RaggedyAndroid

Event #5: Feb 23, 2006: I drive SB to take care of his ticket and such. I take my car to the insurance appraiser. Everything seems like it’s on track.

Event #6: Feb 24, 2006: SB drives *his* car to a friend’s house. Upon turning onto friend’s street, car jars like it hit something huge and comes to a screeching halt. SB examines and appears that passenger side axle is broken because wheel is all wonky. Car that was supposed to hold us over while mine is in the shop is now out of commission and must be towed.
CURSED

Sometimes it can be unsettling, because I never know what catastrophe is coming next. (He tends to lose cars in December, so he’s a bit off schedule.) It’s really tough to feel like you’re constantly treading water between disasters. You never can get anywhere. It’s continuous catch-up.

Le sigh.

I don’t know what old gypsy woman SteelBuddha wronged as a teen, but that guy is cursed!

Something happens to him and then, over an unpredictable amount of time, other thigs happen, and it all culminates into one huge cluster that really should have been unrelated had it been anyone but SB.

Let’s start over… SB is a paranoid driver. He owned a VW in his early 20s, which meant he was profiled and pulled over a lot just for his car. So now, even with a Chevy Lumina, he still drives with the utmost caution. Keeping that in mind…

Event #1: October 2005, SB received a speeding ticket.

Event #2: c. Feb 15, 2006: SB receives renewal for license with notice that he must pay ticket before renewing. SB intends to pay ticket with next paycheck.

Event #3: Feb 19, 2006: Driving slowly on an icy road, approaches a stop sign at the bottom of a hill. While braking, car fishtails and takes out the taillight of a parked truck. Leave note.

Feb 19, 2006: Truck owner calls and says his front fender and door are damaged. We had not hit them. Says he has contact info for a witness.

Feb 21, 2006: Truck owner brings over a $2500 estimate. We are convinced that we did not hit the back *and* front of his car, so we ask for the witness’s information so we can see if they witnessed a different car hit his parked truck (it was very bad conditions).

Feb 22, 2006: Truck owner says the witness saw something on Feb 20, so it won’t help us and does not give us the witness’s contact info. (Note: he told us on the 19th that there was a witness, a witness who can see into the future, who saw an accident on the 20th).

Feb 22, 2006: I bite the bullet and call the insurance company. We had been hoping that the minor “fender bender” would be easy enough to settle, but apparently not. I file a claim. Since SB was driving, the insurance agent asks for his driver’s license number along with all pertinent info. No problems.

Event #4: Feb 22, 2006: SB receives in the mail notice that his license (which the insurance company will probably check) is suspended (as of Feb 16, three days before the accident) because of an outstanding ticket.

CURSED

A day for love and romance? Not necessarily, but it’s an excuse for small, fun gifts and eating out.

I didn’t have class today, but I had (and have) a lot of classwork to do for tomorrow, so I plugged away all day with only a short break to get some Chin’s for lunch, as well as a Cold Stone ice cream cake and wireless PS2 controller for Steelbuddha. Now, he will never have to move his chair. Ever.

SB, on the other hand, had a full day of work at an actual workplace and TKD class afterward, so our night romance will probably start at about 9pm with some burritos and ice cream cake. Then it will progress to video games and more homework, ‘cuz I have a presentation about Ginzburg and witchcraft. I suppose it’s better than Weber and commercial partnerships.

Anyway, my whole point of writing initially was to tell the world to check these Valentine cards out if you want a chuckle.

Uh, Beeman’s tastes like Pepto Bismol.

But I guess this old ad explains it:

I’m kinda surprised that the gum wrapper never mentions it being intended for indigestion…

I recently purchased some “retro candy,” partly because I’m fond of Clove gum and partly because I needed giant lollipops for a project and there was a minimum purchase for the online candy store where I was shopping. So I bought Steelbuddha some Big League Chew- which has caused a heavy grape scent in the ‘office’ but fortunately no sticky bits in his beard- and I purchased some Violet candy for myself (in addition to the Clove gum). There’s something fun about eating stuff that you are not sure you like or not, and that’s how I am with Violet candy… and probably Ginger Altoids.

Anyway, I also purchase a pack of Choward’s Scented Gum. It’s purple package and old-fashioned design lured me into assuming it may be violet-flavored. So I open the gum, and they are these neat purple chicklets. They don’t smell like violet, though, nor grape (which could be assessed by the color), nor mint (which could be guessed because it’s random breath-freshening gum).

This gum smells and tastes like ointment, like your grandparents’ medicine chest (well, *my* grandparents’ medicine chest; I suppose it depends who old you are). I don’t know what kind of ointment, just vaguely medicinal. It tastes old.

So I have this theory. Maybe old people and their belongings smell old because that’s what was the popular scent back then. Maybe mothballs and ointment really was their ‘Chanel’. (I couldn’t come up with a popular fragrance or whatever because I don’t wear perfume, and most perfume is named after a fashion designer anyway, so it’s difficult to identify as a fragrance rather than clothing.)

So that’s it. I don’t recommend Choward’s gum. I did chew it all, though, because it’s fun to experience odd things. I guess I’ll try the Beeman’s next.

I’m still sick. I went to classes on Monday and Wednesday, but I haven’t been able to do much else.

Tuesday night I slept terribly, so last night I decided to take Ny-Quil. Ten hours later, I am still delirious, unable to drive, read, etc. I think I won’t do that again. I should stick with Day-Quil, even if I sleep fitfully, because I was more functional than I am now.

World keeps spinning. World keeps spinning. World keeps spinning, spinning, spinning. (It’s cuter if you picture Ellen Degeneres as a fish saying it.)