The Injury Report

I think I'm going to rename my blog "The Injury Report". I really must start posting here again, there's just been too much happening lately and I'm letting everyone down!

Ok, first off, last week I finally got a dog. He's such a sweetie! I picked him up at the Bellevue Humane Society. He's a 9-mo old Lab/Chesapeake Bay mix named Jake. He hasn't had any training so he's not horribly mindful. I started him in puppy training at Petsmart last week so hopefully we'll turn that around! He loves walking, running, and playing fetch and is settling in pretty well. And he doesn't mind the cat, which is great.

Second big news: I got my motorcycle! On Tuesday I bought a used 2001 Ducati Monster 900 from Renton Motorcycles. Man is it sweet! As soon as I get a picture I'll post it. I rode it home from work Tuesday evening and it was a blast!

On Wednesday morning, I crashed my motorcycle. Yup, that's right. Less than 24 hours after buying it I wrecked it. I took off to head in to work, stopped at the 4-way stop 2 blocks from home, and crashed trying to make the left-hand turn. It happened so fast that I don't even remember what happened. I recall the bike sliding, then next thing I know I was headed straight for the curb. I remember thinking, "Shit, not good" and then I clipped the curb and went down. Even now I keep thinking, "Did that really happen?"

Some construction workers on the corner ran over, picked up the bike and made sure I was ok. All I could say was, "Shit!" Then someone handed me my shoe. I think there was some water in the intersection and in combination with the new tires on the bike I slid when I made the turn. All I really remember clearly was hitting the curb with the bike, then the road with my body. I might have jabbed the throttle, which uprighted the bike, and ended up high-siding. I'm really not sure.

I called Marcus, told him I crashed, walked home in a daze and crawled in bed. Haha! He rode the bike home and then looked at me and said, "Nothing is broken right? Everyone drops the bike, you're fine. Get up and go to work." What sympathy. I never would have guessed that I would crash a motorcycle so quickly. Luckily the bike isn't too badly damaged. I did unfortunately dent the tank, but the only other damage is a broken right foot peg and rear brake lever. Hopefully I can get it fixed this weekend and be healed enough to head out again next week. I don't think the crash has deterred me from riding, but I do think I'll be a bit nervous when I get back on.

My knees and right hip took the brunt of the fall. I regret not getting the motorcycle pants and boots I looked at since they would have saved me some damage. Luckily the gloves, jacket, and helmet all did their job. I ended up with some road rash on my right hip and both knees. My left knee is pretty swollen and my left elbow is bruised and sore. Other than that, I think I'm ok. Here's the gory pictures, which I swear look a little worse than the actual injuries.