Larry Caveney
From North Park (Artist)
I was a new student in a junior high. I was talking with a young lady in front of me, just making casual conversation. I don’t think she recognized that I was talking to her at first. And then, well, I guess she didn’t really want to talk to me. She literally stabbed me in my knee with a pencil. I guess so I wouldn’t talk to her. I screamed and was the one that got in trouble with my teacher. And it left this scar, like a tattoo.
Ken Grant
From North Park (Writer)
In elementary school in Tucson, circa 1971, in Mrs. Thompson’s class. She was an absolute peach, with a single braid that framed the right side of her face. My friend Pete sat to my right and had sharpened his pencil. Returning to my desk, from doing whatever sixth graders do, the last thing I was pondering was any overt danger to my nether regions. But Pete held the pencil under my right buttock as I sat. I jumped and darted for the door, turning back to see the wrath of Mrs. Thompson falling on Pete. She screamed, “Did you know he could get lockjaw?” I excised the graphite spear from my cheek and returned to the class with what little self-esteem I had left.
Karen Akamine
From Costa Mesa (Teacher)
I stabbed myself with a pencil. Does that count? I was a production graphic designer, and there are sharp ledges we needed to make markups. We used X-Acto knives, which sometimes we’d stab ourselves with, too. But one time, I actually stabbed myself with a pencil. It left a dot on my hand for the longest time, and that was over 30 years ago.
Drew Radley
From North Park (Graphic Designer)
I was stabbed with a mechanical pencil, if that counts. It happened in elementary school. I’m not sure what grade, though. I got into a pushing fight with someone. And I didn’t realize he had the pencil in his hand. And as we were pushing, I got stabbed in the lip. I didn’t need any stitches or anything, and neither of us got in any trouble.
Randy Hurt
From Clairemont (Sales)
It was in junior high. I was goofing around, and one guy was pretending to stab someone. I blocked it, and the pencil had been freshly sharpened. I went to the nurse’s office, and she got tweezers to get the broken piece of lead out. And they put hydroperoxide on it, and I was on my way. I think school nurses just put peroxide on everything. I don’t even think I got a Band-Aid. At least it got me out of class for a while. It hurt like hell, but it didn’t leave a scar.
Michael Betts
From Clairemont (Project Coordinator)
It was in my office at the computer. I dropped a short pencil, and it got caught on my thigh, with the eraser side on the desk. Instead of leaning forward I went back, and it went farther in. I was panicking and stared at it for a minute before pulling it out. It was in about two inches, and I excused myself and went to the bathroom. I sat down and pulled it out and just used toilet paper to wrap it up. It was bleeding, but I stayed at work. And I still have the dot. Pencils tattoo you.