No luck with cars

This is my car after it was hit on the 14th of December

Well we were getting ready to watch the Greenbay game last Sunday when we hear this big CAAA-RASH!!! in the front yard, Chris raised up and sees this white van parked in our front yard, and says "Somebody just hit the truck."

The 20-year old mexican driver slid around the corner (notice the skid marks?)and smashed into the pickup - sending it 10 feet from where it was parked, sent the trash can flying, ruined a perfectly healthy burning bush. I called out to the people in the van and asked if everyone was OK? Yes- we're OK, so I called the sheriff (we live out in the county), and suddenly the driver in the brown sweatshirt starts walking down the street, which I advised the dispatch on the phone about. Chris talked to the people in the van and asked about insurance and license, they refused, saying we'll wait till the police get here. Fine, the sheriff shows up, questions the young man about leaving the scene, the kid said no, he was walking around the van, not walking down the street, but his mother was there (from up the street) demanded he tell the truth, and he said to the sheriff he walked up the street to get his license. Ok, so now he's driving unlicensed, and tried to lie to the sheriff about it. After a bit the sheriff sent me and Chris back into the house, saying they'll take care of it - no reason for us to stand out there in the cold. We went in, saw that we'd missed the ENTIRE FIRST QUARTER of the game over this business... Soon the sheriff came in saying that they have insurance - he has the insurance card in his hand - I asked him if it was Dairyland insurance - and he looked at it and said yes it is. I said, OK, but just because they have an insurance card doesn't mean they have insurance...He opined that it was legitamate looking, so? No reason for an experienced insurance agent to discuss this with a policeman, so I let it go. The sheriff said that the people are going to push the van out of our yard, it got hung up on the railroad ties (thankfully they got hung up, because if we weren't home we'd have never known who hit the truck), so they got their van out of our yard, and we called our insurance company to start the ball rolling having a bad feeling about all this.

A couple hours later the driver, his mother, and sister show up at our door to tell us their insurance isn't going to cover the damage because the under 25 drivers isn't covered under the policy - and YES, the mother knew this. So - they know some auto-body man that they want to take our truck to and get the work done and they'll pay for it. Told them NO WAY you're taking our truck anywhere, our insurance adjustor will be out here and then we'll know what's going on. They asked if they can come talk to him, I said you're free to do what you want, but you're not taking the truck and nobody but a licensed insured body shop is doing anything. They tried the sympathy angle because the driver is in college in Seattle, I told them so what, he shouldn't be driving a vehicle he's not insured on and shouldn't be driving without his license on him. Ok - so a couple days later our adjustor gets out here and the kid's DAD is trying to talk to the adjustor and negotiate some type of deal so they don't get in trouble with their insurance company over it. The adjustor advised the guy that this isn't really ethical and asked him to take off. Finally the dad did, and later I called the sheriff to discuss the harrassement going on, and pretty much demanded that this kid be cited as any other driver on the road would have been.

Now to the end of it - the adjustor from our company says the truck is totalled because the damage will cost more than the truck is worth. Chris doesn't want to total the truck, so he's opting to take a lesser amount and find a body shop to do the work and keep the truck. He's put a LOT of work into it himself and spent quite a bit of money on options and cosmetics like a stereo and bucket seats, etc.

And we're the bad guys because we don't want this kid to get off without a minimum negligent driving ticket and no-license driving and no insurance driving - assholes, huh?? The owner of the van will be sued by our insurance company to recoup whatever they pay us for the damage to the truck. The driver will get points on his driving record - if it were up to me, he'd lose his license completely. Not that that matters considering the very high number of drivers that don't have licenses or insurance, just playing the numbers in the high-stakes game of avoiding an accident. The kid was driving at least 30 miles per hour on solid ice when he careened around the corner and drove into our yard. And we're the assholes....

More on the car, the kid and the TICKET!!!

I was just thinking I never finished talking about that ticket I got in November, and knowing that so MANY of you are sitting on one cheek and then the other waiting for the final outcome, I thought I'd better relieve your minds and let you know how it all came out.
Last week I went to court, with driving record in hand-ready to explain to the judge that I'm a business woman, an English speaking legal American citizen, a God-fearing tax paying person with legal insurance, a driver's license in my legal name, and a clean driving record for 15 years. What happened was the court clerk said that any people who have a clean driving record, who weren't cited for speeding in a school zone or a construction zone are eligible for a DEFERRAL!! Cost you $120, but the ticket doesn't go on your driving record, unless you get another ticket within 12 months, in which case you forfit the $120, you owe for THIS ticket, you owe for the other ticket, PLUS you get both tickets against your driving record. OKEYDOKEY!!! $120 bribe for the court to keep this ticket off my record - which would raise my insurance rates and knock me out of the preferred rates I'm getting... So that form signed and up to the judge, she didn't even look at me, she just checked my driving record, signed the order and waived me off. WHEW!!!!

As for the car, it's going in the shop again this week to get the stuff fixed that the body shop didn't fix to my liking. The gas-cap needs to be aligned right, the back door needs to be lined up to the rear panel, and the trunk light fixture isn't connected anymore. The light works, but the light itself is hanging loose from the inside of the trunk. Ok, so all that needs to be fixed and the cosmetic strip on the back door needs to be replaced as it was smacked by the bumper of the same truck that smacked the rear panel. Otherwise, the car is running fine after a week of being started and run every day, in fact I'm happy to be back in my little purple Kia, and happy not to be paying $50 a week in gas for the hog-rental I was driving. Now the other insurance company isn't going to want to pay for my time driving back and forth to the body shop, for the lost work time, for the extra gas money...and in fact the woman tried to scare me by saying that they shouldn't have paid for 26 days of a rental car because my car was perfectly driveable, according to their criteria. Nope, the gas cap wouldn't open and the back tire was wobbly, making the car both unsafe and unable to be driven. Thankfully I have pictures in case it has to go to court.

Seems Idiot Useless Man and his idiot felon roommate were raided by the police. Yes - the Useless Man was selling pot out of their house - in fact he was selling pot out of his and Amanda's house before he got the inspiration to move out (and tell me that Jesus doesn't work in our lives in the most mysterious ways? - had Useless NOT moved out, the cops would have swooped down on his place with Amanda and likely the baby would be in state custody and both he and her would be in jail- Thank you Jesus for your kind help.) Thankfully they had no drugs in the house - only parafinalia.
Anyway, now the two idiot men have been approached by the cop in question who said 'if you'll do us a favor and do a drug buy down in mexican town, we'll let you off this hook and we'll forget all about the parafinalia we found here, and you won't get cited for posession, and you won't get your names in the paper and you won't get in trouble with your mommies.' For some unknown reason, these two idiots think this is a GOOD IDEA!!!! They think if they do this ONE favor for the police they won't be in trouble. Well, the truth of the matter is that if they do this one favor, they won't be off the hook, they'll be in it for good, and when they say no, then they'll get busted. Another possibility is that they'll be set up to sell to an undercover police person, and they'll be busted for dealing. Or they could get set up so that everyone involved gets shot and killed so the cops don't have to deal with these petty criminals anymore. Worse yet is the chance that the people they get busted would turn out to be aware of Useless man's family and make it bad on Amanda and the baby. Don't think this stuff happens? Don't read a paper? Don't watch a movie? How do I know about this you may wonder? Well way back when my house was robbed by a neighbor boy, I called the police and had him and his buddy arrested. When the sheriff had the kids cuffed in the squad car, he came into my house and advised me that the boys told HIM that I was THE drug dealer in the neighborhood, that I had sold and used marijuana with them both and that they could describe the box that I kept drugs and parafinalia in. So, OK, I showed the cop the box that had one pipe in it - and I explained to the cop that the pipe belonged to my deceased brother and that I had no drugs, I used no drugs, and never sold anything to anyone. Well, the cop said, I'm confiscating this and I'm going to cite you for posession, UNLESS you give up your dealer. I had 24 hours to make up my mind. When the officer showed up the next day I refused to give up anyone because there was no one to give up. Getting my house robbed cost me $500 for an attorney and a day in court to clear my name. I can't believe Idiot 1 and Idiot 2 are even remotely considering going for a drug buy for these cops. If it weren't for the fact that this could come back on Amanda, and how much Fay would miss her Daddy and her uncle, I'd say that both those stupid men deserve what they're going to get. If they can't see past the danger of this suggestion, then they should do it - good luck, and God speed... dummies.

Still Dinkin after all this time!!

Well, I didn't talk about this because it was just supposed to get done, be over, and not a problem... well, sure!!
On the 14th of December, my car was parked innocently in front of the house I was cleaning at, when the client came and found me and said her neighbor had backed into my car. The neighbor was so apologetic, gave me his insurance information, and I figured OK, no problem: couple phone calls, a little shop time, and it'll be done.
Well, SURE!!!
Beginning on December 14th, the car sat at the body shop because the guys bumper shoved in the rear corner panel of my car - and make the gas-cap unopenable. Can't gas it, can't drive it.
Yesterday they called and said it was done, come get it, well I did, but it's not right and the body shop thinks I'm really picky because the back door on that side doesn't line up with the panel they changed, and the new gas cap doesn't line up either.
SO - today back on the phone with the insurance company, and the rental agency, and the body shop.. Here we go 'round the mulberry bush.
My poor Kia doesn't look right, doesn't feel right after sitting 26 days in the parking lot without being run. I'm wondering if there was engine damage due to it sitting in the cold for so long not being started every day like it's used to.
I'm gonna have to sue, I just know it... sigh

Hereditary Hard-Headeness - fact or fiction??

Well, that girl of mine R E F U S E S to discuss starting her own business. Even though I have offered to give her a business, give her the computer program, give her clients, give her everything she needs except the willingness to DO IT!!!
She's on her own now - as you know - Useless Man decided he didn't love her and he moved out. Amanda has figured out that she can financially support herself and her daughter - Useless can't work during the winter because he's a roofer and it's cold now, so rather than get ANY job, he's sitting on his butt waiting for warmer weather. (she's feeling like she lost out???!!!)

Anyway, I've been toying with starting a second company - stricktly for non-cleaning stuff - groceries, cooking, errands, etc. I know this business will take off, and she can make a decent living working for herself!!!!!!!!!!!

But NO WAY, she won't do it - refuses. Wanna know why? Are you sitting down??!!!! She refuses because she doesn't want to pay her own taxes, she prefers to work for someone else who is going to take taxes out of her check and sent it in to the IRS for her.

Ok, its a hassle keeping back money to pay my own taxes, but it is do-able. I made a pretty darn good chunk last year. Amanda in fact was impressed when I told her how much I made - just one fat lady with a mop...BUT, now enough to jump off the employed for someone else wagon and get on her own darn wagon!!!!!!!

How can I get this child (25 year old) to understand the benefits of self-employment? Make your own schedule, decide when and where you will work, make as much money as you want to, and NOT have to deal with politics (ok, there's still some politics, but not like being employed by someone else). She's worried about there not being steady work, ok, the first year may be a bit rough, but she can keep her pizza delivery job until she's making enough to break away on her own - the same way I did!!!!!!!!
Anyone have a suggestion for prying this girl away from her steady paycheck of $9 and hour and get her onto $18-$20 an hour working for herself???? Short of beaning her with a shovel, I mean...