When Life Gets in the Way (and Then Scares the Crap Out of You)

Well, it's been a month since my last post, and for that I am ashamed. But as the title indicates, life simply got in the way. You see, there was a trip to Tampa - a whirlwind trip that had me way from home for a mere 41 hours. And then came the flood of family for a week. Once all that was over, I was spent and simply had neither the energy nor the inclination to post. But I have returned with hopes of greater consistency.

One week ago I had a big scare. It was raining last Friday as I headed for work. Halfway there I realized I'd forgotten the latte I had made at home to avoid the expense of the coffee cart at work. Work and home aren't far apart, so I jumped off the freeway to go back for my coffee...and that was the mistake. You see, I drive a small car, and it isn't particularly heavy. And I had plans to get 2 new tires the next day, as the tread was getting low. As I curved around the on-ramp, I felt the back tires slipping. Instinct (which, as my dad pointed out, is usually wrong) took over, and my attempts to keep/regain control of the car failed miserably. I spun out and ended up on/slightly over the concrete gore point. I'm guessing it's the concrete gore point that resulted in more than $700 in damage to my car, but I think it's also what saved my life by stopping the car so that I didn't continue to spin into rush hour traffic.

Physically, I'm fine. Not a single scratch or bruise, and for that I'm ever grateful. But I've been without my car now for 8 days, grateful for family and co-workers who have helped me avoid the extra expense of renting a car but very frustrated by the inconvenience of it.

I should get the car back tonight or tomorrow at the latest, but the rain has returned, and I am not relishing the thought of driving in it. Especially considering I had a similar incident just over 10 years ago - very lucky that time, too, escaping without injury or car damage. My next car will be heavier. And I'll be the "idiot" driving too slow for your taste whenever it rains.