Static Zombie

Where's the Third Shoe?

Yesterday was one of those days.

First, I put a down payment on some home improvements-- new siding and windows for the whole house. I'm gearing up to sell the house next year (downturn? What downturn?), and the house needs some attention. It would cost about $10,000 to paint, plus another few thousand to repair some cracked boards and rotting facia. Instead, I'm going with pre-painted fiber-cement siding that lasts a good 25 years without needing a touch-up. We went to a few houses done by the contractor and talked to the owners, and everything looks good. We're having the same guy replace all of the windows in the house, which are currently butt-ugly, thin, energy-inefficient metal casement windows. These two things together will make a world of difference in the home's appearance and resale value, and I should be able to recoup the cost. I'll post before and after photos when the job's done.

Writing checks with multiple zeroes is always a little painful. Getting into a car accident? More so. After handing over the down payment check, I was rear-ended on the highway en route to work. I was slowing down with traffic and an SUV rammed into me from behind. I never saw it coming-- but I was able to brake in time to avoid carroming into the car in front of me.

The sound of being hit by another car is terrifying. It's very loud and sharp. It's the sound of the world ending. There's no coddling or cushioning in that sound-- it's one enormous metal object ramming into another. It's visceral, the start of a complete loss of control. You have no idea what hit you or with what force. You don't know how badly the car has been damaged. The car lurches unexpectedly and everything loose inside goes higgledy-piggledy. You're violently thrown back against the seat and then forward against the seat belt. Your mind tumbles into chaos, with coherent thought barely rising to the level of "Holy crap!"

And all of that happens in a split second. Time elongates in the moment, but it's over almost before it begins. And it profoundly ruins your day.

The 50-year-old woman behind the wheel told me she "only closed her eyes for a minute." She was apologetic about falling asleep at the wheel-- utterly aghast, really. Fortunately nobody was injured (although my neck hurts today and I had a headache last night). My rear bumper is dented and torn. The force of the impact threw my seatback down a few notches and it won't un-recline into a normal driving position. Her front bumper is partially detached. And you can read her license plate in my rear bumper.

So the car's going into the shop, a rental is being arranged, and that makes two times I've been hit by another vehicle and walked away (the first time, my car wasn't so lucky). I'd prefer not to test my luck a third time.

Posted by Peter at July 3, 2007 10:05 AM