a radio, a crash, and erin go brah!

yesterday was a pretty great day, until i left for work. i hopped in my BRAND NEW eddie bauer explorer and started on my way home. traveling southbound, i noticed a big mess of construction up about a mile away. i was needing to get on the highway and it looked like they had the left lane closed just passed the on ramp. cool... i won't have to merge over and get in the lane that is barely creeping along. everyone (in the left lane) is traveling about 40 mph including me. well, i wanted to change the radio station, and instead of using the controls that are on the steering wheel.... i opted for the old fashioned way and i reached for my dashboard. i was looking down for what seemed like 2 seconds - i look up, and some bastard is completely stopped in the middle of the lane, trying to merge over at the last possible minute. i swerve to try to miss him, but clipped him. BOOM! my front right quarter panel -- his rear left. i merged into the creeper lane and pulled off at the nearest side road. it takes a lot to piss me off, but i was fuming. yes, it was my fault for not paying attention... but I HATE when people try to sneak in at the last minute. it pisses me off to no end, even if there is no accident. AAUUGGHH! anyway, we exchange insurance information, and decide not to call a 5.0. i knew i'd get a citation, so i talked him out of it. i said, "hey, you know you stopped in the middle of a busy street to try to sneak your way into the lane. i know i should've been paying more attention. we're both at fault. there's no reason for us to call johnny law." to my surprise, he immediately agreed. we chatted on the phone last night, and he seems like a really nice guy. he's just a really nice guy who needs to STOP CHEATING. so, i called my insurance agent and we'll get it all taken care of. not that big 'a deal, except i haven't been in any kind of wreck since 1997 and even then it wasn't my fault! i drive like a mom and am generally a very defensive driver. so, i have full coverage of course -- but a $1000K deductible. DAMMIT. that sucks. so, when i got home and calmed down a bit, i decided to go for a run to blow off the steam. i used to be considered a "runner," okay? i ran 10 miles a day for years. well, i haven't ran consistently in about 3 years - just every now and again. yeah, i couldn't even run 2 miles last night. so, in addition to the fact that i was pissed i janked my truck up, i was irritated that i've let my poor lungs get so out of shape. time to start getting back in shape, me thinks. oh yeah, and happy st pattys day. someone, for the love of everything holy --- KISS ME. I'M IRISH.