My deepest heartfelt thanks to all of you who reached out and sent me your get well wishes. The accident was now 9 days ago and most of the concussion symptoms have cleared up. I still have to be aware of not standing up too fast after being prone for long periods, like sleeping overnight. I also have a couple of broken ribs, and those are the main problem, but nothing Aleve won't "aleve-iate".

I was driving home from work on Friday, Jan 25th. It was snowing. Traffic was at a steady pace of about 60 mph (100k to you Canuckians!). I was in the far right hand lane and had 4 car lengths in front of me. The car to my left in the center lane was positioned that from his back bumper to my front bumper was one free car length.

From my left, at an angle as steep as about 10 o'clock, I saw snow spray but could not tell immediately if it was a car or a maverick microburst of wind. Before I had any chance to react, I realized it was a car that had entered the north lanes after spinning out on the south lanes, crossing a median, and then crossing the left and middle lane without impact. He hit me right where the passenger door meets the front fender. Fortunately that is a fairly strong point on the car. Had he hit me 3 feet further back the impact would have been directly against the door and into my body and I would not be here typing this post.

That impact spun me about 165 degrees to where I was almost perfectly backward in the lane, at which point another car hit me from behind. All airbags did deploy.

I don't know which impact caused what because they were just about 2 seconds apart. I was knocked out of my shoes. I was wearing a seat belt but the impetus was left to right, so the shoulder strap was of no value, and I squirted out of the lap belt part and flew across the car to where I broke the passenger window with my head. It took paramedics 45 minutes to extract me from the car. I never lost consciousness but did see the little "sperm cell through a microscope" image.

At the emergency room, they did a CAT scan and chest x-rays. I did have a rather severe concussion and the broken ribs, as well as some lacerations on my left knee and on my face from the broken glass. Now, when you look like me to start with, you really can't afford the scars left by 8 facial cuts.

5 hours later, a friend picked me up in the emergency room and brought me home. My keys were wedged into the ignition, so I had no way to unlock my door. Fortunately one window has no lock and he was able to climb in that way. I was able to retrieve my keys the following Tuesday thanks to my friend Steve who did the taxi thing.

My main concern through all of this was my dog. Had I died, she would have been absolutely lost with her new owner, who, btw, is stipulated in my will in no uncertain language. My dog is NOT to see the inside of a shelter ever again. That person is also my executor, and she was able to visit me Sunday morning though she lives an hour away.

I keep a thumb drive on my key ring that is clearly marked with a Red Cross. It has my personal info as far as medical history and who to call in such a case. I an only hope that should I die in a crash, the cop who works the scene is geek enough to know what to do with it. If not, that's 4 bucks I won't get back.

Times are going to be extremely rough for me financially for the next 2 years. I have some accounts I am paying off that will take me that long to settle, as well as now having a higher car payment (I bought a MUCH bigger and safer can than a Kia Rio) and higher insurance. It will take some sacrifices and some discipline, but I have to do what I have to do. Direct TV will go (there's nothing on anyway and I will cancel immediately after the game today as my bill is due today anyway). I will give up some food extravagances (might even lose a few pounds) and cut out all outside entertainment. I'll also have to stop buying gear, but honestly, I can name a dozen things I have right now that I don't need and never use. I am concerned about how the financials of this will play out, as my insurance people are still pursuing and some of that needs to get done in prompt fashion, but none of it is within my control so I am not going to concern myself with them. If they don't get resolution, I go the personal injury lawyer route, and they can deal with the guy.

Please do me a favor. Every one of you. Wherever your significant other is right now, walk away from your computer and walk to him or her, hug them as hard as they can handle, and remind them just how much they mean to you. If that happens to be your pet, then lay down on the floor and play with it. I learned with almost the ultimate tuition how fast it can be over and it would be a shame to leave without people (or pets) knowing what they mean to you.

Thank you all once again for your prayers and thoughts. I truly appreciate every one of you.