{"id":21,"date":"2023-07-17T01:38:09","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T01:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rodbinder.com\/veteran\/?page_id=21"},"modified":"2025-04-20T13:56:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T13:56:47","slug":"here-we-are","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/rodbinder.com\/veteran\/","title":{"rendered":"Here I am."},"content":{"rendered":"
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    having or\u00a0streaked<\/a><\/span>\u00a0with gray hair.<\/strong><\/div>\n
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    “grizzled hair”<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    A wounded deer leaps the highest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Emily Dickinson<\/strong><\/p>\n

    What I say may not be important to you. It is what it is. I served in the Canadian Navy during the Cold War in the ’70s. Russia was our Enemy then. Bunkers to protect us from all-out Nuclear War were popular. It seems we are back to that. My opinion and it is just that.<\/p>\n

    There is no use sitting around and worrying about it, don’t get depressed, instead find ways that can help you and your loved ones. Whether it is war or Climate change, don’t stick your head up your, I mean don’t stick your head in the sand. Learn things, do things instead.<\/p>\n

    I am doing research on solar, wind power, growing food, and more. This is where I am writing it down, maybe not for you, maybe for me when my memory goes. I am 65 and disabled, not in action unless you count the exposure to Asbestos during the refit of the HCMS Qu’apple DDE 264, my ship.<\/p>\n

    Most of my disabilities come courtesy of a drunk driver. Two twenty-somethings on their way to a dope deal. How do I know, the thousands in small bills all over the highway? I got someone to collect and bring it to me. No, I didn’t keep it. I handed that over to the police when they arrived.<\/p>\n

    Both knees, left wrist, right ankle. I still managed to climb out of my vehicle and did what I was trained to do. Took charge, and got people to direct traffic, I got one young man to Collect my Doberman and pick up cash. Called 911 from my phone. I didn’t walk very far, my leg was broken. Later I found out my knee joint was completely broken away from the other bones and the patella on one knee was in ten pieces, according to the surgeon. My foot was still on the brake at impact, the engine pushed my knee up into the steering column. It made it interesting getting out. I am not a hero, just trained well.<\/p>\n

    Sixteen hours of surgery, 12 hours for the first surgery. I am still kicking. I don’t need or want your sympathy. I mention it here for the others like me. I managed to climb a mountain and jump out of a plane after that. After a few years of physio, I was even able to ride again.<\/p>\n

    2014 got to do it all again. I got T-boned, I climbed out of my burning Jeep, and with my cell phone lying on the ice, I called Fire, police, and ambulance. I did what needed doing, again. I assessed the situation, and checked on the people who hit me. I had them drag me a little further away from the burning Jeep.<\/p>\n

    Checked on my dogs, and called someone to gather my animals. One dog was dead, he was the one that broke my neck and back, I am glad he didn’t suffer. Four more hours of surgery, this time by a bad Surgeon.<\/p>\n

    Forty-five days later I was at home, it was -45 inside the house, so I had to chop wood. It took 12 hours to get the house to zero. Fun times. Did you know memory foam freezes solid at that temp, I found out the hard way.<\/p>\n

    I won’t be climbing any mountains again. I just saw a 99-year-old Grandma skydiving, so that’s not off the table.<\/p>\n

    I still chop wood for heat and build stuff. Just move a little slower, and I live through the pain without drugs or alcohol. I don’t trust Big Pharma. If I can do this, so can you.<\/p>\n

    I am not rich and can’t afford an underground bunker, or spend thousands on storing food. I can research for now, and review products that might help. My solar and wind power are pieced together as I can afford it. I am not a sponsored reviewer. For now, I don’t do videos, just words.<\/p>\n

    What qualifies me to talk about this stuff. In 1994 I became one of the first internet providers in Canada. I was bought out by a bigger company and designed one of the first coast to coast networks. While I did that made the news because I caught one of the first hackers in Canada. The FBI newly formed cybercrimes division asked if I would fly down to San Francisco to teach them my methods.<\/p>\n

    I declined and told them I really didn’t do much except read hours and hours of computer logs watching for patterns. The local papers called me an Internet pioneer.\u00a0I even made network TV news back then.<\/p>\n

    I left that business so I could raise a family and opened a small computer shop. I ran that for 17 years. The kids out grew the country and left for the big city. Then a messy divorce left me with the custody of the cats and my unfinished house. Then came the last\u00a0 car accident, it was time to retire.<\/p>\n

    The biggest thing that that qualifies me to write this is I have seen too many companies put out bad services or bad products. So many out there willing to lie, scam and sell you overpriced goods in order to make money, with no respect for people like me, just trying to make it in a tough world.<\/p>\n

    I live in the woods Off-grid finding ways to survive and thrive. My body is a little broken, I am at retirement age and don’t get out much\u00a0 so I have time to write.<\/p>\n

    I have already written a lot in my private journal and I will transfer entries to here that I think relevant.<\/p>\n

    I try to include some music in every post so enjoy if you like my choices.<\/p>\n

    I didn’t mean to write another novel here, it just happened.<\/p>\n

    Rod<\/p>\n

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