Saturday, July 18, 2009

Finally finished a book and an anecdote or two

I finally finished a book!!!! Yes, it's true that my brain is still a little foggy and my days have been cut into little chunks with added errands and resumption of the Mom Taxi (the kiddo still is disinterested in driving -- not surprising, as he is well aware of just how far that dent in the car curved toward his body). But, I finished a book!!! Squeee! I'll try to whip out a review of Shimmer, ASAP.

In the meantime, I have a couple of fun stories to share.

On Monday, I had to drive to the police station to pick up a copy of the accident report on my son's collision. I've never been to the new police station ("new" being a relative term -- I think it's about 15 years old). The parking lot appeared completely full, so I drove up the hill and parked at the library, just a short walk away. When I got to the building, I realized there was no front entrance where I'd expected a big door. A police officer was standing around, smoking, so I asked him, "Where is the front of this building?" You'll love his reply. He said . . . "It's around front." Hahaha. Thanks for that, sir. Fortunately, he did gesture, so I just walked around the side indicated until I reached the obvious entrance.

I walked into the building and looked around. All I saw was a couple of people sitting in plastic chairs, a metal detector, glass, more glass, and a couple of hallways. Where was the front desk? I walked around, literally, in circles. The hallway was not an obvious choice; there had to be a front desk somewhere. After a couple of minutes of walking in circles and peering down hallways, I realized the front desk is enclosed in a glass box with a door off to the side. So, I went in the little door and there were two officers . . . in stitches. "Yes," I said. "I've never been here." I'd apparently provided them with a nice, entertaining break from monotony. They very politely described the walk to the Records department.

I left two smiling officers and walked down the hall and to the right. To get to Records, one has to pass Bookings. That means I walked past an open door where a fellow stood with his head bowed, looking gloomily at the floor. His wrists were bound in handcuffs. Not your typical daily sight for a Bookfool. The ladies in Records looked hot and tired, but they were incredibly polite. Really, everyone has been polite with the exception of the other driver's insurance company. They have denied the claim and they refuse to explain why, even to our insurance agent. Fortunately, we have uninsured motorist coverage. Whew! Now I understand why you pay that extra little bit for uninsured drivers. Liability insurance is required in Mississippi, but not everyone carries it and I guess you never know when somebody's going to deny a claim.

Now, I must go read a bit more. Hopefully, I'll get myself caught up and manage to post all my reviews, this week. We shall see! Thanks to everyone for the encouraging comments and prayers!

16 comments:

  1. I can't understand how their insurance could deny the claim - it just baffles me. Congrats on finishing a book!

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  2. I had to laugh when I read how the officer said "around front" because I had a similar experience in a strip mall one time. I was driving around and around looking for the Kinko's and couldn't see it anywhere. Finally I asked a lady and she (looking so annoyed) just pointed "it's over there." I went that way, and still didn't see it. I had given up and left the parking lot to drive home when I finally saw it- around the corner, facing the other way. Only two stores over there, so I'd never been around that end. Why couldn't she have said "around the corner"? Anyway, glad everything has turned out well and the officers were so nice (even if amused).

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  3. That police station sounds a bit like a maze. I am glad you were able to provide entertainment for those officers at the front desk. :-)

    I haven't been inside the new local police station here yet. I drove around the parking lot this past week looking for another building where I was supposed to be for a training. I hadn't gone far enough down the road, evidently.

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  4. Kathy,

    We have no idea why their insurance company turned down the claim, but they took a couple of days to "investigate" before denying. Very strange. Thank you!

    Jeane,

    Your story is great. I have a husband who gives really vague directions, so I was just happy the officer indicated that I should "go that-a-way" with that gesture of his. At least I knew not to walk the other direction, which I think might have led me to a retaining wall. LOL

    As to entertaining those officers -- it's funny, I think 5 or 10 years ago, I would have been humiliated and blushed beet red. Now, I can laugh at myself. That's one of the nice things about aging, I guess!

    Wendy,

    Actually, the building layout is pretty straight-forward if you know what's what. I'm assuming that glass box around the front desk is bullet-proof and allows them to lock down the door if they see someone suspicious enter. It's clever, but confusing if you don't know that's not just a glass wall. The light was behind me, so I couldn't see directly ahead to the desk, if that makes sense.

    I'm thinking maybe the two of us need to invest in GPS systems, next time we buy a car. ;)

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  5. Okay, speaking from a professional viewpoint here (and excuse my language) cops like that are jackasses. They're there to help you, not sit around and laugh at you. I hate it when I hear stories like this. Hate the lack of professionalism.

    Okay, rant over. Sorry. I'm glad you're doing better.

    cjh

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  6. CJ,

    No, no, no! I don't think they could help it! When I finally realized they were inside that crazy glass box, I thought it was pretty funny, too. Both were truly polite and obviously didn't mean to offend me.

    Thanks. :)

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  7. Insurance companies are always such a pain. They probably always deny claims the first time, hoping you'll go away!

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  8. The insurance thing doesn't surprise me, but it does make me mad. I had the same thing happen to me about 5 years ago. Some guy hit my car on the highway...he was going about 90 mph and dragged my car across 4 lanes of traffic. I wasn't seriously injured, but I was in so much pain from the impact that I couldn't really walk for about five days. And I still have shoulder problems. The cop cited the guy for a bunch of things and said it was obvious he was at fault, and the insurance company, despite the damage, tried to blame it on me...until I hired a lawyer. So I can totally understand why your son wouldn't want to drive. I don't drive anymore unless I absolutely have to.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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  9. Kelly,

    That could be. I can imagine, though, in this case the insurance company for the other driver might try to deny the claim because he said the brakes went out. There might be some clause saying they require proper maintenance. Who knows. It's a pain, that's for sure.

    Anna,

    That's the saddest thing about collisions. I have several friends who've been hit by someone and in every case there's been a lawyer involved. The one thing I've learned is that uninsured motorist coverage is a great thing. My husband works with a fellow whose daughter was thrown from a vehicle and rolled over -- literally -- by the vehicle from which she was ejected. Her pelvis was crushed and she'll have problems for life. The other motorist wasn't insured, but they had uninsured coverage and it paid her a chunk. You're the first I've heard in which the insurance company tried to turn the blame around, but it doesn't surprise me.

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  10. hmm no front desk, that's odd but oh well. At least you got what you needed.

    I am glad you finished a book. I'm still working on mine but liking it a lot!

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  11. That's too bad about the lack of insurance coverage. I try not to be cynical, but when it comes to insurance companies it's hard not to be.

    Thanks for the entertaining story! The parts about getting lost totally sound like something I'd do.

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  12. Krista,

    There's a front desk, but it sort of sits in a fish tank -- it's got an extra glass box around the window, so if the light's behind you and you don't know what you're looking for, it's a bit difficult to see.

    Are you still on the same book? Wow, that's hard to believe! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

    Alyce,

    I know what you mean. It seems like there has to be a lawyer involved in claims of any size, these days. It's really sad, especially given the amount of money people pay thinking they're protected.

    I think walking in circles is pretty typical for me. I can't say I have the best sense of direction. :)

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  13. What complicated matters was that the guy who hit me had the same insurance company I did. They ended up blaming a "phantom vehicle." I have no idea what the heck that means.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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  14. Ugh, insurance... the whole gosh darn mess of it; just makes me mad and sad. May it all work out for you.

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  15. Oh your poor son. I can only imagine how shaken up he must still be. Hope everything gets resolved with the insurance!

    Had to smile at the getting lost part in the Police Dept. :)

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  16. Anna,

    That's so bizarre I'm not sure what to think!

    Care,

    I think it's going to work out fine for us, thanks. State Farm seems to be moving the uninsured claim through pretty quickly. You can't replace a car like that -- it was low mileage for its age (just 124K miles) and it ran well -- but at least we'll get something for it.

    Iliana,

    He's okay; he just has no interest in driving, so far -- which is good, simply because he doesn't have that option, at the moment. I do want to get him back behind the wheel soon, though.

    It sounds like the insurance is going to work out well. We'll see!

    I thought it was pretty funny not seeing that front desk because it's in a glass case. At least it gave me something to laugh about!

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