• Tag Archives hail

  • “The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.” Sigmund Freud

    Posted on by The Thousand Yard Stare Comment

    I’m calmly sipping a Vieux Carre, or at least a semblance of one (no Benedictine), having been enveloped in a haze of nostalgia.

    My car was pelted by hailstones a few months ago, incurring a few (or many) divots in the process. Normally I wouldn’t worry about it – I’d just let it ride then take a bath when I eventually got rid of the car.  One of the guys at work kept peer pressuring me into doing something about it and I filed a claim with my insurance company. (Gee, can’t imagine why my rates just went up)

    I rolled it into the shop and picked up my rental. My rental (no great shakes, a Chevy Cruze) has XM radio.  I can’t figure out how to plug my mp3 player into the car, so I was stuck. This car had 7 miles on it when I got it so I had to program the radio. I found 80’s at 8 and 90’s at 9.

    Gawd, what a trip back to my early teens.

    My former 80’s nostalgia was firmly based in the things that I missed, or the music I really liked. My haze today was prompted by all the things I remembered.  All the bouncy 80’s pop…..minimal guitars.  It’s a wonder how I ever started playing guitar much less keeping with it for any length of time. Each weirdo, bouncy, drum machine led tunes pinged my brain with memories of a lot of different things.  It was weird associating such a random assortment of songs with my life. Not the ones I jammed to (air guitar), but the ones that played in the background of my post-childhood.

    I don’t have much else to add. Except I really want a ’63 Buick Riviera.


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  • “Fanatics in power and the funnel of a tornado have this in common – the narrow path in which they move is marked by violence and destruction” Oscar Ostlund

    Posted on by The Thousand Yard Stare Comment

    I’m not sure how I was so unaware of the weather situation today. Almost subliminally I overheard some people saying, “The tornado almost hit Arlington!” I slowly realize that my house, that I’ve lived in for seven years now, is in Arlington. Duh.

    So all of a sudden, I get off the phone and what is usually a dull mumbling of people (rabble rabble) had become very, very quiet. One sole girl who sits about two cubes down from me was walking away, I asked, “Uh, are we evacuating?” She nodded yes.

    So, the entire office evacuated to the main stairwell and corridor in the middle of the building. The very glass-fronted entrance was visible, but we were kept at a safe distance by the security people.

    Everybody was on their phones and ipads trying to figure out what the weather situation actually was, and it was super, SUPER dark outside.

    All of a sudden it sounded like someone was dropping bricks out of the sky. Everyone kind of rushes the door to see what’s going on, but I knew it was hail.

    I’ve never had any of my cars outside when there was a hailstorm and I was strangely calm. I’ve only had my last car for a few years, but I guess there’s times to worry about things, and times that it’s not a big deal.

    One of the employees had a completely smashed windshield, my car got some good sized dings but the hail was only (“only”) golf ball sized, so I got off easy. No damage at the house, minimal damage on the car.

    I’m super SUPER impressed with my company and how they took care of the employees. While I didn’t hear the initial evacuation command, we were kept out of harm’s way very well.


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