addendums

(I typed "addendumbs" up there by mistake, and I almost left it, because it seemed quite appropriate, heh.)

I wanted to add several things:

• The shoes I just posted about are bridesmaids shoes, for my sister Bethany's upcoming wedding. She let us choose anything we wanted, so I went with a pair (thanks for finding them, Sarah!) that I really liked & knew I would wear again. They probably won't even be that visible at the actual wedding, since my dress is so long.


• I forgot to add another nice thing: that I also had a lovely weekend with (my other sister) Sarah (celebrating her 30th!) and my parents. We ate a nice dinner and shopped and crafted. We made these really cute fleece baby blankets that we'd both been wanting to try, but I got impatient (I hate working with fabric! I always forget that!) and mine was kind of messy (even though the dinosaur-print fabric was totally fun). Sarah's turned out beautifully, though. I should have snapped pictures!


• And, a fun outing with Sally this weekend yielded me *square dinner plates* (I've been coveting a set for just about EVER) from West Elm over at Fenway. I decided on large red ones and smaller black ones, and I love how they look together. I can't wait to have a dinner party (I don't know how I'll manage THAT in my small apartment, but one can dream, can't they?) and get to set the table. I've never been this excited for tableware, ever! :)


• Cake at work this morning. Can't start a day off better than that!

Okay, seriously, that's it for now. I just didn't want to leave out the important stuff! xo

on the bright side

Since I realized all my recent posts have been grumpy ones, here are some nice things coming up this week:

• An awesome pair of new shoes! (This already happened, but I couldn't resist posting about it.) Yay, Zappos.com:
  


• Fondue & Death By Chocolate to help celebrate Tara's birthday tonight!


• This already happened too, but yesterday's 1/2 hour power outage at work was actually fun: we're a software company, so while there are backup generators, for the most part people enjoyed the break and had some fun.


• Getting to see Kelley on Friday, finally! And going to see Live & Collective Soul with her!


• Finally picking up some tailored pants that I've desperately needed to rotate into my wardrobe for quite some time! (It's like new clothes, but hopefully slightly cheaper....)


• Spending some quality time with Danny!

I think that's it for now. I am sure there are other fun things, but that'll have to do for now, because I have GOT to go get work done! (And try to keep my mind off this credit card fraud thing.) xoxo

you bastard

Well, I certainly now know how Karen feels! I went to check my credit card account online this morning like I regularly do, and I saw a $600+ charge made to my card that was definitely not me. I immediately called the Citicard fraud department and was told that that wasn't the only problem: someone has my number and has been making crazy purchases all over the internet! $100 here, $200 there, etc. UGH. I hate people so damn much. Luckily I've gotten over the feeling that I've been specifically targeted - it's not like someone knew who I was and grabbed something of mine, knowing I was a sucker - but, still. It's a shitty feeling. I just hope Citicards can figure out which were my charges and which weren't...or however they go about doing all that. The last thing I need to do is shell out several hundred dollars when I can't even afford my own living expenses!

Another thing I seriously do NOT need is my credit card being shut down & mailed to me AGAIN: I just spent the last month trying to get them to mail my card upgrade to the right place. They finally managed it last week...and now, here I am, back at square one, with no card. And probably carrying a balance now while I pay bills out of my bank account and can't charge anything to my card. God, I hate this shit. I guess it's better for me to learn how to live without a credit card, but it's not like I was spending beyond my means...I just liked being able to accrue points and kind of be able to pay for everything all at once, with my end-of-the-month paycheck. Gah.

Well, at least I don't have to worry anymore about the fact that my credit card was printed with an expiration date of Halloween...yes, of this year! I thought I was going to have to call and go through another month of hell just trying to get that card updated. Now, I still have to worry about getting my card mailed to the right place, but at least this time it's also hopefully cutting off some asshole who is buying him- or herself lots of fun presents and charging ME for it. Ugh. I don't even know what you could BUY at Sprint for $600 all at one pop! Unless it was like 8 cell phones at once. Which, doesn't that look kind of suspicious...?

Arg, I hate this feeling. Maybe I just need to go without a credit card for good. What pisses me off the most is that I check my online account every day, but these charges started on September 14, and this was the first day I saw them come through. So basically I've been victimized for several days, and was blissfully unaware. I wish my credit card company could do something like my bank does, and display both pending and cleared charges. That way, maybe I could have seen the bastard earlier!

It still makes for a shitty day. :( And another stressful month worrying about money, good stuff. Thanks so much, you jerk.

angry afternoon

Someone came into my cube and took one of the empty cartons that's been sitting on my desk (I had several things delivered here a while back, because it's more reliable than at my place where no one is there to sign), and I'm (irrationally?) angry about it.  Not about the box, I could care less about the box.  But the fact that they came into my cube!  That really bothers me.  Is that weird?  I know it's work and it's not like I've got anything to hide, but just...even though it technically belongs to my company, shouldn't this be MY personal space?  I respect everyone else's spaces.  Granted, I may stop into one of my coworkers' desks to leave a note or something, but I KNOW this isn't someone I know, and I KNOW they TOOK something.  Without asking!  While I wasn't there!  It feels so sneaky.  I keep wanting them to come back so I can entrap them, haha.  I don't even know what I'd do.  But I'm feeling really violated right now.  I guess I mistakenly took my cube area to be a (kind of) sacred space.  I'll have to revise that notion.

I just think it's one thing if someone stopped in to find me and I wasn't there, but it's quite another to be presumptuous enough to walk in, TAKE something, and leave.  Without even letting me know.  Maybe even hoping I wouldn't notice??  I hate presumption, it pisses me off.

Now I'm cranky, and not getting any work done.  Blah.  

I've got to go back to that. xoxo

p.s. I'm also now VERY curious about corporate law's views on what a company owns.  Like, do I own those boxes or, because they were on company property, the company does?  And if that's the case, do they also technically own anything I walk in with everyday (cell phone, wallet, keys), and the clothes on my back?  That seems a little creepy.

reminds me of that scene in Stand By Me...

I just saw an online ad warning kids against this.

Really...do people do that? As a pastime? Is it the new sniffing glue?

That just creeps me right out.

bad luck

I'm just waiting for #3.

Here's thus far:

1. Last night, I was out at dinner and my card got declined. Declined! I've actually never had that happen to me before, although apparently it's pretty common (that's the consensus, anyway). I knew right away what was wrong: I am supposed to be receiving a new card (upgrade PLUS new # - and it's black! ooo) in the mail, but I haven't yet. I figured my old one would work until the new one arrived, but it's now about 3 weeks late getting to me, so when I didn't activate the new guy, they just shut off the old one. Doesn't make any sense to me, because you'd think they'd realize that the old one was still showing regular activity, and the new one wasn't showing any at all. Don't they have systems to track that? Whatever. Anyway, I luckily had money in my checking account so was able to pay using my debit card, but gosh was that an awful feeling. You wonder if people look at you differently. Although I'd guess that wait staff see that kind of thing a lot more than I know...and I'm sure it's not all people who have just charged their card into oblivion. But still.

2. This morning, everything was going fine on my way to work, until I entered my office building. I said good morning to the guard as per usual, and then proceeded towards this little set of stairs I normally take, which gets me up about a half level...it's all very hard to explain, but very public. So one second I am walking along, not a care in the world (hah, not likely), and the next I am flat on my back. Seriously. I don't even remember the falling part! Oh, and then I realize that I'm soaking wet. Apparently the pretty little decorative waterfall right next to the stairs overflowed...a LOT. The puddle was a few inches deep. But, because of the color of the marble floor and because the stairs are kind of in shadow (also difficult to explain), it was almost invisible, even after I stood up to take a look at my surroundings. Well, to make a long story short, the guard made sure I was okay, gave me access to the fitness center (so I could blow-dry my jeans!), and I was on my way, just really embarassed. (The woman in the fitness center bathroom with me must've thought I had lost my marbles, aiming the hairdryer at my ass, which, by the way, doesn't look very wet). I've got bruises forming already on my upper thigh and shin, ugh. All I can say from that experience is: ow.

So, the way my luck has been going, I just hope #3 isn't awful; I don't think I could stand it. xo

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Close to the Machine: Technophilia and Its Discontents AUTHOR: Ellen Ullman

crossworlds

I tried to tell some dude on the T this morning that he had dropped his crossword puzzle while getting on the train, but he got all pissed at me because he couldn't hear me (yeah okay, remove the headphones, jackass) and finally I just gave up and said, "Okay, never mind!"

God I love people.

phew

Well. That seemed almost too easy. I'm kind of worried. And still shaking.

I just (finally!) called Verizon to cancel my service with them, after having put it off again and again and again, due to being terrified that they were going to tell me I was in contract with them until the year 2086. I knew that I just wanted to get out; if I was going to have to pay the cancellation fee then I just was going to, but I was going to be really angry if so, because my contract with them was techinically up in September of 2006. I had inquired in several stores about what would happen once my contract term was up; I was worried it would automatically renew for one reason or another (I had heard horror stories), but was reassured that if I didn't get a new phone on contract, I would simply be paying month-to-month. I had kept the phone even after getting a new one, telling myself it was because I wanted to make sure I didn't miss any calls, but I know it was largely because I was literally scared witless of the dreaded Cancellation Call.

However, it turned out pretty well, I believe! (I'm still crossing my fingers, because the dance isn't over yet; it should be shut off by 10:30 tonight, and then they'll mail me a letter confirming the cancellation.) But the rep on the phone was very helpful (and I made sure to get his name, and record the date & time of the call), and told me that since I wasn't under contract, I was all set. Like I said before, it seemed almost too easy. I really did say "um, was that it?" Apparently I'm paid up with them through the end of September, but I asked them please to just turn the service off tonight; I didn't want to find out later on that I'd been charged extra or roped into another contract inadvertently. So hopefully they'll also refund me that money for September.

Anyway, all I can think is PHEW. I am so glad I won't be paying 2 phone bills anymore. It was getting frustrating because I barely used the Verizon phone, but I still don't think I've told everyone my new number, either. Eep. Guess it's mass-email time! Also, if any of you don't yet have it (I believe most of you do, though), please lemme know and I'll be sure to send it your way (or give you a call! hehe).

I need to go relax. I'm still all worked up; I had mentally prepared myself for such a battle, that now it almost (but only almost!) feels like a let-down. What do I do with all this nervous energy?! xo