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So what the hell happened after Anthrocon
11 years ago
Well good things and bad. Good things are my studio is reorganized and functional once more after the con. The snake eggs that were laid on the monday we got back haven't rotted yet and actually have humidified nicely again. 2 weeks down, 6 to go till potential hatchings. I made a pretty tasty chowder and learned a thing or two about making them in the process. Hopefully next time I can put that knowledge to use and make it thicker next time.
Bad news... I got in a nasty car wreck Tuesday after anthrocon that has definitely thrown my life for a spin. 4 cars were involved and I was a sandwich. My car has been in the shop since and I'm actually really surprised they didn't total it. I guess it was new enough still that there was enough value left in it to cover the repairs. I get to keep the roof, frame, hood, some of the side panels, the wheels, windows, doors, and the guts of the car. Everything else is getting replaced even the floor of the car was damaged (is that possible?). My back was screwed up something fierce up until 2 days ago once the adjustments from my chiropractor finally actually stayed put and didn't get pulled back out of alignment by muscle spasms and pain from the accident. My knee slammed into the dash, it was grapefruit sized for a few days and I am still sporting blue bruises that make me wince if I touch them against anything to forcefully. I move slowly, I've already run into the corner of the bed last week and didn't even want to breathe for fear of screaming. I think the biggest pain in the ass right now is that my wrists just suck. Imagine having a bruise that runs between all the joints and bones along your wrists and that is what I have on both. My hands were on the steering wheel because I'm a responsible driver, and as a result the force over extended them and the pain hasn't done much in terms of getting better yet :(
So art is slow... badge people I should be wrapping up tomorrow. Paint brushes don't hurt as much as etching does so etching is on hold till next weekend when I will hopefully see better news.
It has been such a long time since I have been legitimately injured, and to be honest I have forgotten just how damned annoying it is. I can't work without pain and in the lab nobody has noticed yet but I am slower and it makes me feel so defeated. I'm Queen of the lab dangit and I hate not being anything less than amazing armed with a pipette and a mountain of literal crap to analyze. I bend wrong and I wince and whimper as quietly as possible because I have way better uses for my paid time off than letting the asshole, that hit the car behind me and pushed us both into the car in front of me, steal valuable con travel time. I just can't believe how expensive accidents can be and how long I have to wait to see reimbursement from the at fault party's insurance. So I'm filing everything (the cost of a rental, the ibuprofen, my chiropractor, and heaven help them if these wrists get classified as a permanent injury because I will bring my own lawyers to the table). I may never find out how in gods name he missed a pile of stopped cars waiting for the light to turn green on a great big road with plenty of daylight, but he has caused me a world of pain and frustration in everything I do.
My auto insurance has been seriously helpful in all this, it just sucks I need to pretty much pony up over $1000 to cover my deductible, health costs, and the rental. HOLY BALLS why in gods name is renting a car so expensive?!?!? So thank you everyone that visited my table at Anthrocon and those that got pre-orders as well. Those will be going out in the mail this week now that I am back on my feet and functioning well enough. This could have been a situation where I seriously would have failed at finding money for rent this month if not for you guys. I'm giving my wrists another week to heal and if I can get my homework done I intend to open discounted commissions to help find the remaining money I need to cover this nonsense. So look forward to next weekend for updates and opportunities to help a dragon out and get some awesome stuff in the process.
In the end the best news is, I can walk, talk, cook, and care for my husband. I can still create art in some form. I managed to not get my car totaled (not so true for the other sandwiched car behind me). And I have baby snakes to keep looking after. So Good and Bad balance out and I am still alive. I just have to stay positive even though my wrists hurt like nothing else. Thank god for voice to text options on my cell phone. That makes this way easier and all I have to do is edit in a few things which totally spares my wrists some suckage and pain.
Thank you all my watchers, and thank you friends
Bad news... I got in a nasty car wreck Tuesday after anthrocon that has definitely thrown my life for a spin. 4 cars were involved and I was a sandwich. My car has been in the shop since and I'm actually really surprised they didn't total it. I guess it was new enough still that there was enough value left in it to cover the repairs. I get to keep the roof, frame, hood, some of the side panels, the wheels, windows, doors, and the guts of the car. Everything else is getting replaced even the floor of the car was damaged (is that possible?). My back was screwed up something fierce up until 2 days ago once the adjustments from my chiropractor finally actually stayed put and didn't get pulled back out of alignment by muscle spasms and pain from the accident. My knee slammed into the dash, it was grapefruit sized for a few days and I am still sporting blue bruises that make me wince if I touch them against anything to forcefully. I move slowly, I've already run into the corner of the bed last week and didn't even want to breathe for fear of screaming. I think the biggest pain in the ass right now is that my wrists just suck. Imagine having a bruise that runs between all the joints and bones along your wrists and that is what I have on both. My hands were on the steering wheel because I'm a responsible driver, and as a result the force over extended them and the pain hasn't done much in terms of getting better yet :(
So art is slow... badge people I should be wrapping up tomorrow. Paint brushes don't hurt as much as etching does so etching is on hold till next weekend when I will hopefully see better news.
It has been such a long time since I have been legitimately injured, and to be honest I have forgotten just how damned annoying it is. I can't work without pain and in the lab nobody has noticed yet but I am slower and it makes me feel so defeated. I'm Queen of the lab dangit and I hate not being anything less than amazing armed with a pipette and a mountain of literal crap to analyze. I bend wrong and I wince and whimper as quietly as possible because I have way better uses for my paid time off than letting the asshole, that hit the car behind me and pushed us both into the car in front of me, steal valuable con travel time. I just can't believe how expensive accidents can be and how long I have to wait to see reimbursement from the at fault party's insurance. So I'm filing everything (the cost of a rental, the ibuprofen, my chiropractor, and heaven help them if these wrists get classified as a permanent injury because I will bring my own lawyers to the table). I may never find out how in gods name he missed a pile of stopped cars waiting for the light to turn green on a great big road with plenty of daylight, but he has caused me a world of pain and frustration in everything I do.
My auto insurance has been seriously helpful in all this, it just sucks I need to pretty much pony up over $1000 to cover my deductible, health costs, and the rental. HOLY BALLS why in gods name is renting a car so expensive?!?!? So thank you everyone that visited my table at Anthrocon and those that got pre-orders as well. Those will be going out in the mail this week now that I am back on my feet and functioning well enough. This could have been a situation where I seriously would have failed at finding money for rent this month if not for you guys. I'm giving my wrists another week to heal and if I can get my homework done I intend to open discounted commissions to help find the remaining money I need to cover this nonsense. So look forward to next weekend for updates and opportunities to help a dragon out and get some awesome stuff in the process.
In the end the best news is, I can walk, talk, cook, and care for my husband. I can still create art in some form. I managed to not get my car totaled (not so true for the other sandwiched car behind me). And I have baby snakes to keep looking after. So Good and Bad balance out and I am still alive. I just have to stay positive even though my wrists hurt like nothing else. Thank god for voice to text options on my cell phone. That makes this way easier and all I have to do is edit in a few things which totally spares my wrists some suckage and pain.
Thank you all my watchers, and thank you friends
I hope all your injuries heal up as best they possibly can, and that you get everything you deserve for all the trouble. It's good that you still yearn to be active and productive as well; that's a good spirit to keep!
I wish you the best and a speedy recovery. If you're having lingering pain, I highly recommend yoga for flexibility and strength training, with no need to buy equipment (except perhaps a yoga mat and heart rate monitor).
I'm excited for your reptile babies potential. The feeling "normal" people get when looking at a human baby, I get when looking at reptile babies. They are unbelievably adorable, especially with those first carnivorous impulses and body-unsureness *wiggle*
Lawyer & Expenses:
An attorney, retained specifically for your case, will both protect your interests financially (the fee is paid 100% by the settlement, so no retainer or out of pocket up front), and assist with immediate medical expenses. The attorney will collect far more, even with the fee, than you could on your own. Most importantly, though, they will write you a letter of credit, allowing you to pay for ALL your medical expenses out of the "to be paid later" settlement. I know you are a fan of chiropractic, but physical therapy is pretty much all an insurance company will reimburse. Find a specialist doctor through your newly hired lawyer, who will accept his letter of credit allowing you to get medical treatment, physical therapy, and other services as needed, with no out of pocket up front. All this assumes that the at-fault party is adequately insured. Your attorney will determine this in the initial consultation.
For your vehicle: pursue a "loss of value" claim in addition to reimbursement for actual repairs. You should be able to secure about $1-2k additional just for the fact that your vehicle is now "majorly repaired", and not intact/original. The higher the vehicle value is pre-crash, the more can be legitimately claimed for loss of value. You may also want to consider selling it after repair, to substantiate this loss of value. Repaired vehicles have a higher instance of alignment and tire-wear problems, even when fixed by the best shop in town.
What's the make/model/mileage/options so I can check KBB.com and see what your situation will be at sale time...
Hire an attorney, ask them about this, also get a buy bid in writing from a local hyundai dealer. You do not have to sell, but you will know what they will pay for it.
And treat yourself to a Sonata or something else larger than the econo-box class. They are much safer in collisions. The more mass your vehicle has, the better it can absorb crash energy and not transfer that force to your body.
I myself am very happy to be driving a HUGE cage (Chrysler T&C), with its 20* airbags. (*exaggeration, but not by much)