On to ETRA

Turns out the octogenarian's little tap on the beamer was more serious than it appeared. In fact, because his bumper first hit my wheel, the impact bent the entire shock/strut assembly. Result: after three months' anticipation ("three months!"—homage to Point Break, one of my favorite Keanu movies), the beamer was deemed undrivable forcing me to make the 5 hr drive down to Savannah in a rental. And what a rental! A Kia Optima. Not very comfortable, not clean (you can't see it in the picture but the windshield was filthy), and it smells! Economy class, essentially :) To be fair, the octogenarian's insurance company meant well and paid for a rental model comparable to the beamer sitting in the shop, but unfortunately no comparable model could be found (on such short notice). So I shlepped it along in this goofy thing all the way down to the coast. Maybe it was just as well; I took the side roads, rife with slow speed zones, at which, naturally, many cop cars can often be found. Anyway, after an uneventful drive I made it in time for dinner with friends. This morning we're off and running with the conference goings on. So far so good!