Road Rash

It's been a rough weekend.

First off, I want to take a little poll. Who out there knew that spicy peppers can cause chemical burns to your skin? That's right, raise those hands... I mean, we eat them for crying out loud. I knew not to let the oil of raw peppers get near my eyes or nose or anything, but my hands? Really?

I was making vegetarian chili and found a package of fresh peppers in the fridge. Usually I just used dried cayenne pepper, but Mus's sister had recently visited us and had bought some fresh peppers, so I decided to try cooking with them.

The peppers were small and I wanted to take the seeds out, so I sliced them open and then used my hands to pull out the seeds and tear the peppers into pieces. It's quite possible that I am the clumsiest human being on earth (as I will soon prove to you), and when I try to cut small things with sharp knives, disaster finds me. So I thought- let me play it safe and use my fingers.

The peppers smelled delicious. They gave off a sweet smell, like red bell peppers. I threw them in the pot and washed my hands well in case I should touch my eyes or nose.

About 15 minutes later my whole hands burned- and I mean it felt like I had a burnt myself on a flame. Mus and I tried different remedies- baking soda, alcohol, lemon juice, milk, shea butter... Nothing seemed to help. Even worse, while I didn't get any of the oil on other parts of my body, I seemed to have spread it through the kitchen. In the next few days I got the oil on my fingertips when I touched the boil that had held the seeds, or the container I put the chili in; in the end my fingertips were covered in pink blotches.

New rule- no more fresh peppers in my kitchen.

They may look pretty, but don't let them fool you!

Then the next morning, I was heading outside to get some exercise, wearing comfy clothes and a pair of sturdy sneakers, and I stepped on a golf-ball-sized rock on the hill outside our house. The rock rolled, my feet slid, and down I went, iPod in hand.

My iPod and my body are, for the most part, fine, although both sustained considerable damage to their coverings. The clear protective case on my iPod shattered along the bottom (it's like a bike helmet for your iPod- definitely the wisest $1 investment I've ever made) and the skin on my left palm has some growing to do. I also have a small cut on my right palm and some minor road rash on my right leg and elbow. The pain was bad at first, but Mus and I rigged up bandages out of gauze, maxi pads, and a lace glove we found. That with some ointment and Tylenol has made a big difference.

Mama, a ten-year-old girl who lives in the house with us, was witness to my blunder, and she was utterly horrified. She had no idea what to do. I got up, brushed myself off, and trudged back up the hill to the house, where I woke Mus up. “What happened!” he demanded.

“Stigmata,” I told him.

Carefree pantyliners- don't leave home without 'em!



I'm trying to scare Yusif with my mummy hands. He's not impressed.

I think the lace glove gives it more of a punk/Gothic affect. (or maybe we ran short on guaze....)