Leg Injury & Deluxe Photos!
by Rev. Sara on Feb.14, 2010, under Journal
Photos of the injury to my leg on 2-12-2010 and the aftermath.
At about 19:00 Ro and I turned from onto Market St from Montgomery. The wet grating on the street was slippery and I panicked, clamping down on the rear disc brake which I am still not accustomed to. The bike’s rear wheel skidded around to the front and I went knee-first into the F car tracks. After calming down initially, the wound didn’t hurt and only bled when I walked. Mike and Kenny came to the rescue and picked Ro and I up and took me to the hospital. The first four pictures were taken at SF General Hospital.
Taken by the nurse when I had trouble getting the light and angle right. This one is the ugliest, IMO. (See the large version for the full effect!)
I took this close-up for Dad's benefit. Some preliminary cleaning was done and gauze was in place to absorb the bleeding caused by walking around.
After a thorough numbing (which hurt a little - needles were stuck into the wound) and antiseptic washing. While the nurse practitioner was getting the bits of road debris out, some little bits of fat came out with it! Well, one of the reasons I wanted a bike was to lose some fat...
7 hours after the initial injury, I'm all sutured up! That's 7 stitches. LUCKY! After this, I had to stand 25 minutes for the bus and then walk 5 blocks home. Still no pain!
20 hours after injury, 13 after stitches. The knee is still entirely numb! Like, dead numb. A little pain in the medial side. Should I be worried that it's still so totally numb, or could it be the local anesthesia still in effect.
Since it’s just my knee, I’m kind of hoping for a really rad jagged scar. Unfortunately I’m told that this is unlikely. It still doesn’t hurt at all, I’m just disappointed that I have to wait a couple more weeks to ride my awesome new bike again.
A Philosophical Dilemma
by Rev. Sara on Dec.04, 2009, under Politics, Rants & Raves, Weight Loss
The picture shown here is of a passenger on an American Airlines flight, as taken by a concerned flight attendant. I have seen it passed around and discussed, usually in discussions of whether or not larger passengers ought to be charged for a second seat.
After seeing this picture initially, my reaction was along the lines of, “Well, he got himself this way so he should be responsible for it!” But now I’m in a bit of a philosophical crisis over it. Look closely at the photo – this man is not only much wider but also far taller than the other passengers. Should this passenger be of a “normal” BMI, it is likely that he may require more than one seat anyway! Somehow I feel that it is wrong to charge an “average”-weight-but-very-tall passenger extra for their ride, but right to charge an obese person more. Why? Why do I feel this way?
No matter the reason for a person to require special accommodations, the end result is the same. Why, then, do I feel that a fat person should be charged more? Am I seeking to punish the grave social sin of being fatter than is deemed acceptable? Of course, it can be pointed out that one is not likely to grow to such a size without consuming animal flesh (wish does indeed fill me with a sickening sort of dread), but 98% of Americans (and ~90% worldwide) do the same and I am certainly not in the business of seeking retribution against them.
Have I identified a prejudice against fat people in my own mind?
Passing Thought
by Rev. Sara on Aug.28, 2009, under Family, Journal, Memories, Relationships
There is something satisfying in watching a book you are reading slowly age and decay. No matter how tenderly you handle it, there will be inevitable scuffs, bends to the spine, corners frayed, pages yellowed. Likewise is it a beauty to watch those you love grow older, affirming life through a slow descent into antiquity.
