Things That Suck #1149, and We Cry for Chlorine for the Gene Pool!

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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.

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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:

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The Beauty of Pragmatism, Power Trippers, and Games I Refuse to Play

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Nobody likes change. Even when it’s change for the better, and especially if it short circuits their own personal power trip.

I am conservative by nature, so if I see a need to make a change or to be innovative, most of the time it’s well justified, and to me, at least, a no-brainer.  Unfortunately in life one has to deal with those who are more concerned about getting their own way and controlling others than they are about anything else- including getting things done more efficiently, being profitable, and other such practical things.  Some people only care about getting their own way and trashing other people to build themselves up in their own minds.   It’s even worse when they have a gullible audience in high places.

This is what happened yesterday, and that pretty much made me blow a gasket and go to the zoo for a minute.  I take what I do seriously, and I don’t abide unjustified criticism, especially from a rude young punk, well. There are few things I loathe more than a.) someone nosing about in my business, and b.) demanding that I change a more efficient way of doing things to feed his personal ego and score brownie points.  The worst part of this is that person did get his way (nepotism has its perks) and I just had my status as his personal shit box reinforced.

I can go into a plethora of details on that and how much it pisses me off, but suffice to say the man is probably so pussy whipped at home that I’m the only woman he can safely attack.  I don’t know whether I should have pity on that situation or not.  Right now, I think he deserves what he got- a controlling wife and her Italian family- in spades.  That is not going to be a fun divorce when it happens.  And it will.

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I refuse to play the power game.  I know power is addicting and I understand the mindset all too well.  I was a ruthless bitch in business and in life for many years and it took a health crisis and an episode of major depression to get it through my head that power tripping is no way to live, and that manipulating others doesn’t really give me much of the jollies.

The only person who I have to compete with is myself.  It doesn’t harm me when other people do well, but when other people simply tear me down to make themselves look good, (and the powers that be either can’t or won’t see through that game) that pisses me off.   Throwing other people under the bus just because you can is the hallmark of insecurity, and I know it all too well- because in my insecure youth, I used to play that game too.

I don’t expect other people to do everything exactly the same way I do.  It would be awkward for them, just as it is awkward and frustrating for me to accommodate frivolous bullshit to feed some jackwagon’s power trip.  But I don’t make those sorts of demands on others, because they serve no practical purpose.

The more I think about it, the more I am determined not to let the stupidity of others aggravate me any more than is absolutely necessary.

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And Einstein once said that insanity is repeating the same things over and over and expecting different results.

I’m not going to let stupidity win out.  Yes, I get pissed and I get despondent, but I also know how easy it is for me to overreact when certain buttons go off.  That’s why before I actually do anything I have to vent, think things through and plan a course of action.  I’m not an impulsive type, after all.