randomness and rambling

This week has been frittered away on the phone with insurance adjusters, rental car employees, service technicians at car dealerships, satellite tv representatives, and the occasional unlucky telemarketer whose call I accidentally answered thinking it was someone I actually wanted to talk to.


Yeah.


That's how it is after a weather "incident." You make lots of calls, and then you wait. You either wait for them to call you back or you wait for them to show up. But either way, you wait.


It seems everyone wanted to come yesterday. The insurance adjuster on the "home" side of the policy came to evaluate the damage to our "dwelling" and "contents" and our tree. The satellite-tv guy came to repair and/or replace fried equipment and basically ingratiate himself to the kids who were thrilled by his visit! And while not weather-related, a plumber came to check out the pipe in the laundry room. Though in some weird, completely twisted way, it was a little sad to say goodbye to the "redneck laundry." For about two seconds. I think "Philip the Plumber" is my new BFF.


Turns out the ginormous tree needs to come down, or at the very least have the damaged limbs removed. The adjuster suggested that we actually have it taken down because of the severity of the damage done to it by the lightning strike. I certainly don't want a ginormous DEAD tree hanging over my house. Anyone care to venture a guess why? Mmmhmm, that's what I thought.


Since we have a huge deductible, the tree ate most of it leaving us very little for the repairs that need to be made. It's ok though because Jay is more than capable of doing the repairs himself except maybe the electrical stuff, which quite frankly, I'd rather have someone else repair. You know, in case the strike really mucked up the wiring, and touching it could, you know, kill you or something.


The other major (potential) loss is our vehicles, though I am naively hoping it turns out to be nothing. The dealerships first have to order and install new computers before they can run diagnostic tests on both of them to see what damage was actually done. I guess my fear is that they are worth WAY more to us than if they have to be totalled. Especially the truck because it's paid off. Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it. We are currently driving two rental cars which the kids think is like some kind of weird vehicle vacation. Although, W and I had this conversation this morning:


W: I don't wike silver cars.


Me: You don't?


W: Nope.


Me: Why not?


W: They're too bumpy.


Actually, it's not the car. It's because the rain has "washed out" part of our road. That's just another perk of living in the "holla." Because it is not a "through" road, the city doesn't maintain it. Whatever.


I know this post has been random and disjointed, but so has my week.


Jay: You know you're the common denominator in all these storms we've been through.


Me: Whuh?


Jay: Yeah. You just attract natural disasters.


Me: I attracted you, didn't I?