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Saturday, April 9, 2016

Did Tim Burton Write Yesterday's Script?

SO...just gonna write off yesterday like it never happened.
AS IF I COULD!
What a WEIRD day!
(Yea...this is one of those time when I witch..so skip over a few paragraphs if you're not inclined to share.)
First thing to stick a HUGE chip in my craw was having to contend with our credit card processors.  Oh are THESE people a REAL piece of work!  As many who have come in know, we have not been able to take credit cards for a few months now.  Trust me, it aint been from a lack of trying!  We switched our service back in December, as the previous company we worked with kept jacking up their rates until we were paying 21% on every purchase.  We went with the Square, with their promise that the whole set up would take three days to complete.
That was on December, 21 2015!
Lest me just say, if you own your own business and the "Elliot Management Group" tries to convince you to use their service? Run away screaming! 
Now, not only did they not deliver on ONE promise, but it took them until Feb 29, 2016 to deliver the equipment. Unfortunately, the equipment was NO good unless it was set up on the phone, something they had to send a tech rep out to do....which didn't happen until YESTERDAY!
Now, the biggest problem was, that no sooner did we get the equipment, did the "Service Charges" begin!  Mind you, when we signed up, it was clearly stated "NO MONTHLY SERVICE CHARGES!!!"   OKAY, so that was OUR fault for not reading the fine print!  The processing company only charges per transaction, but it's the credit card companies themselves that charge the fees!  Trouble was, we were charged for a full month when we only had the equipment for a day!  Well, we got that fee refunded, but still, no rep to set it up.  So when the next month rolled around, and we still had no service, and they charged us again, I called them out on it.  They again, agreed to refund the amount, but in some odd maneuvering (I guess someone changed their mind) ten minuets after they refunded the original amount, they charged our bank account AGAIN, plus a thirty dollar fee on top of it!
YEESH!!
Needless to say, I spent the better part of the day contending with these people. 
During that time, things took a turn for the worse! 
Elijah and Kaleb were both up at the shop.  Kaleb working, and Elijah hanging out.  As it turned out, because of the frakas with the bank, we needed to get the light bill paid, and Elijah offered to pay off the shortfall until I could straighten things out. 2.30 rolled around and I was still in "On Hold" limbo, so I asked Elijah if he could go get the girls from school.  He headed out a few minuets later, only to call me shortly thereafter to inform me that he had just been hit on his bike at the corner!!
We all took off running!  He was going through the intersection of Patricia and Beltrees, just at the end of the Plaza , and with the crossing signal on, and ushered across by the school crossing guard ANOTHER idiot car driver barreled into the intersection, taking a hard right and mowed him down.  Well, actually, threw him OVER their car!  He's okay, thank God!  But, I insisted he go with the paramedics to get thoroughly checked out, and in the end, no broken bones or head injury, but enough contusions and stiffness to warrant morphine at the hospital and a prescription for hydrocodone. 
This intersection is one of the WORST in Florida.  Not that it's a blind corner or anything, but the fact that the cross signal is in conjunction with a solid green.  The road is two lanes, and heavily trafficked.  so folks tend NOT to slow down when taking the turn, to hell with whoever may be in the crosswalk.  What makes it even more serious is the fact that it's the same road the schools are on so more than half the "walking" students use that stretch of road, on that particular side, to get home!  And, as both left and right turning traffic compete to make the light, anyone in that crosswalk is in CROSSHAIRS!!
Izabella was almost run down by a ditzy blonde in a Mercedes two weeks ago, and I was a mere four feet in front of her waiting in the middle of the intersection for her to cross when this twit cut a hard right ON HER CELL PHONE and almost mowed her down!!!  What made THAT experience all the more tragic, was a scant few moments later, a police officer pulled us over a half mile up the road!  At first I thought perhaps the incident was reported by the crossing guard, and he was there to check up on us and take a statement.  Oh...no.  The lady that took the freaking turn called the cops and reported negligence!! ON OUR PART!!! I was dumbfounded!  Even Izzy and Rozy exclaimed that the lady almost hit US!  But, in true police fashion, they always take the side of the car driver and merely chastised US to be more careful!?!?!
UM....don't the police KNOW the law?  The CAR is supposed to yield to pedestrians!!  When Angi heard of this, she went ballistic and called the police to ask for them to investigate, to which she got the patented brush off of "What would you like US to do about it!?"
Yea...the local police REALLY need to change the moto on their cars to read "To serve and protect...anyone in a car"
Now...if THAT wasn't enough to make our collective hair gray even more...after we got Elijah sent off to the hospital, Kaleb and I returned to the shop, me carrying Elijahs now defunct bike (the REAL irony of that was, Elijah had JUST replaced his wheelset with a nice set of deep dish single speed he picked up, which were now toast!) when Kaleb hooked up with a friend to go and grab lunch.  But, as they were backing out of the parking spot, the driver struck a parked car! 
Okay....now it was just getting "sadfunny"!
More cops later....
and I just wanted to curl up into the fetal position and mumble incoherently!
Well, on the bright side, I think Elijah has a REAL good lawsuit in his future!
So, needless to say, with all the excitement, nothing of any significance got done!  We did manage to get a bunch more goodies, though, so at least I have a lot to keep me busy today. 
So, with that. I am going to click my heels together, sprinkle a little fairy dust and "think good thoughts" and hope for a better day today!
See y'all soon!



2 comments:

  1. I'm very familiar with that intersection at Patricia and Beltrees, and yes, that is a very dangerous crosswalk, even when you "have the light". (Especially when you have the light.) Drivers turning left from Beltrees to go north in Patrica elect to not see you in the crosswalk, and drivers going south on Patricia will make their right on red onto Beltrees without slowing down at all, no matter what. So I guess it's pretty much like every other intersection in town, huh?

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  2. Damn, just got to reading this post. Hope everyone is okay. Stay on the defensive. =)

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