Tuesday January 5 Regular Meeting

Tuesday December 29 no meeting held due to holidays

Tuesday December 22 no meeting held due to holidays

Tuesday December 15 Annual Christmas Party/White Elephant

Tuesday December 8 Regular Meeting

Tuesday December 1 Regular Meeting

Thia will be our Toastmaster and her theme is “leftovers“

Opening words Zac

Jokemaster Stephanie

Speaking tip Ron

Word of the day Carol

Ah-counter Azim

Timer Jim

Speakers: Ann, James (C), Keith

Tabletopics Sam

General Evaluator Mary-Jo

Evaluators: Karen, Mark, Karthik

Awardmaster Juan

Rooney Larry

Closing words Christine

Back-up speakers Azim, Grace

Members RSVP and or questions to Thia

And of course bring a guest, or here is your invitation to come as a guest (no need to RSVP, just show up)

Mary-Jo was our Toastmaster and her theme was Thanksgiving

Thia offered out opening words

Ron was our JokeMaster

Word of the day was pulchritude offered by Jim

Ah-counter was Carol

Timing by Karen

Speaking tip Sam

Speakers were Karthik – now a “black Friday” enthusiast  , Pat – speaking on GMO,  and Mark who described his perfect “money-no-object” vacation.

Tabletopics Master was Keith

General Evaluator was Stephanie with Grace, Azim and Christine evaluating.

AwardMaster Thia

Rooney by Jim

Closing words by Carol.

Jim was our guest and we had 16 in attendance.

We met Becky and Jeff on a Saturday afternoon at their local Starbucks in Los Angeles. During our first meeting we talked about their wedding venue and some of the details of their wedding and specifically what kind of wedding images they were looking for. I asked them if they had any ideas about where they would like to have their engagement session and Becky responded that she loved the idea of taking pictures in a vineyard. While I didn’t know of too many vineyards in the Los Angeles area I knew there were several beautiful ones in the Santa Ynez Valley north of Santa Barabara. And so…off we went to the tiny town of Solvang and Firestone Vineyards for a beautiful Fall engagement session…(You can click on any of the images to see them full size )

Looks like this bakery/cafe knew we were coming .

An unbelievably gorgeous ring (the macaroon doesn’t look bad either ).

Dancing with the locals is always a good way to spend the afternoon!

One of my favorite images of the day.

Thank you Becky and Jeff for being such a fun couple to work with! We are looking forward to a fantastic wedding in June!

Thanks also to Firestone Vineyards for providing a wonderful venue for the engagement shoot.

-Mark

Hi Batuqueiros & Friends,

Here is the latest on our Batizado even coming up. We hope to see you there!

This event is being hosted by Mestre Amen & Contra Mestre Mariano from Capoeira Batuque

Who’s Coming?
We’ve heard that Mestre Urubu, Mestre Curisco, Mestre Roque, Mestre Doutor, & Mestre Paulo Batuta are going to be joining us for the weekend, as well as Contra Mestre Jamaica, Contra Mestre Reco, Contra Mestre Manchinha, Contra Mestre Galego, Contra Mestre Dae, & Contra Mestre Gui. We’ve also heard several great Professors are going to be there, such as Professor Girafa, Professor Muito Tempo, Professor Guatambu, Professor Prea, Professor Berinjela, Professor Versatil, and many more. And there always seems to be a few surprise guests as well

Friday Dec, 4th
1221 State Street
Suite #204
4PM-Midnight
Brazilian Night Fundraiser & Show at SOHO Restaurant and Music Club
This is going to be the party that kicks everything off! We have a lot of great performances scheduled, so come out and help get things started.

Saturday Dec. 5th
UCSB
Rob’s Gym Room #1430
12:00 Noon- 7:00 PM
Beginning Capoeira workshop starts at 12:00 Noon, and from there we have Afro Brazilian Dance, Samba, All Levels Capoeira Workshop every hour until 4:00 PM.
At 4:00 PM we start the Naming Ceremony, Batizado, and Roda as long as the Axé lasts.
After Party Info is TBA

Sunday Dec. 6th
Leadbetter Beach – Santa Barbara
1:00 PM – BBQ!
Come eat up, rest and recover on the beach!

For more info contact Contra Mestre Mariano Silva at (805) 259-7874

chamada in and old school roda

Karina and Chris had their wedding at the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara. Thanks to my friend Scott I got to be there to help him photograph it. It was a beautiful day despite a little rain in the morning. It always seems to clear up right before the ceremony and this day was to exception! It was a great outdoor ceremony and perfect for some infrared wedding photography! Check out the pictures!

Links

Fours Seasons Biltmore Resort: http://www.fourseasons.com/santabarbara/weddings/

Blue Silver Photo
alex@bluesilverphoto.com
877-588-3374

Biltmore Hotel Wedding

Four Seasons Santa Barbara Wedding

Four Seasons Biltmore Resort Wedding

Bride getting make up touched up at the Four Seasons Santa Barbara

Bride at the Santa Barbara Biltmore

Bride at the Four Seasons Biltmore

Wedding Ceremony at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara

Wedding Ceremony at the Montecito Biltmore Hotel

Wedding Ceremony at the Santa Barbara Biltmore

Montecito Biltmore Wedding

Wedding at the Four Seasons Biltmore

Infrared Wedding Photography at the Montecito Biltmore

Bride and Groom at the Four Seasons Biltmore Santa Barbara

Bride and Groom at the Four Seasons Biltmore Resort

Bride and Groom in front of the Four Seasons Biltmore

Bride and Groom in front of the Biltmore Hotel Santa Barbara

Bride and Groom at Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara

Bride and Groom in front of the Montecito Biltmore

Bride and Groom at Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara

Sunset at Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara, CA

After spending 3 wonderful days in Santa Barbara for my brother’s wedding, Adam and I decided to extend our trip a bit and spend some time in San Diego. I’d been to San Diego before, but Adam never had – so we were looking forward to exploring it together.

Off to San Diego..

Day 4: Santa Barbara to San Diego

This was a pretty relaxing day, though a lot of it was dedicated to travel. We woke up fairly late and said goodbye to many of the fellow wedding attendees who were leaving that day. Packing up our stuff was a bigger ordeal than we’d expected, but we managed to be packed and ready to go well before noon so that we could enjoy a relaxing brunch with Dan, Liana, and my mom. A few of Liana’s friends joined in as well, and Art and his son John stopped by for some of it as well. We found our way to a lovely little place- Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro. It was one of those places were everything is just amazingly good – even if it seems simple. I got a grilled cheese sandwich with a salad, but the cheese was to die for and the sourdough bread just perfect. MmmMm, a great way to say goodbye to Santa Barbara.

Then we headed for the train station where we said our final goodbyes to my family. Our time in Santa Barbara was really great visit with everyone, but we were happy to be spending a few bonus days on our own. We’d booked an Amtrak trip which would take us right into downtown San Diego for about $30 per person – much less than it would’ve cost us had we taken my mom’s rental car and tried to park at our hotel. In all, the trip went well – though it was pretty long. We didn’t get into San Diego until about 8pm, and at that point we were hungry and eager to get to our hotel.

Unfortunately this is where we hit the one big hiccup of our trip: Amtrak lost our luggage. It’s true – you don’t usually check baggage with Amtrak, but lucky for us, this was one of the rare trains that did require checking large baggage. We checked both of our bags, and somehow only one came off of the train in San Diego. The Amtrak employee’s comment “Well that’s bizarre” wasn’t exactly reassuring either. Hmm. At least he did almost immediately hand us $100 cash to pay for our toiletries, etc while we waited for our luggage to arrive. He was pretty sure it would arrive that night by the last train arriving around 3am, so we weren’t too worried. Of course, Adam’s $$$ tux was in that suitcase, along with my bridesmaid dress – so while it was good that this happened after the wedding – it was still a bit nerve wracking to have such expensive items in a missing suitcase.

We made our way to our hotel by cab, and only paid about $5 to get there. We were staying at the Ivy Hotel, a lovely boutique hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter (a main downtown hub of San Diego). A fancier place than we usually stay, but we felt like a splurge – and we got a fantastic deal. Staying at fancy hotels is really a great thing to do when you get the deal – you notice the difference in service levels right away. The front desk was super helpful with our lost luggage issue – and had a nice supply of “emergency” supplies available – including (nice) toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant. The other perk of nice hotels? The soaps/shampoos/lotions you find in the room are actually worth using! More on our hotel over on my mom’s blog.

Anyway – we got settled and made our way out to find dinner. We ended up at a decent but fairly forgettable sushi place a few blocks from our hotel before calling it a night.

Day 5: San Diego Zoo and Old Town

Our main plan for this day (our only *full* day in San Diego) was to hit the zoo. We’d hoped to get our luggage that morning, but no luck. We found our way to The Broken Yolk, a breakfast place within a few blocks of our hotel that got fairly high reviews on my iPhone app Urban Spoon. Again, a pretty eh experience here. Adam got Eggs Florentine, which makes sense for a place that is clearly focusing on eggs. It was quite yummy. My Belgian waffle, however, left much to be desired. I’ve never ordered Belgian waffles and been disappointed before, but I guess there’s a first for everything. It kind of tasted like an Egg-o,  and came solo on a plate. No sides, no fancy show – just one waffle plopped onto the middle of a plate. It would’ve been ok had it tasted like something special, but again, very Egg-o. The food wasn’t the memorable part, however – the service was. It was pretty abysmal. Not once were we offered more coffee, and not once were we checked on once our food was plopped in front of us. Luckily the kind of crappy breakfast experience was saved by the fact that we got a call during breakfast that our luggage had been found. Yay! It had headed north, but was now on it’s way and would be to our hotel by 3-ish.

After breakfast we made our way to the zoo. It was about 3 miles away, and rather than take public transit we decided that walking there would be a nice way to see a bit more of San Diego. It wasn’t the most exciting walk, unfortunately – but once we got into Balboa Park it became clear why everyone talks about it so much. So much is there! Tons of museums, gardens, art shops, and general pretty scenery and trails. We mentally marked off a number of things to see on the way back, and went on to the zoo.

Hug Me!

And what a zoo it is. We did a bit of a whirlwind tour of it, but saw everything we’d wanted to. Well, everything but the polar bears which were out of their exhibit for some reason. I like to think they were off frolicking and drinking coke, but  somehow I doubt it. My favourite part? The koalas. I just want to cuddle all of them! We also got a great view of the elephants, including some time with the zookeepers washing them.

I was surprised that we got through it in about 3 hours, but we did skip one section and kept a good pace. I guess going to the zoo without little ones really does help you get through quickly! If we’d had a bit of extra time I would’ve loved to go to the Wild Animal Park as well, but we didn’t really want to spend the extra money for such a short trip. Gotta save something for the next time we’re in San Diego, right?

After leaving the zoo, we decided to check out some of the other fun things in Balboa Park, including a really great little village of art shops. I was very tempted by many of the pieces of jewelry, but didn’t quite commit. Then we headed to a botanical garden that was beautiful both inside and out. We slowly made our way out of Balboa Park, and headed east towards the water.

We were briefly distracted by San Diego’s Little Italy, and while we didn’t spend much time there, we did get a chance to pop into a Yorgurtland. Brilliant concept yogurt chain that has popped up all over California – it’s all self serve, and then you pay by weight. You can load up on as much (or as little) of any type of yogurt you could possibly want, along with a variety of toppings. Mmmm!

Once we loaded up on yogurt, off to the harbour we went. It was nice to hang out near the water again, which we hadn’t really done since the first day back in Santa Barbara. It’s a nice harbour – though we mostly just walked along the water and looked at the various touristy boat tours that were offered. There’s also a nice cruise port here, and we got to get a glimpse of a Royal Caribbean and Carnival ship in port. Then began the slowish walk back to our hotel. Including the 3 or so hours walking around the zoo, we think we may have walked about 10 miles that day. Whew.

After a brief rest at our hotel (when we were reunited with our luggage – YAY!), we made a the trip out to Old Town – this time via public transit. While San Diego has a handy trolley system, we took the bus – as there was a stop a mere block from our hotel, and it took us straight to old town, for less than $5/per person round trip.  Old Town is, well, the old part of San Diego. It’s clearly  now mostly a tourist area – with most of the shops geared entirely towards tourists with their trinkets and general ‘what can we  convince you to buy’ crap. I almost wrote off most of it, but then we poked into one series of shops and were intrigued. Sure, there was a lot of pure crap, but there was a number of nice shops with interesting art. We ended up buying one thing – a lovely wooden bowl painted with sunflowers.

Now for what brought us to Old Town in the first place: Old Town Mexican Cafe. A super super touristy place (the hostesses had to wear those bright mexican skirts and frilly tops), but it had been voted best mexican by a local poll, so we figured it had to be good. We were almost immediately greeted by two mariachi singers with guitars, who proceeded to serenade us with La Bamba:

Yo no soy marinero...

And the food? The food was good! Definitely worth the fun touristy silliness. After a lateish dinner we made our way back to the hotel to rest up for our last day in San Diego…

Day 6: Ocean Beach

This was our last day in San Diego, and with a redeye flight leaving at 9pm, we wanted to make the most of our day. We packed up and checked out of our hotel early, left our luggage with the front desk, and out we went. We headed to the Ocean Beach area – getting day passes this time, which you can get on the bus for only $5 per person, so so long as you ride at least twice, it’s paid for. We made our way to Ocean Beach and first stumbled upon Dog Beach. We wondered the area – first through a mostly residential area as we ventured towards the main shopping street of the area, Newport Street. A very funky area that clearly catered towards a surfer crowd, but also featured a lot of old fashioned storefronts and mom-and-pop style independent joints. Definitely a fun area to hang out in.

The inside of Hodad's

For lunch we sought out Hodad’s – a place Adam had read about as being the best burger place in the area. Yummy – certainly a place worth checking out! An adorable dive-y place, decorated mostly with old license plates from edge to edge along their walls. Pretty awesome. And according to Adam, the beef burgers were awesome – and I can definitely testify that they had a awesome veggie burger as well. And the fries were *awesome* – wedges, really – but spiced really really well.

After we’d thoroughly wondered Ocean Beach, we slowly made our way back to Gaslamp. We stopped in Old Town once again just for the sake of a bus transfer, and wondered it again to see it in the daylight.

Once back in the Gaslamp area, we had a bit of time to kill so we ended up spending a bit of time at the big mall near our hotel – Horton Plaza.  A nice outdoor-ish mall.

Then dinner – we found a nice pizza place this time: Sammy’s. It did have a larger menu, but they specialized in wood fired pizza. A nice meal to end a really lovely trip.

Author: Gary Woods
Source: articleage.com

The aboriginal acknowledgment of Hope Agronomical was in 1769 if Portola wrote about it in his diary. He was greeted by the Canalino Indians which were about amid breadth Modoc and US Highway 101 currently run. The Canalinos had been there about 10,000 years at the time and we’re apparently appealing afraid to see Portola.
The aboriginal time somebody in fact endemic Hope Agronomical, www.chase.com, was in 1843 if Lt. Narciso Fabregat of the Santa Barbara Presidio was accustomed the accomplishment to the ranch.

The admission was accepted as the “La Calera”, www.chase.com, (The Line Kiln) and was acclimated by the Mission fathers to accomplish, www.chase.com, adhesive for architecture the Mission. The anhydrate was amid on what is now Las Palmas, the capital access of Hope Ranch
The aboriginal Auction of Hope Agronomical Real Estate occurred in 1861 if Thomas Hope purchased it from Mrs. Robbins (not Robinson) for the baronial sum of $8,000. The breadth reminded Mr. Hope of his built-in Ireland and, www.

chase.com, the aboriginal affair he did was drive a army of some 2,000 sheep beyond his new ascendancy into Santa Barbara. The sheep went alternating and assorted up to about 5,000 and provided the absolute bare for soldier’s uniforms during the Civil War. This fabricated Mr. Hope a actual affluent man.
Because of his abundance in affairs absolute Mr. Hope absitively to body himself a actual spiffy home. Peter J. Barber advised what was alleged “The Mansion.” This home amid on Nogal Dr beyond from the Vieja Valley School amount $10,000 and was completed in 1875.

Today it’s a Canton Landmark listed in the National Register of Historical Places
In 1873 Thomas Hope gave the canton a actual air-conditioned 120 bottom advanced band of acreage to be acclimated for a road. This band which became Hollister Avenue went all the way up to the accepted Turnpike Rd.
In 1887 afterwards her husband’s afterlife Mrs. Hope awash the western bisected of “Las Positas y La Calero” as Hope Agronomical was alleged in those canicule to the Pacific Improvement Company. The aggregation had some illustrious associates including Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, Collis Huntington and Leland Stanford.

The auction was for $250,000 which was appealing acceptable for a $10,000 investment. But Hope Agronomical Real Estate has usually been a acceptable investment.
The Pacific Improvement Aggregation didn’t advance much, but there was the Potter Country Club, on the website of accepted La Cumbre Country Club which, www.chase.com, got laid out and lots were offered for sale. Unfortunately sales weren’t too brisk. But in 1923 forth came Harold Chase who purchased the easterly 825 acreage of the Agronomical and started Santa Barbara Estates, Inc.

, and we were off to the races.
Mr. Chase organized a additional syndicate alleged La Cumbre Estates, which purchased the 1200 acreage of Las Palmas and Robles Drives which affiliated Hope Agronomical beneath one control. The accession of roads, utilities and check paths anon followed forth with an access in the baptize supply.
The aboriginal homes in Hope Agronomical were complete for the admiral of the La Cumbre Estates Corporation. Mr. Chase’s home was alleged “Las Terrases” and was completed in 1925.

Again Peter Cooper Bryce congenital “Florestal” as able-bodied as the Wilson and Dickenson homes.
Falling beneath the class of, “I shoulda’ bought then,” home sites originally went from $100 to $2,500 per acre. And to acquirement these sites the agreement were One-quarter (25%) banknote at time of purchase, with the antithesis to be paid aural three years at 6% per annum of deferred payments.” (Still not too bad an absorption rate) Currently there are 686 residences and there are about 18 abandoned lots still accessible for development.

The accomplished priced auction for 2005 has been $7.75 actor and the atomic big-ticket sales this year was $1,875,000. Some of the backdrop currently accessible are:
• 4Bedroom 2.5 Bath home for $2,495,000

• 4 Bedroom 5 Bath acreage for $2.975 million

• 3 Bedroom 4 Bath home for $4.195 million

• 5 Bedroom 5.5 Bath acreage for $8.795 million

• And the accomplished priced advertisement currently on the bazaar is 5 Bedroom 5 Bath home for $21.5 million
Well that’s about it for now for Hope Agronomical Real Estate
Gary Woods is a Real Estate Broker in Santa Barbara CA and is the trainer for the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors.

He can be heard on radio 1290 AM Mondays from 9-10AM

It’s that time of year again…the leaves are changing colors, the weather is getting cooler and our thoughts are turning to parties, pumpkin pie, and peace on earth. Each year, before I begin my holiday shopping or plan my family get-togethers, I like to spend some time thinking about all the animals for whom I am thankful. You may recognize a few favorites from my Thanksgiving column last year as well as some new ones!

I AM THANKFUL for Miss Bella, my rescued British Shorthair kitty, whose early life in a “kitten mill” caused her to mistrust people. Throughout our years together, you have taught me that our past doesn’t determine our future. With gentleness and grace, you have shown a remarkable ability to forgive humans for their shortcomings and you’ve blossomed into a loving and trusting member of my family.

I AM THANKFUL for my work, for it is through writing, teaching, and videography that I am able to share my belief that animals bring bountiful blessings to our everyday lives. This year, I learned a great deal about Facebook Twitter, and YouTube, social networking sites that have given me a national platform from which I have the opportunity to share my love and knowledge about our four-legged kindred spirits.

I AM THANKFUL for my extended furry family—Axel, Bashful, Chaos, Felice Navidog, Felix, Hope, Java, Kung Pao, Mietz, Olive, Pasha, Ricky, Russie (R&R), Sandy, Teddy Bear, and Yum Yai—you are all love personified and I feel privileged to care for you when your human families are away.

I AM THANKFUL for the foster kittens who have allowed me to be their ephemeral “mom.” With your impossibly tiny whiskers and claws and oh-so-soft fur, you have wrapped yourselves around my heart and brought me endless joy and amusement.

I AM THANKFUL for the happy hounds who prance and play in the park. You bring a smile to my face and instantly transform my ordinary day into an extraordinary one. You are gentle reminders that life is meant to be lived in the precious present moment.

I AM THANKFUL for the blue jays, the sparrows, and the hummingbirds whose presence never ceases to add a bit of beauty to my garden. You add color, entertainment, and a symphony of sweet sounds to my day.

I AM THANKFUL for all the many furred and feathered creatures who serve as animal ambassadors at my “Compassion for Critters” classes so that children may learn more about you – for it is the compassionate children of today who will grow up to be the kindhearted adults of tomorrow.

I AM THANKFUL for the animal rescuers and animal shelter volunteers whose never-ending work to save abandoned and abused animals often goes unnoticed and unappreciated. You take the animals’ broken bodies and shattered spirits and make them whole again. You give them a chance to become someone’s treasured companion – a chance to live wonderful lives. I am in awe of you.

I AM THANKFUL for the many animals with whom I have shared my life. I am thankful for your unbridled joy every time I walked into a room—whether I had been gone for five minutes or fives hours. I am thankful for the late-night “therapy sessions” where I confided my innermost thoughts and concerns to you without feeling judged. Even though your physical bodies no longer exist, you will always be with me in spirit.

I AM THANKFUL for all the animals with whom we share our planet. Thank you for your willingness to be here to teach us, to guide us, to inspire us to be better people. I am thankful that you have allowed us to open our hearts and souls to you, for it is through your unwavering love and loyalty that we begin to understand that the connection between us is stronger and deeper than we ever imagined.

I AM THANKFUL for ALL of you.

Miss Bella relaxing in her autumn-inspired cat bed.

On November 14, Cari and I had a very special event to attend: her brother Dan’s wedding to the wonderful Liana in Santa Barbara, California.

We decided early on that we wanted to turn this weekend trip to California into a proper vacation and before we knew it we were in the car, headed down to Buffalo.  We have frequently sung the praises of flights out of Buffalo since they are a mere fraction of the cost of those out of Toronto.  We usually make the most of it, driving down the night before our flight for a relaxed dinner and hotel stay to kick-off our vacation.

Our flight was extremely early in the morning, but this had us arriving in Los Angeles before lunchtime so it was well worth it.  An otherwise longish flight was made even easier thanks to in-seat DirectTV, which cost $6 but was well worth it as it gave us the opportunity to watch the delightful Julie & Julia.

Day 1 – Los Angeles to Santa Barbara

The Presidio in Santa Barbara

Upon arriving in Los Angeles we quickly made our way to the car rental to meet up with Cari’s mom Alison, stepdad Art, great-uncle Jim and great-aunt Laura.  The four of them had been in town since the previous day and were eager to get to Santa Barbara to partake in some of the pre-wedding festivities.  We didn’t mind too much as we had already been to L.A. twice in the past two years… though it was hard not going to Amoeba this time.

We stopped briefly in Thousand Oaks for a very satisfying lunch at P.F. Chang’s before continuing our journey onto Santa Barbara, where we’d spend the next few days.  Our hotel, the Presidio Motel, was one we had checked out with Cari’s mom, Dan and Liana on our previous trip to California and we were excited to finally get to stay there for a few nights.  We were also excited that a good three-quarters of the place would be rented out to various people attending the wedding.  More on this later.

The Presidio Motel had clearly a dated, 1960s-style motel before some young people bought it and funkified it to their liking.  Each room is designed with a unique, brightly-coloured theme and mobiles hang from the ceilings.  The walls were a tad thin, but it didn’t really bother us.

Apart from exploring, we didn’t do much else on that first day in Santa Barbara apart from a tasty dinner at a restaurant called Opal on State St. not too far from our hotel.

Day 2 – Santa Barbara

Flowers from Trader Joes

Friday was an exciting day for everyone since most of the wedding party, including the bride and groom, Cari’s dad Ron, stepmom Julie and stepsister Savannah were set to arrive that day.

We started our day at Trader Joe’s to pick out flowers for the wedding.  The plan was for the bridesmaids and female family members to spend that afternoon making bouquets and centerpieces.  Cari and Alison had plans to get their nails done, so I spent an hour or so exploring Santa Barbara.

Upon their arrival, we ended up meeting Dan and Liana for lunch right on the pier at a restaurant called the Santa Barbara Shellfish Co. I’m so glad to be over my aversion to seafood.  Cari and I shared crab cakes and New England Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.  Both were excellent.

Back at the hotel we were able to meet and greet many of the other people who had arrived over the course of that day.  A short while later we were off to the church for a brief rehearsal before the wedding party split off to enjoy dinner at a local sushi restaurant.

Even before our server/hostess got wind of the fact that we were there for a wedding, she treated us to complimentary sake and later brought out a complimentary grilled fish dish.  Liana’s father Grant was kind enough to pay for our dinner and everyone indulged in all the sushi, tempura, sashimi and maki they would’ve wanted.  After dropping off our cars at the hotel we later took our party to a happening Irish pub.  I was impressed with how authentically the bartender poured his Guinness, and was later impressed by the live musical act who opened their set with the theme from The Price Is Right.

Day 3 – Santa Barbara/Dan & Liana’s Big Day

Dan, Savannah, and Adam pose for a photo.

We did most of the photos in the park across the street from the church, which was just perfect. A lovely park filled with plenty of green and flowers, and a number of nice shady spots for photos. It seemed as if everywhere we looked there was another ideal spot for photos.

Newlyweds!

How was your first burger experience?

At best, this experience can be seminal; a gateway to another plane of existence, where our imagination dictates our livelihood. Where we realize that what is right in front of us is just the very tip of the iceberg. Where we learn what we can’t see, or didn’t see becomes exponentially more important than what we can. Because after years of consumption, we know that a better burger exists. And every craving leads to an adventure to find our El Dorado. The place where our burger is exactly what we want at exactly that time and place. It is less a feeling of home, and more a temporary guest pass to the cosmos.

At worst, you become completely disgusted at the thought of burgers, thus staving off future complications like coronary artery disease and stroke, something I am sure to experience soon. Which…really, in the long term, sounds extremely smart.

But I pity those who don’t enjoy burgers. Because beyond their stigma as the key to the city of obesity and malnutrition, there are few other food options that can provide such a thorough gastronomical emprise.

And the adventure starts at home, and doesn’t really end until you either die, or become a vegan. Because even when you’ve broken into the stratosphere, beyond the lengths that home could possibly encompass, there is still the thrilling comfort of knowing there is a piece of home in every piece of this land.

My adventure took me to Santa Barbara. It was a summer camping trip with the usual subtitles. We fled from our trouble, ran from our demons, but always keeping them within our sights. The All-American vacation. But when Hamburger Helpers, baked beans, and nachos made with day old ground beef lost its luster, our cravings led us to the one most permanent fixture of Americana there is.

The Habit. An inoffensive ode to the California style burger, much in the mold of the In-N-Out burger, but in every way, an upgrade.

I like In-N-Out. I do. The secret menu was a remarkably genius addition, providing all of the lonely individuals in the world a place in which they are part of a distinct collective, a collective that has the pleasure of creating a better burger. But at the same time, I can’t help feeling as though something is amiss at the storied franchise. The whiteness of the walls, the ceiling, the buildings. The juxtaposition of red and yellow, almost a mockery of an even larger, more storied franchise. The sparkly white everywhere, it becomes a representation of a clean place, a heaven, where those who have been scarred by McDonalds’ bad press can come and enjoy a ’superior’ burger, at a price. There’s too much of a gimmick there for me. In-N-Out doesn’t establish itself as an individual among fast food chains, but rather, establishes itself as some sort of antidote. A “comeback” for the poor soul who initiates the “insult” of bringing up McDonalds as a potential destination.

Plus, their fries suck. They suck horribly. Alone, without the thousand island and the grilled onions and the cheese contained in the “Animal Style” version, they are limp, with no crisp in sight. Even when you order them well done, they become chips. Not french fries. It’s frustrating for any burger lover. Because their burgers are fine. But you can’t fully enjoy a burger without good fries riding shotgun.

Well, The Habit’s fries do not suck. In fact, they are some of the best fries I’ve had in a while. The perfect size. Not shoe string, but not steak cut either. A perfectly golden exterior provides the pillowy soft interior a solid fortress. And as you break down the castle walls with the blunt razors of your teeth, you realize what a burger experience is. Even the best burger is not without its flaws. And those flaws can be concealed, or forgotten, with the correct french fry. You realize that a burger does not equate to a burger experience. Because a house is not a home unless it holds your love within it. And a burger cannot sustain a meal. It must have its accompaniment. It must have good french fries.

The burger itself? It hides itself well in its sloppy appearance. But the details. Oh, the details. Cheese completely melted, completely devouring the beef patty. The buns, slightly charred, to bolster its defense against the monstrosity that lies between them. The shredded lettuce, and single slice of thick and juicy tomato, creating a perfect bite, every time, in contrast to other chains using two dinky slices, and a few whole leaves of lettuce, creating unproportioned bites, leading to a few awkward concluding bites. Complete with the fries and Barq’s root beer, it was a great meal. Not revolutionary as much as it was a reminder. Not seminal as much as it was succinctly satisfying. A meal with perfect proportions. And from that adventure, I hold onto a memory. A little pocket of time in which, if only for a few moments, I can call home.

Hey Batuqueiros, UCSB students, and anyone else interested in Afro-Brazilian culture. Check out our newest extension the Capoeira Batuque Santa Barbara family- The Rhythms of Brazil Club on the UCSB campus.

Meetings are every Thursday at the African Diasporic Resource Center in the SRB building. The last meeting of 2009 will be December 3rd.

The club covers Afro-brazilian history, culture, Capoeira, Afro-Brazilian Dance, Music and will host several great dance and capoeira events to support and grow Capoeira Batuque. You’ll also get the most up to date news about classes and events in the Santa Barrbara, Goleta, and Carpenteria area.

We’re in good hands, as Rhythms of Brazil is operating under the guidance and direction of Contra-Mestre Mariano Silva, and in cooperation with Brazilian Cultural Arts Center, Santa Barbara.

Ritmos do Brasil is open to any and all members of the community. You only have to bring an open mind and plenty of Axé.

For more info contact Vika 323-646-2184
You can also find us on Facebook liste as Rhythms of Brazil Cultural Club @ UCSB

Come learn about the beauty of Afro-Brasilian Culture

*Jakarta Globe, 25 November 2009

Strangers. The word tends to have an ominous cloud hanging over it. But in the beginning, everyone is a stranger, an unknown quantity — even the people who become our friends.

As a journalist, chatting to random people comes with the job. It’s a prerequisite, in fact.

The other day, I struck up a conversation with two middle-aged men watching a salsa class in San Francisco. They were from Guatemala. After conversing about dancing and being immigrants, the portlier of the pair said, “You’re very open. Most women here don’t normally speak to strange men.” What a pity, I thought, because those women missed out on meeting these two who, with twinkles in their eyes, taught me a little about their country.

I like strangers. They are a novelty with their different points of view and stories.

But like the Guatemalan said, trust in this day and age is hard to come by. After all, if colleagues can backstab you, friends betray you and spouses more likely than not cheat on you, then who’s to say the strangers you befriend aren’t liable to harm you?

Traveling in unfamiliar territory, everyone I meet is a stranger — a possible threat or friend. So as a solo traveler, I try to be more cautious. But on any journey, nothing quite goes as intended. In my experience, strangers have enhanced my travels and, more often than not, come to my rescue.

As a foolish youth driving solo across England and Ireland, I managed to get my car wedged in a ditch. There, surrounded by dense fog, past midnight, in the countryside somewhere between Dublin and Galway, I sat in the dark waiting for help. Eventually, I flagged down two men on their way home from the pub. Unfortunately, due to the substantial amount of Guinness in their system, their car ended up in the same ditch as mine. It was only after the pub closed and the rest of the inebriated villagers came our way that we were saved.

This time my story began when a 5,000-pound steel cable snapped off the San Francisco Bay Bridge, causing it to close for a few days. Due to the bridge closure, Amtrak canceled its buses, which I needed to connect to a southbound train, leaving me stranded in the city. Amtrak did leave a note on the bus stop sign. Catch the train in San Jose, it read. Nothing else.

I went to the local subway station to find a train bound for San Jose. A kind attendant informed me that the southbound Amtrak would leave the next morning. “Do you have a place to sleep tonight?” he said. At the train station, naturally. Unfortunately, the stations close at night, was his reply.

Lack of lodgings was the least of my worries. My mission was to catch my train to San Diego. The route I had to take was simple: a Bay Area Rapid Transit train from San Francisco to Millbrae followed by a Caltrain to San Jose where I was to wait for an Amtrak bus to Santa Barbara, and finally a train to San Diego.

Zipping down to Millbrae, I was slightly apprehensive. Was San Jose the right place to catch up with my wayward Amtrak transportation? Midnight was closing in fast. I turned to the elderly couple behind me and asked if they knew where I could catch the Amtrak train to San Diego. Their names were Bill and Rosanne, and they were on their way home from watching the musical “Wicked” in San Francisco. There were no trains till tomorrow. Again came the question: “Do you have a place to sleep tonight?” “No,” I replied.

Before alighting in Millbrae, Bill turned and said, “You can sleep on our couch tonight.” And with those words, the kind pair saved me from spending the night outside of the San Jose station.

So I hopped into their car and we drove to their home in Belmont. It was a quaint old house with a porch, the random passing deer or raccoon in their yard, a kitchen with flowery wallpaper and a brown-and-white Papillon dog called Mickey.

When Bill discovered my budding love for riding long-distance trains, he took me to his basement. On a wall a sticker read: “My wife says if I buy one more train she’ll leave me. Gee, I’ll miss her.” Bill is a railway aficionado.

He had spent the last 41 years turning the basement into a miniature country of undulating mountain peaks, canyons, clouds and cities connected by railways tracks and trains of all shapes and colors. We talked of trains till well past the witching hour.

It wasn’t until I was snugly settled on their couch that a thought crossed my mind — what if they were a couple of elderly serial killers? Laughable misgivings that dawned too late and completely unwarranted for the kind couple shepherded me onto a train headed for San Jose the next morning.

A friend of mine once asked what it feels like to befriend strangers. I had answered: happy. Looking back, I’ve changed my mind. My answer now? Grateful.

happy tuesday, everyone!  today i’m delighted to share with you the lovely wedding of jeannine (aka jella) & matt.  :)  this wedding is extra special for many reasons… here are my top 3:

1) jella and i are kindred spirits and share a fierce love for hello kitty and tarina tarantino.

2) jella & matt may be two of the biggest lakers fans ever (another shared love!).  you’ll see their adoration of the team’s purple, gold & white throughout their wedding.  :)

3) this was the 2nd wedding that anna flawlessly executed without me!

i was still involved throughout the planning process for this charming santa barbara wedding and anna kept me in the loop throughout the wedding day via pics and texts sent from her blackberry.  ;-)  many thanks to the fun, sweet and truly talented sarah k. chen who captured these beautiful images!

left: jella’s beautiful amethyst jewelry (from tiffany & co.). right: a fun pop of color in her cole haan shoes.

i actually prefer this box to the tiffany box… (in most instances, anyway)

i love the custom ring bearer bowl from palomas nest

the lovely jella!!

the bridesmaids wore unique purple & gold dresses along with flirty hair pieces.  my kinda wedding party!

matt, looking quite dapper, awaiting his bride.

matt’s purple tie = perfection

the ceremony took place at old mission santa barbara.

if you’re getting married in santa barbara, there is really only one way to travel!  (by trolley, of course!)

you know this cupcake topper kills me

the awesome view from their reception site: cabrillo arts pavilion.

i have to throw in this too-cute pic of the girls~  anna, sarah and anna’s fab assistant du jour, jeniece.

how adorable is sarah???  i love this one.

jella & matt: we loooooved working with you two!!  every get-together was a joy, filled with laughter and excitement for the plans we were making.  thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us!  we look forward to keeping in touch for many years to come.  xo, angel & anna (and jeniece!)

vendor roundup!

• coordinator – anna of events of love and splendor
• photography – sarah k chen
• florist – joey molina of cana flowers
• hair and makeup – TEAM hair and makeup
• ceremony site – old mission santa barbara
• reception site – cabrillo arts pavilion
• caterer – pure joy (we looove them!)
• cupcakes – crumbs bakery santa barbara

hope your week is off to a marvelous start!  anna and i enjoyed a pre-thanksgiving feast on sunday night with oh, 60 friends from church.  :)  it was a splendid time and you can definitely say my appetite is officially whetted for thursday!

xoxo, angel

Happy Monday, winos!

Yesterday I went on the most wonderful little day trip to Santa Barbara with wino Katie and her hubby Drew. We stopped by Carr Winery, which is conveniently located in downtown Santa Barbara.

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?

The wine tasting area becomes a wine bar with live music Thurs, Fri, and Sat from 5pm-12am. Pretty darn hip.

We arrived at 11:30am and the drinking began shortly after that (hey, it was 5 o’clock somewhere…) Their wine tastings happen daily from 11am-5pm and cost $10. Ten bucks will get you a generous taste of 6 of their wines, including their 2008 Pinot Gris, 2008 Rose, 2007 Pinot Noir, 2007 Grenache, 2006 Syrah, and their 2006 Cabernet Franc. Needless to say I was toasted before noon.

Me and Katie... two blonde winos= TROUBLE. I was already pretty toasted by the time this picture was taken.

My personal favorite was the Grenache, for which I happily shelled out $27 to take a bottle home to my wine lair (which is what I’m calling my apartment now, apparently…) It was lush and mouth-filling with hints of cherry, rhubarb, and black pepper. Track this sucker down if you can:

Two other wines blew me away yesterday: their Pinot Noir (92 points from the Pinot Report) and their Cabernet Franc, $45 and $30 per bottle, respectively. If you are in the Santa Barbara area or ever plan on visiting, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out this super laid-back, fun, and DELICIOUS winery. $10 bucks is a bargain for all the expensive, classy wine we got to taste. If you’d like to track down where Carr is sold near you, check out the distributor list on the Carr website found here.

]]> http://tonari.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/santa-barbara/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:19:45 +0000 tonari http://tonari.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/santa-barbara/

Eigentlich wollten  wir heute so viele Kilometer wie möglich gen Monterey schaffen. Uneigentlich bleiben wir in  Santa Barbara länger als geplant einige Zeit hängen.

Nach einem kleinen Stadtbummel in sehr mediteranem Flair – man bezeichnet die Gegend auch als American Riviera -

folgte ein kombiniertes Frühstücksmittag. Bei mir mit getoastetem Weißbrot, Zimt, Puderzucker, Ahornsirup und frischen Erdbeeren. Die  Butter hab ich nicht gebraucht.

Beim Bummeln trafen wir auf fleißige Menschen aus Metall, die auch am Sonntag pausenlos arbeiteten,

auf Fahrradpolizisten, die Kids maßregelten, weil sie trotz Verbotes mit dem Skateboard auf dem Gehweg unterwegs waren

ertappt - ermahnt

und an der Wharf auf fotogene Tierchen. Nicht ausgestopft und angebunden, sondern frei schwimmend.

Nicht vorenthalten möchte ich natürlich, was sich unter den unspektakulären Straßenkappen mit der Aufschrift Watermeter verbirgt: Frau Tonari konnte mal wieder nicht widerstehen und musste das Deckelchen anlüften der schnöde Haus-Wasserzähler. Frostsicherheit in dieser Gegend garantiert

amerikanischer Wasserzähler

xxx

Ich habe heute den ganzen Nachmittag überlegt, ob ich dieses Foto zeigen soll und ich habe mich nun bewusst dafür entschieden. Santa Barbara ist die teuerste Wohngegend in Kalifornien. Man sieht, dass Geld im Stadtsäckl ist. Sehr gepflegt alles und wirklich wunderschön. Zum Wohlfühlen. Aber wo Licht ist, ist eben auch Schatten. Und hier wurde das ziemlich deutlich. Auffällig viele, viele Obdachlose zogen durch die Straßen. Manche bettelten, andere nicht. Sie störten nicht, sie drängten sich nicht auf, sie waren einfach allgegenwärtig und präsent. Ihr Hab und Gut hatten sie entweder im Einkaufswagen (Ausnahme) oder aber in Rollenkoffern (Mehrheit) dabei.  Die Polizeit kontrollierte hin und wieder Papiere. Verjagt wurden die Menschen nach unseren Beobachtungen nicht.

Wo Licht ist, ist auch Schatten.

Our Toastmaster will be Mary-Jo and her theme is Thanksgiving

Opening words Thia

Jokemaster Ron

Speaking tip Sam

Word-of-the day Jim

As-counter Carol

Timer Karen

Speakers Karthik, Pat, Mark

Tabletopics Master Keith

General Evaluator Stephanie

Evaluators Grace, Debbie, Christine

AwardMaster Thia

Rooney Jim

Closer Carol

Back-up Speaker Sam

Members RSVP and or questions to Mary-Jo

And of course bring a guest, or here is your invitation to come as a guest (no need to RSVP, just show up)

Mission was one of 674 clubs to win the Smedley Award this year by adding five new members between August 1 and September 30.  There are currently over 12,000 Toastmaster clubs and over 250,000 Toastmaster members world-wide.  Click here for a history of Toastmasters.

Karen was our Toastmaster and her theme was Persuasion.

Opening words by Ann.

Sam delivered our joke.

Speaking tip by Grace

Timing by Mary-Jo

Word of the day was close to impossible to use. But Ron gave it to us anyway: perseverate We survived.

Dramatic Ah-Counting by Zac

Our speakers were Mark with “Ask Don’t Tell”. Thia, championing fresh fruits and vegetables. Christine with Non-Traditional Holiday Gift Giving.

Tabletopics Master was James (returning from a long sabbatical – welcome back)

General Evaluator was Debbie with Carol, Keith and Larry evaluating.

AwardMaster Stephanie

The Rooney delivered by Keith.

Closing Words by Jim.

Also in attendance were members Karthik and Pat. We had one quest past member Joe.  20 in attendance

As a Santa Barbara Wrongful Death Insurance Attorney with millions of dollars in settlements and multiple million dollar plus settlements from over thirty years of experience in or around Santa Barbara, other nearby cities and internationally, I know many of you are attempting to settle your own personal injury, dog bite and wrongful death cases by yourselves for the maximum and the biggest settlement you can to save the cost of an attorney.

In this article I’ll tell you the secrets of how attorneys negotiate for top dollar and I’ll also tell you why insurance companies lick their chops and rub their hands together with glee when individuals try to settle their claims without an attorney and why, in most cases, you’ll receive a larger, much greater amount in your pocket or in the trust fund you set up for any children injured in the accident, even after an attorney’s fee and costs if you hire a reputable and experienced personal injury attorney.

If you’ve been the victim of a car, motorcycle, truck, pedestrian, bicycle, or auto accident, lost a loved one in a wrongful death or been the victim of a dog bite or animal attack, you can visit our website at http://www.sebastiangibsonlaw.com for more information and call us at any of the numbers easily found on our website.

First, you need to know that insurance companies evaluate cases two ways. As soon as you begin negotiating with the insurance company yourself, they evaluate your case, unfortunately, in terms of a nuisance value matter. They’ve settled tens or hundreds of thousands of cases with individuals before for paltry amounts and they will expect they can settle your case for a measly amount as well.

Why do they look at you as if you’re chopped meat? As soon as you tell them you are negotiating your own settlement, they know you’re trying to save money. To them, that means you may even be desperate. They also know you won’t be as knowledgeable about their tricks and tactics and like those tens or hundreds of thousands of people before you, they know how they can play you until you either become so frustrated you settle for their bad offer or become panicked that your time is running out.

The second way they evaluate a case, namely one presented by a lawyer, is an analysis of what the case’s true settlement value is based on the attorney’s skill and experience, how prepared the case is for litigation in the event it doesn’t settle, and the actual value of the injuries and associated pain and suffering, wage loss and other out of pocket expenses.

To settle your case for the largest amount possible, which may be the policy limits of the insurance policy, depending upon the severity of your injuries, you need to get the insurance adjuster to evaluate your case in the same manner they would as if an attorney were negotiating with them. While most insurance companies, unfortunately, simply won’t do that, here’s what you need to do to try to obtain the maximum settlement value.

First, you need to obtain all of your medical records and bills. You can’t rely on the insurance company to do this. As soon as you tell the insurance company you want them to do this or agree to having them do it and tell you how much your medical bills come to and what your medical records say, you are giving up control of the situation. I can’t stress this enough.

You will need to sign authorization forms to obtain your medical records and bills and pay the cost of obtaining those medical records and bills (the cost of which can range from $15 to hundreds of dollars) from each hospital, ambulance company, doctor, chiropractor, radiologist, emergency room billing service, etc. Some medical providers require you to use their authorization forms. Some require you to agree to their using a photocopy service to copy your records at a higher cost. Some medical providers require one fee for your bills and another fee for your medical records.

Just obtaining all of your medical records and bills is one of the most time consuming aspects of handling personal injury cases. And, to make matters worse, you’re still not through with your medical providers. When your treatment is complete and you have all of your medical records and bills and the first settlement offer is made to you, you’ll need to call each of your medical providers or their billing offices again to learn if you have any balance owing (and you can expect to be on the phone repeatedly and for long periods of time to learn this information) and in many cases you will need to send them another authorization form before they’ll tell you this information.

You will need to obtain a copy of the police report. This is a much simpler process. Some police departments charge between $10 to $40 for a copy, while other departments provide them to you for free. You can pick it up at the police or CHP office yourself or request one by mail with an authorization form and a check for the proper fee.

You’ll also need to obtain your wage loss information on a wage loss form from your employer if you suffered any wage losses or had to use up valuable sick time, personal time, or vacation days.

You should obtain witness statements if there is any issue as to the liability of the other driver for the accident and you should take photos of the scene if there was something wrong with the road conditions or other unusual circumstances.

You will also need to obtain a number of good photographs of your car damage, copies of the vehicle repair bills and estimates and receipts for any items damaged in your vehicle.

Here’s a secret. In California you are entitled to the cost of a replacement child seat if one was in the accident. It’s automatic. Just tell the insurance company the make and model or find out the cost for the make and model child seat and the insurance company will send you a check for a new one, even if the old one wasn’t broken. Why? It’s in the California insurance code. The insurance companies, however, don’t volunteer this information. Why? They’re in business to make money, not pay it out.

Finally, when all your treatment is done, you will need to put together a demand package with a demand letter reviewing the facts of the accident and the negligence of the other driver that made him or her at fault, a summary of your injuries and medical treatment (from your medical records), an itemization of your medical bills, a discussion of your pain and suffering and how the injuries impacted your life, a discussion of your wage loss and how you determined the amount, and finally the amount of your demand and a time limit (40 days – the time allotted under the insurance code) for the insurance company to respond with their offer. The demand letter should be a minimum of four pages in length. Some of ours have been close to twenty pages. Accompanying the demand letter should be copies of all of your medical records and bills, color copies of the car damage photos, copies of the repair bills and estimates, any wage loss documentation and any other relevant items such as witness statements, etc.

If all of this is too much work for you to accomplish (and it is a lot when you are just trying to get better, get on with your life, raise a family and still go to work to put food on the table) you may want to hire our law firm to represent you.

The reason why, in most cases you will receive more, even after an attorney’s fees and costs are taken out, is that insurance companies offer much more to an attorney handling your case than when you are attempting to settle it yourself. In addition, an experienced and reputable lawyer can also obtain reductions from your health insurance company and from any medical providers with a balance with regards to what amount has to be paid back to them out of any settlement.

When you rely on the insurance company to pay your medical bills, and then simply pay you a skimpy amount on top, you are giving them the right to determine what bills they think were “reasonable” and to obtain any reductions in the bills to save themselves money. When an attorney obtains a reduction in your bills or your health insurance company lien, the amount the attorney saves increases the amount of your net settlement.

Keep in mind that as soon as you start negotiating your claim by yourself, it’s almost impossible for an attorney to persuade the insurance company to evaluate your case in the higher category type of claim. At our law firm, while we’ll take on a case that may be months old where the injured victim has simply been receiving medical treatment, we won’t take on the case in most cases if the victim has already received a bad offer from the insurance company. At that stage it’s usually too late for an attorney to make much of a difference.

Hopefully, this article has provided you with some insights as to how to obtain the maximum settlement from an insurance company for an auto, car, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian, truck, dog bite, or wrongful death claim. There is much more that an experienced attorney does, especially in the negotiation stage to maximize the settlement and this is where an attorney’s experience kicks in.

An attorney such as Sebastian Gibson who has been negotiating these cases with many of the same adjusters for decades, knows the tactics and negotiating style of them and their companies and knows how refute the talking points their insurance companies train their adjusters to use in negotiations.

What causes many attorneys to be unable to settle their cases and who then find themselves with no alternative but to file a lawsuit in court and face two to five years of litigation before the matter settles or goes to jury, is to get angry (some even scream and yell) with the adjuster, box themselves into a corner and tell the adjuster something along the lines of, “If that’s the best you can do, we’re filing suit.” The adjuster’s response to this is naturally, “go ahead.”

An insurance company doesn’t really care if they have to dump your case onto the case load of their attorneys who are already handling tens of thousands of such cases. One more case, makes no difference to them at all. They also know, you may give up or settle for even less when you learn from an attorney how much just the court costs will be. Just to file a lawsuit in most courts alone incurs a $350.00 or larger filing fee. Depositions can cost over a thousand dollars if they are lengthy. And all such court costs come out of your settlement, even if you have a contingency fee attorney handling your case.

Sadly, many of these same lawyers take this step or let their improperly trained staff members (secretaries and clerks) force the matter to such an impasse and then file suit without properly informing the client of the negotiations that took place and led them to that point.

If you are negotiating with an insurance company yourself, there’s no need to be unpleasant. Yes, you are probably going to hear that the insurance adjuster has evaluated your case to be worth much less than you think it’s worth. But you’re forgetting that, that’s just their first offer. Communicate with the adjuster. Tell them how the injuries affected your life and tell them what you still go through today with the pain you still have. You’ll be surprised how many adjusters will actually relate to what you tell them.

Unfortunately, just as there are bad attorneys out there, there are also some lousy insurance adjusters and insurance companies to deal with as well. They’re supposed to get back to you in 40 days with an offer after you present them with your demand package. Some take longer. Some will sound unpleasant, even snotty. And once they make their first offer, it can take weeks sometimes to reach the adjuster again to make your counter-offer. Sometimes the negotiations can take months. If you want to get the most you can for your case, you need to be patient. Your job, just as it is the job of your attorney, is to get these unpleasant insurance adjusters to warm up. I ask them how the weather is, how they’re doing, if their busy, anything to get them to open up to me. You’d be surprised how far a little kindness goes.

We wish you good luck and a speedy recovery from your injuries. You’ll find that your health, in many cases, will drastically improve, once you remove yourself from the stress of handling your case and resolve it either yourself or with the assistance of our law firm by way of settlement. If on the other hand, your case goes into litigation, as do the cases of many lawyers who don’t have the settlement experience or negotiating tools to settle their cases advantageously for their clients, your stress level will almost certainly rise.

The law firm of Sebastian Gibson handles personal injury cases in Santa Barbara, and throughout Southern and Central California and handle wrongful death cases throughout the state. To learn more about Sebastian Gibson and the other areas of law handled by the law firm, visit the Sebastian Gibson website.

We invite you to visit our website at http://www.sebastiangibsonlaw.com and call us if you’ve been seriously injured in a personal injury auto, motorcycle, car, truck, pedestrian, or bicycle accident, lost a loved one in a wrongful death or been injured in a dog bite or animal attack in Santa Barbara.

As a Santa Barbara Wrongful Death Accident Insurance Lawyer with millions of dollars in settlements and multiple million dollar plus settlements from over thirty years of experience in or around Santa Barbara, other nearby cities and internationally, I know many of you are attempting to settle your own personal injury, dog bite and wrongful death cases by yourselves for the maximum and the biggest settlement you can to save the cost of an attorney.

In this article I’ll tell you the secrets of how attorneys negotiate for top dollar and I’ll also tell you why insurance companies lick their chops and rub their hands together with glee when individuals try to settle their claims without an attorney and why, in most cases, you’ll receive a larger, much greater amount in your pocket or in the trust fund you set up for any children injured in the accident, even after an attorney’s fee and costs if you hire a reputable and experienced personal injury attorney.

If you’ve been the victim of a car, motorcycle, truck, pedestrian, bicycle, or auto accident, lost a loved one in a wrongful death or been the victim of a dog bite or animal attack, you can visit our website at http://www.sebastiangibsonlaw.com for more information and call us at any of the numbers easily found on our website.

First, you need to know that insurance companies evaluate cases two ways. As soon as you begin negotiating with the insurance company yourself, they evaluate your case, unfortunately, in terms of a nuisance value matter. They’ve settled tens or hundreds of thousands of cases with individuals before for paltry amounts and they will expect they can settle your case for a measly amount as well.

Why do they look at you as if you’re chopped meat? As soon as you tell them you are negotiating your own settlement, they know you’re trying to save money. To them, that means you may even be desperate. They also know you won’t be as knowledgeable about their tricks and tactics and like those tens or hundreds of thousands of people before you, they know how they can play you until you either become so frustrated you settle for their bad offer or become panicked that your time is running out.

The second way they evaluate a case, namely one presented by a lawyer, is an analysis of what the case’s true settlement value is based on the attorney’s skill and experience, how prepared the case is for litigation in the event it doesn’t settle, and the actual value of the injuries and associated pain and suffering, wage loss and other out of pocket expenses.

To settle your case for the largest amount possible, which may be the policy limits of the insurance policy, depending upon the severity of your injuries, you need to get the insurance adjuster to evaluate your case in the same manner they would as if an attorney were negotiating with them. While most insurance companies, unfortunately, simply won’t do that, here’s what you need to do to try to obtain the maximum settlement value.

First, you need to obtain all of your medical records and bills. You can’t rely on the insurance company to do this. As soon as you tell the insurance company you want them to do this or agree to having them do it and tell you how much your medical bills come to and what your medical records say, you are giving up control of the situation. I can’t stress this enough.

You will need to sign authorization forms to obtain your medical records and bills and pay the cost of obtaining those medical records and bills (the cost of which can range from $15 to hundreds of dollars) from each hospital, ambulance company, doctor, chiropractor, radiologist, emergency room billing service, etc. Some medical providers require you to use their authorization forms. Some require you to agree to their using a photocopy service to copy your records at a higher cost. Some medical providers require one fee for your bills and another fee for your medical records.

Just obtaining all of your medical records and bills is one of the most time consuming aspects of handling personal injury cases. And, to make matters worse, you’re still not through with your medical providers. When your treatment is complete and you have all of your medical records and bills and the first settlement offer is made to you, you’ll need to call each of your medical providers or their billing offices again to learn if you have any balance owing (and you can expect to be on the phone repeatedly and for long periods of time to learn this information) and in many cases you will need to send them another authorization form before they’ll tell you this information.

You will need to obtain a copy of the police report. This is a much simpler process. Some police departments charge between $10 to $40 for a copy, while other departments provide them to you for free. You can pick it up at the police or CHP office yourself or request one by mail with an authorization form and a check for the proper fee.

You’ll also need to obtain your wage loss information on a wage loss form from your employer if you suffered any wage losses or had to use up valuable sick time, personal time, or vacation days.

You should obtain witness statements if there is any issue as to the liability of the other driver for the accident and you should take photos of the scene if there was something wrong with the road conditions or other unusual circumstances.

You will also need to obtain a number of good photographs of your car damage, copies of the vehicle repair bills and estimates and receipts for any items damaged in your vehicle.

Here’s a secret. In California you are entitled to the cost of a replacement child seat if one was in the accident. It’s automatic. Just tell the insurance company the make and model or find out the cost for the make and model child seat and the insurance company will send you a check for a new one, even if the old one wasn’t broken. Why? It’s in the California insurance code. The insurance companies, however, don’t volunteer this information. Why? They’re in business to make money, not pay it out.

Finally, when all your treatment is done, you will need to put together a demand package with a demand letter reviewing the facts of the accident and the negligence of the other driver that made him or her at fault, a summary of your injuries and medical treatment (from your medical records), an itemization of your medical bills, a discussion of your pain and suffering and how the injuries impacted your life, a discussion of your wage loss and how you determined the amount, and finally the amount of your demand and a time limit (40 days – the time allotted under the insurance code) for the insurance company to respond with their offer. The demand letter should be a minimum of four pages in length. Some of ours have been close to twenty pages. Accompanying the demand letter should be copies of all of your medical records and bills, color copies of the car damage photos, copies of the repair bills and estimates, any wage loss documentation and any other relevant items such as witness statements, etc.

If all of this is too much work for you to accomplish (and it is a lot when you are just trying to get better, get on with your life, raise a family and still go to work to put food on the table) you may want to hire our law firm to represent you.

The reason why, in most cases you will receive more, even after an attorney’s fees and costs are taken out, is that insurance companies offer much more to an attorney handling your case than when you are attempting to settle it yourself. In addition, an experienced and reputable lawyer can also obtain reductions from your health insurance company and from any medical providers with a balance with regards to what amount has to be paid back to them out of any settlement.

When you rely on the insurance company to pay your medical bills, and then simply pay you a skimpy amount on top, you are giving them the right to determine what bills they think were “reasonable” and to obtain any reductions in the bills to save themselves money. When an attorney obtains a reduction in your bills or your health insurance company lien, the amount the attorney saves increases the amount of your net settlement.

Keep in mind that as soon as you start negotiating your claim by yourself, it’s almost impossible for an attorney to persuade the insurance company to evaluate your case in the higher category type of claim. At our law firm, while we’ll take on a case that may be months old where the injured victim has simply been receiving medical treatment, we won’t take on the case in most cases if the victim has already received a bad offer from the insurance company. At that stage it’s usually too late for an attorney to make much of a difference.

Hopefully, this article has provided you with some insights as to how to obtain the maximum settlement from an insurance company for an auto, car, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian, truck, dog bite, or wrongful death claim. There is much more that an experienced attorney does, especially in the negotiation stage to maximize the settlement and this is where an attorney’s experience kicks in.

An attorney such as Sebastian Gibson who has been negotiating these cases with many of the same adjusters for decades, knows the tactics and negotiating style of them and their companies and knows how refute the talking points their insurance companies train their adjusters to use in negotiations.

What causes many attorneys to be unable to settle their cases and who then find themselves with no alternative but to file a lawsuit in court and face two to five years of litigation before the matter settles or goes to jury, is to get angry (some even scream and yell) with the adjuster, box themselves into a corner and tell the adjuster something along the lines of, “If that’s the best you can do, we’re filing suit.” The adjuster’s response to this is naturally, “go ahead.”

An insurance company doesn’t really care if they have to dump your case onto the case load of their attorneys who are already handling tens of thousands of such cases. One more case, makes no difference to them at all. They also know, you may give up or settle for even less when you learn from an attorney how much just the court costs will be. Just to file a lawsuit in most courts alone incurs a $350.00 or larger filing fee. Depositions can cost over a thousand dollars if they are lengthy. And all such court costs come out of your settlement, even if you have a contingency fee attorney handling your case.

Sadly, many of these same lawyers take this step or let their improperly trained staff members (secretaries and clerks) force the matter to such an impasse and then file suit without properly informing the client of the negotiations that took place and led them to that point.

If you are negotiating with an insurance company yourself, there’s no need to be unpleasant. Yes, you are probably going to hear that the insurance adjuster has evaluated your case to be worth much less than you think it’s worth. But you’re forgetting that, that’s just their first offer. Communicate with the adjuster. Tell them how the injuries affected your life and tell them what you still go through today with the pain you still have. You’ll be surprised how many adjusters will actually relate to what you tell them.

Unfortunately, just as there are bad attorneys out there, there are also some lousy insurance adjusters and insurance companies to deal with as well. They’re supposed to get back to you in 40 days with an offer after you present them with your demand package. Some take longer. Some will sound unpleasant, even snotty. And once they make their first offer, it can take weeks sometimes to reach the adjuster again to make your counter-offer. Sometimes the negotiations can take months. If you want to get the most you can for your case, you need to be patient. Your job, just as it is the job of your attorney, is to get these unpleasant insurance adjusters to warm up. I ask them how the weather is, how they’re doing, if their busy, anything to get them to open up to me. You’d be surprised how far a little kindness goes.

We wish you good luck and a speedy recovery from your injuries. You’ll find that your health, in many cases, will drastically improve, once you remove yourself from the stress of handling your case and resolve it either yourself or with the assistance of our law firm by way of settlement. If on the other hand, your case goes into litigation, as do the cases of many lawyers who don’t have the settlement experience or negotiating tools to settle their cases advantageously for their clients, your stress level will almost certainly rise.

The law firm of Sebastian Gibson handles personal injury cases in Santa Barbara, and throughout Southern and Central California and handle wrongful death cases throughout the state. To learn more about Sebastian Gibson and the other areas of law handled by the law firm, visit the Sebastian Gibson website.

We invite you to visit our website at http://www.sebastiangibsonlaw.com and call us if you’ve been seriously injured in a personal injury auto, motorcycle, car, truck, pedestrian, or bicycle accident, lost a loved one in a wrongful death or been injured in a dog bite or animal attack in Santa Barbara.