On the one hand, NaNoWriMo is going pretty damn well. I was stalled out for a while there, through most of last week, and it was a good thing that I got off to a quick start. But the last couple of days I got caught up again, and I’m now both over 40,ooo words and about a day ahead. Today I even figured out how to pull it all together for the ending!
On the other hand, I had a gnarly fall tonight, coming home from work on my way to the grocery store. I was turning up into a driveway and my front tire hit the edge wrong, so that my front wheel slid sideways and I just fell over. Landed HARD on my left side, scraped my elbow, banged up my knee (not the one I messed up 5 years ago, but the other one) and smacked the side of my head. I got up, made sure nothing was broken, and walked the rest of the way to the store…a very nice woman in a dept of licensing shirt had pulled over and asked if I was okay, should she call anyone, etc. but I just did my shopping and biked (slooowly) home.
Discovered that I’d torn my capilene shirt (strangely, the jacket is fine) and cracked my helmet. Cracked my helmet. I think about what it felt like when my head hit the ground… ::deep breath:: When I had that fall before, I don’t think the helmet would’ve made much difference one way or the other, most of the force was on my leg. This time…yeah, it probably kept me from cracking my SKULL.
I want to get back to my novel, but I still feel pretty shaken up, even after a hot bath, neosporin & bandages, ice pack on the leg, probably too many mint milanos, and some silly kids’ cartoons. And I am going to have a hell of a bruise tomorrow on my thigh just above the knee, I just hope I can walk on it. Bleh. Is it crazy that I’m just mad I won’t be able to ride tomorrow?
Beside having to replace the helmet — which I bought less than a month ago! — I want to take some time to give my bike a once-over, make sure everything’s in good condition. Well, both of my front headlights are messed up, to begin with. They work, but they look trashed. At least I’ve got an extra-long weekend to fuss over everything.
Maybe it’s a night to go to bed early and get some extra rest. After all, I’m ahead of schedule on my novel, so I can always get back to it tomorrow.
I did the same thing the first time I rode to work, though I fared a bit better.
Then back in september, I took a spill going around a switchback too fast on wet pavement when a strong gust hit me & I lost traction (I thought I was going about twelve MPH, later on I realized it was more like twenty.) I thought I was fine other than a small but deep bit of road rash on my palm. I actually bruised a rib.
Be sure to check your brake levers, one of my adjusting barrels got jammed in the housing after my fall.
I’m definitely going to be giving the whole bike a once-over; one of the shifters was off-kilter.
Turning too fast on wet pavement is a bad one…my big accident five years ago involved turning too fast onto wet leaves (in my driveway, for crying out loud!) and my knee is still messed up from that.
Without going into too much detail… the wind is what really did me in. the bag on the Ute just acted like a sail and my rear tire lost traction. But yeah, the speed did not help.
You were pretty happy with your Smoke, yes? A longtail is really not ideal given my current work schedule, the weather, and elevation changes I’m riding in. I’ve been looking for something more bad weather / late night appropriate.
If you’re at all interested this is my route from work to home.(if I got the html right…)
Yes, the Smoke was pretty good for commuting, although in retrospect I think it’d have been better for someone with a bit longer legs.
Oh, and as it turns out, I had a bruised rib too. :\ Plus the shifter was busted, although otherwise the bike was fine.
(okay, had to surf ’til I found… get better quick-like !)