Mother Fucking OW!

It NEVER FAILS. Every single time I let my car get dirty, it gets rear ended and has to go to the shop. I took a short road trip over New Years and never got around to to cleaning the fast food bags out of it.

Uh-oh.

So today, on my way to work, a car had to slam on its brakes at a stop light. The car behind it slammed on their brakes. The car behind them hit their brakes. I slammed on mine. The car behind me didn't slam theirs on fast enough. My car got slammed into the one in front of me and they hit the car in front of them.

Awesome timing! I have classes starting on Tuesday and I'm not sure I'll be able to get a rental. I'm going to press for one, at least.

Unfortunately, this is not my first time at this rodeo, so allow me to give you some tips should you ever find yourself with your bumper locked up with an SUV.
1.) Call 911. If you live someplace with a non-emergency hotline, call that. But you need to call emergency services This wreck involved 4 cars and 7 people. One of the cars was leaking antifreeze, so we got the full complement of EMTs, fire truck, Department of Public Safety, and Highway Patrol. I ended up on the phone with 911 because of the 3 other cars, 2 were populated by teenagers.
2.) If your car can move, pull off the side of the road. If it doesn't move (which mine didn't), turn off your car, get out onto the side of the road once traffic clears up, and the back car needs to put on their blinkers.
3.) If your airbags didn't go off, don't go back in the car.
4.) Keep your registration, proof of insurance, and any other important documents in a folder in your glove box. I forgot to take this out of my car, but was able to get the firemen to pull it out for me. All the accident documentation and business cards go into the folder which I take with me wherever I go.
5.) Take photos. Your cell phone is fine, but make sure you have pictures. I got pictures of the back of my car, the front of the car that hit me, the two cars when they were locked together, the front of my car, the back of the car I hit, and the front of the car that I hit. The fourth car had no damage that anyone could see.
6.) If you're the one responsible for the accident, don't tell the people you hit that you're too short to reach the pedals of your SUV. Also, if your 17 year old is 5 feet tall, she probably shouldn't be driving a Lincoln Navigator.

Otherwise, it was actually a pleasant (relatively speaking) accident. The EMTs commented to me that they liked my accident because nobody was arguing or fighting with each other. That's the good thing about getting into an accident with teenagers, they don't tend to flip out too much about that stuff.

The best part of the accident? The tow truck drivers were making bets over which cars would be totaled. At one point, they turned on mine to check the mileage and the Glee cover of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" came on super loud. The girl I rear ended complemented me on my good taste.

Anyway, I am called out of work to deal with the accident and will be spending the rest of the day sitting down and praying I don't actually have whiplash.

A New Years Resolution

So here's the thing, every year for New Years I always swear up and don I'm going to start keeping a journal. The reason for this is because I think that journals provide accountability and help you be better at everything you attempt. The thing is, this year, I totally went to visit a friend for the holiday and forgot my journal. Awesome. I'm off to a great start, right?

I've been trying to get a few things to happen this year. I am a 25 hour a week receptionist, a full time student working toward an associates degree in science, and a long distance girlfriend. What I'm saying here is that I have a lot on my plate and if I'm going to keep all these balls in the air (to mix some metaphors) I need to set myself up for success.

Here's what I want to do this year:
1. Finish my associates degree. This is kind of a no-brainer, but I'm 24. I should have finished this damn thing already but I'm such a flake I keep changing majors. If I can get 4 credits to transfer from when I lived in North Carolina, I'm on schedule to graduate by the end of the next fall semester.
2. Get organized. I moved back in with my mom to save money, so right now all my belongings are squished into a room with a tiny closet. It doesn't have to be attractive, but I'm sick of using the floor as a dresser and never being able to find anything. My big challenges in this room are going to be keeping the electronics situation under control (I'm a sucker for new toys) and keeping my yarn and knitting crap contained (I'm also a prodigious knitter, the stash isn't so gigantic except that I have absolutely NO ROOM).
3. Work out a budget and save money. So the thing about moving in with my mom to save money is great and all, but when I'm blowing all my money on trips to Ikea and the craft store it defeats the purpose. Betsey Johnson will just have to find another schmuck to buy all her jewelry at Macy's. I'd like to save $2,000 this year not counting financial aid money.
4. Pay off my non-student loan debt. I'm in the hole for about $4,000 as a result of a bout with pneumonia that landed me in the ER a few years ago. I suspect I'll be able to negotiate the debt collectors down to about $1,500 if I offer them a lump sum and get the debt off my credit.
5. Eat better and exercise more. I have a migraines which are eased by caffeine, but I hate coffee so I drink a lot of soda. I also tend to eat out a lot during the semester because I am living out of my car. I'd like to start packing meals and hitting the gym a couple days a week and walking on weekends. If I can't get into my karate class on Tuesdays, then Tuesday and Friday I'll take advantage of the free gym the school offers me and Saturdays and Sundays I'll walk the dogs. I'd add something here about staying hydrated, but I'm actually pretty good about that.

So there. The five things I'd like to accomplish for myself. My name is Elizabeth, but you can call me Birdie.