Hey !


So APPARENTLY...someone is running up charges on my debit card. Luckily - my bank put a fraud stop on my card, but all day today - I saw different charges come in for products & services that I did not ask for.

They are signing me up for the coolest things though...things like iTunes, Netflix, AARP (?? a geriatric thief?)... Proactiv ( a geriatric thief with ACNE??)

Thankfully - I've already been signed up for a pre-paid identity theft service which had better pull through for me or I'll be mightly pissed....

but honestly kids - check your spam filters & monitor emails that say: "We've received your order" or "We received your request for an account".

While most of those are phishing scams, this one was actually true because I noticed it had my whole name & my old address listed on it.

The bank is working on this like a champ though, and I've already started a claim with them. It is pretty scary though. When I checked my email tonight, I had 4 different emails from different companies saying "We sorry we couldn't process your request for Proactiv because your card has been declined " (aaaawwww...so sorry my pimple popping thief will be declined their monthly ration of Proactiv)

But just a little PSA, pay close attention to your emails and your bank charges. If you can check your debit charges online, do it frequently.... So far - they've only made off with about $200, and my bank will give it back to me... but they did say they've seen a huge increase in this within the last few months.

So Beware!!!

(p.s. Maybe it's the woman I wouldn't put into an SUV? But just to be mean I DID go back and approve her for a minivan...MWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!)

Irk.

I'm not thrilled with my job. But right now I feel locked into it because of the stupid economy. I'm hearing horror stories left and right about people being out of a job, so I am feeling guilty that I'm not happy with my job when I at least HAVE one.

It's bad out there. I know this also from some of the calls I'm getting at work. People are desperate...and they are trashing their cars in the hope of getting some quick cash to help them out. It's called the "Auto Lotto".

And if they aren't trashing their cars to collect on insurance payouts, the people they get into accidents with are really pushing to collect as much as they can from the insurance companies. Which makes them mean and pushy when they talk to me. Which makes me feel mean when I have to deny something that we don't owe for.

Some of their requests are quite ridiculous. Some of the requests are understandable, but again, when I have to tell them that I understand their request, but I still can't fulfill it, they get downright nasty and personal in their attacks.

Take for instance, a call I just took today:

It's a person that was hit by our insured. We've told them we're sorry, and we're paying for the damages. We also arranged for a rental car for them. Well.... it's not good enough. Her argument is, I drive an SUV, you should put me in a rental SUV.

OK. I understand that, but we only owe for RELIABLE transportation to get them from point A to point B while their normal vehicle is being repaired.

Trying to explain this to the person infuriated them. She then informed me that she has a 4 month old infant, and can't carry the baby in a car. Just can't be done. Therefore - she needs an SUV. Well - sorry...but yes you CAN transport a baby in a car, and it's perfectly safe. Nope....says she.... stroller won't fit in the car.

So I inform her she should collapse the stroller before putting it in the trunk of the rental CAR and it will work just fine.

This is unacceptable. She then told me it's obvious I don't have children, otherwise I would put her in an SUV.

On the contrary, says I..... I have 3 children, one of which is in a car seat. We drive an Accord.

Obviously, says she... I don't care about my children and their safety if I feel comfortable traveling them around in a deathtrap car.

OH NO YOU DI'INT!!!!!

So...just TRY and get a frickin' SUV out of me now chicky! It ain't happening.

But the calls that are worrying me the most? The repair shops that are calling and saying: "We fixed your insured's car, and now they are telling us they can't afford the deductibles. They are just leaving them here....abandoning them."

Yikes.

Scary stuff.

So yeah. I hate my job. Unless someone can give me an idea about something different I can do, I'm just gonna suck it up until I get hatcheted from there...but sheesh. The peeps are bringing me down with their mean and nasty attitudes and treating me like crap.

OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Call me short on patience but I'm already frickin tired of hearing about the GD inauguration of Barry O.

Really.

I understand it's historic. But enuff.

OK?

Here's another new hot topic for the 'nets:

I have an ingrown toenail and it ows me so.

"Norman," said my boss "I need you to help out Michael since he's not here today. He's got a couple of hot files that need immediate attention."

"Sure," I said. Michael's pretty cool and sits next to me. He's helped me out a time or two, so I figured I'd return the favor.

My boss passed on the phone number for me to call, and gave me a little background into the situation.

Apparently, a teen driver was driving down the road at approximately 7:00pm on a rainy, foggy night. He was driving without his headlights on. Another driver, trying to make a turn across the street, didn't see him & turned into our driver. The argument began after the driver making the turn gave his statement to us. Seems there was a police officer that was an eyewitness to the accident, and sent in a police report showing that he saw our driver heading down the street without lights. The officer flashed his lights at our driver and then watched him continue on down the street without turning on his lights. The other driver also has several witnesses that state....our driver never turned on his lights.

Our driver was initially MIA. He would refuse to return our calls so we could get his statement. As I was reading the notes in the file, all I could see was that the only information on the situation we were getting was from his mother....who wasn't there, ergo...never saw the accident unfold.

So I called the mom. I informed her that without her son's (the driver's) recorded statement, we would be forced to accept the other driver's statement and the police report as fact and make our liability decision against them. The problem is: our driver carries liability only on his policy so he's pretty desperate to get his car fixed. He's pretty much SOL.

While talking with the mom, the fun began.

"Ma'am. I need to visit with your son." "Well....he's at school and then he's at work until 9pm, can't you just talk to me?" "No, we really need to ask your son a few questions, otherwise, we'll just accept the officer's report as fact."

"No! You can't do that! The officer was lying! Why was he lying about this?! We're Christians. This can't happen to Christians!"

"Well, ma'am, I don't see where the officer would have a motive in lying. He says he saw your son driving without lights and that he tried to warn him. It sounds to me as if the officer was doing the Christian thing by letting your son know there was a problem."

"Oh no. The officer must be a heathen if he's writing THAT on his report." "Well, that's all well and good but I still do really need to talk with your son. You weren't at the accident and we have an officer's report AND eyewitness statements as well."

"The eyewitnesses are lying too! They must hate us because we're Christians. They're all HEATHENS!!!! Look, we have pictures of our car. My other son took them, can I send them to you?"

"Sure! Send them in"
"But I don't know how. Can I have my other son send them in?"
"Of course, he's my email address...."

So Mrs. Jesus Freak calls to her son... "Matttttthewwww!!!!! Matthew come here! I need you to help me email photos! Matttheww!!! Please? ! Do it for your brother! Do it for GOD!!!!!!"

(from in the background, I hear: "FUCK OFF!")

Mrs. Jesus Freak talks into the phone again... "I'm sorry, he's upstairs worshipping. He plays the guitar in Christian band. We love God..."

"Maattthewww pleaaaase!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I neeeeeed youuuuu!!!"

So then the brother got on the phone, and butter wouldn't melt in his mouth:

"Hi. Would you please help my brother? It shouldn't matter that his headlights weren't on, the other driver should have seen him coming."

"Ummm....okay....why do you think the other driver should have seen him coming?"

"Because my brother is a Christian!"

"Oh. Well look, I explained this to your mother but I really need to talk with your brother about this. Would you just send the photos of his car to me?"

"Sure. Hey! Did you want to TALK with my brother?"

"Of course! But your mother said he was unavail-----"

"Oh no! He's standing right here!"

((puts the phone down and says: "Joshua..Joshua...come here...this lady wants to talk to you" Phone picks up again, and "joshua" talks, sounding strangly like "Matthew"))

"Hello?"

"Hi Joshua. I need to get a statement from you about the accident."

"Of course. Here's what happened" he launches into a story about how he saw the officer flash his lights and then immediately turns on his lights, stating the accident occurred about 30 seconds after his lights were turned on.

I finally got a statement from him and he passed the phone back to his mother.

"Hi. Sorry but we are going to have to accept the liability on this. We have witnesses, officer's reports and the impact points on the car clearly show your son is at fault on this."

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have to PRAY about your decision. You need to PRAY to see the error of your ways! It's the CHRISTIAN THING TO DO!"

"excuse me ma'am, but praying isn't going to change my decision. You should pray to God for guidance on how to accept the facts."

"what? what did you just say to me? "

"I said you should pray to God for guid----

"I heard you! How dare you say that to me! I'm a Christian! I know how to pray to God and I know what He tells me! And he's telling me you're a HEATHEN just like everyone else out there! You'll go to hell for this!"

"Are you judging me? Because you shouldn't judge people...."

So she hung up.

I walked over to my manager, who APPARENTLY was listening into the whole conversation at her desk by tapping into my phone line. (Insurance companies like to do this to their employees. it's called "Quality Control")
She was on the floor laughing at me.

I told her if she ever....EVER gave me Jesus People again...we were through.

Of course, this just made her go further into hysterics. She raised a finger, pointed it at me and told me not to be a heathen.

Ya. Funny.

And my coworker? He's not back at work yet. I'm gonna kick his ass when he gets back.


See? That's how I spend my day.

Well, you guys know I don't particularly care to visit my in-laws. They are just simply not very nice to me.

it goes way back


But I can honestly say they tried to be better this time. Only my husband's grandmother pissed me off this time.

What did she do, you wonder?

Let's see: SHE SOLD MY ANTIQUE DRESSER IN A GARAGE SALE FOR $25!!!!!

****initiate slow burn here*******

OK. So when we moved, we had a lot of stuff that got left up in Amarillo. We had it in a storage unit, that my husband gave the key to his parents, so they could keep an eye on it. The antique dresser in question, needed to be refinished. When I bought it, it was painted. So since it was already painted, I painted it again & threw it in Ashton's room. Now she has a new bedroom set, so I figured I could strip it, stain it, and place it in the living room to use. Neat idea, huh? It's about 100 years old. I knew it probably looked great under the paint.

So anyway, the grandmother told us that SHE would strip it for us. I told her that I could do it, but NOOOoOOOooooOOOOoooooooo....she wants to feel USEFUL. So fine, strip the sumbitch please.

She got halfway thru stripping it, and decided she was tired. So she stuck it in a garage sale & got $25.

*******************HATING HER RIGHT NOW************************

When she told me about it, she told me ever so sweetly that she "had something to get off her chest" and then told me I didn't want the dresser anyway.

nice.

I'm just going to crawl back into my hole and be bitter for awhile.

but hey! if anyone wants to look me up on facebook, just do the friendfinder with my email itsnorman@gmail.com

That oughta show you where I am! But remember, mum's the word about my griping about the fam on there since "they" can see it on facebook. :)