Small victory

My insurance company has agreed to file my claim (correctly) as a hit and run. So I still have to pay $200 (gahh), but it could have been much worse. And I'm reaching emotional acceptance, even though it still really pisses me off that someone fled the scene to avoid responsibility. Seriously, if you hit a parked car, leave your goddamn name and address. You'll have to pay, but at least you won't wake up covered in bloody wounds from my hit and run voodoo doll.

But, I'm looking on the bright side. Until this week, I had never been in a car accident. I should be happy that in my first accident, nobody got hurt. And more importantly, it's an accident that I can blame completely on somebody else. Who is the victim here? Me. Who fucked up? Who sucks at parallel parking? Who is a selfish asshole? That's right, NOT me.

In other news, you would not believe the internet situation here. One wireless company has a monopoly over the entire region (a touristy vacation spot), and they charge $15 per day. Public coffee shops and restaurants advertise, "Internet Access!" -- then when you get there, they invite you to pay $15 per day.

The worst part is, the locals don't seem to realize that it doesn't have to be like this. I politely asked where I could find the free wireless, and they looked at me like I had asked where I could find the free Ferraris. "Free internet? Uh, it's not free anywhere."

But it is!! Where I'm from, in the civilized world, you can't walk ten feet without hitting a free wireless network. Starbucks, Panera, public libraries, the university, private networks without passwords... But here, the economy is based entirely on tourism: They know we have jobs and e-mail and blogs in the real world. They know we need the internet to live. So they vaguely promise access, then when we are trapped here, they spring the $15 fee.

I'm not paying, of course. I signed up for a dial-up service that I plan to cancel when I get back home. But still...