I am convinced that the Universe doesn’t mean for me to have nice things for long.  All it took to destroy my perfectly lovely 2014 Corolla S+ was some jackwagon who knew he had seizures, but saw it fit to drive anyway.  Dude had a seizure while driving, and lost control doing about 45 MPH.  Sad part of it is, he had his own mother in the car with him and damn near put her through the windshield.  Yes, the gene pool needs a lot more chlorine.   He hit two other cars before hitting mine- I was stopping for a light- and putting my car smack into the concrete divider.

The left rear control arm was completely broken off,  the left curtain airbag was deployed, and the front end- front fascia, reinforcement, both headlights, radiator and condenser, etc.- was completely shattered into the divider. I got off with a ride in the squad to the ER, a badly sprained wrist and jacked up shoulder, for which I have to go see more freaking doctors.  When they can bother to get me in, of course.  It’s always a beautiful thing when I can’t lift my arm over my head, or move my shoulder hardly at all and it’s no better after three weeks, and nobody gives a rat’s ass about my pain or my time because of their vacations… (oh but they do care about getting my money…) <sarcasm here>  That insurance adjuster probably won’t be terribly happy with me over the medical bills and everything else, but I wasn’t the fool who went driving when I knew better than to do so.  At least they paid for my car off so far.  As far as my medical expenses and time off work and all that other shit, we shall see.

The good news is I was able to replace the car quickly (thanks to the good people at Germain Toyota, and just plain dumb luck that they had two 6 speed Corollas in stock) and I do like the new one.

2017 Corolla SE 6MT

I wasn’t really planning on a new car, but didn’t really have much choice.  I hate buying used cars because you’re usually buying someone else’s trouble, and I don’t need that.  Finding a good manual used car is even harder than finding new ones, and after my illustrious son’s experiences with used cars, no thanks.  I can’t help but to visualize the scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off where the parking garage valets joy ride in Cameron’s dad’s Ferrari.  I would have the luck to buy a used car that had been rode hard and put away wet.  I had cars like that (not the Ferrari, but cars that had been thoroughly hosed by someone else) when I was in high school and college. I don’t have the time or the patience to jack around with that.

Besides getting my car trashed and having to have more dealings with the thoroughly corrupt and money hungry health “care” industry than normal, (they only “care” when they get money out of you, and that’s the truth) things have been interesting.  In spite of myself and my new found freedom, I am actually having a good time. There are days where I look back and wonder why the hell I put up with as much shit as I did for as long as I did, but as far as being lonely or heartbroken or all that, not so much.  All I will say for now is I am enjoying life for the first time in my life.  Better late than never.

Insert gratuitous pic of Brutus the amazing Catahoula here: