poor pinkie

Saturday I spent the day at the University of Virginia's Alderman library. I researched and I wrote. I wrote and I researched for seven hours straight. I didn't even break for lunch. I was in such a zone and got so much work done. Seriously, I have eight single-spaced, typed pages to prove it.

The other unexpected outcome was a hand injury. I woke up Sunday morning with the worst pain in my right hand between my pinkie and ring fingers. It was incredibly sore (still is). I guess I used my pinkie finger to hit the delete, return, shift, and arrow keys a few hundred times too many.

The sad thing is that this is not my first typing injury. The first happened back in March 2004 when I wrote 25 pages in 24 hours for my Master's comps. That time it was the center knuckle on my left pinkie. To this day that knuckle aches when the weather changes.

In spite of my aching hand, I had a fabulous day at UVA. I really needed a productive day like that to help me feel not quite so panicked about my book. Plus, it was so nice to research in a "real" library. Yes, I know I work in a library, but it's an undergraduate library not a research library, and there's such a vast difference between the two. I have collection envy now. I want to work at a research library :( Sniff. Pout.

I'm going back on Friday to spend another full day at their library. I just hope my hand feels better by then and that I don't injure it again.