Fat girls shouldn't run into traffic

Especially ones who sucked at those time-distance math equations in school. Almost every sidewalk downtown is being torn up and put back together again, and although I am 1) usually completely law-abiding when it comes to crossing the street and 2) take the time to go down to the corner to get from the transit centre to the library, which was my objective at the time, that seemed rather treacherous, as barrels lined the street, there was no pavement, and Vine and Limestone was actually blocked off on the Phoenix Park side. So, I decided to try to cross the street the most direct route, waiting for a break in traffic. No such luck. I did finally get a point where all the cars were down at the light, and I started across, but misjudged how fast they were coming, so I ran as quickly as I could.

Pandmonium ensued.

Fortunately, the person I scared within an inch of his life had good brakes, because the car stopped with about two feet to go before hitting me. Let me just say that my demise would have been entirely my fault for such a lapse in judgement, and I'm sorry I probably panicked him. Also, fortunately, the car behind him was far enough away that they just had to slow down rather than stop. I hurried my butt to the library as fast as I could, went upstairs to the second floor, and just, well, texted the last message here as I calmed down.

I haven't been that close to mortality in a good long while. I didn't fall apart, didn't panic, didn't dwell excessively on how close I came to being squished--just a bit. Mostly, I was upset because if I had died, I 1) might have taken someone with me, causing a pileup, and 2) it would totally have been my fault. Somehow it's better to die through no fault of your own, rather than through your own stupidity.

Anyway, that's what happened. Obviously I've lost the ability to jaywalk that I learned in college, although I will say they come in packs there so drivers slow down. This car was going at a goodly pace.

I've wrenched my knee a bit; I hope it doesn't stiffen up on me. But it's so better than the alternative could have been and I only have myself to blame.

There goes another of my (hopefully) nine lives. Afterwards you better believed I obeyed all street lights and navigated through all the torn up construction, with all its treachery, rather than jaywalk again.