Broken Again

It's Monday, but I won't be playing soccer tonight or for the next few weeks. I suffered a broken bone in my right foot at last week's game. It happened on an innocent play: I blocked a shot with an outstretched leg and the attacker's foot hammered into the bottom of mine instead of the ball. I didn't feel anything significant on impact, but a few steps later I knew that something had gone amiss. A visit with the doctor and an x-ray confirms that there's a fracture in my second metatarsal. The doctor told me I'll be out 4-7 weeks. I don't have a cast but instead wear a stiff-soled booty that keeps my foot from flexing more than necessary.

I am both distressed and relieved by the injury. Soccer has become really intense this season. I've been subbing for a team in the over-30 division on Sundays, upping my activity to two games per week. I really enjoy the dynamics of the older age group, especially compared to the energetic 20-somethings that my Monday team is playing against. The games in that division have become far too competitive, and sometimes out of control (give or take the attention of the referee). All in all, I think it's a good time for me to take a break from the sport, especially as the warmest time of year settles on us.

Contiuing on the topic of the care and use of my feet, I invested in a device to shave back the callouses that have built up on my feet during all these soccer games. You can learn the manufacturer's name for the device from their web site, but I simply refer to it as the Flesh Shredder. (It is, in essence, a cheese grater for your foot.) But when you call it by this name, you must utter it as if you are singing the refrain of a heavy metal song. "FLESH shreddah!" The thing actually works pretty well, better than a pumice stone, but progress against my super-thick callouses is very slow and the thing's built-in bin for catching skin flakes doesn't work worth a damn. If you purchase your own Flesh Shredder, use it over a bucket unless you like dead skin powder sprinkled all over your rug like canned parmesan on moldy spaghetti. Flesh SHREDDER!