It's been an evening filled with firsts:

* First time riding the new bike;
* First time fitted with neck brace;
* First time strapped to back board;
* First time riding in an ambulance;
* First time getting x-rays of my left arm;
* First time getting a CAT scan;
* First time getting x-rays of my left wrist;
* First time getting a set of cranial x-rays;
* First time breaking nose (maybe, it's unclear whether it's actually broken or not);
* First time getting a taxi in RI.

And having just enough cash in your wallet to pay the cab driver when you get home? Priceless.

Here's the short version. I accidently rode my bike into a patch of deep sand by the side of the road doing about 18 mph. The front wheel dug into the sand, and I turned briefly into a superhero, flying over the handlebar. Then I landed on my face. And outstretched arms, mostly. Fortunately, I was wearing riding gloves, so my palms are in pretty good shape.

Someone saw me doing my Superman impression, and called the rescue squad. By the time they got there, my left wrist was purple and badly swollen. Taking no chances, they put a splint on it, a collar on my neck, and strapped me to a back board for transport to the hospital.

That was cool for a couple of minutes, because he had the siren going. But then you realize you're immobilized from head to toe inside a windowless box. I started getting car sick. Took twenty minutes to get to the hospital.

Was at the ER for four hours, most of it spent lying on a gurney alone in an isolation room. Had to go get x-rays three different times (I think they were muttering about the fact that they couldn't find any broken bones. What can I say? I drink a lot of milk.) This was really annoying because by that time my quads had totally stiffened up, bringing buckets o'pain every time I flexed my legs at all. Standing was tricky because I couldn't use my left arm at all, and my right arm hurt, so I had to use my quads alone to straighten up. Anyhow, my nose might have a non-dislocated break, but it's unsure. It really doesn't hurt much at all, except for the abrasions.

When I was waiting for the ambulance to arrive, one of my vball buddies saw me there and stopped. He offered to take my bike (now known as the "Widowmaker") home for me, and gave me his number to call when I was done at the hospital. When I tried to call at the end of the night, all I got was a busy signal. I suspect someone at his house was online. One of the nurses called me a cab. $38 later I was home.

Boy, am I going to be sore in the morning.