Another Bucket List Item

I don't have a Bucket List. But if I did, I wouldn't have "getting hit by a car door while riding a bicycle" on it. However, I had that very thing happen to me yesterday morning on my way to work.

I don't think anything is broken. My right leg took the brunt of the impact of the Mini car door as it flew open as I was riding past on Chandler Blvd. in Borebank. I wasn't on the middle median bike path that runs down that street because I intended to turn down a side street to catch a light at Magnolia. No matter. Car door swings open, I hit it and go sprawling into the the street. No backflips. Just a loud hollow SMACK when I hit the door, then a dull THUD when I hit the ground. My immediate response? I yell, JESUS H. FUCKING CHRIST!!!!!!!!!! as I try to assess what just happened. Luckily there wasn't any traffic, so I was able to lie stunned in the middle of the road for a few seconds before limping to the side.

The bike is fine. The car door is fine. The lady was apologetic. She offered to take me to work, but really? I just wanted to GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE. Except that my leg hurt and I felt very similar to how I felt after my motorcycle accident: I wanted to cry and throw up at the same time. I had to sit and catch my breath for a few minutes, and I left. I didn't get the woman's name. I didn't take photos of her car. I just didn't care. Because I could walk and the bike was rideable, I just wanted to leave and assess myself later.

I make it to work and limp around for the rest of the day. Good news: nothing seems to be broken. The quadricep muscle is very sore and is bruised. Surface bruises that are easily seen, and a deep bruise or something, that's swollen a little bit. It hurts to move, but when I'm sitting or lying down it's fine. So no bone damage, I'm thinking. Some road rash, but my clothing covered all those areas, so I'm not worried about infection. After the Infected Finger incident with the motorcycle accident, one would expect me to be more worried about that this time. It doesn't hurt the same way the finger did, so I'm just focusing on the leg right now.

I spent the rest of the day feeling a little nauseous and anxious. I wanted to go home and take a nap. But actually, being at work and forcing myself to work wasn't so horrible, as I stayed in one place and waited to see what would happen. I managed to ride the bike to the Metro station to get home. At the transfer station downtown, I managed to get on the wrong train, since LA Metro doesn't seem to like labeling ALL its trains super clear so that one doesn't get confused between two shades of blue that run on the same track. Luckily I was able to hop off that train and hop on the correct train at the next stop.  Obviously, I should not be left alone to my own devices, or else I'd end up in the hospital in Long Beach or something.

I'm beginning to think these accidents are the fates catching up with me for being incredibly sedentary in my twenties and early thirties. No doubt, if this happened when I wasn't working out like I do now, I wouldn't have fared as well. But damn, I would've been perfectly happy going through life without having this happen. And this happens a LOT to bicyclists, unfortunately.

Today I'm working from home. The less I move around, the better for us all.