Car Crash
Ok, so since I haven't been around for the past...long time and god knows there isn't an excuse good enough for that shit apparently, I figured instead of just trying to explain every-fucking-thing that has been going on/wrong in my life, I'll just start with the most recent:
So picture this:
You're driving down 285W minding your own damn business (approaching ashford dunwoody in the third right lane, if you needed that extra visual), someone does that lovely thing where they start to get over either having not checked to see that your car is already nicely fitted in to that sweet spot they're going for, or just having that fuck-all-I'm-an-Atlantan-and-this-is-MY-ROAD mentality and starts to get over exactly where you are anyway.
So, you swerve out of the way (thank god there wasn't anyone in the next lane)--Disaster averted! Hooray for fast thinking! But wait, you were on the highway going 60 and swerving that dramatically means that now your tiny-ass plastic subaru is now totally out of control and veering for the heavily trafficked far right lane.
Swerve again, away from all those poor innocent bystanders just trying to get home. Victory? almost. Hit the back tail of her car, and now everything's spinning in opposite directions at 60mph for a good 15 seconds at least (My gauge for this not being "just in my head" is that I was screaming the whole time and I had to take a breath, actually maybe two breaths to keep screaming--so none of that "now, now, caitlyn, it probably only felt like it took that long" bullshit now), staring 7 lanes of oncoming traffic in the face hoping like hell they avoid me, and knowing I can't brake or turn or really do anything about the situation or I will flip my car--maybe hit the bridge at one point (yes, of course, this happens nicely coinciding with the goddamn underpass of ashford), she definitely does, we crash again sometime in the midst of all the spinning, spin around one, two more times before coming to a halt.
The whole left side of her van in blown apart--all windows out, lawn furniture which I assume was in the back scattered every which way, airbag deployed (NOT MINE THOUGH, doesn't that make you feel all warm and gooey about suburu's safety standards?) and she's holding her face which is gushing blood. Talked to her long enough to make sure she was conscious, called an ambulance and the police--the two staples driver's who witnessed are sticking around to make sure she's OK and to tell the cops what they saw.
Since it's the highway during rush hour,. all anyone cares about is getting the scene cleared and her off in an ambulance (still don't know if she's OK or not) and they don't even ask for my insurance card until an hour later when everyone but one cop car and my mother has left (yes, I still dial mommy in the event of an emergency). Supposedly, the cop said from first glance that it was her fault, but they're not supposed to give absolutes on that sort of thing until they process their paperwork. Who knows, about to call the insurance company.
Amazingly enough, I'm OK at first glance. The nice thing about spinning around is that it just gives you a universal internal shake-up, instead of extreme whiplash or something, and I somehow managed (probably through that wonderful shock reaction of locking your entire body up) to avoid actually hitting my head or anything else on the wheel or windows, but I've already seen the chiropractor 3 times last week because my back's so fucked up now.
Oh yeah--and in case there was any doubt, I have no car now. The axel broke pretty cleanly from what I understand, aside from losing the transmission and all of that other jazz. Don't know when I'm going to get another, but let's leave this whole little parable at me being a now carless, significantly more freaked-out and paranoid individual with even more old-lady back problems than she already has who now refuses to get on a damn highway for anything.
And while this is certainly the most dramatic example of all of the fucked-up things my life has thrown at me lately, it's really only the tail end of a series of all-hell-breaking-loose in my life. OH! and all of this on the 1 single week in the two years that tiffany has been at work that she decides to take a vacation, the one week ilana decides to come down for the summer, and the fucking week james graudates college.
Doncha love that shit? Anyone who's upset I'm not available for the next however long can suck it. (not saying that sweet people checking in fit in to this category, just a nice forwarning for all the people who apparently check this shit bitterly to themselves and think "oh, is that all, and you can't even work me into your schedule?" No, that's not all, that's never all, and shove that goddamn mentality up your ass! Yes, and now who's the bitter one? but that's a subject we'll leave for later discussion)
So picture this:
You're driving down 285W minding your own damn business (approaching ashford dunwoody in the third right lane, if you needed that extra visual), someone does that lovely thing where they start to get over either having not checked to see that your car is already nicely fitted in to that sweet spot they're going for, or just having that fuck-all-I'm-an-Atlantan-and-this-is-MY-ROAD mentality and starts to get over exactly where you are anyway.
So, you swerve out of the way (thank god there wasn't anyone in the next lane)--Disaster averted! Hooray for fast thinking! But wait, you were on the highway going 60 and swerving that dramatically means that now your tiny-ass plastic subaru is now totally out of control and veering for the heavily trafficked far right lane.
Swerve again, away from all those poor innocent bystanders just trying to get home. Victory? almost. Hit the back tail of her car, and now everything's spinning in opposite directions at 60mph for a good 15 seconds at least (My gauge for this not being "just in my head" is that I was screaming the whole time and I had to take a breath, actually maybe two breaths to keep screaming--so none of that "now, now, caitlyn, it probably only felt like it took that long" bullshit now), staring 7 lanes of oncoming traffic in the face hoping like hell they avoid me, and knowing I can't brake or turn or really do anything about the situation or I will flip my car--maybe hit the bridge at one point (yes, of course, this happens nicely coinciding with the goddamn underpass of ashford), she definitely does, we crash again sometime in the midst of all the spinning, spin around one, two more times before coming to a halt.
The whole left side of her van in blown apart--all windows out, lawn furniture which I assume was in the back scattered every which way, airbag deployed (NOT MINE THOUGH, doesn't that make you feel all warm and gooey about suburu's safety standards?) and she's holding her face which is gushing blood. Talked to her long enough to make sure she was conscious, called an ambulance and the police--the two staples driver's who witnessed are sticking around to make sure she's OK and to tell the cops what they saw.
Since it's the highway during rush hour,. all anyone cares about is getting the scene cleared and her off in an ambulance (still don't know if she's OK or not) and they don't even ask for my insurance card until an hour later when everyone but one cop car and my mother has left (yes, I still dial mommy in the event of an emergency). Supposedly, the cop said from first glance that it was her fault, but they're not supposed to give absolutes on that sort of thing until they process their paperwork. Who knows, about to call the insurance company.
Amazingly enough, I'm OK at first glance. The nice thing about spinning around is that it just gives you a universal internal shake-up, instead of extreme whiplash or something, and I somehow managed (probably through that wonderful shock reaction of locking your entire body up) to avoid actually hitting my head or anything else on the wheel or windows, but I've already seen the chiropractor 3 times last week because my back's so fucked up now.
Oh yeah--and in case there was any doubt, I have no car now. The axel broke pretty cleanly from what I understand, aside from losing the transmission and all of that other jazz. Don't know when I'm going to get another, but let's leave this whole little parable at me being a now carless, significantly more freaked-out and paranoid individual with even more old-lady back problems than she already has who now refuses to get on a damn highway for anything.
And while this is certainly the most dramatic example of all of the fucked-up things my life has thrown at me lately, it's really only the tail end of a series of all-hell-breaking-loose in my life. OH! and all of this on the 1 single week in the two years that tiffany has been at work that she decides to take a vacation, the one week ilana decides to come down for the summer, and the fucking week james graudates college.
Doncha love that shit? Anyone who's upset I'm not available for the next however long can suck it. (not saying that sweet people checking in fit in to this category, just a nice forwarning for all the people who apparently check this shit bitterly to themselves and think "oh, is that all, and you can't even work me into your schedule?" No, that's not all, that's never all, and shove that goddamn mentality up your ass! Yes, and now who's the bitter one? but that's a subject we'll leave for later discussion)