Unexpected Impact

SESIG with Larry—motorcycles, home energy systems. Deer hit car from Imagine Coffee—broke mirror housing, dented fender, still drivable. Merrique didn't find feedback useful. Cliffe progressing on KAI, needs to schedule pitch. Insurance claim—Caliber Collision, State Farm, phone, online. Lunch with Karen—daughter's wedding, decluttering complexities. Photo shuffling. Minecraft warehouse rework—project-focused model. Suds to test mirror repair, talked to Aaron. Zoom with Bob—tech debt, energy systems, security tools. Greatest Controversies—apostle stories. Hogan's Heroes. Star Trek. Late Show. Sleep.

When Wildlife Strikes

October 29, 2025

These notes mostly describe the events of Tuesday, October 28.

SESIG this morning with only Larry there. Small gathering, but good conversation—talked about motorcycles and home energy systems. The topics that emerge when it's just two people rather than the larger group dynamics.

Deer damage

A deer ran into my car on the way back from Imagine Coffee. Not the other way around—the deer hit me. It was trying to escape a car coming the other direction and ran directly into my side. Broke the plastic housing around my rear view mirror and dented the front fender some. The Xterra is still drivable, which was good. I don't know what happened to the deer. It was gone by the time I'd stopped to look. These collisions happen fast—impact, reaction, by the time you've pulled over and walked back, the animal has either run off or died somewhere out of sight.

Got a response from Merrique. She didn't find my feedback to be useful. That's fine. She has a path she wants to follow. I hope it works for her. Not every offer of help lands—people have their own vision, their own reasons for their choices. You offer perspective, they accept it or don't.

Talked to Cliffe. He's making some progress on KAI. Need to set up an opportunity for him to make his KAI pitch—he needs to provide me with some proposed times and a brief description so we can get it scheduled. Good to hear projects moving forward even if slowly.

Worked through the insurance claim process on the car. First visiting Caliber Collision for assessment, then State Farm for filing, then time on the phone working through details, then time online completing documentation. It was involved—the kind of administrative work that takes hours and multiple touchpoints. Dealing with car damage is mostly dealing with bureaucracy. The actual repair is simple compared to the claim process.

Lunch with Karen. Good to see her again—one of those friends where time passes between meetings but the connection remains solid. Her daughter is married now. She showed me some pictures of her wedding. We talked a bit about decluttering—the ongoing challenge of managing accumulated stuff, making space, letting go of things that no longer serve purpose. Discussed the complexities of giving things away as part of the process—finding the right homes for items, the logistics and emotional work of dispersing possessions rather than just discarding them.

Shuffled a few more photos. The repository reorganization continues incrementally, background work that accumulates toward better structure.

Played some Minecraft and made progress on the warehouse. Reworking it, leveraging work that's already been done where possible. The organizational model is now project-focused rather than organized like a library. It's already looking more useful—materials grouped by what they're for rather than by type, making it easier to find what you need for specific builds.

Drove to Suds to test some temporary repairs on my rear view mirror. The drive went fine—the temporary fix holds well enough for now. Sat at the bar and talked to Aaron a bit. The bartender conversations that happen naturally when you're a regular.

Had a Zoom call with Bob before settling in for the evening. Explored technology debt issues where he works—the accumulated cruft of systems that need updating, the tension between maintaining legacy infrastructure and building new capabilities. Talked about home energy systems, continuing our ongoing discussion about residential power management. Discussed security and privacy tools—the practical measures for protecting data and communications in an increasingly surveilled world.

Watched Greatest Controversies. The topic was the entertaining stories in the acts of various apostles—the legendary tales that developed around early Christian figures, miracles and adventures and dramatic conversions. Entertainment value matters in religious literature; compelling stories spread better than dry theology. The acts of the apostles function partly as hagiography, creating larger-than-life figures to inspire and instruct believers.

Watched a bit of Hogan's Heroes. The usual comfort viewing, nothing demanding.

Watched Star Trek—the episode where something in the water makes them go nutty. The crew losing inhibitions, acting on suppressed feelings, chaos ensuing until they figure out the contaminant and fix it. Classic Trek premise: external force removes normal constraints, reveals what people hide, comedy and drama emerge, problem gets solved, everything returns to normal.

Slept for a while. Woke up and ended up watching the Late Show. It was fun. Stephen Colbert and his writers are talented and usually spot on—smart comedy that engages with current events without losing the humor. The kind of show that makes you laugh while making you think.

Went back to sleep for the rest of the night.

The deer collision dominated the day's logistics. Not because the damage was severe—the Xterra is still drivable, the repairs are straightforward. But because dealing with it consumed hours: stopping after impact, checking the car, discovering the deer had disappeared, driving home, contacting Cliffe, visiting the collision shop, going to State Farm, phone calls, online forms. The actual damage takes minutes. The administrative response takes much longer.

Wildlife collisions happen. You drive rural roads, eventually something runs into you. Deer are unpredictable—they freeze, they bolt, they run directly at vehicles. You can be cautious and still get hit because the animal's behavior doesn't follow logic you can anticipate. All you can do is check the damage, be grateful it's not worse, work through the claim process, get it fixed.

The day had good elements beyond the collision: seeing Karen and hearing about her daughter's wedding, making real progress on the Minecraft warehouse, the Late Show providing smart entertainment. Cliffe making progress on KAI. The conversation with Larry about motorcycles and energy systems. Life continuing around the unexpected interruption.

The deer is probably fine—they're remarkably tough, built to absorb impact and keep running. Or it's dead somewhere in the woods. Either way, there's nothing to be done about it now. The car needs some cosmetic repair but functions fine. The insurance claim is filed. In the future the warehouse gets more work. The photo repository continues its reorganization. Projects move forward. Sometimes deer run into cars. You deal with it and continue.

Going Forward

Today needs focused preparation. A busy weekend approaches and everything needs to be ready.

Tomorrow is the Fall Color Road Trip. Friday is packed: SESIG in the morning, then the photo shoot with Floofie, time with kids and grandkids, and Patrick's show in the evening. Saturday means coming home, possibly stopping at Silver Falls to see Mary finish her 50K run.

Today's priorities: make sure the Floofie photo shoot plan and prep is in order—themes confirmed, equipment ready, location prepared. Leland's laptop needs to be working properly, his constellation book needs to be ready to go. General weekend prep—packing, planning, making sure everything is organized so the busy days can flow without scrambling for forgotten items or incomplete preparations.

The deer collision adds minor complication—the temporary mirror repair needs to hold through the weekend. But the Xterra is drivable, the fix is adequate, the repairs can wait until next week.

Three days of activity ahead. Getting it right today means the weekend works.

Beyond the immediate weekend, larger projects wait: assembling a book or equivalent write-up regarding the UK trip, fleshing out the home energy system design, transforming Belo Retrato into its new organizational structure, developing a proper garden plan. Need to tee up some Philomath Salons as well—lining up speakers and topics, maintaining the regular intellectual gathering that makes the community work. Also need to plan for Thanksgiving, the trip to Mexico, and a possible trip to New Zealand.

The projects accumulate, waiting for attention between the immediate demands. Some will happen, some won't. The question is which ones matter enough to prioritize when time becomes available.