I heart Allstate

Last week I took my car to the Allstate drive-up adjuster (who knew there was such an entity?) and crossed my fingers. I glammed up the ol' gal to make her look like she's worth a million bucks--or at least more than the repairs would cost. I was outside in the biting wind scrubbing old bird doo off the hood, which I should have done weeks ago, but it's hard to be motivated about keeping your car clean when it's not garaged and every morning ends up with a fresh coat of dew.

[Heh heh...I used "doo" and "dew" in the same sentence! Betchya never thought you'd see that! For some reason that makes me think about how back in school, the teacher made you use the week's vocabulary words in a sentence. I used to try and cram as many words as I could into one sentence. Kind of lazy, but kind of not, since it's harder to make up a sentence that uses them all and still makes sense. Anyway, end of side note.]

Not to mention the fact that our county is under mandatory water restrictions due to drought, so I'm not sure washing your car at home is even legal. So, yeah, I let her go because I was conserving water. That's it.

But now it was important for her to make a good impression. So I cleaned out the car, made her look all spiffy inside, no junk in the trunk so to speak. Not that having stuff in the car makes it less valuable, but having a neat car would give the impression that it's been well-cared-for. Hey, give me a break, I was desperate! Then I even took her to the car wash despite the looming rainclouds. It was one of those no-touch deals, which are fun to sit in, but I doubt their efficiency. Afterwards when I hopped out to dry her off, my yellow towel promptly became black with the dirt that the "power wash" did not manage to power away. But she did look better and I figured the $7 was worth it if it made the slightest bit of positive difference in the adjuster's opinion.

Well, it turns out that all that effort was basically for naught. The adjuster was very friendly. I arrived at about quarter of three for my 3:00 appointment. But apparently he had me down for 4:00. He took me anyway, which was cordial. And all he did was stand outside the car with his laptop and enter in all the parts that would need to be replaced. He did not appear to even consider the possibility of totaling the car. His estimate was about $400 less than the auto body shop's had been. And with my deductible, the insurance company was looking at an outlay of less than $1000, so totaling the car would not be logical.

I called Cary Collision, which is about a mile from my house, and Cecil told me to bring by this new estimate. He seemed doubtful that he could procure the necessary parts at the cost Allstate assumed, but when he called me back a few hours later, he said he could do it. So I'll be taking my car in a week from today to get her all fixed. Yay! Thankfully my insurance includes rental car coverage, so while mine is in the shop, I can still be mobile.

Now, I've only used my insurance one other time, and based on that time alone, I vowed eternal loyalty to Allstate because they had my back, as the kids say. Once again I am delighted with Allstate's service. I would never consider a cheapo off brand company just to save a few bucks on the premium.

Holiday photos and the job hunt

Although I could come up with something to write about, it would basically be blather so instead I'll spare you and post a few pictures.

Two mornings ago, I awoke to an icy car. I still haven't bought an ice scraper, so thankfully I didn't have to go anywhere. :)


The other evening while driving around with friends we came across a holiday display so intriguing we had to turn around to see it more closely. Two huge trees, their limbs recently rendered leafless by the relentless onset of Winter, now sported dangling illuminated Christmas symbols. The effect in the photo is nothing compared to real life (as always). Sadly, one of my first thoughts was, "I wonder if the HOA has a problem with this."


And lastly, downtown Apex, decorated for the holidays. I love how in this shot, the signal is both green AND red...the result of a long shutter opening. (Don't worry, it was only green for a second before I put the camera down and started driving!)


And just in case you're wondering, yes, I am looking for a job. I just applied for two with the county, one of which is so up my alley! It's for the position of Solid Waste Environmental Educator. Basically I'd be designing lesson plans and activities to teach kids about why recycling is important, as well as coordinating the school recycling programs. The other job is more administrative, but it sounds more challenging than your average secretary job, so that's a plus. The latter job closes on Dec. 16, but the former not until the 30th. So it could be a while before they start interviewing. I also applied for a corporate training job with software company, but I haven't heard anything back from them. Alas, that would have been a fun job too. It involved traveling around the country to teach seminars in how to use a particular e-commerce application.

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

The single girl's Christmas tree:


And my bedroom window, which faces the parking spaces, is now officially festive. I have yet to see anybody else’s lights. Bunch of humbugs? Hopefully my lights can spread some Christmas cheer.


Lord knows it's cold enough for the holidays. Highs in the 40's, lows in the 20's all week. Thankfully the precipitation is now over for at least a few days; last night the top story on the 11:00 news was about the threat of roads icing. Not pretty.

I've got the Billboard Music Awards on in the background in the hopes of catching Carrie Underwood’s appearance, but meanwhile I’m being subjected to the crappiest music imaginable. You want to feel old? Listen to what qualifies as a hit these days. Blech.

Making Friends

Making friends as an adult is difficult. When you're young, you easily befriend the neighbors' children. When you're in school, you see the same kids every day, so it's easy to form friendships. In college, you live with your friends. As an adult, the only people you see everyday are your co-workers, who may or may not be compatible with you on a personal level. Why is it that we could almost always find someone in one of our classes to be our best friend, but at work, it's virtually unheard of? I think adults are more closed off to meeting new people. Sure, they will be polite, even kind, and chat at the water cooler. But when it comes to the real stuff of friendship, or even just taking a casual friendship outside the office, adults would rather stick with their current group, thank you very much. Which poses problems when you move to a new area.

Part of what made the Triangle appealing as a place to relocate was its reputation for being an area where everybody is from somewhere else. This makes you feel less like an outsider, and theoretically should facilitate making friends. Well, it's true, everyone here IS from someplace else, and everyone IS quite friendly. Why, at the mall on Saturday, an older lady engaged me in a conversation about modern fashion trends in denim, complete with supporting info she'd picked up from Oprah. And the lady at the calendar store went on and on about her golden retriever. People here can gab, let me tell you. And that's great, I'm all for gabbing. But then you go on your merry way, back to your empty apartment with only a TV and computer to keep you company. And a cat, if you're lucky! :)

So where can one turn in her moment of need? Craigslist, of course! I posted under “Activity Partners,” looking for someone with whom I could go to the movies, try a new restaurant, or go shopping. (Other posters seek jogging buddies, poker partners, etc.) Many people responded, but nothing really got off the ground right away. So I posted again, in the same category, but this time looking for partners for knitting, bridge, or bunco. This one got lots of responses too, and I actually have met some nice people. Even after the first wave, both posts continued to generate responses, because the Activity Partner boards for Raleigh are pretty sparse, so my posts were still close to the top.

Now, I'm not sure how my newfound friends would feel about appearing in my blog, so I'll use pseudonyms, and I won't write much about their backgrounds although they are so varied and unique! I find the diverse mix to be one of the most fascinating aspects of meeting people via CL. First there was “Alan,” from India by way of San Francisco. We went to see Walk the Line. (On the way home was when I hit the deer.) But the movie was really good, and the company was delightful. Of course, sitting in a dark theater didn't provide much time for chatting, but we got in some good talk time before and after. We met again last week to have dinner at an Indian restaurant, and we had a chance to get to know each other even more. We have a stunning amount in common, and he is accomplished in such a vast number of arenas, my jaw never left the floor. Yet he is very down to earth and normal.

Next was “Lucy”, who's originally from DC. We met for coffee. What piqued her interest in my posting was my reference to the New York Times (they'd recently run an article on bridge). She was pleasant as can be, and had a lot of advice to offer in regards to finding a job in the nonprofit sector here. We are going to get together next week and knit.

Then there's “Lawrence.” He runs a spades group on Yahoo, as well as a board games group. He invited me to join and there was a big get-together at his fiancée “Candy's” apartment on Friday. Beforehand, the three of us went out for Mexican food (I found a wire in my chicken--very puzzling--upon retrospect, I think it must have been from one of those twist-tie thingies they use to bundle vegetables). Later at the apartment five others joined us and we played Apples to Apples, Taboo, and Pictionary. Candy had baked a cake (she's opening a cake business soon) which was delicious and we all had a fabulous time. Among the players was “Lisa,” who wants to learn to knit, so hopefully we'll get together soon for that.

Saturday I met with “Michelle,” from Boston. We are probably the most similar in family background and upbringing, although she's in the science field and I, well, am not. We went shopping at the mall. I acquired several things for the kids, so at least their Xmas shopping is done. I found out from Michelle that you can't get your NC license or plates until you've lived here three months. Whew! Here I thought I was a major slacker having waited this long. Apparently you have to show them three utility bills that prove your middle name. Go figure. Anyway, Michelle and I are going to meet again to see Jim Carrey's Fun With Dick and Jane when it comes out.

I'm also slated to meet with “Linda,” originally from Atlanta. (See, no one IS from here!) We were going to go to the Apex Christmas Parade this past weekend, but decided against it because it most likely would have been a logistical nightmare to find parking and meet up. So we're going on a Christmas train ride this Saturday. Not sure what to expect, but it sounds relaxing.

I hope at least a couple of these new friendships “take,” and they aren't just short-lived distractions. It's hard, because even when people ARE open to making new friends, sometimes there just isn't enough in common for the relationship to endure. I think kids have it easier because their requirements for friendship are so lax, probably due to their lack of worldly experience, while adults have so much more criteria for what they want in a friend, and also they have so much baggage that gets in the way. (Come to think of it, all of this applies to romantic pursuits, as well!) But even if none of my fledgling friendships endure, it's been fun nevertheless to meet all these diverse people!

Fun links from my old website

The links below are either the same exact ones as were on my old website three years ago, or they are updated web addresses that link to the same thing, or they are better versions of what I linked to (technology has improved since 2002, you know).

Powers of 10: Start beyond the Milky Way and zoom in to a single proton. So neat, you just have to go see it! (Same exact link)

US Mint: If you know me, you know I'm obsessed with the state quarters (and the new nickels). (Same exact link)

Zoo Cams: The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. has a great portal for various web cams located across their zoo. Watch gorillas, elephants, tigers, pandas, and more. (Better site, same concept)

Voice to the World: It's never too early for kids to get concerned out our world. At this web site they can send a message to just about any world leader about peace, the environment, and other issues. (Updated link, same website)

Phone Spell: Does your phone number spell anything cool? (Same exact link)

Name That Candy Bar: If you have a sweet tooth this is fun. Identify candy bars from a cross section view. (Same exact link)

Online Magnetic Poetry: Fun way to kill five minutes. Lots of different sets to chose from. (Better site, same concept)

Dude, I was SO one of the first bloggers!

And I didn't even know it! Check it out, I totally forgot about this part of my old website.

When I was teaching, I had a web site for my students, and it looked like this:


I remember being so proud of those rollover book buttons. They took me like two days to do! Anyway, I totally forgot that there was a section where I used to write occasional little blurbs about what was new on the site, what was going on in the world, at school, etc. Reading it now, it seems just like a blog!

I uploaded the old site on a free server (please excuse the ads) for your reading pleasure. (It's ridiculous how now you can get 50 MB of storage for free, in a heartbeat, when back in the day I was limited to 10 MB on Time Warner--and I paid them almost 50 bucks a month for internet service!)

Other highlights, in addition to the bloggy part: the quote pages (it's funny how many of them ended up in Foundations for Life!), the mini-bio, and the photo album. All the internal links should work; the external links are probably in terrible disarray. But maybe tomorrow I'll post some of the ones that still exist out in cyberspace after all these years. It was a good collection of fun stuff!

Gas prices

Unleaded is $1.99 at the gas station closest to my apartment and it's under $2.00 all over the Triangle according to Gas Buddy. The cheapest is $1.95, the highest is $2.09. A month ago the average price per gallon in the U.S. was $2.42! I remember the good old days when it was under $1.30, back in college. I wonder how far down it will go before the big petroleum companies decide it's time to pad their bottom line again. (By the way, the cheapest gas in L.A. is $2.24, with the highest being $2.79. Ouch.)

You've probably seen this funny photo before; it has been in circulation a while:


Regardless of whether it is authentic or it was doctored in Photoshop, check out the price for regular unleaded. $1.72!! We would be elated if gas got that low again! I have to admit, though, that I was pleased with one side effect of high gas prices. Interest in hybrids skyrocketed, which was encouraging. It's sad, but most people won't start caring about the environment until it hits them in the pocketbook.

My first scarf!

I finished my first scarf! I would have been done earlier, but I'd forgotten how to cast off, or finish the thing. I went online and found directions, and it was actually pretty easy. So here it is, ladies and gentlemen. I know you've all been waiting for it, my debut piece:


And Mother Nature was kind enough to provide prime scarf-wearing weather. Muggy and 68 degrees today. Cozy.

Deer v. Auto

It came at me from the left. One second, I'm driving along perfectly content, having just made a new friend at the movies, and the next second I see a deer flash before me. The image is burned in my mind. His fur was whitewashed from the glare of the headlights. His eye was like a black marble. I swerved and hit the brakes, but he still hit. I didn't know what to do. I kept driving until I found a lit parking lot, where I got out to inspect the damage. I called my mom, sobbing on the phone, freaking out. Should I go back to find the poor animal? Could I handle seeing it suffer, lying there on the road? I drove back looking for it, and couldn't find it. I called 911 (something I'd never done before) and they sent a police officer to take a report. He was there in two minutes. I sat in my car for 20 while he did who-knows-what in his squad car. Meanwhile another officer stopped by to report seeing a dazed deer walking on the side of the road. I am clinging to the thought that it was my deer. That it was just a little stunned, not seriously injured and certainly not dying. I have no way of knowing exactly what happened to my deer, but I have to tell myself that this kind of thing happens all the time, and I did what I could to minimize the damage. I also can't help but think of Darwin. I mean, come on, an animal that is attracted to fast moving bright lights cannot be one of the fittest for survival.

Meanwhile the irony is sickening. I never should have even been on that stretch of road. When I left the theater I turned left and I should have turned right! But thanks to my stellar sense of (mis)direction, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, I can't help but count my blessings and think about how it could have been so much worse. I mean, I was actually driving the speed limit for once, and I actually had both eyes on the road and both hands on the steering wheel, when frequently I'm speeding and either reading a map or taking a photo. If he'd hit head-on, my airbags would have gone off, my windshield could have smashed, I could have been hurt, the deer could have died. So I'm thankful things were not worse. The damage to my car is relatively minimal. Of course, minimal is all relative to an insurance company. My car isn't worth much to begin with, being a '98 with 97k miles, so even two grand of damage warrants being totaled. So we'll have to see what happens with that. Such drama!

Those dreaded words: "Assembly required"

For my birthday I got a new entertainment center. I went to a furniture store in Raleigh and picked it out. It's Sauder, which means it comes in a box and you have to put it together. To me, this is both fun and daunting. I really like the end result, gazing upon my very own handiwork. But the process can be tedious.

The first night (yes, this was a two-evening project) I spent three hours assembling the main structure. I had to stop at the point where you hammer nails in the cardboard that goes on the back, because it was after 11 pm and I'm sure my downstairs neighbor would not have been pleased with me (the unit was lying face-down on the carpet). The next morning I finished putting on the back piece, and then started hooking up all the electronics. Another nightmare. I wish they would make an all-in-one TV with a built-in VCR, DVD player, DVD recorder, stereo receiver, tape player, CD player, CD burner, and TiVo. I would SO buy that TV. Of course, if one thing breaks, you're screwed. Anyway, everything is hooked up properly and the unit looks awesome! So much better than what I had before.

Before:

After: