I hate mandolines

[chipotle]

Work on the news aggregator proceeds, although a lot of the work has been retooling odd subtleties. It uses PHP's XML parser but I had to rewrite the "tree walking" routine to be smarter, for instance, after my first shot. And when you clicked on article headlines it brought them up in the correct frame and removed the headline from the index frame--then scrolled the index frame up to the top, because it was just reloading the index page. Keeping it from doing that ultimately involved a hidden frame and learning more HTML DOM magic.

But that wasn't the excitement today. The excitement was me trying to cut a potato with a mandoline. This is a stationary blade you slice vegetables with by moving the vegetables against the cutting surface.

I've had this thing for a long time and mostly gave up on it. It's like a food processor but manual and dangerous. Dangerous? Yes, if you slip and your knuckle hits the blade instead of the potato.

I nearly sliced a dime-size chunk of flesh over the knuckle clean off. According to the doctor at the walk-in clinic I may have saved it by cleaning it and keeping firm pressure on it, first with a tissue and then with an insanely tight Band-Aid.

The doctor put 'steri-tape' on it, which I suppose is to hold the flap in place. I put a Band-Aid over that since the tape is oozing.

And, I think typing, even though I'm not using that thumb and am mostly using the other hand, is stressing it. Definitely blood soaking into the bandage. The steri-tape is probably a loss already.

This comes at such a great time--interview on Monday, programming bug in my head that should now be put off a bit... and, oh, yes, only a week left to pack. "Don't lift heavy objects," indeed.

When I got home--having had dinner at the world's slowest Burger King, during the 90-minute wait for the doctor--I threw out the potatoes and cleaned up the blood. I put the dirty mandoline back in its box. I don't think it's coming with me. I'll stick to the food processor (which is already packed, or I'd probably have used it), or good old knives.

Off to bed and to hope I don't bleed on the sheets.

Comments

Erf...

[jadedfox.livejournal.com]

Ow... just OW... I hope the doc is right, that type of thing.. *shudder* Damn. Sorry about the bad timing of that, and good luck!

[kareem.livejournal.com]

When I was twelve I sliced a 5mm strip off my index finger when using one of those. They are, quite scary. If you take plenty of multi-vitamins, you'll heal much, much quicker. :|

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

Ouch, ouch, ouch. Definitely don't bring it with you. Once they've tasted blood, they get really dangerous.

*hugs* Good luck healing quickly!

[chastmastr.livejournal.com]

YIKES!!! Bazillions of gentle hugs!!! :(

OOOOWWWWW!

[koogrr.livejournal.com]

Agg you make me dance!

Are you still going to be in Tampa Oct10th? I'm flying out of there to visit family and probably could show up in time for an early lunch, or a short visit or something.

Re: OOOOWWWWW!

[chipotle.livejournal.com]

As far as I know, yes. If I get the contract position I'll be here as long as it runs, of course, and even if I don't I'll probably be here through Necronomicon.

[prickvixen.livejournal.com]

Any time you use a kitchen utensil with an exotic foreign name you're asking for trouble.

[chastmastr.livejournal.com]

Any chance you'll still be around in December? I plan on visiting my friends and would like to spend more time with you if I could...

[chipotle.livejournal.com]

There's a chance but I don't know how high it is, honestly. If I get the Linvatec contract that'll keep me in the state as long as it runs, which I expect will be through mid-November; beyond that things may be dependent on Tugrik. I don't want to unduly try his patience by saying "just keep things on hold for months and months."