Maybe This BMW 330i

Posted Mon Sep 25, 2006 in Automotive

Last week was nothing short of insane. I know I’ve already whined, so I won’t start again. (Although it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to…) Friday topped off the week. Thursday afternoon the insurance claims adjuster called with their offer. I didn’t have enough facts to evaluate the offer, but it seemed low. So, when I arrived at home Thursday evening, I began the process of validating the offer. I couldn’t track down all the facts. Basically, the other guy’s insurance limit is such that he insurance company can’t cover the replacement cost of my Bimmer. So, they contacted a local salvage company (so they say) and requested a bid for the remains. Then the difference between the actual cash value of the vehicle and the salvage bid was their offer. So, it isn’t the replacement cost; it’s a low-ball.

Friday morning came and I started working again. I emailed my graduate student and asked him to proctor the quiz I intended to give while I worked. Then I checked my schedule and realized I had a luncheon with a new faculty candidate. Argh! So, I finished what I was working on, showered, and got myself to school. I worked with my students, gave them the quiz, then headed for lunch.

Lunch was pleasant and the candidate seems like a good man. I think he might make a good addition to our faculty. He’s experienced and knows how to get it done. We returned from lunch and I dropped him off for a break before he presented his seminar. I walked downstairs to my office when my phone rang. Wife and I started an intense discussion about the disposition of the insurance company’s offer and what to do next.

I missed my seminar. I had another telephone meeting to make. So, while I intended to go to the South Plains Fair and help with the 4-H petting barnyard, I had to stay at school and finish some duties. I called the lead on a research project and we talked about my part of the work and the direction I see for continued work on the project.

Basically, the research project is to develop a mechanism for estimating the probability of concurrent flooding at the confluence of two streams. The distributions of floods from relatively adjacent watersheds are not completely independent; similar meteorological conditions basically influence the productivity of both watersheds because of their geographical “nearness.” Assumption of a design exceedence frequency for both watersheds is conservative, but ignores the correlation between watersheds and that dependence means lower net values could probably be used.

The literature review for the research is nearly complete. In my wanderings through the literature, I found no general procedure for dealing with the joint probability of concurrent flooding for application to ungaged watersheds. Furthermore, on reading some of the literature that does treat concurrent flooding, it seems likely that it isn’t the discharge from the confluent watershed that is the critical design consideration, it’s the stage. I say stage because, in the zone of influence of the backwater from the confluent watersheds, stage will control the flow of water through a structure because of it’s impact at the discharge end of the structure.

So I think this impacts the direction of the research project. I’m not yet certain how much this impact will be, but I think it’s there. Furthermore, as far as I know, we haven’t identified any general procedure for dealing with concurrent flooding.

So, the lead engineer and I spent time talking about direction and work to be done. Now it’s up to him to make the determination of where we go from there. That was a fairly intense conversation, not because there was antagonism, but because it was intellectually challenging.

While on the phone, the intercom rang. After my call, I checked my messages and my department chair needed to see me. I’m in the process of bringing a committee report to closure and I needed to discuss that with him. During the interview, another issue came up and I’m at a loss to know how to deal with it.

I left work a very unhappy man. I was tired and stressed and my day had not gone the direction I intended.

Saturday morning I woke early and started working on my counter-offer for the insurance company. I had intended to go to the range to shoot silhouettes, but work on the car was more important. I put together my best estimate, then drafted a letter. I felt better once that was done. Wife took Young Son to the fairgrounds so he could work. Then she returned and we drove to the BMW dealership to look at a couple of vehicles. They currently have two that would work for us. One is a late-model 325i coupe (two-door). We still have a child, so the two-door coupe is not optimal, but it is less expensive than the 330i (naturally). However, when we pulled into the lot, someone else was driving the coupe off the lot. I don’t know if it sold, but we couldn’t drive it.

Our sales consultant was out of town, so we asked for his supervisor, who was also out of the office. So, a nice young man called him. The supervisor was out for at least a half-hour, so the young man offered us the 330i for the weekend. That was good for us (we were hoping) because it’s tough to get by with a roadster and a motorcycle. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Older Son’s pickup truck decided to leak coolant. It appears to be at the back of the engine, so I’m thinking it’s the intake manifold gasket. That was another issue that left me a very unhappy man Friday.

As we looked the 330i over (pictured at the top), the young man indicated he’d been with the dealership only a short time. He worked at another dealership in town and was offered the job. After thinking about it a short time (like two hours), he took the offer. I think he’s wise—the BMW dealership is one of the best in town. Maybe it is the best.

So, Wife and I drove home, she in her roadster and me in the candidate BMW 330i. This is a very nice vehicle with more than adequate torque and lots of top-end. Performance-wise, it’s a real winner. The interior is nice too with cloth seats instead of leather. The cloth won’t wear as well, but it’s a lot more comfortable in hot or cold weather.

So, today one of my tasks is to try to bring the insurance claim to closure. I also have to finish my committee’s report, teach my class, meet my students, and start the negotiating process for the 330i. I also have a draft article in process for About This Particular Macintosh. My review is in editing now and I need to finish it this afternoon. I’m approaching deadline.

I’m hoping that working for ATPM will be a resume builder for me. When I retire, I think I’d like to spend part of my time writing. It would be a good second career for me and could be quite rewarding.

So, we’ll see how the day goes. So far, I’m hopeful.