Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Yesterday I went to a bike shop and had myself fitted for a street bike. Es war sehr teuer. Then I took a public policy exam, which went fairly well, considering that I had not studied nearly as much as I could or should have. I walked my bike to the shop afterward, because I had discovered upon riding it that the seat sat too high. On the way back to campus, I ran into Amanda and Steve, who informed me a new high school in Raleigh has offered him a Latin teaching position. Steve will make these kids happy to be alive.
Afterward, I met with someone who works in the basement of the mass communications building about purchasing his laptop. It is lightweight, doesn't heat up too much, and will fit neatly into my backpack. Ausgezeichnet. He promised to set it up for me today and this evening, and will call later today or tomorrow so that I may fetch it. I am thrilled.
But, I am incredibly sore and sleepy. Last night I took the new bike out around campus, to get used to it, and managed to wipe out. The bike absorbs very little shock, and when I went over a dip in the road, it veered sharply left and began to tip. I suppose I over-compensated and subsequently crashed to the ground, with the entire right side of my body hitting the pavement.
Against all sensibility, I had worn heavy black pants on a searing-hot day, which spared my leg any nasty road burn. However, my temple smacked against the concrete, bled, and swelled a little. The road scraped plenty of skin from my elbow, which also began to swell immediately. The fall bruised a couple of the unconnected ribs behind my breast. That still hurts, even after the narcotic pain medications I have been prescribed.
The worst pain comes from my thigh and hip. Without pain medication, I cannot walk. Last night I lay in the street, moaning, for about thirty seconds, then spent an additional ninety or thereabouts trying to get up. I hobbled to the dorm, walking the bike. A young man driving by in a minivan paused to talk to me, for as he approached, he thought I was some kid walking a bike he had had stolen earlier. I explained the situation in which I had found myself, and he offered advice on where and how to acquire insurance.
As he drove off, I chastised myself for not having asked for a ride. When I finally came to my room, I was almost too tired to dress the wounds. But the pain in my leg and hip made getting into bed a torturous process. Around one-thirty I woke up, needing to urinate, but almost could not get out of bed. But I then remembered I still had a few pain pills from last month, which worked well enough to get me through the morning.
To condense and conclude this narrative, I checked into the emergency room for a CAT scan and a little prodding. My brains are not leaking, so I was released with one prescription for painkillers and another for inflammation.
The painkillers make me sleepy. It is bedtime.
[Lauree Frances Keith concluded this diatribe at 4:11 PM]