Just stuff

New Movie

The Secret Life Of Bees is a book by Sue Monk Kidd that I read in an online book reader's club of sorts, that I belonged to (some of you may remember it from GW). Anyway, I was just checking out my newsletter from iTunes and I saw that it's been made into a movie starring Queen Latifah and that made my day! I liked the book and I like Ms. Latifah a lot and think she will sparkle in the movie! I believe the movie is being released on Friday. I'll definitely be going to see that one!

Garfield's Nightmare

Ever get hooked on a video game? I'm sort of there, right now. Andy got me a Nintendo DS for my recent birthday and I got the game "Garfield's Nightmare". I've made it to level 2.3 so far and that's taking up a lot of my free-sit-down time. It's time I usually spend tweezing eyebrows, polishing nails, paying bills as I watch some mindless drivel on TV. So here I sit, enraptured by a game with chipped nails, trying to see thru the overhang from my brows, as bill collectors knock on my door and the TV could be all snowy and hissing for all I know! It's fun and it really does help me relax in a weird sort of way. I say weird because in the game the little Garfield character is always having to jump over bombs, poison mushrooms with noxious clouds, avoid pitfalls and lava rivers...seems more like it should be stressful. I guess after driving a school bus all day, this is a piece o' cake!

Interview with a Vampire

My boss at the transportation dept. informed me Tuesday at our monthly meeting (in front of the entire staff) that since our department is going to be featured on the district's website next month that I was going to write the story and take the photos since I was a newspaper reporter/photog in another life. I guess that's what's called "being volunteered". I agreed to do it and have to interview the boss to get an idea of what she wants in the article. I mainly agreed because it will give me a chance to tell a lot of people in the district about the Christmas For Kids fund raiser we do all year round in our department. Having been a reporter always comes back to bite me in the ass, tho! I get stuck drawing all the pictures they want down there too. Writing, drawing and photos...it's what I do so I guess I don't mind as much as it sounds like it do!

Injury (don't read this segment if you're squeamish!)

It's hard to type without a workable left index finger, but I'll muddle thru. Late yesterday morning I was trying to cut up some butternut squash to make that soup recipe I posted Tuesday and I had cut two of them in half already and dug the seeds out...the chickens love these. I set the two that were cut already in the microwave. Time was short and I thought I'd cook them in the microwave to shorten up the time a bit. Anyway, I was about to cut the third and last one. I stood it on it's fat end and held it with my left hand. I swung back the big heavy-bladed knife and swung with all my might, intending to cut it in half lengthwise and knowing how hard that squash skin is.

Life lesson: Don't cut squash when you're in a hurry!!!

I heard the knife strike with a big nasty thud, but it wasn't squash it struck. I stood there wide-eyed watching my index finger tip. At first nothing happened but then suddenly the blood started to flow. Well, it was more like a spurt than a flow. As soon as that happened, I could see where the knife hit and what had happened. The knife blade had run almost parallel with the quick of my fingernail cutting about 1/3rd of the way thru my finger...cleaving 3/4ths of the nail and all. The upside is that I only now have 9 nails to worry about polishing (or not polishing, as the case may be...see above) ...the downside is that it hurts like hell and has been throbbing off and on ever since.

After stopping the bleeding and Andy helping me get it wrapped and snugged up so it wouldn't start bleeding again, I made it back to work to do my afternoon bus route. I did have to lie down a bit after we got the bleeding stopped because I thought I was going to pass out...blood doesn't bother me, but that much pain does. Just the thought of chopping my finger with a big bad knife didn't do much for my stability either! I must have cut a nerve or two because it stopped hurting for a while and then the whole thing started to throb except for the tip of my finger which is feeling nothing! It's weird, I can feel everything up to the cut...then there's no feeling at all.

I know you're probably wondering why I didn't go to the emergency room...I don't think they could have done anything for it. I got it closed up good, so it shouldn't need any stitches and I had a 10-year tetanus shot 3 or 4 years ago because I was taking precautions against rose thorns...but it did bleed really good so it cleaned itself out well. My finger tip is still in tact and altho I'm leery of taking the bandages off, I will when I shower this morning. It should be fine. I didn't want some in-a-hurry emergency room doc poking around at it!! That really gives me the willies!!!

I'll keep you posted on how it does. I'm the pioneer woman type...I take care of most of my own stupid moves!

And boy, was this ever a stupid move...one for the books!