it happens to everyone, right?!

Ok, so let's say you're coming up to a red light and you think you've stopped but you're still rolling and you touch the bumper of the guy in front of you...or you're parallel parking and bump into the bumper of the car right behind you...or you see a friend in front of you and, as a joke, you bump their bumper to get their attention and then you laugh and wave. It's happened to all of us, right? That's what the bumper is there for--to absorb those little "taps" that happen occasionally! It's nothing to get worked up about...and it's NOTHING to call the freaking police about, right?! well, if you were the yahoo i bumped yesterday, that would be WRONG! Lets call the cops and get an accident report...and get you a ticket, Missy! UGH!

Here's the story: I was at an intersection in Lafayette and we were stopped for a red light. I saw the cars start to move on the side of me and in front of us so i started to apply the gas when I realized that the car directly in front of me wasn't moving yet. I immediately hit my breaks but i don't break before TOUCHING his back bumper. It was so light, i didn't even think he'd get out of the car...but he did so i did. There was absolutely NO damage! not even paint transfer! I think he got the lovebugs that were on the front of my car and that's it! And then he's talking about how he's ok--not hurt or anything--but he's shaken up! (GIVE ME A BREAK! It was LESS than a tap!) But it's his wife's car so he needs to call her to see what she wants him to do. He then tells her he was REAR-ENDED (a LITTLE harsh for what really happened) but there was no damage and wants to know what he should do. So she--having not seen anything and going solely on his overblown description of what happened--says he should call the cops and get an accident report done so that, if they ever want to sell the car, there's an accident file on record saying what happened if there's any damage to the vehicle! (Are you following that screwed up logic?! So now there WILL be a mark on the carfax for the car...idiots!)

So then he doesn't want to move the vehicles and we're causing traffic to back up during the lunch hour...so after about 10 minutes, he calls his wife again and asks if its ok to move the cars out of the road and she tells him yes, so we move the cars! (Are you picking up on one of my big issues with this fella?!) So then we wait 45 freakin' minutes for a cop to arrive! When he does, it is THE cutest cop that I've ever seen in Lafayette! He's really nice but i think he was secretly rolling his eyes at the accident he was having to report. He has us both fill out our descriptions of what happened and proceeds to type it all up. He gives the guy his insurance stuff back and then he gives me mine along with a ticket and tells me that we really didn't need to call the police if there's no damage! I agreed and said that it was the other guy's decision! He was really sweet and told me to call my insurance and just let them know how minor it was. I think he felt silly for giving me the ticket, but once they're on the scene, they have to file the report and give the ticket. On the ticket where it asks about the amount of damage, he wrote in "none!" I love that! There wasn't even an option for that and he had to write it by hand!

It was SO completely ridiculous! It was a tap! You're supposed to get out of your car, check for damage, and then just wave and say "No worries!" This is what normal people do, anyway! I hit the one panzi who couldn't think for himself and had to have his wife tell him what to do! UGH!!! Anyone have any advice on who I could talk with to get the charges reduced to a non-moving violation?! I mean, seriously!

delayed reaction

Hi there, long-lost readers...or perhaps it has been I who's been lost?! May is always a ridiculous time of year for all of the end-of-school hoo-rah. My blogging absence has been partially because, after sitting at the computer for HOURS on end trying to design a semester exam that my students could have a fair shot at passing (which is NOT an easy task as my students were not really the "academic" type to begin with and I just cannot make a 'gimme' test to save my life!), I just didn't have the interest or wherewithal to compose intelligent and meaningful insights into my life! (Ha!) And then partially because my friend Sherry tagged me in her blog and I've been stuck as to what I might reveal about myself in my response! School has been out for one week now and summer boredom has set in, so I thought I'd take a moment to catch up on my lapsed blogging responsibilities...first order of business: the tag!

The instructions about this tag are pretty simple. I believe I'm just supposed to reveal three random things about myself...but that gets harder when I consider all of the things I've already blogged about in this forum! Lets take a jog down memory lane, shall we? WAY back in the infancy of my blog, I waxed eloquently upon the magic and wonder of Crayola Color Wonder markers (one of my favorite posts, I must say!) That first year of my blog gave me an opportunity to remember my Dad's legacy. I wrote about the impending doom and then the resulting catastrophe of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. On the lighter side, I also wrote about the crushes I'd developed on local and national meteorologists (with an oh-so-embarrassing response from said local meteorologist!) as a result of the obsessive amounts of storm coverage I was watching! As I look back and reminisce, I realize that I've covered many of the significant and not-so-significant moments of my life for the past 3 1/2 years. There have been times when I didn't feel comfortable revealing details, but I have used my blog to express the emotion I felt through the experiences...it's been a good place for me. I've definitely slowed down from my 'blog twice every day' momentum of the first year, but I have tried to stay somewhat consistent in my efforts!

And so now I must come up with three random things about myself to satisfy this tagging! Hmmm...I have thought about this for a while, but I'm afraid I've not come up with anything particularly exciting or revealing! My disclaimer thus given, I will begin!

1. I am ridiculously "connected": I have a blog, a myspace, a facebook, a blackberry curve (which I LOVE and which allows for a much more enjoyable texting experience!), and I twitter! I'm sure that there is more that I could do, but I thing I have my hands full at the moment!

2. I absolutely love, love, love LOST! Maybe it's the literature-lover in me, but I find the storyline absolutely fascinating! The writers have done such a good job of developing the characters in surprising and unexpected ways, yet still in keeping with who they are as characters within the storyline. And the storyline has expanded SO much since its inception! It's been a wild ride, but one I plan to stay on until the bitter end! I cannot wait to see how it's all resolved...but that will also be a VERY sad day! I also have a pretty significant crush on Henry Ian Cusick who plays Desmond (He also played Jesus in The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John) and I was quite relieved to find that he survived the season finale! ha!

3. If I could be independently wealthy and have whichever career I choose, I would become a professional photographer. I am well aware that with all of the advances in photography equipment and technology, this is a common interest for many...but count me in with that lot! I remember saying that I wanted to be a photographer when I was in junior high but dad said that I shouldn't make a career out of a hobby (dad-speak for "get a real job!") so I planned a career all around my love of academia, reading and literature! ha! But I've always loved photography. I am still very much a novice and I just don't devote enough time or effort to develop my skills, but it's fun to noodle around with a camera in my hand and see what I come up with! I am the most neurotic event photographer you could probably ever have, but I think the end shots are reasonably well-done. I like photographing people best. I enjoy scenic photography, but I think I prefer the range of expression in portrait and candid photography. Of course, I'd also love to try my hand at travel photography...which is a big part of where the 'independently wealthy' qualification would come in handy! ha! My nephew Grayson is my most common subject, so I thought I'd include a few of my favorite shots of him. (These were taken with my Canon Powershot A520 point-and-shoot. I have a Nikon N80 film slr...haven't yet upgraded to a dslr. I'm making myself learn the basics on film first!)

Ok, that's three random facts! These may not be particularly new or insightful, but I've fulfilled the tag and now I can move on to other things!! ha! ...and I'm not so great at tagging other people, so I'll let that go for now, but comment back and let me know if you choose to participate in this blogging foolishness!!