Car Crunches
For all the thousands of dollars of vehicle damages that seem to happen in Rrrob's general vicinity I find it comforting that the worst injury has only been a heavy scratch from an airbag cover sustained by him in 2003. Yesterday's series of tense conversations was highlighted and relieved by a couple thousand in damage to Rrrpapa's car. On loan to Rrrob. Imagine my day, where car crunched is the easy, almost fun part.
It wasn't his fault, as these things usually aren't. We had just arrived at the farm where S. keeps her horse. S directed us to park on the edge of the open space, well away from any potential traffic patterns. We were all out, standing around the car doing the cold weather ritual of putting on the outer-layers unwanted inside the car but necessary for tramping round a farm admiring horses. This, seemed large but was probably small for its kind, green tractor came across the open area to attack the parked car. It drove a pointy bit into the rear panel, breaking the light cover, and used the leverage gained to push the rear of the car in an arc to break other light cover on an immovable, wall like thing beyond the car.
In the excitement I did notice the driver was one medium size and one much smaller kid. Very oops. You know what everyone considered the next appropriate thing to do? The six adults and at least that many mostly boys go inside and have coffee. It was all very interesting and very calm. They really did have a barn full of cows off their mud room leading to the kitchen. I've only ever seen that in books. City kid, me, yes.
All day tense conversations starting from the night before:
But first set some of the scene. TM, previously mentioned, broke up with his lover. R is very high up and productive in his company as well as having lived with him for the last three years. TM asked her to move out and asked his new love, one of the secretaries at the very same small company, to move in. J, in order to move in with TM, had to leave her own live in lover of some years. This was all very sudden. TM and R sent out intivations for a New Year's party on 12/19 and she was moved out and in Prague by the 20th. Soap Opera stuff. Oh and TM asked Rob to talk to the new couple about non monogamy because he wants his new lover to keep her freedom.
1) J explaining, for hours, that her choices and actions lately were right regardless of the reactions of the people around her.
2) R calling first thing in the morning very angry that I'd preferred to hang out w/ J instead of her. Not! I thought I was choosing to stay at TM's alone in preference listening to Rrrob give a talk on advanced Libertarianism. I didn't find out about J also staying until after it was too late to change. Don't forget how fun our little chat the night before must have been for me.
3)Rrrob telling me how pushed for working time he is, interspersed with all the things he expects to do in the next two days.
4) E buzzing in an out being stressed with obligation and being late. (Rrrob agreed we would spend the morning with him, he had to be at work at 1. We got there at noon.)
5) Hanging out for twenty minutes in an unwelcoming office punctuated by finding out that I was supposed to meet S in an entirely different place, entirely my mistake. I would certainly be at least an hour late to meet someone who minds waiting.
6) last and worst, the highly painful conversation with R. before I could even start on my way to meet S.
So the car, not so upsetting. Kind of fun what with getting to see the inside of the farmhouse and all. Rob's next couple of conversations with his dad probably rated inclusion on the stressful list but I ducked those completely.
Reading: Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold
but mostly I'm re reading email from the last three years or so now that I've finally been able to download it again.
It wasn't his fault, as these things usually aren't. We had just arrived at the farm where S. keeps her horse. S directed us to park on the edge of the open space, well away from any potential traffic patterns. We were all out, standing around the car doing the cold weather ritual of putting on the outer-layers unwanted inside the car but necessary for tramping round a farm admiring horses. This, seemed large but was probably small for its kind, green tractor came across the open area to attack the parked car. It drove a pointy bit into the rear panel, breaking the light cover, and used the leverage gained to push the rear of the car in an arc to break other light cover on an immovable, wall like thing beyond the car.
In the excitement I did notice the driver was one medium size and one much smaller kid. Very oops. You know what everyone considered the next appropriate thing to do? The six adults and at least that many mostly boys go inside and have coffee. It was all very interesting and very calm. They really did have a barn full of cows off their mud room leading to the kitchen. I've only ever seen that in books. City kid, me, yes.
All day tense conversations starting from the night before:
But first set some of the scene. TM, previously mentioned, broke up with his lover. R is very high up and productive in his company as well as having lived with him for the last three years. TM asked her to move out and asked his new love, one of the secretaries at the very same small company, to move in. J, in order to move in with TM, had to leave her own live in lover of some years. This was all very sudden. TM and R sent out intivations for a New Year's party on 12/19 and she was moved out and in Prague by the 20th. Soap Opera stuff. Oh and TM asked Rob to talk to the new couple about non monogamy because he wants his new lover to keep her freedom.
1) J explaining, for hours, that her choices and actions lately were right regardless of the reactions of the people around her.
2) R calling first thing in the morning very angry that I'd preferred to hang out w/ J instead of her. Not! I thought I was choosing to stay at TM's alone in preference listening to Rrrob give a talk on advanced Libertarianism. I didn't find out about J also staying until after it was too late to change. Don't forget how fun our little chat the night before must have been for me.
3)Rrrob telling me how pushed for working time he is, interspersed with all the things he expects to do in the next two days.
4) E buzzing in an out being stressed with obligation and being late. (Rrrob agreed we would spend the morning with him, he had to be at work at 1. We got there at noon.)
5) Hanging out for twenty minutes in an unwelcoming office punctuated by finding out that I was supposed to meet S in an entirely different place, entirely my mistake. I would certainly be at least an hour late to meet someone who minds waiting.
6) last and worst, the highly painful conversation with R. before I could even start on my way to meet S.
So the car, not so upsetting. Kind of fun what with getting to see the inside of the farmhouse and all. Rob's next couple of conversations with his dad probably rated inclusion on the stressful list but I ducked those completely.
Reading: Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold
but mostly I'm re reading email from the last three years or so now that I've finally been able to download it again.