Yesterday was a very bad day for me. I was on the way to work and had to do a very difficult merge. No one ever wants to let you in. I managed to squeeze into the back-up of cars before my lane ran out, and suddenly, the guy in front of me braked. I was maybe a foot behind him, with no chance to stop. My car rolled into his at 10 mph. The first thing he did was jump out yelling, "Oh my neck! My neck hurts." Oh sure, was my thought. So I gave him my information and then drove my car off the busy parkway and into a nearby neighborhood, where I called for a tow truck. Meanwhile, the guy who saw an opportunity to make a few bucks went to the hospital.
It gets worse. My insurer, Fireman's Fund, claimed they sent me a bill in January and cancelled me in February for non-payment. They have done this before. I seem to receive my mail from everyone else, and I don't understand where Fireman's mail goes. Anyhow, it turns out I had no insurance, or so it seemed. My insurance agent got me a policy quickly, and it should all be OK. A neighbor lent me a car. I am naming Fireman's because they are not a responsive agency. They refused to reinstate me, even though I've been with them for over 25 years without one claim. Suddenly, I'm a no-count. They should be so lucky to have a stable of clients with no claims. They don't believe in online billing, apparently, so when I've asked, I've been told I have to pay the old-fashioned way. Bye, Fireman's. If you sent a bill, I didn't get it. Hard for you to understand, apparently, that USPS isn't terribly reliable.
This week, Mom got a bit stronger, although we did have a scare. She choked on one of her calcium "horse pills," and my sister had to do the Heimlich. I went out and bought calcium chewies. It's always something, huh?
I'll admit to doing no beauty shopping this week, with all the goings on. I must hit the stores tomorrow. I'm feeling out of the loop. I do have 6-8 boxes sitting near my front door, so opening them will be a treat tonight. One of them has a new YSL "blurring powder" that I can't wait to show you. I'm generally now a powder person, but this one is amazing.
It's time for the Friday Forum. I love this part of our week. What new products did you discover this week? Did you find any deals you couldn't resist? Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? What's new in your life? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By early the next week, most (not all) readers will have moved on.
Photo courtesy of blueskieshugsandkisses.com
Sorry you are having a bad week! I'm pretty sure that your insurance company has to send you written notice (possibly even via certified mail) before they can cancel your insurance policy. They sound terrible to work with.
ReplyDeleteThe most amazing this, Aonymous, no certified mail. Probably something that looked like junk mail - that got recycled. Very frustrated.
ReplyDeleteSounds incredibly frustrating! Hope your weekend goes much better! Take some time to enjoy your goodies or do something else fun that you love, even if just for a few moments.
ReplyDeleteSorry you are having a bad week CG! We were looking for new house insurance a few months ago to get a cheaper premium, got a AAA policy, only to have them cancel us. Oh we got notified alright. We got a letter, we got a phone call, we got an email. Seems they decided after the fact that we were to close to our canyon which was a fire risk so we didn't deserve such a low premium. Kind of ironic now since we are in the middle of all of these wildfires now here in San Diego. Their loss, we were able to find another policy through someone else.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to tell you, we recently moved my parents into assisted living. My dad takes many medications, one of which is a horse pill. They have him take it with applesauce which I had never heard of before! Makes it much easier for him to swallow. I'm going to try that out myself sometime!
Hope you have a relaxing weekend.
Hello Charleston Girl! Happy Friday to you and all your readers. It is a lovely day here in Charleston, SC! We also had some powerful rains yesterday. I am just so happy to have cooler weather and not so humid. Our weather is usually a lot hotter and extremely humid by now. So, for this I am thankful.
ReplyDeleteI am just over the moon for Omorovicza skin care. I double-cleanse with the Thermal Cleansing Balm and either the milky cleanser or foaming cleanser and let me tell you, it is HEAVEN!
I also found the Omorovicza BB cream to be a real treat for days that I just don't want a lot of makeup. I was hesitant to try it at first, but do really enjoy it.
My question is simply this, is eye cream really a necessity? I wonder. It occurs to me that some companies really push this, others say if you use a quality face cream, it can be used as an eye cream. I am all about skin care and focused on the lifting/facial massages and want to keep my eyes from becoming "droopy" as long as possible. For years I have used and tried many different eye creams. Just started using Sisley's Eye & Lip contour cream but found it is loaded with parabens. (This is something I try to avoid as much as possible) So, how do we find the best skin care & eye cream that doesn't use the parabens and other nasty preservatives that cause potential health risks?
I am constantly researching blogs, high-end and mid-range products for the HG skin care line! Has anyone used Tracie Martyn products? Or maybe La Vie Celeste? I have questions! HA
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
So sorry you got scammed first by the driver then by Fireman's Fund. It doesn't pay to be a loyal customer, especially if they keep their paperwork in the Dark Ages. If you have a military lineage you can not go wrong with USAA. So professional, so kind (I'm always a crumfly mess when I have to call so they never fail to impress). On another note, it is a sad reflection on how so many people want somthing for nothing, think nothing of lyng, and lack any type of moral or ethical barometer.
ReplyDeleteI just cannot believe the many people out there who would take advantage of you in vender bender situation. I had one myself when my son was a baby. The whole thing was just a little scratch but the person claimed for disability, etc. etc. while he was the one WITHOUT insurance. Fortunately, Geico dealt with this all the time, he got nothing. Now looking back, I should have the one who took advantage of it because my passenger was an infant less than a year old! More, in my state, you can be cited for driving without insurance. Later on I found out the car that he was driving was a stolen car. No wonder he was in such a hurry that he couldn't see a car diving less than 25 MPH in residential street.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are on the mend now, I'm so sorry to hear about all the trouble. Hope things are also looking up for your mom!
If it is any comfort, I too have had a bad week. I can totally relate to your woes about not receiving mail from your insurance company. I am have a huge dispute with Citibank who claim that monthly statements have been sent to me over the past 5 months but I haven't received them. I too get mail from everyone else and have always received statements from Citibank for several years without any issues. I know that the bank is being untruthful and I have had to escalate the dispute which is not doing my stress levels any good. Hope you have a better week next week with no dramas!
ReplyDeleteI had the same issue with my mom and those calcium "horse pills"... Her doctor suggested putting them into a teaspoon with a little applesauce, and it worked wonderously! They slide right down without incident.
ReplyDeleteShe hasn't had an issue with choking on them since.
Perhaps this method will help your mom too...
Sorry about your bad week. At least it's over 😊
Big hugs!
I normally don't comment, but did want to second the vote for USAA. I hope your weekend improves, especially with some goodies in your packages!
ReplyDeleteI think many of us have had strained relationships with the automotive insurance companies. But in our litigious society, car insurance is a necessary evil so all we can do is keep paying the premiums and hope we never have to file a claim. Resolving a claim can take months and so I hope your new insurer will be there for you, Charlestongirl.
ReplyDeleteHi Jem,
Eye cream: Yes or no? And the answer is----it depends! LOL. If there is no significant difference between the condition of the skin in the eye area and the rest of your face, you don't need a dedicated eye cream. If; however, you're trying to correct different problems (let's say you have an oily T zone, but you're bone dry around the eyes), then it would be worth a bit of investigation. Read ingredient labels carefully; paying attention to not only the ingredients, but also to the order in which they're listed on the label and don't rely on a company's marketing claims. Instead, know your ingredients and what they actually do. One of the cosmetic biz's dirty little secrets is that often the same basic formula is used for face, neck, and eye creams with just a bit of tweaking. That becomes obvious when you start comparing ingredient labels. Is that tweaking worth paying double or triple the price to get the eye cream in a tiny jar? No. Often, it is more cost effective to just buy the regular face cream and use it where it is needed. If; however the eye cream is significantly differentiated and contains unique ingredients that target the problems you're trying to correct, then it might be worth the splurge. So, see? It depends :-)
As for the optical brighteners many eye creams contain, all they do is give you a bit of instant gratification that is very short lived. As soon as you apply your sunscreen and makeup over the eye cream, the optical brighteners will be eclipsed by what's in the other products layered on top. Think of the optical brighteners as a bonus, not a necessity. If you need to lighten the under eye area, you're better off relying on a good corrector that contains pigments to blur imperfections and optically brighten the area.
Personally, I use the same lotions and potions all over my face, neck, and décolletté. BUT, when it is particularly windy or arid, I add La Mer eye cream to the mix. I can pat it on throughout the day without it disturbing my makeup whereas if I did that with the classic crème, my makeup would become ruined. On those occasions, the eye cream is invaluable and makes a big difference, but it isn't needed under normal conditions because my other products do a great job of protecting and nurturing my dry, mature skin.
All, I would fall over with happiness if I could get USAA, the best insurance in the world! I tried once. Unfortunately, my father had died, so I had no military connections. I joked about marrying someone just for the insurance.
ReplyDeleteJem, I think eye cream is a necessity. Without some kind of moisture, you are not protecting your eye area against the signs of aging - even if you don't have them yet. Serums will work too. Just use something.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time, eye creams are formulated so they will not creep into your eyes (which causes burning and redness). It's not a good idea to just extend your moisturizer up around your eyes.
Choose one that suits your needs, based on your skin type and level of sun exposure. Some day, you will be glad you did.
Roxymisha, banks, insurance companies, they are all the same. They claim they sent something. That often means they paid a bulk mailer to do it. Oftentimes, those pieces go astray, stick to each other (I've receive others' mail), or otherwise don't make it. I think poorly of the whole financial industry for its unfriendly attitude toward customers.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, if only my mother would eat applesauce!
ReplyDeleteCharleston Girl,
ReplyDeleteThere's another trick for swallowing large pills and that's when sitting up straight to turn the head to one side (ie left or right) as you swallow. This stretches the esophagus a bit. Usually people find that one side works better for them than the other.
This technique was researched by a university hospital in Calgary working with children who have cystic fibrosis and hence have to swallow large numbers of supplements.
-- Lindaloo