[TheForge] Werk smart, not hard

[A. Vida]

Jerry Frost wrote:

> I've found the keeping cool part extremely handy the couple times I've been
> the victim and had to talk my "rescuers" through first aid.

	I guess it's now about four years since I tore my right
	index finger neatly apart on a wire wheel.  When it happened
	I knew it was significant before I even looked, but when I
	did I thought I'd amputated another finger.  My reaction 
	was very different from the one I had when I lopped off my
	left fore- and middle finger ends when I was 16.  I thought
	"OK, now I'm a little closer to symmetrical".  Then I realized
	the end was in fact still attached and that I'd only managed 
	to tear the finger open, albeit rather savagely.  I got into
	the truck, headed up route 9 to my house  and got pulled
	over for going a little fast.  I get out of the car, show the
	cop, and he almost lost his abundance of melanin, offered to
	escort me and sent me on my way upon decline, bidding me
	slow down.  I get home, go to bathroom, let go of finger,
	and blood goes shooting across room all over my nicely painted
	walls.  At that point I decided perhaps the ER was in order,
	went, got stitched up, and ho hum...  took a year for the
	large swelling at the first knuckle to go away and stop 
	hurting.  It's still a wee bit stiff, but none the worse
	for wear or injury otherwise.

	No injuries since then.  Been a little slower going.  Ja,
	dat werks besser... ja ja ja....