| You know, I've been through a lot with both of my Zs and for being as impatient as I can be, I can't believe I haven't completely fucking lost it yet. Sometimes I don't even believe what happens like it's some nightmare I'm going to awaken from. Tonight was no exception. Around 5:30pm tonight I was sitting in traffic at a stop light getting ready to turn onto the freeway onramp. It was dark and it looked like it was going to rain so I was anxious to get home. All of a sudden it started to rain...except these drops were far too big to be rain. I looked around at the traffic in front of and behind my car and then suddenly half of my windshield was covered in silver dollar sized black spots. As soon as the light turned green I moved forward and made the right at the light and stopped the car. Nearly 3/4 of the car was COVERED in dark, bird-shit like pancakes. The window ones were smaller (hence the silver dollar remark) but the rest were huge. I had no idea what it was but I knew I needed to get it off the paint since it seemed to be hardening FAST. Even so, I was pretty calm at first while trying to figure out what the stuff was. I figured I should try to clean it by grabbing a PakShak towel and some quick detailer (never leave home without it). It was dark as SIN in a horrible neighborhood and I didn't have long to make that decision. Do I get it off or leave it? Again, I had no clue what this shit was as it seemed to fall from the sky like a sign of the apocalypse. I smelled it hoping a few hundred birds may have blown up and shit all over my car, but it had no smell. I was puzzled. I carefully lifted as much of it from my hood and then grabbed a fresh towels to do followup cleaning with the detailer. Everything seemed fine so I went at the rest of the car...and mind you it was COVERED in it. This took a good 20 minutes with my Maglite in hand. I then proceeded to go back to where this happened to figure out what had happened. As I made the left I noticed a huge construction area on the right side of the road. It wasn't taking up a lane or anything but was taking up most of the corner as they were digging holes and laying what appeared to be large sewer pipe (big, sectional tubes). I parked the car, grabbed my keys and looked back at it. When I did, I was utterly horrified. It was like a lightbulb going on and exploding all in one fell swoop. I saw that my car was covered in scratches as the flourescent lights of the jobsite made it clear as day. And right behind the fence was a gigantic truck covered in the same stuff. From what I can tell it was some sort of cement or quick drying concrete (i.e. QuickCrete). Needless to say, I was fucking livid. I scanned around for any signs of life since clearly someone had to be operating this machine long enough to swing it over the intersection and right over my car. Instead I found almost no one except for a few Spanish-speaking workers. With my limited ability I was only able to get a name and a phone number out of them but that was a start. Unfortunately there was no answer and it appeared that the 20 minutes I spent cleaning was enough time for most people to leave. I went and found every piece of equipment and fencing with a name on it and wrote it all down. Between fits of rage, I had the presence of mind to go to a grocery store where I could get a disposable camera and some baggies. I had left the cement on my windshield untouched in some areas just because I knew the glass would be fine and easily replaced worst case. So I snapped a bunch of photos of my car with those droplets in tact as well as a few of the site. I then took samples of the material and saved it in a few baggies, just in case. Finding no answers at the site, I went home and went over the damage. Needless to say my paintjob is ruined. I've been pretty lax on my upkeep compared to normal since I've been hellbent on going fast over looking good (amazing, huh?). So I had neglected waxing the Z for quite some time. Ironically enough I had a detail appointment this past weekend but he had to cancel because of the rain (which never came). So here I sit with a completely fucked paintjob because I had almost no wax and was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I can blame myself for not being even more careful on removing the stuff, for not having a beater or for not waxing it as frantically as I usually do. But honestly, screw that, I'm going for blood. There's a bonus to installing networks at various law firms and such. I must have 5 or 6 attorney friends and it's time to call in some favors. I'm sure the construction company has insurance for issues like this but you know damned well they'd try to lowball me on painting a "15 year old NISSAN" (and that's exactly how they'll say it too). So it's time to put all the advice I usually spew out to people when it comes to stupid things like this. I've documented everything I could, I have photos of everything and I'm taking them to the cleaners. I don't want extra money or any kind of "pain and suffering" crap...I just want my car perfect. If there's one thing I NEVER want to do to a car it's repaint it. I'm just one of those people who has no faith in even the best paintshop. It'll never be like it was from the factory...NEVER. Of course, I have no choice now :( They say it's "just a car" but I'm not "just a man". I'm a car nut and I have a disease. This blows goat. Thanks for listening to my blabbering rant. I will no longer be sober after I hit "Post" 
Paint Killer
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I'm completely f'in devastated (uberlong) - 
03:48:48 11/09/04
