All Adults (18 and over) MUST have legal photo identification on their persons at all times

It's the Law... now

Today my family went to Fort Jackson to try out their new water park. Turns out we couldn't get in- they've tightened security, and because my half-brother Chris did not have his driver's liscense on him we had to leave. We plan to come back later in the week. An interesting thing occurred and we learned something. The military police officer added to Chris, "And for your information sir, it is South Carolina state law that all persons over the age of eighteen must have legal photo identification on them at all times."

It was news to us- to all of us, and later to my wife. When did this happen, and HOW? It is obvious that this legislation was 'slipped in' and kept quiet- perhaps so that they could gradually make people aware, ease it in, and then start enforcing it a few years later and say "Hey, it's been a law for years now, you did not complain then..."

A Dangerous Game

It's a new world- and one I do not like. If this is where 911 is taking us then I am dialing a proverbial 911 right now! This is not the kind of world I want to live in, though Christians have predicted and seen these gradual steps coming a long time now. But think about the implications?

If you are a suspicious looking person, but they have no reason to arrest you- they ask for your ID. If you don't have it- they have a reason to arrest you.

If you look foreign- hispanic, accent, etc... they can ask for your photo ID and bring you in if you do not have it. Just for that alone.

It is now a state offense to walk outside, in public- technically even outside the door of your house- without a liscence or ID of some kind. And if you don't drive, and don't get legal ID? Then you're violating state law- you are a criminal.

Yes, they'd never enforce it that strictly to start with- they don't want an uprising. But the law is THERE- and if it stays there, years in the future they CAN choose to interpret it that way. When Social Security numbers were started, there was a great fear it would be used to identify people- that instead of a name, people would have to give a number. The president of the United States ASSURED people that social security numbers would NEVER BE USED as a means of identification. I heard about this from my Dad, and I was shocked when I realised at my tech college to take my test I had to give them my social security number... why? It identified me as the proper test taker and was used to connect the test to me. I refused to give it- I said "You aren't supposed to be using social security numbers as identification" and they replied "If you don't give it to us, you can't take the test."

What people feared, then, has happened now- and we don't really mind, most of us don't even know or care, nor do we realise the implications. One of the implications of that move now hits us with the new measures of SC with ID's- and what many do know about are the ideas of a national ID (rather than state) that people are required to have.

Security, safety and liberty, freedom can go hand in hand- but to increase one we must give up some of the other. We cannot have total security and still have true freedom. We cannot have total freedom and have true security. We also must not allow fear to be a driving force that allows us to make choices we never would have made before. If it was wrong then, what makes it right now? Look at how we interpret laws and past decisions from decades ago- and how they line up with their intention- and realise the same will likely occur with laws we pass now. Are we prepared for those consequences?

Make a Step Forward

If you are as bothered by this as I am, stand up. If you live in SC, call your representatives and make known your disatisfaction. If you do not- find out if there is such a law in YOUR state, and if there is, call. If not, then consider calling just to let them know you do not WANT such a law.

And if you aren't even in the US- well, I encourage you to consider these issues and how they effect you in your own country. Either such an issue has come up where you are, or will.

I like my country as it was before 911- I do not think that fighting terrorism justifies so dramatically changing the fabric of who we are and how we live our daily lives. What happens when photo identification is not enough? What happens when small ID implants become normal? A chip so small it looks like a bug bite when they put it in- but it tells them who you are just like an ID card. That's already being worked on, did you know it? It's only a question of when they feel the time is right to try to use circumstances to get it introduced. If it won't be tolerated now- maybe in ten years? Five years? Even one? After all we already are required by law to carry around IDs now.

-Patrick

M. Night Shylaman (sp?) directed sixth sense, and has directed a variety of movies since then- all of which I personally enjoy, though there are some better than others. Apparently he was offered the very first Harry Potter film, but was in the middle of Unbreakable at the time. He's been asked in 2006 about if he will do a Harry Potter film if asked (since he works with Warner Bro.s), and he has said that the only film he will do would be the last one. From my sister, who follows Potter more closely than I, I heard he said that he has NOT read any Harry Potter books and planned to wait until they ALL came out- then, he would read it straight through to the end and consider doing the final movie if asked. He seemed quite interested in it, however.

Having seen all of M. Night Shylaman's films up to Lady in the Water, having seen Order of the Pheonix, AND having read the last Harry Potter book Deathly Hallows, I can say without ANY doubt in my mind that MNS is THE ONLY director I can imagine doing true justice to the book. Why? Because M. Night's films always manage to capture a sense of awe and wonder, an almost fairytale attitude, while at the same time merging suspense and even horror seamlessly with this. Since Deathly Hallows takes Harry Potter's story more into the 'horror' realm of death, loss, and tragedy as well as life- I can really see MNS managing to weave it together in a way to keep the suspense high, without loosing the heart of the story or allowing the two contrasting themes to clash.

I just finished the book in the last half hour, and the only thing I could think was 1) I cannot WAIT to see this as a movie, and 2) I want to see what MNS can make this into!

-Patrick

If you are trying to make computer decisions- do I need a new computer, should I keep and upgrade what I have, what works for what I need to do, where do I buy, how do I balance cost and quality- then perhaps you'd like some consulting.

My Wife is working quite hard for our family, and I have decided I want to put my own skills to work 'on the side' to try to help. In the past, I've been paid to consult- both individually hired, and I also worked for 1.5 years at Circuit City, constantly advising people about purchasing computers... not to mention buying, building, and upgrading my own.

Wherever you live, I can help consult in the decision-making process (and even in the buying process)- and for those who actually live here in South Carolina, I can face-to-face meet, advise, support, and encourage through one of the most nail-biting, difficult times in a person's life: making an investment that can be as much as $1,000+.

While I am not a liscensed tech, I can also handle computer setup (ie- installing an operating system, getting programs set up, etc), and help with minor installations (I CAN build a whole system, but I'm not going to offer those services since it's not work I've done professionally, nor am I professional tech capable of troubleshooting if the hardware has faults) . But simple things like adding an extra hard disk, installing RAM- and, if you want a licensed tech OR a place that can build you a quality computer from scratch locally I have a great deal of knowledge in that area.

Feel free to drop me a line if you, or someone you know, is interested. This is not a 'business' of mine, it's just a job I'm willing to perform and can do- so I suppose it's kind of like a housemom who also does housecleaning for others on the side. Except I'm a housedad who does computer work.

I have a LOT of references- both in terms of computer work and integrity.

Also, while I will charge, I don't ask the exorbitant things that the average computer shop would- and when you get consulting advice from me, unlike the salesperson at Circuit City, you know I'm telling you what you really need as best I can, not just trying to sell what is in stock, what we have too much of, or getting you to spend as much as possible. I actually made my employers upset a few times because I advised cheaper options for customers, since I knew that was what they really needed and could best afford. Did you know that for a BASIC operating system install, a local computer store will charge $90? And to set you up and tweak your system- install extra programs, etc- they charge you more. Installing RAM will cost you somewhere from $25-30 at Circuit City, and a hard disk installation and setup is far, far more. Getting advice and personal consultation you can trust- someone who will come out to your house and help you plug things in, install your programs, etc? You can't buy that in any of those stores.

-------------

As an aside, did you know that a lot of people don't know what they really actually need in terms of a computer? People would come to me at Circuit City looking for a laptop. Well, I'm supposed to sell them one- they cost more, and they want one- but the truth is, some of them really did not NEED a laptop! A lot of people who were in business, or else had children going to college, really needed a PocketPC instead. It's cheaper than a full laptop, faster, more reliable, far more diverse, and- most importantly- SMALL and portable. You can carry it on your belt everywhere you go (I do, with mine)- you can hold ALL your contacts in it and synch it with your desktop (or, even a laptop) Windows computer. Typing up notes for a class, or dislike the fact it doesn't have a normal keyboard? You can get a blue-tooth keyboard (wireless) that it sets on, and type on it just like a laptop- but it also has the ability to be 'written on' just like a notepad. There is even speech recognition software you can buy, and you can record audio onto it. You can hook up to a local wireless area (like a bookstore) during a lunch break and access the internet, browse the web, get email. My 4 year old PocketPC even has a program on it that lets me use it like a universal remote- I just need to find out the name of a television in a waiting room at the doctors office, then I click a few buttons and I can change the channel to it. I think some people thought the TV was possessed one night while waiting for a table at Outback steakhouse!

Sometimes laptops really are the best choice- a PocketPC IS limited in some ways. But sometimes PocketPC's fit your needs a lot better, too. Sometimes upgrading is a waste of money and time- because your computer just won't cut it long term, or won't be able to do what you want to do. It's cheaper long-term and better to buy a new one. Sometimes, upgrading IS the best idea. Also, did you know that there are certain times in the market where you can get a 'steal' of a price on computers or their components, but if you waited a month they'd go up again? Did you know there was a technique to buying online and not being 'ripped off', and also to buying from the local stores and still getting a -real- deal (not just one they tell you is a deal)?

If you or anyone you know want a Bible college graduate who is a stay-home Dad, married, and planning to eventually go to the mission field (once we're out of non-house debt)- to help them out with any of these matters, let me know.

-Patrick

Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In the Judaeo-Christian tradition it is the first day of the week. Since the second half of the 20th century it has been counted as the seventh day of the week throughout Europe. In a number of countries both counts run side by side. In Slavic languages Sunday(undivideable day - referencing seven) is both the first and seventh days of the week: It is first because Wednesday is literally the "middle" of the week, while it is seventh because Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are literally the "second", "fourth" and "fifth" days of the week.

Sunday is considered a holiday in most countries of the world and as part of the weekend. Only countries influenced by Islamic (or Jewish) culture often have Friday (or Saturday) as a weekly holiday instead.

The Sun was assigned to this day in pre-Christian Egyptian culture. (See T. Slater's article "Sunday" in the 1908 Catholic Encyclopedia.) The Egyptian form of the seven-day week spread to Rome during the first and second century when the Roman names of the planets were given to each successive day.

Germanic-speaking nations apparently adopted the seven-day week from the Romans, so that the Roman dies Solis became Sunday (German, Sonntag), likely in reference to the Germanic sun goddess Sol. The Christians reinterpreted the indigenous name as implying the Sun of Righteousness with reference to his "arising" (Malachi 4:2)^{[citation needed]}. It was also called Dies Panis (Day of Bread), because it was an early custom to break bread on that day.^[2]

Among Christians (with the exception of seventh-day Sabbatarians, such as the denominations listed above) Sunday is considered holy and often a day of rest and church-attendance.

The first Christians were Jews and maintained the observance of the Jewish Sabbath rest on Saturday, but by the first half of the second century most Christians no longer observed the Sabbath, instead gathering for worship on Sunday (although for some time the Sabbath continued to be held in a special regard even among Christians who observed Sunday). Consequently, Christians would avoid secular activities to allow time for worship.

Throughout history there have been Christians, especially Protestants, who believe Sunday must be observed with just the sort of rigorous abstinence from work associated with the Jewish Sabbath (exemplified by Eric Liddell in the film Chariots of Fire) , but for most Christians the custom and obligation of Sunday rest has not been as strict.

In Orthodox Christian families and communities, some activities are not done, e.g. working, doing something that requires somebody else to work such as buying goods or services (including the use of public transport), driving a car, gardening, washing a car, etc. Exceptions which are allowed are making use of religious services, and, usually, using electricity, and urgent medical matters. In Roman Catholicism, those who work in the medical field, in law enforcement, or soldiers in a war zone are dispensed from the usual obligation to avoid work on Sunday.

In the United States, professional football is usually played on Sunday, although Saturday and Monday (via Monday Night Football) also see some professional games. College football usually occurs on Saturday, and high-school football tends to take place on Friday night or Saturday afternoon. It is not uncommon for church attendance to shift on days when a late morning or early afternoon game is anticipated by a local community.

Also in the United States, many federal government buildings are closed on Sunday. Privately owned businesses also tend to close or are open for shorter periods of the day than on other days of the week.

Many American and British television networks and stations also broadcast their political interview shows on Sunday mornings.

Many American and British daily newspapers publish a larger edition on Sundays, which often includes color comic strips, a magazine, and a coupon section.

In Ireland, Gaelic football and hurling matches are predominantly played on Sundays, with the second and fourth Sundays in September always playing host to the All-Ireland hurling and football championship finals, respectively.

Radio stations often play specialty radio shows such as Casey Kasem's countdown or other nationally syndicated radio shows that may differ from their regular weekly music patterns on Sunday morning and/or Sunday evening.

 (content obtained from Wikipedia and editted for size)

(taken from the wikipedia entry on Saturday and edited for size)

Saturday is the day of the week week between Friday and Sunday—it is either the sixth or seventh day of the week. It was named no later than the second century for the planet (Saturn), which controlled the first hour of that day according to Vettius Valens. The planet was named for the Roman god of agriculture Saturn. It has been called dies Saturni ("Saturn's Day"), through which form it entered into Old English as Sæternesdæg and gradually evolved into the word "Saturday".

Saturday and Sunday are the only days of the week in which the English names come from Roman mythology. The English names of all of the other days of the week come from Norse mythology and Germanic mythology. In India, Saturday is Shanivar, based on Shani, the Vedic God manifested in the planet Saturn.

The three monotheistic religions, via their original languages, regard Saturday as the seventh day of the week (Judaism via Hebrew, Christianity via Ecclesiastical Latin, and Islam via Arabic) by naming Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as the second through fifth days of the week. The Slavic languages of Eastern Europe regard Saturday as the sixth day of the week by naming Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday as the second, fourth, and fifth days of the week, although their name for Wednesday, middle, would imply that Saturday is the seventh day of the week. Beginning in the twentieth century, many Europeans have considered Saturday the sixth (penultimate) day of the week, and Sunday the last^{[citation needed]}. This current European labour-orientated convention has been formalized by ISO 8601.

In many countries where Sundays are holidays, Saturday is part of the weekend, and is traditionally a day of relaxation. Many parties are held on Saturdays, because it precedes Sunday, another day of rest. It is common for clubs, bars and restaurants to be open later on Saturday night than on other nights.

In Jewish tradition Saturday is the Shabbat. Christianity adopted this tradition in terms of the Sabbath. Thus, in many languages the Saturday is named after the Sabbath. Eastern Orthodox churches distinguish between the Sabbath (Saturday) and the Lord's Day (Sunday). Roman Catholics put so little emphasis on that distinction that many among them follow – at least in colloquial language – the Protestant practice of calling Sunday the sabbath. Quakers traditionally refer to Saturday as "Seventh Day" eschewing the "pagan" origin of the name. In Islamic countries, Fridays are holidays, however they are considered as the sixth day of the week.

Similarly, the Romance languages follow the Greek usage, so that their word for "Saturday" is also a variation on "Sabbath": the Italian is sabato, the French is samedi, the Spanish and Portuguese is sábado and the Romanian is sâmbata.

Saturday is the usual day for elections in Australia and the only day in New Zealand on which elections can be held, and also the preferred election day in the US state of Louisiana.

The modern Maori name for it, Rahoroi, means "washing-day".

In Thailand, the color associated with Saturday is purple, see the Thai solar calendar.

• In the folk rhyme Monday's Child, "Saturday's Child has to work hard for a living".
  
• Saturday was also the preferred day to hunt vampires as that was the day they had to remain in their coffins. It was also believed that someone born on a Saturday could see a vampire when it was invisible.^{[citation needed]}
  
• Saturday morning is a notable television time block aimed at children while airing generally animated cartoons.
  
• Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal is a single-panel webcomic by Zach Weiner.
  
• Saturday Night Fever was a popular 1977 movie showcasing New York discotheques.
  
• Saturday Night Live is a famous TV skit-show that has aired from Saturday night to Sunday morning nearly every week on NBC since 1975.
  
• "Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell" was a short-lived television program
  
• Uptown Saturday Night is a film with Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, and Harry Belafonte
  
• "Mr. Saturday Night" is a film starring Billy Crystal
  
• "The Saturday Evening Post"
  
• Holy Saturday comes before Easter Sunday
  
• Saturday (novel), a 2005 novel by Ian McEwan

Saturday songs include:

• 10:15 On A Saturday Night - The Cure
  
• Another Saturday Night - Sam Cooke and Cat Stevens
  
• Come Saturday Morning - The Sandpipers
  
• (Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night - Tom Waits
  
• One More Saturday Night - Grateful Dead
  
• "Saturday" - The Carpenters
  
• "Saturday Morning" - The Eels
  
• "Saturday Afternoon" - Blaze Ya Dead Homie
  
• Saturday in the Park - Chicago
  
• Saturday Night - The Bay City Rollers
  
• Saturday Night - Whigfield
  
• Saturday Night - The Misfits
  
• Saturday Night Forever - Pet Shop Boys
  
• Saturday Night (is The Loneliest Night Of The Week) - Frank Sinatra
  
• Saturday Night at the Movies - The Drifters
  
• Saturday Night - Ozomatli
  
• Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting - Elton John
  
• Saturday Nite - Earth, Wind & Fire
  
• Saturday's Child - The Monkees
  
• Saturday - Fall Out Boy
  
• Saturday (Oooh oooh!) - Ludacris
  
• Saturday Night - Aaron Carter
  
• "Sentimental Saturday" - Sarah Hudson
  
• "Small Town Saturday Night" - Hal Ketchum
  
• "Saturday" - The Ramones
  
• "Saturday" - The Rocket Summer from their 2003 album Calendar Days
  
• "Saturday" - Liberty X from their 2003 album Thinking It Over
  
• "Saturday" - Marc Broussard from his 2004 album Carencro
  
• "Saturday" - Hedley from their 2005 album Hedley
  
• "Saturday" - Smile Empty Soul from their 2005 album Anxiety
  
• "Saturday" - Babyface from his 1993 album For the Cool in You
  
• "Saturday" - Suede from their 1997 album Coming Up
  
• "Saturday" - Fall Out Boy from their 2003 album Take This To Your Grave
  
• "Saturday" - Plaid Tractors from their 1997 album, Steve Tasker: Live from Club Biggio

Having a Heart

Katrina's father was working at his job as a mechanic in their garage, without air conditioning and nothing but fans, when the heart attack happened. They apparently have places to put air conditioning but have not, claiming that they intend to open a new garage soon anyway at the dealership and thus it would be a waste. From what Kat's step-mother Jannel tells me, it gets up to one hundred degrees F in there. He had shooting pains in his arms and the heart attack hit him quickly. Apparently he tried to convince his collegues to let him stay, shake it off, and keep working- however, they drove him to the hospital despite his protestations. This was his second heart attack- the first one, years ago now, was his first and they put a 'stint' in. This time they moved him from the memorial hospital he was in, to a cardiac care unit in Raleigh. He is still in the critical care ward, but his condition was stable and yesterday when we arrived in the afternoon he was apparently looking a lot better than the night before. He was quite happy to eat what looked like a very hearty meal considering he just had a heart attack the day before. We were also told that he did not really need to be in the CCU anymore, but they'd rather not move him until they have to. He had a second stint put in him, after a cardiac cath.

There is a chance, as well, that he will be released today- my money is on Saturn's Day.

Speaking of Saturday- more on that later.

Opening Night

It was a slightly painful moment this morning when I opened my email and got a letter of encouragement sent to the cast of The Secret Garden- encouraging us and congratulating us on opening night tonight, and for all our 'hard work'. Apparently, whilest the director updated their email list, this particular person had not gotten theirs updated yet. Of course I've done the same to myself by not taking the time to remove all the marked performance and practice nights off of my Outlook calendar for my computer and my PocketPC.

Friday's Child

Have you ever thought much about the days of the week, or why exactly they are called that? As a child I have before, but when I did again just earlier I realised I have a wonderful resource I did not have as a child- wikipedia and the internet. I can instantly type in anything and find the origins and background of it. I have decided to start a series of xanga posts dedicated to briefly telling you about the days of the week. Just a little misc trivia that I bet you not many people actually take the time to find out about.

First of all, I know I have sometimes wondered why it is that two days of the week seem to be named after planets (Saturday for Saturn, Sunday for Sun) but the others do not. Well, first of all the planets are named for pegan gods. Secondly, the days of the week share the same 'gods'. Apparently in other romance languages (Italian, Spanish, etc) most of the days of the week have the same kinds of names as planets (Tuesday, for example, would be "Mar's Day"- but the Nordic god of war is not Mars, it is Tyr... thus, Tyr's day, which when pronounced in old English sounds more like "Tuesday").

Let's learn about Friday, which is the same situation- if we knew it by the name the French and Spanish knew it by, we'd call it Venus' day. However, because our language is based on the British who have Nordic roots along with the Germanic, we have named Friday after Frigg, the Germanic goddess of beauty- also closely related to the Norse goddess of beauty and fertility Frejya. Obviously, Venus is simply a different goddess with the same 'definition' and attributes.

In my country, the United States, we are a "Sunday first" country which makes Sunday the first day of the week- so Friday is the sixth day of the week (more work-based countries make Monday the first day). It is interesting, because while the US officially starts the week on Sunday, most workplaces are trying to affect the mindset that the week begins on Monday- which tends to settle with us since that is often how the work and school week frames things.

From wikipedia on the root of the name-

The name Friday comes from the Old English frigedæg, meaning the day of Frige the Anglo-Saxon form of Frigg, the Germanic goddess of beauty. In most Germanic languages it is named after Freyja—such as Freitag in Modern German, vrijdag in Dutch, fredag in Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish—but Freyja and Frigg are frequently identified with each other. The word for Friday in most Romance languages is derived from the name of Venus such as vendredi in French, venerdì in Italian, viernes in Spanish, and vineri in Romanian. In Hindi, Friday is Shukravar, named for Shukra, the Sanskrit name of the planet Venus. Russian uses an ordinal number for this day of the week-- piatnítsa, meaning "fifth." Similarly, the Portuguese is sexta-feira.

In most countries with a five-day work week, Friday is the last workday before the weekend and is, therefore, viewed as a cause for celebration or relief. In some offices, employees are allowed to wear less formal attire on Fridays, known as Casual Friday or Dress-Down Friday.

For more on Friday, take a look at www.wikipedia.org and look up Friday.

No need to look up other days- you'll get them as they come right here in a neater form.

-Patrick

Katrina's father had a heart attack- he had a very serious one (his life was saved by taking asprin) for the first time years ago. He had a second one today. We know no other details at this point. I'm going to pick Katrina up from work, and we're going to probably make the four hour drive from SC to Goldsboro NC in the next hour or so. Please pray on his and her family's behalf. I don't know when I'll get to log here again, so until then, keep us in your prayers.

In Christ,
Patrick

The Lord gives, and He takes away. Praise be to God.

He gave me the chance to be in this incredible musical, The Secret Garden. Last night was our first night off book for non-musical dialogue. I have my part memorised now- I sang the music off book, I spoke the lines off book. All that remained was to get my written lines as an understudy down. I've invested every night of every day of every week for weeks now with few exceptions, and all day Saturdays as well as Sunday evenings. It was work, but it was wonderful work that really was paying off. I was blessed with 'the best seat in the house' to watch this beautiful musical over, and over, and over again as it evolved into something beautiful.

And the Lord took it away, today. I don't like it. The way it happened is, at this point, the second most painful way I can imagine it possibly having to happen. It hurts, it hurts a lot- it was not a testament to my work ethic, or to my talent in any way... and that's why it hurts. I don't like it, I don't want it, oh how I wish I could stay and perform this musical like I've worked so hard to do.

But this is how it is, and the Lord has taken it away. So even in my pain, even in this incredible hurt where I feel deeply humiliated and rejected, I say: praise to God. Just as I wrote to be put on my actor bio in the program: "All credit for my accomplishments both on and off-stage go to Jesus Christ."

*note: the following is a quote which I find quite worth reading to the end*

They're
standing on the corner and they can't speak
English.

Well, two updates actually. First is, I mistook incidents- apparently the folks whom she was in the accident with, you know the ones I described who I think gave her the dog? Well, we actually haven't heard anything from them. Hah. Yes, this year my wife was in two accidents- believe it or not she doesn't make a habbit of it. I was in one in last November myself, and lost the Ford Taurus. Then she lost our Chevvy in Jan- then that whole 'tap' issue occurred with our new car.

Anyway, the ones wanting $95,000 were from the legitimate accident- though it was a circumstance of them merging onto the road infront of her at night, her with the baby in the car. And they claim they weren't merging- that she just came up on them and whack.

The chevvy was totalled, but their car made it out alright. They were, however, trying to get all they could out of it.

Anyway, I spoke with the woman handling the claim at USAA and she informed me that it is normal for the lawyers to ask for an outrageous sum they do not expect to really get, to start. They are going to settle with the lawyer for UNDER $15,000- which is the limit of our insurance coverage at the time. So we won't have to pay out of pocket- though Kat's insurance rates will go up in the future. Whew.

That was quite a scary experience. Obviously, these folks are out for getting as much as they can out of the situation as possible. But, at least we won't- from what she said, at least- have to pay beyond our insurance.

-Patrick