Curly CFL blew up in my Face.....What's up?

There are very different opinions on this subject and I am not answering this claiming to be an "expert" of any kind. All florescent lights use mercury vapor as part of the chemistry which allows them to work. It is a very small amount and at room temperature it would have dropped right to the floor (mercury is very heavy compared to most other elements). There are stories of people breaking CFLs and the calling 911, only to have a "hazmat" team show up and end up being charged over a thousand dollars for the "hazardous material disposal". If it were me, I would just use a good vacuum cleaner which uses a disposable bag, thoroughly vacuum the floor in the room where the bulb broke and anywhere else you suspect you might of tracked the debris, and then immediately replace the vacuum cleaner bag. If you want to feel environmentally responsible, you might try to dispose of the used bag at a hazardous disposal facility if your community provides one. Then forget the whole thing, but try to be more careful with those bulbs in the future. Always make sure the fixture you putting the bulb into is turned off before trying to screw the bulb into the socket and don't ever "force" the bulb. If it doesn't screw in easily, back it out and try again until you feel it easily screwing into the fixture. The new LCD bulbs are becoming more affordable and over time they will actually save you money. I personally think the government ban on the plain old incandescent bulbs is a example of irresponsible and reckless government, but that's just IMO.