My grandmother passed away a few days ago. Something that is very new and very real to me now. I have never had anyone die in my family, or that I was close to. So to see her in the last days of her life was something that was very hard to deal with for me and the rest of the people who were close to her.

She just lived down the street from where I grew up, so I spent a lot of time with her and I was always known as “Grandmas good boy”. She used to call me that so much as a kid that I thought that it was my name for a while. She was a great Grandmother and really my only idea of a grandparent as I don’t have any contact with my fathers side of the family and my Grandfather died when I was very young from lung cancer. I have many great memories of my Grandmother. From spending hours at the mall during Christmas doing our shopping to going to the Del Mar Fair every year and eating cinnamon rolls and browsing the vendors.

She was a very special woman to many people and she will always be remembered.

I love you Grandma.

Below is an article titled Remembering Clara McGinnis that was printed in Oceanside’s North County Times newspaper a few days ago.

With the weather getting warmer [as if it's not always warm in San Diego] I’ve started to round up the friends for weekend bbq’s. Carne asada tacos, adult beverages and good company.

Well I hope that everyone else’s new year started off better than mine did.

For starters, and even though it didn’t happen this year, but lingered on over into 2008, I got hit by a car while riding my bike. Yeah broken arm, messed up stuff working out day by day, life will go on. But I started my 2008 off, and January 1st to be exact, with the flu. Yes that’s right the good ol’ influenza virus. Instead of waking up with a hangover, which I did not because I know my alcoholic intake limits, I woke up coughing up phlegm and just not feeling right.

I get home and just feel worn out so I hop in bed and don’t manage to get out for the next 3 days! Pretty soon my head was pounding, my body ached all over and the coughing continued along with waking up in the middle of the night dripping with sweat. It was awful, and I soon found out that other people from the party had caught the same virus. If you are sick and you know you are sick STAY HOME! I don’t care if it’s new years eve, your 21st birthday, or if you were just released from prison after being in there for 10 years and they finally realized the dna sample didn’t match yours, stay home! It’s pretty rude and inconsiderate to be spreading your funk around. Enough of that rant.

Well to top my first week of 2008 off in style I received my first parking ticket, while I watched from the third story office where I was having physical therapy today. What a drag, I mean can it get any worse? I think not, so I guess this means for the rest of 2008 I should have it pretty easy. Don’t you wish you were me and got it all out of the way this fast? Probably not.

Well I managed to make it up here to Oceanside today to see my attorney by way of the San Diego MTS, and the Coaster to find out that my chances of even having a legit case is slim to none. I wasn’t planning on tons of money, but enough to pay off my hospital bills, pain and suffering and absence of work income, and as of now due to me being a nice guy that might be all I will get.

I’ve told myself before to stop being nice to people because it never seems to work out and this might just be another case where once again I prove that point to myself. The fact that when I was hit and the person that hit me immediately apologized I apologized back and took the blame by saying I ran the stop sign. Stupid move I know, but that is Evan McGinnis, Mr. Honest. I knew she didn’t intentionally mean to hit me, so I didn’t know what else to say to her but “it’s ok” even though I had a bone sticking out of my arm and I was in complete shock. I guess it should just be a lesson to me and to others to follow the rules of the road and not think that you’re above the law just because you’re on a bicycle.

As of right now I am waiting to hear back from my doctor because I need to get an arm brace that limits the movement of my arm, so that I can start exercising it so I don’t lose all range of motion in my arm, which is what will happen if I don’t get this brace a.s.a.p and start physical therapy.

So I haven’t added any new posts lately mainly from being busy with work and life, but now I have a lot of spare time due to my broken-ness.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend I was riding my bike around San Diego and was struck by a car while going through a 4 way stop intersection. This incident put me in the hospital for a few days and also resulted in a shattered left elbow and a fractured right wrist.

My left elbow had to be reconstructed with pins, rods and a metal plate. My Ulna was shattered beyond recognition where it meets the Humerus bone [the elbow] which allows one to turn their palm face up and face down. My surgeon said it was the worst case he had seen in his 7-8 yrs of being a joint surgeon. He estimated that the surgery would take approx. 3.5 hours, however it took 7.5 hours, but to me it was only seconds since I was knocked out.

In addition to the shattered left elbow I have a cast on my right arm due to a fractured wrist, so I have very little use of my hands which makes it difficult to dress and take care of myself and I also cannot drive, so mass transit is now my best friend.

So I’m out of work and income for 6 or so weeks which is difficult with bills and rent. I am on some good pain killers, however they cause me to sweat and wake up with headaches.

I just got back from the surgeons office today for a checkup and I was able to see a few x-rays of what was going on inside of my arm and it was pretty crazy. At least 6 screws screwed through a metal plate into my arm and a titanium joint to allow my arm to bend. I have an incision of at least 6 inches long with approx. 20 staples. I was told that I would be able to get the cast that is on my right arm off and replaced with a wrist brace that will at least be removable and allow me to move my right hand better. I’m now in the process of obtaining a brace for my left arm that will allow me to move my arm, but extending it will be limited just so I can at least exercise it.

Other than being in slight pain every once in a while I am doing pretty good with support of friends and family.