Concussion?? Perhaps. Pain?? Yes!

Well, it was bound to happen. I was going to get injured at some point this year; aside from the occasional blister. And Saturday was the designated day. Of course, I wish I had some great story to share, but instead, I am rather embarassed by it all. However, I have bared my thoughts and ideas on this blog so why not share in my foibles.

It was going to be a busy day. There was alot to do and timing was of the essence. I was up and showered and out the door in time to start the day at 930am. I went to a local cafe to get a cup of cappucino and brioche for breakfast. As usual, it was wonderful (Cafe Zanin is really good!). The cafe is all black marble and glass...very modern, yet retro looking, especially for Venice. I finished, made my way to the cashier, paid my 2.30 euro and went to open the glass door.

In a split second, my mind reminded me that these doors were unusually heavy (as they are glass) and that I need to pull a bit harder than usual. The door handle is positioned more toward the center of the door which sets the equilibrium off a bit and makes it difficult to judge just how wide the door really is (remember, they just opened and so everything was cleaned and without fingerprints at this point).

So I heaved the door open and before I could react, hit myself in the head above my left eye with the glass. I heard the noise of the door vibrate and I heard the noise of the glass hit my head. And then silence. And then darkness. And then birds and stars. The only reason I didnt fall down was because I had some sort of vice grip hold on the door handle. I couldnt tell you how long I stood there or if anyone noticed or said anything to me. I imagine with the noise, a few heads turned.

After the birds flew away, I walked out of the cafe into the bright sun and felt the pain in my head and my eye from the brightness. I was immediately sick to my stomach and very, very tired. I stumbled around as a drunk person for a bit thinking how much of a headache I was going to have all day. I realized it was bad but didnt really know what to do--what IS the italian word for 'hit myself in the head'? So, I did what all people do, right?....I kept walking to my appointment. Along the way, I felt the lump grow bigger and I searched in every possible store for ice. It doesnt exist for sale in Venice. You can ocassionally get ice in a drink at a restaurant if you ask for it, but you cant buy it anywhere.

Needless to say, it was a long day. I should have gone to the dr. or something I imagine but I just remembered that you werent supposed to sleep with a concussion, so I stayed awake until 6pm and then crashed for the evening. I figured if I didnt wake up, at least I went in my sleep which is the way we all dream about it happening. And if I did wake up, hopefully the headache would be gone. And since I am writing this and you are reading it, I obviously woke up and most of the headache is gone. The bump is a bit smaller (no longer looks like a horn growing out of my eyelid) and surprisingly I dont have much visible bruising yet.

There you have it....a stupid action that inflicted pain and agony on myself. I am so proud and so happy that I could share with my cyber friends and family!