Sunday, August 05, 2007

Really bad Carma (and visual puns)

Lots of apartments buildings + residential neighborhood + narrow streets, + bar on one corner + bus stop on the other corner = limited parking availability and dangerous parking situation.

In the last two months, my car windshield has been vandalized, read smashed (though thankfully nothing was stolen) and my downstairs neighbor's truck was plowed into while it was parked on the street resulting in his front axle getting snapped, left front tire getting shoved into the back of the wheel well and possible suspension damage.

Saturday morning Pt III. My driver's side front door was sideswiped, breaking the door handle so that I have to enter my car through the passenger side. When you drive a Saturn that sucks because the console is very much in the way. I am now down two deductibles in the span on two months plus the potential cost of a rent-a-car while the car gets fixed because I went cheap and didn't include rental car coverage on my policy. Whose bloody God did I piss off?

When we first moved here I was worried that the street presented itself as far too good an opportunity for these types of things (btw, in my case and my neighbor's no notes were left behind); it's often used the primary cutthrough street through our neighborhood. Dammit. I hate being circumstantially prescient.

I'm also faced with a bit of a moral dilemma. I tend to skew screaming heart liberal: pro-choice, anti-death penalty, pro gun control, pro civil liberties, pro marriage for same-sex couples, pro environment. Yet, now when faced with the prospect of being carless for a period of more than a day, I am debating whether to rent a car. The double bubble rub is that I feel as though I'd want a car if the body shop needs it for more than two days because that much time being reliant solely on the bus would suck it. But more than say three days starts getting really expensive. And if I'm as pro-environment as I say, should I not be jumping at this opportunity to become more carbon neutral, if only for a few days. I'm lucky enough that I live within walking distance of groceries and bank and likely would give up only my desired haircut this week. But the loss of freedom gnaws at me, even though most nights once I'm home, I'm simply home.

Colour me vexed.

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