Paul's Comments

I went outside to check and there are no marks anywhere near where I'm going to put in the mailbox. I also used the trip as an excuse to go out and get today's newspaper. I'm more-or-less ready to install my mailbox now that I have everything I need. Except for one thing. On the package, and I am expensively sorry I didn't notice, it mentions that, in addition to the mallet, you should have safety goggles.

I have no idea why I didn't think of that; I've had experience with not having eye protection. I one time made a mistake with some household cleaner that got splashed in my eye; it did not cause any permanent damage because I immediately got to the sink and flushed it with water, but I suffered like a bastard for about four or five days. What was interesting was I had my mother call the optometrist, we caught a cab and went to see him, and he saw me immediately, and it only cost me $25. He informed me that my quick timing had spared me from permanent damage, and he was right.

But not everyone was that nice. My health insurance apparently felt that getting cleaning solvent splashed in your eye was not a good reason to go see an eye professional, but they would cover a visit to someone who was in my network after a $35 deductible. From that point on I told people to avoid any insurance with New York Life. I think they ended up with such a bad reputation from their tendency to deny or refuse claims that they eventually had to either sell or change the name of their medical insurance, I'm not sure.

The weird thing is, about eight years ago when I got this really nice car as a result of an insurance settlement, the trunk had a badly faded paint job, and I decided to buy some spray paint to touch it up. At that time, I did remember to buy some safety goggles, and a filter mask. As much of a cheapskate as I am, safety is one thing that I do not skimp upon.

The only "worst" thing about this was that I'm sorry I didn't think of it when I first spent the money to go get the mallet and other things at the hardware store. And I forgot an item or two I was thinking of getting. I mean, I should have made a list, but even if I had, I probably would have forgotten the safety goggles anyway.

I have discount taxicab coupons so I used those, and basically it cost me something over $10 (would have been $20 because you buy the coupons for 50% off) to make the trip, as I did it on Thursday because, well, I wanted to get out of the house and do something (call it a minor outbreak of cabin fever), and the taxicab coupons allow me to take a cab for 1/2 price, and taking a cab I can do immediately; Metro Access ($2.50 each way) requires a one-day advance notice, and Call-a-Bus (50c each way because I'm in a wheelchair, otherwise it would be $1) requires basically three days notice plus you have to confirm it the day before. And their offices are only open on weekdays (as much as only being able to book trips for weekdays too; this is basically the same restriction the on-demand shuttle in Loudoun County had.)

I don't get Cabin Fever all that often, I've sometimes been in my room for a couple days, straight, and sometimes I've been in the house for as much as a week without going outside. When I was living in Loudoun County, I actually travelled off-site much less than I do now. I would say that I am typically using Metro Access on average at least three times a month. Back in Loudoun, I probably had periods of a month or longer where I never left the immediate area of the house. To at least get some exercise, if it was possible I would take the recycling out to the curb once a week. It was a bit of work but I'd do it just to say that I could. When it snowed too much or if it had been heavily raining I didn't, but otherwise I dragged all the recycling in the box, and any additional bags such as bags of old newspapers out to the curb. I'd also pick up the mail that day.

So for being able to go to Home Depot immediately I paid more than double the Metro Access fare, and I still didn't get everything I needed. I used to be unhappy to some extent with how much a trip on Metro Access cost, and yet I paid - actually it's more than triple as much - to use a cab. (The whole round trip including tips ran about $26, of which $20 was from the 50% discount coupon book, so I ended up paying $6 in cash.) The cab cost me $16 total, Metro Access would have cost $5.

It's 2:45 in the afternoon. I can book trips on Metro Access until 4:30. I have two options; book a trip on Sunday (or Monday) and go back to the store, or wait and do something else, like be an even bigger cheapskate, wait until call-a-bus reopens on Monday and book a trip from them for Wednesday or Thursday depending on how they count their three-day rule.

I think maybe I'll use Call-a-bus to book a trip to the laundromat. I will call my sister to see if she has safety goggles, then if she doesn't (she didn't for the mallet) then I'll go get them, along with the other things. But this time, I'll make a list, and if I think of some other items while I'm there I'll get them too. (For example, I picked up trash bags while I was there, because I happened to notice them. I wasn't really "out" of trash bags yet, but having "too many" trash bags, if that's possible, is eventually a self-correcting problem.)

This is an important point someone once said that doing things right the first time is usually more effective and less expensive than doing it over. Actually if I wanted to be somewhat more efficient, I could have called Metro Access and scheduled the trip for today (I didn't want to go anywhere Friday as Deer Park was coming to deliver my water cooler and bottled water), and possibly read the instructions all the way through, and maybe noticed I should have goggles, as well as the other two or three things I also wanted to pick up from Home Depot. I mean, under the rules for Miss Utility I still have to wait until Monday before I can install the post anyway, so it wouldn't have made one bit of difference if I got the equipment Thursday or waited until today.

Except, of course, I would have spent less money. Oh well, not a big deal.