Wednesday, April 24, 2013

My Own Worst Enemy

     So, yesterday I'm driving into work, doing a weekday ritual:

     1. Slide passenger seat forward.
     2. Remove small metal case from floor behind seat.
     3. Set case on passenger seat.
     4. Slide passenger seat back.

     I do this while the car is in motion and without looking; subsequent steps are performed only while stopped.

     This time, the completion of Step 4 was marked by, "Pssss...ssss...ssssssssssssssSs...."  Disconcerting.

     I slid the seat forward and reached without looking again, encountered something cylindrical, picked it up, and lifted it around towards me.

     Huge mistake.

     "ssssssssSsss!"  I sprayed "Instant TireFlator" on the right side of my face and got a little in my right eye!  Took a couple of seconds to work out what was going on: the side seam was slightly (!!!) popped and any flexing at all made it open.  "sssSss," indeed.

     I transferred it to my left hand ("SSsss...") and pulled over to the left-side curb, grateful I was on a one way road, and tossed it into a handy trashcan.  ("SSssssssss")  Cleaned my face and eye off as best I could with a paper towel, pondered the time it would take to get to work (less than five minutes, if I timed the lights right) and took off.

     Rinsed out my eye as soon as I arrived, looked up the MSDS for the stuff, and ran through a whole pint bottle of eyewash (naptha and ammonia, eeeee).

      "You have such interesting drives to work," one of my co-workers remarked.  Yeah, ain't they just?
at

12 comments:

  1. JulieApril 24, 2013 at 5:31 AM

    Hope there's no long term damage to your eye.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Roberta XApril 24, 2013 at 6:54 AM

    Yes, thus the multiple rinsings. I've been in the ER for an eye issue in the past and barring actual, evident trauma, there's just not all that much they can do besides rinsing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ogApril 24, 2013 at 7:29 AM

    I worked with a guy who accidently maced himself in the face while driving. The mace was disguised as a cigarette lighter. He was doing 65 on twisty back roads in Arkansas.
    Hope your eyes and face are best soonest.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousApril 24, 2013 at 8:12 AM

    Sounds like an episode from "I Love Lucy." Hope you're okay and your eyes make a full recovery.

    Mike

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dave HApril 24, 2013 at 8:32 AM

    I've used enough Fix-A-Flat to build 3 or 4 complete tires by now, but I really don't like carrying it in the car. At least not in the heat of summer. I'm afraid I'll open the trunk one day and find everything coated in white goo.

    Hope your eye doesn't show any permanent effects.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mark AlgerApril 24, 2013 at 9:08 AM

    Doesn't matter how careful or prudent you are. Murphy wins.

    So glad the damage appears ephemeral.

    M

    ReplyDelete
  7. NAVIGATORApril 24, 2013 at 9:20 AM

    RINSING FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES
    FIT AN EYEPATCH
    HIE THEE TO AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST
    FEEL BETTER SOON

    ReplyDelete
  8. Douglas2April 24, 2013 at 12:36 PM

    Aerosols and liquids carried in my car get double-bagged in plastic, and if it is a product that has bitten me before there may be some napkins or paper towel in the bag just for good measure.

    ReplyDelete
  9. JeffroApril 24, 2013 at 8:37 PM

    Did someone lay a Chinese curse on ya? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Old NFOApril 24, 2013 at 9:06 PM

    Ouch! Hope there is no damage...

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousApril 24, 2013 at 10:37 PM

    Hope your eye is alright.

    Additionally, I hope you never, ever, get something like a pet monkey or anaconda or the like to ride along in the car with you to work.

    Mike James

    ReplyDelete
  12. CGHillApril 25, 2013 at 12:11 AM

    Worst I ever had was an exploding can of biscuits in the trunk on a 105-degree day. No damage to me, but the cleanup job was decidedly unfun.

    ReplyDelete

Comment moderation is enabled. Your comment will not be visible until approved. Arguing or use of insulting or derogatory language will result in your comment going unpublished: no name-calling. Comments I deem excessively partisan will not be published.