Payday Friday Coffee
Note: This happened on Friday morning. I've been a little behind on my blogging, so I thought I'd go back and catch up on the days I've missed.
Although the bleeding had finally stopped, the pain had not. As I stood in front of the mirror in the ladies room at 10:23am, I noticed there was a single coffee splash stain on my left check that I had missed and no one else had noticed (or at least hadn't pointed out). I stood there for a minute, washing and re-washing my hands thinking about the morning's events. Typical Kimberly I guess.
I left the house that morning about 15 minutes early, like I try to do on payday Fridays, so I have time to stop for my bi-monthly treat: Starbucks coffee. Fridays are casual days, but the jeans I wanted to wear were dirty, so I threw on some black pants, my new high-heel boots and a sweater and headed out. It's usually in the 40's in the morning now. Cool, but it warms up, so I skip the coat for now. I'll be wearing plenty in the next 5-6 months. Trust me!
Before I moved to CT, I had a pretty expensive Starbucks habit. It's been slowly dwindling the longer I'm here, but I LOVE Starbucks!! I like it because it reminds me of home....and while they seem to love Dunkin' in New England, I like to stick to the Dallas place.....Starbucks!! I like the way the coffee smells when you walk in or pull up to the drive-thru. I like the thermos and the mugs...the random cd selection you can look through when you are waiting. The over-stuffed couches and the way-too-small table tops. I like to look at the pastry treats through the glass and mentally chose which I would take if I could withstand the financial and caloric additions to my order. I like that paper cup complete with splash stick and brown recycled-paper sleeve with the "inspirational fortune-cookie" type quote on the back. So, twice a month (payday Fridays) I get Starbucks on the way to work. I look forward to it! I made a deal with myself that I could get whatever I want those two days, but only those two days. Today it was a triple grande low-fat pumpkin spice latte. A ridiculous $5.08 later I drove off, happy as could be. I took a sip.....just what I needed to warm me up on this cool, crisp fall morning.....perfection.... TGI(payday)F!
I pulled into my usual spot in the office parking lot about 8:25am, right on time. I got out and swung my purse over my shoulder. I grabbed my keys out of the ignition and picked up my over-priced caffeinated bliss. I know I've mentioned this before, but my life soundtrack when I'm really feeling good is "Walking on Sunshine". I hear that in my head so often when I'm feeling good...it plays over and over. Good hair days, warm sunny days, day trips to new locations, after a great conversation with Mom....these types of things usually bring it on. Occasionally, it's something as simple as a Friday Starbucks! Today was one of those RARE times I was hearing it on the way in to the office.
I was bopping along and stepped up on the curb. I noticed the building owner blowing leaves from the yard across the way. I smiled in case he saw me, but he didn't smile back, so I assumed he was looking past me. I rounded the corner and about 15 steps from the building, my heel caught in the back of my pant leg. I stepped forward and my other foot caught in the crack in the sidewalk. In a matter of a second, I landed left knee and right wrist first on the concrete. One of my harder falls to date. I froze for a minute, stunned by the fall that I didn't see coming. Stunned by the pain in my knee. I couldn't move. I stayed there on all fours, clutching the paper cup in my right hand. While I still had possession of the cup, the coffee was now all over the sidewalk, the front of me, the bricks of the steps and into the road. 16oz. splattered like paint from one end of the sidewalk to the other.
Again, I think I've mentioned this before ;) I fall A LOT! It's a norm for me. No biggy. I've fallen in the school cafeteria with a tray full of food, on the steps with books, in the mall, on the ice, in my crazy shoes....whatever the case. If I were Ms. America, I'd be the joke every late-night talk show host was telling complete with video of me tumbling from the top of the stairs in my gown, bouncing all the way to the bottom, landing with gown over my head. (Ummm....I fall A LOT!) So, being a semi-pro in the falling department, I know that Rule#1 is get up quickly. There's always a chance no one saw you and the longer you are on the ground, the more chance you have of being seen. Get up, move on, don't make a deal about it. But my knee hurt, and this time I couldn't get up.
I must have been down on the ground longer than I realized because before I knew it the building owner, John, was over on the ground next to me. "Are you ok? Are you ok?" He said. "Yes, my knee hurts though." I still had my crinkled paper cup in my hand. "Here, give me that," he said. He took the cup and helped me up. My knee was throbbing. I was still a little shaken. I didn't know if this was a harder fall, or I was just getting older, but I was hurt! "Are you okay?" He said again. 'NO!!" I wanted to yell, "I'M HURT!" But instead, I mumbled, "Yes, I'm okay. I'm sorry about the coffee." I hobbled into the building into the ladies room.
My pants weren't torn, so I was curious to see what my knees were going to look like. I lifted the left leg and there was a bloody scrape about the size of a silver dollar. The area around it was a light purple blue and it was swollen quite a bit as well. The other knee and my wrist were fine. I wasn't sure what to do, so I simply put my pant leg back down and walked into the office. Joan, Jean and Keith were there. (They all sit within a close proximity, so I walked over to where they could all three hear.) "I just fell and scraped the tar out of my knee", I said. "Let me see!" exclaimed Jean, almost a little too excited. I lifted my leg. "Oh my", she said, "I think we have a first aid kit". Keith came out of his office. "Show Keith", Jean said. "He doesn't want to see that", I said. "I only want to see tattoos or old army scars" he joked. "No tattoos for me......but I'll take a band-aid if you've got one". I hobbled over to the supply cabinet and we rummaged through a 15-year-old first aid kit to find precious little. Only small finger bandages, no antiseptic, no alcohol, no gauze.....a bottle of aspirin that looked like it had made it through the 80's. If we ever actually really needed a first aid kit for any reason - we'd be up a creek without a paddle. "I'm okay" I lied. Every time I took a step my pant leg rubbed against the open wound and it burned. I went back to the bathroom, washed it with soap and water, and went back out like I was fine. I worked most of the morning in extreme pain, going to and front the bathroom to lift up my pant leg for a minute or two of relief.
It turned out to be quite an ugly fall.....scab, small purple bruise on the other knee, swollen and painful. Even today, Wednesday, it's still pretty bad. Good thing is: it's fall and it's pants weather and there's only 9 more days until Payday Friday Coffee! ;)
Although the bleeding had finally stopped, the pain had not. As I stood in front of the mirror in the ladies room at 10:23am, I noticed there was a single coffee splash stain on my left check that I had missed and no one else had noticed (or at least hadn't pointed out). I stood there for a minute, washing and re-washing my hands thinking about the morning's events. Typical Kimberly I guess.
I left the house that morning about 15 minutes early, like I try to do on payday Fridays, so I have time to stop for my bi-monthly treat: Starbucks coffee. Fridays are casual days, but the jeans I wanted to wear were dirty, so I threw on some black pants, my new high-heel boots and a sweater and headed out. It's usually in the 40's in the morning now. Cool, but it warms up, so I skip the coat for now. I'll be wearing plenty in the next 5-6 months. Trust me!
Before I moved to CT, I had a pretty expensive Starbucks habit. It's been slowly dwindling the longer I'm here, but I LOVE Starbucks!! I like it because it reminds me of home....and while they seem to love Dunkin' in New England, I like to stick to the Dallas place.....Starbucks!! I like the way the coffee smells when you walk in or pull up to the drive-thru. I like the thermos and the mugs...the random cd selection you can look through when you are waiting. The over-stuffed couches and the way-too-small table tops. I like to look at the pastry treats through the glass and mentally chose which I would take if I could withstand the financial and caloric additions to my order. I like that paper cup complete with splash stick and brown recycled-paper sleeve with the "inspirational fortune-cookie" type quote on the back. So, twice a month (payday Fridays) I get Starbucks on the way to work. I look forward to it! I made a deal with myself that I could get whatever I want those two days, but only those two days. Today it was a triple grande low-fat pumpkin spice latte. A ridiculous $5.08 later I drove off, happy as could be. I took a sip.....just what I needed to warm me up on this cool, crisp fall morning.....perfection.... TGI(payday)F!
I pulled into my usual spot in the office parking lot about 8:25am, right on time. I got out and swung my purse over my shoulder. I grabbed my keys out of the ignition and picked up my over-priced caffeinated bliss. I know I've mentioned this before, but my life soundtrack when I'm really feeling good is "Walking on Sunshine". I hear that in my head so often when I'm feeling good...it plays over and over. Good hair days, warm sunny days, day trips to new locations, after a great conversation with Mom....these types of things usually bring it on. Occasionally, it's something as simple as a Friday Starbucks! Today was one of those RARE times I was hearing it on the way in to the office.
I was bopping along and stepped up on the curb. I noticed the building owner blowing leaves from the yard across the way. I smiled in case he saw me, but he didn't smile back, so I assumed he was looking past me. I rounded the corner and about 15 steps from the building, my heel caught in the back of my pant leg. I stepped forward and my other foot caught in the crack in the sidewalk. In a matter of a second, I landed left knee and right wrist first on the concrete. One of my harder falls to date. I froze for a minute, stunned by the fall that I didn't see coming. Stunned by the pain in my knee. I couldn't move. I stayed there on all fours, clutching the paper cup in my right hand. While I still had possession of the cup, the coffee was now all over the sidewalk, the front of me, the bricks of the steps and into the road. 16oz. splattered like paint from one end of the sidewalk to the other.
Again, I think I've mentioned this before ;) I fall A LOT! It's a norm for me. No biggy. I've fallen in the school cafeteria with a tray full of food, on the steps with books, in the mall, on the ice, in my crazy shoes....whatever the case. If I were Ms. America, I'd be the joke every late-night talk show host was telling complete with video of me tumbling from the top of the stairs in my gown, bouncing all the way to the bottom, landing with gown over my head. (Ummm....I fall A LOT!) So, being a semi-pro in the falling department, I know that Rule#1 is get up quickly. There's always a chance no one saw you and the longer you are on the ground, the more chance you have of being seen. Get up, move on, don't make a deal about it. But my knee hurt, and this time I couldn't get up.
I must have been down on the ground longer than I realized because before I knew it the building owner, John, was over on the ground next to me. "Are you ok? Are you ok?" He said. "Yes, my knee hurts though." I still had my crinkled paper cup in my hand. "Here, give me that," he said. He took the cup and helped me up. My knee was throbbing. I was still a little shaken. I didn't know if this was a harder fall, or I was just getting older, but I was hurt! "Are you okay?" He said again. 'NO!!" I wanted to yell, "I'M HURT!" But instead, I mumbled, "Yes, I'm okay. I'm sorry about the coffee." I hobbled into the building into the ladies room.
My pants weren't torn, so I was curious to see what my knees were going to look like. I lifted the left leg and there was a bloody scrape about the size of a silver dollar. The area around it was a light purple blue and it was swollen quite a bit as well. The other knee and my wrist were fine. I wasn't sure what to do, so I simply put my pant leg back down and walked into the office. Joan, Jean and Keith were there. (They all sit within a close proximity, so I walked over to where they could all three hear.) "I just fell and scraped the tar out of my knee", I said. "Let me see!" exclaimed Jean, almost a little too excited. I lifted my leg. "Oh my", she said, "I think we have a first aid kit". Keith came out of his office. "Show Keith", Jean said. "He doesn't want to see that", I said. "I only want to see tattoos or old army scars" he joked. "No tattoos for me......but I'll take a band-aid if you've got one". I hobbled over to the supply cabinet and we rummaged through a 15-year-old first aid kit to find precious little. Only small finger bandages, no antiseptic, no alcohol, no gauze.....a bottle of aspirin that looked like it had made it through the 80's. If we ever actually really needed a first aid kit for any reason - we'd be up a creek without a paddle. "I'm okay" I lied. Every time I took a step my pant leg rubbed against the open wound and it burned. I went back to the bathroom, washed it with soap and water, and went back out like I was fine. I worked most of the morning in extreme pain, going to and front the bathroom to lift up my pant leg for a minute or two of relief.
It turned out to be quite an ugly fall.....scab, small purple bruise on the other knee, swollen and painful. Even today, Wednesday, it's still pretty bad. Good thing is: it's fall and it's pants weather and there's only 9 more days until Payday Friday Coffee! ;)
Comments