accidents

Funny how sometimes the things you dread and put off don't even bother to live up to how difficult you thought they'd be.

Databases were like that for me, once; I woke up one day and said, "It's time," and cracked open my books and studied up and about two days later, I realized at least three-quarters of my fear and doubt went away the moment I transmuted worry into action.

"Cable knitting? But I don't know how to do cable knitting…"

I said that for six months, actually. It's rather pathetic to admit that, a couple of weeks ago, I woke up one day under a strangely fluffy and rational cloud and said, "Hmmm, I bet there's an explanation of the theory behind cable knitting somewhere on the web." Thirty minutes later, theory in hand, I had a pattern sketched out and was ready to start knitting.

There’s a saying about happy and unhappy families which follows along the lines of “all happy families are alike, but the unhappy ones are all unique.” It applies to more than just families. Major life events are like that, as well. After all, what’s the fun in retelling the events of a perfectly normal and happy day?

No, we’re much more interesting when events both bizarre and unexpected happen; we’re at our most unique in the microseconds when we realize that life has just completely and utterly deviated from whatever predetermined plan we thought we were working under.

Most of my friends know that I have broken my right wrist twice, and most of them know that I broke it the first time while trying to fly a kite on a rainy day. Fewer know the story of the second break, despite the fact that it’s a much more interesting and amusing story.

ah, tired. The good tired that comes with visitors and much talking and staying up past your bedtime to catch up on stories that are much more reluctantly told over the impersonalizing medium of the ‘net.

Andy toddled off to bed just after midnight; good and tired, I would think. He’s had more of an interesting day than any of us bargained on. Accidents are, by their nature, unscheduled. As I was driving Kat’s car back from the airport, the transmission gave out.

This, of course, is a bad thing to have happen when you’re barreling down a highway at 75mph. To look down as the car starts shuddering just in time to see the tachometer spike to nearly 60,000rpm and feel the accelerator fall to the floor is a frightening experience, especially if you’ve been rear-ended less than three months before.

I walk outside in sock feet and my toes get cold. Nice. It’s gone from unseasonably warm to quite chilly. Today’s high was around 46, and I have to wonder if that was one of those “daily high reached at midnight” temperatures. It certainly felt like it.

Had a frustrating realization today at about 4:30. I got an email from a client saying, “We’re a bit disappointed—we asked you to design us a site with a look and feel similar to the Williams-Sonoma site, and this looks nothing like it.”For the first time, though, she included the URL of the site. It took about ten seconds for me to figure out that there are two Williams-Sonoma sites—the kitchen store site and the corporate headquarters site. My design was based off of the store’s site and theirs off of the corporate HQ site. Once that discrepancy was resolved, thigns were a lot more chipper over in the design department.

Kat and I went to Birmingham today. I think this was a good thing, although I came back tired. We talked a lot.

I also finally found the bathrobe I’ve been seeking for a couple of years now. Full-length. White. No funky logos. Soft and absorbent. Dilemma—keep for myself, or make available to guests?

Can I get away with both?

I’ve been trying to stick with the drug regimen to help my neck and upper back recover from Thursday’s crash. I’m not as painfully tender and sore as yesterday. Today I just ache—and I tire easily. Funny how things like that will mess you up.

I took the muscle relaxant pill about thirty minutes ago. As soon as I finish this, I’m going to bed. I’m starting to get a bit fuzzy-headed again. I don’t need them for pain during the day (I’m a tough and creaky old bird) but getting some uninterrupted sleep certainly can’t be bad for me.

So I went to the clinic after work, right? Everything was fine and dandy until I said the phrase “car accident.” At that point, the nurse-on-duty did the quickest backpedaling act I’ve ever seen. She flatly stated, “We cannot treat you. Go to the ER.”

Tonight’s thumbs-up comment goes to Lee Cornelius out in the Huntsville ER. Seinfeld-esque bedside manner—while answering my annoying questions to boot. I hate x-rays. I’ve had way too many of them in my life, and these were the most pain-free ones I’ve dealt with in a long time. Has more to do with his good cheer, flippant sense of humor, and general tolerance of my mouthiness than anything else.