I was skiing a Mount Tremblant in Quebec some years back (many years back!), taking the last run of a ski school course. In the process of skiing along a not-to-difficult trail I did something wrong -- crossed my tips, something, and took a header. I tumbled three or four times, and when I stopped I couldn't see.

The instructor had seen me fall and skied back. By then I'd cleaned the snow from my glasses (everything had gone white!), and he asked me if I was okay. I did a quick assessment -- arms, legs, head moveable, hey, the was BLOOD I just spit! Big glob of BLOOD! I replied, "No."

He came over and assessed the damage from the outside and asked if my high school had had "football, I mean soccer." "Yes." "It's not worse than a soccer hurt." Which could, of course, be anyone of a number of things.

I thought I'd lost more teeth, but no, it was just a split lip. I finished the run on shakey legs, but that evening, when everyone else was drinking rum, I drank water.