irritable by the time I reach the summit; however, I still think I was justified in snapping at the woman who was yakking on her cell phone on top of the mountain.  Call me a crotchety old grump, but it just really bothered me.
- The Iron Dragon challenge was brought and met.  I suspect a rematch is in the future. 
- thomascantor hiking shirtless.  Yeaaaaah. 
- In spite of the consequences (see above regarding the perfidy of Mr. Sunscreen), there is very little that is better than dozing off in the lake.

Comments

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

hmm, what did you say to evil cellphone woman(tm)? Heh. Wonder how far the drop is.

Glad you got to get out this weekend.

[stealthmuffin.livejournal.com]

Something along the lines of "For God's sake hang up" before thomascantor carefully steered me away. And yeah, it would have been a heck of a drop. Wonder how far I can throw a cell phone from the top of the mountain.

[sal-sal.livejournal.com]

But I'm no good at building sandcastles. Plus, I like to avoid sand in odd places, thank you. I'll just sunbathe and admire your handywork when it's done. How does that sound?

[stealthmuffin.livejournal.com]

Administrative help, then! You can say "No, build it there!" Or we can set you to gathering rocks.

sunscreen suggestion

[heatmhub.livejournal.com]

I don't mean to advertise, but try Banana Boat Surf, with AquaShield Protection. It's waterproof and not greasy and lasts a long time (though I'd reapply every 2-3 hours if you're in the water, just in case).

Also, aloe vera gel is a godsend when you are sunburned. Hope you recover from sunburn and hike soon!

Re: sunscreen suggestion

[stealthmuffin.livejournal.com]

It's a little late for this burn, but I'll get some for the weekend. Thanks!

And Band-Aid makes this topical analgesic stuff called Rhuli Gel that's the best thing for sunburn or bug bites. Trouble was, our supply was in Boston while we were in New Hampshire. Knew I forgot to pack something.

[silvarwyrm.livejournal.com]

Mr Sunscreen is a moody bitch. I hate him, but oh how I need him.

I managed not to lobster-ify this vacation. I may have spent the whole time buttered up like a little roast pig, but I am not sunburned.

[stealthmuffin.livejournal.com]

*envyenvyenvy* Stupid Mr. Sunscreen.

[sigerson.livejournal.com]

"No, I said I'm at the top!...No, the top!...Of the mountain!...The other mountain...No, the top of the mountain!...Can you hear me?..."

STEALTHMUFFIN SMASH!

[stealthmuffin.livejournal.com]

"Why are you on Kearsarge? I'm not on Kearsarge! I'm on Monadnock! Where are you? Well, are you sure? Well, ask someone! Are you sure you're on Kearsarge? Why are you on Kearsarge?"

[laobscuridad.livejournal.com]

Hooray for hot coffee not coming out of my nose. Excellent attempt, though.

[2h2o.livejournal.com]

Anyone know where I can find out how bad exit wounds tend to be?

If you can rephrase this to be more specific, I'll post it to the Pyramid boards. They're ideal for this sort of thing. Alternatively, you can try asking yourself at the SJ Games public fora (probably in the "Geeks Rule" section).

The short answer is probably that it depends on the caliber, shape, composition, and velocity of the projectile; the body part hit; what the target was wearing; the angle of impact; and lots of other minor factors that will keep the gun grognards arguing until doomsday.

[stealthmuffin.livejournal.com]

Okay. Say someone is shot in the back with probably a handgun, from a distance of several yards. The shot is badly aimed and goes under his ribcage, missing his spine. I'm guessing this will mean a rather messy exit wound in the stomach area.

Could someone with this wound cover it up enough to function assuming infection, pain, and all other mortal problems are not a factor? The character's already dead and walking at this point; I want to know if it's possible for him to, say, duct tape this wound shut (plus the two stab wounds in his chest, but those are easier to visualize).

[2h2o.livejournal.com]

I'll ask the Pyramid folks. My take on it is that your character would be mostly fine. The dead have no use for internal organs or blood, so the only potential problem would be muscle damage. A large-caliber expanding bullet might make the wound inconveniently large, but I suspect that duct tape could cover it.

[2h2o.livejournal.com]

From a gamer geek who works as a capital convictions appeals lawyer (so cool):

The entry and exit wounds may be about the same size -- about the
diameter of the bullet. ER docs apparently correctly guess which is
the entry and which is the exit wound about 48% of the time,
slightly worse than if they flipped a coin. (This assume the bullet
doesn't fragment or tumble.) Even a hollow point bullet doesn't
expand all that much -- maybe 1/2 again its diameter. Heck, a big
flesh colored band-aid might do it. Trick is going to be holding in
all that leaking flesh and abdominal fluids.

Sounds to me as if duct tape is about perfect, although it will limit range of motion. The really big exit wounds come from tumbling rifle bullets, not handgun calibers. (Handgun velocities are too low to cause tumbling, and the bullets are too short to cause much extra wounding if they do tumble.) I'll post other responses, but in the meantime some people are wondering whether your character is really "undead" or just "doomed."

[stealthmuffin.livejournal.com]

Undead and doomed. But mostly undead.

That's just what I needed, and I can work around the whole mobility issue. Thanks!