12-Year-Old Brandon’s Journal — Entry 40 — 4/29/1993

Dear Journal,

On Monday I had baseball practice, but it was inside. We were practicing in the Clackamas High School gym because it was wet and rainy. At the end of practice we ran. We would sprint down and walk back. When I was walking back, my hand grazed the bleachers, and it felt as if it had bent my finger nail back. Yet, when I looked at it, there was a sliver under it. So I had t be taken to the doctor's, but we couldn't get in until the next morning. So I slept with it. The next day, Tuesday, my mom got me an appointment for 10:15am. So the doctor cut my fingernail, peeled it back, and pulled it out. The sliver was an inch long, it went into my joint. So he prescribed some antibiotics, and told me to soak it in Epsom salt every two hours for fifteen minutes. I had to take the antibiotics every six hours. I have to get up at 12:18am to take the medicine. So since I have been taking the medicine, I haven't gotten a good sleep. that is why I have had to leave CORE at 12:20 to take my medicine. My HURTS a lot right now. I also have a big place on my thumb where I tore off all the skin from batting practice yesterday. I couldn't do much in practice due to my finger.

That goddamn sliver. My mom actually saved that stupid thing, but it might have gotten thrown out by now. It went under the damn nail and into the knuckle. So far into the knuckle it swelled up to the point I couldn't bend it. A simple piece of bleacher wood really hosed things up.