Back In The Saddle

Those of you who are Facebook friends already know that I had a bit of a get-off, on the bicycle, last Monday evening. But, for those who don't, here's the scoop.

I was pulling into my driveway, after participating in the trivia game at Fermaentra (we took 2nd place), when my front tire hit a stick that I didn't see due to the dark/looking over my shoulder for overtaking cars/inattention. As the tire skipped over the stick, it startled me and I grabbed a handful of brake. Unfortunately, instead of locking up and skidding out from under me, the tire caught on the pavement, and the bike spit me off on the high side.

At least I didn't break my collarbone, again. I avoided that by breaking the fall with my face.

Here's how I looked, immediately after determining that I still had all of my teeth:

The frame of my glasses broke, and I assume that is what gouged my right cheek. There is road rash on my nose, chin and lips (the lips were the most painful part), and my glasses frames smashed into the side of my nose and bloodied it. Plus, I had a bit of a contusion from my helmet, right at my (barely-existant) hairline.

You can see my cheek beginning to swell, in this photo without my glasses. It eventually looked like one of Jack Nicholson's cheeks, when he played The Joker.


(Photo from www.propstore.com)

New glasses are on the way, and should be here tomorrow. The scrapes and scratches are healing, although the inside of my lower lip is still a painful horror show. And, this is as straight as I can get my left thumb:

 I'll be posting about that guitar in the background, soon...

 

It's pretty swelled up, and a bit painful. But, as of today, I can move it a little. I am hoping that full mobility will come bas as the swelling goes down. Ice and Ibuprofen...

Today, I got on the bike for the first time since the accident. There are still stretches of ice on the neighborhood roads, so I took the fixed gear, with studded tires, down to the coffee shop and back. The thumb ached a little, and the cold air bit my lips. Otherwise, it was a good little ride.

I will go back to work, tomorrow, after being off all but Monday of last week (sick leave and holiday). I plan on riding in, and I just wanted to take a little test ride to make sure that is going to be a good idea. I think it will be. I particularly look forward to the ride home, in 40-something degree temps, after a week of cold and snow, here in Denver.

I am hoping to keep my face off of the pavement, too!


x