Need some more last minute help... Let me know if you recognize anyone/anything here







Thanks!

Here are some shots of the damage
















But some good news.. The other driver claimed liability so I think I'm out my deductible but no rate hike and I may have a better chance to fight the citation.

Now I'm off to find a rental car to drive to NY

Nothing like getting in an accident the night before you have to drive to Staten Island...

All I wanted to do was go see Brüno... It was the perfect plan.  It's the only movie out in the local theaters that I haven't seen, AMC was showing it at 8:00, and I'd get home early enough to do some unpacking and get to bed before the long weekend of driving.

Then, my lousy tires struck!

Getting onto 78E/22E from Rt 100N, I passed around a truck on the new two-lane on ramp.  As I neared the merge lane, my rear end felt like going faster than my front.  My car started skidding as my trunk pulled left and I frantically thought "Do I steer into the skid our out of?! What does either one even mean?!?"

I kept spinning, turning a full 90º, now facing the shoulder, with the side of my car heading down the on-ramp.  I come to a quick stop, and I look back, sure that the truck I passed would be bearing down on me, and thinking, "You know, I've always thought T-Bone steaks suck"

Luckily, the truck was coming to a stop, but my trunk was hanging out into the first lane of the highway.  I saw a car nearing me, trying to stop, but everything happened too fast and she ended up hitting me.

I don't really recall the moment of impact--right now, 2 hours later, the psychosomatic in me is feeling a really sore back and neck, but the realist in me remembers that my back has hurt for months.

After getting to the shoulder, I got out of the car to make sure everyone in the other car was alright.  Just one there, and she was fine.   We were both pretty shaken up, but we exchanged info and waited for her husband to get there (I asked if we should call the police and she wasn't sure so we waited).

After a few minutes, this Honda comes speeding down the highway and stops in front of us--then reverses pretty fast back closer.  A tattooed guy with a chain gets out fuming.  He's fast walking towards me and I'm a little freaked out.  He turns around the car to see his wife and asks "What happened?!"  Then he comes at me, "Were you flying?"

"No.  I was just doing about 40 and spun out into traffic"

"Were you flying?!" as he lifts his fist and winds back, before doing a 180 and going back to his wife.

"She tried to stop but couldn't with the road conditions." I yell after--worried maybe this isn't her first accident and he's going to hit her or something.

As he stands over his wife, he takes the chain off his pants and wraps it around his hand.  Have I mentioned the brass knuckles tattoo on his neck?  Is there some significance to a little body in some of the finger holes?  I think each tear means one kill in prison-tat-language, is this some different version?

He comes over at me, but walks by towards my car.  He turns and comes back at me, raising his fist again like he's going to come at me and hit me, but thinks better and puts it down.

His wife, gets her phone out and I ask, "Do you want me to call the police to report this?" and she agrees, while she continues to copy down my information.

He eventually calms down, and a few minutes later (after having my 911 call drop for about 30 seconds) the police car finally shows up and all I see is this huge clump of tobacco in his lip.  He asks us what happens, gets our information and goes back to his car to write up the report.

While standing there, another car comes up the ramp and spins out behind the cop car!  Luckily, no car was bearing down the right-hand lane, so he can straighten out and leave un-hit.

The cop gets some flares and puts them out to prevent us from starring in one of FOX's gnarly World's Scariest Police Videos where an accident happens at an accident.  I Final Destination-y envision another car spinning out, and a tractor trailer blares its horn before plowing into it, pushing it into the cop car which flies into mine which crushes me into the right-hand barrier.

I slowly move further away from my car and keep a look out so I can jump up onto the bank if necessary.

We wait (in the rain, now) for what feels like half an hour.  A tow truck arrives, because her car is not drivable.

Finally, the cop comes out and gives us each a crash report.  I am told that I'll be receiving a citation for (something like) "Driving Too Fast For Road Conditions"

$500 deductible (possibly times 2), probable insurance hikes, another ticket, points on my license and I still have yet to see Brüno!

While the car is drivable, I'm having some reservations about this weekend now... Krissy's wedding is in Staten Island, then the reception is in NJ, and I was planning on either going into NYC to see a matinee Sunday afternoon, or drive down to Philly to see a few new movies (e.g. The Hurt Locker).  But I'm worried the car is hanging on the precipice of breaking down and leaving me stranded hours from my parents.

Hopefully it will make it, and hopefully I'll only have to pay one deductible (but I'm not counting on it)

Luckily, no one was hurt (that's what you're supposed to say, right?) and the husband didn't kick my ass.  He actually turned out to be a pretty nice guy after he calmed down... He must have apologized like half a dozen times for his behavior.  He even looked at my tires with a penny to see how bad the tread was (as deep as Lincoln's nose).

I definitely didn't feel like I was speeding down the ramp (I know I've gone a lot faster in the past), but I knew my tires were iffy, and I guess I should have gone even slower.  One lousy second and then not knowing how to properly steer out of the skid, causes a lot of inconvenience for three people and one towed car.

Although, I did get a cute girl's phone number :-)

What could this be?



Here are some recent popular films that were filmed in Mexico City. I have seen most, and the scene feels a bit familiar, but that feeling has fooled me in the past

1. Amores perros (2000) 8.2/10 (51581 votes)
2. Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) 3.1/10 (8098 votes)
3. Dragonball Evolution (2009) 3.3/10 (12742 votes)
4. El crimen del padre Amaro (2002) 6.9/10 (6114 votes)
5. Frida (2002) 7.4/10 (22954 votes)
6. High Crimes (2002) 6.1/10 (12827 votes)
7. Man on Fire (2004) 7.7/10 (63539 votes)
8. Original Sin (2001) 5.6/10 (13485 votes)
9. Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) 6.2/10 (39973 votes)
10. The Air I Breathe (2007) 7.2/10 (16386 votes)
11. The Mask of Zorro (1998) 6.7/10 (41951 votes)
12. The Matador (2005) 7.0/10 (22312 votes)
13. Trade (2007/I) 7.6/10 (6252 votes)
14. Traffic (2000) 7.8/10 (77886 votes)
15. Vantage Point (2008) 6.7/10 (43716 votes)
16. Y tu mamá también (2001) 7.8/10 (32036 votes)


Checked Traffic and it's definitely not right...

So, in the first six months of 2009, I have seen almost 100 films. There were a few duplicates (4) in there, but still... I'm almost on pace for seeing one new release every other day.

Plus DVD and movies on TV!!

Here's the list of what I've seen in theaters in 2009 (with duplicates noted)

12 Rounds
17 Again
Adventureland
Angels & Demons
Away We Go
Bracelet of Bordeaux, The
Bride Wars
Brothers Bloom, The
Che: Part One
Che: Part Two
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Coraline 3D
Coraline 3D
Crank: High Voltage
Dance Flick
Defiance
Drag Me To Hell
Dragonball Evolution
Duplicity
Earth
Easy Virtue
Everlasting Moments
Fanboys
Fast & Furious
Faubourg 36
Fighting
Fired Up!
Friday the 13th
Frost/Nixon
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Girlfriend Experience, The
Gomorra
Gooby
Goodbye Solo
Hangover, The
Hannah Montana: The Movie
Haunting in Connecticut, The
He's Just Not That Into You
Hotel for Dogs
Hunger
Imagine That
Inkheart
International, The
Is Anybody There
Knowing
Land of the Lost
Last Chance Harvey
Last House on the Left, The
Madea Goes to Jail
Miss March
Monsters vs Aliens 3D
Monsters vs. Aliens
My Bloody Valentine 3D
My Life in Ruins
New in Town
Next Day Air
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Not Easily Broken
Notorious
O' Horten
Observe and Report
Obsessed
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Pink Panther 2, The
Proposal, The
Push
Race to Witch Mountain
Rachel Getting Married
Revolutionary Road
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Sense and Sensibility
Sin Nombre
Slumdog Millionaire
Soloist, The
Spirit, The
Star Trek
Star Trek IMAX
State of Play
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
Sugar
Sunshine Cleaning
Taken
Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, The
Terminator Salvation
Terra 3D
Transformers: RotF
Unborn, The
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Uninvited, The
Up 3D
Watchmen
When I Find the Ocean
Wrestler, The
X-Men Origins: Wolverine


Bring on the second half, mo-fo!

OK... I'm pretty sure I've seen this, but I've searched Google, IMDb and other places all week to no avail.

Do you recognize it?

Think I got 100%... Thanks!

I think I should recognize the actor on the right, but can't place him (is he a comedian or something?)

100%

Thanks all