The Sign Says Stop

The handlebars on my cheap Target bike are sideways after a nasty wipeout I had while on a leisurely ride last Sunday. I was on my way home pondering which shot of my AM short film to work on when a dog suddenly jumped out under my wheel right as I was passing a parked car. With no chance to react I flew over the handlebars and landed in a bad way. I severely sprained both hands, scraped my palms, knuckles, right arm, right shoulder, and banged my head. Luckily my head was the last thing to hit the ground so it was just a light bump. I don't wear a helmet when I'm riding so slow on flat residential streets. Now that I know this can happen, I will. Less luckily, I somehow cracked a rib. Sitting upright with one leg stretched out and the other tucked, I collected my thoughts. After a few minutes I decided I was okay to walk my home. Later, a friend drove me to ER.

Typing hurts, but it's tolerable depending on the keys. My hand, though, is gonna be "unmouseable" for a while. I can do a few clicks at a time but anything more ain't happenin'. My right hand is the worst, but both hands are screwy; I am having a hard time doing simple things like opening doors, windows, and taking lids off meds!

So this pretty much is the final hit to my struggle to stay with the program at Animation Mentor. I'll be out of commish for at least a week, and there's no chance at this point. I've made arrangements with the school to take a leave of absence and return later, though I'm not sure when I can retake Class 6. Even when my injuries heal the other things that got me behind in the first place are not gonna be all tidily wrapped up within the next few weeks. You gotta wonder if this is one of those signs from the universe or Jesus or something, like I shouldn't be trying to start an animation career right now; I've already had to put it off for years, but maybe now's not good either. Who knows? If so, the message is clear: I want to go but the sign says stop. At least for the moment.