PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

Does it even get that??

Dude should buy an MRAP instead. Those probably get .5 mpg

 

Probably 3 MPG with the A/C on…

 

We met Emily’s dad at her condo today so we could get some more of the stuff that Amanda has been given; this pair of crutches was in the back of her car and we have no idea what she might have needed them for because she was never using crutches for the last six months or so of her life. I asked Emily’s dad if I could have them, either to donate to Goodwill if they were in good shape, or scrap for the aluminum if they weren’t in good shape. They ended up being in good shape, so I donated them to Goodwill, which I think would have made Emily very happy…

 

@ABA180
@ColoradoTJ
@Just_A_Guy
@shakerhood
@slossboss
@Speedytech7
@steelcity2
@TnShooter

More of the carnage inside Emily’s condo from the plumbing backup…

 

@ABA180
@Breknraj
@ColoradoTJ
@Just_A_Guy
@shakerhood
@slossboss
@steelcity2
@TnShooter

NOT SO FUN FACT: In the second picture in the above quoted post, you can see a large window directly behind the stove. Obviously, the stove wouldn't normally be in the living room, but the condo is undergoing repairs from the plumbing incident. That window, specifically the one all the way on the left, is the one that Amanda and I looked through on that GOD AWFUL NIGHT and saw Emily on the couch. The stove is currently sitting roughly a couple feet to the right of where that couch was located.

 

@ABA180
@ColoradoTJ
@Just_A_Guy
@shakerhood
@Speedytech7
@steelcity2
@TnShooter

So, I have some great news! I finally go back to work tomorrow morning! My knee had a mild infection due to the stitches on the right side coming out prematurely because yours truly couldn't wait to get laid...



The infection is largely gone now due to the antibiotics that my orthopedist put me on, but unfortunately the lab results from the swab taken by the doctor didn't come back today. I got a call less than two hours before my appointment today saying that the lab results had not come in, and asking if I could reschedule my appointment for Thursday; I flipped out, saying that I'd been out of work for almost seven weeks and I needed to go back. Needless to say, I was able to keep today's previously scheduled appointment and see my doctor as planned. She cleared me to go back to work, and today I gave my boss the paperwork certifying that I was clear to resume work.

I was previously talking with a few of you via text about my concern that previously approved PTO (for the Carlisle Truck Nationals and a long weekend to visit family in Virginia Beach, respectively) would not be honored. I currently have 9 PTO days, and I got approval from the prior branch manager to use them. That's the other thing...

The branch manager, to whom I'd gotten quite close, was apparently promoted and transferred to another branch (ironically within walking distance of Amanda's work). A few of the other people from the office also got promoted and transferred, and the part-time detailer (who'd just gotten his commercial pilot's license and desires a career in aviation) got a job at an airport, so he is now gone.

Anyway, there was a miscommunication, and the woman from HR who'd apparently grown to really like me thought that I'd quit. She called me on July 1st, legitimately worried for my wellbeing. I assured her that I was not out of work by choice, and explained the situation with my knee. Once again, she expressed nothing but concern, and immediately talked to the new branch manager about my PTO days. They were confirmed within hours, so I still get my two August vacations! I also learned that the HR lady was trying to get me paid leave for the time I was out due to the knee injury and subsequent surgery! Unfortunately, I don't qualify for that because I have not been at Enterprise for a year, but I greatly appreciate the effort!

Washing rental vehicles is hardly my dream job, but the pay-to-bullshit ratio is ideal, and I like who I work with; I still desire to go into HVAC, but I'll be happy here until I find my dream job. On another note, my coworkers apparently missed me during the nearly seven weeks I was out!

 

Once again, here is the timeline of all the shit that has gone down since the spring...

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025: Amanda goes to Emily's condo to visit with her and help her clear the hard drive on her laptop; Amanda said that Emily seemed sluggish and not entirely there mentally, but gave no indications that she was anywhere close to dying. This is the last time Amanda saw her alive; I cannot remember the last time I actually saw her in person.

Sunday, April 27th, 2025: I slipped on a magazine in my bedroom and fucked up my knee.

Monday, April 28th, 2025: I text my boss in the wee hours of the morning and get the okay to come in 2 hours later; I also get a text from my late friend Emily while at work, in which she complains about not feeling well and being very sick, and that she is out of work again. I admonished her, telling her that I had a "jacked up knee" and was also recovering from a respiratory infection, but I was still working; I basically told her to get over it, and I still feel immense guilt over this, as it is the last time I communicate with her before I found her dead.

Thursday, May 1st, 2025: Amanda chats with Emily via text message, with Emily saying that she had taken prednisone and believed it was interacting with her Wellbutrin; Amanda told her to see her doctor immediately, to which Emily responded "OK", but it's pretty obvious she did not.

Friday, May 2nd, 2025: Emily's ex-boyfriend, Dennis, receives a text from her at 9:59pm. This is the last known contact that anybody had with Emily before her death.

Saturday, May 3rd, 2025: Amanda suddenly realizes a little after 8pm that she hasn't heard from Emily in two days and attempts to reach her, with no response; I also attempt to get ahold of her, and get no response. With the unattended death of Amanda's birth mother less than three months earlier still fresh in our minds, we make the decision to drive to Emily's condo and conduct a welfare check. Just about everyone on TW now knows that we found Emily deceased on her living room couch; I thought my knee had almost healed by this time, but you can still see that I have a slight limp in the dashcam footage. I have no doubt that running from my truck to Emily's front door on pure adrenaline aggravated the injury.

Monday, May 5th, 2025: I go into work, but finally have an emotional breakdown and promptly get sent home by my boss.

Monday, May 19th, 2025: Emily's memorial service, which my boss gave me time off to attend.

Tuesday, May 20th, 2025: My knee suddenly locks up in a bent position for no reason; I am not in any pain, but I can't straighten my knee and have to walk like a cripple.

Wednesday, May 21st, 2025: I go into work, but my performance suffers greatly. This was the last time I worked before the surgery.

Friday, May 23rd, 2025: I call out of work and get an appointment with an orthopedist; I get an X-ray and end up on crutches.

Friday, May 30th, 2025: I get an MRI.

Thursday, June 5th, 2025: Physician's Assistant allows me to ditch the crutches and puts me in a brace, saying that I probably will need surgery but can likely return to work the following week.

Monday, June 9th, 2025: Due to a misunderstanding between the orthopedist and PA, it turns out that the knee injury is worse than we thought. After an argument with my dad about my non-negotiable refusal to have the surgery on August 1st (the start of the Carlisle Truck Nationals), we agree to schedule the surgery that Wednesday because my doctor has no openings in July.

Wednesday, June 11th, 2025: I have a successful arthroscopic knee surgery and am given a 3-week recovery time before I can return to work.

Tuesday, July 1st, 2025: Due to concerns about a possible infection, I schedule an appointment at the urging of my mom and Amanda. The doctor confirms that I do have a mild infection, but that we caught it early enough that it can be treated with antibiotics. Unfortunately, I am out of work for at least another week.

Monday, July 7th, 2025 (TODAY): I am finally cleared to return to work!

 

Dang dude. How on earth do you keep up with all those dates?

2 weeks is all I got. And even then, I don't know the date. Just the day.
After 2 weeks, forget about it.

After 2 weeks, It get's classified into the "Long time ago" category.

 

It’s an autism thing, plus I looked back on the calendar in my phone and prior posts here on TW…

 

Quite the dance card this year my man.

 

But, Amanda has a car that she owns free and clear and we have a new 4-legged family member, so I'll take it...

 

Ebb and flow, yes

 

I’m just glad that I’m getting my previously scheduled paid time off!

 

Originally a thread in Personal & Emotional Support called Got my friend's autopsy results back...

Just over two months ago, my girlfriend and I went to do a welfare on our friend Emily, and found her dead on the living room couch. We believe that she had passed away 12 to 14 hours before we found her. She was only 36. We took in her dog, Hannah.

Well, this morning, I got a text from Emily’s mom that she got the autopsy results back. It was an acute pulmonary thrombo embolism. In layperson’s terms, a blood clot hit her lungs, caused her heart and lungs to fail, and ultimately killed her. She likely died in her sleep, which is very reassuring.

Emily did not drink, smoke, or use drugs. However, she had a terrible diet and was morbidly obese. She was also very sedentary. It puts me at ease knowing that she died of natural causes and likely didn’t suffer, but it still tears me up inside knowing that someone I’ve known for two decades died before the age of 40.

I have largely given up junkfood since Emily died, and I don’t drink nearly as much as I used to; I have dropped some weight, and among other things, I feel lighter and have an easier time getting out of bed in the morning.

I quoted past posts including the one I posted when Emily died, as well as footage that my truck’s dashcam recorded at her condo on the night we found her body.

Rest in Peace
Emily Alison Walsh
November 1st, 1988-May 3rd, 2025

 

Harnessing this experience to better your own personal health is a wonderful thing Charlie

building healthy habits

 

RIP

Good on ya for getting healthy, I think that's a nice way to honor her after her passing and does a hell of a lot of good for you going forward

 

Did you guys see the dashcam footage?!?!

 

No, don't take this the wrong way... But it's not as personal for outsiders and many of us I believe have had similarly surreal experiences before.

 

This whole thing came on the heels of Amanda’s birth mother, Barb, dying of a massive heart attack in her apartment and not being found for five days; Barb died less than three months before Emily. Amanda had been on the outs with Barb following an argument just two days before the estimated day of her death. Barb lived in Coatesville, which is a shithole about an hour’s drive from where Amanda and I live; Barb’s friend suspected something was wrong on February 18th, called the police, and met them there to do a welfare check. Amanda got a feeling that something wrong on the day her mother’s body was found, and we both attempted to call her, obviously getting no response.

Barb made Amanda her next kin without consulting her first, and Coatesville police didn’t have a phone number. They tracked her down, likely through the address on her driver’s license, and a local cop where she lives (New Britain Township) to her house. The cop missed Amanda by probably ten minutes, and apparently wasn’t authorized to tell Amanda’s landlady why he needed to talk to her. Amanda showed up and was informed by her landlady that a police officer had been there looking for her. Probably a minute or two later, Amanda’s called her and told her the news, having been notified by the police after they couldn’t reach Amanda.

We were told that it would take 8 to 12 weeks for the autopsy results and toxicology reports to come back, and it ended up taking 13 weeks! Like 3 days after we attended Emily’s memorial service, an impatient Amanda called the medical examiner for the umpteenth time and found that the cause of death had been a heart attack, and that metabolized cocaine had been found in her system.

Barb lost custody of Amanda and her younger brother in the 1990s due to her alcoholism and crack addiction. Amanda reconnected with Barb in 2012, and after two relapses between 2009 and 2012-2013, claimed to have been clean for 12 years right up until the day she died. This was very clearly a lie; Barb was a cancer survivor, smoke cigarettes excessively, and also had HIV/AIDS. Amanda was hoping that she’d died from complications of either AIDS or undiagnosed cancer, and it was real gut punch to Amanda finding out that Barb had been using again. On top of that, we found out that Barb had been smoking crack for at least three years prior to her death, so 2021; Amanda moved back to PA in April 2023 and I met Barb for the first time shortly thereafter; Barb hid the fact that she had relapsed very well, because we never suspected it.

It’s obvious that Montgomery County Coroner/Medical Examiner operates much more efficiently than Chester County’s, because Barb’s autopsy/toxicology took 13 weeks to get back, while Emily’s took less than 10.

On another note, Emily’s tox report turned up absolutely nothing unusual. She had been on a multitude of medications (both prescribed and over-the-counter), but results did not indicate a bad interaction between the prednisone and Wellbutrin, which Emily herself had told Amanda about via text just two days before we found her.

On yet another note, I mentioned before that there was vomit around Emily, and we thought that maybe she’d aspirated in her sleep. I just find peace in knowing that my friend likely went in her sleep and probably did not suffer…