Save $$$ With Allstate VS Liberty Mutual

Do you believe the commercials? GEICO, Progressive... They all want to save you money. But switching insurance sometimes has hidden costs too.

I've had my auto insurance through Liberty Mutual forever. At one point in time, as Penn State alumni, it was a great deal. It was cheap then, but I've watched the rate soar over the years. It finally reached $800 every six months which seems ridiculous for a clean driving record. So I did it. I switched to Allstate and now pay less than $240 every six months. Plus my insurance agent found a way to save me another 10% on top of that. Nearly $600 less every six months + BETTER COVERAGE!

But I may have occurred other penalties for switching. My home owners insurance was still with Liberty Mutual. Or so I thought...

I called Liberty Mutual on 10/9/09 to inform them that I found cheaper auto insurance and would be canceling my auto insurance with them effective on 10/12. When I called them on 10/21 to extend my homeowners policy which was set to expire on 10/26, they informed me that they had dropped me on 10/15.

Apparently, I'm not the only one to have my home owners insurance dropped upon switching my auto insurance. Liberty Mutual Punishes "Disloyal" Insurance Customer. Can I prove that was the reason that they dropped me? No. Who am I against them?

After reading numerous other complaints, I came across one from: Cindy of Worcester, MA February 20, 2008 who discovered that she had no homeowners insurance coverage for a year and a half after using Liberty Mutual for eight years in a row because she paid for it from her mortgage escrow and didn't know they had dropped her coverage. Again, I am not alone in this case.

Welcome to my world. Liberty Mutual claims they dropped my insurance because my home is vacant. Great, but couldn't they have told me so that I could find other coverage? They claim that they sent me letters on 9/2, 9/10, and two on 10/15. I keep impeccable records. Where are these letters? Had I received letters that I would be losing my insurance, I would have started the ball rolling with finding another company much sooner.

When I spoke to them on the phone on 9/2, they informed me that my homeowners policy runs until 10/26. No mention of being dropped. When I spoke to them on 10/9 to cancel my auto insurance, they confirmed that my home owners was paid until 10/26--again, no word of being dropped. Not until I called on 10/21 to renew my insurance was it even mentioned. What if I hadn't called and just assumed everything was okay? I pay my homeowners through escrow--I never see the bills. I would have never known that they dropped me on 10/15 if I hadn't called.

When I called my Allstate rep, he told me that Liberty Mutual could terminate my coverage on 10/26 due to it now being a vacant home but that dropping it before the 26th seemed unprecedented. He also stated that they are supposed to give 45 days notice PRIOR to terminating coverage. September 2nd would have ALMOST been within that guideline, had I received a letter. Now I am without coverage. Thank you, Liberty Mutual.

So what's the real deal? Was my homeowners insurance dropped due to finding cheaper and better auto coverage? They never claimed that it was a misunderstanding and thought that I wanted to drop both. They have known that my home was for sale and vacant for months--why is it suddenly an issue and uncoverable now?

Obviously others have had similar issues with Liberty Mutual. But when it is us against them, I guess all I can do is add my voice to the collective consumer complaints and hope that at least one person will think twice about the coverage they have and investigate where their money is really going. Is it worth it to think you are insured only to discover that your company neglected to share such key information with you? I think not.

Here's to saving a bundle with Allstate and to getting better and friendly coverage at the same time. Now if I can get my house insured again with equal ease I will be truly pleased. I just wish Liberty Mutual could have been ethical about their consumer dealings from the start.

Donation or Scam?

I'm sure you have all seen the commercials. Maybe a few of you even pay more to buy the product because you think you are donating to a good cause. $1 for every bottle of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid goes towards helping animals... But have you ever read the small print?

Surprisingly, of the numerous people I have asked, nobody has. And the sad thing is, of all of the people that pay the extra money buying Dawn thinking that they were supporting a good cause, not a single dollar from the people I have talked to went to helping.

Why?

Because, as it states:

1 BOTTLE = $1
TO SAVE WILDLIFE
Up to $500,000. Must visit www.dawnsaveswildlife.com to activate donation.

My next question, upon knowing that, how many people will even bother "activating their donation" and doing that for each bottle they buy? Who has the time and is it worth it? My big question is... will I even remember???

Granted it does take less than five minutes... They do help you figure out what the hell they want for the Bottle Donation Code (not so easy to read on the bottle, however) and you do have to enter your zipcode, purchase location and a really silly security question--but hey, at least I already typed in the website address for you!

True charity shouldn't have so many hoops to jump through, at least in my opinion. So I guess my point is, if you are spending the extra money--please take the extra time to make sure that your money genuinely goes where you think it is. Or you may as well just buy that cheaper brand.

Ambystoma maculatum

AKA the Yellow Spotted Salamander, Ambystoma maculatum

The following quotes contain the links they are referenced from. Since I have limited Internet access at this point, I had no choice but to do a little cutting and pasting. Sorry...

"Adults maintain a small home range rarely exceeding a few square metres, although they migrate up to 500 metres to reach a breeding pond. This salamander is secretive, avoiding others of the same species, never basking, and exhibiting little movement except during breeding season. It may even remain in a single burrow all year except during breeding season."

"Yellow Spotted Salamanders begin to breed in the springtime. They follow the streams of melting snow to breeding pools. The male will arrive sooner than the female, and there will be an overabundance of males, who will compete by swimming around and rubbing each other."

"Adults breed in the same pond throughout their lifetime."

"Scientists are concerned that this species of salamanders may become eliminated due to decreased water levels, habitat destruction and reduced water quality."

So anyhoo, why the big piece on a relatively common critter? Because of their behaviors, they are rarely seen and they are genuinely breathtaking to see live.

Keith first brought me one last spring and in all my years of catching reptiles--I had never seen one. They can generally only be seen one to two nights a year and unless you are willing to venture out into the rain late at night--you will most likely never see one.

Last night, I captured some videos of them making their annual migration to their breeding grounds and thought I would share them.

Their habitat may soon be destroyed due to plans to put yet another landfill in Elk County. This may be the end for our little population of Yellow Spotted Salamanders, so I wanted to share these while I could...

Videos of their annual migration (April 19, 2009). A truly rare sight.

Smaller Size
Close-Up
Migrating
Larger One
Migrating II

Pictures of the one Keith brought me last year (April 8, 2008).

I also found a cool blog piece regarding the "romantic," but often tragic nature of breeding season for these fascinating creatures (along with fun drawings). Of course, it is this tragic nature that has caused Keith to search for them on wet, rainy, spring nights over the years and assist them safely across the road.

To learn more about the Yellow Spotted Salamander, click here.

A Tip For the Men Out There

Have you ever wanted to be the guy that got all of the girls? The guy that had his choice and repeat flings with the ones you truly enjoyed? It really isn't difficult... and I might add that I am not an easy girl to hook-up with. I am EXTREMELY picky... just ask any of the guys that never made it beyond my "just friends" list.

Let me start off by saying, I am very happy with the person I am with. I love him like I have never loved anyone before. He completes me; compliments the person that I am and makes me feel whole--he's like finding the piece of me that I didn't know was missing. But I still find myself thinking of someone from my past--a lot lately. That has been bothering me and I realized that I needed to do some soul-searching to find out why.

This person from my past was an occasional connection. I looked forward to our times together, but it wasn't an "exclusive" relationship. He was the one that I chose to be with when my year of abstinence was up (after my six-year relationship). Not an easy choice! He became an on-again/off-again thing throughout the next several years--an occasional "pick-me-up," you could say.

We had a lot in common--a deep love for the Simpsons, an even deeper love for the Beatles, a thirst for knowledge, a deep love of books and music--a passion for life and to experience as much of it as possible. Most of all, we always had fun. Whether we spent the night singing along to Johnny Cash or practicing twirling his toy cowboy guns; we always laughed and enjoyed our time shared (if you can make her laugh, you are golden). Granted, most evenings involved drinking until we passed out in each others arms; but they were always mornings that I woke up feeling alive and refreshed.

But this guy was also your classic playboy. Not the type I would normally look twice at, let alone go home with. So how did he do it? Simple.

No matter what else was going on around him--he only focused on the girl he was with. Once he made his choice for the evening, he had eyes for no one else. He didn't flirt with anyone else or even look at the other girls around--once he chose his target, that was it. He made you feel like the only woman alive; like you were the most beautifully divine creature he ever laid eyes on and no one else existed. And it felt like no one else did. He swooped you up and made you feel like a million dollar trophy.

If his friends came over and tried to talk to him, you were still his focus. He would casually tell them to get lost. If other girls tried making a move on him, he'd say he was busy and promptly return his focus to you. It was impossible to resist the feeling of being special.

He would start out simply by standing next to you and perhaps lean into you a bit. I suppose an uninterested girl would probably move away or tell him to mind his space. Next, he would gently begin talking to you. For me, it was always books. Thankfully, we shared a love for Stephen King and had not only read all of the old stuff, but were embarking on the Dark Tower journey together. In fact, I'm pretty sure that he was the one that turned me onto the series and it became a connecting point throughout the years.

Sometimes, he would approach by asking if you wanted to pick out music on the jukebox with him (always a moment when you are required to stand closely by the one you are talking to and a great way to discover common music interests, which leads to further conversation--while still seeing if her body chemistry is connecting with yours). Sometimes, he would start out random conversations about whatever was going on where we were at or he would talk about something random going on his life.

Wherever the conversation picked up, he made a point to listen as well. It never seemed as though he was waiting to "top" what you last said or that he was thinking about what he would say next. It flowed because he seemed genuinely interested in the conversation, you felt like he was genuinely listening and he NEVER gave the impression that he was just trying to get laid. He focused on your mind and what you were into.

I believe that stimulating a person's mind is the first step to stimulating the rest of them. Sure, sometimes simple chemistry will take you far, but sometimes there is more work than that involved. Besides, a stimulated mind is going to lead to more intense stimulation of everything else. And truly, even if you are just going for a "one-nighter," don't you want it to blow her mind (and yours), while possibly leading to repeat sessions? Plus, a girl that has had that one-in-a-million experience will tell everyone--which potentially leads to advertising and making other women wonder what is that you've got. I've never met anyone that didn't want to feel special.

Let's face it. Geeky girls are harder to get. Easy girls are, well, easy. But these things work with them, too--even more so, because guys usually don't try as hard. A guy that does make the effort to get to know her mentally before physically is sure to knock her socks (and everything else) off! So there you go guys. Make her feel special. Make her feel interesting. Make her feel like the only girl in the room. Eventually, YOU will be the only person SHE SEES in the room.

Finally, a side note here. Don't give up. Especially when faced with geeky, selective women. It sometimes takes time. But if you apply these things and truly want it to happen--SHE may eventually seek you out. The interesting note here is that this love guru never made a strong move on me or suggested anything of the sort. I watched him quietly, as I do and soaked in the pleasure of being beautiful to him. When I was ready, I made the move and he didn't have to do a thing. Not a single thing. I was ready and chose him.

Once I made that move, the door was then open to him. Down the road, I'd see him out and hoped I'd be his target for the night. Sometimes it was someone else and that was okay, too. Why? Because I knew that she was savoring in that feeling of being special and beautiful. He didn't always pick the beautiful or easy chics. I don't know what his logic was, other than he truly loved women and experiencing them as people. I guess he was enough man for more than one woman. But the nights when we did connect were some of the best in my life.

He wasn't drop-dead-gorgeous or a phenomenal lover. He simply made me feel special. He made me laugh. He listened. Some nights were just hanging out and falling asleep in each other's arms. He never had to make the moves because he took the shy, quiet girl and made her sparkle. And let me tell you, if you truly love a girl--your girlfriend, wife, whatever--these tricks will keep her happy and coming back for more through the years to come. Not only are these the tools of the trade for picking up women, they are also the tools for keeping them. Did I mention that everyone likes to feel special? Like the only other person on Earth?

The guy was a genius. And even years later, while in the best relationship I've ever been in--hopefully my forever relationship--that love guru still has a special place in my heart and thoughts. I'll always love him for seeing beauty in me and for making me feel like I was the only girl in the world. I wish him well and hope that he is happy wherever he is in life. Making me feel beautiful made me see him as beautiful. And truly he was a beautiful person.

Piece of useless trivia for you... How do you make a person see you as more attractive instantly? By letting them know that you find them attractive. It is very true.

It Was Only a Matter of Time!

Keep your eyes open for more random YouTube video postings! Most will be located in my Picture Pages! blog and I suppose it is possible that they will appear on my other blogs from time to time, also! :)

Celebrating the Massacre

Here you go, guys, the Valentine's Day present that she wants most:

APPLICATION FOR A NIGHT OUT WITH THE BOYS
Name of Boyfriend/Fiancé/Husband: ________________________________
I request permission for a leave of absence from the highest authority in my life for the following period:

Date: __________ Time of departure: __________

Time of return NOT to exceed: __________

Should permission be granted, I do solemnly swear to only visit the locations stated below, at the stated times. I agree to refrain from hitting on or flirting with other women. I shall not even speak to another female, except as expressly permitted in writing below. I will not turn off my mobile phone after two drinks, nor shall I consume above the allowed volume of alcohol without first phoning for a taxi AND calling you for a verbal waiver of said alcohol allowance. I understand that even if permission is granted to go out, my girlfriend/fiancé/wife retains the right to be pissed off with me the following week for no valid reason whatsoever.

Amount of alcohol permitted (units):

Beer _____ Wine _____ Liquor _____ Total _____ Amount of money permitted to be spent during evening: _______

Locations permitted to be visited:

Location: _____________ From: _____ To: _____

Location: _____________ From: _____ To: _____

Location: _____________ From: _____ To: _____

Females with whom conversation is permitted: ________

IMPORTANT – STRIPPER CLAUSE: Not withstanding the female contact permitted above, I promise to refrain from coming within one hundred (100) feet of a stripper or exotic dancer. Violation of this Stripper Clause shall be grounds for immediate termination of the relationship.

I acknowledge my position in life. I know who wears the trousers in our relationship, and I agree it’s not me. I promise to abide by your rules & regulations. I understand that this is going to cost me a fortune in chocolates & flowers. You reserve the right to obtain and use my credit cards whenever you wish to do so. I hereby promise to take you on an unlimited shopping spree, should I not return home by the approved time. On my way home, I will not pick a fight with any stranger, nor shall I conduct in depth discussions with the said entity. Upon my return home, I promise not to urinate anywhere other than in the toilet. In addition, I will refrain from waking you up, breathing my vile breath in your face, and attempting to breed like a (drunken) rabbit. I declare that to the best of my knowledge (of which I have none compared to my BETTER half), the above information is correct.

Signed (in blood)- Boyfriend/Fiancé/Husband: _________________________________

Request is: APPROVED _____ DENIED _____
This decision is not negotiable. If approved, cut permission slip below and carry at all times.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Permission for my boyfriend/fiancé/husband to be away for the following period of time:
Date: ______ Time of departure: ______ Time of return: ______
Signed – Girlfriend/Fiancé/Wife: ____________________________

But wait! Ladies, we've got permission slips for you also!

APPLICATION FOR A NIGHT OUT WITH THE GIRLS
Name of Girlfriend/Fiancé/Partner/Wife: ___________________________
I’m going out.
Signed: (me) _____________________________

Anyhoo, Happy Valentine's Day! :)

New Pictures!

Check out my Picture Pages! site for pics of my new baby! :)