Adventurenet.net

Warning: This blog entry contains and discusses a suicide.

Sunday October 19th, 2025

One thing that my ADHD brain loves is a good checklist, and so I put one on my apartment wall.

This is a magnetic whiteboard that I have placed magnetic whiteboard panels on.

The way that I plan on using this is to give myself weekly tasks, write them on the panels on the left side of the board and when they’re complete, to move the panels to the right side.

I also have the ability to write directly on the whiteboard for labels and titles.

I like it.

You may notice that there is only one item on here right now which says “Visit a flea market.”

There is also a small piece of paper taped on.

A year ago my wife bought me a small adventure ticket dispenser.

It has two sides to pull a ticket from.

One for indoor adventures and another for outdoor.

I selected an outdoor adventure and got this.

I don’t like flea markets.

I find them to be similar to a garage sale where all of the prices are marked far too high.

This is why this has been put off for a year, but today I will complete this task so that I may look at the next ticket.

Wish me luck!

The internet map says there’s a flea market out in Flushing, Queens.

I do not know if the map software and I agree on what a flea market is, but I want this item off of the check list, so I’m counting it.

Let’s go inside and get fleas.

Is this a discount outlet?

You know, those stores that buy up loads of stuff that other stores auction off and then resell? Like Big Lots.

Flea market selfies!

Okay, so this place does have loads of discounted goods, but I would not consider it a flea market.

Please note that I have not looked up this term in the dictionary and it may be that I am wrong about this definition.

But this place is not for me. I’m not shopping for anything that they’re selling here.

Let’s find something to eat.

Corn dog and blue drink.

Ahhh. Delightful.

I have another small adventure item to complete at home. I’m going to skip forward and talk about that now and then we’ll come back to topic about the ride home.

I am in a local gaming group chat where folks will occasionally host role-playing games (like Dungeons & Dragons) and at a game that I went to (we played Periscope) the couple had amazing magnets on their fridge.

They explained to me that they were made with stickers and sheets of magnetic sticker pads.

They were kind enough to show me, and I took a picture, and I went home and I ordered some from eBay.

And so tonight we make fun magnets!

Now my refrigerator is covered in cool magnets like hosts of that delightful game night.

Now to rewind back to the trip home.

To get from Flushing back to Astoria, we take the N train which is an above-ground set of train tracks for this stretch of the trip.

We’re about two stops away from where we’re planning on getting off, but the train makes a sudden stop that’s not in a station.

I figure they’re letting another train through somewhere, as they have fully turned off the engine.

Without the air conditioning running, it starts to get toasty and so I open the door and hold it with my foot.

The couple across from us doesn’t speak much English, but they show their thanks with a polite nod.

After a few more minutes some young folks from the back of the train come through and work their way to the front and the conductor gets on the intercom and alerts us that the train has struck a person and that we will be evacuated when the fire department arrives.

I have a lot of thought at this moment.

The first is for the person who got hit.

Was it a kid subway surfing?

We’re not near a station as far as I can tell, so how could someone get this far along the tracks otherwise?

There was someone who looked drunk who traveled between cars before the stop.

Did they fall off of the platform between cars?

The family across from us also realizes that someone has likely died and when we make eye contact we both shake our heads.

It’s a shame.

I don’t know what has happened, but someone must have lost their life today.

A few more people work their way towards the front of the train by traveling between cars.

We are waiting for the conductor to give instructions.

I wonder how far we’ll have to walk along the tracks to get to a station?

Will we take a ladder down?

I really don’t want to walk along the tracks. The electrified third rail is a death trap and it scares the hell out of me.

The conductor comes into our car and tells us to travel to the front of the train.

We wait for the family across from us so that we can hold open the car doors as they have a stroller to get through.

We must be walking along the side of the tracks when we get off.

As I get to the front of the train I learn that we were not far from the next station at all. My phone map was just doing a bad job at pinpointing my location.

We’re at the stop and the place is packed with emergency medical personnel, fire fighters, and folks trying to see or photograph what happened.

I have no interested in seeing.

I push my way through the crowd and to the exit.

The location means that this probably wasn’t a subway surfer or the drunk guy.

Someone fell onto the tracks and died.

The only question left is whether they jumped in front of the train, or if they were pushed.

We find out a few days later that it was a suicide.

I don’t know their name or what caused them so much pain, but I’m glad that they’re no longer suffering.

Is this controversial to say?

My first choice for them would be for their life to get easier and happier and that they continue to live, but when someone is at the absolute bottom, it is natural to act erratically.

I won’t judge. It’s not my place.

I’m glad they’re at peace.

The suicide and crisis life line phone number is 988 and is available in English and Spanish.