Mud and leaves and emotional distress.

So, I got into a car crash on Tuesday. Nothing major or deadly, but the damage to the car I was driving was rather significant and the damage to the other guy's car was more than $5 for sure.
Really, though, that man was one of the nicest people I've ever met. And so are The Owen's Brother's. And the guy in the blue BMW--he was really great. I didn't get his name or anything.

I'm driving along this one-track road, come around a corner, and *BAM!* I stomped on my brakes and he hit his, but we slid right into each other and my car went semi-vertical on the left side 'cause it climbed the hedgerow. No one's fault--neither of us were speeding. Mud and leaves on the road are way worse than any ice I've driven on as the tires here aren't made to deal with them.

So, anyway, as last week Pinky got written off due to a failed MOT and Mike's scooter was a mess to sort out, I was a little stressed out, and let's just say I lost it. Those poor guys. I was crying and couldn't talk or see and they sorted it all out for me. They got The Owen's Brothers on the phone and let them know what happened. They got my office on the phone and had me tell Steph at work who came to escort me home. They got me to phone Mike and let him know what was happening. They got the car off the hedgerow and actually swept the glass out of the car so I could drive. And they reassured me it was just a car, not the end of the world, no one was hurt, and it would be OK. They made arrangements with insurance and repairs and gave directions and phone numbers for me to call if I got lost or needed help. Those people were the best. And when I arrived at The Owen's Brothers, I was again upset and very, very apologetic, and an Owen just said, 'These things happen. Here's another vehicle. We will sort it out on Friday. We're just glad you weren't hurt.' And, actually, that kind of made the whole thing all better. Put it in perspective a little. So, for October, the car costs are up around 800gbp and that sucks a lot, but I wasn't hurt and that's really all that matters, right?

So, Wednesday was just mostly embarrassing because I went into work, having important things to do and no time to take off at the moment. And, of course, because it's me and this seems to be a theme, mostly people asked if I was ok, asked if I needed anything, and then, 'cause they can't help it, gave a little giggle. And honestly I did a fair amount of that myself--the absurdity of it all.

And then last night, on my way to a visit on an A road (read: Highway 21 or equivalent) in the middle of nowhere, my freaking scooter died. The Motorcycle Centre apparently sent someone out to find me to help, but they wouldn't listen to the directions I was trying to give them, and they didn't give him a mobile or my number, so clearly the guy got lost. I waited for an hour and a half. Mike showed up and took me home, but as of right now my scooter is in Peter Hooper's yard on the A417. So, I'm pretty annoyed with them, really. They need to go and get it today and figure it out--I think I might have a but of a temper tantrum there on Saturday as it was just in for repairs 3 weeks ago. When I called the office to get some numbers to let my visits know I had to reschedule, again the little giggles. I guess that's all I can do as well, in the face of such ridiculousness.

And, really, I'm not even feeling upset or angry or anything. Mostly I'm just overwhelmed, I think. I asked Mike to e-mail the library and see if he can return to work before his leave of absence is over, so that information is coming. It just seems like there's karma or something at work here that has me stopping what I'm doing over and over again. I know there's a reason and message in all this, I just haven't quite figured out what it is. So, I'm in information gathering mode right now. Shannon's here this weekend for a bit, and we've decided that Berlin is off for Christmas. Mostly, no money, but also we need to find some stability and routine for a few weeks and see if that makes things a little better.

We had a fantastic time in Scotland, and Mike has all the pics of family and stuff, so he'll post this weekend. Hope everyone is well and that y'all had great Thanksgiving celebrations. It wasn't the same being here and missing that. We did our own little round the table thankfulness inventory, and it was good. I've gotta' get off and consider getting ready for work now. I was up super early today and I'm starting to feel relatively motivated now.
((hugs)) and love to everyone.