your tax dollars at work…for me!

thursday was an expensive day for tax payers in not one but TWO separate counties…

…thanks to me.

first was the bump. not the cocaine version of the word. not the impending pregnancy sense of the word (thank christ!). no, this was literally me getting bumped from behind while going sixty-five down the interstate by a semi. when all was said and done they tried to tell me it WASN’T the semi, due to some measurement irregularities between my bumper damage and his grill guard. but i think it was the BUMPER that touched me. they (the sheriff folk) tried to tell me that it was probably another car, but then “by the time you looked up it was gone”.

wrong-o.

my reactions are a bit faster than that…and the fact the semi instantly changed lanes and tried to take off spoke volumes – but i pulled him over an exit or two later and surveyed the damage…little scrape, little paint gone. basically, it was parking-lot level damage. i looked at it, and said “it’s just the bumper, but it’s not MY fault, so lemme just grab your insurance info and we’ll call it good”. but he wasn’t comfortable with that…unless we called the law.

fair enough.

no less than SIX various trucks and suv’s came out courtesy of travis county sheriff’s office, including one deputy that blocked off the left lane of the frontage road with his truck (we were on the shoulder of the interstate, so i have no idea why that was needed). between all the flashing lights, the blocked frontage road lane, and the interstate rubber necking we had shit backed up for literally miles. all for a minor bumper scrape, because somebody insisted the law get involved. in the end he won out on that front, because the deputy had his “phantom car theory” and refused to say this bozo was at fault.

but while he won the battle, he lost the war – the truck that blocked a lane was from the highway enforcement folks, who regulate semi traffic and, more importantly, how they secure their cargo. he had three commercial grade air conditioners only held down by one tie down strap a piece. citation price of about $300…PER unit. so his insurance wasn’t dinged for a new BMW bumper, but he PERSONALLY got an almost four figure ticket. be careful what you wish for.

a couple hours later, at the house, the city of lockhart came out to deal with the brush pile. you remember the brush pile:

plus i’d added a log or two:

so i hauled all this shit by hand. just me. not like i’m some kind of bad ass or something. but it took the city five guys – three on the ground, one in the dump truck, and one with a fucking back hoe. seriously? eh, fuck it – as long as they don’t spike it on my utility bill or something…