Tag Archive for: wheelchair

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Welcome to “Burnin’” on the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast

In this episode, I’m still recovering from my last rhizotomy procedure, managing to get to get new footwear, and get out to a show in my wheelchair

Burn Victim

  • Chemical Burns melt your flesh.
  • I have 5 Burns about as big as a dime each.
  • I am using Medihoney, and I was initially confused by the name

They Look Like Sneakers

  • I got new shoes to wear when I’m on my wheelchair. For the past couple of years I’ve been using Minnetonka
  • I’m switching to white Vans slip-ons

Tiitration Blues

  • I am scared that if I reduce medication that the pain will come back.
  • But I need to reduce the medication so I can enjoy my life.

William Parker’s New Heart Trio

  • I rode my wheelchair to see the bassist William Parker (71) at the chapel
  • In the New Heart tTio with William Hooker (76) and Isaiah Collier (23)
  • My buddy Joe was the driver

Titration Blues, Pt. 2

  • I reduced my medication and the pain came back in the night

Parting Shots

  • I need a new butt cushion for my wheelchair
  • My son is at home because he has Covid
  • Max Headroom was a guy wearing a mask

This week’s selfie

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Burnin’
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Welcome to “Rolling Around The TL” on the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast

Lots of people use wheelchairs in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, a pretty rough area between Union Square and Civic Center

Shout outs

  • Shout outs to rocky
    • she’s listened to every episode
  • Shout outs to the people listening through the past episodes
  • Send me a n email via the contact form and I will give you a shout out that is quite possibly the best one you’ve ever received and the maybe best that you ever WILL receive

Dad Butt

  • Dad butt-dialed me again

Travels by wheelchair

RF Rhizotomy Number 2

  • Had trigeminal neuralgia face pain 5am Wednesday morning & had more drugs,, surgery one day away
  • I had surgery and have been clear from major pain since then. But I am still on pain drugs.
  • My nose has triggered some zaps but they are lesser in intensity than they had been, with the caveat I’m still on some medication

I Can Go Down

  • My AFO brace is broken and it’s very hard to walk.
  • I have to walk all on my heel, and if I put my weight on the outside of my foot or on the front Of my foot I can go down.

Rolling Around The TL

ride in rotary park
  • I went to the deerhoof show in my wheelchair
  • Rolling in the TL, I saw a lot of wheelchairs, but mine was the only one that was electric
  • We ate at Osha Thai which was accessible, a blast from the past, and sadly due for an upgrade
  • We got into the car after midnite- Rock & Roll!
  • I called ahead to the Great American to let them know I’d be coming in my chair, they reserved me a table behind a pillar against the wall. It had poor visibility, but decent sound
  • I started focusing on the audience. Nowadays people wear their pants wider and hemmed higher

This Week’s Selfie

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Rolling Around The TL Selfie

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Welcome to “Multiplex and Talent Show” on the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast

This week, I used my wheelchair to go to the multiplex in Dublin and the talent show in the auditorium at my children’s elementary school. The movie we saw was “Inside” with Willem Dafoe and the elementary school talent show had a few truly bizarre, fun memorable moments.. Using my wheelchair made it possible.

Spicy Nut and Pretzel Mix

  • Whipped up the David Lebovitz snack mix because our dinner guest brought an extra pie. I think you could say it was burnt, but it’s still so addictive that it didn’t matter – it all gets eaten every time

Welcome in

Big Blood

At the Multiplex

  • I went to the Regal Hacienda Crossing Spaceport in Dublin. It is a multiplex at an outdoor mall
  • Shout out to Anjela the hair-cutter who told me she went to movies there when she was in high school
  • I went with Nami to the movie in my wheelchair. I like going to the multiplex in a wheelchair because multiplexes are big and huge and I don’t know if I’d be able to make it otherwise
  • We saw the movie Inside with William Defoe
  • It’s about an art burglar who gets trapped inside a smart house which more-or-less tortures him and features the destruction of millions of dollars worth of of art and furniture.

Kids Got Talent

  • I went to the children’s talent show in my wheelchair, but beforehand i emailed ahead of time to ask if they would save a space for me, which was no problem. they saved a space for me at the front of the room and a really sweet girl wearing a tap outfit helped me to get settled
  • There were great embarrassing song and dance routines, solo Hamilton, martial arts, gymnastic cartwheels I & II, Water Under The Bridge interpretive dances and SO much more. It was more interesting than I thought it would be.
  • My son told me he had a crush on a girl who did a gymnastic routine. When his mom asked why, he said it was because she “ran really fast”
  • “A pint is a pound the world around”
Indie rockers weigh in

Only one thing left

  • subscribe to the whatsthematterwithme podcast and you’ll get a very fancy nice email version of the podcast every time a new episode comes out its very handsome be sure to click subscribe right at the top of the page, just a name and your email is all we need to get goin and then youll always get the selfie

This Week’s Selfie

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In the studio
I Got My Teeth Back cover

Welcome to “I Got My Teeth Back” on the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast

I went to the dentist, and he attached some teeth to the posts the periodontist implanted in my jaw. It’s been almost two years since I had buck teeth in my mouth, and it is a big change. I made a lot of squash soup, adapting the method for one hand, and I’ve included the recipe in this post.

Shout outs

  • Shout outs to Klaudhopper, who asked about Hoppin Hot Sauce stickers
  • Shout outs to Tall John who called me up after I tweeted about not going to Japan

Teeth

teeth

These are the images I gave to the lab that fabricated my new teeth when they asked for pictures of what my old teeth used to look like.

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Goes By Cam

  • Scam Likely probably goes by Cam
  • He calls everyone and no one takes his calls, on the answering machine he’s like hey it’s me, Cam- Cam Likely

Brain Lesions & Disease Progression

Slow

  • I had infusion which is a really long slow injection

Roasted Squash Soup

Recipe by John Hoppin

Roasting winter squashes face up concentrates flavor, and using convection during the roast increases tasty browning reactions. Using an immersion blender makes it easier to puree using only one hand. We eat leftovers for lunch with a grilled cheese sandwich and Hoppin Hot Sauce.

Servings
8 Servings

Cooking Time
75 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3lbs winter squash, cut in half, seeds taken out
  • 4T unsalted butter
  • Yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 cups stock

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F {or 325 if using convection).
  2. Roast pumpkins until easily pierced with a fork, at least 1 hour. Let cool, then scoop out the flesh.
  3. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and once it is foamy, add the onion. Cook 5 minutes until soft.
  4. Stir nutmeg & cinnamon into the onions. When the smell permeates the room, add the stock.
  5. Add squash flesh, bring to a good simmer, stirring.
  6. Remove from heat. Leave to steam for a couple of minutes.
  7. Puree thoroughly with the immersion blender, using a stirring motion. Be extra-thorough to find any chunks of squash or onion that may be hiding under the surface.. It should be thick. I don’t do any extra sieving, so I want to take my time and be sure it is well-pureed.
  8. Add maple syrup, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sonny At Rikers

  • Sonny Rollins got 1-3 years for having a gun. He was searched without cause. In 1952 he was at Riker’s Island. He arranged hymns for a hip chaplain at the Protestant Mission House, and he was paroled September 11, 1952

Theme Song

  • The theme song candidate for this month is less jazz & more industrial
  • I am considering whether it might have lyrics, maybe it’ll sing the intro part

Tiny Tooth Wrench

When they reattached them, the radio played Lionel Richie’s 80-s smash hit “Hello”. Neither the dentist nor his assistant knew the song. Turned out that the dentist was born in 1987.

teeth 2
  • The dentist used a little mini Allen wrench to attach them to the bases. there was pressure, it made my eyes water
  • I have teeth now, so I ate Ramen and spaghetti for the first time since my bridge broke and took my front teeth with it in August 2021

My Gumbo History

  • Cousin Emily came over for gumbo on Saturday
  • I made gumbo at the Rockridge Fish in Market Hall in 2003-4

Last night for dinner

  • i made red sauce italian sausage with leeks

This Week’s Selfie

I Got My Teeth Back Selfie
I Got My Teeth Back
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Welcome to “Concert At Yoshi’s” on the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast

I went to see a jazz concert at Yoshi’s in my wheelchair, and it was pretty easy, for a change. I made a lot of vegetarian bean chili ahead of a trip to the ranch, and the vegetarians approved of it.

Shout outs

  •  Shout outs to Claude Hopper who listened to Wheelchair Dining Experience and wrote in to laugh about the banana salad
  • My mom told me that I should have complained about the restaurant experience, but I have worked in restaurants for a long time and I think that things can go wrong very easily, so I declined. Kind of a cop out. I was like it’s not gonna make my experience any better to complain.
  • Write me an email john@hoppinworld.com and I will give you a shout out, perhaps the best shout out you will ever have. What are you waiting for? Send me an email john@hoppinworld.com
  • Mom reminded me how the meal was like a car crash and i couldn’t look away because It was like I was driving and I crashed my car. Maybe I was like a passenger in a taxi where the driver got into a horrible accident and killed someone and was at fault I was not at fault but I experienced it. And I paid for it. Rest in peace to that dinner
  • I’ll complain next time.

Ads R Cheesy

  • It’s still true that I’ve never had an advertisement on WTMWM?, but I was watching TV with my son and they had an advertisement for this nut company and I have to say that I order nuts and raisins a lot. they also sell cheese powder and I’m interested in that. so if the nuts people come calling, I might do it, for the cheese powder

Eight Cans Of Beans

big pot of chili on the stove
Chili
  • I made a gallon and a half of bean chili, to bring to the ranch. it got good reviews from the vegetarians who ate it up. I wanted to see if making vegetarian chili from canned beans was possible, and it worked out.
  • My buddy grilled some carne asada and onions, which mixed into the bean chili just right, lending good meaty flavor and satisfying some more primal urges.

Dave Holland Trio at Yoshi’s

Instruments
Instruments on the stage

Monday February 20, 2023

Dave Holland, bass
Kevin Eubanks, guitar
Eric Garland, drums

  • From jam band to nihilistic noise rock.
  • Eubanks is a natural sideman and laughs at everything
  • This jazz concert at Yoshi’s was accessible in my wheelchair
  • I just had to call in the afternoon to let them know I was coming that night, and they reserved a table for my wife and I
  • They gave us a good table with a clear vantage point and we enjoyed the show. We were not off to the side, or around the corner. It was easy to get to my seat, and I had a clear path to the bathroom which was useful because i had two whiskey sours

Spatula Debates

 spatula

Spatula appears in English for the first time in 1525, when it morphs from being a weapon to a utensil most commonly used at apothecaries. Today, it describes any cooking tool with a long handle and a thin flexible blade.

Source: 8 Common Spatulas and How To Use Them

  • We got into a debate during the making of chili about spatulas: are they for smoothing things out, or flipping them.
  • Turns out, there are a lot of different things that you could call a spatula

Domestic Things

  • We received the bed and the fridge
  • The mattress is not a lumpy nightmare
  • The fridge is keeping things cold, but well short of freezing

I Drove Them

  • I drove the kids to presidents week camp this morning bc my wife was in the office
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I went out for a wheelchair dining experience and it was a comedy/tragedy of errors

Welcome to “Wheelchair Dining Experience” on the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast

In this episode, I rolled out to eat with my wife for a wheelchair dining experience  and it was a comedy/tragedy of errors. It was supposed to be a fine dining restaurant but the experience fell short in a lot of ways. I’m so starved to get out that it didn’t stop me from having a good time, but I don’t think I will be back.

Press

Mention from the MS Foundation
  • The multiple sclerosis foundation tweeted about what’s the matter with me Podcast- they are a loud voice in the community, and I feel very seen.

Shout-Outs

  •  Not Quite Twice My Age: Dad is celebrating his 75th birthday cruising the Bahamas
  • Swing By: Chris Parachini is in Puerto Rico but he’ll make it to CA someday.

Tag > Slap

Date Looms Large

  • Does the date of MS diagnosis loom large? For me, the answer is probably a no, even though I haven’t forgotten it. I just haven’t given it much weight.

Unprecedented and Unique Dinner

  • Dinner experience in my wheelchair, it was a singular experience
  • When companies/products/marketers have come to me asking to advertise on WTMWM? I have refused.

Big Question I’m Always Asking

  • How can fatigue and achievement coexist?

Lent

  • Friday fish from Scends: snapper, shrimp, fries, mac n cheese, coleslaw, corn bread hot sauce. The kids liked it.

Sam Kinison Auto Parts Jingle

  • I made the Sam Kinison auto parts jingle

Bad Old Ideas

Pizza Problem

  • Bluebird Pizzeria in San Leandro is the only bona fide pizza in town, but they’re closed on Monday And they Sell out on Friday and Saturday nights, so you can’t even get a take away order placed at 7 o’clock. Its a little place& lotsTogo- no delivery. Guess I’m just ranting about there Isn’t enough pizza in mytown

Just Chili-ing

  • Im making vegetarian bean chili

This Week’s Selfie

Chin Music
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On the road again

Welcome to What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast S6, Ep. 45 “San Diego Trip”

In this episode, I’m on the road again for the first time in what feels like a long time. My wife and I flew to San Diego to attend her company’s year-end holiday party. For the first time, I flew with my wheelchair.

I got frisked and swabbed lot, but I didn’t miss my flights, so it evened out and I made it home in one piece. It was not without hiccups, but we managed to have a pretty good trip overall, and I’m looking forward to traveling again in tyhe future.

Booze Only Yankee Swap IV

It’s Swap Time

We came back to town and had the Booze Only Yankee Swap. The next day, we took the kids to see the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra’s holiday concert.

There’s some sound effects in this episode, like a plane taking off and some other stuff, but I tried to keep it to an absolute minimum, I swear.

Shout-outs

  • Shout-outs to Empress Nami who wrote in to say, “I listened to WTMWM on my commute in. The ending….so many sound effects! I was laughing so much.”
  • Sometimes I’m just communing with Roy, who taught me how to do audio production. Roy always encouraged me to use more sound effects.
  • Hey MOMA, do you have the what’s the matter with me? Podcast?

Forking Hell

  • They think I only ordered one fork

Descended From Royalty

  • I took the kids to eat at Taco Bell and we met a stranger

San Diego Trip

  • We flew to San Diego
  • I made a recording just outside the airport terminal

At The Company Holiday Party

  • I sat down at the table for the holiday party and it turned out to be the adult table because the CSO sat across the table and the CEO sat down next to me. Which was kind of *gulp*-inducing but they were nice people and they listened to me when I told them how great my wife was.
  • The people at the company have an impressive track record of creating medicines.
  • I saw the lab and it was a big glassed in structure at the core of a long rectangular one story building in San Diego
  • I flew back, and they swabbed and frisked me again. The TSA guy said to clean my brace with rubbing alcohol next time.

Our Holiday Party

ABV 30%+

Booze Only Yankee Swap

1980s STYLE

Someone brought Peach Brandy to the Booze Only Yankee Swap and that created a minor kerfuffle. It was the fourth time we’ve had this party.

GARBLED FLYER

The graphic design program spat out this garbled flyer and we can post it here because it doesn’t list our address, or anything at all, really- it just says, “in” over and over.

alternate flyer
spiced roasted pretzels and pecans
Trading Up

I put in a bottle of Beefeater gin and I ended up with a bottle of Don Julio tequila. My wife traded a bottle of Cazadores for a bottle of Glenfiddich so it was a pretty good exchange for both of us and we very nearly felt bad about it.

  • Someone brought peach Brandy to the booze only Yankee swap and that created a minor kerfluffle
  • Lebovitz spiced nuts & pretzels were a hit. Next time, spicier
  • The hot dogs

San Francisco SymphonyYouth Orchestra Holiday Concert

  • We took the kids to see the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra at Davies Symphony Hall. I used my chair and it was totally lucky that we got a handicap space just two blocks away. But, we hadn’t charged the chair.
  • We were there to see Kaito play the violin and we had pretty good seats in the first balcony at stage right. We had a good view looking down over the orchestra, and from our seats you look the conductor in the face as they played.
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I made it through surgery- artist Gary Cannone preview- Helen Garner on fate- awkward dinner party conversation.

Welcome to What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast, “Body Horror”

Cool episode! I made it through a surgery with all the hallmarks of body horror: zombie anesthesia, facial electricity and a burning nerve. David Cronenberg will be perfect to direct the movie version. Plus, artist Gary Cannone interview preview- Helen Garner on impositions- an awkward dinner party conversation.

  • We are running out of Hoppin Hot Sauce on the zon, because I misread a figure on the inventory report.
Gary Cannone
  • Gary Cannone interview preview
  • I want to learn to write hilarious poetry in Japanese but apparently that’s not a sensible idea

Some very dear friends of mine had a three-­year-­old son who was profoundly autistic. They didn’t know what was wrong with him, and there was no name for it back then. He couldn’t really speak, and he didn’t know any words, but songs would reach him where other things wouldn’t, and he had a pure little voice when he sang. It interested me to see how his parents lived around this huge duty that had been imposed upon them—­to see how an act of fate like that would scour you of all your triviality. You’d have to find something in yourself that was much deeper than what most ­people would need to find.

Helen Garner
  • Helen Garner on autism, about trivialities in the Paris Review
  • Chronic illness erases people- thank you for listening to the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast, an anti-erasure strategy
  • I had RF rhizotomy surgery and I finished it
  • It remindeed me of David Cronenberg/”body horror”
  • I went through it and now it’s over
Grape Ice Cubes
  • Now I can chew gum without pain
  • I chew grape ice cubes gum
Farro
  • I went to Berkeley Bowl, and did a lot of maneuvering to get farro in bulk. I knew it would be pretty wild.
  • I went to a dinner party and I felt uncomfortable for reasons I do not fully understand
  • Friends, food, conversation. I think I am not used to it.
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I went for a walk with Koko and I got more than I bargained for

Welcome to Season Six, Episode 33, “Wheelchair Tipped Over

My wheelchair tipped over. I was on a walk with my daughter but it didn’t seem to scare her too much– we went to the swings and she had a good time.

  • My name is John Hoppin, don’t wear it out.
  • My wheelchair tipped over
deplatforming hits home

Death of a Statesman

  • My wife was like, “I don’t think I knew that Gorbachev had died. I was like, “We did that last week. That’s why you need to subscribe to What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast. So you don’t miss anything.”
  • Our listeners know about everything

Organic Hellfire

  • I had the worst trigeminal neuralgia pain – from my mouth up to my eye around my eye out to my ear. Spasming organic hellfire that sent me scrambling for more medication and sobbing under the covers.

#CIL50

  • #Cil50 is happening in October at the Berkeley Center For Independent Living.
  • I’m interested to get a booth to promote What’s The Matter With Me? and sell Hoppin hot Sauce to the disabled community.
  • I was at a friend’s house and they were grilling burgers and the podcast came up because we were talking about Cil50

Prediction?

  • Covfefe was covid

Security

It Happened Fast– My Chair Tipped Over

  • My wheelchair tipped over in the park
  • I was counting critters with my daughter Koko and wasn’t paying attention
  • The wheelchair bottomed out when it went off the edge of the concrete where there was a couple inches of gap between the dirt and the concrete
  • I was ejected from the chair and ate it to some degree- just a couple band-aids were needed in the end
  • Bystanders came running and helped me up and got me back in the chair
  • My daughter ran away when the people came running to help me, but she seemed to realize they were helping me. It didn’t seem to scare her too much– we went to the swings and she had a good time.

This week’s selfie:

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It was 95 degrees out
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In this episode I battle face pain to go to a birthday dinner, take a family train trip, and have a date at the movies.

Welcome to the What’s The Matter With Me? Podcast Season 6, Episode 30, “Birthday Dinner.”

In this episode I battle face pain with varying levels of success to go to a birthday dinner at Trader Vic’s, take a family trip to the Embarcadero, and have a date at the movie theater.

Shout outs

  • Shout outs to Jersey Girl who used to work with Judy Huemann

Birthday Dinner at Trader Vic’s

Skate Spot

  • Rode the BART to Embarcadero to watch kids skate off the stairs
    • Market street Elevators
    • I was wearing my “SECURITY” t-shirt- from my Halloween costume. Lady came up asking me to defuse a situation with a guy on the escalator. I was in my wheelchair SMH
  • Holy shirt

Movie Date

  • I went to see Inu-oh and fell asleep
    • My face was hurting so i couldn’t go to lunch after and talk about it and we had to go back home
    • I worried about masks but We were the only ones at the 11am show
    • I showered shaved and wore a collared shirt

Old Millenials

  • The oldest millennials are entering their 40s
  • my cousin is in town and i wanted to call her but my face hurt when i talked so i gave up
  • i got fed up and called her anyways
  • in a few days we’re having her over for dinner
  • it hurt to talk to her but only once or twice and it was worth it
  • its a real bummer when disability intrudes on your ability to talk to your cousin

This Week’s Selfie:

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My webcam broke so I used my phone