Life is like a game of snakes and ladders.

At the moment mine seems to be all snakes and no ladders.

So friday I went over to newark (about 50 miles) to pick up a 3d printer.
Guy had put it together, everything worked but he couldn't get it to print.
So he threw a strop, and put it back in the box and put it up for sale.
He paid £260, wanted £100.

It's got a larger print volume than any of mine and looked like a really nice bit of kit.
So off I go friday lunchtime.
get the machine, and on the way back came to a roundabout empty of any traffic.
For some reason the woman in the car in front of me stopped.
Unfortunately my brain had already accounted for her carrying on and turning left, and when I ran into the back of her car - along with an awful lot of expletives, my brain just couldn't work out why there was even a car there.

My car is 17 years old - it's in good nick and i know what's been changed and fixed and what might need doing.
It needs a new wheel, bumper, light fitting and some panels banged back into shape.

The insurance companies do not think like that - to them it's easier and cheaper to condemn it.

So the best value 3d printer I've bought - ended up costing me a car.

I'm considering moving to anglesey - no snakes in anglesey.

Any other car that's even half as good as my old one is going to cost me more than I actually have.

Sometimes you just wonder why you get up in the mornings.

I hate playing snakes and ladders - why can't life be more like hungry hippos ?

Ugh that sucks man. Sorry to hear that! Most importantly did you come out of it unscathed? Wrecks have a way of leaving you with pain and injuries you don’t feel until a day or two after.

Was she at fault for essentially being stopped in the middle of a public road? Here in America the liability laws are a bit screwy. Usually if you hit someone from behind, except for a few reasons, they nail you with the bill. Dash cams are wonderful tools for such situations.

That sucks.  Hope you're OK.

At least you've got the printer, so it isn't a total loss. 

At least you’re ok , injures and death are the ultimate snakes.

wasn't going very fast, so no injuries.
Just a bent car.
Yo be honest I'd swap a broken bone ot two to have a fixable car.
It's going to get moved to a garage the insurance company uses - so not entirely declared dead yet.

And had a small ladder (well depends how you look at it I supose - could be a very long ladder :-) yesterday.

When my diabetes got diagnosed just over a year ago. My blood pressure was apparently high enough to kill a small elephant.
And all the medical personnel I saw in the first month or so were clearly puzzled why I wasn't:
a) dead
and
b) having any symptons.
I just got used to them looking at the readout and gasping, then asking me: 'Do you feel alright ?'
Worried I was going to peg it then and there, I suppose.

So while I've got a blood pressure machine, I haven't been using it because, while both my blood glucose levels and cholesterol levels are almost 'normal' now, the blood pressure didn't seem to change.
And frankly it was depressing doing the readings.

Got an appointment with the diabetes specialist tomorrow, so figured I'd better do some bp readings.

You medics will look at what it used to be and gasp:
Over the last 12 months it's averaged somewhere between 190/100 and 210/120.
The chances are it'd been that high for quite a number of years.
Yeah that's right - I'm unkillable, blood vessels made from woven kevlar :whistle:


Yesterday I did several readings and the highest was 135/84
lowest 132/79.

Given that the specialist, at my appointment 6 months ago, said I was aiming for around 130/80.
I'm well chuffed :-)

I'll do some more today.

But unpleasant as it is - the diet is definitely working !

Not sure I'll get off the medication (my ultimate goal) tomorrow, but it's getting closer to that glorious day :-)

Curious Aardvark wrote on May 19^th, 2020 at 11:39am:

You medics will look at what it used to be and gasp: Over the last 12 months it's averaged somewhere between 190/100 and 210/120. The chances are it'd been that high for quite a number of years. Yeah that's right - I'm unkillable, blood vessels made from woven kevlar :whistle: Yesterday I did several readings and the highest was 135/84 lowest 132/79. Given that the specialist, at my appointment 6 months ago, said I was aiming for around 130/80. I'm well chuffed :-) I'll do some more today. But unpleasant as it is - the diet is definitely working ! Not sure I'll get off the medication (my ultimate goal) tomorrow, but it's getting closer to that glorious day :-)

Wow! Well that’s just terrifying isn’t it lol. Hell when my diastolic hits around 100 I feel like I’m going to be sick. Can’t imagine walking around like that.  I’m sure you’ve mentioned it but this is a subject I talk to quite a few people about, what diet are you on? Keto/Paleo was magic for my blood pressure. After a month or two of no added sugars and no grains it went from 160/90 to 115/70. Basically a perfect athletes blood pressure lol with no meds or exercise at all.

I’m glad to hear your getting a hold on everything. Diabetes is like high BP. It’s so easy to ignore and then it really starts to take over and many find it difficult to come back from it once it does.

Oh boy. Yeah I can see why they gasped :D Good to hear it's so much better now.

Sorry to hear that CA.  I hope you will be able to love the printer and don’t associate it with the wreck.

   One thing you can always count on... life will kick you in the nuts.  And while you're down it'll stomp your face for good measure.  Auto insurance is a big racket.  They should pay you what it would cost to get a car as dependable as the one you lost.  Instead they screw us every time.