The Doctor Says . . .

I cannot believe the lack of respect I get.

From people who are supposed to be my FRIENDS, no less!

I went back to the Doctor today for the two-week recheck from the wreck I was involved in. The X-ray results were good, and I am having no residual aches or pains.

The Doctor said I was "back to normal" . . . and herein lies the problem . . .

Anybody I tell this to laughs at me. LAUGHS!!

One so-called friend told me I should get a second opinion on that . . .

*hmph*

FRIENDS, indeed!

(Actually, I can't deny deserving all this . . . I AM, after all, a BRAT!)

Kitty Belly!

OH, CARMICHAEL!!!!

Look at you, boy!

Showing your belly like that! Have you no shame?



*sigh*

Obviously not . . .

Jeep Update

Took the Jeep to the body shop this morning. He will have it all this week and probably part of next week. He has already torn into it, and said that under all the exterior damage, he didn't find much more. That thing IS built like a tank! He said he feels it will be a "good fix" - - and knowing Butch, it will definitely look brand new by the time he is done with it! (And YES, I will post pictures!)

Until my Jeep baby is back home, I am at the mercy of friends and family to get where I need to go. Fortunately, a close friend at work drives right past my house on her way to work and back home every day, so I am able to hitch rides with her. Thank God for friends and family! Without them, this situation would be an even worse ordeal than it already is.

la-de-da-de-da

I am heartbroken. When I got home from work today and checked the mail, there were not any more envelopes from ambulance chasers! Fickle bastards . . . *heh*

la-de-da-de-da

But I DID get a mailing from the insurance company of the man who ran into me. The letter said that they had been trying to contact me by phone, but were not successful, and that it was imperative that I contact them IMMEDIATELY to discuss this claim.

Funny thing is, the date of the letter is the day AFTER I talked to the them - - and the letter is signed by the SAME PERSON I TALKED TO . . .

NOT a good sign! *sigh*

la-de-da-de-da

Keep you posted.

AND Now We Have the "Ambulance Chasers"...

Update 6/22/08: I just got the second offer of representation yesterday in the mail - - this time, from a local firm. It met the same fate as the previous one (namely, the dreaded SHREDDER!)

When I got home from work today, there was this large, bright fire-engine red envelope in the mail, addressed to me. It was from a Personal Injury law firm, wanting to represent me in my "case" against the guy who hit me. AND (get this!) they could do it for FREE!

Um, yeah. Let's see - - "Lawyers" and "Free" are NOT two words that you EVER find in the same sentence. NOT EVER.

So on top of the other asshats I'm having to deal with, there are the "ambulance chasers" attacking through the mail . . .

*sigh*

Keep ya posted.

$3,200 - - So Far!

Initial estimate on repairs to the Jeep have come in at $3,200. However, both the claims adjustor and the body shop guy have said that once they get the bumpers and fenders off, they know they will find more, so the claims guy has already said he will have to go out there and do an additional estimate.

I missed work Monday and Tuesday, Monday not only because of paperwork and Doctor/Hospital visits, but because I was feeling so crappy. Tuesday I felt even worse, so I stayed home. Wednesday I came to work, but had to come home at lunchtime for the rest of the day because I started feeling so bad. FINALLY, on Thursday, I felt clear-headed for the first time since the wreck. And today (Friday) is a little better still.

L-O-N-G, S-L-O-W process . . . *sigh*

IN OTHER NEWS - -

The insurance company of the guy who hit me has called me twice so far, and the guy yesterday wanted to "settle" on my medical claims. I said no. He told me the amount he was willing to offer. I said no. He offered to have an open-ended deal for all of (get this!) 30 days. I said NO. I am NOT settling. I don't know if I will have problems after 30 days, and if I do, then I have lost out. I want to make sure I am well and healthy. Period.

My Jeep goes into the body shop on Monday, and the healing process will begin for it also. It's going to take a week or two, but Butch promises that it will be good as new, and I believe him. He does AWESOME work, and I know he will be true to his word. Can't wait to have my baby back all bright and shiny again!

The guy who was in front of me that I got pushed into in the wreck has called me at home (WTF?) and told me that he had been "talking to a buddy at work" who told him that since I was the one who hit him, I was partially responsible for his damages! Excuse me, asshole - - I didn't hit you because I wanted to, I was PUSHED INTO YOU. You want to state your case, call my insurance agent. Do not call me at home. Ever again. Period. Leave me the hell alone. (Jerk)

Keep ya posted.

Look At This!

Remember my little cherry tree? The one I blogged about here, and how happy I was that it had actually seemed to recover from the 2006 Ice storm?

WELL - - LOOK AT THIS:




I went outside for a quick walk this morning to try and get some of the "wreck" stiffness out of my body, when I noticed a couple of the branches had quite a few ripe cherries on them. I hurried back inside to get a plastic bag, and picked the ones I could reach.

The other branch is way too high, and will take a ladder to reach the fruit. But, I don't think I can handle a ladder right now, with the pain I'm experiencing and the meds I'm on. So they will have to wait until Dear Hubby Steve gets home.

There may not be enough cherries to make my Daddy a whole cherry pie, but I bet there will be enough to make him a nice cobbler or crisp - - This is what I've been waiting for ever since we moved here!

Later today I will get them pitted and put in a freezer bag, and hopefully be able to add to them as more of the fruit ripens. Can't wait to start baking!

L-O-N-G, S-L-O-W Process

This morning I decided to forego taking the Extra Strength Tylenol, just to make sure that I really WAS starting to feel better, and that the pills weren't masking any sort of problem. Well, by 7:30 AM I was in quite a bit of pain, so decided to get ready and go by my Doctor's office to speak to someone and get some advice.

I talked to the nurse and filled her in what happened. When she spoke to the Doctor, he wanted me put in a room immediately and wanted to see me. I felt pretty bad about this, because he had a waiting room full of people, and more on a list hoping to get in to see him today. But they insisted. *sigh* Okay - - on with the sexy backless gown (those things are DRAFTY!) and I settled in to wait.

He didn't keep me waiting very long. In fact, this was probably the quickest Doctor visit ever! He was very concerned about whiplash, checked me all out, and prescribed a prescription-strength does of ibuprofen and a muscle relaxant (which, by the way, is a pretty good one!). I go back in two weeks for a recheck.

He then sent me across the street to the hospital for X-rays. I again settled in, figuring it would be a LONG wait, but again was pleasantly surprised - - I was in and out of that hospital in 45 minutes! They took quite a few X-rays of my head, neck and shoulders, at all different angles. Hopefully they will show no injuries. I will find out when I go back for my recheck.

Then after dropping my prescriptions off at Walgreens, it was on to the insurance agent. They started the claim paperwork quickly, got an adjuster on the phone to talk to me, and things are moving pretty quickly and smoothly - - at least at THIS point. My body shop man will be back from vacation at the end of the week; by that time, I should have the estimate in hand and can get it and the Jeep to him to start the repair process.

THAT is when the fun will begin - - thanks to the guy who decided to use ME AND MY JEEP to stop his van, I will be put through a lot of inconvenience! I know I shouldn't be feeling angry, but - - DAMMIT! I know, it could have been much, much worse. At least I'm home, and not badly injured. But DAMMIT! Oh well . . .

Anyway, I will keep updating as things happen.

A Bad, Bad Day

Update (Sunday, 6/15/08): I am kind of stiff and sore, but not near as much as I thought I would be. TOMORROW, however, will probably be another story. I am taking the day off work to go see my insurance agent, talk to the body shop guy, and also plan on calling my Doctor to let him know what happened. I will check with him to see if he recommends my getting X-rays taken, on the off-chance whiplash symptoms appear later on down the road - - I don't think that will happen, but will go by what he says.










THIS is what happens when you are the middle part of a three-vehicle accident.

I'm fine, my passenger is fine, and so are the drivers of the other two vehicles. I was able to drive my poor Jeep home, albeit SLOWLY, and the person in front of me was also. The person behind me who started this whole chain reaction, however, was not so well off. I believe his minivan is totaled. He really hit me hard.

I will explain in more detail later - - but right now I have a date with a bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol and a nice comfy bed.

I am NOT looking forward to how my body will be feeling tomorrow!

Finally Fixed!

Well, Dish Network finally restored some of my faith in them.

The service guy, who was scheduled to come out "sometime" between 12 Noon and 5 PM, called me at 11:15 AM, apologized for running early (yes, he did!), and asked if there was any way he could come right then instead of waiting until the afternoon.

Oh hell yeah! I'll be right there!

I got home, and he was already waiting in the drive for me. (I'm glad I work at a College with a lot of "diverse" individuals - - this man was covered in tattoos and some piercings, but hey, as long as he can do the job, that's all that matters!)

I showed him to the bad receiver, and he went to work. He checked the phone jack and phone line, and decided to try replacing the phone jack, just in case. That didn't work. So he went out to the truck and got a different receiver and replaced that.

That didn't work either.

WTF?

So he did some more checking, and just on a hunch, he also replaced the phone line, so that all three things were new. THAT worked!

Apparently, when the lightning hit, it not only messed up the receiver, it also messed up the phone line. Once they were BOTH replaced, things worked again.

That young man was there working on things for 2 hours. He was nice, polite, and did a very good job. AND (points for him) he likes animals, and my shy-girl Squeak decided she adored him. She would NOT leave him alone!

SO once again, Dish Network has redeemed themselves. I guess if they had sent the new receiver and we had hooked it up, we still would have had problems since the phone line had been knocked out also.

When we decided to swtich from Cable to Satellite, we did a lot of research on the providers in our area, and decided to go with Dish Network. We have had Dish for just over three years now, and they have always been very good with us.

I guess maybe we should not have been so upset when they decided to send someone out. It was just that on top of all the other things we have been dealing with, it was just one more obstacle to get through. But it worked out very well, and I would still highly recommend them to anyone considering Satellite TV.

Just one more happy ending! :-)

Dish Network Update

Well, apparently Dish Network isn't going to take our word for the fact that lightning hit the receiver. They are sending someone out on Wednesday afternoon to "verify" the problem, before they replace the receiver.

What-EVER . . just FIX the damn thing so that Dish doesn't charge me more because the updates are not being received! (Yes, that is what happens - - if, for some reason your receiver can't receive the updates, they charge you an extra fee per month.)(I know, I know - - it doesn't make any sense to ME, either!)

I'll keep ya posted . . .

*sigh*

Catch-up - FINALLY!

Things have been really SCREWY since my last post, and the majority of it has to do with bitchy MOTHER NATURE. Let me explain:

In the past week, we have had major thunderstorms, deadly lightning, tornadoes, major straight-line winds . . . all the good stuff that Mother Nature saved up and decided to give to us ALL IN THE SAME DAMN WEEK.

Gee, thanks, Mom. You shouldn't have. REALLY.

Early last week I was awakened during an early morning thunderstorm with a bright blue flash that seemed to come from inside the bedroom, along with a very loud "SNAP!" sound. I looked around, but did not see anything damaged, so I went investigating through the house . . . nothing noticeable.

I went and took my shower, and then decided to call Steve to let him know what had happened, so he could check things further when he got home.

The phone was dead. As a doornail. So I figured (naturally) that the blue flash I had seen was the phone line being zapped by lightning. Steve got home that night and checked the junction box outside the house - - the main line had a dial tone outside, so the problem was inside the house. No problem - - we have paid AT&T Linebacker for years, so they will come in and fix it for no charge; however, they are not able to get to it until MONDAY, JUNE 9th.

*sheesh* That's a whole week away!

That evening, we checked the computers, and we had no Internet access either. Now we got a little worried, because the computers are only a month old - - but we were finally able to determine that the problem was on our Wireless provider's end, due to storm damage. So we were without Internet connection for 2 days.

THEN - - the brand new printer, which unfortunately had not acted quite right ever since we got it, decided to quit altogether. Dead. As a doornail. *sigh* Here we go again . . . Steve got on the phone with HP Tech Support the next day, and spent almost an hour on the phone with the Tech guy. NOTHING the guy asked Steve to try worked. So the upshot is - - they are sending us a brand new printer as a product exchange. It should be in this week.

Keep in mind that during this whole time, we are having severe storms and heavy rains on a regular (read: DAILY) basis. In fact, last week we had right at 9 inches of rain. That's not a typo - - I said NINE.INCHES.OF RAIN. IN A WEEK. Everything around our area is flooded. There were some streets in the city that had water standing higher than I have EVER seen, to the point that even the very high-profile vehicles were getting stalled out and stranded in the standing water. Very, very scary.

And the rain KEEPS coming down . . . in fact, we are expecting between 1-3 inches additional rain today.

Anyway - - back to the phone problem . . . today the AT&T guy calls and I meet him at the house. He checks the junction box outside, and everything is cool. He comes in to check the inside wires, and also asks if we have any satellite receivers hooked up to the phone line. I said I wasn't sure (I don't usually handle that stuff - - that's Steve's thing), and he said if so, that could be causing the problem, that he had seen that many times before. But first he headed down to the basement to check the wires.

When he got that done, he came upstairs, pointed to the far northwest end of the house and said, "What is in the room right back there?" I said it was the Master bedroom. He went back there to check the phone jack, which worked fine. BUT - - the phone line was connected to a satellite receiver in the bedroom. He unplugged the phone line from the receiver and plugged in his diagnostic equipment . . . and there was the problem.

Apparently, that bright blue flash I had seen that morning was from the receiver being hit by lightning running through the phone line, and even though my back was turned to the receiver, it reflected brightly in my dresser mirror. The receiver would still work and receive satellite signal so that we could watch TV, but the satellite sends updates to the receiver via the phone line. When it doesn't connect, it keeps trying to redial, and the phone line is in a constant busy state.

Once the guy unplugged the receiver, I plugged our phone back into the main jack, and "voila!" - - the phones work again!

SO - - Dear Hubby Steve has to call Dish Network tonight after he gets home and get a new receiver. They will send one out, and we will have it in a day or two, and we will send the damaged one back.

And hopefully this is the END of this ordeal - - it's been exhausting!

On top of all this, it's my busy time at work, and I have been working evenings and weekends presenting orientation sessions for new online students. Also, my boss is out of town this week, so that means double-duty for me right now.

I think I'm looking at needing some serious ROR time in the very near future!