T-Bone Slim, born on this day in 1880, was an IWW member, working class songwriter, and author. Due to his popular, labor themed tunes, Slim was dubbed the "laureate of the logging camps".
Born Matti Valentin Huhta to Finnish immigrant parents in Ashtabula, Ohio, Slim became an itinerant worker after leaving his wife and family in 1912. It isn't known when Slim became a Wobbly, a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), but he first appeared in the IWW's press in the 1920 edition of the IWW Songbook.
Slim became one of the IWW's most famous writers during the 1920s and 30s, and many people would buy the "Industrial Worker" just to read his articles - one ad from the paper read "there's a lot more in Industrial Solidarity and Industrial Worker than T-Bone Slim's columns".
Slim did not presume his working-class readership to be unintelligent people, making use of complex wordplay and experimental writing techniques, playing with ambiguity, satire and surrealism.
Slim was also well-known for his songs, such as the "Lumberjack's Prayer", a parody of the Lord's Prayer about the poor quality of food available for the working class, and "The Popular Wobbly", which experienced a revival among civil rights activists during the 1960s.
In spite of his renown in radical circles during his lifetime, many details of Slim's life remain unclear. During the mid-1930s, he settled in New York City, where he worked as a barge captain on the docks.
In May 1942, Slim's body was found in the East River. His cause of death remains unknown and has been subject to speculation. Following his death, Slim largely faded into obscurity, especially compared to more famous IWW-associated writers such as Joe Hill.
Slim's songs have been preserved, however, re-published in editions of the Little Red Songbook and covered by musicians such as Pete Seeger, Utah Phillips, and his own great-grandnephew, John Westmoreland.
Until recently, there was thought to be no surviving photographs of Slim, however, in 2019 two photos were discovered and published by Working Class History in a Newberry Library collection.
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I finally saved up enough money to get LASIK done this morning and I'm speechless with the results. It's the closest thing I've ever experienced to actual magic. My vision is perfect after 30 years of corrective lenses because somebody shot my eyeballs with lasers for like 30 seconds.
Wonderful, I'm happy for you. I've lightly considered it but 1) I've heard unlucky horror stories and 2) I can't imagine my face without glasses lmao
The doctor was very honest about the risks that something could go wrong and the chances are very low (I think 1 in 1000 for a major complication after the procedure). If you like your glasses it may not be worth it but I've always hated my glasses and contacts so I'm glad I got it done.
To be honest I probably should not be the one talking about risk considering I literally got a vaginoplasty
Did it hurt?
Congrats
The actual procedure was painless, just lots of weird pressure and generally uncomfortable things like super bright lights. The weirdest bit was the suction when they cut the flap, which makes you lose your vision in that eye for about 30 seconds.
The first hour afterwards was miserable, like someone was irrigating my eyeballs with lemon juice. After that it gradually got better while I just laid in a dark room with my eyes closed, and about 8 hours later I'm walking around and they are just a bit dry and scratchy feeling. Absolutely would recommend it if you hate dealing with glasses or contacts, well worth a few hours of discomfort to never have to worry about my contacts again. It will also pay for itself within a few years.
For me, i remember the first week after lasik being absolutely perfect. My eyes could resolve the detail of the moon without any squinting and it was perfect. Sadly, after a few months, its starts to regress a bit. I'm still 20/20 but now i notice a distinct blurriness, and i'm forever cursed with knowing what perfect vision is like and no longer having it
edit: also, dry eye sucks and is permenant
I feel you, mine has definitely lost some of its sharpness over time and sometimes I try to look at a sign in the distance and think "ten years ago I would have been able to read that from here".
hell yes I got lasik fifteen years ago (
) and my vision is still better than 20/20. When I think of all the time and money I haven't spent fumbling with glasses and contacts it's amazing.