Since my grandparents are out of the island for a month and I have the use of their cars, I finally have an opportunity to get the damage on the passenger door of my own car fixed. Yesterday I dropped the car off at the body shop. It's kind of exciting to be finally getting it done. The guy said to call on Friday to see if it was ready. I was originally planning on claiming this repair work against my insurance, but it turns out that the cost is just barely above my deductable, so I'm not sure if it's worth it.

The guy was friendly and knowledgeable, which is very reassuring. I've always found it really difficult to find good car repairmen (whatever the specialty) that really know what they're doing. Back in Clemson, I had found a great exhaust shop — Glenn's Muffler Shop, in Seneca. I knew that if I needed anything done related to welding or tubing, they could do it well, cheaply, and with a great helpful attitude. I was sad to give that up when I left the area. This shop seemed to give me that same impression. We'll see how good the results are.