Things I Need To Do

[siamesa]

For starters, I need to get back to the comic book store.  I've got probably the best one in Charlotte just a couple blocks away from me- why in heaven's name am I not there 24/7 if I'm seriously considering a permanent third fandom?  Plus they've got lots of Booster Gold.  The library does not have Booster Gold.

And they're maybe thirty feet away from the Excellent Video Rental Place, VisArt, which has an entire shelf for MST3K and people who always chat with me and have interesting hair.  Matter of fact, I want to work there if I have to get a summer job at some point, or if I really do take the year off before college.

There's just one problem.

The Intersection of Doom.

Now, streets here in Charlotte, North Carolina do not follow normal rules.  They frequently change names for no reason, come together at incredibly odd angles, and no one seems to quite understand the concept of "turn signal".  (But at least we pull off of the road for funeral processions!  For the most part!  Damn Yankees!)

But yeah.  This particular interesection- I'm not even completely sure how many streets combine.  Either two or three, meaning that there are five different ways to cross.  All of the streets appear to have driving laws from completely different galaxies, and you can easily wait ten minutes before being able to cross.  Not that the drivers exactly respect the right of the pedestrian to cross.

It was both faster and, I though, safer, to jaywalk.

And so I did.

I spent most of summer vacation jaywalking over to VisArt and renting DVDs of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Futurama, and one glorious afternoon, the original Star Wars: Clone Wars.

I continued this through most of fall.

One day, it was November.  Five o'clock.  Rush hour.  A bunch of cars were stopped at the light, and I knew I'd never get across if I waited.  I'd done this before, no problem.  I dashed between two of the cars and high tailed it towards-

Whump.

I still have no clear idea what happened other than flying through the air, swearing, running to the sidewalk, and immediately being surrounded by concerned passers by.  Someone called an ambulance.  I insisted that I was not hurt, all that happened was I'd been hit by a car, I was fine. 

I started my call to Mom on a stranger's cell phone with those words.  "I'm fine." 

Neither she nor anyone else believed me.

I ended up in the Trauma wing of the hospital with my very own set of crutches, which turned out to be very useful once the adrenaline wore off.  I also got an IV, whch was... interesting.

My leg wasn' t broken.  My head was (relatively) fine.  I got to go home that evening, which was very nice.

But jaywalking was no longer on my agenda.

Leaving it just me, and the Intersection of Doom. 

It's worse now.  I've learned that I can be hit by a car, and I highly doubt I get two almost completely unhurt miracles within a year of each other.  Whenever I catch sight of a vehicle out of the corner of my eye, seeming like it's coming at me, I jump.  And that happens a lot on the Intersection of Doom, because the stoplights there are really just suggestions.

But my cousin said the people at VisArt were asking about me, and they have that one rare MST3K episode with Godzilla that I still haven't seen yet.

So sooner or later I will brave that intersection.

Probably in a car.

Which scares me more.

Comments

[albumsontheside.livejournal.com]

ohshitshegothitbyacarareyouallright?

Anyway, that intersection is ... ugh. Look at it this way: there are 10 million people in London, right? And where I live, in between FOUR TUBE STATIONS, there is NOT ONE RENTAL STORE AND ONE SHITTY LIBRARY THAT HAS NOTHING.

[siamesa.livejournal.com]

I knew I didn't word that clearly enough. :( It was back in November. All I've got left from it now are two scars on my knee.

This area of Charlotte's nice because back in the twenties it was right along the trolley line and so it's got a lot of walking around and random little stores.

[albumsontheside.livejournal.com]

Well, hmm. I knew there was a reason why you seemed not all there ... ;D

I live in Hampstead, think rich JPs and trendy boutiques for middle aged women where nobody can afford anything. Northern line to Camden = my life :D :D

How's it?