How many people do you think you have met in your lifetime?

[angus]

Met several people today.  They guy who sold me a pizza.  The woman, born in 1929, who wrecked into me on the way home.  The daughter of the woman who wrecked into me on the way home.  The policeman who showed up to investigate after the woman wrecked into me on the way home from picking up my pizza.  The couple who was standing nearby and gave me their card who said that they'd witness it for me.  I'm sure I'll meet several other people over the next few days as well.  Maybe the insurance agent who'll explain to me how little money they'll give me even though (1) I pay for the premium insurance and (2) it was the 1929 woman who got the ticket for running into me.  Maybe the guy who ends up towing my car to the shop.  Maybe the owner of the shop.  Maybe a worker at the shop who'll tell me that it'll never be as good as new even after he repairs it.  Maybe the guy who sells me a new car if the body shop decides it's totaled and that the insurance company should give me a check for maybe 75% of what I could get for the car in better times.  If I'm lucky.

It'll be a week of meeting lots of new people, I expect.  Hopefully and thankfully, at least it won't involve meeting with any physicians.  The boy was wearing his seatbelt and so was I.

[angus]

Met another few people today.  It took them a while, but the insurance company from the 1929 woman is going to pay for everything so today I met the service consultant from the local Volkswagen dealership as well as a claims adjustor from the 1929 woman's insurance company.  Also, later today I'll meet a driver who will come over to pick me up and take me to Enterprise car rental.  They're providing me a car while mine is in the shop.  I hope it's not something too cheesy like a Yaris.  I guess I'll also meet the desk agent when I get there, so that makes four today. 

[angus]

Well, now it seems that they're going to buy my car, as it were.  Apparently it will cost more to repair it than it would to give me a check for the blue book value, so today I returned the rental car to Enterprise (and met another guy in the process.  Probably met a few others as well, since we went to the VW dealership to get my belongings out of my car, and we some stores and ate lunch at a pseudo-Japanese buffet as well.)  Some other agent will contact me Monday with the arrangements, and I'll meet at least one other person.  I'm hoping he'll tell me it's still worth about half what it was when it was new.  I gather that this is not a negotiable point.  They have some table that tells them what it's worth and that's what I'll get, but if it's at least half what it was when it was new, I'll be happy.  I think the way it works is that I agree to relinquish the title and the car, and they agree to give me a check and be done with it.  To be honest, at this point I'd rather have the money than the repaired car.  Some old lady wrecking into you is like that rare situation when you get to sell your car without even trying.  I call that serendipity.

[angus]

Dude, they're gonna give me more than I paid for it!

Sent 'em a voided check, along with all the keys, a signed title, and some documents overnight via UPS today.  Who cares if I meet anyone else.  With Electronic Funds Transfer, we don't really need to actually meet people, do we?  Wooooooooooot!