Crash & Burn

I crashed on a scooter last weekend. I'd like to say that it was someone else's fault, but since I crashed into a parked car I guess I can't. To be honest I'm not sure what happened. I have driven scooters hundreds of times, even all over Hawaii. It was having trouble starting so the only thing I can come up with is that when it finally started I had the throttle turned too much and it just took off. Unfortunately there was a pesky SUV parked on the side of the road not too far away and I didn't have time to correct or gain control of the scooter. But I must have been going pretty fast because I got it lodged pretty far under it. I remember as I was going down trying to protect my head (don't worry there was a helmet on the back just not on my head) that someone once told me that for every inch you slide on asphalt you remove a layer of skin and I was hoping that I wasn't going to skid too far. Luckily my neighbor had come out to assist me in starting the dumb thing because the scooter was pinned under the SUV, on my leg, motor running, gasoline pouring out all over my leg. He ran over asking if I was ok, which of course at the time I replied, "sure could have been worse can you get it off my leg." I turned off the scooter and as he lifted the SUV I pulled/ pried it out from under the SUV. We assessed the damage on the scooter, uh oh, and on the SUV, stupid thing didn't even have a scratch, then myself. Everything seemed to be intact, maybe a slight scratch on my elbow.

I called Josh in tears, the scooter isn't mine, it's my boss'. She was letting me use it a few weeks ago when my Explorer was in the shop and I was planning on returning it that evening. What had I done? He kept asking if I was ok and I went on and on about the scooter. He finally very sternly made it clear he didn't care about the stupid scooter, but was I ok. I finally assessed the real damage; very cut up elbow you could see deep grooves from the asphalt, badly already bruising hip, cut up foot (how did that happen I was wearing jeans, socks, and shoes?), bruised shoulder, and cut up knee. Ok so maybe not that great. This was not my first fall, so I knew how to clean out the wounds. But what about the scooter? I don't have money to repair, let alone purchase the scooter. Josh cheerfully let me know that he has always wanted a scooter and that it would be great to ride around in Texas, but my priority needed to be myself. I love that man.

After cleaning my wounds I made the dreaded call to Janey and she handled it very graciously and also wanted to make sure I was ok. A few scrapes and sores, but sure I was, I had to go to the Boise State game.

Fast forward to the game where I realized I was in more pain that I thought and it hurt to be touched/hugged. Fast forward past the great win and dinner at Chilis where I discovered I really really hurt, felt cold, and it killed to move or breath. I have a wonderful friend, Katie, who was so willing to take me to the ER even though she had to work all day Sunday. An x-ray, shot for pain in the bum, drugs for nausea, more drugs for something else, me barfing in the hospital's handy little bags, oh and the crazy guy that I found very interesting as he walked around with a bottle of Pinesol ( I was trying to figure out if he had drank it) and it turns out I had very bruised ribs.

I was sent home with even more drugs and a prescription to take it easy. That is exactly what I have tried to do for the last week. Today is the first day I have worn something other than sweats. Who knew bruised ribs could be so painful. Everything you do causes pain, and hiccups are the worst things ever invented. Well there you go, this is my story of the day I crashed and burned on a scooter.