September 23, 2014

Unrequited Guilt


Grumpy at the winter beach.


A lovely blogger names Lily writes about leaving notes on badly parked cars.  She asks, “Have you ever left an anonymous note for someone?”  Now she shares with us a photograph of a badly parked truck that’s taking up two spaces.

I would have found her entry amusing if I weren’t quite so guilty.

No one ever cares if they open their car/truck doors into someone else.  Chip.  Whoops.  But I care.  Last year someone hit Grumpy’s rear fender and cracked it.  Grumpy’s rear fenders are fiberglass rather than metal.  Tho it bolts on and comes color coated, the car guy tells me, it will cost us right around $1500.00 to replace it.  I didn’t have the nerve to ask if they still make them.  Grrrr….  Just lately someone pulling out of a parking space got the painted bottom of the bumper.  More expensive Grrrrrr’s.

Every time I go to work now, I park far, far, away from others.  Usually I consciously take up more than one space….or I am on the edge of a second space.  Oh, guilt.  Grumpy may be twenty years old, but he doesn’t have to look it, and I can’t keep repairing other’s hits on my truck with my budget.  Oh, unrequited guilt indeed.


  • Himself:  Worked extra hard yesterday and put up with me.  Drove to Poway after dinner.
  • Herself:  Only napped an hour yesterday.  The cold was better in the morning and worse at night.  I’m going to live.  Back to work tomorrow, pool Thursday, and real life Friday.
  • Reading:  Anne McCaffrey.
  • Balance:  Managed to make surgery appointment and follow up appointment, arranged glasses appointment, and will call on mammogram appointment today.  You don’t have to be awake to make appointments.



  • 8 comments:

    1. Poor Grumpy! Our Prius got badly scratched and dented while it was parked at a grocery store frequented a lot by senior citizens. We now try to park farther away where there are wider spaces. Hawaiian parking spaces are notoriously tight but people would be afraid to take two spaces for fear of getting keyed.

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    2. My old van is on its third bumper. I wonder what it would cost to get an old metal bumper fitted to the rear end? Meanwhile I park as far away as possible too.

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    3. Talk about guilty. I opened the back door of the car and made a very tiny chip and dent in hubbys classic car. Oh my, I can't tell you how bad I felt. Not sure what it will cost to fix it.

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    4. Do you have a handicap placard so you can park in a handicap stall? It really helps us because the stalls are so much larger.

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    5. My beautiful little car has so many nicks it needs a paint job...but I did most of it myself..the Nicky that is. I have never washed my car either. But we take good care of the engine.

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    6. I think we should park so as to start taking 3 places.

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    7. I think of anonymous notes as very cowardly acts. If you wouldn't say it to the person's face, don't write it anonymously. Passive-aggressive behavior just makes me angry. It certainly wouldn't change my behavior.

      As for parking. I park as far out as I can just so I get more exercise. Funny thing, though, I usually return to find someone parked next to me. Maybe they had the same idea.

      Owning a car comes with all sorts of drawbacks, one being dings and dents. If something major happens, then the body shop can make it look better. Our insurance takes care of those things. I did have to pay the deductible the last time I had the Subaru to the body shop because it was my fault, I ran into a fence pole. However, the $500 deductible was minor to the $1800 bill. Fenders cost a whole lot these days.

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