Automobilia

So, today I went down to retrieve my Smart Car from Seattle, where he has been living in the care of a pal for majority of the pandemic, since we were all in lockdown and whatnot and he could be of more use down there than in my driveway. Driving the car again and seeing all the cars on the freeway got me thinking about cars in general, and I recalled that Jay Leno has or has had a show about the huge car collection that he has amassed over the years. I gather the collection comprises many rare and unusual vehicles, most of which I am given to understand are either very fancy or go very fast or both. I don't know why I started thinking about this, but it made me put together a list of cars that I would own, if I ever was in a position to have a huge garage and to obtain perfectly restored collector vehicles.

It's probably overlaps Jay's collection not at all...

Volkswagen 410

The first car I ever owned and I loved it. 

Datsun B0210 Honey Bee

I learned to drive stick on one of these. Very peppy.

Subaru Brat

Never had one, always wanted one... it has plastic seats in the pickup bed, for cryin' out loud!

Geo Metro Convertible

I have had two Geos, but never a droptop, even though I came close to buying one twice.

They are suh-weet.

Any Isetta

Three wheels and on a door that is the entire front of the car.

Originally made by a firm that used to make refrigerators.

How could you not fall in love with this?

Fiat 500

I have wanted one ever since J-Lo drove hers through the Bronx.

Test drove it a few years back - it was nice.

1960 NSU Prinz

Why this? Because of this:

(click to read story)

I guess I won't be going to any auto shows anytime soon, but it'll be nice to take the Smartie to work again.

Give the boi a hand

 So, yeah.

Way back when on August 25, I had a little mishap on the electrical bicycle.  Heading down the Bay Trail on the way to work, I was charged by a dog who had gotten loose from its human and decided to play. In an attempt to avoid running over the dog and going ass over teakettle, I swerved, bit the soft shoulder, and went ass over teakettle onto the embankment. Luckily a blackberry bush broke my fall and I didn't roll down onto the Burlington Northern tracks.

There was no harm done to the bike, the human was helpful and considerate, and the dog was suitably abashed, so I went on my way, little the worse for wear, although my left hand, upon which I think I landed with my full weight, was throbbing like heck, making a typically painful early morning meeting literally so. I wound up taking ibuprofen for some days, and iced my hand, and even put it in a brace to keep from overusing it, thinking I had a bad sprain.

I continued with the casual care until I noticed that a quite a bit of time had passed and that things had not completely recovered - the hand was still less than 100% functional and there was some lingering pain. I called the doctor and went in after about another week; she ordered an X-ray, which took me another few days to get. Lo and behold, it turned out it wasn't a bad sprain, it was an intra-articular avulsion fracture at the base of the proximal phalanx of the thumb likely underlying the ulnar collateral ligament insertion. Yep, a broken thumb.

I made it almost 64 years without a broken bone... doggo blew my record.

Anyway, doc wanted me to get it into a spica splint and immobilize the thumb so it could heal; the alternative was a cast, and nobody wants that. It took some doing - a decent splint is apparently not easy to come by, and the one I got at the pharmacy might have been good for tendonitis but wasn't doing the trick for an avulsion fracture. I finally got one today, from my doctor's own clinic no less.

So, if I am good boy, and the next set of X-rays in three weeks shows improvement, I may get out of this without plaster. Having been using the thumb broken for six weeks (it made a very interesting crunching noise from time to time), I am not confident of the prognosis.

In the meantime, I am doing my very best to keep it as immobile as possible (luckily I only hunt-and-peck type) and reflecting on how lucky I am in a circumstance like this:

• I have a job that allows me to work with a busted wing
• I have the flexibility to take the time to go to doctors and to get X-rays and to visit pharmacies
• I have health insurance that pays for a lot of this and resources to cover the rest
• I have a comfortable home and a supportive spouse to help me out

For me, this broken bone is a minor inconvenience and funny story. For some people, it would have a profound impact and possibly be a life-changing event. I try to never forget that, to never take my situation for granted, and to always remember my less fortunate sisters and brothers. 

I can always give them a hand.