Stressful Weekend
Can I take a mulligan on this weekend? No? OK, well I'll just do a little venting here, then.
Ben has taken a job with a property management company that oversees governement buidlings all over the country. His job for the next month (and very possibly longer) is to babysit a courthouse in Fort Smith, AR because the property manager there took another job. The position has to be filled at all times though, as specified by the contract (with the federal government, no less.) It will take time to find a good replacement, and then get that person the proper security clearances. This opportunity was kind of a blessing really, since there's been talk of shutting down the construction company he was working for. This new job could lead to even better opportunites in the future, and really this particular job as a floating property manager is pretty cool too. The company pays for room and board, plus per diem, and in this case it's a significant raise from his usual salary. That will vary by region, of course. But it's still a big bummer that he'll be gone for most of the next month, aside from a weekend or two.
He left yesterday morning, right after I dropped off our chihuahua, Gremlin, at the vet. Poor little guy was diagnosed with heartworms earlier this year, and the process for curing him takes months and is dangerous. Yesterday was the first of two arsenic-based shots that will kill the adult worms. It was really concerning for us because allergic reactions can and do happen, and can happen at any time during the process now. As the worms die off, they just hang out in the bloodstream creating toxins until the body can absorb them. They can also break loose from the vessel walls and cause strokes, embolisms, and other blockages. So far Gremlin is doing great, but the worry is still stressful.
Today I thought I'd treat myself by going to an estate sale. I never made it, because I had my first real car accident. I'm OK, just bruised up where the seatbelt did its job. That's gonna get really colorful, I think. The other party was completely at fault, and they admitted it to the police. I was going straight through an intersection with a green light when they were suddenly turning in front of me. I was going the speed limit (40mph) and just didn't have time to stop. I struck the right side of their car near the front passenger tire. Luckily they were both OK, and were able to drive their car out of the intersection. My car wouldn't stay running, so when the police and fire and rescue got there they pushed me out of the intersection. The fire and rescue guys were able to get my car running after flipping the fuel switch (didn't know my car had one, but it seems like a smart safety feature!) However, the airbag light was on but it hadn't deployed. That means it could deploy at any time. Also, it started leaking oil as soon as it was running. So I just had them tow it. Insurance can deal with it later. The police took all my information and the other party's information, and then drove me home. (Remember how I said Ben is out of town for the next month? Yeah.)
I've got everything squared away with my insurance. The other party had insurance as well, so I don't think there will be really any hassle on my end with getting my car fixed, or paid out if it's totalled. I'm really hoping it's fixable, though! My immediate concern is getting a rental car so I can get to work. I didn't add that provision to our auto insurance because we have two cars. My thinking at the time was that if one car is out of commission, we'll just share the other car until the first is fixed. There weren't any month-long business trips on the horizon at that time. *sigh* Murphy is a total dick. On the bright side, it's looking like I can get a very reasonably-priced rental through Enterprise (and they'll even pick me up so I can get the car!) They've got discounted rates for Progressive customers, so I'll take advantage of that for now. Hopefully once the other party's insurance accepts liabilty, they'll cover the cost of my rental. For now, though, it's coming out of my pocket.
Ben has taken a job with a property management company that oversees governement buidlings all over the country. His job for the next month (and very possibly longer) is to babysit a courthouse in Fort Smith, AR because the property manager there took another job. The position has to be filled at all times though, as specified by the contract (with the federal government, no less.) It will take time to find a good replacement, and then get that person the proper security clearances. This opportunity was kind of a blessing really, since there's been talk of shutting down the construction company he was working for. This new job could lead to even better opportunites in the future, and really this particular job as a floating property manager is pretty cool too. The company pays for room and board, plus per diem, and in this case it's a significant raise from his usual salary. That will vary by region, of course. But it's still a big bummer that he'll be gone for most of the next month, aside from a weekend or two.
He left yesterday morning, right after I dropped off our chihuahua, Gremlin, at the vet. Poor little guy was diagnosed with heartworms earlier this year, and the process for curing him takes months and is dangerous. Yesterday was the first of two arsenic-based shots that will kill the adult worms. It was really concerning for us because allergic reactions can and do happen, and can happen at any time during the process now. As the worms die off, they just hang out in the bloodstream creating toxins until the body can absorb them. They can also break loose from the vessel walls and cause strokes, embolisms, and other blockages. So far Gremlin is doing great, but the worry is still stressful.
Today I thought I'd treat myself by going to an estate sale. I never made it, because I had my first real car accident. I'm OK, just bruised up where the seatbelt did its job. That's gonna get really colorful, I think. The other party was completely at fault, and they admitted it to the police. I was going straight through an intersection with a green light when they were suddenly turning in front of me. I was going the speed limit (40mph) and just didn't have time to stop. I struck the right side of their car near the front passenger tire. Luckily they were both OK, and were able to drive their car out of the intersection. My car wouldn't stay running, so when the police and fire and rescue got there they pushed me out of the intersection. The fire and rescue guys were able to get my car running after flipping the fuel switch (didn't know my car had one, but it seems like a smart safety feature!) However, the airbag light was on but it hadn't deployed. That means it could deploy at any time. Also, it started leaking oil as soon as it was running. So I just had them tow it. Insurance can deal with it later. The police took all my information and the other party's information, and then drove me home. (Remember how I said Ben is out of town for the next month? Yeah.)
I've got everything squared away with my insurance. The other party had insurance as well, so I don't think there will be really any hassle on my end with getting my car fixed, or paid out if it's totalled. I'm really hoping it's fixable, though! My immediate concern is getting a rental car so I can get to work. I didn't add that provision to our auto insurance because we have two cars. My thinking at the time was that if one car is out of commission, we'll just share the other car until the first is fixed. There weren't any month-long business trips on the horizon at that time. *sigh* Murphy is a total dick. On the bright side, it's looking like I can get a very reasonably-priced rental through Enterprise (and they'll even pick me up so I can get the car!) They've got discounted rates for Progressive customers, so I'll take advantage of that for now. Hopefully once the other party's insurance accepts liabilty, they'll cover the cost of my rental. For now, though, it's coming out of my pocket.