Happy birthday to me and Coius! (anybody else?)

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Jon
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Happy birthday to me and Coius! (anybody else?)

Guess what happened today at 3pm CST. Guess, go ahead. I'll write a reply with what happened. You'll NEVER guess just what my big birthday preset was today!

And what about you, Coius? What's the day been like now that you are "of age"? Biggrin

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[url]http://www.daveamason.co

http://www.daveamason.com/april/mp3/phillpinehb%2Emp3

You know, just in case you speak Tagalog really well.

Jon
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For my real big suprise to da

For my real big suprise to day, I got in a traffic accident in the Escort! Woo! NOT. I'll tell what happened after you see the car:

http://www.applefritter.com/node/10154
http://www.applefritter.com/node/10155
http://www.applefritter.com/node/10156
http://www.applefritter.com/node/10157
http://www.applefritter.com/node/10158
http://www.applefritter.com/node/10159
http://www.applefritter.com/node/10160
http://www.applefritter.com/node/10161
http://www.applefritter.com/node/10162
http://www.applefritter.com/node/10163
http://www.applefritter.com/node/10164

Know what did that? The rear damage whas there when I bought it, that shot was to show how bent the axle is. It's not all the fender hanging over that makes the wheel look like it sticks out... Anyway, know what happened? Made a guess? I hit something. Something larger than the Escort. It was a full-sized Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. Yep, a Kansas City Missouri Police Officer CAUSED the accident. I was heading home at 3pm (almost right on) and was on a 4 lane road in the inside lane. At an intersection with another 4 lane road the two PO cars were in the turning lane going the opposite way. There is no turning lane for my direction, and the car in front of me was turning left. It turned and I had slowed a bit to let it clear in front of me then hit the gas again. The offier pulled forward just as the car turned, hesitated, then began to make the turn directly in front of me. I hit the clutch and brakes and swerved to the left. I went left because in the angles we were at I'd be more likely to glance off the car and not hit it nearly head on in the passenger side. I actually made this decision in the couple of seconds before we hit. I've no idea how fast I was going as I had slowed then sped up while ooking at traffic and not my speedo. I left distinct skid marks right up to the police car so it's obvious I hit the brakes, and I'm glad they were really new tires on the front too.

Nobody seems hurt more than a general banging around. GREAT! And, it's totally not my fault! The officer admmits "failure to yield to oncoming traffic" to the AIU (Accident Investigation Unit of the KCPD). I'm glad I was by myself in my beater and that it's not my fault.

Also, my DL expires today. Just my luck! I went into the local License Bureau at about 5-10mins to closing and they gave me a 60-day extension sticker because I need to find my birth certificate to meet the new Federal reqs. The gal was very nice. I'm glad I didn't get some tired cranky worker who might have decided to just let me leave with nothing!

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well...

World famous scientist Stephen Hawking, singer Dave Mathews, and President Richard Nixon have birthdays today, as well as:

and there are some others.

What? You guys really didn't think you were the only ones, did you? Blum 3

Happy Birthday, fellas!

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Re: [url]http://www.daveamason.co

http://www.daveamason.com/april/mp3/phillpinehb%2Emp3

You know, just in case you speak Tagalog really well.

Ako ay hindi ang tangi isa dito sino magsalita Tagalog?

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Re: [url]http://www.daveamason.co

http://www.daveamason.com/april/mp3/phillpinehb%2Emp3

You know, just in case you speak Tagalog really well.

Ako ay hindi ang tangi isa dito sino magsalita Tagalog?

Why yes, I would like an omelette right now.

Oh, Happy Birthday all those who have a birthday today. Jon, your car looks unhappy - at least it wasn't you with the crushed fender Wink

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re: And, it's totally not my fault!

Heh, yeah right! I'm of the general opinion that this sort of accident takes two schmucks to make happen. And . . . err, you happen to be one of 'em. Sorry, just callin' 'em as I sees 'em.
Blum 3
I'm still sad you were part of such a crappy birthday 'event' though. Damn good thing nobody was seriously hurt, that's the main thing. That's the best birthday gift of all really. Acute

dan k

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Wow! Thx :)

Actually, I just got back from dinner, where my mom, brother and I had a nice Italian Meal at "Macaroni Grill" and had a nice bottle of wine. The wine was a mix of Merlot, Cabernet Lasuvignon, and Langovese (i think I got that right?). Anyway, I am not a wine buff, But my brother is, and I had him pick the wine out. I also had my friend Stephen come with, even though he is not of age, but it was an enjoyable experience.

I requested that no on sang "Happy Birthday" to me, as it is not a thing to attract attention to me. but anyway, It was an enjoyable day.

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Happy birthday Jon and Coius.

Happy birthday Jon and Coius.
Mines on the 12th. I'm turning 17...woo hoo.

Jon
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Re: re: And, it's totally not my fault!

Heh, yeah right! I'm of the general opinion that this sort of accident takes two schmucks to make happen. And . . . err, you happen to be one of 'em. Sorry, just callin' 'em as I sees 'em.
:P

No, really. Smile I had to be in the neighborhood of 30-35mph (but I'm not sure) when the officer turned. I had no time to do anything evasive except brake and swerve. If I hadn't turned at all I would have hit the front corner of the car and not the front wheel & passenger door. In the time of my reacton the car moved about 2-3 feet to the left. That's not a lot of time at 30ish mph. I'd go right along with your assumption most of the time, but I have a pretty dang good driving record. Of the 5 accidents I've been involved in none were at all my fault. All were either drivers turning/driving across on coming traffic or people crossing the center line around a curve (in the rain while they were speeding).

I haven't had a speeding ticket in at least 7 years (I'm 27 today) and the only recent tickets were for expired license plates. I also get compliments on my driving from people who haven't ridden with me before.

I'm still sad you were part of such a crappy birthday 'event' though. Damn good thing nobody was seriously hurt, that's the main thing. That's the best birthday gift of all really.

That is the one thing I am most glad for: nobody was really hurt. I also didn't have my (very) pregnant wife or my daughter in the car either. Whew.

Jon
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Enjoy those teenage years! T

Enjoy those teenage years! Trust me, you'll miss 'em when they're gone.

Jon
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I fully agree with the no sin

I fully agree with the no singing thing. I'm not an attention hog and I couldn't care less unless my family REALLy wantsto serenade me. I'd rather have the dinner conversation and company than the singing.

Letting someone experienced pick out your wine was a good idea. A poorly chosen wine would taste wierd with certain foods, and might even spoil your appetite.

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Re: re: And, it's totally not my fault!

Of the 5 accidents I've been involved in none were at all my fault.

Wow! your luck sucks! I have only had one bad experience with driving, and that was in alabama. I wa going down a mountain and a semi behind me lost his brakes. While trying to get away from him, i think i red-lined the honda, and must have hit about 120Mph. I also had a semi coming at me. I literally had to slam on my brakes, and pull in the way of the oncoming semi and let the guy with the brakes that went out wiz past me. I think I swerved back into the lane with only 10ft clearence from my bumper and the semi in the oncoming lane. All that at 110MPh. I actually never drove again. I prefer public transportation instead of driving. that was also the year i got my permit. I was only 15. That still haunts me to this day

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my day

happy b-day dude
my b-day is on jan 13 and I am geting a ipod video

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Your car condition

Looks like a fairly bad accident, but I have a question. Other than the accident debris in your car, why do you keep it as such a pig sty? Have a little pride, even in an old beater and clean your upholstery every once in a while. Your windows look dirty enough to have affected your vision and possibly contributed to the accident. Live how you want, but a dirty car can distract you in an accident.

Jon
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All the junk in the car is th

All the junk in the car is the bumper and headlight and turn signal pieces that the tow driver cleaned off the road. All mixed with the coolant that completely leaked out on the scene. He made a mess of the car when he cleaned it up and threw it in. Around here the tow drivers have to clen up the debris on the road and then the fire department comes out to clean the coolant off the pavement. Also, the cup on the dash basically splattered soda all over the windshield during the impact. In truth, I had the car at the car wash the day before the accident. Look at the engine, I even cleaned that off. FWIW my visibility had almost nothing to do with the accident. It wasn't me that didn't the see the officer, the officer didn't see ME.

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re: I was heading home at 3pm . . .

I was heading home at 3pm (almost right on) and was on a 4 lane road in the inside lane. . . . snip

. . . takes two schmucks to make happen

Soooooooo . . . Jon . . . care to know all the things you did 'wrong' which contributed to the crash? :?

I'm not busting on you, just trying to shine light on what did happen and why. In my experience almost always when two moving vehicles collide both parties bear responsibility for not preventing the crash (vs. causing the crash.)

My creds? In my 29 years driving, I've logged over a million road miles here in the States and abroad with no serious crashes and only a few minor bumps. I've seen it all. Seriously. And I'm willing to share my insights. Right here. Now. Uhh . . . if you want me to that is. Acute

dan k

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my half birthday is on the 18

my half birthday is on the 18th...if that counts...

John

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Re: re: And, it's totally not my fault!

Of the 5 accidents I've been involved in none were at all my fault.

Wow! your luck sucks! I have only had one bad experience with driving, and that was in alabama. I wa going down a mountain and a semi behind me lost his brakes. While trying to get away from him, i think i red-lined the honda, and must have hit about 120Mph. I also had a semi coming at me. I literally had to slam on my brakes, and pull in the way of the oncoming semi and let the guy with the brakes that went out wiz past me. I think I swerved back into the lane with only 10ft clearence from my bumper and the semi in the oncoming lane. All that at 110MPh. I actually never drove again. I prefer public transportation instead of driving. that was also the year i got my permit. I was only 15. That still haunts me to this day

I also had a harrowing experience learning to drive:

My parents taught me how to drive when I was 14 (the youngest you can learn here in Alberta, Canada). They brought me out into the foothills and taught me to drive a stick shift on the gravel roads. Most of the places had a gentle shoulder if you screwed up, and no one did more than 35mph on these roads, so it was an ideal place to learn how to use the clutch and whatnot.

After my first day driving, my Mom wanted to see what progress I had made (my Dad did most of my instruction). We'd basically drive about 8mi out to the highway, turn around and come back to the campsite. We were on our way out, and we were in the "dangerous zone". There was no shoulder on this patch of road (about 1/4mi or so), but instead a 40ft vertical drop on my right (south side) and a steep hill on the north side of the road. So we were driving through at about 35mph, and 3 drunk teenagers in a Honda Civic decide to play chicken with me. I don't understand what they're trying to do, so I pull over as far to the right as I can and let off the gas. They come up within 5 feet of the front of the truck and swerve off. I was really freaked out about it, and I didn't want to drive for the rest of the night, so I let my mom take the truck back. The only thing that I did "wrong" was that I forgot to put the clutch in and the truck stalled along the side of the road.

As for the drunken Honda drivers, the last I saw them they had their Civic knee deep in a mud hole. Needless to say I didn't feel compelled to help them.

Cheers,

The Czar

Jon
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I can see where you are going

I can see where you are going with this and I understand your point. But, to further enlighten you to the situation: I was due for a left hand turn somewhat further down the road. I know I could have been in the right hand lane, but making a lane change just before a left turn is considered even worse driving ettiquette than travelling in the left lane. Wink

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re: I can see where you are going

Since you didn't ask for my buttinsky-know-it-all analysis, I'll keep it short and just address the point you make. The key was the cop didn't see you. Your job as a non-crash-participant is to make sure you pose no surprises to anyone else on the road. Being behind the other car hid you well enough so the cop couldn't see you.

There are lots of ways to ensure others on the road are aware of your presence. Just having your headlights on all the time is a good start. You also could have moved slightly sideways in such a way that the cop couldn't miss seeing you. Even changing lanes and then changing back after the interestion is an absolutely proper move, provided the space to your right was clear. And of course it would be, because you (of course) always make sure you have multiple exit paths.

er,, sorry, enough, I know, unwanted advice blah, blah, blah. My curse, being an insufferable know-it-all. Blum 3

dan k

Jon
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There is one fact that I've n

There is one fact that I've not posted yet, that makes alot about issue for the officer not seeing me more clear, and I felt might cause undue criticism for: She was about 5' tall. Or just possibly less. Driving a full-sized car. So, a short female officer failed to see a sub-compact travelling behind another car. Not too suprising, but certainly something not forseeable for all the rest of us on the road.

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