ICBC Graveyard

Sunday is the day I visit with my Mom and Grandma. Today, we needed to make a trip to ICBC because my Grandma's car was sitting on their lot, ready to be written off. ICBC guy, Tim, gave my Grandma a call this morning and asked her to come down to remove any wanted belongings in the car. I am assuming it's a write off because if ICBC were to fix her car, the cost to fix it is more than the current value of her little Toyota. The "graveyard" is a huge lot that holds all the damaged cars from ICBC claims, it's way out in Coquitlam, very close to the huge IKEA. Tim, ICBC guy, gave us a tour around the lot and I could not believe all the cars that we saw and the stories behind them. I think it would be great if they held tours for the elementary kids and highschool kids. Let the kids see with their own eyes, what kind of damage a car can have when accidents happen. Maybe it scare the shit out of them so they will think twice when speeding on the streets. Some of these trashed cars looked so horrendous, I couldn't even imagine what sort of accident happen to put the cars in that shape. But it was really interesting and too bad Kay missed it because I think she would have enjoyed this trip.

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that my Grandma got into a little accident last week, I think it was either on Wednesday or Thursday. As you are probably aware of the not so good week I had last week, which means I didn't really post much on my blog. But here's the story: She was driving down Granville Street in the "parking lane" (this lane is open during rush hour) and some IDIOT making a left turn from Granville onto 62nd Avenue, didn't make sure all THREE LANES were cleared before pushing the gas pedal. He hit my Grandma hard enough to cause her passenger to have a mini anxiety attack and she was sent to the hospital. Keep in mind, my Grandma is over 80 and her friend is even older. Now, I know this accident could have been prevented because if it was either my Mom or I, we could have avoided the accident and let the guy go with some excessive swearing and finger / fist tossing. But my little Grandma drives with her eyes focuses on what is in front of her and the car, plus her reflexes aren't as keen as they once were. But the IDIOT should have made sure that the lane was clear before stepping on the gas. IDIOT! Anyways, my Grandma is fine, no pain, a little bit of shock but no immediate injuries. Thank GOD.

Now, she wants to start looking at a new car. She has been itching to buy a new car since most of her friends have purchased new BMWs or Mercedes. My Grandma couldn't justify buying a new car when her car was in such good shape. We are now trying to convince her to buy a used car (just a couple of years older) because then she only has to pay one tax and if she scratches it up while parking, it won't hurt so much. I know, it's my Grandma's money and she is the one who is driving. But I really believe she shouldn't be on the road anymore and if I had more time, I would insist on driving - actually no I wouldn't. My Grandma is quite independent and stresses the fact that she can do everything BY HERSELF. AND DON'T YOU DARE ARGUE WITH HER. Or she will be pissed.

After our trip, we headed back to Vancouver to pick up the weekly groceries and a little bit of shopping for ourselves, really just spending some time away from the house. We dropped Grandma back to the house and Mom and I headed out on our way. Mom needs space from Grandma, she lives with her and deals with her on a daily basis and I know it can get quite frustrating and tiring. I don't really understand how Mom feels because I only see my Mom once a week and I find that is more than enough time. But I do know the feeling of having no time for yourself because some weekends, that's how I feel when I am with Mom both Saturday and Sunday. My Mom uses the day to stress about Grandma but we also catch up on other family business, like how my sister in HK is doing, how other family members are doing and life in general. From the terrible events that have happen, Mom and Grandma are having a bad start to the Chinese New Year. Both have had the feeling of bad luck looming over them since the start of the new year. Although, I've had a bad start as well, I am not that superstitious and I am sure things will smooth out after the month is over.

Not much else happened after that, I had with dinner with them and as soon as I finished up, I needed to go to C's place to pick up Kay. She slept over at C's again. I spoke to E about C next week because I will be picking C up from Chinese School and dropping her off to her swimming lessons. E will be working p/t at the Hospital for the next three weeks and I offered to chauffeur her daughter around, I might as well since I will be heading out that way anyways because Kay and C see each other almost every weekend. As soon as Kay is old enough to take the bus, she is taking the transit to see her friend. My whole weekend is about chauffeuring my Daughter and Mother around. Maybe next weekend, I will have more time for myself. I doubt it but hey, I can keep hoping......