Today was day one of infomercial-fitness-product Boot Camp. I’m participating in the test group for the new round of testimonials. I’m also the editor of the show. I hope to lose some pounds, make some friends, and blog a little bit about it.
First off, let me say, I’m not in shape. I was probably in better shape two years ago, or maybe a year ago, but I’ve never been in great shape. I enjoy activities and doing things outside, but I don’t really consider myself an athlete. I love rock climbing and I love hiking, but I don’t do either of those things often enough to make it into an athletic event.
When things happen simultaneously in my life, I like to draw parallels. Today is the first day of the ass kicking work out and it’s also first day that I’m legally allowed to drive where ever I want.
At the beginning of 2010, I was in a somewhat minor accident (read: my car is still a little wonky, two years later). Unfortunately, I was uninsured at the time. I know, it was a bonehead move, but it is what happened. After lots of talk and hope that it would work out well, it didn’t. Progressive wanted me to pay them a large sum of money because they decided the accident was 50/50 fault. Meaning it was no one person’s fault, but we were each responsible for half of the fixing of the other dude’s car. His car repair, which I’m sure had a lot of cosmetic markup, was about $14,000. Now, I can’t say that it was all frivolous repairs, but it does seem like it goes against the honor that I was brought up to have about these sorts of events.
I figured there would be ramification for this lack of payment on my part. But, it turns out, I have two things in my favor: patience and poverty (and possibly the truth). What happened is White Toyota made a left turn in front of Black Jetta into an intersection. I was driving along my merry way, when, BAM White Toyota Truck turns in front of me. (That’s the truth as I remember it.)
The reason that I didn’t have insurance at the time was because I couldn’t afford it. Don’t cry for me Argentina. It was a shitty time and I was broke. The bill came, it left. They notified me that they were going to cancel, and they did. I didn’t have the cashola to pay them. That poverty worked in my favor as they started calling and hounding me to pay my portion of the bill, that I didn’t see was my fault, and I didn’t have the money to pay.
Last, and certainly not least, I’m patient. I say this with now illusions that I have my very impatient moments, but for the long and short of the haul, I’m patient. This worked in my favor when I received a letter from the CA DMV telling me that that my license was going to be suspended. I thought, 30, maybe 60 days tops. I can handle that. BAM. ONE YEAR. That’s right ladies and germs, my license was suspended for one year. This did try my patience, but it did also secure the payment, that I feel that I owe. By paying these days, 365 of them, I paid for what I did wrong to left turn toyota — I was uninsured.
Today is day one for two things. It’s day one for the workout. It’s also day one for car freedom. I was able to drive to work and home again. Occasionally, I would stretch that, and take my laptop to certain events — working away from home. But, I did as best I could, to uphold the letter of the law, and pay my dues. I am currently insured and see no reason why I would need to let that lapse in the near future.
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