Ketchup, part 1

[bironic]

My car got smashed when I wasn't in it!

Sunday morning I went outside to drive to an appointment, only to discover that the entire street-facing side of my car had been destroyed overnight in a hit-and-run. Shattered windows, caved-in doors, and enough of an impact that not only my car but the car parked in front of it had been shoved several feet forward. No indication of who did it other than a scrape of red paint. Hooray!


(Click for bigger)

So I'm awash in phone calls and paperwork. Currently waiting to hear whether the police department thinks there's enough evidence to mount an investigation and for the insurance company to set a date to inspect the damage. TBD whether they'll total it. Life would be simpler if they didn't.

All that said, I'm actually doing fine. Although it was unfortunate to have selected that particular parking spot on that particular night, I'm very lucky that I wasn't in the car when it was hit, that I didn't hit anything or anyone while driving, that the insurance company hasn't given me a hard time (yet), and that the worst annoyance so far is that I missed this opera adaptation of the Burke & Hare body-snatching story I was really looking forward to on Sunday and am out the $50 ticket. The seats were arranged like an old-fashioned surgical theater! Alas.

That, and I'll have to figure out how to run certain errands over the next several weeks when my coverage doesn't include a loaner car.



People still read my fic!

In better news, someone left a trail of kudos on the AO3 the other day and it made me particularly happy because it wasn't for vids and it wasn't all in one fandom. Instead, they liked two gen SGA stories, my two Beauty and the Beast fics, my two Vampire Diaries fics, and my X-Men/True Blood crossover, which I am still proud of for the character voices.

Given my sensitivities about identifying as a writer while not having written much fic these past few years and building more of a reputation (I think) for vids, it makes me feel good that someone liked a cross-section of my stories, even more so because it didn't seem to be dependent on their passion for a single fandom or kink or even rating.

♥

Comments

[yhlee]

Yowch! So sorry about the car. :( I hope it gets sorted with a minimum of fuss.

Yay ficreaders!

[bironic]

Thanks! And definitely yay on the second thing. \o/

[ride_4ever]

/o\ Your car and attendant hassles!

\o/ Your fic writing! *points to icon*

[bironic]

Pretty much. I guess it's been a /o\ \o/ /o\ sort of week!

[jetpack_monkey]

Man, that sucks. Especially missing that awesome-sounding performance. But I'm super-glad you're safe!

[bironic]

Thanks! That is the important thing. I was going to say "-- that no one was hurt," but I don't even know if that's true, given the mystery of the perpetrator(s). Best guess is they were drunk and therefore loose-limbed enough to have not sustained injury. :/

Super bummed about that opera, though! I was looking forward to telling you about it.

[skygiants]

I'm bummed on behalf of your opera ticket (which now I too am sad about missing) but glad you're OK!

[bironic]

Thanks! And yeah, it's a shame it only ran for 5 days. Really hoping it pops up again somewhere around here before too long. Or on video.

[sholio]

Oh gosh, no! :( What an awful mess. I'm glad YOU'RE okay. And yay for nice readers!

[bironic]

Yes all around. Every time I walk by the scene of the crime and see the pile of glass still on the street, I feel another pang of sadness for reckless late-night drivers and needless destruction of property.

[topaz_eyes]

Yikes about the car! The important thing is that you weren't hurt. You'd think the cops would investigate. That's a fair bit of damage.

Hooray for fic readers! Your fics and your vids, they both bring joy to people, and that's what counts.

[bironic]

Thank you. That is a lovely thing to say. <3

>>You'd think the cops would investigate.

You *would* think, but the officers I've spoken to keep saying they can't promise an investigation because there are no cameras on my street and none of the detritus left behind has identifying information. But they also say their investigator is very good. TBD. Waiting around with no word these last few days has been trying.

[serenadestrong]

Echoing the sentiments above, sorry about your car and glad it wasn't worse.

If you want to sync up on errands this weekend, I would be happy to drive you around some places.

[bironic]

Thanks - and, oh, thanks! This weekend I'd simply like to get to Stop & Shop. Will email you.

[grammarwoman]

Your poor car! Your limited mobility! Sorry you had to miss your event, too. Boo!

Definitely woo-hoo about the fic. :)

[bironic]

:)

And thanks. <3 Fortunately I live in a partly walkable and partly transit-navigable city where I don't need a car to get to work or anything vital. I have said from time to time that I might not have replaced my last car had I known I was going to live in Boston and that I certainly would have chosen something smaller if I had -- but I wasn't looking for a situation like this to suddenly revisit the decision!

[isis]

Oh, your poor car! And bummer about missing the opera - that sounds very cool.

[bironic]

Yeah, still sad about that. I was going to wear an anatomically themed bracelet and everything. Sort of a cross between these: one and two

[eruthros]

Oh yikes! I'm glad you're okay and I hope all the tedious insurance stuff goes well.

[bironic]

Thanks! Hoping to hear from them soon; it's been three days already.

[cinco]

YIKES! So glad you're okay, and I hope it gets sorted out as easily and quickly as possible!

[bironic]

Thanks! <3

[celli]

Yikes!

[bironic]

Pretty much! <3

[minoanmiss]

I am delighted that people still read your wonderful fic. :)
And all my condolences about the car. ugh.

[bironic]

Thanks! Never a dull moment, as they say...

[gwyn]

Oh my gosh, that's awful. And it looks like not a particularly old car? What a thing to come out and find. (I was always afraid of something like that when I parked on the street.) I hope that the insurance works out for you, and any police investigations if they do them.

[bironic]

Thanks! No investigation, they said today, unless a license plate or driver name turns up. :/ But am hoping for a simple insurance & repair process, for sure. The car is indeed only 5 years old and n perfectly good shape, at least until last weekend; just had a new battery and four new brakes installed within the last couple of months.

[timespirt]

So sorry about you car hon. That really sucks and the person who did it sucks as well.

I love all your SGA fics hon.

"HUGS"

[bironic]

Thanks.

[jadesfire]

Good grief! I'm so glad you're okay, but your poor car! What a pain in the neck :/

That's a lovely trail of kudos to follow. It's awesome when things like that happen :)

[bironic]

Indeed. As for the car, at least it's only a metaphorical pain in the neck, right?

[marginaliana]

Wow, that's awful! But so glad you weren't in it. Yikes.

[bironic]

Pretty much. And another reason to rue not having driveway access. At least... I can ignore all the street cleaning alerts for the next while?

[ellen_fremedon]

Yikes! And what a shame about missing the opera. But I'm glad you're okay.

[bironic]

There were going to be SONGS about BODIES. Woe.

But yes - safety is the important thing. Thank you.

[kass]

Holy wow. I'm glad you are okay, and so sorry your car is toast.

[bironic]

Thank you. <3 Hoping it is only temporary toast! ...which is where that metaphor breaks down, heh.

[ldthomps]

Yeesh, that's a lot of damage to a car! Glad you were safe, but it is such a pain to jump through all of the hoops. And yay for fic readers who leave nice comments!

[bironic]

It's extra fun when one police officer says to do thing A and then the next officer says he should have told me to do thing B. Sigh. Hoping the insurance stuff goes more smoothly, but maybe that's a fantasy!

[seascribble]

oh no holy shit. D: Let me know if you need rides any place, I'm relatively close and get out of work early on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

[bironic]

Thank you. <3 I'll let you know. Fortunately I don't drive to/from work and learned over The Winter That Shall Not Be Named that it's possible to live carless here for a while... not that it's fun when it comes to substantial grocery runs or wanting to replenish last year's ill-fitting sweaters.

[selki]

Glad you weren't in the car!

And now I have read both your Beauty and the Beast fics, yum.

[bironic]

So something good came of this, at least! :) Glad you enjoyed them.

[mific]

Those runs of kudos or comments when someone discovers your stuff are the best!

Wow - that's a huge pain in the ass about your car.
I have to confess, though, I've mostly been staring gobsmacked at the screen thinking, OMG, that car is so tidy! I mean, other than the shattered glass. If they'd done that to mine you wouldn't be able to see the glass for all the crap in the footwell and on the seats. Um.

[bironic]

Ha. Yeah, a relic of my upbringing by a parent who kept a house etc. so neat that other people teasingly referred to it as a museum. When I do grow lazy, taking on a passenger or two always makes me move aside any stray papers and empty water bottles!

[elipie]

I'm so sorry about your car! I'm also glad you were not in it, but that still sucks a lot. :(

I love trails of kudos! Those are my favorite.

[bironic]

Extra fun because you get to piece together a story of what that person likes and how they might have traveled though your collection!

And thanks on the other thing. <3

[cuddyclothes]

Coming late to the party to add:

Car: YIKES! I was glad to see your later entry where it looks like repairs are needed and the car is not considered totaled.

Fic Readers: YAY!

You're never NOT a writer because you're not writing. You're just not writing right now.