Jeremy Stangroom

My manuscript has roughly two dozen ruling schemata. (This makes me very happy, indeed, because I have a hardcore ruling schema fetish). #manuscripts #geekery #MuzerelleFTW

About 45 minutes ago, making my way from the AAR to my hotel for the weekend (palæography course is over), on one of those steep, dark, winding Roman paths, I fell. HARD. On my face.

Gashed open my forehead, embedding gravel in it & palms of both hands; split lip open; cut bridge of my nose (possibly broke my nose—it still won’t stop bleeding huge clots); tore 1 of the 2 pairs of pants w me (my fav jeans), cutting up my knees; & irrevocably smashed my glasses

A movement mapping app I use suggests I may have lain there for 2–3 minutes. (I don’t recall this). So grateful I didn’t knock my teeth out nor smash my phone. I stumbled on my way for 30 min—my face covered in blood, tho’ I didn’t realize how extensively—unable to see sans

Plenty of people looked at me, but no one approached me. No one made a peep. Beautiful mild Friday evening in Rome, people *everywhere*, and they all just looked away…

And then, this young punkish fellow came to me—he may have been a street kid? In any case, the type of look that terrifies middle aged, middle class people. And he gave me a water bottle to wash my face, and helped me find my hotel, walked me there.

I’ve said it before & I will again: consistently in my life I have found that Steinbeck was right… “I’m learning one thing good … Learnin’ it all the time, ever’ day. If you’re in trouble or hurt or need — go to poor people. They’re the only ones that’ll help — the only ones”