Where’s my redo button damn it?!?

Our evening started out with good intentions. All I wanted was a broccoli cheese baked potato and a nice salad. All Chris wanted was a good bowl of ramen. Realising that obtaining those items wouldn't happen in the same place, we came up with a plan. Go get Chris' ramen at the Japanese place first (since it would stay hotter longer), then go get my baked potato and salad at Wendy's (since not many places here do baked potatoes). So we set off. Chris' food was obtained in record time, in a lovely largeStyrofoam bowl that would keep it piping hot for a good long while. Then we were off to Wendy's. Chris ran in and got my food while I stayed out in the car holding the object of Chris' food cravings... While walking back to the car with my food, Chris noted the exceptionally shitty parking job (note: it wasn't me who was driving) and decided to correct it. In the midst of correcting the parking job Chris was struck with a brilliant idea--"Hey, since I've already got the car started, let's go eat at the beach!" Now here is the perfect example of a time when I should have obeyed my tummy and protested, I mean, I had a bowl of steaming ramen secured between my knees, a salad and baked potato balanced on my crossed leg, and a drink in one hand... But did I listen to my tummy? No. I rationalised that I could wait, we'd be there within 5 minutes and get to soak up the cool sea breezes while munching on our dinner. *snort*

Anyhow, we get to the beach, I hand over Chris' ramen (which Chris dives into while commenting on the well composed yumminess of it all) and open the Wendy's bag.....to discover no fork and no salad dressing. Now, no fork could have been worked around 'til I remembered the steaming cheese and broccoli covered baked potato waiting for my attention. The lack of dressing annoyed me too because I mean, come on, they overcharge for salad to begin with, the least they can do is remember the fucking dressing! So Chris insists on going back and getting the missing items so we both can eat, I argue, but really figure we don't have a choice given the food I have. So the lid goes back on the ramen, still steaming hot (effective bowl!) and gets settled back onto my lap, the equally hot smothered baked potato gets balanced on my crossed leg, the salad gets settled next to my purse in the floor, and back down the road we go. As we rounded the corner the sun blinded us...it was close to sundown so at the perfect "sun-strike" level. Chris drove a bit down the road and had to steer into the other lane to avoid this idiot family walking down the middle of the road with their kids, but as we neared the roundabout the sun suddenly got much worse and I couldn't see a damn thing (and I had polarised sunglasses on) so I realised Chris couldn't (with no sunglasses on)...just as I was about to comment on that we slammed into the curb! It seems that in easing back into our lane the distance between the lane and the curb got misjudged and with the sun hitting at that angle there was no way to actually see it. Ordinarily running up onto the curb would be no big deal.....right? *snort* That doesn't apply for curbs that happen to have giant rocks embedded in them that you can't see 'til you're on top of! So....the rocks slammed into the tire and underside of the car and trashed it....while others put very big dents into the passenger side of the car....yes....the passenger side. Remember all the yummy food we were salivating over? The baked potato flew up into the air and landed on my pant leg and foot....steaming my foot with its cheesy goodness....and that nice bowl of piping hot ramen? Well, the liquid from it poured all over my leg and stomach on its journey to the floor of the car (but oddly enough most of the noodles stayed in the bowl, so weren't lost).

We sat there stunned for a minute while I shrieked at the scalding broth soaking into my jeans and burning my thigh...then I stopped and looked at Chris calmly and said "It will be okay, we're okay, now what are we gonna do with the car?" Thankfully Chris was able to pull it into a nearby parking lot so it would be out of the road. We sat there for a minute and I started rambling on about how it was going to be okay because at least we didn't hit anybody, no one was seriously injured, the broth wasn't hot enough to cause severe burns (just scald my skin a good bit), and we were within walking from home instead of on the side of the highway or something. A woman nicely asked us if we were okay...by that time I was just laughing hysterically over the whole thing (I mean I was COVERED in food) so I think she realised that we weren't hurt. Chris fumed over the whole thing for a few minutes, then proceeded to say "Fuck it, I'm eating what's left of my dinner" and ate the noodles that had survived in the bowl.

We decided we should stay put for a bit and clean out the car...so I got out to survey the damage, soup still running down my leg, cheese splattered all over my feet. The front tire (which was rather new) was completely blown out. The plastic-like thing that lines the tire well was ripped out and hanging over the wheel, so there was really no way to change the tire, plus, we hit HARD and I was concerned about the tie rod underneath the front end. The passenger door was smashed in down towards the bottom, it's a miracle that I could open the door. The back door also got a really good dent along the bottom (think where the door meets along the bottom of the car) and I'm glad we could actually get it opened and closed too.

After talking it over, in light of the fact that the car already has a shitload wrong with it (oil leak that makes it smoke but they can't find, the dash shorted out a few weeks ago and we have no clock, radio, cigarette lighter or fan) and how bad we hit the rock covered curb, I think it's likely that it will cost more to fix it than the car is worth....in other words, unless there is no damage underneath it, the thing is headed to the junkyard. *sighs*

Good news is we are okay. My back and neck are really hurting this morning, and my leg will feel the effects of the scalding soup and potato for several days. Chris fared better, got a bit splashed with the soup as it flew all over me, but not much of it. We cleaned out the car, packed all the stuff we had in it into bags and then trudged up the hill to the flat. I underestimated how bad the walk would be in my current condition (with all the health problems lately) and, well, I still can't believe I made it to the flat without passing out. It took a good soak to get my muscles to stop spasming...walking when you can no longer control the tensing of the muscles in your legs it a real challenge I must say. If I don't find a useful doctor soon I'm gonna have to kill somebody, because last night reminded both Chris and I exactly how bad things have gotten. *sighs*

Moral of the story? Sometimes I think the gods are laughing at us all....*evil grin*