Bad Luck

It all began when I returned home from the Hawaiian vacation.

Good things

* Ate my last meal in Kauai at the same diner where I had my first one.
- Kauai Diner (ate there because the motel's diner was closed when I arrived)
* Got to the airport with plenty of time to spare
- I had a rental car and was always getting lost. I got there three hours early
* Flights were on time
* Baggage was waiting for me when I arrived home
* Shuttle to the long-term parking took me to the garage without incident

Bad things

* I wanted to get a sandwich at a favorite 24-hour deli
- I followed the signs to the street where the deli was located (I made a wrong turn in the wrong direction)
* While driving on a freeway (at 11pm) my car was struck by a driver who changed lanes
- His vehicle hit my passenger side
- I tried speeding up to follow him but was obstructed. He was adept at evasion
* Maaco was closed over the weekend; I'd have to wait 'til Monday (two days)
* I have gas
* I have hemorrhoids
* My undergarments are staining
* I have sour stomach
* I gained over 8 pounds on this trip
...

It's been nearly a week and a half since my return. The car has been repaired and touched up with paint. There are no signs of damage with the exception of the hubcap (now called the tire's rim). Maaco wouldn't paint it and I'm not sure how easy it would be to replace. Since the car is not for (re-)sale, I will let it slide for now.

Getting struck while behind the wheel has had its toll on me. I have become hypersensitive to any and all other bad motorist habits I observe throughout my driving day. In Southern California, there is a plethora of horrible driving by entitled a**h*les. People dart out of nowhere and fail to recognize the right-of-way rules. Or they move along at a snail's pace and fail to turn on their directional signal. This might cause me to wait unnecessarily at an intersection or into an entrance of a store because I am waiting for the person to continue straight ahead.

I'm not unmindful of my own faults and flaws. I have been known to speed through the amber light (even when amber turns red). And I have crossed the double yellow line to get into driveways or easements on the other side of the street (a driveway or easement that should not be accessed from the opposite side of the street).

This brings up a subject that I am loathe to ponder. At 66, am I too old to continue driving? I love to drive. I love not having to deal with strangers on public transportation or to touch dirty poles or to sit on seats where someone's filthy soiled shoes had been placed to rest. The public can be pretty gross when it's on the bus, train, or rail.

My tiny Italian car is like a sanctuary or a nest. Sometimes when I arrive home, I will drop the seat flat and take a nap in it rather than simply abandon it and continue life inside the house. Is it a crime.

I hate to think of unfortunate accidents as bad luck. Bad luck gives the notion that a person/body is cursed. And I am simply too blessed for that b*llsh*t !