Gorgeous day for football.../facepalm

This was Saturday afternoon. Not a cloud in the sky. A very light and gentle breeze from the west/northwest. Temperatures up to 75! In November! You could not ask for a better afternoon in which to play football. It was exactly like the above in Iowa City. It's one of those days where, if it hadn't been a 4.5 hour drive to my mom's, I might have hopped in the car and driven there, just to be.

It's the kind of day where I can wash bathroom rugs during halftime and put them out on the

deck to dry. It's going to get only into the upper 60's tonight so I can leave these out all night if they aren't dry and know they will dry tomorrow. It's not supposed to be as warm but it's supposed to be clear. I have 3 more rugs to wash tomorrow so all the deck railings will have rugs on them. They will smell so nice when they are brought inside.

Plus, it's the day where I throw open the house, turn off the heat and let that breeze run through. It's probably the last time to do that.

Cat bodies can't get out the windows, open about 3 inches, although noses have been by the opening to get a whiff of fresh fall air. I did have one of the office windows wide open. Val said they are scared to go outside so I figured I wasn't tempting fate until...

a tailless squirrel came up onto the deck just to snoop around. Pilchard was sitting on the sill, saw it and started toward it. She got as far as the railing just outside the window before I grabbed her and pulled her inside. After the football game, I went out to sit on the front porch and admire the view.

I left the storm door open while I just sat for a half hour. I periodically called Pilchard's name. She was inside, lying on the table. She never moved. I called for Mija, who came running to see what I wanted. She took a look at me outside, turned around and ran back to the bedroom. I'm okay with them being house cats.

Oh yeah, that football game. (sigh) Iowa 10 Northwestern 17. Northwestern deserved to win. The last two games, Iowa has played sloppy, almost as if everyone is only there 80-85% and is counting on everyone else to bring their 100% game. They lucked out in that Michigan State and Indiana only played for 3 or 3.75 quarters. Luck, skill, talent, voodoo, you name it ran out today.

This is good, however. They were beaten by a 5-4 team and they did not look like the #4 ranked team in the nation. If they stay in the top 15, I will be surprised. Next weekend is Ohio State and if they play in Columbus as they played today in Iowa City, Ohio State 48, Iowa 10. You read it here first.

So, I made poppyseed muffins and am thinking about baking more cookies. I ate all the muffins I had frozen so I needed to make more. Those days when I sleep through the alarm and Mija decides all she will so is lie on me and purr, muffins are the perfect grab and go breakfast.

I'm going to sleep with the windows open tonight. It will be the last hurrah for open window sleeping for 2009. Tomorrow, I should rake the yard and perhaps and, if I feel motivated enough, I shall go buy a rake and do that, even if all I do is rake the leaves into a pile.

I might also grab that book Carole sent me a link to, about luck, and sit on the deck and read. Many possibilities for the last warm weekend of fall.

Beverage: Blackberry tea

Deb

The Evil Eye

I am trying to be optimistic about this whole financial mess.

I had to go back to the bank yesterday because the promised phone call regarding the exorbitant fees tacked onto my account had not materialized and I gave them an extra day. Plus, when I went to log onto my account online, I was denied. That was frustration and a half.

The screen said to create a new password. Okay, that I can accept. I attempted to do that and was told to call a toll free number. Call the toll free number and get the English or Spanish option. Then get "Enter your account number or your Social Security number." I entered my account number and got a repeat of the sentence. I did this for 15 minutes, hanging up and trying again with either the account number or my Social Security number.

In frustration, I found another toll free number and called that. I did get through to an operator that time. I explain I was having problems and could she transfer me or was there another number I could call. She informed me I had to call the previous number. I explained I'd been doing this for 15 minutes. I understood she couldn't help me but could she send my call somewhere else or give me another number. No. I had to call the original number. Again I explained the problem and when she told me yet again, that I had to call the original number, I asked to speak to a supervisor. She told me to call the first number and hung up on me. No, I didn't get her name because I was, at this point, nearly in tears.

So, yesterday, armed with times and a list of everything I have done, I went back to the bank and talked to the man who, it turns out, is at the top of the food chain at this branch. I told him exactly what I did, what number I called and what happened. He called the same number I did and got the same voice prompt. "Oh well, you have to dial..." I forget what number it is, to get out of that circle. It's not explained. There is zero explanation on the phone system.

I told him that's horrible customer service. As a customer, I wouldn't know to push that number because that's NOT what the message says. He knows because he works there.

He looked at my account. He had to do a great deal of manipulation of the account numbers to get into the screen that shows my accounts. I have a temporary number until this mess gets sorted out, but he got in and wrote everything down for me.

That's when he noticed the Mastercard account, the one they screwed up on the online payment for, had been closed. I received no notice that this was going to happen. He said that's against the law, first of all and secondly, I should have received a letter AND a phone call from a live person. So, he showed me the protest email he was sending.

Then there is the matter of the fees attached to my checking account. I came, yesterday, with the letters telling me I needed to make the account positive, you know, the ones I didn't get until 4 days AFTER I was supposed to fix this. He looked them over and admitted the letters were confusing because they are system generated and not in chronological order. I should have received a phone call from a live person. I've only received these calls that tell me to go online, which I couldn't, to see what the problem was. Again, he showed me the protest email he was sending up the food chain.

Unfortunately, the review of my account could take "5 to 7 business days" and I protested last Thursday. I told him I have been unable to pay any bills because I have no idea how much money is in my account. I will have to call other credit card companies and explain the problem so additional fees won't get attached to those accounts. So, far, that has gone well. It takes longer than expected to get through the explanations so I have missed a couple cards that are on the east coast. Fortunately, I don't have much so it's not a stack. It's just embarrassing to have to explain this every single time. Mr. manager said he would ask that a decision be expedited.

So, here we come to the weekend. I have a check from liquid funds that I could deposit or start a new account. I really don't want the hassle of a new account, but this is beyond ridiculous. I am to write up all the problems I have had with how this bank's online system works, how their phone system works and that ridiculous hang up on Wednesday. Mr. manager assures me he will see that it gets passed up to those who deal with customer service. I'm also thinking I should send a copy to the Better Business Bureau, my congressman, my senator and the Illinois Attorney General. The latter's office takes a very dim view of this kind of thing.

I was remembering when I refinanced my mortgage and got a debit card. I put it aside and didn't use it. At the time, we were getting paper payroll and expense checks. Those expense checks were what I lived on.

Now, everything is electronic. My paycheck and expense checks are direct deposit. The only thing I see is the email saying the expense check has been deposited and the statement from my paycheck. I never see anything that requires me to go to the bank. Am I better off this way?

I'm thinking, for me, I need to have X number of dollars at the beginning of the week and that's all I have to live on. It's too easy to swipe the debit card at Caribou Coffee or Flips Italian Beef or Carol's Garden Restaurant. I'm thinking, for the time being, I need to go back to the old ledger form of financial accounting. Everything I buy or any check I write, needs to be entered into some sort of ledger so I can account for every penny. Perhaps I got lax. Perhaps I got too trusting although I do look at my accounts at least 4 times a month online. I match up all receipts but, for me, maybe that's not enough.

I don't know. I just know I can't go through this again and I need to have concrete specific proof that I didn't spend more than I took in so if this were to happen again, I can come back and say, "I did not screw up. You did."

I need pie. After work, I'm going over to Dominicks and getting a pie, a whole pie, and I'm going to take a long time to eat it.

Beverage: China Black Tea

Deb

Get these guys windows.

No snow. Not even rain that could have changed to snow. The snow was taken out of the forecast around 11 last night as the rain bearing clouds dissipated.

Friends in the game who live in warmer climates were "surprised" snow was predicted so soon for us. Meh. I have memories of getting this incredibly awesome Halloween costume and then having to wear snowboots and a heavy jacket over it because it had snowed a couple inches.

Heck, snow in early October isn't unheard of around here and when my youngest brother married roughly 10 years ago, it snowed that night. I've never been sure if the phrase" hell freezes over" applied to his getting married.

It clouded up as predicted but no snow and the light showers for this morning? Nope. I read somewhere that even with all the high tech computer stuff the National Weather Service has, accurate predictions are only at 75%. I maintain another 10% could be put on those numbers if the weathermen weren't kept in a dank basement without a window. I can look out my office windows and be at least 50% accurate.

Rodney and I would have liked some precipitation today. We have to go to a job in Evanston and neither of us is particularly enthusiastic about doing it today. We'd rather stand around outside tomorrow, when it's supposed to be warmer.

Oh wait...that's the prediction. Better see if I can find my winter boots.

Beverage: water

Deb

The "s" word.

Sallow?

Schist?

Semitone?

Shoat?

Sixte?

Skua?

Sloe?

Smaik?

Soke?

Spathe?

Squeal?

Stob?

Suggan?

Swale?

Syncarp?

Szeged?

Nope. None of the above.

Try Snow. Predicted. Tonight.

Beverage: Lady Gray Tea

Deb