Lessons Learned

One last night and another this morning:

We went to see how Steve Martin did in casting himself as Inspector Clouseau. I enjoyed it. She laughed a couple times. Normal, I guess. We didn't start learning until we returned to our vehicle.

Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never go to the movies at the Gateway on a Friday night.

Did I suggest that you should consider other entertainment options than the Gateway on a Friday? Do so.

It took us twenty minutes to ascend from the depths of the parking structure. Twenty.

By the time we got to the Parking Attendant, we needed an extra validation to get out without paying. The movie validation was only good for three hours. We'd been there three hours and 10 minutes...

#1. Gateway. Friday night: go somewhere else.

This morning I'd just bitten into a fresh toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese spread on it, when my cell phone went off. My hands were full (I was taking the other half to her...) so I missed the call. Pity.

When I'd delivered the other bagel half, I noticed blood on my fingers. I knew I hadn't cut myself when splitting the bagel (it was pre-cut, I used my fingers to pry it apart...), and the butter knife isn't sharp enough to inflict an unnoticed injury.

Quickly I realized there was more than cream cheese on my lip. My lip was bleeding. I knew that I hadn't bitten it. But it was bleeding. Profusely. I grabbed a handful of tp and started dabbing my lip between bagel bites.

When they bagel was gone, I began to apply continuous direct pressure, expressing my dismay to her about the volume of blood that continued to flow from a non-existent injury to my lip.

Eventually I traded the tp for a paper towel. It steadily filled with my leaky fluid too.

After about fifteen minutes with no slowing of the flow, she suggested that I use a wet wash cloth. I hesitated a nano second, before I located an older wash cloth and ran it under cool water. Surprisingly, the blood flow slowed, then stopped after another few minutes.

Now, I've had minor problems with nose bleeds during the dry of a cold winter, but I've never had my lip spontaneously split before. I put on some lip balm.

By that time our daughter had arrived. While she was there the blood flow unexpectedly started up again. I applied the cool, wet cloth again and brought it under control. I came to work.

Just a few minutes ago I sneezed and things started up again. Luckily my leaky lip responded to direct pressure and stopped bleeding in less than a minute. I applied more lip balm.

#2. Bleeding lips respond better to cool, wet cloth than scratchy, dry paper.