Happily Ever After - Ashley Ladd Romance Writer

I'm home in bed. The jerk of all jerks rammed into the back of the van as I was trying to get onto the turnpike yesterday morning. It felt like he hit me extremely hard but the van luckily suffered only a bit of damage that we can tell -- so far anyway. I on the other hand, have a very sore back, am feeling rather dizzy, and was feeling a little nauseous. I let them take me to the hospital for x-rays. No broken bones and no fractures so the doc said probably just soft tissue strain/damage. I feel worse today than yesterday even though I've been resting and keeping ice packs on my back and neck. I say the guy's a jerk because first, he tried to push $500 on me not to report the accident. Because I wasn't feeling well, I thought it best to report it in case. Plus how can a non-mechanic like me tell if the frame suffered damage? When the cops got there, he told the cop that I rolled back or backed into him! My van's an automatic transmission and we were on flat ground. Automatics don't just roll backwards. And I surely did NOT put it in reverse when I was on a one way only entrance ramp with a ton of traffic coming up behind me. It looked like the guy didn't even stop or maybe only try at the last minute. By the time I saw him barreling down on me, it was too late for me to try to get out of the way. I couldn't have gone forward as the person in front of me was pretty close. I probably couldn't have moved enough to either side to avoid it either as they were close. I had my foot on the break but he pushed me forward and I'm amazed it didn't cause a chain reaction but luckily it didn't. Then he denied that he offered me $500, saying that how could he when he doesn't have $500? I figured he was lying just to get me out of there. He would've tried to give me a worthless check or tell me he'd mail it to me. Not that I went even that far and said no every time. I hate anything illegal and anyone who tries to bully me. Ooh! Creep! The van's an automatic transmission and that's pretty flat ground so I couldn't just "roll back". And why would I deliberately back up when I'm more than half way along the entrance ramp with a ton of cars behind me? I asked the cop if he believed the lies that guy was telling, and he said that he has to remain impartial and it's his word against mine and Monica's. He did say though that it would be unlikely that anyone would try to back up on the entrance ramp. Luke came to help out and I'm glad he did as they took me in the ambulance so he took Monica home and moved the van off the highway. He also then came to the hospital and gave them my insurance information. Then he came back later and took me home when I was all done. I've been on pain and muscle relievers and a ton of ice bags since. I can barely walk and I get dizzy to get up to use the ladies room. I was also feeling nauseous when I get up, and a bit now. Also, the past month has seen me being a mad, crazy woman, trying to finish my latest novel, DARK SIDE. It was due today. Luckily, I finished the edits Tuesday night and sent it to my editor as I sure haven't been well enough to work on it yesterday or today. In fact, I'm ready to shut off the computer and totally relax as this even gives me pain - and I have the laptop. Oh! Luke offered to let me buy his laptop on installments and as both Dave's and mine quit, I took him up on it. It's a very nice laptop. Easter was good. I ate WAY too much. I gained 4 pounds! Well, I ate way too much the whole of last week. Ann in PR bought us all pizza for helping to fill the Easter baskets. Then when I was working at my book at Barnes & Noble, I succumbed one night to their cheesecake. Then the power went out Friday night for about 7 hours so I took the kids out for dinner and they wanted Chinese buffet - who am I to turn that down? Even if I'm paying. Well, it was just me and the girls as Luke and Bonnie took Stephen with them and Michael, and Keith and Dave were working. I started off this week doing really well - having been good and eating under my points and walking a lot. I lost 3 of those pounds - before yesterday's wreck and it's boring lying around in bed, so I ordered Chinese as a pick me up and so I gained back .4 pounds today. And today I've eaten almost half my points already and it's not noon. I can't exercise to earn more points. Oh well... And I was planning to buy rollerblades this week so I could get more/better exercise. WW changed the formula for walking activity points, so 30 minutes is now zero points (used to be 2 or 3 depending if it was all done together or separately), and about 6 points for 80 minutes - now only 3 points. But skating is 8 points for 80 minutes still. Plus I always loved to skate. I'm really into American Idol this season. I got into it because the gals at work talked about it at lunch a lot last yeaar and I wanted to be able to join the discussion. Now I'm hooked and they never mention it. I have several favorites - Bo, Carrie, Constantine, Anwar, Scott. I liked Jessica a lot, too, and she didn't deserve to be voted off last night.