So tonight I’m coming out of a department store, come to the crosswalk, and a woman in a van waves me through.
I smile and nod, walk through, and then start walking up the aisle where the Exploder is parked. And then she RUNS INTO ME WITH HER VAN.

Not hard, thank God. I feel the bumper hit my calf which knocks that leg out from under me,and I grab her hood for balance. The noise startles her- she’s looking over her other shoulder, and she looks at me, brakes, and claps her hand to her mouth in horror. She starts to get out of her van but i wave her off and go to the truck.

Now, most days, I draw blood at some point or another. Usually barking my knuckles fighting some recalcitrant machinery. Some days, working with strong solvents, I’ll find that my fingers or hands are temporarily engulfed in flames. Today, I bled, caught fire, AND got hit by a car. And this was a GREAT day.