27 Haziran 2012 Çarşamba

Facility Service Associate Job at Lowe's in Spartanburg

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Lowe's is hiring Facility Service Associate on Wed, 02 May 2012 17:10:57 GMT. Position Description Responsible for the cleanliness and general maintenance of the facility inside and out. Some of these tasks include the following: Keeping entrance/exit areas free of stray merchandise and debris. Performing basic preventative maintenance on store equipment. Performing basic minor repairs to facility and equipment as needed. Maintaining adequate supply of cleaning supplies...

Facility Service Associate

Location: Spartanburg South Carolina

Description: Lowe's seeks a Facility Service Associate immediately, this position will be placed in South Carolina. Position Description Responsible for the cleanliness and general maintenance of the facility inside and out. Some of these tasks include the following: Keeping entrance/exit areas free of stray merchandise and debris. Performing basic preventative maintenance on store equipment. Performing basic minor repairs to facility and equipment as needed. Maintaining adequate supply of cleaning supplies... . For more detail information about this job opprtunity please read the description above, and if you interested on this job just click on the Apply Now button, you will be redirected to the official website

If interested in this position, please email us your resume, along with salary requirements and a cover letter to Lowe's.

This job starts available on: Wed, 02 May 2012 17:10:57 GMT


Assistant Manager/Collections Manager Job at HomeSmart in Lake City

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HomeSmart is hiring Assistant Manager/Collections Manager on Thu, 03 May 2012 13:53:55 GMT. Assistant Manager/Customer Account Manager/Collections Manager... We are looking for Highly Competitive , Sports Minded individuals to join our Winning Team.  You will find a highly competitive and rewarding work environment with unlimited growth potential... If you think you have what it takes to compete in this environment join our Manager Trainee Program Today... You...

Assistant Manager/Collections Manager

Location: Lake City South Carolina

Description: HomeSmart seeks a Assistant Manager/Collections Manager immediately, this position will be placed in South Carolina. Assistant Manager/Customer Account Manager/Collections Manager... We are looking for Highly Competitive , Sports Minded individuals to join our Winning Team.  You will find a highly competitive and rewarding work environment with unlimited growth potential... If you think you have what it takes to compete in this environment join our Manager Trainee Program Today... You... . For more detail information about this job opprtunity please read the description above, and if you interested on this job just click on the Apply Now button, you will be redirected to the official website

If interested in this position, please email us your resume, along with salary requirements and a cover letter to HomeSmart.

This job starts available on: Thu, 03 May 2012 13:53:55 GMT


25 Haziran 2012 Pazartesi

Birthday Town

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It is somewhat unfortunate that Columbia’s forty fifth birthday celebrationhad to fall on the weekend after LakeFest. The temptation to unfavorably comparethe two events is almost too great.
It would also be unfair.

Columbia’sbirthday party is more hyper loco than the regionally marketed LakeFest. Thiswas bought home to me almost as soon as I arrived. Passing by the ColumbiaVillages booth, Joan Lancos started to hand me a Columbia Villages reusableshopping bag but then pulled back explaining “You don’t live in Columbia do you?”

I’m a Columbiaexpat. No yellow shopping bag for me.
Despite the shopping bag stiff I lingered for awhile talkingloco politico stuff with Joan long enough to eventually elicit an audible sigh fromPeanut. We moved on, without a yellow shopping bag.

Passing in front of Clyde’sI showed Peanut the brick I bought her. I don’t think it made that great of animpression with her. Perhaps she’ll grow more comfortable with the whole brick thing over time. 
As we were inspecting the decorated umbrellas lined up alongthe dock, a couple came by with a young golden retriever, named Dakota. Theowner (I believe her name was Claire) asked me if I was a blogger. I pleadedguilty and she proceeded to tell me that she is a regular reader. “I’m a lurkerthough,” she said, “not a commenter.”
I immediately liked her. The fact that she and husband had asweet golden retriever only made it better.  I thanked her for recognizing me and being areader. That is one the best parts of hyper loco blogging for me, randomencounters with HoCo locos that I otherwise may have never met.
After taking our aforementioned paddle boat ride, we headedup to the main stage area when a Tae Kwon Do demonstration was about to takeplace. “This is something that really interests me,” Peanut informs me.
Who knew?
As we settled in to watch I noticed a young couple had foundthemselves a private perch to watch the show. I wondered how long it would bebefore someone told them to get down. It was approximately fifteen minutes.Still, for the moment they were getting away with it, it made a perfect summerpicture.As we left, I grabbed one of the available Sharpies andpenned my birthday greetings to Columbiaon the birthday cake replica set up for this purpose. I may no longer qualifyfor a free yellow shopping bag but I still love my old hometown all the same. Happy 45th!

Thursday Updates

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Today I heard from the at fault person's insurance company. I gave a recorded statement on the accident itself, I am sure I left off some details as I have given the story time and again while trying to reach an adjuster to begin with.  Very frustrating. I also told about going to the hospital and my current pains (the headaches that do not subside but seem manageable, the neck aches that have gone away, the abdominal contusion healing on it's own and soreness in my back.

Later tonight  while Doug drove us to pick up dinner I started to notice my lower back was stiffening up and feeling "bruised". It's now 10:45 PM EST making it exactly 5 days and 45 minutes post accident and my lower back is killing me. I don't know what the hell..I really don't. I really assumed since the only real bother that night was my head (even though in the confusion of it all I forgot all about hitting my legs until I seen the bruises the next morning) that I would be fine. My swollen contusion showed up Sunday night and I waited to be seen for it until my follow up Monday morning.

Nothing else seemed a miss, the swelling from the contusion has all but faded away, my knee bruises had started to fade as well into a yellowy bruise. my headaches were constant until Wednesday, then they went away and came back all day today.

While thinking about this, I took the advice of my sister (who has been in a few rear end collisions and said the back pain down the road was not worth settling because it gets worse) and I scheduled to see a chiropractor.

I specifically asked if the headaches were something they could treat bc the hospital did a CT scan that later showed up normal. The person I spoke with reminded me that a CT scan only does certain look overs but the chiropractor will do his own x rays and that headaches are usually from spinal or neck injury. I never knew headaches were related to that, and am kind of mad the doctor's did not tell me.

I really hope the chiropractor can pin point the location that is causing them and resolve it. I also disagree with the police report that said she was doing 35, after seeing her in my rear view and looking at both our cars, there is no way. There really is no way. I literally sat there waiting to turn left and 3 cars had already passed as I was waiting for a few more to go so I could make my left turn (while fully stopped) i see her in my rear view speeding towards me, i look down and back up and she's not even slowing down. I look down and BAM.

I was so confused for a while until her passenger asked me how I was and I told him I hit my head really hard and didn't now if i was okay. I asked him to call 911 for an accident report to be done. When I called 911 myself after a few minutes and not being as confused I told the 911 operater I didn't know if i was hurt but I hit my head really hard and had a headache.

I thought this would be cut and dry. I wasn't even expecting to feel back pain 5 days later. It's ridiculous what someone's uncarefulness can do to you when you are obeying all the traffic laws.

Then getting hold of someone at her company was like a 3 ring circus. I and Doug both left messages on the original claims adjusters VM I will leave his initials (MB). He never called back. Tuesday I believe it was (maybe monday), I spoke with a guy named K. at insurance company and gave him my statement anf frustrations (unrecorded I believe) he told me my story matched hers and they accepted liability. He said he would email the info I gave him to MB. By Wednesday, I was still confused because I've never dealed with this before (accident/'insurance companies) and I called yet again, I believe the woman I spoke to was T. I told her I wanted a (insurance co name here) email invite to view my claim online. She then told me MB was not able to handle medical claims and got me a new adjuster (MBS). While talking to her I told her I spoke to K (which I did not recall his name at the time, she later gave it to me by the records). I told her he told me that they accepted responsibility. She says "he must of had his notes mixed up because our driver did not call yet".

I told her, "to stop right there, because he told me my story matched with hers 1. and 2 when state farm called geico to see if a claim had already been made, THEY (state farm) had given me the claim number, insurance adjusters name and his number).

Right after I tell her this she says, "actually miss murphy, she is calling in right now, can you please hold". STRANGE.

At that point I did not trust her and broke out my camera nad recorded the remainder of hte conversation. I figure if they are willing to lie that early on I may need it later if I need it.

Today *THURSDAY at 10:37 am* MBS calls and talks to me for a bit then I agree to give a recorded statement.  I told her the jist of the accident but probably not every single detail as I was rushed to get it out since my son was in the room and to be honest when she initially called I was on the phone with my sister and when I clicked over before saying "hello" I heard her say "Oh my GODDDD" in a sarcastic tone. Which kind of set the mood for me that I was probably going to be in over my head. I also told her about going to Cape Fear and my follow up apt. When asked how I felt now, I said I still have headaches, my neck soreness is subsiding or gone, my abdominal contusion is healing on it's own and my back is sore but probably hearling (but what do I know I am not an MD). I don't recall what else I said. Oh, the damage to my an dthe other drivers car, to which I said I am not a mechanic, but I described what I seen and told her I uploaded photos on the claim to their website. She did seem nice at the end and even answered questions about the medical billing process with my own insurance company since I had false info.

While picking mimi up from school, Ethan was asleep so I called a chiropractor to set up the apt. So far this is what's going on. I figured I'd keep track of it on my blog, because my memory is kind of in the here and now with two kids I can hardly remember where I put my keys most days when they are in my own hand.

I called an attorney but I am still debating if I want to use one. I figure if the insurance company compensates all my bills and is truly fair in the settlement I don't want to go out of my way to get an attorney, I am not out to make money but I do expect full compensation since none of this was my fault and I don't know what other help I will need in the future. One of the manyh mailers I got from attorneys and chiropractors stated some soft tissue damage can show up to 2 weeks afterwards. grief. I really hope that this isthe final pain to show up because I am over it. I have no help with my kids and I need to be the best mom I can be for them.

It's been a nightmare..

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I never imagined that when I was rear ended and through no fault of my own I would have so much stress, tears and headache associated with this whole ordeal.

If you (like myself) have never been in an auto accident before, you are more and likely ignorant to everything (like myself). You want to believe in the good of the insurance companies. You want to believe that they aren't as evil as lawyers make them out to be.

You think, "okay,I was hurt, they will pay my medical bills as they come". Only, they don't. They won't pay until you settle. If you are like the majority of Americans and don't have health insurance, and your OWN insurance PIP (MedPay) is exhausted in hospital bills, you are virtually screwed.

With no money to pay them yourself, and kids to feed, you know you are hurt, but you stop treatment in order to try and hurry a settlement so that your bills will be paid in a timely manner.

You realize any attorney will take 1/3rd of your settlement, and with your medical bills being high, and no real guarantee or no set in stone number of what they will even ask for during consultations, and you are told by attorney after attorney that they can't guarantee even your medical bills will be covered after their fees, you are left to your own devices.

You act as your own paralegal, you collect all your medical bills, you make copies of everything, calculate your mileage and fuel costs and out of pocket expenses and you prepare a demand letter to submit to the at fault insurance company.

You call them and nag them every other day, sometimes you give them a week.

Your bills are coming in and you are being threatened by the hospitals to have your account turned to collections. You are given the run around by all parties involved (those you owe money to, and those who owe money to you).

Your stress causes heartburn, your anxiety causes lost sleep and you don't know huge legal terms and kind of try to wing it.Eventually you do hear from the at fault insurance company who offers to pay all your medical but says they can only give you $1,000 for your personal injury/pain and suffering. Mind you your under duress and you have stopped treatment just in order to get the bill collectors at the facilities you were treated at off your back and to rush a settlement. You ask for slightly more. You tell them about your med pay and they offer to reimburse your med pay and hospital expenses.

You are left to think about it over night, meanwhile the big insurance giant knows they have you where they want you.

AND with all do respect, I know they have a job to do, but it just sucks you're unfortunately at their mercy, even when the accident was not your fault.

Two days go by and you call and call. No one calls back, so you ask to speak to their supervisor, only it's a message machine (always is). You inform them that you have done all you could on your part, you've done the leg work to collect all the bills, you've submitted everything accordingly and you demand a settlement or you will take their policy holder to court (who in turn can take their insurance agent to court for bad faith).

15 minutes later (literally) you get a call from your adjuster. You feel bad for calling on them, because it is their job, but you also feel bad for yourself because you're swamped in bills you should not have to be up to your ears in.

They offer $500 more. So at this point you have your medical bills being offered to be paid out (your main concern), your 2 thousand dollar med pay reimbursed to you and $1,500 from them. You say "I accept", just please pay these bills soon.

You are told, once you sign and fax this release, (releasing their policy holder and them from all future medical claims) and scan and upload it to them, they will cut you a check and pay out your providers within the next day. You read it over have a few questions but ultimately sign your life away and sent it over.

Within two hours the claims website emails you to notify you a check has been issued do your portion of the settlement.

After re reading the release you notice strange language, that includes property damage, and you think, "oh dear lord, did I just screw my insurance company out of their subrogation"?? You panic, you're up all night calling your insurance and theirs (mind you your insurance has yet to contact you about subrogation and you have no idea how it even works, just that you may of signed your rights away and become responsible for paying it back and your personal settlement doesn't even cover collision damages).

You're sick to your stomach, you cry your eyes out, you feel tricked and deceived and you submit a quick letter to the claims website asking to retract your signed release due to the fact "money is not in hand" as the contract states and that you felt you were not given all information needed and signed it under duress with out a witness.

The very next morning you get a call from the at fault company bright and early, promising that it's only a medical release and nothing more,promising subrogation will still be paid out. You feel relieved but still skeptical, so you record the entire conversation and the phone messages. You get a letter back from said insurance company promising it is only a medical release. You feel relieved...

FOR THE TIME BEING.

An attorney tells you it can be a trick, your insurance company says it should be fine and you're left praying this person has a heart and won't screw you over.

That is where I am today, two months exactly after my accident. A check is on the way - which will go directly to savings and untouched for a long time until all this is over - just in case. And your medical bills have yet to be paid off - STILL.

The icing to the cake? You get a final notice from the hospital today, to pay the remaining $2,500 you owe, even though your insurance company just forked them $2,000 in med pay. You ask for an extension until the at fault company pays it off and let them know you just settled and it will be any day now. They tell you, "no" and say you have 18 days to pay or you go to collections, you ask to set up a payment plan and are told it could take a week.

I am praying that this will all be over soon. I am praying so hard I never have to deal with this again. Someone who is injured through no fault of their own should NEVER have to go through what I have gone through. NEVER.

My spinal, and neck vertebrae are still dislocated, my stress is so high my blood pressure is higher than it's ever been, and my anxiety is insane. When I drive I always get a horrible burst of anxiety as some one gets too close or speeds up on my tail end. I don't feel I will ever be the same - EVER.

Was all this worth a $1500 settlement? I'd say NO, but when you have kids and need the bills off your back, it is.

My advice next time? (God forbid)? Go attorney shopping, find a good one. One who will not RUSH through the consult, one that wants to MEET with you IN PERSON, as opposed to just their paralegal. Sure an attorney is 1/3 contingency fee, BUT, they KNOW what they are doing (you do not), and chances are big insurance also knows this and will toy with your emotions.

It's worth it to not have the stress. COMPLETELY.

I pray to god it wasn't worse, and I am thankful to God, my children were not with me that one time (as any other time they would have been). I am so thankful. I am however very upset with the turn of events.

I am thankful that this will hopefully be all over as soon as my medical payments are paid out and I am no longer in credit limbo for something I did not do.

I want to cry - STILL.

I am sensitive, and I stress easily, it's hard to take care of your kids when you are stressed to death, and you can't pick them up because your lower back is aching.

There are a lot of "woulda, shoulda, and coulda's" involved. I just want the nightmare to end.

I want to never see a commercial with that smiling little insurance character EVER again. - Sadly one is right by my house (agh).

Again, I should say I have no real hard feelings for my adjuster, she is just doing her job, and is probably up to her neck in claims. If only people would learn to pay attention when they drive, be considerate of others they share the road with, and if only you had magical powers to make your car disappear when someone is fixing to hit you.

If only....

I don't wish this on my worst enemy.

I saved $141.62 at Gymboree!

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I had been eyeing the fact that Gymboree had a mega sale on their website for weeks.

Of course, due to the fact I waited, a lot of what I wanted had been cleared out, but I browsed anyway. It's nearly 4 am here (yes, I have the worst insomnia ever, I may as well just stay up all night since my kids get up in 3 hours anyway) ;) haha, that's another topic, for another blog.

Anyway I picked up these for the kids (part back to school, and part needs for Ethan):



I think Gymboree should photograph more models wearing their clothing, had I seen this outfit solo, I would have never purchased it, but I saw this little one with tan skin and blond hair similar to my own daughter's and she sold the outfit to me, because I was able to see my daughter in it better! MORE MODELING GYMBOREE - It sells your items better :))
  
I will admit, I have a thing for Octupuss'(pi)?? I did NOT like the shorts Gymbo paired with this top, but I liked the top so much I bought it anyway. As per Ethan? Well, his PJ's are getting small and pilling bad, and for PJ's that normally cost $32 bucks, on sale for about $14? Well, that's a deal anywhere, so I snagged them.



PRICE BREAK DOWN:


  • Hula Hut Tank Top - $18.95 on sale for $13.99

  • Stripe Skort - $22.95 on sale for $13.99

  • Tropical Bead Necklace - $10.95 on sale for $6.49

  • Ice Cream Sweetie Stripe Skort -$26.95 on sale for $13.99

  • Ice Cream Cone Tank Top- $18.95 on sale for $13.99

  • Gem Flower Octopus Tee - $26.95 on sale for $13.99

  • Octopus Shortie 2 piece Pajama Set - $32.95 on sale for $13.99

  • Boys Carpenter Jeans - $32.95 on sale for $13.99


Totals Before Sales: $191.60
Price I paid for everything: $104.42
I saved $87.18 on sales prices alone (this makes me happy)!!
BUT, wait..it gets better, I also earned $50 in gymbuckstowards my next purchase; essentially making ALL of this $54.42 or a grand totalsavings of $141.60.
Love when Gymboree has sales while earning gymbucks at thesame time! J

24 Haziran 2012 Pazar

Photo Banner How To

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As I've mentioned in a few previous posts, the smallest member of our house just celebrated a birthday. Being a (sometimes) frugal gal, I decided to bypass store bought decorations and try my hand at crafting my own.

Pinterest was my best friend during the weeks leading up to N's FIRST b-day party. I searched and searched for decoration inspiration, and I kept coming across photo banners - month by month photos of the birthday boy or girl, strung together and hung for display. It seemed easy enough for this not so crafty girl to attempt.

Here's are basic "How To" directions to help you get started with your own photo banner.
  • Choose one picture from each month of the child's life that you wish to include in the banner. I used pictures from birth through one year, totaling thirteen photos. Be sure to select pictures that are all of the same orientation - all horizontal or all vertical.
  • Upload photos to Photobucket. You'll need to sign up for an account if you don't already have one.
  • Use Photobucket's basic editor to adjust image quality (click Adjustment). Auto Fix is an easy option if you'd rather not put much effort/time into editing.
  • Adjust the size of the images, found under Adjustment. Make sure each image has the same width and height. My images were approximately 700 x 400 pixels. 
  • Add text to your photos, labeling the month of each picture by selecting the Text button. Photobucket has many new and interesting fonts to choose from. Play around with fonts and text placement!

Here's where I would do things differently. I placed the text in a different location on each picture, where I thought it looked best.  I should have known better, but placing text at the top of the image created some issues when it came time to assemble the banner. I had to hole punch through some letters and some words overlapped. If there had been more time for a redo, I would have placed all text at least an inch below the top of the image.
  • Save your images. If working on a Mac, open Microsoft Word and click and drag the images (full image, not thumbnail version) from Photobucket into a Word document. If working on a PC, download your images, save them, and then insert into a Word document. 
  • In Word, double check the size of your images (Format, Picture, Size) to make sure they are all the same. Adjust if necessary.

  • Print and cut out images. If I had more time, I also would have mounted the images on patterned scrapbook paper. 
  • Cut pieces of thin ribbon, about 4-5 inches in length. Punch holes in the upper corners of each image. Thread ribbon through the corners of consecutive images and tie as show below. You could choose to create one long banner by connecting every photo, or you might consider dividing the banner into two sections. My banner became two sections because of the text placement issues I mentioned above - Newborn through 6 Months and 7 Months through 12 Months.

  • Cut longer pieces of ribbon, about 10 inches, and tie to the outside corners of the first and last image (newborn and 12 months in my banner), as shown below.
  • Use tape or pins to hang banner on wall.




Have an idea for a neighborhood project? Get $500 for it!

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This is pretty neat. A tipster sent in a program called Neighborhood Wishlist from PNC Bank, who are giving $500 to help fund neighborhood projects. Here's more, and you can enter on their Facebook page (you have to like it first.)

You'd better get the project in fast though, they're only taking the first 500 projects that come in before they pick finalists. There's also a voting aspect, with the projects that get the most votes going on in the contest.


Get up to $500 for your neighborhood!
Introducing PNC Neighborhood Wishlist, an exciting new community program that can help you make good things
happen in your neighborhood.
Here's how it works:

1- Submit a project
Tell us how you'd improve your community for $500 or less. We'll choose up to 100 ideas to post on the Wishlist.

2- Spread the word
If your project is picked, get your friends to vote for it. You'll need one vote for every dollar you ask for.

 
3- Make it happen
If you reach your goal, we'll give you up to $500 to turn your project into a reality.

Submission starts June 18th, but we'll only be reviewing the first 500 projects that come in before July 1st to pick our 100 finalists, so submit yours as soon as you can!

Even if you don't have an idea, you can support and share other people's projects when voting begins. It's all part of working together to make our neighborhoods better.

Visit our Facebook page now to find out more and submit a project now!

Sincerely,
The PNC Neighborhood Wishlist Team

Columbia Heights: #1 Reddit neighborhood around

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Are you a Redditor? If you don't know what that is, Reddit is a popular website where people can vote up or down various interesting stories, funny things, political issues and more. The site calls itself "the front page of the internet."

The City Paper reports that among Redditors (Reddit users) in DC, Columbia Heights has the biggest user base. The City Paper's reporter says this is a bad thing, but like any website, it's how you use it. There are stories of Reddit users raising lots of money for charities, urging Stephen Colbert to hold a rally in DC (which became the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear) and for exposing criminals, but also for doing some bad things.

In any case, it's interesting, and I wonder what it means for the neighborhood. Are we more computer literate? Or, more likely to waste time, or have time to waste, on the Internet?

Any Redditors care to comment?

Kangaroo Boxing Club is open: a very brief intro

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The new barbeque spot on 11th Street NW, Kangaroo Boxing Club, opened really quickly -- it was only announced in late February or early March, and as of June 19th, it was open. That's an amazingly fast turnaround, and good for the owners, the folks who run the PORC food truck, a barbeque truck whose acronym stands for Purveyors of Rolling Cuisine.

So, how is it? I don't know. I tried to go on Tuesday, and it was extremely packed and hot, so we didn't stick around. It's gotten 4 reviews on Yelp so far, which are very laudatory, so that's a good sign. They don't seem to have a website yet, but I checked out their menu. In short, it's similar to their truck, with a fair amount of veggie options. Appetizers range from hummus and pita to a meat board or sausage, with four kinds of barbeque as entrees, plus other fare like a burger with (or without) pulled pork, bacon and ham and healthier stuff like a farm salad and a hummus and veggie sandwich.

Inside the place looked pretty nice, with a big wood bar and very dark, moody lighting. It wasn't huge, but that might have been accentuated by the big crowd inside and trying to get in.

Plus Urban Daddy reports they have a lot of infused liquors and also serve Olde English malt liquor, which is pretty funny. I feel that would go with barbeque pretty well. And apparently they're going to have brunch too, according to their Facebook page. (Plug, if you know them or are them, please email me. I want to write about you.)

Hopefully it'll be less crowded soon. Have you been? How was it?

Kangaroo Boxing Club is located at 3410 11th Street NW

Go Skateboarding Day was yesterday: hundreds of skaters went down 14th Street

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This is pretty cool. Yesterday was Go Skateboarding Day, an annual event that aims to encourage skateboarding.

You may remember that in past years, the Palace 5 skate shop at 14th and Florida has had a lot of events in the past for it, and skaters gather there before skating down 14th to downtown and the Mall.

They did the same this year, and my buddy who works on 14th reported "hundreds" of skaters at about 3 pm. Pretty cool stuff. Here's a video, with some shots of the mass skate downtown and various tricks and such, and M.V. Jantzen has a bunch of photos of the kids around 14th and Florida (see one below the video.)


Waiting for Good Stuff
Photo by M.V. Jantzen

23 Haziran 2012 Cumartesi

Dinner for Two, Under Ten Bucks

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Yesterday my colleague TW paraphrased Yogi Berra indescribing the new Columbia Wegmans store. “It’s so busy that nobody is going togo there,” he commented after seeing the queue of cars waiting to get into theparking garage. He opted to take a pass.
I had a decidedly different experience less than an hour later.The store was still busy but the traffic was moving and I was immediately directedinto a convenient parking space by a helpful Wegmans employee.
Though I did have a couple of items on my grocery list thistrip was really to just to check the place out. Prior to this visit, theonly other Wegmans I had been in was their store in Hunt Valley.
The Columbia Wegmans is nicer. For one thing, Hunt Valleydoesn’t have outdoor seating for the café.
Though I wasn’t intending to pick up dinner, a pass throughthe Market Café soon changed my mind. I picked up a pound of Italian sausagewith peppers and onions and half pound of Kansas City rice for $9.53. It was plenty of food for twopeople.
It occurred to me that it’s not onlythe existing grocery stores that should be concerned about this new competitor.Wegmans could alter the paradigm of the HoCo loco carry-out business as well. Whysettle for pizza when, for the same amount of money, you can get Tuscan ribs orEtruscan salmon?
On my way out the door I stopped to check out the grocerycart escalator. I had read that it had broken down on opening day so I wasn’tsurprised to see an employee stationed at the foot of the escalator helpingcustomers acclimate to this new technology. It seemed to be working just fine.
“It was only down for about a half hour on opening day,” the cart guy told me. That apparently was just long enough to get the attention of the ExploreHoward reporter, Pete Pichaske

Right at Home

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Last night, as I passed through Ellicott City, I spotted this 1961 Ford pickup parked across from thePhoenix Emporium. Though unremarkable in terms of restoration, it caught myattention from a historic perspective.
In 1961 a pickup truck just like this would have been afamiliar sight on Main Street.In that pre-Columbia period HoCo was largely an agrarian county and EC was thecenter of commerce. In those days E.T. Clarkes Hardware was next door tothe Phoenix.
When I take a picture of an interesting auto for To2C, I alwaysmake some attempt to find the owner. Since it was parked directly across thestreet from the bar I thought this would be as good a place as any to make an inquiry. I enlisted the aid of Ashley, thebartender, who in turn asked the other patrons at the bar. She came up blank. I spoke with John thebouncer too. He hadn't seen the truck yet and went to the door to check it out.
“Not a very good paint job,” John observed. It turns outthat John is a bit of a car guy himself and we talked cars while I finished my beer.Considering that the truck is over fifty years old, I’d haveto say that its paint job is more than serviceable. It doesn’t look like ashowpiece. It just looks right at home.

Good Show for a No Show

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In the two plus years since we started, we’ve had everymember of the county council on our podcast except Jen Terrasa. It’s not likewe haven’t tried. Our latest attempt was for the show we taped this pastMonday. At least two weeks prior we reached out to her and she indicated thatshe was interested in joining us but demurred from making an actual commitment.She told us she’s get back to us.

As late as Wednesday last week she still hadn’t gotten backto us. We were running out of time. It was four days before the show and wedidn’t know if we had a guest or not. That night I attended her fundraiser at KingsContrivance and when I got a moment to speak with her I asked again if she wascoming on the show.
“Can I let you know tomorrow?” she asked.
"Sure, but please let us know by then so we can make other plans if you can't do it." I replied.
She never did. Maybe she just  didn’t like what I wrote about her party.
Thankfully, on short notice we were able to get the Programming Manager for the Columbia Festival of the Arts, Josh Stoltzfus. Josh is the guywho lines up the entertainment for the ten day festival, including Lake Fest.He’s the guy who bought Marching Fourth to the Columbia lakefront and he wanted us to know about the restof the festival lineup. It’s a pretty impressive lineup including Rosanne Cash,The Flying Karamozov Brothers and Momix, all within the intimate confines ofthe Rouse Theatre.
It turned out to be a pretty fun show and probably alot more interesting than talking about HoCo loco zoning and land use with Jen. 
You can listen to the 68th episode of “and thenthere’s that…” here.  

The Wire to Go

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I realize I’m a little late to the partyon this but I’ve finallygotten around to watching The Wire. I really don’t like coming into the middleof a series and trying to get in sync with the seasons by using On Demand wastoo much brain damage.

Then my neighbor Peter told me about HBO Go. I love HBO Go. Inow can start at the beginning of any of their series (Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Deadwood, and The Wire of course) and keep going right up to thelatest episodes, if any.
I also love The Wire. What’s not to love? It’s all about thecity of my birth, B-more.It’s not pretty but neither is life in the big city sometimes. More than anything it’s familiar. Thescenes from the city make the story all the more real for me not to mention the fact that the scenes from inside the Major Crimes unit offices were likely all filmed in HoCo. I’ve spotted ourformer guv in at least two episodes and the mayor in the series is inspired by thecurrent guvs stint as mayor.
The episode openings are one of my favorite parts. While theopening credits roll, the blues song “Way Down in the Hole,” plays in thebackground. Each season a different artist performed the song. In Season 1 itwas The Blind Boys of Alabama, Season 2, Tom Waits, Season 3, The NevilleBrothers, Season 4, DoMaJe, and Season 5, Steve Earle.
I’m in the fifth and final season now. These episodes startwith Steve Earle’s version. Looking back on the previous four seasons I've started thinking about which version I like the best. It's pretty interesting what the five separate artists do with the same song. I think Steve Earle’s take on"Hole" is my second favorite.
Picking my favorite is harder. I really like the harmonicain The Blind Boys version and DoMaJe’s version sounds like is being sung in adark smoky bar. The Neville Brothers version on the other hand has an industrial feel.
At the end of the day I’ve decided I like the way Tom Waits bringsit best. He also wrote the song.
Anyone else wanna share their favorite?

Trouble in Paradise

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You might think that,with the long awaited and much debated Columbia Town Centerredevelopment process finally underway, the county council would be celebrating their accomplishment and working to move things forward as smoothly as possible.
Hardly. Last night, two of the council members got fairly testy with the developer over what appears to be a fundamental misunderstanding of business , capital and risk. 
In a work session on the enabling legislation for a new Commercial  District Management Authority (CDMA) for Town Center, tempers were raised and threats were implied over the issue of who will control this authority. As it has been proposed by the exec, the Downtown Columbia Partnership would be governed by a board of seven members, four of whom would be from the Howard Hughes Corporation, giving HHC majority control.
Jen Terrasa and Calvin Ball seem to think that's a bit too much. They expressed a certain discomfort with allowing a developer to have so much control over the Town Center redevelopment program, even though it isn't the county's money at risk. 
This is a potential deal killer for HHC.
They are the ones putting real money into Downtown Columbia Partnership, both in new commercial development fees and in funding public amenities. In addition to immediately stroking a check for $1.5 million for affordable housing, HHC will be funding the renovation of Merriweather and a variety of transportation and environmental initiatives. Estimates of their total investment in Town Centerruns into the tens of millions.
Of course they want to control the authority, at least initially. They are the only ones with real skin in the game. As John DeWolf told the council, HHC is still committed to the project as long as they can manage the risk. He further suggested that they are uniquely qualified to accomplish that. He wryly pointed out that when HHC took over this project “there wasn’t anyone else lined up outside the door to buy this (Town Center redevelopment) separately.”
Greg Fox and Courtney Watson seemed to get that. They attempted to get their council colleagues to give HHC some sort of reassurance that they’d work this out. HHC is up against some critical dates in the development process and needs to have this resolved sooner rather than later. Calvin and Jen balked. Mary Kay Sigaty, the current council chair, was silent.
Two out of five, not good. Trouble in Paradise.
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21 Haziran 2012 Perşembe

Pregnant Groupon men, and Father's Day spending survey

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A recent survey of shoppers from online retail site PriceGrabber shows that about 57 percent of people are planning to spend less than $100 on Father's Day this year.

Out of almost 4,500 consumers, 21 percent also planned to spend $100 to $249, and another 11 percent planned to spend more than $250 (lucky dads). The remainder of respondents didn't have a set amount they were willing to spend.

The most popular gift categories were practical gifts, with 41 percent of respondents saying they planned to get Dad something like a tool, auto accessory or appliance. Another 23 percent were planning to buy Dad hobby goods (such as golf equipment), 21 percent said entertainment goods (music, video games, etc.) 21 percent said clothing or accessories, 18 percent said tech gifts (smartphone, tablet)  and 15 percent said outdoor items (such as a grill). The numbers add up to more than 100 percent because some people selected more than one gift.

The pregnant men of Groupon

But if you're still stumped for what to buy Dad for Father's Day, you can always turn to Groupon, which is running a notably odd campaign to promote its deals. As you can see at the top of the page, the picture shows a pregnant man with his wife and, presumably, young son excitedly feeling his huge belly. "Deals to celebrate the man who carried you around for nine months," the text reads.

"Celebrate the man who gave birth to you," read a previous Groupon ad. "He felt you grow and kick inside of him for nine months - thank him with deals on Father's Day gifts."

It's hard to tell who exactly Groupon is marketing to with these banners (die-hard fans of the Arnold Schwarzenegger hit film Junior?), but at least they're definitely memorable.


Walgreen's with drive-thru possibly coming to Dilworth

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A developer is seeking to build an office building and a Walgreens with a drive-thru at Morehead Street and Kenilworth Avenue.

Here's a detailed proposal for the site plan from developer Lincoln Harris, originally posted by WSOC-TV. It shows building sketches and a layout for the proposed site, which would cover a significant portion of the street from Morehead down Kenilworth, across from Ascension Lutheran Church and Carolinas Medical Center.

Some neighbors are concerned with the project. From the Dilworth Community Development Association: "They plan to tear down the existing homes and build a Walgreens drug store with a drive-thru and a small office building. Major concerns include: 1) the use of the site as a pharmacy, 2) the precedent of having a drive-thru window on Morehead St., and 3) the traffic impact if left-hand turns are allowed in and out of the site."

The buildings torn down would include the Tudor-style apartment building on the corner, the adjacent white house, and three adjoining houses on Kenilworth. Those properties are all owned by Edward Springs and his company, Edward H. Springs Interiors, according to Mecklenburg County property records.

Springs was not available to talk about the proposed development plan this week, according to his office.

Lincoln Harris vice president Alex Kelly said the developer is meeting with community members to address their concerns. "We're working with the neighborhood," he said. "We're going to whatever extent it takes" to discuss and try to resolve issues, he said, but said he couldn't discuss the project's details.

The proposed drug store and drive-thru would be 14,540 square feet, excluding loading and servicing areas, according to the site plan. The two-story office building would be 16,000 square feet.

The 18-unit apartment building on the site was built in 1927, according to property records. The white house and Edward H. Springs Interiors office next door was built in 1940.

The rezoning request will have a public hearing in September and go before the city council in October.

The apartment building. Picture from Mecklenburg County property records.




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Whole Foods opening date: Sometime in August

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Here's an email I got from a reader on Monday: "Any new information about when Whole Foods is opening? Anxiously waiting!" Another, earlier message: "Is it EVER going to open?"

It's been more than a year since Whole Foods broke ground on its 42,000-square-foot store, near Fairview and Sharon roads. And considering that Charlotte has been tantalized with the prospect of a Whole Foods store of its own since 2004, when the upscale grocer planned to open a store in Elizabeth, readers seem to be getting antsy for the SouthPark-area store to open. (If you'd like a taste of some vintage Charlotte angst over Whole Foods' absence, here's a 2010 blog post by my predecessor, Jen Aronoff).

Whole Foods spokeswoman Darrah Horgan told me she's also getting lots of inquiries about the opening date, which was originally planned to be this past spring. No firm date has been set, but Horgan said, "August is safe to say, at this point."

So stay tuned. As soon as there's a date set for the grand opening, I'll post it here. Or, you can even follow me on Twitter and know even earlier.

Bonus observation: There's a lot going on in the local grocery market this year. The arrival of two new major players, Whole Foods and Publix, Harris Teeter buying all of Lowes Foods' local stores, Harris Teeter upgrading many of its local stores to large, distinctive, flagship designs, Wal-Mart overtaking Harris Teeter as the No. 1 grocer in the Charlotte region (OK, that happened in 2011, but the data was released this year) - well, it all makes good blog fodder.

New Massage Envy; Harris Teeter protects turf

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There's another Massage Envy Spa coming to the Charlotte area, as the relaxation salon plans to open a Matthews location this week.

It will be the spa's 14th location in or around Charlotte. The 3,300 square foot store will be in the Sycamore Commons shopping center, on Matthews Township Parkway.

“We are excited about our grand opening in Matthews and joining this great community,” said Gordon Thornton, owner of the franchise. The shop will open on June 22.

The business will offer a full range of services, including massages (from prenatal to geriatric ones), facials, aromatherapy and more.

And in supermarket news, if you've been following the Lowes Foods-Harris Teeter store swap, you might be wondering how much that transaction was driven by Harris Teeter's desire to protect its home market in Charlotte from an incursion by Florida-based Publix. One analyst is saying that was likely a big driver of the deal.

“In addition to bolstering its market share around Charlotte, this move also blocks Publix, which plans to open two units in northern South Carolina near Charlotte, from entering Charlotte via a strategic deal, at least in the near term,” said Andrew Wolf, of BB&T Capital Markets.

H&M this year? Online, at least

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There might still be no H&M in Charlotte (despite stores in Winston-Salem and Raleigh), but that might not matter as much soon: The retailer plans to start offering online shopping here soon.

You might have heard about this before, but H&M reaffirmed its plans Wednesday in its earnings release. CEO Karl-Johan Persson said in his statement that, "Online sales will be launched in the autumn in the U.S., the world’s largest online market."

Robust sales in the U.S. and Asia helped power H&M to a strong quarter, with $750 million worth of profits. Worldwide, H&M is one of the biggest apparel retailers, with 2,575 stores.

Locally, the Facebook group "Bring H&M to Charlotte" is still gathering new posts. Now that Charlotte is about to get its first Whole Foods, anything is possible. H&M is also opening its first stores in Estonia and Indonesia next year, so if you find yourself in that neck of the woods, you can catch the grand openings and bring some clothes back to Charlotte.

20 Haziran 2012 Çarşamba

headache, headache, go away!!

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It's so annoying to sit with my children and have these sporadic knife/ ice pick like jabs in my head. They are mostly in the back left, but just seem to radiate all over when they feel like it. It will be interesting to find what the chiropractor finds. I pray I never get rear ended again. Actually, I pray I never get in a car accident again. I pride myself on being a good driver. I have never in my life had a speeding ticket or any other kind of ticket.

Just today as I dropped MiMi off to school some one wasn't looking and cuts me off. I beep the horn to let them know "hey look out, I saved your butt". They just waved and smiled. (shrug). Who wants to get in an accident? Not me (again). And would avoid one at all cost. This sucks.

The backs of my ankles feel strained too. I wonder if it's because  I wore healed boots when she hit me? Probably unrelated. Who knows? My ankles don't concern me. My head does. I can careless about any other minor petty stuff that I have going on, but the headaches are just beyond aggravating.

Especially when you are the only caregiver for your two kids, you just can not rest. and it linger and lingers. I will be happy once I find relief from this all.

Doug is out money from a day of work, I am going to be out money for a baby sitter and a prescription and I am just thankful I actually have money to cover this at the moment, but it's so aggravating that money that SHOULD be for your children is going to something someone else caused. :(( NOT NOT NOT happy about this.

If I am grumpy and complaining, I apologize. I am just having a "woe is me" moment. I'll get over it once all is said and done. I guess in hindsight it could of been way worse. My kids weren't with me so that is the best blessing of all.

I want to get my chubby hands on home projects and I can't. Delays, delays. You never realize how much you do when you can't do as much. Oh well, accidents happen, it's a part of life. I just want it to be over with. :/

The car is being fixed as we speak.

One Week

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So, exactly a week ago, I had my accident. I see the chiropractor on Monday and hopefully he can tell me the root of these non stop headaches from the accident. The hospital didn't seem to care, it was the bare minimum. When I spoke to the chiropractor's office, they were both caring and kind. They answered any and all question's I have. And they assured me they would find where the damage was done on my body that is causing these never ending headaches. They said it is usually from compression either in the spine or neck.

All I can say is I hope it goes away. I hope they fix it. I really do.

I am so confused with the whole insurance process, I don't even know where to start. No one on the other end gives me clear cut answers and I feel they want way too much personal information. I think after my visit to the chiropractor on Monday and what I am told, I will then decide if it is in my best interest to avoid stress and just have a lawyer to the hands on. I don't understand the paper work or the releases, and I don't trust anyone to be honest. Never have, Never will.

When it comes to my health I don't trust the person trying to cut corners, sorry, I just don't.

If the lawyer charges 30% in contingency fees, it's worth it to me. All I really want is my medical bills paid. I did nothing wrong. Not a damn thing. I had been stopped for a good few minutes before this girl even sped up on me and rear ended me. I am just so bitter over it all. I told myself I wouldn't be, but after a week and having more stress from being given the run around and catching her insurance company in a lie, I don't trust them or trust they will do the right thing.

I feel they are acting on bad faith and I have my recorded conversations to prove it all.

I am not very smart, but I have enough common sense to know when to record something when someone is being fictitious with me.

Sitting on the brick steps outside watching my kids play has began to put so much stress on my mid back (which is also semi sore). I tried to browse craigs list to find a patio chair set, but really no such luck.

I won't pay full price for one, they are way too costly. So used is my way of life pretty much.

I think I am going to go to bed before I frustrate myself even more. Good night and good weekend to you all!

Accident Follow Up

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So I saw the chiropractor today. I had 6 X-Rays done. Turns out my headaches are because accident caused the vertebrae in my neck to become misaligned. I also have something going on with my lower back that has caused my pelvis to tilt (not sure I wasn't really understanding lol).

So I go 3 x a week for an activator adjustment. Hopefully that will help. I have heard only good things about this establishment, as three of my friends swear by the doctor.

I know I am in good hands. The office is beyond friendly and wonderful. It is so nice to see that still exists.

So, moral of the story? Skip the visit to the hospital, because they will do the bare minimum, the chiropractor is MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper and does xrays and works a plan to "fix you".

I am still waiting for hospital bills to come in. I contemplated hiring an attorney but I feel at this point I will just trust that the at fault driver's company will do the right thing. I really only care that my bills are paid, and I am compensated for my gas to and from my visits. Or if their is permanent damage - who knows.

My only qualm with an attorney is if it's not a fair settlement I am still in debt after paying the attorney fees. :/ They don't guarantee it will be enough to cover my bills. I say I give the insurance company a fair chance. (crossing my fingers) I hope I am not wrong here.

It's been a nightmare..

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I never imagined that when I was rear ended and through no fault of my own I would have so much stress, tears and headache associated with this whole ordeal.

If you (like myself) have never been in an auto accident before, you are more and likely ignorant to everything (like myself). You want to believe in the good of the insurance companies. You want to believe that they aren't as evil as lawyers make them out to be.

You think, "okay,I was hurt, they will pay my medical bills as they come". Only, they don't. They won't pay until you settle. If you are like the majority of Americans and don't have health insurance, and your OWN insurance PIP (MedPay) is exhausted in hospital bills, you are virtually screwed.

With no money to pay them yourself, and kids to feed, you know you are hurt, but you stop treatment in order to try and hurry a settlement so that your bills will be paid in a timely manner.

You realize any attorney will take 1/3rd of your settlement, and with your medical bills being high, and no real guarantee or no set in stone number of what they will even ask for during consultations, and you are told by attorney after attorney that they can't guarantee even your medical bills will be covered after their fees, you are left to your own devices.

You act as your own paralegal, you collect all your medical bills, you make copies of everything, calculate your mileage and fuel costs and out of pocket expenses and you prepare a demand letter to submit to the at fault insurance company.

You call them and nag them every other day, sometimes you give them a week.

Your bills are coming in and you are being threatened by the hospitals to have your account turned to collections. You are given the run around by all parties involved (those you owe money to, and those who owe money to you).

Your stress causes heartburn, your anxiety causes lost sleep and you don't know huge legal terms and kind of try to wing it.Eventually you do hear from the at fault insurance company who offers to pay all your medical but says they can only give you $1,000 for your personal injury/pain and suffering. Mind you your under duress and you have stopped treatment just in order to get the bill collectors at the facilities you were treated at off your back and to rush a settlement. You ask for slightly more. You tell them about your med pay and they offer to reimburse your med pay and hospital expenses.

You are left to think about it over night, meanwhile the big insurance giant knows they have you where they want you.

AND with all do respect, I know they have a job to do, but it just sucks you're unfortunately at their mercy, even when the accident was not your fault.

Two days go by and you call and call. No one calls back, so you ask to speak to their supervisor, only it's a message machine (always is). You inform them that you have done all you could on your part, you've done the leg work to collect all the bills, you've submitted everything accordingly and you demand a settlement or you will take their policy holder to court (who in turn can take their insurance agent to court for bad faith).

15 minutes later (literally) you get a call from your adjuster. You feel bad for calling on them, because it is their job, but you also feel bad for yourself because you're swamped in bills you should not have to be up to your ears in.

They offer $500 more. So at this point you have your medical bills being offered to be paid out (your main concern), your 2 thousand dollar med pay reimbursed to you and $1,500 from them. You say "I accept", just please pay these bills soon.

You are told, once you sign and fax this release, (releasing their policy holder and them from all future medical claims) and scan and upload it to them, they will cut you a check and pay out your providers within the next day. You read it over have a few questions but ultimately sign your life away and sent it over.

Within two hours the claims website emails you to notify you a check has been issued do your portion of the settlement.

After re reading the release you notice strange language, that includes property damage, and you think, "oh dear lord, did I just screw my insurance company out of their subrogation"?? You panic, you're up all night calling your insurance and theirs (mind you your insurance has yet to contact you about subrogation and you have no idea how it even works, just that you may of signed your rights away and become responsible for paying it back and your personal settlement doesn't even cover collision damages).

You're sick to your stomach, you cry your eyes out, you feel tricked and deceived and you submit a quick letter to the claims website asking to retract your signed release due to the fact "money is not in hand" as the contract states and that you felt you were not given all information needed and signed it under duress with out a witness.

The very next morning you get a call from the at fault company bright and early, promising that it's only a medical release and nothing more,promising subrogation will still be paid out. You feel relieved but still skeptical, so you record the entire conversation and the phone messages. You get a letter back from said insurance company promising it is only a medical release. You feel relieved...

FOR THE TIME BEING.

An attorney tells you it can be a trick, your insurance company says it should be fine and you're left praying this person has a heart and won't screw you over.

That is where I am today, two months exactly after my accident. A check is on the way - which will go directly to savings and untouched for a long time until all this is over - just in case. And your medical bills have yet to be paid off - STILL.

The icing to the cake? You get a final notice from the hospital today, to pay the remaining $2,500 you owe, even though your insurance company just forked them $2,000 in med pay. You ask for an extension until the at fault company pays it off and let them know you just settled and it will be any day now. They tell you, "no" and say you have 18 days to pay or you go to collections, you ask to set up a payment plan and are told it could take a week.

I am praying that this will all be over soon. I am praying so hard I never have to deal with this again. Someone who is injured through no fault of their own should NEVER have to go through what I have gone through. NEVER.

My spinal, and neck vertebrae are still dislocated, my stress is so high my blood pressure is higher than it's ever been, and my anxiety is insane. When I drive I always get a horrible burst of anxiety as some one gets too close or speeds up on my tail end. I don't feel I will ever be the same - EVER.

Was all this worth a $1500 settlement? I'd say NO, but when you have kids and need the bills off your back, it is.

My advice next time? (God forbid)? Go attorney shopping, find a good one. One who will not RUSH through the consult, one that wants to MEET with you IN PERSON, as opposed to just their paralegal. Sure an attorney is 1/3 contingency fee, BUT, they KNOW what they are doing (you do not), and chances are big insurance also knows this and will toy with your emotions.

It's worth it to not have the stress. COMPLETELY.

I pray to god it wasn't worse, and I am thankful to God, my children were not with me that one time (as any other time they would have been). I am so thankful. I am however very upset with the turn of events.

I am thankful that this will hopefully be all over as soon as my medical payments are paid out and I am no longer in credit limbo for something I did not do.

I want to cry - STILL.

I am sensitive, and I stress easily, it's hard to take care of your kids when you are stressed to death, and you can't pick them up because your lower back is aching.

There are a lot of "woulda, shoulda, and coulda's" involved. I just want the nightmare to end.

I want to never see a commercial with that smiling little insurance character EVER again. - Sadly one is right by my house (agh).

Again, I should say I have no real hard feelings for my adjuster, she is just doing her job, and is probably up to her neck in claims. If only people would learn to pay attention when they drive, be considerate of others they share the road with, and if only you had magical powers to make your car disappear when someone is fixing to hit you.

If only....

I don't wish this on my worst enemy.