Let me preface this by saying that while I was doing my grad student teaching during summer school a couple of weeks ago, I gave a lesson about the safe use of kitchen knives to a class of 11 year olds. I stressed the importance of being smart with the knives and thinking about, "if this knife slips, what part of my body might get cut?"

This is why I'm an idiot:

This morning I decided to cut down a small tree that was growing right next to the gas meter at our house. About ten feet tall and 2-3 inches in diameter.

First I started using the wire saw that came in the Pro Force tin kit I got a couple of years ago. I'd never used one and thought it'd be good to test out. The wires got clogged and one of the split rings actually bent...from my fingers no less!

So I decide to get out the new Gerber camping saw...a small folding pruning saw designed to cut small fuel at a camp site. And let me tell you, did it work beautifully!

Then I decide to begin cutting the tree into fire bowl size pieces so they'd be ready to go when they dry out. My children were playing in our yard and with the neighbor's grandkids who were visiting. We were getting ready to run some errands, but I figured I had a few minutes to start sizing down the tree.

I had cut several pieces when I came to a branch about 3/4 of an inch thick. Now mind you, I'm sitting on the ground, cross legged while I'm doing this cutting...

I get to the point where I'm almost through the branch, and since it was just cut down, it's fairly wet and a little hard to get through the bark. Just as I get through the bark, the saw keeps going and right through my leg just above the knee.

I was a bit shocked of course and was surprised that blood wasn't gushing out of it. Then I noticed that the cut was deeper than any cut I've ever had before. I walked into the house and said to my wife who was on the phone, "You'll have to go get the kids...I cut myself". I think she mumbled something with the word "stupid" in it on her way out the door.

Then I go to the first aid supplies...geez, in the house nothing but band aids. What did I do with those gauze pads? By that time there was a trickle of blood down past my knee. I ran and grabbed a paper towel...any port in a storm I guess.

When my wife came back I asked her to get the FAK out of the family car because I knew there was gauze pads in there. My oldest got the bottle of foaming "no hurt" antiseptic and I shot some into the wound.

"No hurt" my *ss! Man did it sting!

Put compression on it with the gauze pads, but there was nary a spot of blood by that time.

Off to the urgent care center. Four stitches and no martial arts or waterpark for at least ten days <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> (season pass for the waterpark)

Plus the old tetanus shot. I learned that once someone develops tetanus, there's no treatment...didn't know that.

I also learned that Gerber makes darn fine tools and that attention to details (such as where could this blade go if it slips) are important.

After today my wife didn't want to talk about getting a chain saw for sizing down bigger trees <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />