A new bebé, hiding sardines (so to speak), a Valentine’s Day Affair, and a legal conversation…

~Monday~ I arrived at the city bus stop at 8:15, and the bus arrived at 8:24.

Two Hispanic ladies were already on when I boarded and they sat—and talked—across the aisle from each other in the center-facing seats up front. I’m pretty sure one of them was someone I commented about at some point in the last month or two, and who was pregnant. The very, very young and tiny baby she had with her would corroborate this fact, if it were a court of law, which it isn’t.

At the next stop, two guys got on who wafted “something-that-gets-passed-around” as they passed me to take a seat further back. One of them had a pair of rubber gloves sticking out of his rear right pocket. They were the translucent type, like health care professionals slap on before stabbing you.

I wondered about the two guys, as I do about cigarette smokers who appear to be concealing their habit, “Do you really think you’re fooling anybody about smoking?” I guess you really just can’t smell it when you do it so much. I’m here to tell you, gentlemen. You ain’t foolin’ anyone.


I started my work day off with my meeting with that content developer, and he was pleased with my edit.

It was an all-snack, all-day-long day at the office today. My boss organized a “Valentine’s Day Affair,” inviting everyone in our (four-story) building to bring in a “breakfast, lunch, or sweet” item today, and most of us grazed all day long..

After my meeting, I put out my discounted pecan pie, which was well received. There was one sliver of it left at the end of the day, and I promptly “disposed” of it. That’s my story and it’s sticking to me.


I’m a member of the North Carolina State University Legal Services Plan, and I checked in by e-mail with a lawyer today with questions I have regarding the accident I was in early Sunday morning:


Q: I’ve had a mild headache today, which is very unusual for me, and I don’t know if it’s related to the accident, but is there anything I should (or can) do about that after the fact now?

A: If you are feeling unwell after your accident you should consult a physician – either a hospital or your primary one – for a check up. If you are having any problems that surface within a reasonable time i.e. 2-3 weeks – you should seek treatment.

Q: Do I have the option of taking money instead of repairing my car, or does that depend on the insurance company?

A: You can take the money from the insurance company and/or the other driver and not actually repair your vehicle – that is your choice – and would be based on estimates of the damages.

Q: If the person who hits me offers to settle without an insurance claim, is that advisable?

A: If you settle with either the other driver of the insurance company you should make sure you do not waive any rights to claims for bodily injury and you should include depreciation of your vehicle if the damages exceed 25 percent of its value.

Q: At the time of the accident, I thought I hit the person in front of me, but they said I didn’t. But the next day I noticed damage to the front end of my car that I’m pretty sure could only have happened if I hit the person in front of me. Should I try to update the police report (which I don’t have a copy of), and/or will that make me liable in some way for having hit the person in front of me, or will the adjuster just know all that when they look at the damage?

A: If you were pushed into the other car by the force of the collision from behind then you may not be found liable for those damages- this depends of whether you yourself were negligent in following the car in front of you too closely. This depends on whether the insurance for the driver behind you fights your insurance company on this. If you were rear-ended by another person and that person was negligent in not giving enough room then you can file a claim with the other driver’s insurance company for personal property damages and any damages caused to your person – you have 3 years to do so in North Carolina. Your medical insurance may also cover you for medical bills incurred as well as any medical payments coverage you have on your own insurance. You should always be honest but it does not mean you have to volunteer information or go out of your way to change an opinion of an officer. However, if you are asked you should respond honestly.


I was at the city bus stop, to go home, late again today, but Ann was nowhere in sight. A lady was talking to someone who didn’t seem at all engaged with her, and then she turned around toward me, tilted her head back and sniffed saying, “I smell smoke.”

I thought she was talking about cigarettes, which I can usually smell pretty far away, even outside, if there is a smoker anywhere close at all.

“I smell it, too,” I said.

“This a wildfire somewhere along I-40; they’ve closed down at least one lane,” she said.

I’d seen the headline about that before I’d left the office, but I hadn’t clicked on it.

She went on to tell a long story about being able to smell smoke a mile away ever since the house next door to her, when she lived in Cary, burned down. Everyone in the family—even their little puppy—was away from home at the time, at the local grocery store, in fact, and although none of them were hurt, they lost everything.

The house got rebuilt and new people moved in, and one afternoon they lit up their gas grill. Her dog went barking crazy, because it was he who had noticed the fire in the house that had burned down. She eventually had to move from there.

She was one of those people who makes no eye contact with you when they’re talking to you. She looked right past the side of my face the entire length of the story. I was grateful when the bus finally arrived.


For dinner, I had a boiled chicken breast with a mixture of Bull’s Eye barbecue sauce and some Harry & David’s Hot & Smoky Pepper & Onion Relish, which made a delicious combination. With it, I had some steamed green beans with a lit bit of butter melted on them and a lot of soy sauce on them. Yummy.

I intended to get to the gym tonight, but it didn’t happen. 🙁

I got a nice Valentine’s Day card in the mail today from Robert. Sweet.

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