3rd to 1st, a softball to the side of the head.

So last weekend I had an exciting experience. I was at a softball tournament in Lake City, Arkansas, where there are no lakes, playing with my normal softball team. It was my third at bat of the day, and I did not make good contact with the ball and I grounded it somewhat weakly to third base. As is usual for me, having joints that are about twice my age, I wasn't running very hard out of the box. The third-basemen didn't field the ball cleanly though, so when he bobbled it I started running much harder to first. Bad Idea, the throw and the side of my head reached the same spot at the same time, and since two objects can't occupy the same space, it hurt. The guy had thrown the ball wildly, and for some reason the 1st basemen who could have come of the base and caught the ball decided not to. The result was an impact right against my left temple. I did not black out, I did not even get dizzy, but I knew right away that given the spot it had hit that I was going to go to the hospital. For some odd reason the coach of the other team seemed to want to try and talk me out of going to the hospital. At first I was worried about damage to my head, but as I started for the vehicle I realized I was a afraid that I had broken my jaw because frankly it hurt like hell. My cousin drove me to the hospital at good ole St. Bernards ( no I didn't get staph for all you people out there that think the disease originates there) and as usual the waiting room had about 15 people in it. When we got sat down a nurse came out and said ok you guys can come back and see him, and everybody single person in the waiting except for us went back to see some guy. I will tell you this, if I am ever sick or injured in the nursing room, I do not want to wake up to seeing 15 different people standing around my bed in a small room. So with the ER apparently vacant I went right back. Fun times, I got poked and prodded a bit and was given a CAT Scan. Apparently I checked out all right and was told I had a mild concussion and a small inconsequential facial fracture and home I went. I had never been hit on the noggin like that before so I didn't really know quite what to expect. The headaches over the next couple of days were not pleasant, nor was the blurry vision in my left eye, but those symptoms went away and now I am fine to go out and get hit in the head by some new guy that can't throw to first. It was sadly, about the most excitement I have had this year. I took the picture with my iphone while I was waiting for my CAT scan results. It doesn't do a very good job of showing the swelling and please excuse my not being clean cut, I was at a red neck softball tournament after all.