Asides

A Tweety Update

Got a call from the insurance adjuster today. According to the initial assessment fixing Tweety will cost R7000 more than we paid for her and R5000 more than the currently insured value, so a write-off appears to be in our future. They’re still looking at alternative quotations, but having found out for myself what the actual parts cost I’m not optimistic (the boot door alone is almost half the car’s total value, unless one can be salvaged from a scrap yard).

As there’s no way we’ll get another car with aircon, CD player and power steering, with Tweety’s mileage and in Tweety’s condition (sans recent damage) for the price we paid for her two years ago, never mind the amount we can expect to be paid out, I’m now hoping the company of the guy who caused the accident will be willing to settle the matter privately as I have no desire to go through the drama of buying back the car form the insurance company and then trying to re-insure a “salvaged” vehicle. Except that all the people at said company are always out of the office when I call and apparently don’t know how to return messages.

I’ll keep you updated.

O, yeah. April Fool!

I want to apologise for not having a fitting offering for April Fools this year. I’ve been trying to think of something since last week, but the perfect idea only hit me this afternoon, way too late to implement it. I’ll tell you this: next year’s April Fools will be legen…wait for it…

Instead, I’ll point you to the latest “improvement” devised by the…good people running WordPress.com, the AutoMatton.

Can anyone say “Skynet”?

Coming up…

Tomorrow I celebrate the thirty-third year of managing to not join the great majority, so watch this space for an extra special birthday edition of the Song Title Challenge. It’s dealer’s choice, and I’m feeling excited about this one.

Tomorrow is also Felt Hat Day, so dust off your fedora or pretend you’re a time lord and don your fez. And if you don’t have a felt hat, no problem, for tomorrow is also Make A Hat Day, so make your own hat, as long as it’s from felt. I’ll be taking down three birds with one stone by making myself a pirate hat. Confused? Read on.

Wednesday will bring another edition of Percussive Etymology. This week I’m taking my hammer to the expression “rule of thumb”. That’s allowed, as long as the hammer’s handle is no thicker than one’s thumb (or is it?)

An’ on Friday it again be International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Sharpen yer cutlasses an’ load the cannons (no brass monkeys on this ship), cause there be ships ter plunder, towns ter sack, an’ wenches ter…yer know 😉 I’ll be sharin’ with you a special tale as had ne’er been told ’bout one o’ the black heartedest pirates ter ever sail the seven seas.