So I am in Austin, Texas at the moment and sitting around a ton of people that blog every day until thier fingers bleed. I felt somewhat guilted into putting something RECENT on this blog just to show that I am indeed IN the game. So here we go.

Here is a recent boo boo that I got. And actually, am still feeling the effects of.

We have had kinda a crappy run of weather the past several weeks in Cleveland. We got hit with a crapload of snow. There were like 20 inches of snow in the driveway at one point. Now I grew up in Chicago and 20 inches was pretty normal for that place and time. It seemed like we always had enough snow around to build great forts and ice down the hill in my front yard with the garden hose so we could barrel down it and into the street like a bobsled run. (side note: It must have been a winter olympics year that I recall best. Because we literally got out the garden hose and hooked it up and got my dad to turn on the water outside so we could pour gallon after gallon down the hill and turn slush into ice and make a bobsled run. We had banks and turns and all that. The local paper came out to photograph our entreprise. Little rascals in the snow.)

Ok.. back to tbe boo boo.

There has been a lot of snow to clear in Cleveland. I walk several blocks from my parking spot to the office. The sidewalks have at times been pretty treacherous. I will attempt to upload a photo from my phone here... success!!)

One Friday about three weeks ago I snuck out of work a few minutes early and was hurrying to get over to the daycare and pick up the kids. The building maintance people have typically had a black rubber mat at the doorway to the building. It kind of slopes up (when your walking in) and down (ironically, when you are walking out).

I noticed that it was missing this one particular Friday as I hurried out of the building. Its one of those moments where you have recognition, but you are on auto pilot and will not be detured. So I hussled out the door. I also happened to be holding my cell phone to my ear, because you know, you can't have a moment when you are just WALKING. God forbid.

Anyway, I hit the slop at regular speed. Thinking that it COULD be pretty slippery.
And, inded, it was.

It took a few seconds for me to realize what happened. I had obviously fallen. An elderly-ish woman was nearby and actually offered me a hand. My manhood in jeapordy here, I declined and stood up on my own. Cell phone still at my ear.

Becase of the phone I think, I didn't really protect myself in the fall with my hands. In fact, I dont think my hands ever touched the ground at all. Instead, I went straight to my knees. My left knee taking the brunt of the fall.

What I noticed first was that my favorite pair of jeans was terribly torn. I remember paying like $70 for them and that was really my first thought. My second thought was.... where is that damn mat? Then I thought, oh, this voicemail is STUPID. And I hung up. THEN... I had that feeling you know is never good... the one where you feel something running down your leg.

Blood.

Well let me just say, I haven't skinned my knee in a ton of years. Maybe since I was 8 or so. I am 41 now, so we are talking a good 32 years of unskinned kneees. Well maybe that is an exageration, but i really can't remember hurting one like this.

Tore my jeans. That pissed me off. But a huge chunk of skin is now missing from my kneecap and blood is running down my leg. And i am in a hurry. That feeling of blood running down your leg is so annoying. Like the chinese water tourture or something. My first instinct is to PROTECT my jeans. But soon after that I realize that they are trashed anyway. So I just use them to soak up the blood running quickly toward my sock. Gross.

So at first I didn't think it was so bad. I mean, it wasn't like someone had to call an ambulance. But let me tell you... three weeks later, I am STILL dealing with this damn knee. It was badly bruised. That took at least 2 weeks to stop constantly hurting. We had just bought a house that needs a lot of renovation, and I was immediately on my knees. A LOT. That really hurt like hell.

In fact, two weeks and a few days after the fall, I looked down to see a familiar wet spot growing on my jeans while I was working at the house. I didnt have a bandaid (I mean, adhesive bandage... sorry about the brand infraction there Mr. Legal Dude). So a dozen plus days after I injured it, it was still bleeding. That really sucks cause it is a setback. It insures it is gonna take at least a few MORE weeks to fully heal up. And it really has. I mean this scab is STILL on my knee. I would take a picture of it, but honestly I dont want to pay my cell company anymore money. And being in Austin, as I mentioned earlier, I don't have my digi cam with me. I left it home with the fiance who is working on the house during my absence so she can keep me visually updated. So hopefully you will be ok with the visuals I am doing my best to describe.

This scab is a few weeks from being gone. Let me just say. I frickin' HATE skinning my knee. Of all the spots to hurt. That one is up there for me. I have recently burned my finger tips on a pipe I just soldered at the house, accidentally clamped down on a pair of needle-nose pliers with my skin stuck between them creating a blood blister right on the palm side of my right index finger... RIGHT at the knuckle bend. OUCH!... but the damn knee.... that is still the worst.

I don't like to think that my age is making me heel more slowly, but perhaps it is. I have heard that before, but thought that was like for REALLY old guys. Like TWICE my age. 80 year olds right? In fact, forget I ever said that. It isn't my age at all. It is all attributable to the total suck factor of skinning your knee as good as it can be. Perhaps in another post, I will bring back to life a boo boo from the past where my kneecap BONE was actually visible after an attempt to act like Evil Kenivel (I know that is spelled wrong)

Ok... fresty out.