Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

This blog will pay for itself.

Everybody saw this coming.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

People are weird.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

In my day, never was longer.

We will not go back.

I really should read my own blog.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

You are here: Home / Balloon Juice / Readership Capture / Mary G. Update

Mary G. Update

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Spoke with the dispatched in California and help is on the way. Someone else had already called right before me.

You all are good people.

BTW- I called my own 911 first thinking they might have a faster way to get in touch, like a 911 network or something. The conversation went like this:

Dispatcher: 911, what’s your emergency?

Me: I don’t have an emergency personally, but a friend fell in California and I need to call 911 in San Clemente for her. Do you know the number for 911 there?

Dispatcher: Umm. 911.

Me: That’s not helpful.

Dispatcher: Yeah, you’re going to have to look it up.

So much fail.

Reader Interactions

161Comments

  1. 1.

    Trollhattan

    Sheesh. “Naw, we don’t do other counties.”
    “State”
    “States, counties, whatever. Please state your emergency.”

    Now I need to ponder what I’d do in a similar pickle.

  3. 3.

    notquiteblindbutcertainlynearsighted

    An honest-to-God happy ending (assuming that Mary G will be okay). This was heart warming in many ways. Also a lot of nail biting.

  4. 4.

    eclare

    John Oliver had a bit how underfunded 911 service is, but I don’t think he got into the different states/cities.

  6. 6.

    scav

    Must admit, there’s a joke in here somewhere about the interconnected magic of the interwebs and how many digital commenters does it take to call 911.

    Still, my genome should talk. My dad once radioed a boat so they they could contact the coast guard (or similar) so that they could call out wildland search and rescue when he broke his hip while hiking. (Because of course he would have a maritime radio in his pack but no crampons.)

  7. 7.

    Immanentize

    I just tuned in — read the other thread. Godspeed MayG!!

    And the rest of you are amazing — proven real friends in need. Thank you all for reminding me that not all humans are selfish mofos.

  9. 9.

    henqiguai

    For those of us having no clue (’cause a job and can’t randomly surf during the day) what happened?

  10. 10.

    Trollhattan

    @scav:
    That’s some MacGuyver stuff right there.

    I now tote a DeLorme InReach when hiking and backpacking because at this point I’ve harvested hundreds of anecdotes re. folks who would have survived with an effective remote comms device. It’s different from a PLB in that communication is two-way (simple text) and it supports non-emergency check-in (includes GPS track). The fam loves it when I’m on multi-day trips, especially solo, and they give me the forecast.

  11. 11.

    JPL

    @henqiguai: Commentor Mary, fell and she is wheelchair bound. She had her tablet so was able to comment. She needed someone to call 911.

  12. 12.

    Miss Bianca

    OK, I’m probably a bad person, but that 911 exchange had me L’ingOL.

    Now I’ve got office kitty Lefty snuggled on my lap and I don’t wanna get up. Help?!

  13. 13.

    Mnemosyne

    @henqiguai:

    Frequent commenter Mary G posted in the other thread that she had fallen while her roommate/caregiver was out and couldn’t get to the phone to call 911. John and Betty called and got the paramedics there. She just posted again and said the paramedics were cute and she probably doesn’t have to go to the ER, so it all worked out.

  14. 14.

    Trollhattan

    @henqiguai:
    A regular poster, Mary G, had a literal help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up incident and needed help reaching emergency services. My impression is she is not injured.

  16. 16.

    Davebo

    I thought I’d seen it all on the innertubes but this is a first.

    I’m sure someone has tweeted out that “my water broke” but I haven’t seen it.

  18. 18.

    Mnemosyne

    Why am I the only one who noted the detail that the paramedics were cute? Now I feel like a dirty old lady.

  19. 19.

    Miss Bianca

    @Iowa Old Lady: If BJ could coordinate a rescue interstate for me like that, I’d say my nightmares wouldn’t be so bad! But knowing me, I’d take a tumble off a mountain with no tablet handy! And probably no cell service either!

    @Mnemosyne: I noticed. Of course, I *am* a DOL.

  22. 22.

    hovercraft

    When the internet works for the good, Balloon Juice, a real community. Nice job.
    Best wishes Mary G.

  24. 24.

    MattF

    So, it looks like Blogistan is the actual continental 911 network. Hmm. Cripes.

  27. 27.

    humboldtblue

    @Trollhattan: We just had a father and son get lost in the Marble Mountain wilderness, more than five days overdue, but on Monday night they were able to start a small signal fire that was spotted by the Siskiyou SO search and rescue team and they were pulled to safety. Search and Rescue is taken very seriously up this way and between them and the Coast Guard they are called out several times a month. Just to the north search and rescue and the Coasties are searching for a downed plane that went down in the Pacific Monday night.

    Ironic twist — The forest service is now battling a wildfire in the Marble Mountain wilderness

  30. 30.

    AnotherBruce

    Jeez I leave for an hour and you people are being all heroic and stuff. The drama never ends here. Just kidding, I hope you’re alright Mary G. And I suspect you are.

  31. 31.

    Vince

    FYI, if you need to dial 911 for another city/state call 411 or the operator and ask for 911 in City, State.

  33. 33.

    NotMax

    First, excellent work.

    Second, has Higgs moved on? Last I recall he was still camping at Mary’s wigwam.

  37. 37.

    Cckids

    @scav:

    My dad once radioed a boat so they they could contact the coast guard (or similar) so that they could call out wildland search and rescue when he broke his hip while hiking. (Because of course he would have a maritime radio in his pack but no crampons.)

    I once called 911 from my son’s hospital room. He had a post-surgical infection, & his fever started spiking higher & higher till he started having seizures. We’d been using the bed “nurse call” button to no avail, my husband chased around the floor looking for someone. . .nothing.

    So, I called 911, told them the kid was having febrile seizures; when they asked for my location I said, “We’re in room 326, Sunrise Hospital, and can’t get a nurse”. “You’re serious?” Yep. About 20 seconds later there was a stampede to his room. We never got a solid answer as to WTF was happening.

  40. 40.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    That’s like that Homer Simpson clip, in reverse. Or in some direction.

    Fun factoid: In the UK, you dial 999, not 911. I watched dispatchers at work once and one of them explained to me that because it’s easier to pocket dial 9 three times in a row, they get a lot more false alarms. Then I saw several of those come in. “Hello what’s your emergency? Hello? Helloooo…”. They get them all day long.

    The moral of the story I think is that the entire Brexit vote was a massive butt dial.

    Anyway good work John. This blog can do anything!

  42. 42.

    Trollhattan

    @humboldtblue:
    Wow, quite the collision of mishaps. Glad they were rescued; the cover is really heavy in that area, making it easy to get lost and hard to be seen.

  43. 43.

    Helen

    This place rocks. Really.

    Also, too the internet. When 9/11 happened I was in NYC and my Dad was on Long Island, 40 miles away. The phone lines did not work. So my sister in VA, 500 miles away emails me and says Daddy can’t contact you. Where are you? I emailed her that I was fine. She was able to call him and tell him I was fine.

    Glad Mary G is well. And here’s to cute paramedics!

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    @Vince

    If one lives someplace were either of those pick up the phone. Usually give up after 25 rings.

    True story.

    Moire years ago than care to say, was present when a friend had to call the operator for something (we had a party line – way, way out in the boonies – so often had to utilize the operator if the phone went wonky).

    He got settled whatever it was and then, flirting, commented about what a beautiful voice she had and what a nice, helpful person she was. The following is a rough approximation of the rest of the conversation:

    “Was thinking that maybe you’d like to get together sometime – maybe for a dinner or something. Can I have your number?”

    “Zero.”

  48. 48.

    lamh36

    Dang, I havent had a chance to check in all day. So I had no idea what was going on with this post. Thought it may have been a pet rescue post…but NOPE.

    Glad to hear Mary G…got the help from paramedics she needed!

  49. 49.

    rikyrah

    Mac.
    ‏@MacAndCheeks
    Y’all. NBC just acquired 600 PAGES of disciplinary records for 2 officers involved. 5 times investigated for use of force. #AltonSterling

  52. 52.

    raven

    @NotMax: I’m reading “Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life ” and the dude is living in a car and surfing Honolua Bay. It’s in the late 60’s, I bet it was incredible!

  53. 53.

    AdamK

    @Miss Bianca: Being trapped by a sleeping lap animal is an ancient and unsolvable dilemma. The profit Mohammad (peace be all over his blessed butt) is said to have cut off his sleeve because a cat was sleeping on it.

  54. 54.

    AnotherBruce

    Yes moose are vegetarian, and moose are ill-tempered. Therefore all vegetarians are ill-tempered. It’s science!

  61. 61.

    NotMax

    @raven

    Paia was Hippie Central and land was cheap. Locals have lots of stories from then, which seem to always end with the hippies filching mangos.

    When I arrived here in ’83 the county population (3 inhabited islands) was well under 50,000. Less than that during the time period you mentioned.

  62. 62.

    Heckblazer

    When I lived in LA I broke my arm when I fell off my bike and landed on it wrong. Fortunately, I had my cell phone with me and called 911. Unfortunately this was LA, where cell calls to 911 go to the CHP so people can report traffic accidents; since it was rush hour I ended up stuck on hold.

  63. 63.

    Adam L Silverman

    @rikyrah: @MomSense: I figured that would be the case when I saw the governor of Minnesota come out and indicate that race definitely played a role. As I said last night, this is going to be very, very ugly. The firearms sites and blogs aren’t going to know how to jump. Largely because of the commenters. And my guess is that the various 2nd Amendment groups are going to keep their mouths shut. Given that the NRA brands itself these days as America’s largest and oldest Civil Rights organization, this should get interesting.

  64. 64.

    rikyrah

    John Legend ✔ @johnlegend
    We have fucking video proof and some of you still are all “well, uh, he shouldn’t have moved his left leg so provocatively”.
    1:57 AM – 7 Jul 2016

    John Legend ✔ @johnlegend
    We should not have to jump through hoops to prove black people shouldn’t be shot by police during routine traffic stops.
    1:55 AM – 7 Jul 201

  70. 70.

    debbie

    @Heckblazer:

    I got a recorded message when I called 911 after a home invasion. I wrote a letter complaining about it to the editor of my local newspaper, and the response from a 911 operator made me out to be an ingrate.

  71. 71.

    rikyrah

    John LegendVerified account
    ‏@johnlegend
    So many people work so hard to find a reason why executing a human being during a routine traffic stop is ok. IT’S NOT OK

  74. 74.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Someone (probably rikyrah) in the other thread had a tweet from a reporter who said that the rep from Gun Owners of America hung up when asked if they were going to make a statement about a CCP holder being killed by police.

  75. 75.

    henqiguai

    I forgot, this is the ‘Juice. Thanks everyone for the update. By now it looks like every thing worked out. Excellent. Now, back to being pathetically warm and wiped out; the party life…

  76. 76.

    Heckblazer

    @debbie: technically, I had a “please stand by recording”. Fortunately a passing motorcycle cop saw me and radioed in for an ambulance.

  77. 77.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Also, I do wonder if the fact that Castile was a CCP holder is going to stir up the less racist of the 2nd Amendment fanatics. (Yes, they’re small in numbers, but they actually do exist, and a lot of them were upset about the murder of John Crawford, too.) A few of them seem able to put themselves in other people’s shoes and don’t like the notion that a cop could shoot them even if they have a permit.

  78. 78.

    NotMax

    @raven

    Used to be laid back and funky. Has since become artsy-fartsy. Still lots of Deadheads there. At least now has a single traffic light, so traffic has improved – now gridlocked only about 60% of the time. I avoid driving through there if at all possible.

    During the heyday of sugar and pineapple, Paia was the major population center of Maui, surrounded on three sides by housing camps for the workers.

  79. 79.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mnemosyne: I saw that. Given that GOA’s president is certifiable and a grade A authoritarian, that doesn’t surprise me at all.

  81. 81.

    Emma

    Go do some errands and this is what I come back to. Well done, everyone! It sounds like Mary G. was very lucky in several ways.

  83. 83.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mnemosyne: Based on the comment sections at the world’s largest/most read firearms site: NO!!!!

    The reasonable commenters immediately get swarmed. If you’re wondering, “Dindu” is how these folks refer to African Americans that they have decided deserved whatever they got. Its short for “I didn’t do nothing!”. They think they’re being clever by not even using “thug”.
    http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2016/07/daniel-zimmerman/minnesota-concealed-carrier-shot-killed-police-traffic-stop/

    http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2016/07/robert-farago/breaking-alton-sterling-shooting-cops-sparks-outrage/

  84. 84.

    germy

    Think Progress: Darrell Issa Calls For Government Shutdown If Hillary Clinton Is Not Charged by Josh Israel

  85. 85.

    Mnemosyne

    @Yutsano:

    Sorry, no, you’ll have to use your imagination. In that area, there’s a good chance they would be named Luis or Miguel, if that helps.

  88. 88.

    AnotherBruce

    Well, since we’re downthread a ways. I’ll just put this statement by the Bernster out there.

    “We have got to do everything that we can to defeat Donald Trump and elect Hillary Clinton,” Sanders said Thursday to a Bloomberg reporter for a PBS program. “I don’t honestly know how we would survive four years of a Donald Trump [presidency].”

    Better Late than never, I guess, but not much better.

  89. 89.

    redshirt

    @Adam L Silverman: Do you ever feel dirty reading those sites?

    I do the same, and I find I need to let my mind clear of the anger and hate before moving on. They’re cesspools and they accurately reflect the attitudes of our fellow citizens.

  90. 90.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    That’s too bad. Even the cop Facebook sites seem to be trying to hold back their judgment, because these are both pretty egregious (with Minnesota being slightly more so — really, the licensed guy tells you he has a legal weapon, so you shoot him? WTF?)

  95. 95.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @germy: It would be much more productive for everyone involved if Darryl Issa were shut down.

  96. 96.

    Mnemosyne

    @Mary G:

    It’s okay, fewer than a dozen of us have ever met you. ? Besides, people needed to feel helpful after the bad news of the last couple of days.

  98. 98.

    Anne Laurie

    Glad you’re okay, MaryG!

    Kudos to you, John, and BettyC and all the commentors who stepped up.

  99. 99.

    Vince

    @NotMax: As far as I can tell, 411 is run nationally not locally so it shouldn’t matter where you’re calling from. Anecdotally, I travel a lot, including some very rural areas, and I’ve never had a problem with 411.

  102. 102.

    RyanG

    @Cckids: The solid answer about what was happening is most likely that the call button you pressed for seizures is the same button the patient on your left uses when they need a urinal and the patient on your right uses so ask for a fourth pillow. 911 is actually a decent way to go in this situation, the dispatchers will be able to call the ER hotline that paramedics use.

    Alternatively, depending on how the hospitals are designed where you are, somewhere on the wall in that room is probably a ‘Code Blue’ button that nurses use to call a CPR team. Perhaps along with a panic button that would call security. The patient in the bed can’t reach them, by design, but helpful parents or visitors could.

  103. 103.

    Baud

    @germy: There was a time when congressional pressure to influence prosecutorial discretion was considered a major encroachment on the prerogatives of the executive branch.

    I blame Obama.

  104. 104.

    AnotherBruce

    @Mnemosyne: Every time I go to one of these sites, they complain about black on black crime. They don’t seem to know anything about white on white crime. But it’s a fallback. As if this somehow excuses police for executing a black person. Facebook commenting sections are shit holes.

  105. 105.

    Barbara

    @Vince: I am glad Mary G. is going to be okay. Two things to consider: You can call a county level social services department. They almost always have 24 hour coverage, and they can dispatch 911 to a local home. Also, people who are wheelchair bound and live alone should consider LifeAlert or another emergency contact service.

  109. 109.

    NotMax

    @Vince

    Our phone company (often in bankruptcy) sucks the nether regions of donkeys.

    On the plus side, not owned by the Carlyle group anymore.

  110. 110.

    debbie

    @Mnemosyne:

    NPR interviewed the FOP rep in MN this afternoon and while he wasn’t as pugnacious as the guy from NYC (Sean Lynch?), he gave no ground on the possibility of police error.

  111. 111.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: this is going to be very, very interesting – and by interesting, I mean “squirm-inducing” – to watch the NRA and brother organizations try to writhe away from this one. Maybe this is the time to pull out the “yeah – gun rights – aren’t those supposed to be sacred and enshrined in the Constitution for *everybody*? And if not, why not?” line.

    We know why not. They know why not. But, gorram – I’d really like to see *someone* get all up into Wayne LaPierre’s grill with this line of questioning.

    @Mary G: Revel in it! And be glad you’re here to revel in it! We all are!

  119. 119.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Miss Bianca: As Adam pointed out last night, in the Minnesota case Castile was complying with the law by informing the officers he was armed, and that he was a concealed carry license holder. Didn’t do any good, as he was a CCL holder while blah.

  121. 121.

    Barb2

    Skype on tablet.

    You can call a landlines or cell phone using Skype.

    For 911 call you can look up the back door landlines phone number for your local emergency dispatcher.

    I’ve used Skype to call local landline numbers.

    Many people only have cell phones or tablets so calling 911 can be tricky. It all depends on where you live.

    I’m so glad that Mary is fine.

    What I learned is that this Internet community has a big heart. And I need to get the emergency services phone number from my husband. Then add the number to Skype. To work my cell phone needs to be connected to a booster – but my tablet works on the house wifi.

    I have a bad knee and back – and who knows anyone can fall. The tablet I can get to. Skype is easy. Maybe I can train my cat to fetch my tablet?

    Skype for emergencies.

  122. 122.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: I saw the clip of Jason Chaffetz asking Comey if he needed a Congressional referral to investigate a case of perjury before Congress. Should some lawyer on his staff have briefed him about that?

    I was actually a little surprised to see John Mica, who if nothing else is almost as old as his hairpiece, holding up a homemade conspiracy theory timeline

  129. 129.

    GMVictory

    Your friendly 911 Dispatcher here. There is no national relay system to pass on 911 calls from one jurisdiction to another. Some agencies have local agreements to do so (between counties, cities, etc). Before the internet, 911 dispatch centers were the fastest way to get another jurisdiction’s phone and fax number. The technology and system has not been updated in decades. The internet is faster now. WAY faster. Besides, Republicans would never authorize the money to develop, build, and maintain such a system.

    So, if you have discover an emergency that is not in your city or county, look up the phone number online for the law enforcement entity that serves that location, and call. Be aware the the number listed online will probably be the non-emergency number and that means it will be lowest priority for dispatch to answer so you may have to wait. Make sure you have the address and phone number of the people who need the help (but they will ask for your information too). Answer questions as best as you can. In this particular instance, I would have provided her email address to the agency so they could try to contact her that way since she couldn’t get to the phone.

  131. 131.

    Prescott Cactus

    @Baud:

    “…using that referral mechanism a lot more…”

    I hope it’s a cell phone based system. They’d melt the copper of a landline.

  132. 132.

    RealityBites

    Lots of black bears around here but no one really worries too much about them. Three years ago, I realized I had likely left some groceries in the car. It was late at night, so I turned on the carport light as I opened the back door. The sudden light/ noise of the door caused the bear that was checking out the birdseed to stand up and face the door. So I unexpectedly found myself nearly nose to nose through the screen with a LARGE, SHAGGY THING. We stared at each other for a looonnng moment until I realized what it was. So, like an idiot I said,”hello bear”, shut the door and locked it, and then said, “good-bye bear” as I went back to the kitchen. How dumb! And no more birdseed stored on the carport since then!

    Last summer a bear broke the back window out of my car. (It probably could tell that I frequently transport pet food) I had to install temporary electric fencing around the entrance to the carport and part of the front yard. But at least I don’t have to deal with moose.

  133. 133.

    Mnemosyne

    @rikyrah:

    I had to turn off the radio when the press conference by Sterling’s family was on, because his oldest son’s heartbreaking sobs were making me cry, too.

  134. 134.

    Adam L Silverman

    @redshirt: No. Sometimes the actual posts themselves are interesting, even if/when I don’t agree with them. The comments are the comments. And some of the commenters are thoughtful and are trying to make an effort. Given that this particular site is run by the son of Holocaust survivors, and about 3/4 of his front pagers are also, at least nominally, Jewish Americans, I’m amazed by what they allow in the comments.

  135. 135.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mary G: Email me the selfie pics of you with the cute paramedics and we’ll make it a front page kind of thing!
    (I am kidding of course. Just glad you’re okay.)

  136. 136.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Villago Delenda Est: Actually I had it a bit off. In Minnesota he had a duty to inform if the responding officer asks him if he is a concealed carry permit holder and if he is carrying. He was not required to volunteer the information. The rules aren’t uniform from state to state. Sorry!

  138. 138.

    Barb2

    @GMVictory:
    In my area – rural – it is best to call the district or local firestation if unable to use 911. We have lost 911 service due to glitches in phone company.

    Lots of rural areas in Washington State have volunteer fire departments and they can find local addresses. We would never call the Sheriff’s – long story.

    Fire Departments and EMT often work out of the same office, often the Fire Chief is in charge of Firefighters and EMT. Most if not all fire fighters are trained in first aid and/or are EMTs. My husband used to be the fire chief in this district, until it consolidated. I had a front seat to the local politics of emergency services. Sheriff’s deputies here do not play nice. They can’t even direct traffic!

    I’ve forgotten about the local politics. It is a good idea to have emergency plans – I’ve gotten lazy.

    Mary made the best of what she had – I am impressed by her resourcefulness!
    Nice to meet you Mary!

  140. 140.

    satby

    @Paul T: the problem was most of the commentators don’t know where (exactly) we all live.
    Unless you’re talking about the absolute failure of service that John’s local 911 provided.

  141. 141.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: Actually, some of the comments on these sites surprise me by being thoughtful and nuanced – or at least as if the writer had learned the rules of grammar and logic during his/her schooling.

  143. 143.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Miss Bianca: Some of the folks are fine and just firearms enthusiasts. Some are fine, firearms enthusiasts, and very, very conservatives. A lot are just way, way out there using the comments sections to vent behind nyms. One of my favorites is the guy over there with his own manifesto that he quotes on a pretty regular basis. Also anything bad that happens anywhere is the fault of Democrats. He remarked that the cops in Minnesota were clearly Democrats. He’s basically got a bizarre neurolinguistic disorder where ever several words either Democrat, (D), or liberty has to be expressed.

  144. 144.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: You mean like a writerly form of Tourette’s Syndrome?

    (I probably shouldn’t make that comparison – it’s lazy short-hand for a linguistically expressed monomania. Or something.)

  145. 145.

    Timurid

    @germy:

    These people have not thought their cunning plan all the way through…
    The only thing that would be worse for the Republican Party than Trump losing in November is Trump winning in November.

  146. 146.

    WaterGirl

    I was just looking at my RSS reader, seeing that I am 38 BJ threads behind, and I happened to see this thread title. Yikes. Hoping she is okay.

    Can someone point me to the thread about what happened to Mary G?

    Edit: okay started reading the thread and see I have an answer and an update in #13. thanks to all who helped Mary G.

  147. 147.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Miss Bianca: Yes and that’s why I didn’t use it. Especially as, from what I understand, only about 10% of Tourettes sufferers, though 100% of the Tourettes sufferers that get publicity, are the ones that bark out vulgarities.

    In the specific case of the person I’m referring to he’s quite simply very, very loosely tethered to reality. And clearly very, very, very angry.

  148. 148.

    Prescott Cactus

    @Miss Bianca: Google Chrome now has spell check and grammar check. Red underline if spelling is incorrect, dark grey if you use the wrong tense or wrong “their”, “there” or “they’re”.

    I’m not the greatest writer by far. Terrible speller. It helps.

  150. 150.

    Adam L Silverman

    @WaterGirl: She’s fine. She fell, got wedged, and didn’t have a phone handy, but did have a tablet. So she requested help via the comments here and got them. The details are in the previous thread.

  153. 153.

    Adam L Silverman

    @satby: Also, according to the firearms sites “home carry”. And that means a water tight bag for when you’re in the shower attached to a suction cup in the shower.
    http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2014/03/daniel-zimmerman/home-carry/
    http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/05/robert-farago/question-of-the-day-shower-carry/
    http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/05/robert-farago/question-of-the-day-whats-the-best-gun-for-shower-carry/
    http://www.commongunsense.com/2014/03/guns-in-shower.html

  154. 154.

    WaterGirl

    @satby: Actually, you may laugh, but I ALWAYS take a phone into the bathroom when I take a shower or a bath.

    I was only a girl scout until fourth grade, but the whole “always be prepared thing” apparently stuck with me.

  157. 157.

    WaterGirl

    @Adam L Silverman: I am feeling a bit sniffly now that I found the thread and read all the replies. I will just take a moment to say that I love all you guys on Balloon Juice. Except the trolls, of course.

  158. 158.

    Adam L Silverman

    @WaterGirl: No worries on this end. I was off site and off the site when she asked for help, but between Cole, BettyC, Raven, and a few others, they got things sorted as quickly as they could for her.

  160. 160.

    PurpleGirl

    @satby: Because I have spinal stenosis I am sometimes wobbly on my feet. I take showers and I bought a shower chair that I keep in the bath tub. (One of the ways they kept the cost of construction cheaper was to put in narrower bath tubs and I can’t sit in the tub — I can’t climb up and out.)

  161. 161.

    PurpleGirl

    Mary G: I’m glad you’re okay. I hope every thing gets sorted out so that this doesn’t happen again. Don’t be embarrassed; every one is happy that in some way BJ was able to help you.

    Cole, Betty, Raven thanks for helping MaryG.

    I think we all have to find out certain phone numbers and how we can handle emergencies.

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