Southern, I'm no lawyer, but may pretend to be one when this is over, lol...but I believe the court has appointed an 'umpire' who is a retired judge, from what I gather. I believe he will make a recommendation that the ins. co. is supposed to NOT want to challenge by going forward into an actual trial. Our losses are nearing seven figures - though we figure we'd settle for MUCH less, obviously, just to get the cash flow coming again. I'm sure they bank on that logic, hence their attempts to draw it out further and further. Our building is 8,000 s.f. We resided on part of the first floor - other parts of the first floor were the lobby, the lab, and storage. The fire was immediately contained w/ the sprinkler system that went off - all over the building, not just in the waiting room where the (SS's) saltwater aquarium was. The motor ignited for some reason. It was during a huge event here called the "Air and Sea Show." We were living in our office on the ground floor and our office was located very close to the main stretch where the show took place, though it was viewable for miles up and down the beach. Anyway, I had been very depressed as I had lost my g-father 2wk 2days earlier, and two days earlier, my oldest found one of our cats who had quietly passed on - I thought he was sleeping on a bookshelf. Anyway, the house we had been building for years was getting closer to completion, DH thought it would cheer me up a bit to see its progress, so we drove over to watch from that location (less than two mi. away), so we weren't that close to the office/temp. home. Due to the crowds, the fire dept. couldn't get through, so we lost ALL of our personal possessions (not covered) to water damage. Our office is on the second floor - sustained less damage, but still lost lots of supplies, computers (we were in the early stages of setting them up, so we didn't lose all our records), the carpet, all baseboards, crown molding, some equipment, etc. The water just was pouring out of the building as we pulled up - quite a sight. We lost all patient records that were being stored on the ground floor (we didn't live in the entire 4,000 s. f. available there - as I said earlier, we thought we'd only be living there a year, tops, but our crooked contractor was the worst - ended up being 5 yrs. to build the dream house.) I've lost two tenants for 4,000 s.f. of prime office space in an upscale neighborhood. We need to replace every bit of drywall on the ground floor - should do the upstairs, probably, too. The downstairs has all the drywall cut away to prevent mold (but I still see some starting around the floor-wall junctions.) We had business interruption insurance and haven't seen a dime for the week or two we were out, or for the lackluster past two years as business has been slower than our usual history. Many new patients aren't comfortable in the office - turn around after seeing the lobby. The clean-up crew put black "X's" all over the walls to indicate the saturation level of the water in the insulation. There are lights on the exterior at the entrance that were removed, wires hanging, etc. One of my patients (I consider a friend - like many of the faithful followers I treat) said, "You've got to post an update. The building looks abandoned! I know it's hurting business for you." I did, and I was amazed at how many newer patients had no idea we had had this disaster take place. I laugh, "Did you think I was just letting the place go?" LOL. The ins. co. basically forbid us to repair anything before we settle, 'in case' they need to witness it in its current condition. Like the 2 years + isn't enough time to witness it! We had to recently fix the elevator as the city shut it down. Someone complained (probably w/ good reason) and we had to make some repairs. I guess the water had rusted something in the base (I don't pretend an elevator repair man, lol) and it was about $7,000 to fix...that hurt at this cash-starved juncture! Anyway, keep your fingers crossed that they offer us something decent, not the pennies on the dollar I fear... D

"I really love this guy." We always do. Men are addictive. like drugs. The longer we're around a man, the less it matters if he's a decent person or not: the longer we're around him, the more we will accept the unacceptable & believe the unbelieveable, *& it's always disastrous for us*. Had someone walked up to you & said, "Hi, there, you seem like a nice person. I've been married twice & I have 3 children & one of my wives took out a restraining order against me. Wanna go out?" you'd have picked up your jaw off the sidewalk, laughed hysterically, & sent him on his way. & your smarter self realizes this. To think clearly, unfogged by love & all its trickery & your boyfriend & all his trickery, you need to "get clean". Call a timeout for *at least* a month. no visits, no calls, no presents, no emails, nothing. Don't go to the places you 2 went, don't stop at the fragrance counter & sniff his cologne, don't listen to "our song". The guy misled you until he figured you're so smitten that he can tell you the truth now & you'll stay with thim anyway. He's shown bad faith from the time he met you; he conned you, he fooled you, & *it never was about caring for you or loving you; it was about how he could get you to act in his best interests & against yours*. I wish you the best.

Saw this on FB today. "Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants to hear from YOU. She has gotten a week's delay of the Jeff Sessions confirmation vote. FEINSTEIN WANTS 2-4 SENTENCES FROM MARCHERS EXPLAINING WHY YOU MARCHED AND WHAT IT MEANT. She will be incorporating messages AND most likely the sheer NUMBER of emails she gets, in her opening statement at the Sessions hearing for the Senate Judiciary Committee. Send emails to: Sean_Elsbernd@feinstein.senate.gov, Caitlin_Meyer@feinstein.senate.gov Subject line: WHY I MARCHED Please copy, paste and share this message widely. Thank you!" The person posting followed with this: "This is what I wrote to Feinstein: I marched because I have 2 kids under 2 and I stay awake at night worrying that they will grow up without the inalienable rights that have been promised to us as a democratic nation. I oppose everything that the Trump administration stands for, especially when it comes to defunding Planned Parenthood and taking away a woman's right to choose. Trump is terrifying with his malignant narcissism, but those whom he has chosen to advise him in his inner circle--specifically Mike Pence and Steve Bannon--are even more frightening to me, and I feel that if Jeff Sessions is confirmed as AG our civil liberties will be even more compromised."

I had to rub my eyes and pull my ears to open my ear canals to make sure I was reading and hearing this correctly: The most fanatical expression, I think, of wanting to deny history of the U.S. is that of those who would like to 'demote' Thomas Jefferson from his position as a "Founding Father" of the U.S.A. and as founder of the University of Virginia, among other accomplishments. Some have said they would be willing even to scrap! The Declaration of Independence in order to reverse or expunge his influence -- all because Jefferson was a slave owner and he might have fathered at least one child (perhaps more) with his slave Sally Hemings (who also happened to be his deceased wife's half-sister). In some minds it is settled: recent DNA testings of Sally Hemings's male descendants indicate someone in the line of Peter Jefferson (father of Thomas) fathered at least one of Sally's sons. It is very possible it was Thomas, but it's also possible that it was Thomas's brother or either of two nephews who were known to be in the vicinity. So the evidence is not conclusive. Is that reason enough to negate everything else Thomas Jefferson did? These same fanatics would like to see all monuments and memorials to Thomas Jefferson changed, including Mount Rushmore. They have floated the notion that the heads of Jefferson and George Washington, another slave owner, should be re-carved to represent more worthy presidents. The four with the most mentions are Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Barack Obama. I doubt that anything will come of it -- the hoopla has since died down a bit from about five years ago when I first got wind of it. I would say that nothing ever will be done that drastic, but now I'm not sure that redress seekers for grievances will ever completely let it go.