The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: survival

  • Surviving and thriving in a post-internet world

    Surviving and thriving in a post-internet world

    By｜Ian Thompson

    In preparation for the worst case scenario that net neutrality is reversed and the internet simply becomes a massively censored shitpile of corporate mind control and political propaganda, I have made a list of how to survive and enjoy life in a post-internet world. Don’t worry, it will be like living in the 1980s.

    1. Learn how to rent a movie at a video store. Now that you can’t binge watch hours of your favorite shows online, it’s time to brave the outside world and somehow get to the video store without using your GPS. You’re going to have to learn how to pick movies for yourself. You could ask the clerk to place a Certified Fresh label or Rotten Tomatoes ratings next to the the DVDs if it helps with the transition. You could also ask the clerk to yell a percentage at you when you pick up a movie, if that’s easier. But it’s best if you learn how to choose movies through trial and error. Yes, you will end up getting movies that suck, and you won’t be able to quit watching immediately and switch to a different movie.
    2. Invest in arcades. Your days of “pwning” 12-year-old South Korean kids on Call of Duty is over. Now that you can’t play online games, it’s time to go to your local arcade and challenge kids face to face in the arena. Arcades are awesome. You actually have to socialize with people when you’re there. You’re also standing up and walking around so you won’t be an immobile blob who never leaves the couch.
    3. Learn how to ask people out in person and go on awkward dates. Yes, you will have to learn how to meet people by actually going out and being part of society. You will have to learn how to get to know people beyond a snapshot they put on Tinder. You can’t rely on the algorithms of online dating sites or the superficiality of hookup sites. You’re going to have to learn how to ask someone out face to face. It won’t always be great. Sometimes you will be denied, other times you will realize that the person is too much like your annoying aunt or uncle. You may actually have to get to know the person by spending time with them before you decide if you like them or not. It’s okay, that is normal. Yes, you are more vulnerable than just scrolling through pics on an online dating site, but being vulnerable is a vital part of love. And sometimes it pays off.
    4. Cultivate your own opinions. Don’t be scared to try the Indian food place that people think is sketchy or the new taco truck that isn’t as good as the one that got a five-star rating on Yelp. Remember, you are living in a post-Yelp world. Like so much of life now, you will have to live through trial and error. Would it really kill you to try a new restaurant that you may not know has insanely good reviews? Just eat the food and figure it out for yourself! Not everyone has the same taste buds or tastes in food, music, art and fashion. There is no such thing as an objectively good restaurant, so eat whatever the fuck you want! Don’t be scared to honestly ask yourself how you feel about a certain cafe, movie or business. You will need to use critical thinking which may have been weakened by relying on online reviews and others’ opinions for too long.
    5. Say goodbye to fake Facebook friends and old high school acquaintances. This may be one of the best parts of living in a post-internet world. No, I don’t care that a girl I had a crush on in junior year of high school now has three kids and just got promoted to senior sales associate at Forever 21. I don’t care that one of my old drinking buddies is now an ultra evangelical Christian who married his pastor’s daughter. And that’s ok. Just because you don’t want to keep up with people who are no longer a part of your life doesn’t mean you’re a bad person or that you hate them. It means life is short and you should invest time in people who are in your lives now who you love and care about.
  • An HSU student’s seizure survival story

    An HSU student’s seizure survival story

    By Erin Chessin

    Ryanne Bailey in the hospital with her father, Mark Rivero | Denise Bailey

    Senior recreation major Ryanne Bailey was 17 years old when she woke up and could not recognize anyone, even her own parents.

    “That’s when they told me I had a seizure,” Bailey said.

    One minute Bailey was taking a shower, the next thing she knew she was riding in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.

    “I woke up and started pulling the IVs from my arms,” Bailey said. “I didn’t know what was happening.”

    Earlier in the day before the incident, Bailey had a busy schedule. She skipped breakfast, went to class and made an effort to catch up on school work. She had an extensive amount of homework to catch up on after being gone for a week and a half on a school-related field trip to Washington D.C. She didn’t get back to her hometown in Las Vegas until late Sunday evening.

    Without having much to eat that day, Bailey went to a two-hour long track practice, followed by another two-hour long Powder-Puff football practice. Strained and drained from the day’s activities, she took a nap at her grandma’s house while waiting for her parents to pick her up and take her home.

    At home, the demand of school work and the physical exhaustion from sports was taking a toll on her. She decided she needed a hot shower after dinner. It was around 10 p.m.

    That’s when things took a turn for the worst.

    “We heard something loudly banging against the wall, so I ran to the bathroom to see if she was okay,”   Bailey’s mother, Denise Bailey, said.

    The water was still running when she saw her daughter shaking uncontrollably in the bathtub. Her mother picked her up out of the shower and set her on the floor.

    Mark Rivero, Bailey’s father, is a retired firefighter. He had seen numerous people have seizures before in the 20 years he worked at the City of Las Vegas Fire Department. Still, his heart could not handle it when he witnessed his own daughter have a seizure. “This was by far the hardest seizure to watch,”  Rivero said.

    Bailey’s mother called 911. She waited outside for the ambulance to arrive, shaken by the culmination of events.

    “When Mark said she had stopped breathing, I stepped outside. I couldn’t watch my daughter die,” Denise Bailey said.

    Emergency personnel arrived to the family’s home in a matter of minutes. Firefighters were handling her when Bailey woke up and tried to reach to turn off the water in the shower.

    There are three possible outcomes that can happen to a person after they have had a seizure.

    Firefighters told Bailey’s parents she would either wake up and continue what she was doing, her brain would reset itself and she won’t remember anything that happened, or she will gain abnormal strength and act violently.

    Everyone was shocked to witness the 17-year-old display all three behaviors.

    Bailey tried to push the firefighters off of her. When she fell asleep again, they were successful in getting her into the ambulance.

    Then she woke up again during the ride. She tried to pull the IVs out of her arms. Ambulance personnel quickly stopped her and informed her she had a seizure and needed to keep them in.

    “I was so confused. I didn’t know what was happening,” said Bailey.

    Bailey was rushed into emergency care. Doctors ran an entire panel of drug tests on her, and conducted various tests throughout the next couple of days to figure out the cause of the seizure. All results of the tests, the CAT scan, X-Ray, MRI, and blood sugar analysis, came back negative. Even the MRI showed her brain was in perfect condition.

    A nurse relayed to Bailey’s parents that they were going to have to do a spinal tap on her in order to test for meningitis.

    Meningitis can have fatal results if not treated promptly, however Bailey’s parents were skeptical of the spinal tap. If done incorrectly, a spinal tap can cause permanent paralysis of the spine.

    Bailey’s parents allowed the doctors to administer the spinal tap. The procedure was the most painful experience Bailey has ever endured till this day.

    “It’s excruciating pain, and a slow process too,” said Bailey.

    The cerebrospinal fluid was tested for meningitis and came back negative. The family was relieved, but frustrated at the same time to still have no idea what caused the seizure.

    For the next two weeks, Bailey suffered adverse side effects from the spinal tap. She could not bend her knees, which made walking an agonizing pain.

    Bailey continued to go to school, her teachers showed understanding.

    HSU recreation major, Ryanne Bailey | Samantha Kerby

    Denise Bailey had not recovered from the emotional distress of her daughter’s seizure. For the next couple of weeks after the incident she slept in the same bed as her daughter every night. Whenever something drops on the floor, Denise is quick to rush into the room.

    “I’m a very protective parent. But when you have seen your daughter nearly die, you tend to be overprotective,” Denise Bailey said.

    Bailey has not had any more seizures since the one that occurred when she was 17 years old. Even at 22 years old, the possibilities of having another seizure in any moment at any time is daunting, but taking medication helps assure her that she is safe.