bronwynrh | I have lots of news. . .

but some of it will have to wait, as I'm working on the manuscript this morning. So I'll give you guys A MegaDeath installment (because it's just too good to pass up), a traffic story, and a teaser for later.

My handwritten note, sent to Eileen in the Mega office on July 25 with my claim for just under $200:
Eileen -
The stress and near-panic caused by the filing snafu last month was unacceptable. To find out three weeks after sending in a claim that it was never received in Dallas, knowing that Dallas could still give me their "we have 30-60 days" line just about did me in.
That claim was for $356.92 - an amount I don't have just lying around to drop twice in one pay cycle.
This "lost in transit" phenomenon is happening seemingly every other time I fill a prescription. I can afford neither the time nor the strain to call and chase down my claims every month. That's not my job.
Please do whatever you can to ensure the prompt and timely reimbursement of my claims.
Thank you,
BR

My handwritten note, sent to Eileen this week after racking up yet more bills, in refills and doctor visits, new prescriptions and an $88 set of bloodwork. Also note that this is sent by a young lady who has not received her reimbursements since July - $400 worth, and has just racked up approximately $200 more.
Considering the fact that I have not been paid since May of this year, I hope you will understand the sense of urgency here. I will now be pushing the $600 mark in claims, and the bills are all crashing down on me. I have nothing left to pay them with, Eileen. It is not reassuring to call Dallas and hear that they haven't even seen my July 25 claims, and here I am sending in another. . . The constant financial panic does little to help my health. I will not accept the school-year crunch excuses when September arrives, lists or anything else. You, the school and the company have got to work out a better, more efficient system so that people like me don't have to go through this every month. I am literally going broke, sick and hungry over it - no exaggeration.
BR

All that, plus the conversation yesterday with Lisa on the phone, and I thought I had some hope of making some headway. Then, I got home yesterday evening to find a message from Eileen on my machine. . . not that she'd left it after my conversation with Lisa:

Hi, it's Eileen D. at the Mega office. I just spoke with the Claims adjustor in Dallas and she has just now paid the claims that she had, all of them, even the back on for the big Rx that she had said that she needed a diagnosis for (uh, yeah, Eileen, I'm the one that got that fixed, farkyouverymuch) So I went ahead and faxed down Aug. x and Aug x so you should be getting some checks right away. Sorry for all your * distress. Bye.

See? Squeak loud enough, with the right vocabulary and to the right people, and you just might get the grease you're looking for. Sheesh!

In other news, I also had a message from the Sears automated your-XXX-repair is finished, pay $xx.xx and you can have it back machine on my answering machine last night. Apparently, my lawn mower repair is done, and they expect me to pay (get this!) $3.18 for it.

As if! Engineers are preparing the pyrotechnics now. I'll let you all know how it goes. I know they aren't planning to charge me that $3.18 for a new lawnmower, so I'm expecting to see my old one when I get there. Yeah. I'm preparing my not-nice self now. I'll ask Mike if he and his truck are available this afternoon, and the lucky boy will get to see me in action. *grin* I'm so excited!

Oh yeah! the traffic thing!
So they crept along the side of the road just around the corner from my house for an entire block until we got to the corner. Annoying - are you joining me, or are you parking? Then they pulled to the right and didn't signal. Mmmmmk. They turned left. Oh. Onna doze. So I followed them allllll the way down, hoping they'd go away, but they never did. That's all right, at least they stopped at stop signs and such. Eventually, we had two lanes and they pulled to the left, leaving me with a lane all to myself.

So. Intersection with a one-way street. Their lane. They can go straight. My lane. I can go straight or right. The coast is clear. I start to turn right. What's this? What's this? They turn right from the left lane and cut me off.

I honk and I get the bird from the passenger.

Uh. Huh. Right, I'm sorry. I forgot I'm supposed to yield to people turning right from the left lane and to those turning left from the right lane. Oh yes, and to those turning left on red lights, too. Criminitly.

Like I said. Next time, I'll just go ahead and hit your cheap little car and then sue your ass. Don't think I won't.

Ok, manuscript time. I'll let you know how go the fireworks at Sears :-)