So I went to my chiropractor today and I told him about my car accident. He doesn't think I have any serious injuries, but he wants to do a full exam and give some ultrasound treatment. I just have to call my insurance agency to find out if they're going to pay for it.

He adjusted my neck, and my neck pain went away. But when he touched my right shoulder, it was very painful and bruised.

The funny thing is I wanted to quit going to my chiropractor and try another person. My other chiropractor, who is the only person I would drive all to Berkeley to see, told me that he didn't think my San Francisco chiropractor was very good. The SF chiropractor has never been able to release my hips, and I know it can be done because my former chiropractor used to do it. I wish I had kept on with him.

I was going to use the excuse of moving to stop seeing the SF chiropractor, but when I told him he got kind of upset. I chickened out and told him I would keep seeing him, especially now that he's treating me because of the car accident. He said I would only need a few treatments.

I'm such a wimp, but I didn't have the heart to just tell him he's not doing a good job. What could I say? My other chiropractor in Berkeley who has a posh office across from the Claremont Hotel thinks you suck rocks.

I rationalized my behaviour by telling myself that I get what I pay for, and since my SF chiropractor's services is contracted through my HMO I only pay $10. My Berkeley chiropractor costs about 10 times more that, so of course Mitchell is like 10 times better right? My Berkeley guy is also a kinesiologist, and his skill set is very different and more expensive.

I think just to be safe, I'll see my Berkeley chiropractor after I finish the car accident treatment with my SF chiropractor. I have money set aside in a pre-tax flexible spending medical account, and that money pays for dental and medical services not covered by my insurance.

I guess the good news is my body wasn't seriously injured by the car accident, which I kind of knew but was worried about anyway. Everyone I know who has been in a car accident, has had their bodies seriously messed up for life. I have a friend who was in a car accident when she was little, and she swears to me that her body is still messed up because of it. Another friend was in a serious car accident in high school, and he throws out his back constantly.

I guess only time will tell. I was in a playground merry go round accident when I was around 10 years old, and I swear my left hip still hurts to this day. I was playing chase master on the merry go around with friends, while it was spinning. I fell and my left leg got caught underneath it and all I remember is being dragged round and round, and feeling like my left leg was being pulled out of its socket. I think the accident permanently lengthened my left leg and I've had hip pains ever since. I definitely don't need another nagging little pain in my body.

Here's a strange coincidence. I called my HMO to change my address, and when the operator asked me for my birthday she said that she and I share the same birthday, which is January 24.

That's unusual isn't it? Is this a sign of something? How weird is that to talk to a total stranger and to find out you share the same birthday. TRIPPY!!!

Things are humming along. The autorepair body guy called, and he was able to get the parts needed to repair my car. I'm dropping off my car this afternoon, getting a rental, and hopefully my car will be finished by the weekend.

YIPPEE!!! Such good news, yes?

The car insurance adjuster and I finally connected, and I decided to go through one of their repair shops instead of my car dealer. The car insurance company guarantees the work for as long as I own the car, and that seemed like a good deal plus there is less paperwork to deal with if I go through one of their authorized repair shops.

I was going to go through my car dealer, but their service is bad and they charge alot for their work, so better to go the no paperwork route.

I picked a place near my office, drove over to the repair shop, and the man was so sweet and nice. There was a silver BMW in the shop in for repair for being hit by a big rig, and somehow that made me feel better, like I wasn't the only one getting dinged by big trucks. The autobody man said he would prepare an estimate, and give me a call tomorrow. He said he would also arrange for my rental car. In short, he told me he would take care of everything, order a new door which should hopefully take a couple of days, and after that he would need 3 or 4 days to fix my car.

I was so happy to hear the autobody repairman say that. I think by the middle of next week, I'll have my car back and fixed. I'm so impressed by his customer service, that if he follows through I will definitely tip him. He even thanked me for choosing his garage. How cool is that.

Of course, my more cynical side is saying he's probably suffering economically like all other businesses, so of course he's happy to have my business, but even so, he treated me very well and I got a good feeling about him and his work ethic. I'll find out for sure when I finally get my car back, but I think it's going to work out.

Of course, I'll be out $500 which is upsetting, but for what happened to me and my car, that's probably a small price to pay. Once again, thank god for car insurance. I looked up my car insurance policy documents, and I'm not covered for All Risks. When my renewal comes up in July, I'l have to ask about what that covers. I so want as much insurance for my car as I can get now, and I don't mind paying for it.

The car insurance adjuster was so nice and easy to work with. He didn't hassle me, and he called back right away. I thought he wouldn't call me till Wednesday, but he called me Monday morning. I will have to write a nice thank you note to him and copy his boss, and if the autobody repair guy does a great job, I'll write a thank you note to him as well and copy my car insurance company so they know he's doing a good job.

My car insurance company, California Triple A, has really been great so far. When my old car got broken into in 1999, they arranged for me to go to a window repair place and my car was fixed by the next afternoon. I was expected to be hassled about my car accident, because of stories people have told me about their car insurance experiences, but so far no hassles and good customer service.

I felt blessed and relieved for once, instead of damned and punished. I needed a good experience after my horrible Good Friday. I keep thinking that if I hadn't skipped Good Friday service, I wouldn't have had the accident. That if I wasn't so not into being part of worship service, I wouldn't be out $500 dollars with my car all damaged.

I should feel grateful that people ask me to be part of the church service. But I'm just so not into it and I don't know why. This is the second time in a month I've turned down being part of a service. My pastor asked me to do Prayers for the People, and I turned him down. I write really good prayers too, but I just wasn't feeling up to to it.

Truthfully, I wasn't into it because I was afraid that I would say the wrong things because of the war. My church was split down the middle on the war, and since I was pro-war, I knew I would pray for the troops and their safett and I knew that would be such a touchy issue among some of the anti-war members of my congregation.

And yes, it has upset me that we didn't pray for the troops at every service like I think we should have. No matter what your feeling was about the war, we should always pray for the safety of our troops. But that didn't happen, and when that didn't happen I knew that the person praying was vehemently anti-war, and couldn't even bring themselves to pray for our soldiers. Like how un-christian is that or what?

Hearing the Prayers of the People by various members was so revealing to me, because it really told you alot about the individual member, maybe a little too much. I think I was embarrassed a little to be so pro-war myself, because I've been a peace dove for all of my life. But 9/11 really profoundly affected my view of the world, and it's something that I think will continue to influence me whether I want it to or not.

I get tears in my eyes when I think about the events of 9/11, I think because I have such good memories of the World Trade Center. I visited there, listened to lunch time concerts during the summer in the plaza at the very bottom, and I even still own clothes that I bought in the shops there. I spent so much in New York City for awhile, and was practically living there three months out of every year.

I even for a time paid my friend a rental fee for a room she had in her house, so I wouldn't have to worry about not having a place to stay whenever I visited New York. That was cool, paying for an apartment in San Francisco and at the same time paying for a space in New York City. My friend needed the money and I needed a place to crash.

What a life I lived back then. I thought nothing of flying to New York City for the weekend to hangout with friends and enjoy the city. New York City has always felt like home to me, from the first time I went there. That's strange coming from a girl who grew up on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but it's true. I'm not sure if NYC is familiar to me because of all the movies, tv shows and books that have taken place there, but for whatever reason, I've always felt the city was my home.

I had to get used to living in San Francisco, and after all these years it now feels like home, but I instantly felt so at home in New York. I never get lost in New York, and I still get lost here in San Francisco all the time.

I know I need to rethink why I'm so shy with my fellow church members. I know I shouldn't be but I am. I'm even thinking of joining a small bible study group, something I've resisted since I first joined. I tried to join a bible study group when I first joined, but the people just freaked me out. They were so ignorant about other religions, and I think thought anyone who wasn't christian as damned to hell. I'm way too universalist for that.

I've been studying other religions since junior high, and I'm one of those who thinks as long as a person who believes in some form of god, what does it matter what religion it is. However, I don't think my view as far as I can tell is that accepted in any american mainstream denomination church.

I've had such an interesting spiritual journey myself, and have such a hodge podge of beliefs that I feel incapable of judging a person's route to god. Who cares how you get to God, as long as you're interested in wanting to meet him. Radical view for a supposed christian, I know.