"Like every inch of me is bruised....

I swear I didn't mean for it to feel like this."

I hurt.

The sad thing is that a) it was pretty much self-inflicted and b) this is day 3 of the hurt.

Here's the story: I was helping a friend move out of the residence hall she stayed in while we all worked on campus for the month of June. A few days before she had been escaping from the lovely police officers who were mad at her for drinking underage and had severly sprained her ankle by falling into a hole. Since I knew she couldn't cart her belongings down 4 flights of stairs, I offered my assistance. All was going well, and we had made 5 previous trips down the stairs to her car and we were on the last load: a large Tupperware container that took both of us to carry. Being the nice person I am, I allowed her to lead and I brought up the rear. All was going well until the final 5 steps when she got a bit too far ahead of me, my flip-flop slipped and I bounced down the remaining steps. Enter the pain. I fell soundly on my right buttock. So soundly in fact that there is a bruise the size of which I have never seen. Seriously, the thing is about the size of a salad plate and the color of a very ripe eggplant. Luckily, the swelling it caused has finally gone down. I have learned to sit only on my left side, but it is getting frustrating. I have been reduced to only wearing sweats as anything else just hurts too much. All in all, this was an awful experience, and I hope everyone learns an important lesson from this: no flip-flops while moving. Yup, I blame it on shoddy footwear.

This escapade did not only mar my Fourth of July plans (not that I had many, but now I have even fewer) but it also made my rummage-saling more difficult this weekend. First of all, it is hard to get in and out of cars. Secondly, it hurts to walk at times as the muscles beneath the bruise move when I walk. Third, I bought a recliner. I am happy about this, but I could not fully test how comfortable it is when it hurts to sit. Well, I have it anyway, so now I will have more seating when people come visit!

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And now for something completely different: I am back to working at the library. Today is my first day back in a little over a month. Whereas I appreciate the limited responsibilities and ease of my job, I am going to miss the daily action, crisis, and excitement of Orientation. Sigh.

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Something else: Beware the names you choose as your MSN display names. I was questioned the other night as to whether or not I was pregnant. The answer is no, but I guess the words "Jess: Education Now and Babies Later" lead others to think otherwise. Just sayin'.