For the last time!!

[lupo pazzesco]

I am NOT being abused!!

Slight rant ahead.

So, last sunday at work, I had to reset the entire law school section because the shelves were pretty much fubared after so long. We got the shipment of shelves in, and started dismantling the old ones. This is when we discover that our old store manager, rather than set up the baseboards and back supports correctly, he screwed them in crooked. That wasn't something we could fix, but we thought at the very least, we could get the shelves in. Turns out we could, but we had to use a rubber mallet to hammer them in. I jokingly texted Plaidman and said work had me starting a project involving shelving units, shelves and a rubber mallet. How many bruises did he think I'd end up with...

Me and my big mouth.

While setting up one four foot section of shelves, I was hammering in a shelf into the backing it was supposed to fit into. I had gotten most of the shelves done by this point, including the one above it. Or so I thought. The shelves above came crashing down and sandwiched my arm. That hurt like you wouldn't believe!! Long story short, I've got some pretty impressive bruising all up and down my left arm, especially one long one that spans from about three inches below where my shoulder begins, down to about an inch above my elbow, all down my biceps. Yes, much owwieness. And yes, before anyone asks I did go get it checked out the next day. Nothing's broken, but scans indicate there's bruising below the surface. Duh. I figured that out all by myself thankyouverymuch.

So, this week has been interesting. My left hand/arm is my dominant side (naturally), so whenever I did something too fast or moved it wrong, it hurt and I'd wince. This drew attention. Too much attention. It's getting ridiculous!! I understand people are expressing their concerns, but really? Really? Few examples:

On the bus to work
It's 5:30 in the morning, I'm not really paying attention until some guy sits next to me. He jostles my arm and I wince, pulling it across my lap. He apologizes and does an almost comedic double take. Yeah, this was when the bruising was black. It didn't look too purty. he asked what happened, and I told him some shelves fell on me. He didn't look like he believed me and kept stealing glances until we came to his stop, thank goodness.

In the McDonalds
I stop some mornings for a coffee or a large tea ($1 large a la carte drinks. Woot!) Cashier handed me my drink and I grabbed it with my left hand. Cue cashier getting wide eyed and demanding to know who'd been "beating on me"!?!?!

me: My job...<exit stage left!>


My coworkers
Various reactions ensue.

"Wow, Lupo, you look like somebody grabbed your arm and threw you around!"

"Geez, Lupo, what happened? Your friends get too enthusiastic while playing punch buggy...?"

"Hey, if you look at it from this angle, the bottom kinda looks like a heart! Lupo, the shelves looooooove you!"

Shut up shut up shut up...


The ladies in the leasing office of my apartment complex
I went into to put money on my laundry card, and the manager of the office said hello and all was well...until she got a good look at my arm (bruising was fading at this point, it was a loverly shade of purplish brownish bluish tinge). She KNOWS I live alone and am single and she asked if my boyfriend was beating me up. >.>

At the grocery store
I'm completing my transaction at the self checkouts, get my receipt and reach for my two reusable bags. The attendant stops me and asks if I'm sure I can carry them by myself. I say yes, and she asks "are you sure, honey? It looks like that hurts! maybe you shouldn't be moving it!"

Me: It's better than it was a few days ago.
Her: But what happened??
Me: My job attacked me with metal shelves and a mallet...
Her:


It's too hot to wear long sleeves, but I'm debating it. And since I bruise easily, this is going to take a while to fade. It's been almost a week and it's still purply browny greeny colored... I was amused at first, but now it's getting kind of tiresome. Silly, I know but sweet jeebus, peoples, leave me be!! though I should be thankful no one's offered to find me a shelter...yet...

>.<

[Exaspera]

You could write on your arm: "Everything's Fine!"

Sorry you got so hurt, though.

[AccountingDrone]

I used to be a stick jock in the SCA, and worked as a machinist in a factory and played fullback on the school soccer team so I was always bruised all over the place. It was amazing even back in 78/79/80 the 'are you being abused' reaction happened all the time. It was bad enough I didn't even bother going out in public in shorts/short sleeves - thankfully it was the era of the gauze big shirt

Now I bruise easily because of my meds, so it looks like Rob beats me or something but I don't have the excuse of martial arts or job related bashings.

[Binky]

yowchi! Owie! Sounds painful. Hoping it's all ok now. Poeople are a pain, but I guess at the end of the day, kinda shows that there are still people out there that care

[lupo pazzesco]

Yeah, see, that's part of why I'm irritated with myself. One would thing I'd be happy knowing that there are still some caring people out there, but at the same time I want them to leave me the frek alone!!

Am I twisted, or what?

[Midorikawa]

yowch. I don't bruise easily, but the wife does.

After camping for a weekend, she had bruises all over her legs from logs/brush/random rocks kicked up by me or the dog. Glad she's able to at least cover that up, but I got a few dirty looks at the supermarket after she got back from a canyoneering trip with her work that I couldn't go on () with bruises on her arms and legs.

[Cat]

YUp, twisted.....just like the rest of us


When I used to shoot by bow, the string snapped back and cut up my arm really bad, Of course, the next day I had a physical, the doc gave me a dirty look.

Used to play with swords as well, and once in a melee I was hit bad in the upper arm with a schlager....nasty bruise!!!

I have scars all over from insect bites, people always ask about those in "concerned" voices...

So yah, it is nice that people care, but sometimes the answer actually is I was attacked by shelves!!

Hope you're healing, Lupo!

[malmalthekiller]

I bruise easily as well .

I find them over my upper legs the most common, which people never see, so it usually doesn't matter. But I've had the same looks when I get them elsewhere.

[ArcticChicken]

Have you considered investing in some arnica ointment? Smear it on when something like that happens, it'll help the bruises heal faster and hurt less.

[Rine]

I just hope it heals up quickly. That sounds quite painful.

[Seshat]

Yeah, see, that's part of why I'm irritated with myself. One would thing I'd be happy knowing that there are still some caring people out there, but at the same time I want them to leave me the frek alone!!

Don't be. Sometimes a bruise is just a bruise, and the caring people should be willing to accept that.

Google 'UV shirt' - you might want to find a long-sleeved UV protective sweat-wicking overshirt to wear when not at work. (At least at work, you know the teasing is just teasing - and that they aren't going to call the police on your hypothetical attacker.)

Hm. Wonder if you CAN call the cops on a shelf? "Did you see the shelf that attacked you, ma'am? Did you get its serial number?"

[DeltaSierra]

OUCH, Lupo! Hope you are feeling better.

Years ago, I was helping a male friend do yard work, and had my eye on his new puppy instead of on him as he went to start the lawnmower. Elbow meet eye. WHOPPER of a shiner. I got those questions, and was even taken aside by a nurse and a counsellor at the Dr's office I'd gone to for an unrelated issue to ask if I was being abused!!! Nobody would believe me when I told them what really happened.

[Becks]

One of the reasons I don't wear shorts or skirts very often is because my legs tend to bruise easily.

I've given myself bruises on my upper arms by accidentally pinching myself when grabbing and readjusting my bra straps.

Not to mention the unintentional abuse I heap upon myself as seen in various injury threads around here.

[Jester]

Ya know, you really can't blame the people offering help and concern. I mean, think about it. How many women who ARE abused deny that they are being abused? What, about 98% or so? So, when they see bruises, and you say, "Oh, no, this happened at work, I'm just clumsy," it is not that odd for a lot of people to think, "Oh lord, here we go again."

I know it sucks. But I think I would rather live in a world where people are overly concerned than in one where they just ignore things like that, even if they are mistaken in their beliefs.

True story: a local girl was out with some friends, and for some reason her friends got in a mix up with some Spring Break girls, and the one I know got a black eye from one of the Spring Break girls. All on the up and up. But it was a real shiner. Now, our heroine hangs out with a local bartender of my acquaintance, a really cool guy. They are not dating. He is not abusive. But of course, when they were out and about together after this incident, he got a lot of dirty looks from people assuming (a) they were a couple, and (b) he popped her one. Naturally, the more she might deny this, the more people might think she was simply in denial. When they were at my bar telling us this, I couldn't resist but to look him straight in the eye and say sternly, "Louie, no means no!" They both got a chuckle out of that one.

Having known women who were abused, and having known girls who really were just clumsy, it's hard sometimes to know where to draw the line and when one should act or say something. But I think erring on the side of concern is better than erring on the side of not wanting to get involved.

[BlaqueKatt]

well come on you went at the shelves with a rubber mallet-they were just defending themselves!

as an aside-I feel your pain-my job leaves me with autoclave burns up and down my arms-I get a lot of weird looks as well-my current FB status is "I hope that if I ever have to defend myself against an attacker, I am as successful at purposefully injuring them as I am at accidentally injuring myself!"

I'm such a klutz-and I bruise like fruit.....