Sticks and Stones

Second hand 18 year old scooter on Trademe: $650
Brand new HJC helmet from Wellington Motorcycles: $150
Paving the road with your skin as you go for a ride first time in your life: Priceless

Yes, I bought a scooter. Yes, I crashed it the first time I took it outside.
Fantastic really.

I was fine for the 10 or so minutes along all the dodgy roads coming up to the main road, indicating, turning, accelerating, braking. All the things one does when on the road. At the final intersection (after which I had planned to park and get a coffee), for some reason, the scooter didn't turn when I turned, and it didn't slow down even though I wasn't throttling. It sped up. I freaked. I put my foot down and bailed. Just as well though, because I am told that hitting a parked car head on would have been much worse than scraping my face along the road at 30 km/h.

Plus, I don't have insurance yet, so I would be even more out of pocket. ACC only cost me 23 dollars. And all the doctors and nurses were lovely. The scooter didn't seem to get damaged, but I think it was fucked to start with. Now looking at it, the front wheel points in a different direction from the handle bars. Would have paid to notice that sooner.

I got sent home after about an hour of cleaning up at Karori Medical Centre. A good friend came over to pick me up and stayed with me all day and most of the evening, until my flatmate came home from work and took over. Apparently, with head injuries, the first 24 hours are kinda dodgy. So the flatmate had to come in through the night to wake me up and make sure I'm not in a coma. But nope, still alive.

The giant bump on my forehead has come down in the last two days. Yesterday I woke up aching all over as if I'd been working out at the gym. Today I woke up with a black eye. The internet sneaks into my room at night and bashes me up.

I could get cast into a Once Were Warriors movie. "She comes with her own make up!".

I had quite a nose bleed at the time of the accident. I'm like "All this blood, damn". Just when I thought I was feeling better today, I got two more nose bleeds. Blood pouring everywhere. The sink will never feel the same. Luckily, a friend was over to mop up my pathetic. (I hereby dub the word pathetic a noun)

I went out to the movies tonight. I couldn't take the scooter because I have to avoid head injury for at least 3 weeks. I took the bus and then walked a bit. It's funny seeing people glance up and then quickly look away. "Move along people, hideous beast coming through!".

Uni starts on Monday. That should be interesting. Not just because of Battered Wife symptoms I'll be exhibiting but because thinking is an effort. The nurse said "Don't think too hard". I can't concentrate on stuff, and playing WoW I have to take a rest every few minutes. Just as well I sit on my bed. Good luck for the tests, dear Lana. Just as well you dropped that paper that has the test on Monday.

I do wonder why this always happens to me though. First, Chris and the Germany fiasco, then lack of finances and the brink of bankruptcy, then ploughing the road with my face. I live to serve others as a warning. A friend said the other day "You know I just realised that if I buy this new engine for my car, I'll probably kill myself with it". Well, I'm glad you realised that, dear friend, now let me get back to moping.

Still, I got flowers and lots of Lucosade, jelly beans and chocolate, so can't complain too much. Plus, it appears that I won't be needing collagen or botox injections for a while now.