Angels on Steroids

"JNET, your angels are on steroids!"

I am a VERY lucky girl to be alive. Very lucky.

I am here again on borrowed time. Hello world.

Friday night I zipped down to San Diego, joined by my brother's mother-in-law. She was a good sport riding in my 78 Beetle. It is not quite as quiet and insulated as a more modern car. But she felt safe and happy as I zoomed and delivered her safely to my brother and his wife.

Saturday morning at 8am my nephew had his baptism ceremony at St. Joseph's. It was a beautiful ceremony and RC was content and calm through everything. Young Mr. Handsome didn't give a fuss being passed around for kisses and photo takes at all. I was impressed and especially happy that my brother asked me to be "godmother".

HMMM... I didn't wear my butterfly wings. I had joked that I wanted to be a "fairy godmother." OH WELL.

Anyway, lunch reception was great fun joking around and catching up with everyone but I had to dash back to Los Angeles for a 4:30pm call. I was performing at a dance performance in the evening and G was my carpool.

I left San Diego and enjoyed zooming back north being a bit naughty pushing my speed at some points. I had been without my bug for a couple of weeks due to body and restoration work and was enjoying my "new" wheels. I gave G a quick call around 3:30ish to say that I was making great time and will see him at quarter past four.

I was climbing the 134 from Pasadena. I remember a claustrophobic feeling in being pinned in a cluster of cars as a row of slow pokes hemmed a school of cars behind them. Not liking that, I shimmied my way from that elephant pack and was able to push forward and gain some breathing space...

When all of a sudden my car started to swerve and lose control.

I can't remember looking forward, I was concentrating on not 360ing. I remember seeing the cars that were behind me and was lucky the ones that were once tightly sardining me got out of the way.

There was no time to panic. My rear tire had blownout and I was fishtailing. I think I tried my brakes once and not liking the results concentrated on manhandling my car to keep pointing at the right direction of traffic while attempting to get it on a shoulder (also a rare piece of real estate on the Los Angeles freeways)..

By my "angels on steroids", the traffic adjusted behind me, my car kept enough control to get me off the freeway despite the fact that I was previously flying, a rare huge piece of shoulder was available for me to park... AND a metro transportation employeee came to aid me.

I never had a second alone. My car had a blowout but didn't suffer a single scratch... nor I... nor anyone. AAA came soon after to tow my car home and put on my spare tire over there. I was too stunned and shook over to drive.

And then G came over to pick me up so to carpool me to the wedding reception where we performed. It was a successful event and the guests have no idea what I went through in order to make my commitment.

I haven't told my family about it either. I don't like to worry them.

All I can say is...I AM A VERY LUCKY GIRL and it's GOOD TO BE ALIVE:)

With many thanks to my angels on steroids.

JNET