Friday, March 13, 2009

RACING STRIPES

Kev says that he has been waiting over a week for this post so I better get to it before he does and I can't speak for myself.

Before I tell you my story I must tell you that I do not judge distances very well. I never have - at least as long as I can remember. I am truly not good with numbers. I think I have explained before how Kev's favorite game is to ask me how far something is - I always get it wrong, completely wrong like saying 100 yards instead of 10 feet or something. My brain just can't get wrapped around big numbers and I don't do well with distances either.
Last week I was taking the kids to swimming lessons and had to park at the shopping center. I was parking between a little blue car on the right and a big red post on the left. In my defense the parking spots here are so small. I was watching the car really closely and thought I had enough room on the left hand side - wrong. Soon I heard that metal scratching sound that means you have come in contact with something you should be avoiding. Since I don't judge distances well the left side of the car (right side back home) is always running over curbs and such. In fact Kev got the tires changed a few months back and said that the left side tires were really run down on the edges - oops!!!
Upon hearing the sound I immediately stopped and began to try and back out of the spot to correct my position. Not such a great idea either. I ended up scratching the car the entire way out and the side mirror got caught on the post and flipped parallel to the car facing out - not the way it is supposed to flip mind you. Let's just say I got us parked in the middle of the parking spot and got out to inspect the damage. Not as bad as it could have been that is for sure. Some big red racing stripes down the car, on the door handle, and the mirror didn't fare so well but went back into place. I also dented the frame of the car in a bit at the bottom. It could have been worse right - I could have hit the little blue car.

Then the craziest thing happened this week. I went to get the kids from school and started backing out of the garage. Again the scrapping sound. The garage door hadn't gone up all the way. At least I hadn't gone far. I pulled back in and pushed the button causing the garage door to continue on it's way opened. Silly garage door - it is very temperamental, but has never not opened all the way. Lucky for me just a few scratches now on the top of the car but no damage done to the garage door. Now I have to make sure the garage door is opened all the way before I leave.

I thought I was doing so well for a year and a half of figuring out how to drive on the other side of the road in small lanes and roads that never go straight. Guess not!!!

7 comments:

sirpa said...

Oh Stacy! I really, really, really hate parking too! I've been Okay so far and only scratched my dad's car once a long long time ago. While parking. Oh and I've broken my father-in-laws back light when I reversed to a pole. I know! A calssic. Still don't have a clue how that happened. If ever I'm driving with Teemu and get in a tough spot while parking or, park the car in a very strange way and can't get it right I get out and let him fix it :-)

Brandon and Julie said...

well, I hate to say it, but I have done the same thing. But the pole that I scratched against was grey and so was the GEO. But I say the same thing at least I didn't hit the car next to me.

mintifresh said...

I think it's the car's fault. And the pole!

Lisha said...

Take a look at all of the four corners of our cars' bumpers, they have all met with a post or something or other. I hate parking next to those cement posts at shopping centres.

elder mcdonough said...

i think these are great stories, as the saying goes there are always two sides to every pancake i would love to hear kevin tell the story!! my last car incident was backing out of my garage at 5:30a.m headed to the gym and broke the side mirror on the side of the garage, not good, a few months later i found myself in sacrament and jeff was telling this story from the pulpit, i was completely caught off gaurd!

Anonymous said...

The comments for your story are interesting. Can't say as I have heard all of them. I couldn't resist writing a note as I remember driving with you through our neighborhood when you were learning to drive. You came so close to all the cars parked on Trail Avenue, that we turned around and went home and I asked Stacy's dad to continue practice driving with her, she scared me too much.
Sorry, Stace, I hate it when accidents happen because of our lack of insite.
Love, Mom

Cherish said...

You are not alone! The only way we find our suburban in the walmart parking lot is in looking for the dent I put in it. It is quite handy actually!