Meme: I don't get out often enough...

[magnetic_pole]

Hi, flist! I've been too quiet; I'm sorry. I'm struggling with some offline writing that's sapped my energy to do anything else. I should remember the key to posting here is not to stop.

I'm going to dip my toes back in the water with an edited version of a meme I've seen in a couple places. (Copying here from nachodiablo --thanks!) The take-away seems to be that I need to get out more.

🌴 Been to an Island: Yes, if big islands like Maui or Oahu or Lanzarote or count. (Or Roosevelt Island? Or the île de la Cité in Paris?) To the remote, unpaved kind? No.
✈️ Flown on a Plane: Yes. Probably two trips a year, on average.
🚑 Rode in an Ambulance: Never.
🎤 Sang Karaoke: Never
⛸ Ice Skating: Yes! A few times with my brother and his two boys, who are now playing hockey. I'm surprisingly good at it for a nonathletic newbie. I think it's because I did so much roller skating as a child.
🚢 Been on a Cruise: Never.
🏍 Rode on a Motorcycle: Never.
🐴 Rode on a Horse: Never.
🏥 Stayed in a Hospital: Just the once, when I shattered my elbow and needed an operation.
⭐️ Met a star: Never, if we're talking the Entertainment Weekly kind. That said, I had two world-famous orthopedic surgeons put my elbow back together again. I still appreciate their stellar skills!
🚁 Rode in a helicopter: Never.
📺 Been on tv: Never.
👻 Seen a ghost: Yes! On the Metro North commuter train leaving NYC late at night about twenty five years ago. We passed another train and a hand came out to touch the glass of my window. Not a believer in ghosts, generally, but that was such a vivid, real experience I'm convinced something happened.

I'll paste the meme below, flist, but if you don't want to do the whole thing, do you have any interesting responses to any of these questions? I hope your summer is going well so far!

🌴 Been to an Island: ✈️ Flown on a Plane: 🚑 Rode in an Ambulance: 🎤 Sang Karaoke: ⛸ Ice Skating: 🚢 Been on a Cruise: 🏍 Rode on a Motorcycle: 🐴 Rode on a Horse: 🏥 Stayed in a Hospital: ⭐️ Met a star: 🚁 Rode in a helicopter: 📺 Been on tv: 👻 Seen a ghost:

Comments

[magnetic_pole]

Ridiculously, that's how! I was staying in a hotel room (i.e. unfamiliar territory) with a bed that had a bed frame that was larger than the mattresses above it. I tripped over the bed frame and fell awkwardly, landing on my arm in such a way that my elbow bent 90 degrees in the wrong direction.

I grabbed my arm, wrenched it back towards my body, and crawled to the phone, where I placed a call to the front desk that was far too polite. After I hung up, I had to call again. "I just spoke with you a moment ago, asking for some help in room xxx" I said. "I should have said that I need an ambulance and may pass out at any moment. Please send someone RIGHT NOW."

Then I proceed to send the ambulance away and got someone to drive me to the hospital. It was Christmas Eve and very quiet. I waited for more than an hour before someone got my x-ray and came running into the room where I was waiting. "Oh my god," he said. "This is really bad! Why didn't we give you some pain killers earlier?"

*sigh* I'm not always my best advocate.

But it all turned out fine in the long run! I have an amazing x-ray showing the 22 plates and pins in my elbow, and I can still swim. :) M.

[ayebydan]

All my toe breaks have been ridiculous too but....holy shit.

No wonder someone ran in hollering! Glad it healed up ok.

[magnetic_pole]

Ooof, toe breaks, ouch! Did they heal up okay?

Thanks for asking! I'm not sure I've told that story here before. M.

[ayebydan]

My two big toes that I have broken don't look as they should but they don't hurt or impact my walking so I count that as a win, especially as the first big toe break I didn't even know happened until 6 months later when my Dr was was like 'why are you limping?'

[magnetic_pole]

I'd heard that you could break a smaller toe and not notice (I mean, you'd feel pain but not know that you'd broken a bone), but I can hardly imagine a big toe! I'm so glad it didn't have any long term consequences. M.

[ayebydan]

My first big toe break was the first of my four toe breaks in general. I stubbed it on an uneven tile on a swimming pool floor.

It hurt for months and I hobbled for months, probably as I didn't take weight off it. The second big toe break was last summer were it hurt a LOT at first so I needed hospital so my aunt took me up. I was put in a 'boot' type thing for two weeks and after that was fine. It depends where and when the pressure is I guess.

My pinky toe breaks didn't bother me too much. More when I was putting socks or shoes on or off it hurt than generally walking and day to day life.

[ancientreader]

OH MY GOD

That is all.

[magnetic_pole]

Heh heh. Yes. M.

[torachan]

OWWWWWWWWWW

DDDDDDDDDDD:

[magnetic_pole]

:) Exactly! M.

[therealsnape]

That's one amazing story. Pity you sent the ambulance away - your one chance to say "yes" to the ambulance ride.

[pauraque]

Wow, how awful! I'm glad you came out of it all right. (Somehow I keep imagining the hotel manager in a panic thinking you were going to sue the pants of them.)

[write_out]

I'm not always my best advocate.

But you are master of the understatement! OUCH. I cringed so hard reading that even though I remember you talking about that before. OUCH. 22 plates and pins!