How I got my shiner

I wish I could tell a story of heroism, or perhaps roller derby. But the real story is more embarrassing. I slipped in the shower.

I was stepping in and my feet just went out from under me, and I fell backward, twisting to catch myself - which is how I smacked my cheekbone right into the side of the tub. (I also hit my shoulder pretty hard, probably a worse though less dramatic injury.)

I lay there for a long time, not able to support any weight with my arm, feeling a bit dizzy, and vaguely wondering if it was possible to drown if I passed out in the shower. I weighed this against the scenario of calling for help - my parents happened to be visiting - and the idea of someone, even my own parents, finding me pathetically huddled in the tub with my shower cap on, well...I decided that dignity required me to climb out of the tub and pull on some clothes! Then Mom came up with ice, and I lay down until things stopped spinning.

The mark has now faded to a thin red crescent under my right eye, but you should have seen it last weekend. My face was purple from my nose over to my ear, and swollen so that I could hardly open my eye.