Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Throwback: That Time I Fell Into the Hidden Lake

Bad luck and crazy "how on earth could this actually be happening" stuff is nothing new, so I figure I'll sprinkle some throwback posts in now and again with past ridiculousness, because... who doesn't love reliving awful, horrible things?

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So, I’m fairly accident prone (understatement).  I’ve sprained both my ankles numerous times, and I’m fairly certain I’m missing ligaments in both of them.  While I couldn’t really walk in heels before, now I can’t even really stand in them.

One day, several years ago, I had one of my most epic falls.  It was pouring rain, and I was at work going to pick up a car from carpool.  Given the heavy rain, and my propensity to melt when I get wet (I am made of sugar…..), I ran from the car into the building.  Unfortunately, the area in front of the door is painted concrete.  For those of yall who are unaware, painted concrete is very very slippery when wet.  So there I am, attempting to dart into the building.  I hit that painted concrete in my flip flops and BAM! down I go.  I quickly got up, as an audience witnessed my horribly embarrassing moment, and I wanted to show them that I was totally fine.

As I got into the building, the wet started to quickly set in.  While I had simply fallen on a flat surface, my jeans were soaked to the pointed where I was fairly sure I’d fallen into a hidden lake that no one could actually see.  All down my left leg, and the left side of my ass were completely saturated, at a level where I began to waddle.  I popped into the bathroom hoping the “green” focus of my employer would mean there was a hand dryer instead of paper towels, figuring I could just sort of stick my ass up under the dryer for a bit.  No such luck.

I waddled downstairs to pick up a car.  The carpool guy could tell something was wrong, so I told him I fell and my pants were soaked.  He politely listened to my story and suggested I go home to change.  Not happening, as I live 25 miles from work, and traffic getting back would take me at least an hour and a half.  As I walked away with a key to an environmentally friendly prius, the carpool guy was able to see the full extent of my situation.  I heard hysterical laughter (the first, but not the only time related to this incident), and turned to see him doubled over as he gestured towards my extremely wet pants.  Glad I could make his day better.

I waddled downstairs into the bowels of the garage to the car.  Thinking of nothing but my strong desire to have dry jeans, an idea popped into my head.  I struck out with the hand dryer in the bathroom, but there is a heater and vents in the car.  DING!  Brilliant!

The cars are located in what can only be described as a terrifying garage, full of tight spaces and not enough room for two cars to pass each other.  This car was tucked away in its own parking spot with some not quite waist high walls around it.  I unlocked the car, took a quick look around, and peeled my wet jeans off.  In the car, I turned on the heater and fan on full blast, and spread my jeans out over the dash in a desperate attempt to dry them.

…….

…………….

What felt like EONS had gone by while I sat sans pants in the car.  They’ve GOT to be better, right?!  They have to be.  This was a brilliant idea.  Right?

I took another look around, and snuck out of the car, as I couldnt shimmy into my jeans while sitting in the tight confines of the driver’s seat of a prius.  I was quickly met with the horrible, cold, sopping wet, clammy feeling of jeans that had in no way dried.  Not so much the brilliant idea.

Now I’m more uncomfortable than I was to begin with… a feeling that only increased as I sat back down in the car.  I drove back to the office, and painstakingly got out of the car to run through the parking lot into the building, as it was still pouring rain.  I’m now covered in old, clammy wet AND fresh, just fell from the sky wet.

I walked into the building looking like a drowned rat – wet hair, wet shirt, SOAKED left side of my jeans, only to be met with the hysterical laughter of my coworkers.  I then told the above story, which they couldn’t get enough of.

To make matters worse?  About 20 minutes after I got back to the office, a well-meaning coworker excitedly told me we had a dryer, so she could fix my pants.  GREAT!  Only, I don’t have any other pants to wear while mine dry.  So…. Yeah.

I swear this kind of stuff only happens to me.

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