WHAM!

Don't panic. I'm not going to start talking about 'Wake me up before you go go' (Although now ive mentioned it I am going to look it up on YouTube, what a song!)

You know how I can tell something major is going to happen on any given day? It starts like every other one. Every morning I wake up and think about the day to day routine, cause that's what it is, a routine. Monday to Friday is the worst.

Wake up
Make coffee
Get in car
Go to work
Finish work
Get in car
Go home
Have dinner
Bed

My weekday in nine easy to follow steps, how boring! Well after last Friday you can give me that boring list ANY day of the week!

Friday started off like any other day, right up until the "Go to work" bit. There we were, just passing the aquaduct at the airport, idly chatting, listening to Chris Evans and 'The Candyman' for what must be the millionth time. The traffic in front stopped, we stopped...the car behind didn't.

WHAM!

Now I can only imagine, and certainly hope, that most of you don't know what it's like to get hit by another car travelling at speed. Well let me tell you, the coffee goes EVERYWHERE! Some people say the sound is like a gun going off, well, that's an understatement. It sounded like a cannon was fired a metre and a half behind me!

The force threw us (and the coffee) forward and the recoil tossed us back. There was a moment of silence as the contents of my flask dripped down the windshield before my head started pounding.

A moment or two, or maybe ten minutes later. Im not sure. Either way we found ourselves pulled in in the left hand lane staring at the offending Audi that had hit the Ka, no prizes for guessing who came off worst.

There I was trying to decide whether I was going to be angry or relieved when this tall, blonde, Drop. Dead. Gorgeous, women steps out of the car. I like to think it was because of the adrenaline I was speechless, in honesty though I think it was the green tights and light blue dress. The woman could easily have been going to audition as one of Santa's little helpers (despite being over 6ft tall). Details were exchanged, liability decided, and off we went.

Surprisingly, we laughed our asses off the rest of the ten minute drive in to work. Seriously, hysterical laughter resounded around the car. It's funny what adrenaline does to you.

The day dragged on and the headache came back, along with a really sore neck and shoulder. The car has been/will be written off as the entire base beneath the boot has been warped and a trip to the hospital confirmed that both driver and me sustained whiplash. Why do I ask for excitement? Why did I want to break away from the norm? Give me a bog standard boring working day!

Phew. So anyway, that's the drama out of the way.

It has made me think about things over the weekend. I don't want to sound melodramatic, we are both absolutely fine (except the sore necks, which should pass). But thinking about how things could have been makes me queasy.

Firstly, If I hadn't been wearing a seatbelt I know for a fact my face would have went through the dashboard. And as nice a dashboard as it is, I have no desire to make it's acquaintance on a permanent basis. Seatbelts save lives. You know when your younger and your mother insists she wont drive until you buckle up? Dont be a dick. Buckle up!

Secondly, what if she had damaged the petrol tank? Now most explosions (at least in the movies) happen in frontal collisions, but surely taking a 'dunt' in the petrol tank cant be clever? It's been a while since I was in school but im sure the fire triangle is still the same. Oxygen *sniff* check! Fuel, in a petrol tank? Ignition, metal on metal, chance of sparks? We could have blown up in the middle of the motorway! Thankfully most of the damage was to the rear left side of the car, and the fuel tank is on the rear right, but it could have been very different.

Thirdly, what if my bloody coffee had been hot? I'd have looked a right prat! I can see the headlines now "Man sustains third degree burns in non-burning vehicle!"

Thankfully none of the three happened, but it could have, which is scary. It could also have messed up the whole operation (which for those who dont know, was quite a big deal!). I dont think it has at this stage, but my shoulder is still pretty delicate and thats where the muscle came from. We can only see. all still breathing though so thats a good thing!

I am getting back into the swing of things in the office. Despite the monotony my days are quite productive. I have been doing a lot more writing, working on old projects and scribbling down new.

Ive also started looking into how I can turn Magic The Gathering into a profitable arrangement. Ive set up shop on Ebay, contacted distributors to enquire about prices for wholesale and am seriously considering diving into this as a business.

In other MtG news, Im playing in the Dundee PTQ next weekend (which is a big deal, take my word for it!) so for those who are interested, keep an eye on ManaLeak.com for the article that will follow (hopefully talking about how I won, if not it will be talking about how I 'almost won' and the injustice of life :P)

Peace out,

Dare to Dream,

Wear your bloomin' seatbelt!

SBPhoenix