Day 2 Winterland

Ok, so the plows got their act together and made the roads driveable for us non-4-wheel-drive morons. Everything was awesome except for two spots:

• The hill in front of my work's parking lot
• The road going to my house

In the first minute I was in my car, I made a huge driving error and decided to go straight down one of the only un-plowed streets in Durango. This street also happens to be at an almost 45 degree angle. I knew the moment I came to the top of the hill, that it was a mistake. At the very bottom a truck was cockeyed with its bumper smashed into the headlights of a little sedan.

"Oh man. This is not a good idea," I thought.

Halfway down the hill, I noticed that the same incident had taken place between a red POS Geo and a Beamer.

"Oh Crap. Why I am going down this hill?" I said.

Tire starts to slip. Ford Escort proceeds to ice skate sideways down the evil street. Tapping brakes, now. No Dice. Full out of control sliding commences.

"OH SH**, OH SH**, OH SH**!!" I yell.

My POS 96' Ford slams into a nice, expensive SAAB, which happens to be parked facing uphill, so I put a nice canyon into the left fender of her hubby's car. YAY.

At least both our cars were still drivable. At least I didn't have to pay for a tow truck. At least I was able to pick up LB from daycare before another blizzard commences. At least it was 3 pm instead of 3 am, and I wasn't alone in the middle of nowhere. At least the lady was nice to me. At least she showed up a few minutes after I hit her, and she was able to move her car, so I could move mine.

So many positive things right?

What does my mother say?

"Its still points against your insurance."

She also told me that I need a 4-wheel drive vehicle. I have NEVER heard these words come from my mom's lips. She has lived in Colorado for 13 years now, and NEVER has owned a car with 4-wheel drive. I think deep down she considers herself an amazing driver who doesn't NEED to rely on something as expensive as 4-wheel drive, and that all those other people who have it are just bad drivers, or wusses. So for her to say that to me is a little insulting.

However, all of the REAL locals around here have told me that we haven't HAD a Colorado winter in over 10 years, and maybe finally things are going back to normal. I would love it if my mother was forced to buy an SUV, because her impeccable driving ability couldn't face the long winter.

Now excuse me while I wash the bittnerness from my lily-white, 2008 karma.

My own worst enemy

So I know a lot of things are beyond my control that will impead my ability to further myself in the world: high cost of living, minimum wage, babydaddy's failure to pay child support, ignorance, sexism, etc.. But sometimes, it really just ME kicking myself in the face.

Yesterday, I left my purse in the car for a half an hour and when I came back outside, my wallet had mysteriously vanished.

Why this is my own fault:

1. I left my car unlocked
2. I left my windows rolled down
3. I LEFT MY DAMN PURSE IN THE CAR AND DIDN'T TAKE IT WITH ME!

Yes, I am a moron. I have become to lazy in thinking that people are good and trusting in my small, quaint, mountain town.

Why this is bad:

1. My driver's license was in my wallet (really not such a big deal, I just have to drive without a license until I get paid next week)
2. My debt card was in my wallet (eh, I cancelled my account, no biggie)
2. Our Medicaid cards were in my wallet (bad cause someone might try to go to the doctor using my or LB's card)
3. BOTH my and LB's social security cards were in my wallet. BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD.

I have already put a fraud watch out on my ss # and requested another card. But poor LB, she doesn't have a credit report obviously and there's no way to monitor her SS # (according to the Social Security Office) until someone starts using it for their own advantage. My daughter might already have horrible credit by the time she is able to get a credit card of her own because her mom was stupid enough to carry around BOTH ss cards in her wallet.

In my own defense though- In the last 2 months, I have filled out applications for Section 8 Housing Vouchers, Colorado Health Plans (like Medicaid), my own employer's insurance, Colorado Housing, Habitat for Humanity, Request for LB's birth certificate, Request for Social Security card, Child Care Assistance, Head Start, and plenty of other forms that require you to present social security cards for EVERY member of your household.

I don't think that I went ONE week without submitting an application that needed my and LB's ss card, so I usually had it in my purse.

I know this is no excuse. I should have taken the cards out of my wallet every day as soon as I got home.

Sometimes I think I need a crash course on life before actually living it. Especially now that I have a child. There's so many mistakes you make and how are you supposed to recover from them without incurring permanent damage? I wonder if LB will be the youngest person in the world to have her identity stolen? Does this legally count as "Wrongs to Children"?

Haha. Ok. I will get through this. It is a minor set-back on my way to independence and harmony with the world. All I need is a paycheck, and that will set off the chain reaction to my self-sufficiency.