Traffic for 2004 November 20

(3) Sat Nov 20 2004 21:17 PST Good Day: Today was fun. I was in a car accident on Thursday at the intersection of University Avenue and Bulldog. I was turning left at 9:00 pm and had a green turn arrow. Well, you know some pedestrians, they think they can cross the street when they are good and ready (Dostoevsky's Superman complex strikes again) and since it was dark I didn't see him until he was upon me (not literally, thankfully). I stopped in time to give him a dirty look, but the truck behind me didn't. I heard screeching, and then it was bumper cars. Just kidding, but the girl (Jordan) lightly nudged my car forward and left some pretty rubber stains on my bumper. She gave me her info and I went on my way.

Today I went to get an estimate on my damages and learned that rubbing alcohol was all that was needed. I called Jordan to tell her the good news (we didn't file a police or insurance report) and she called back later to thank me profusely for letting her off the hook. Well, of course I should, it was the masked, unnamed pedestrian who is to blame. Anyway, glad to be done with that.

Then Sus and I went to SLC. Susie wanted to go to this soup place under the freeway (which, rumor has it, is run by The Soup Nazi). But they are closed on Saturday. So there we were, in the snow, under the freeway, with a train barreling down on us. I darted us to safety only to end up in Rose Park, the scariest place in all of Utah. The things I'll do for my wife.

Well, we had to settle for eating at the Crossroads Mall, and then went and saw The Testaments. It was a sea of red up there, as the Utah Utes were all decked out to support their BCS-aspiring team. We BYU fans are more discreet this year. Then off to the distribution center. I wanted to buy Mr. Kreuger's Christmas, but Susie forbid it. That movie will always have a soft spot in my life, partly because Jimmy Stewart is in it, and partly because the first time I ever saw it was in Hong Kong in Chinese. It reminded me of what Christmas is like in the states and made me nostalgic and hopeful. Christmas in the Kong is a hodgepodge of eclectic neon lights and confused festivities. My favorite sign is still the one on the side of the mall in Ma On Shan that said Happy Christmas and had chickens dancing in it. I guess I must have missed that part in the Bible story where the chicken-herders came to worship the Lord. Either that or Christmas does come earlier each year, as it was really a quasi-Easter banner. But such is the Asian equation, and we will never know the truth.

Then it was back to the mall, where we had to spend money to validate four hours of parking. So I got Susie a gift in Nordstrom's, and we got Rachel a gift as well. From there, it was off to the Gateway (this fab, upscale outdoor mall that makes one reminisent of Rodeo Drive on a really cold day). It wasn't all that for me, however. There we didn't find anything worth purchasing, and had to pay a $1 fee for the Gateway allowing us to tout their wares. But we did check out the planetarium while we were there, and have decided it is worthy of taking Leonard and Sumana to.

I like downtown SLC. It is clean, relatively safe, and has a nice blend of old school and new school. If only Provo could do that....

Note to Reader: Susie didn't really forbid me from getting Mr. Kreugar's Christmas. She just discouraged it. But it makes the story flow better my way.

One final note to Sumana. I hear you want a necktie? I am intrigued. Give me the details on what you are looking for in this necktie and I may be of assistance.