Several weeks ago I was photographing a friend’s new office (www.drdavidgreen.com) and he mentioned that he was recently certified to scuba dive! So I said “congratulations, call Ben to dive you with you, he’s always looking to go diving!” So a few weeks later there we are at the dock loading up his car with his tanks and weights and all that I-don’t-even-know-what-it-does-but-it-keeps-him-alive stuff for a 2 tank dive. “Bye, have fun, don’t get dead” my usual pre-dive adios, and he was off for a spectacular day! The weather could NOT have been better! Sunny, 80 degrees, calm seas, great visibility….a divers dream day! Around 2 I called to see how the day was and when I should pick him back up at the dock. He says to me “oh the dive was great, it was beautiful. I think I broke my toe though”. Ummm, excuse me? But he didn’t get dead so he gets bonus points for that!
Apparently he loaded up the tanks in the back of his truck and when he opened the trunk, out one rolled and bounced (literally bounced) off his left big toe! OMG! Do you know anything about dive tanks? Well I don’t, but I DO know that they are heavy, so heavy that I can not lift them (and I’m strong like bull!). Let’s just say for the heck of it that it’s a steel cylinder weighing around 50 pounds…and it landed squarely on his big toe! (cue the crying NOW) Well, being the uninsured that we are, after much discussion (and facebook posts) we decided to wait a few days before going for xrays – nothing can be done for a broken toe anyway and it wasn’t out of alignment so, fingers crossed, we can fix this on our own with time, ice and…RUM!
We are now on day 3 of this, and the swelling is just ever so slightly better. The toe is the most disgusting thing I’ve seen (sorry Ben, but it really is!)…black (not purple or black and blue…just black!*) and I’m sure at some point the toenail will fall off (cue the puking NOW!). He’s in good spirits (RUM spirits, that is, haha) but I think the hardest part is getting the man to lie still for a while! He’s got more ants in his pants than a 2 year old..but with my constant nagging (and possibly a little reprimanding) he has been in bed with his foot elevated and iced for 3 days now. So, guess what that means? Yes, woo is me, I’m doing EVERYTHING around here. I always knew he did a lot to maintain the boat on a day-to-day basis but I’m now finding out just how much! Not to mention I’m taking care of him, running up and down (3 whole stairs) to get him breakfast, lunch, dinner, ice, advil, rum…you name it and I’m on it! Plus I do have a business to run, right? So, (back to the woo is me part) I’m pooped! I need this toe to be fixed so I can be lazy again! OMG it’s so much work to live on a boat! Who’d have thunk it? Oh, and Bonnie, you always said he was born 80 years old, well now he has the walking cane to prove it! 
*Ben says I exaggerate for effect, it’s not actually black. (yes it is, although I DO take after my mother in the exaggeration department, sorry Mum, it’s true). His words “it’s not pretty”.
