From Broken Headlights Springs Inspiration!

Nothing draws you out of a carpool blogging malaise like a good old-fashioned car accident!

First of all, don't panic; Mumbles, Madd Dogg, and I (Fidget) suffered no injuries in today's accident. (I'm assuming that Sparky, who rode to work separately today, was also uninjured.)

Here's how it happened (times are estimates):

7:05 am -- Mumbles shows up at the carpool meeting place in a rented Dodge Caliber, like the one seen above, except silver-colored. (If any of you have seen -- or more importantly, ridden in -- Mumbles' own car, you know that the Caliber was cause for rejoicing.)

7:06 am -- Fidget gets in the front seat, Madd Dogg gets in the back; the carpool departs for work.

7:07 am -- We come to a stop behind an enormous semi truck. We wait for it to proceed through the stop sign.

7:07:15 am -- Instead of going forward, the semi begins backing up. Mumbles yells "HEY!" and honks the horn. The truck does not stop.

7:07:31 am -- The rear of the truck makes contact with the Dodge Caliber; crunching sound is heard. Mumbles continues to honk the horn and yell. Fidget yells too. He doesn't remember what.

7:07:37 am -- The Caliber is now moving backward, being pushed by the truck. Even though the horn is honking, the truck continues to push us back. Madd Dogg (helpfully) yells at no one in particular to "Make it stop!" Fidget unstraps his seatbelt, and contemplates leaping out of the vehicle.

7:07:48 am -- One of Portland's finest (strangely sitting in a nearby patrol car doing nothing) "lights it up" (whoop whoop), and drives rapidly over to the front of the truck.

7:07:49 am -- The trucker realizes that he is scaring the sh#t out of three people in a car that looks like a pig, and he applies the brakes.

7:07:55 am -- The officer inspects the car, lights a cigarette, and allows a motorcycle cop to come to the scene to do the paperwork. The motorcycle cop -- who loves to write tickets -- does just that. His handwriting is impecible. Meanwhile, the first officer -- while smoking -- looks closely at the side of the Caliber, and then taps it thoughtfully, as if it is made of a space-age material of which he is unfamiliar.

7:30 am -- The traffic cop finishes the paperwork. Both officers leave. Mumbles spends some quality time with the trucker.

7:31 am -- The carpool continues on to work in slightly damaged Dodge Caliber, the sadder but wiser carpool.

[Photo by jooost boers]