What to do when there's no plastic sheeting

[ssk7882 <skelkins@attbi.com>]

Okay.  So last weekend a buddy of mine rented a van with a bunch of 
other Portlanders and drove all the way out to the Midwest to take 
part in a National Diplomacy competition (yeah, well, I've *told* you 
that I'm a geek, haven't I?).

On the way home Monday, they hit a patch of black ice somewhere in 
rural Wyoming.  The van skidded right off the road and into a fence.  
Fortunately, it did not roll, and no one was hurt. Unfortunately, the 
driver's side window was shattered.  And it was *cold.*  Furthermore, 
when they called the rental company to tell them what had happened, 
get the insurance information sorted out, and all of that, they were 
informed that the nearest office from which they could get a 
replacement vehicle was...

Well, was *Portland,* actually.

So.  After about an hour of going numb from the cold, they finally 
reached a general store.  This is rural Wyoming, remember.  

They then realized that what they had hoped to purchase in this store 
was...

Yup.  You guessed it.  Plastic sheeting.  And duct tape.

For future reference, should you ever need to drive long distances in 
freezing cold weather while missing a window, I have it on good 
authority that a clear plastic shower curtain actually makes an 
*excellent* stop-gap measure.  Much, much better than the usual 
plastic sheeting, in fact.

Just FYI.


Elkins