This is the week of every year that I hate to watch television, read magazines, or go online. There is not a single media outlet that can resist the year ending “Year That Was” piece in some format or other. Being no better, or worse than the media, I hereby present to you my Year in Review. Of course as with any year of our lives my year had it’s ups and downs, but there was one very strange constant throughout 2006 for me. My left thumb. Due to a series of accidents throughout the year there wasn’t a day that I wasn’t reminded very specifically about my left thumb.
January 2006: I moved into my new house. While putting baseboards in the dining room I smahed my left thumb with a hammer, rendering the nail bruised and bloodied underneath for the next 4 months until that grew out. Rarely did a day go by for the next 4 months that someone didn’t say, “What happened to your thumb?”
May 2006: I was building a shed shortly after the nail of my left thumb had finally begun to look normal again. I hit my left thumb with a hammer, again leaving a purple bruise under the nail. Yes, by now I know you are probably assuming I’m exceedingly clumsy with a hammer. I contend that isn’t the case. Based on the number of nails I pounded during the past year it’s amazing that I didn’t hit my thumb more often.
July 2006: Playing catch with a baseball without wearing a baseball glove my left thumb is hit directly by a good, hard throw. As far as I can tell the thumb was broken. I don’t know for sure because I never went to the doctor. At the time the big Golden Boys weekend was coming up and I didn’t want some doctor ruining my golf game by putting a cast on the thumb. I still can’t bend the thumb all the way anymore.
Oct. 2006: Putting a new floor and baseboards down in one room of my house I hit my left thumb with a hammer again. Just this week the mark from that is finally growing out as is the year of 2006.
I find it absolutely bizarre that just one part of my body absorbed so much abuse so consistently throughout the year. And so me, George Bush, and our thumbs say good-bye to 2006 with hope for a less painful 2007. Come back on Monday for my New Years Resolutions post.
Ummm better than your left foot. 🙂Here is wishing you a hammer-free 2007.-N
LMAO – at least you can laugh at your self…. if not your thumb!thanks for sharingqg
That was so funny. I know its cruel to laugh at other people’s pain but I could not help it. Sorry for laughing at your poor thumb Phil. Hope 2007 goes well for you (and your thumb).
Natalia- Thanks for getting the movie reference. I can always count on you.Question Girl- I’m glad you find my pain funny.Dzeni- I’ll definitely be trying to hammer (my thumb) less often in the coming year.
Well let’s hope 2007 is the year of the right thumb instead! LOLHappy New Year!
Your poor thumb!!
I avoided hammers in 2006, and after reading your post I think I’ll just keep right on with that.One of my toes had an encounter with a hammer a number of years back and so I have some empathy with you…that gory nail-falling-off thing is quite memorable.Hey, Happy New Year!
i like this one, quite a bit.
Weird. I smashed the fingers of my left hand, but the thumb was left out of the incident. So much for you ever having a green thumb, huh?
Happy New Year to you and your left thumb. You sound like a match made in heaven.
I guess we all have a particular body part that gives us trouble. I assume since you were hammering with your right hand, (unless you have a very odd hammering style) that you are right-handed. That means at least you were injuring your “extra” hand. But what we all overlooked here is you got A LOT of stuff done to your house! Woo Hoo!Happy New Year!
My sympathies to your left thumb. May you both have a much better time in 2007 🙂Enid~
Phil, I can sympathize. I kept doing that to my toenail one summer, while I was wearing sandals. Ouch.Happy New Year,Josie
*gently removes hammer from your right hand* We are going to work on learning to be ambidextrous (sp?). 2007 can be the year of your right thumb 🙂Happy New Year Phil!
(Bush is wiggling his right thumb there. With any luck he’ll mash it with a hammer.)
Still no New Year’s resolutions post, but may I suggest that one of your resolutions includes “hire contractors to do work on new house” and let them bear the hammer’s blows?