mn-msta.com
General Category => General Banter => Topic started by: Greg on September 22, 2011, 08:27:49 PM
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*Tony has asked that I post this report*
Tony Kellen, myself and 5 other riders traveled to Arkansas for some riding. Weather forecast when we arrived in Harrison still looked pretty grim. Of the 4 days of riding, the forecasts predicted 60-70% chance of rain 3 of the 4 days.
It had rained early morning on Saturday, but had stopped by the time we were saddling up. We rode to a diner in town and had a leisurely breakfast hoping that things would dry out and warm up a bit.
When we were ready to leave breakfast it was in the low 50's, very overcast but not raining.
As the sun hadn't come out yet, the pavement was still damp. We headed southwest out of Harrison on HWY 43. The pavement was chip-seal / tar with spotty "tar-snakes" and sporadic patches. We were maintaining a controlled, smooth and moderate pace for the conditions. All of us felt our speeds were appropriate for the conditions. James from KC was leading, Tony was next, then me, then the other riders.
We had traveled about 15 miles. As we were approaching a beautifully banked but sharp right hand turn, I could see ahead of Tony that in the corner there was a tar-patch without any chip-seal added. This patch was ~6' x 12' in size and covered most of our lane of traffic. I could almost read Tony's mind while watching his body language approaching the turn. Although he doesn't remember this, he has asked that I share what I saw. I could tell he was very concerned about the tar. He knew it could be slick even though it wasn't raining. He was as gentle as you could possibly be with his turn in, but physics took over and he low-sided across the pavement and into the ditch on the other side. The added 5-10MPH that I was able to shave off my speed was the only reason why I didn't follow him down.
There were several large boulders in the ditch as Arkansas is prone to flash flooding and erosion given it's poor soil.
It took the first "First Responder" only 5 minutes to arrive though he didn't have any medical gear. He was a calming influence so he was appreciated. It took the ambulance 35-40 minutes to arrive after my 911 call. :(
Tony broke his right femur. He was incredibly brave during the whole situation and remained calm throughout. He received 2 shots of morphine (lucky guy, hehe) while being treated in the ditch by the EMT's.
Tony was transported to Harrison Hospital. I followed Tony to the hospital on my bike, 3 of our group went to get the truck & trailer to pick up Tony's bike and 2 riders left and continued riding for the day....
He had surgery the next morning and pin was put into his thigh. He was released Tuesday evening.
Tony is a gem and an ace in our community and I'm proud to have ridden with him.
Please send him your best wishes.
Greg
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Dang the bad luck!! Thanks for the info Greg and Tony, heal up quickly!! You are in my thoughts.
-John
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We all take risks riding motorcycles. Sometimes those risks become reality. Tough luck TK, this really sucks. Heal up quick!
How'd the bike handle the spill?
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Sad news indeed. Best of luck Tony & get well soon.
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tk is one of a kind. He texted me this afternoon saying he needed some crutches. It
took than 2 minutes to find him some and have them delivered to his house tomorrow.
The power of fb!
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TK, hoping you have a speedy recovery and hope to see you soon
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Heel fast Tony!
BTW if any has crutches Tony can borrow, PM him. They gave him a walker which doesn't work so well in certain situations so he'd like to borrow some crutches if anyone has some to loan.
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RAY! read my post!
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Sorry to hear but glad that Tony's already up and about! Heal up quick!
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RAY! read my post!
Oops....
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Heal up quick tk. Had I not found your group ride 3 yrs. ago, I wouldn't have on a sportbike today. I've had my r6 for 3 yrs prior, and put on less than 4k miles total and last year I did ~12k miles.
Was just about to get rid of the r6 until I ran in your group ride that started at Motoprimo.
You know I'm just a phone call away, text/call me if there's anything I can do.
Ge
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Heal quickly Tony! We're all glad that your relatively ok. You were in good hands with Greg. Thanks for posting this up Greg & taking care of one of our own.
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Oh man Tony,I wondered why you haven't replied about monday. Heal well,I'll see you on a monday next year. ;)GJ
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Heal up TK
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Tony, sorry to hear about this. But I'm praying for you. God Speed, dave
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Greg, thanks for the info and update and the care and concern you have shown. Tony, sure hope you heal up well, my thoughts are with you.
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Someone bring Tony a laptop so he can see all the people wishing him well. ;D Or maybe he'll feel like hobbling over to the library today.
Tony, sorry it happened, man! I suppose the good news is that it didn't happen early in the spring!
Brent
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dang, what a year. get well.........and I have crutches if you still need some.
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When Tony, Greg, Brian and Roger showed up to drop off Tony's Bike, he was all smiles and as I made a little fun of his walker, he was quick with his witt of "yeah but, It is super lightweight".
The bike has certainly seen better days, I am not sure if Tony wants a picture or list posted up but lets just say it needs many many parts.
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Could it be time to reevaluate the culture of group riding here with the Co-Director crashing more times in one season than many in a lifetime of motorcycling?
I mean no offense. I am just indicating the alarming statistics of this group and crashes. And it would not be an issue if the mantra of the this association did not include an emphasis on safe riding. I just recall the front page having a outline of safe riding practices which I thoroughly respected. Has the absence of that page now communicated a philosophy shift? Has the focus of balancing of riding safely and fun been eliminated?
I am just curious. I have not attended a group ride with anyone here, but reading these recent reports and posts about crashes has been rather concerning to me.
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Best of luck Tony, I enjoyed meeting you and riding with you a bit this year, hope you heal up as good as new.
Yul, hard to know. The culture of group riding on this board is pretty broad and as such a corporate reevaluation might be difficult. We tried to come up with a pacing system the other day and no amount of circling could resolve the innate complexities (yet); I think this would be comparable to that.
For me, I know that every single time I throw a leg over my bike is a good time to reevaluate my riding. And right after that, every decision, prediction, and eventual outcome is more data to be crunched.
a.s.
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Could it be time to reevaluate the culture of group riding here with the Co-Director crashing more times in one season than many in a lifetime of motorcycling?
I mean no offense. I am just indicating the alarming statistics of this group and crashes. And it would not be an issue if the mantra of the this association did not include an emphasis on safe riding. I just recall the front page having a outline of safe riding practices which I thoroughly respected. Has the absence of that page now communicated a philosophy shift? Has the focus of balancing of riding safely and fun been eliminated?
I am just curious. I have not attended a group ride with anyone here, but reading these recent reports and posts about crashes has been rather concerning to me.
I've covered 10's of thousands of twisty miles with Tony over the past decade and this is the first year I've ever known him to be involved in a crash. In the past decade there has been no change to the way the MSTA thinks of riding safety. Knowing Tony, he is reevaluating his own riding as he knows, the first and primary person responsible for any crash is the rider.
I too crashed earlier this year, while leading in TN. Probably somewhat of a similar situation to Tony's, I crashed on a road where I had slowed down because I had seen gravel on the road and expected to see more (Tony had moderated his pace due to wet conditions). I failed to see gravel in a heavily shaded corner while coming out of bright sunlight and rode straight through it and crashed. Did the group dynamic have any hand in the crash? Nope, not as far as I can tell. Had I seen the gravel at the pace I was going, I could have easily ridden around it. For me, what I'm learning after having a detached retina a few years ago, my eyesight just ain't what it used to be. The insults of age I'm learning are catching up with me, and as these impact people to varying degrees, I doubt it really has anything to do with the group dynamic or balancing of safety and riding fun.
Given Tony's history and the group's history I would not be surprised if he might be coming to the same conclusions as me, but in any case, as always the thing which the club emphasizes still obtains, the rider is the one who is responsible for the crash and the rider needs to reevaluate their riding following a crash.
FWIW.
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Nice first post, moron!
Tony, see you in Goodhue County shortly
Could it be time to reevaluate the culture of group riding here with the Co-Director crashing more times in one season than many in a lifetime of motorcycling?
I mean no offense. I am just indicating the alarming statistics of this group and crashes. And it would not be an issue if the mantra of the this association did not include an emphasis on safe riding. I just recall the front page having a outline of safe riding practices which I thoroughly respected. Has the absence of that page now communicated a philosophy shift? Has the focus of balancing of riding safely and fun been eliminated?
I am just curious. I have not attended a group ride with anyone here, but reading these recent reports and posts about crashes has been rather concerning to me.
Damn, you beat me to it.
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I am not offering up any lame excuses for Tony, he knows what he did wrong or didn't do right.
But since I have the bike in front of me and have seen hundreds of crashed bikes over the years.
I will offer this up, his front tire was brand new the day they left (i put it on) The crash happened early the first day of riding.
The tire right now is not even scuffed on either side within 1.5" of the edge.....It is highly likely a contributing factor in the crash (I was not there and am not flying 800 miles away so I can't do an accident reconstruction). This does not make it any better or any worse, it is still a crash. But it is a factor to consider
Furthermore considering I have customers who have crashed more than a half dozen times in a single season (yes from those other forums), and plenty more who wear crashing as a badge of honor( again from those other forums), I think Tonys 2 (and it is 2...the deer hit was not a crash, the wind blowing a parked unattended bike over is not a crash) crashes this year, both in Arkansas compared to his years without a crash and tens of thousands of miles riding this year alone....Well it can happen to the best of riders, it is unfortunate.
YUL-way to join just to be a douche, must be from one of "those forums" douchebaggery is a pre-requisite.
Why don't you post up your real name and your riding resume'...The "real" members on here all know who each other are.
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Is it too early to get some popcorn?
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This thread is about extending good thoughts toward Tony. Let's please keep it in that vein.
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Sorry to hear of your accident Tk. Heal up quick Bud!
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First off Tony get well.
Could it be time to reevaluate the culture of group riding here with the Co-Director crashing more times in one season than many in a lifetime of motorcycling?
I mean no offense. I am just indicating the alarming statistics of this group and crashes. And it would not be an issue if the mantra of the this association did not include an emphasis on safe riding. I just recall the front page having a outline of safe riding practices which I thoroughly respected. Has the absence of that page now communicated a philosophy shift? Has the focus of balancing of riding safely and fun been eliminated?
I am just curious. I have not attended a group ride with anyone here, but reading these recent reports and posts about crashes has been rather concerning to me.
Yul, having not ridden with Tony or any of us for that matter, you should STFU.
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Tony, how many years have we ridden together??? How many years has it been since we both had our last major accidents.....I think it was 10 now and they both involved stupid cage drivers.) I really wish you didn't have that solo crash, because now it means it's probably my turn. :)
Hope all is well with you and you are able to manage. Let me know if you need anything, Make sure you are healed by Twistar next year.
Paul
(Sarcasm alert) PS, maybe it's time you stopped riding with groups and get yourself a Gold Wing. I hear group riding with sportbikes is dangerous on this forum.
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BTW, thanks for letting us know Greg. I wonder if this would be a good time to chip in for a cheap laptop for Tony.
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I haven't known Tony as long as some of you, but in the few years I have known and ridden with him, he has proven to be one of the most respected street riders on my list. Tony is the absolute last guy I would expect to be involved in any kind of crash. Especially one where ego might have been a factor. He is highly experianced and perfectly capable of riding a swift pace but all the while staying well within his limits. I have never seen any different out of him. I'm sure he will be reflecting on recent events.
Anyway, get well Tony. We're all pulling for you.
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I just got a VM from Tony. He sends his thanks to everyone and wants them to know he now has crutches. Apparently the calls and offers of crutches are still flocking in and he is thankful for the offers of assistance but is finding it hard to respond to everyone.
He also said he won't be able to get in front of a computer for a few days (probably Monday), so don't take offense to his not posting here.
Greg
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Tony, so very sorry to hear about this. I hope and pray you heal fast and completely.
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Is there a pot yet on how long before that Lloyd guy reems this YUL character a new asshole? I want in.
Tony It was great seeing you wednesday, you were all smiles and jokes. It is always great to have you around, and you can ride with me anytime!!
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Tony--So sorry to hear about your injury. Sending positive thought your way and hoping for a quick recovery!
~ d
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Sorry to hear about the crash Tony but glad to hear that you are in good spirits!!
God speed for a fast & full recovery....look forward to riding with you again next season!!
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Is there a pot yet on how long before that Lloyd guy reems this YUL character a new asshole? I want in.
Tony It was great seeing you wednesday, you were all smiles and jokes. It is always great to have you around, and you can ride with me anytime!!
you mean im searching for a thread that hasnt been made yet?
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Hey Tony,
I know you went down but you are far from out of motorcycling years of fun!
Glad we had a chance to ride one ride together this year and I will be happy to buy you another cone when you are ready to ride again :)
Praying you will heal fast and get pain free even sooner - Let us know what we can do to help.
I love the idea of get him a nice laptop to use at home during his recovery or hang on to for good.
Anyone that has one or wants to coordinate a cash for a computer drive - I would be willing to help get this ball rolling so he could get online next week from home would be huge :)
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Tony sorry to hear. A broken femur sounds horrible to me having broken my radius and ulna in half a few years back, but your body will heal! All I've ever heard and known is that Tony is a great rider - there's a lot of risks in riding and crap happens to the best of us. With MN averaging multiple motorcycle deaths per week during the summer - remember how much worse any of the accidents of MSTA members could have been.
Greg, thanks for the update and for sticking with Tony after the accident - that's more than once you've done that.
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With MN averaging multiple motorcycle deaths per week during the summer - remember how much worse any of the accidents of MSTA members could have been.
Isn't that the truth. I think a lot of this has to do with more bikes on the road, more miles ridden in a season, more publicity, & many other factors. This sport isn't what it was when I got into it back in 1999 that's for sure.
Greg, thanks for the update and for sticking with Tony after the accident - that's more than once you've done that.
I agree there...kudo's to you for doing that on multiple occasions Greg.
TK...when you do get around to seeing this, I have some chili from the chili feed I'm going to arrange to drop by for you. There's two different kinds & I was told there should be plenty left to bring to you. So unlike last year you'll actually get some this time!! LOL
Look forward to seeing you back on here & seeing you in person in the coming days.
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Tony,
I wish that you heal quick.
We will ride again. Think of Black Canyon next year. :)
Allon
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sucks to read - known Tony a long time! When you read this, tk, I have a folder full of stickers that are guaranteed to make those crutches faster - and a can of tennis balls I'm offering as spare parts for that shitty walker! Get better.
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Wishing you a full and speedy recovery Tony! The silver lining here is the riding season is about over so you'll be back on your feet in time for spring :)
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Many thanks, vielen dank, muchas gracias, merci beaucoup and mille o tante grazie for all the
positive comments and kind thoughts. I'm getting along quite well with the walker but the crutches
are much better in tight places and for climbing steps.
Greg described the crash. I just might add that at no point on the ride did either of my tires
slip, slide, or brake traction in any way until the crash. At the time of the crash I believe I was
in a very modest lean at about 60-70 indicated. Others say more like 50-60. Either way we
were not going fast. I think maybe the fact that I didn't allow sufficient time to better scrub
in the new front tire contributed to my loss of traction.
I'm staying with a neighbor so I may not retrieve messages on my home phone. The speaker
is worn out on my cell phone so I can't take calls or voice messages. Best to text me or pm as
I will be getting to a computer more often next week.
Thanks for offers of assistance. Really all I need right now is a wizard capable of coordinating
all the paperwork between the various organizations involved in sorting this mess out (Blue Cross
Blue Shield, VA, Physical Therapy of MN, North Regional, etc.). I am now in wizard training. At
some future date I will start a thread on health care system SNAFUs I have encountered.
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Yeah!!! TK...Glad your on the mend..guessing no Frontier ride this time ;) Good to hear from you..Get well soon Tony
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very good to hear TK!!!
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so glad you're on the mend. Let me know if/when you need anything?
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Damn TK, sorry to hear bout this. Ive ridden with you a few times.
As you know ,i also broke my femur in august in my accident :( The first few weeks arent fun, but ive got better fast after that. Im now walking with a cane.
Hope to see you on the road again.
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I am not offering up any lame excuses for Tony, he knows what he did wrong or didn't do right.
But since I have the bike in front of me and have seen hundreds of crashed bikes over the years.
I will offer this up, his front tire was brand new the day they left (i put it on) The crash happened early the first day of riding.
The tire right now is not even scuffed on either side within 1.5" of the edge.....It is highly likely a contributing factor in the crash (I was not there and am not flying 800 miles away so I can't do an accident reconstruction). This does not make it any better or any worse, it is still a crash. But it is a factor to consider
Well I wasn't going to say anything about but I saw Tony and he bike yesterday. Lloyd is right on. I didn't think the tire looked like it had been rolled across the parking lot let alone 20 miles. When I talk to Tony about it and he was telling me what happen it was like he was telling me he was sorry. I have know Tony maybe twice as long as any one here and we have taken many trips and ride together. You can break in a tire in two or three laps on the track but in the rain you better be looking at them to make sure they are broke in. Some times shit just happens and we all even when we have years of experience still have a thing or two to learn. It's just a shame that the price is so high sometimes. On a side note Tony told me how lucky he was that it was raining because he would have had to take the chopper so he save some money. Your so lucky Tony.
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Tony is a gem and an ace in our community and I'm proud to have ridden with him.
This could not be better said.
Speedy recovery, Tony!
Ehrich
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So glad to see TK's smiling face last night at First Thursday... he's in good spirits and while he has some hard PT to endure in the coming months, we'll be able to ride with him next season. So thankful!
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Tony is laughing showing me his really trick crotches. The sad thing is I have a set of those really trick crotches also. Don't ask why.
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I am not offering up any lame excuses for Tony, he knows what he did wrong or didn't do right.
Well I wasn't going to say anything about but I saw Tony and he bike yesterday. Lloyd is right on. I didn't think the tire looked like it had been rolled across the parking lot let alone 20 miles. When I talk to Tony about it and he was telling me what happen it was like he was telling me he was sorry. I have know Tony maybe twice as long as any one here and we have taken many trips and ride together. You can break in a tire in two or three laps on the track but in the rain you better be looking at them to make sure they are broke in. Some times shit just happens and we all even when we have years of experience still have a thing or two to learn. It's just a shame that the price is so high sometimes. On a side note Tony told me how lucky he was that it was raining because he would have had to take the chopper so he save some money. Your so lucky Tony.
Vince your post was right on from all I've heard...its good that we're all friends here so this sort of fthing doesn't get out of hand. LOL
Tony I still have some chili for you from the feed.....we'll just have to figure out when I can come meet you at your place to deliver. We'll be in touch.
Mark/Tumbler
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the best part about First Thursday's for me, was seeing tk.
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The best part for me was ;
not being there and having my bike used to set a greasy pizza box on........
Yes kim I will forever haunt you with this....When is that man of yours coming over to detail my bike like he said he would, for his atonement?
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suck it Lloyd. I'm from New York, no haunting from you scares me!
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So I guess I won't be recieving a christmas card from you then??
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Yes Kim I do realize it was likely as much or more the fault of those damn men you were with---Don't worry I have good payback in mind for them...You I just like to harrass a little....LOL
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TK, I'm not working again yet for a couple of weeks at least. Even though my cars are manual transmission I have figured out how to drive with just my left hand. ;D
So let me know if you need a ride to run an errand, etc. that you can't quite do yourself. With your one good leg and my one good arm we can be unstoppable.
Ehrich
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TK, I'm not working again yet for a couple of weeks at least. Even though my cars are manual transmission I have figured out how to drive with just my left hand. ;D
So let me know if you need a ride to run an errand, etc. that you can't quite do yourself. With your one good leg and my one good arm we can be unstoppable.
Ehrich
you'll join the Handicapable ranks!
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Another member for team short bus
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so that brings it up to 5 now?
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Probably need a Greyhound soon :o
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i'm going to play it again for used hockey helmets
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LOL
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I have a set of those really trick crotches also.
WTF!!!!! lol ohhhhh you mean crutches ?? (sure hope so :P)
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Another member for team short bus
It's faster and more maneuverable.
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TK, I'm not working again yet for a couple of weeks at least. Even though my cars are manual transmission I have figured out how to drive with just my left hand. ;D
So let me know if you need a ride to run an errand, etc. that you can't quite do yourself. With your one good leg and my one good arm we can be unstoppable.
Ehrich
LOL Thanks for the offer Ehrich but I think I am good to go now.
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Even better that you are all set. ;D