the hazards of spring cleaning

Today, I did some pretty heavy spring cleaning. "Spring" is a good description for it, because it was a beautiful day-- I actually opened my windows for the first time since I've lived here! I did laundry, swept, and mopped. Weirdly, I always enjoy mopping. It's kind of a pain because I have to move furniture around (and my back hurts from couch moving), but it reminds me pleasantly of my college summer job cleaning dorm rooms. I didn't enjoy the early hours-- 6 am is an unnecessarily cruel time to start work!-- or the idiot management, but I never minded the actual cleaning.

Anyway, while cleaning, I managed to get some cuts and bruises! I have a space heater that looks like a miniature radiator... it's on wheels, but it's very heavy, so much that I can't actually lift it. Having mopped, I was pushing it back against the wall, and I guess the wheels must have gotten locked up or something, because suddenly it fell forward and landed on my feet and legs. Bare feet and legs, I was wearing flip-flops and capri pants. There was a moment of shock, where I just thought "Oh no, I hope that didn't chip the tile!" and "That was loud!" ... and then the synapses caught up, and then it hurt like a bitch. There were scrapes on both legs and the tops of both feet, and two cuts on my right foot. I hobbled to the kitchen, washed the cuts with antibacterial soap, and stuck on a couple bandages. One cut is about a half inch long and isn't too bad; the other is over an inch long, and 9 hours later hasn't stopped bleeding. I just changed the bandage because the first one soaked through.

I feel bad complaining about this, because my friend Susan just got hit by a car and had to get stitches! (She's ok, just had a cut on her leg that needed some stitches.) It's honestly not that bad, just kind of painful. I anticipate some spectacular bruises. There was a scrape on my right foot, between the cuts, that was purple instantly!


Taken right after I got done bandaging. Instant bruising! (Also note my hairy unshaven legs and flip-flops that I got for €2 from Penneys, or Primark to you tea-sodden football hooligans. I actually hate flip-flops and only wear them for cleaning and hostel showers.)


The culprit! (It didn't chip the tile, luckily.)


It looks innocent enough...


... but look at those scary sharp edges!

I've only used the thing like once, it was left by the previous tenants. I realize that I just posted pictures of my space heater, which might set a record for inanity of pictures on the internet (though I'm not sure if anything can top beedogs.com.) If the bruises are as good as I'm expecting, I'll take more in a couple days.