achy breaky.

let's talk about something f'real broken - my arm. in 5th grade.

i broke a lot of bones as a child... my mom and dad didn't abuse me... they may have gone a little light on the "got milk" parenting, but they never beat me.

the break of all breaks, though, came when i was 10 years old... on feb 16, 1992. i was jumping on the trampoline with our japanese foreign exchange student - seiko. it was her first time on a tramp {mistake #1}. it was a sunday night {mistake #2}. the sliding glass door was open, for a full view into the kitchen... and my dad, who stood there, stirring chili over the stove top island.

we bounced and bounced... until the super bounce - you know - when you get that extra pop of air... when she popped me super high... like, head over heels. to avoid breaking my neck, i put my hands out in front of me and landed ON the tramp... giving me a perfect chance to hyper-extend my elbow.

i screamed... and screamed... and watched my dad stir that chili like a zombie, for what seemed like forever, while the sight of a dangling limb registered in his mind.

when he finally came out to get me, this bone was over there, and the one that should have been right there was way up here instead. i was a bucket of bones... purple and bruised. and, ooh it hurt like a mother.

i listened to my parents argue over whether we should go to the hospital or if the urgent care would do. we ended up at the hospital.... where the rooms are divided in two by a curtain. the poor mexican on the other half of the room cut his thumb off in a butcher's meat slicer.

one midnight burger king happy meal later, i had a spot on the master surgery-scheduling-white-board. and thanks to my super sleezy chain smoking orthopedic surgeon i was all zipped up with pins and needles and wires.

all of that happened 18 years ago today. i'm proud to say i'd take this over that ANYDAY.