Happy Friday! This morning started of with a run and a view of a beautiful sunrise over Tokyo Bay. As we were running we commented about how this was the clearest sunrise we have observed since arriving on the island.
As we continued running, our conversation continued about the weather. We noted that yesterday was the first day since our arrival that it didn’t rain. Next up in conversation was what were our plans for the weekend. Today, I intended to run a couple errands on base with the help of my new friend and her car.
- Pick up dry cleaning
- Set up cable and Internet for our future home
We also discussed weekend plans which include attending the annual Yokosuka Base Friendship Day. On Saturday, the base is open to the community and many locals come in and enjoy fellowship and friendship. Also, there are numerous vendors, arts & crafts and 3 different stages for live music. Sunday, we are planning a little exploration of a beach town near where we will eventually live. The name of the town is Zushi. Seriously!
At this point in my run, I thought to myself, “With a boring admin day ahead of me, what will I blog about?” Immediately, I thought of discussing the variety of food I have tried. Let’s go back to the egg salad I bought yesterday. It actually was pretty good. I think Japanese “uncrustables” might be a new favorite of mine.
Shortly after having this thought, I “stumbled” upon the actual topic. We were running up a hill on base approximately half way through our run. There were two large birds ahead of us and Dave crossed the street to avoid them. I observed a car at the stop sign at the top of the hill and thought I would just stay on course. That is when it happened. I tripped and fell. HARD. I scraped my right knee and shin, my left palm, the back of my right shoulder and dislocated my right pinky. I sat for a minute and assessed my injuries. Noting what hurt and where there was blood. After looking at the blood on my hand and knees, I realized an intense pain coming from my right pinky. Closer inspection almost caused me to pass out. It still brings up feels of nausea when I think about it.
A trip to the hospital was needed. Now, where is the hospital again? Keep in mind it maybe 5:20 am at this point. We started off in one direction and quickly crossed paths with a fellow sailor who pointed us in the correct direction. Off we went. A good 5-10 minute walk later, we arrived at the ER. Seriously. 96 hours after being on the island and I need a trip to the ER. Dave hadn’t even had a chance to officially “check me in” and register me in the Yokosuka Hospital database. Consider that completed at this point.
The other annoying part – we didn’t have our military IDs on us. After checking me in, Dave ran back to our room to pick them up. During this time, the ER doctor numbed my finger and scheduled X-rays to be taken.
By the time Dave returned, the X-rays showed the finger was only dislocated and the ER doctor was easily able to snap or pop it back into place. It was as gross as it sounds. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture of the X-ray. It was disgusting as well.
Once my finger was re-set and splinted, the doctor sent me on my way. She gave me extra gauze, tape, and Neosporin. I was juggling quite a few things at this point and asked her if she had a bag. No bag.
But, she did have a rubber glove. Keeping with the theme of my fall, she packed the extra supplies into the glove for me to carry home. Hilarious.
We walked back to the lodge and I snapped a quick shot of the road rash on my shoulder. I still don’t understand how that happened. On my back?
Lessons Learned:
- Carry your military ID with you ALWAYS
- Never wonder about a blog post topic
- Try more Japanese Uncrustables!