This look crooked to you?

I guess you don't really see it so much looking straight down from the top with the hand flat, or perhaps compared to the wonkiness of my dislocated-relocated pinky everything else looks fine, but it's the middle finger I'm referring to. Yeah, I "jammed" it Thursday night at volleyball. It happened as I put my hands up to meet a pass that was a little more AT me than TO me and it pretty much deflected full force off the tip of my middle finger. Not exactly the form they try to teach you at volleyball camp.

Or at least, I'd guess it's not, never having been.

Of course, I downplayed the pain and played the rest of the evening with it swelling and not-quite-right. Besides, I had the cut under my left eye to distract me. Yeah, it was a banner night at vball on Thursday. =)

After volleyball, I iced my finger in a glass of water at IHOP. Well, for a dozen minutes or so, until Glen did the smart proactive thing and asked the waiter for a bag of ice. I get the feeling they get that request more than once in a while. Thanks, Glen! Heh, later on, Glen looked at the glasses of water on the table and asked me which one was mine, the one I'd soaked my finger in. So, I told him. He ended up asking for a new glass of water. Go figure.

Well, I iced it again once I got home, and the next day taped it to my ring finger for some back-up/support. The swelling was way up, but the pain was down significantly. I cut out from work early to do some pre-Thanksgiving errands with Rowan, and he asked about the taped-up finger. I explained what happened and he shook his head a bit and asked if I'd had it checked out. I distracted him and dodged the question by buying an LCD TV.

That night I went and got dinner with Paris Jen and she took a smart look at it and noticed that it was bruising on one side. I hadn't noticed that. The way it was darkening was a bit unusual in my experience of finger "jams." Jen alerted me that it could be more damaged than I wanted to shake it off as, and advised me to get it checked out. Intellectually, she convinced me. Practically... well, I've not been to the doctor in a couple years. Why break my streak?

On Saturday while cleaning and rearranging about the homestead, in preparation for our hosting Thanksgiving here for most of his family, Rowan noticed that I still had my fingers taped up. I showed him the latest. He winced and gasped at its shiny puffiness and asked if I'd gone to the hospital for it yet. I'd bugged him repeatedly to go when he hurt his hand (well, okay, when *I* hurt his hand) playing vball at Nahant one weekend this past summer, so he was only returning the favor. When I showed him, I realized the bruising had gotten more pronounced, and the knuckle more walnutty. Bleah.

I managed to ignore the discomfort thru Saturday evening—scarfing down popcorn at CASINO ROYALE (very fun, and smart, but could've been even smarter in parts—Craig is excellent), and clapping with an attached finger monster puppet at the BUFFY SING-A-LONG (disappointingly, not sold out, but a wonderful musical experience, bonus points for having BUFFY fan friends Jill and Mary in the posse), all day and night Sunday—shopping Home Depot for some home improvement items and continuing to primp and prep the place for Turkey day guestivities, all day Monday—working from home while waiting on a no-show electrician, and Monday night—managing to manipulate a hefty burger and fries at the B-Side without blacking out.

I'd given up on the taping by Monday. I needed my dexterity, slightly limited as it was, to tap away on the keyboard and mouse about for workywork. Tuesday, today, at the office, I was again without tape-age, but found myself wincing when picking up my bag or my laptop. At rest, there was no pain, but when supporting or pushing weight, or at the extremes of flexing, completely flat or closed in a fist, I'd get some sharp zaps. And, it was looking more and more like my finger was settling into a crookedness that I didn't much like the looks of. I decided to hit an e/r and have it checked out tonight.

I ended up getting to the e/r at the Cambridge Hospital near Inman Square a little before 8pm. I got my hand x-rayed and then a doctor told me that I didn't have a fracture of any kind, but had basically shocked the muscles and cartilage of my finger and should constrain it to help it heal, but also flex it periodically as well. I think my taping it up for those couple days might've slowed down my recuperation, bleah.

Oh, I neglected to mention that it was three hours before I was able to see Dr. Lai. Lucky for me they had Fox25 news playing in the waiting area to keep me entertained. Foo. I felt dummer for having been exposed to the "reporting." A giant Christmas tree held up traffic as it banged and knocked down street signs and ultimately got caught beneath an overpass. It eventually made it to its destination in Worcester, but had to be cut down to fit in its new home. There was something about a junkie who was apprehended by police after trying to get away, then, once subdued and in transit in a cruiser, managed to smash a rear window and wriggle his way out. At the end of this shorter rundown, two bystanders helped restrain the guy by sitting on his legs while the policeman secured him. Apparently the guy is crying "police brutality." Oh, and the reporter couldn't have said "Skyfox" many more times and still spoken complete sentences. The news was very proud of how its Skyfox video recorded the chase scenes and was entered as evidence for the case in court. Also, very important, the secret service failed to protect one of the first daughters' cellphones and purse while touring Buenos Aires. I wonder who's going to get their hands on the numbers in that cellphone... Do you suppose W knows how to txt msg? Heh. Not bloody likely. And, so VERY contraversial, apparently, people, or at least one person, are outraged over how a YMCA would try to pass off a Tina Turner impersonator as the actual Tina Turner at some fundraiser or other type of event. O, the humanity...!

* (This paragraph added 11/26) Wow, apparently I completely blocked out this delicious news bite. Lucky for YOU some SURVIVOR talk with my sister and Rowan brought it back to me. Some somethin-or-other (which the news didn't make clear) was offering a scholarship to BU specifically for a caucasian student! The fine print said "one-quarter caucasian." There was no clarification on the criteria in the report other than that. Of course, student-on-the-quad interviews were conducted and all expressed some kind of WTF? sentiment. Then some guy behind a desk apparently said something along the lines of, "It's too bad that..." I didn't quite suss whether he was for it or against it or maybe just liked sitting behind someone's desk. Why would someone offer this? I can only think that it's a hail-mary distraction from some truly despicable shenanigans going on...

See how I'm dummer?

Ha, now you're dummer, too!

There was a girl waiting for her turn with a doctor being exposed to this as well. She explained to her mother how THIS is why she can't stand the news on television, and always reads the news. "At least then I can control how much crap I'm taking in." Or something to that effect.

Dr. Lai was kind enough to give me a parting gift...
Why a Keith Haring sculpture? I don't know...

=)

It's a pretty nifty moldable splint/brace that I wish I'd had Thursday night. I'm supposed to wear it whenever possible for the next week.

Stupid finger. Bleah.

Keep on keepin on~