Hurtstang

We had a good visit with Mom today. She is doing well and seemed upbeat and happy! We did a few things for her around the place, and she was quite happy to have Ken trim the shrubbery. (I can’t use the word ‘shrubbery’ without thinking of the Knights Who Say Ni!) After that we sat out on her porch and enjoyed the breeze and chatted a bit. Now we’re just hanging out at home and watching other college games while we wait for the ND-Michigan game. Oh, and thanks for the horseradish cheese, Mom! We’re going to try some of that tonight!

Ken started the ball rolling with the insurance claim on the car today. The appraiser will be coming on Monday to check it out, and we’ll go from there. Ken got a copy of the police report online, and all culpability is given to the truck that hit him. The police report also estimates the damage at $5,000-$10,000. GAH!

I’m not surprised, though. I took a closer look at it when we got home from Mom’s. (Click on picture to embiggenate.) I’m no expert in how much it will all cost, but I had two uncles who ran body shops for decades, and my cousin still runs one of them. The entire door will have to be replaced, and I’m guessing the rear panel will also need to be replaced, because it’s got a large dent near the door and several fairly deep gouges over the wheel well. The front panel will probably not need to be replaced, but I think they’ll probably still paint it. With all of that, the repair costs could really be up there.

In fact, because there are so many miles on his car, it’s entirely possible that it might be totaled. If that happens, my cousin might not get the repair business from us! But we’re just going to wait and see what we hear from the appraiser. We’ve just been speculating about different scenarios and vehicles, but before we get too deep into that, we’ll have to see what the estimated damage is.

Taking a closer look made me feel a little ill. First and foremost, it really could have been so much worse...for Ken. He came out relatively unscathed. Just a small cut on his hand (he picked a shard of glass out of his scalp this morning), and some generalized aches and pains. He’s been taking Advil to help with that, and he’s okay. He had a little chip on his glasses—thank science he was wearing them, because a piece of glass could have gone into his eye!—and he will talk to the claims adjuster to see if new lenses are covered. I would think they would cover that. It’s not on the edge, it’s right in his line of sight, and that would bother me. It makes you think about how close things can be, and how our mortality is sometimes just inches away. Our friend Lisa expressed something close to that, about “inches and seconds,” and she is so right.

That’s the main thing, and I know that a car is just a car, and can be repaired or replaced. But Mustangs are special. I’m driving my fourth one (“Slick”), and Ken got his (“Blacky”) the year after I got mine. I love Mustangs like no other car, and to see Blacky all scraped up and dented, his side mirror hanging down with its guts exposed...well, it just hurts my heart. Blacky has been a faithful companion and has delivered us safely to Florida several times. He’s been to Chicago, Indianapolis, “Woodbury,” and various other spots near and far. Seeing him all banged up like that just makes me feel so sad. I hope it works out that we can get him fixed up. “We can rebuild him!” If not...well, we’ll cross that bridge IF we come to it.

In the meantime, Team Nutwood is hangin’ tough!

GO IRISH!

Baby, you can drive my car

But only if I love you.

Things are getting spring-like around here, with warmer temperatures and a fair amount of sunshine. I've noticed a few sprouts springing up in the woods, crocuses and miniature daffodils. (I only remember what they are because I remember where I planted them. They're only about an inch high right now, popping up through the layer of leaves.)

When the weather breaks, a young Beth's fancy turns to...getting in my car and hitting the road, baby!

No, I didn't do a road trip or anything, but one of the things I wanted to do on Sunday was get my car washed, to get all the salt and winter grime off of it. Instead of heading right over to the car wash, I drove downtown and up by Notre Dame...just happy to be out in my car, out in the sunshine, listening to some good music. I was even able to roll the window down a little bit, and that made me even happier. Since it was a Sunday, I suppose I was technically a Sunday driver, although I didn't behave that way. In fact, I got a little frustrated with people doing 30 in a 35 zone and started zipping around a bit...but that's what makes driving my car so much fun. It goes. There was also a little bit of language, mostly consisting of "WTF, people?!" I didn't use the acronym, though.

After the car wash, my car just looked so handsome that I had to take some pictures. I love my Pony. Got a little dirty again coming up the driveway (things are melting and mushy), but it's important to get the salt off of it.

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Does anyone else find those big whirling dervish brushes in the car wash a little creepy? It seems like they sort of loom and then lunge at you. They don't send me into a panic attack or anything, but I do find them a little unsettling. Has anyone ever written a horror story about a car wash gone bad? If Stephen King can write about a haunted laundry press, I would think a car wash could work. Think of one of those dangly, fleshy blue strips slithering in through a space between the window and door frame, touching you on the cheek, running down your neck, all cold and slimy and soapy...hey, that's got possibilities!

Pardon my disjointedness. I'm actually tired and need to sleep soon. Too much excitement and fresh air today. Ha!

Watched the Academy Awards tonight...don't always do that, but there was nothing else on and didn't feel like watching a movie. I look forward to seeing more of these movies, especially "Precious"...I think the only one nominated for best picture that I've seen so far was "District 9." (Loved it.) I was happy to see that Jeff Bridges won for best actor, because I've liked him for years. I cracked up at his acceptance speech, because he frequently punctuated sentences with "man." As in "thank you, man" and "I love you, man." I found it charming and retro. Uh oh...now that I think about it, sometimes I say "man" at the end of my sentences. Oh well, I suppose there are worse things to be than retro.

Seeing him made me want to watch "The Big Lebowski" again, and I went looking for it. I could have sworn that I had a copy of that, but I couldn't find it anywhere! Augh! I looked twice, and it's nowhere to be found. I'll have to remedy that, because I love that movie. The Dude abides.

I’m in love with my car

I was draggin' ass this morning, but it was my own fault for staying up so late. I was listening to music and deciding what to upload, and before I knew it, it was 3:30. Ouch man.

I had several errands to run today, so I headed out before too long, and man, was it ever a great day for a drive! Sunny, warm enough to put the window down, and the Dandy Warhols blasting. I did plenty of seat-dancing and singing along, and I'm sure I looked quite silly. I didn't care. If anyone didn't like my seat-dancing, they can just bite me! My drive had a strange effect on me...it made me feel sassy. In fact, I felt like I had stepped in a big pile of sassy. It could easily have turned to aggression, because people were driving like dicks, but I kept the level in the sassy zone. I love my car. How can I not love something that makes me feel so completely and utterly sassy? (This could very well be a private joke between Cousin Shane and I, unless someone else remembers that SNL skit!) Slick takes me where I want to go, when I ask him to he responds, and he's got that throaty growl that I so adore. Saddle up!

Tell 'em how I feel about it, Roger!

Mission NOT accomplished

I knew that I wanted to head out to the store today, so in anticipation of that, I went out yesterday and charged my Mustang's battery. (I've had problems lately with a dead battery after it sits for a few days. I've become an expert at hooking up the charger!) When I went out today, it had lost most of the charge and would not start. That was it. I hooked it up to the charger and came back in and called our nearby Ford dealer. They said they could get me in with no problem, so as soon as Slick charged, I headed out.

The plan was an oil change and a new battery, but it was also due for 15,000 mile service, so four hours and $500 later, I got out of there. Needless to say, I wasn't in any mood to go to the store, so I came home and I'll go out tomorrow. I live to fight another day. What a way to spend an afternoon. But never let it be said that I'm not doing my part to help the economy, not to mention an American auto company!

It looks like President Obama had a busy first day in office. The Dow rebounded nicely, although I read little into that considering the volatility of the market right now. Looks like one of his top priorities is to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. I brook no tolerance for terrorists, but the truth is that some of these people have been held for six years without any charges being filed against them. That is horrific and appalling and goes against all of our principles as a country. Close the mother down, President Obama, and good riddance!

On to a lighter subject...and yes, I'm still writing about Vegas!

When Ken and I visited there in 2005, we stopped in at the El Cortez, just a block away from the Fremont Street Experience. While the casinos that are a part of FSE have been updated and generally look pretty spiffy, the El Cortez just looked sad and tired. We found a $3 craps table, always cool, but in this case, there was a guy there laying down huge bets that all of us rollers would crap out. I.e., he was betting that we all would lose, and he was cleaning up. It was such a downer, and I think it's really bad karma. It's a lot more fun when everyone is cheering for each other, everyone is winning (rather than just one Denny Downer), and you whoop it up for a hot roller and shout out "Ee-yo eleven!" when betting one for the croupiers.

We didn't linger there long...it just left a bad taste in our mouths. The whole place seemed dark and dingy, the stuffing was popping out of split vinyl chairs, and there was an almost palpable air of desperation.

Fast forward about four years, and on our recent visit, we hear from our tour guide at the Boneyard, Justin, that the El Cortez is one of the finest examples of old Vegas, and the owners have embraced the history and heritage of the casino and of Las Vegas in general. He said it was worth a visit, because they have placed many photographs of old Vegas up on the walls, and they have torn out that "smelly carpet" and spruced up the place. I'm happy to say that he was absolutely right, and while the ambiance of the El Cortez is still a bit dark (due to the woodwork and dim lighting), it had a much different atmosphere this time around. The photos are great, and the El Cortez is one of only a few Vegas casinos to never have changed its exterior or signage. It has been in the same location since it was built in 1941.

Marion Hicks and J.C. Grayson built the hotel/resort, and although it was originally thought to be far enough removed from downtown that it couldn't make a go of it, the El Cortez quickly proved to be so profitable that it was bought in 1945 by Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Gus Greenbaum, and Moe Sedway. You might recognize some of those names as some of the bigger players in the Vegas Mob underworld. In 1963, the property was bought by Jackie Gaughan, and his family runs it to this day. The El Cortez is known as one of the main places in Vegas for new dealers to perfect their technique and learn the ropes. Recent renovations seem to have been welcomed, as there were plenty of players when we were there, and apparently it is still a big draw for the locals. I took this picture a couple of weeks ago and changed it up to black and white. Doesn't it look like it could have been taken 60 years ago? The sign is original to the casino.

As someone who is obsessed with highly interested in historic preservation, I'd say that the El Cortez and other downtown casinos are a success story. Some of the signage has suffered (the Mint facade is a huge loss), but I'd say that the heightened interest in the history of Las Vegas has helped the downtown area and preservation efforts in general. Next time you're in Vegas, don't ignore downtown--I think you'll enjoy the old Vegas vibe.

Coming soon: more downtown casinos and more fabulous neon!