ALWAYS ALWAYS , TAKE THE NEEDED CAUTION.

You  know how every  group  seems to have  dopple gangers , of one another ,  I recently met mine  on a trip to  Sinaloa (fab),

Any, who ,  so there’s like the  , the talker , the prude , the ding-bat, and  the  list maker , you  know them ….type  A,   makes a list for the days  of the week assigning chores , must be given  two  weeks notice   for road trips…. but the list maker  also   servers  the purpose  of making the reservations , getting full coverage  car insurance  and  having the  six page map quest  laminated with  alternate  routs highlighted, before  we go any further, I am not the  type A, I’m the kid who  usually  just makes it up as  I go along  until  I reach a fork in the road  at which point I   play  rock paper  scissors  and  end up  going in the opposite direction of that  wich I originally  intended , but  that’s ok  that  works for me , until this  last week , you  see  this last  week   there was an unprecedented  snow  storm in my part of the  world,  icy roads  snow , idiot  drivers  you name it , but  my job  requires me to  get  out there when the people are out there, (I work  two  jobs: one as a substitute  teacher, the others a census   bureau  employee: what you think  I’m going to get to my next destination  on  my good looks and charm?) anyway  so  because I’m  out  on the road more, and my  two jobs  already have me looking like an old school marm , cardigans and all, I figured I should switch my insurance  to something that reflects my new senior  tastes , so   a week goes by , storm hits and a guy hits me on my  way to work ,   yep just slides past  the intersection   and  wham!  So I call the cops , highlight  of night I assure you, and  then  I wait    for like three  days because the  guy doesn’t file a claim,  so  then   I have to , then  wait , meanwhile  at the hotel  I’m in has no  hot  water , and my car  does not  drive  so  then I’ m getting rides  from   two different sets  of adoptive parents ( I could have flourished  in the days  when communes  were in vogue) and  life is a pain, because  for all my  marmishness  I’m only twenty  four , and the  state in which I live does not rent to  24 year olds , unless the  insurance company   does it for them,   so I call my insurance ( famous  for road side assistance ) and they inform me that I don’t actually have rental , in my policy , great, so  my  then my   brother calls  around and  finds a lovely young lady , who may have at one time been an actual weather  girl, tells me that the only place  I can  get a rental from  her company is currently in  El Paso Texas  …. at the  air port, so  I go ….  the weather  girl lied  four  hours later after doing my own  tom hanks rendition  I submit  defeat … call a friend  and  try  to take the bus, home  … I say try  because  I did not anticipate  needing a plan b ,  I’m always up for a  plan  b , but   a…. lets just move on… ok…. so  I did not have  that on my policy … at this point I’m wondering what exactly is covered on my policy, in any case  yeah its  not that  so  I go  to the bus  station the following morning at  like  five thirty   driven by  the father  fig of my el Paso  family (again commune) any ways  upon arriving at the  bus station  I realize that  I could probably get MONO just  from touching  the bag rail,… then I wait  get  on the bus and  for a few blissful  minutes   I have peace  then  a guy  playing rancheros (THINK POLKA  MIXED WITH RAP AS LOUD AS THIS TYPE FACE) music on his phone  comes  down the aisle… and  he sits with me .. and for a tiny little man  he really took up a lot of space  and nervously  chatted with me in spanish  … the  two-hour bus ride took 3 hours and forty-five minutes, fifteen   of  those however  were  a mix of  confusion as we  drove past my stop , where my bags were dropped  off  so when I  told the driver my  mix up … he kindly pulled to the side of the road opened the door  and told me to get  off  …. watch my step ..” a real hum dinger” so when  I step off the um…  dinger  I realize that , I’m in a ditch  and the only service station is across four lanes of traffic  its  almost noon  and I’m wearing rubber galoshes a floor length  coat  a big  cavernous   everything bag, with everything in it  a computer bag, another  work computer bag  and a cozy blanket  for  staying toasty  in what became  a  75 degree day

when my alamo family came, and found me  I was  sweaty  dehydrated , and had zero bars.

hours later I realized I still couldn’t  get a car,  inventory depleted  and all , then I noticed  my  licence  was expired ….   have no reservations…  but I would advice  getting some  friends who do.

The moral of this story children is  that  whenever possible  make reservations , have great insurance: car  insurance renters ,  TRAVEL, flood , life, get it all , then live free and be happy.—–P.J.