Gathering Storms

How Come You Were Just Sitting There?

My car got rammed while I was stuck in traffic on the way home from work on Thursday. I didn't even stop short; several cars in front of me were negotiating a merge. After several seconds of waiting, I was suddenly rammed in the back by someone who obviously wasn't paying attention. Neither of us were hurt.

My damage didn't look so bad at the scene - it looked like a crushed bumper - but was revealed to be more extensive when I got home. The trunk won't open and the trunk lid is askew. It will take quite some money to fix. Unfortunately, my car is pretty old and I only have 3rd party insurance. If I'm lucky, the guy will admit to being at fault, and his insurance will cover it. I don't know that he will admit to being at fault, however. At the scene, between an apparent sense of confusion, he asked me why I was just sitting in the middle of the road not moving, as if that somehow made it my fault.

His damage was more extensive (being in the engine area). And he was young.

He Can Do It For 500 or 600

As I was going to get my car looked at the next morning, I began to feel faint: seriously, severely, faint. Cold sweat, drained face, nodding head, everything. I couldn't pull over. Somehow I managed to drive to the car garage and then lie down on the back seat for twenty minutes. After that I could get up. Every five to ten minutes I had to lie down again (which I did, several times, in the garage waiting room).

The garage guy had an assessor on staff who worked for/with my insurance company, so that was taken care of. The rest will have to wait until my agent can contact the other guy's insurance.

Sometime during my near catatonia at the garage, I got a call from my tenants who said that a tris (a thick Israeli window blind) was broken and the guy they had over said a) it had to be replaced, and b) he could replace it for 500 NIS or 600 NIS. Every handyman in Israel gives two prices; the cheaper way is always "ok, but not as good as" the more expensive way (the guarantee for the more expensive way isn't longer, by the way). I don't know the science behind this. Maybe I'm supposed to feel that I'm getting a discount by choosing the cheaper way. Or maybe I'm supposed to be responsible and choose the more expensive way. Either way, I'm pretty sure I'm being robbed.

In my confused state, I mumbled that she should choose the quick way; then I hung up and fell into another ten minute stupor. Only hours later did it occur to me that fixing a tris is not an urgent matter, and I should really have gotten someone else to look at the job and maybe offer a price for fixing the tris, rather than replacing it.

This is the US Embassy Speaking

I was dog sick from Friday morning until Sat morning. By Sat evening I was pretty much fine. I've had 24 hour things before, but never like that.

The good news is that I got sick here, and not in Ireland. The other good news is that I'm better. The other good news is that the embassy called and my passport is waiting for me to pick up.