For four hours I listened to the audiobook version of “The Last Lecture” as read by its author, and now-deceased, Randy Pausch. By book’s end I was finally at peace with myself and all that has transpired. How could I not be after listening to the voice of wisdom of a man who had it all and was robbed of Life by pancreatic cancer? The rock to the windshield (which is still completely unresolved but addressed further below) didn’t seem to matter. My inability to change the past didn’t seem to matter. I was feeling okay. And then I returned home….
When I finally got back to my house at 10:30pm I noticed a note taped to my kitchen door. It was a note from one of my neighbors alerting me that a large limb had come down and fallen into my yard and asking permission to enter my yard for cleanup. The note was dated 8/20, the same day that I left for Colorado. Upon brief inspection I saw that the limb also struck my gutters and disfigured them to some degree. Today I’ll have to head home, inspect the damage, and speak with my neighbors and in the process explain to them why I’ve “ignored” their request.
I cannot understand why these hurdles are continually thrown in front of me, causing even more stress into my life.
A Short Primer On Insurance As Related To Renting A Car
Returning a car at the Denver International Airport is a process in efficiency, unless perhaps if something’s gone wrong. I was given a receipt for my rental without any questions so I hopped on the bus and headed for the airport. If my parking ticket fiasco from last year is any indication then I fully expect to receive a supplemental charge to my bill to cover the cost of a new windshield.
Prior to returning the car I did my homework to learn all of my options.
- AAA: Membership provided no help at all. For some reason I didn’t think I needed to purchase insurance in addition to my membership in order to receive rental car insurance benefits.
- State Farm: Since I have rental car insurance as part of my policy I can file a claim with them and pay only my deductible (which is $200)
- American Express: American Express is supplemental auto insurance for car rentals. American Express will cover up to the full amount of my deductible (ie $200) and no more. They will not contact State Farm and instead leave that up to me if I decide to file a claim.
So it all boils down to this: Depending on how much Alamo charges me, I should choose one of two options.
- If the charge is $200 or less then, only file with American Express.
- If the charge is more than $200, file with American Express and determine if it beneficial for me to file an auto insurance claim with State Farm.
If nothing else, I’ve learned how insurance works when renting a car — something I’ve wondered about for a long time.
ITP Flickr Pic
An overlooked photo because of all of those landscapes I’ve taken
I still have to process the hundreds of shots I took on this trip….
No Moo For Me? Boo. Hoo.
When I left for Colorado I was looking forward to returning to the office and picking up the Moo business cards that I was hoping would be delivered prior to my departure. I had received an email from Moo on August 12th alerting me that they had been dispatched and I should expect to receive them in 5-7 business days. Therefore, I expected to find the small box of fifty cards sitting on my desk. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that they were not delivered.
Dammit! I just looked at the email again and noticed that the shipping address had the wrong ZIP code. Since they were shipped USPS it means that I will probably never see them. I give up.
George’s Was In The Plans, But No More
The plan was to make a triumphant return to George’s tonight. I certainly could use the exercise and the thought of running in sub-8000 feet of altitude seemed exciting.
For at least one obvious reason (read “tree limb”) and some not-so-obvious reasons (read “need to do laundry,” “have two weeks of mail to process”) I will have to put that plan off for a week.
Okay, I Am Worn Out
My body is still on Mountain Time. I am still very tired and emotionally drained. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. The sun will come out tomorrow…
And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood – tired, frustrated, questioning Life
Current Music – listening to the “Daily Source Code” podcast from 9/1
Website Of The Day – I still need a break from reality so today I’ll surf around Uncyclopedia: The Content-Free Encyclopedia
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage – 0 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Monthly Marta Rides – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 0 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle – 4
September Goals
Don’t know yet
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
Okay, so you left out important info, that is, how much CO beer is Allan and Barb bringing home with them and when are we going to drink it? I got about a dozen bottles of wine for my birthday so I’m thinking I’ll need another get together to help get rid of some of them.
My insurance has a no deductible clause for damaged windshields? They will fix it at no cost to me. I’m not sure how common that is but State Farm is a pretty good company. Might be worth checking if you haven’t spoke to them (or better yet just check out your policy).
Oh yeah about how much beer I gave them to bring back — NONE! Yep NONE!!! I thought it stupid to lug around beer with me all over Colorado so I waited until Walsenburg, which was a huge mistake. Walsenburg had two liquor stores, none of which sold “micro-brews” warm.
I spoke to State Farm yesterday and they said that I would have to cover my deductible. I will investigate the issue more today. I also need to see if there is a time-frame by which I need to submit a claim (to either Amex or State Farm) in order to be reimbursed.
You brought back NO beer? Paulie, I am disappointed :(.
Just kidding, welcome back! You took some awesome shots while you were out there. Made me long for Colorado again. I would love to pack the wagons and head west.
Bummer about the windshield, maybe they won’t say anything. Colorado folk usually replace their windshields every other year anyway because of the sand on the road in the winter. You may get lucky.
I can’t even believe that I gave them no beer for their return trip. I don’t know who I am any more.
Thanks about the photos. The ones posted were my best, but I have many I want to play with to see if I can improve them.
I’m speachless, my world has been shattered…I think I just need to go home and think about what has happend! JK
The fact that you came back is good enough for me!!
With all that has happened to me over the past four days I’m wondering if returning ITP has been a good decision. Anyone know the schedule of the circus?
If you run away to the circus, we’re all coming with you!! I can’t wait to see more pics, so far your samples are outstanding.
And I believe I sent everyone (at least those I have emails for) a note about the Wilson 100 this weekend and plans prior and afterwards. Please make sure you respond so we know how many to expect.
-FP
After being away for just 4 days, I’m surprised by how painful re-entry to “regular life” has been. I didn’t even change time zones in my travel. I don’t know why, but I find that getting away from the comforts of the familiar is both invigorating and exhausting.
Glad you’re back, at any rate.
@Steve: I responded today. I guess it didn’t go through to you? I will be there Saturday. What time should I arrive? What should I bring?
@romanlily: Your assessment of it being both invigorating as well as exhausting is spot on. When I saw you headed to Maine I was hoping that you were attending the same workshop in Portland, Maine which was the destination after Fort Collins. I would have loved to compared notes. 🙂 Your shots from Maine were stunning.
Back on the insurance thing for a sec… does this mean if you take that (before now, seemingly bogus, expensive) add-on insurance when you rent the car, that this wouldn’t be a problem? Or would it still have been?
And it IS good to have you back and I can’t imagine just how wiggy readjusting is. Seriously, I only went 4 hours away for 4 days and can’t get back in the swing of things.
I think that if you get the rental car company’s insurance you toss them the keys and never worry about it again. Given that this is the very first time I’ve ever needed the insurance I have “saved” money by never opting for it. I don’t know the statistics, but what are the odds of getting a rock to the windshield while driving on the interstate at the end of a Colorado summer? Ironically, I took great pains to keep from damaging the car when I went onto non-paved roads only to have this happen.