the five things I bruise myself on most often.

I decided to make a list, because I railed myself on four of them tonight.

I’d take pictures, too… but the reality is far too gory for the internet.

1. The side of the bathtub: In my (semi) new place, the bathtub is up a few inches from the floor. I’m not sure why this is, but what I am sure of is that bathtub up a few inches + short girl = bruised shin at least once a week. Perhaps I’ll have to start pulling some sort of Rockette move from now on.

At the present moment, however, I’m sporting a giant black and blue “goose egg” the size of a tennis ball. Should look fantastic in a couple of weeks when I go bare-legged at a wedding.

2. Door jambs: Arms, hips, hands, knees… you name it. I catch them on door jambs with nearly pathological frequency. Tonight, I took out my elbow coming through the door from grocery shopping. My landlords’ tiny Boston terrier looked at me with tremendous concern as I dragged my bleeding arm into the house. Either that, or he was trying to get me to throw his toy. Sorry, Murphy.

3. Freezer doors: I’m pretty sure I have permanent dents in my head from freezer doors. There’s something special about their height that catches me right above the ear at least once a week when I’m putting groceries away in the fridge. Fortunately, the ice is close by.

4. My dresser: Not sure why I slam dresser drawers shut before my hand is in the clear, but I have two shattered nails to show for my lack of care this evening, and an orphaned stack of laundry waiting for me to recover from the trauma.

5. Buses: What can you bruise yourself on a bus, you say? And my response: what CAN’T you bruise yourself on? Poles. Seats. Doors. Umbrellas. Backpacks. Other passengers. And tonight? Someone’s bottle of Snapple, flung at my ear during a sudden stop.

I was nailed by the Best Stuff on Earth ™.

It’s hard to believe that one person could be this accident-prone, but ask anyone who has spent more than a day with me: I am the natural enemy of all hard surfaces and edges…

… but a friend of anti-inflammatories everywhere.

all fall down.

It’s been a bit of a rough week or so.

My laptop touchpad stopped working, so I had to go buy a mouse just to use it again.

My iPod recharger/sync port stopped working, so it’s down for the count until I can replace it.

Work stuff. Enough said.

I tried to book a campsite for Gradon’s visit next month and failed. Tried to book a plane ticket for Gradon’s visit next month and failed. Heck, he tried to book his vacation time and failed.

I woke up every single day with a headache/sore back/something or other.

My computer had a miserable, data-killing crash at work.

I spent much too much money on unavoidable expenses. And then had a fit about the rest of my budget.

I got stung by a wasp on my foot on Friday. My foot is still a size too big for any shoe.

I spent most of Saturday crying because it’s going on three months since I’ve seen the man I love. I know people go far longer, but still. It’s hard!

I looked in the mirror and thought, uh oh, you are way past needing that hair done. Roots! Gah! So much for grooming. So much for offsetting my big butt with grooming. But perhaps it will teach me not to be shallow?

I slipped on the floor I just washed in my laundry room and cracked my head on the dryer.

Most importantly, Gradon’s dad got some odd health news we need to pray for. Really.

So.

I spent most of today trying to remind myself how lucky I am, and how fragile and deserving of love the things I cherish in my life really are.

Which, of course, is a cue for more tears.

Who’d have thought I’d be such a horrid suck at 35?

I didn’t know until it happened to me.

Let’s hope I gain some perspective and smarten up and do better this coming week, no matter what else isn’t working.

the no list.

No explanations, no extrapolations, no excuses.

Just no.

NO

Vitamin smell
Platform flip flops
People who refuse to hang on to anything while taking transit
Yellow eyeshadow
Howard Stern
Sleep advice
“Clubbing”, be it imitating Paris Hilton or bonking baby seals
Most of what American Apparel sells
The uniboob
Leggings as pants
Sneezing post-mascara-application
You Tube sensations
Calling anything but the upper part of a baked good a “muffin top”
Shoe shopping
Wedge heels
Those cards that fall out of magazines
Being ignored
The phrase “going forward”
Air kissing
The fashion sense of Chloe Sevigny
Facebook invitations
Autoplay video on websites
Celebrity perfumes
1-ply toilet paper
Muppet characters created after 1984
“Sour” candies that aren’t really sour
Oversensitive smoke detectors
Elton John after 1987
Ads that are MUCH more loud than the tv show
The terrifying possibilities of the autoflush toilet
Oprah’s recommendations
The idea that “plus size” women are “minus style”
Coupons for 10% off something that are not worth my time unless it’s 10% off a car or a house
Fake banana smell
Baby pageants
The McRib
The Entire Canadian Telecom Industry
The eternal comeback of David Hasselhoff
Star Wars prequels
Fruit salad that is suspiciously mostly cantaloupe
Windows Vista
Slow shower drains
Gladiator sandals
Aspartame
The term MILF and all variants thereof
The question, “Do you have a lazy eye?” (no, it’s just tired of looking at you)
MySpace
Hipster t-shirts with ironic sayings
High-waisted jeans
The phrase “baby bump”
“Spice” coloured pantyhose
Floral air fresheners
Red Bull
Flaky internet connections
“Torture porn” horror movies
Jamie Kennedy