This is one of my favorite bands. I thought I'd highlight one of their latest songs. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
My Computer and Me (a love story)
It all started a little over a year ago. I had just moved from Kansas to Arizona. Upon getting settled in to my new living arrangements, my boyfriend suggested that we buy me a computer. Having a couple hundred dollars to my name, we went shopping. Best Buy was where we first met (my computer and I).
I recall walking around the booths with rows of laptops all set up and ready to fondle. I recall feeling like touching them all would be too overwhelming an experience for me. My boyfriend did the scouting, since he considers himself tech savvy. He narrowed my selection down to 2 models. I recall giving both of them the once over.
"I need something for school. It has to be able to be light and yet able to handle my torture." Plus it had to be somewhat inexpensive. We settled on an Asus laptop which at the time I had never heard of. The box said it was "No. 1 in Quality and Services" as quoted by the Wall Street Journal Asia. Who am I to argue with Asia?
The battery life statement on display at Best Buy said 2 hours unplugged (which may have not been so accurate, however I'm sure that I seriously do torture my computer, so perhaps it's just me). The highlight for my boyfriend when picking out this little spunky laptop was that it would run online games so that he and I could play together (yep, I'm a geek).
There were so many highlights to having my own laptop, too many to list, but to name a few the pretty colors of the Asus we picked were unique which made me feel comfortable about this computer being mine. Of course there's all the high tech lingo that goes along with computers but is not necessary in this story. Sorry geeks.
A little background story on me now. I used to date a guy who was a serious computer geek and I mean that in the nice way. He had earned the title of "Network Engineer" before he and I broke off our engagement (that's a whole other story). While he and I were together, I noticed that he spent a lot of time tinkering with computers. Computers were his life, quite literally. He dreamed in binary, I'm sure. (Geek Joke). While he and I were together, I had inherited one of his older desktops. (Old to a computer geek is NOT old to normal people by any means). So now that I was buying my own laptop, it was all mine.
At first my computer was used for all the necessary things in my life; such as keeping updated on my social life, checking my bank account, video gaming and obviously blogging. In August of this year my computer came in handy for what it was originally purchased for...School. (I have to admit though that the weight of my computer is not nearly as light as what I originally thought when placed in a backpack with multiple other school supplies.)
The weekend before school started, I decided to do something nice for my computer and that's where my love for my computer started to take a devastating toll on my life. I thought the best thing to do in order to properly prepare my computer for school was to run it through a multitude of tests and scans. I did everything I could remember from my previous relationship that I thought would make my computer good as new. Uninstalled a multitude of ridiculous programs that I never used, disk defragmented, Virus Scanned, Spyware Scanned, Mal-ware Scanned and even deleted all my temporary internet files, download folder files, etc. I remember my boyfriend asking me what I was doing one night and I said "cleaning up for school".
I didn't really notice a change in the way my computer preformed, however it told me that it was preforming great. I believed my computer, why shouldn't I? We've had a great relationship and I've never had to doubt it before. The only thing I did notice was that it wasn't truly defragmenting the disk space like I recall my old desktop doing. Hmmn... Then I caught the bug, I think.
The first week of school was great. I didn't need to use my computer for much of anything but found myself playing on Facebook and Googling random things discussed in my class lectures. Oh and I gained an addiction to itunesU. (I have a great thirst for knowledge.) I found that the school's version of free wi-fi was nice in theory but so super unbelievably over used.
The first weekend after classes started, my boyfriend walks into the living room where I am all set up with my laptop and book, reading an assigned article and again he asks "what are you doing" as he looks at my computer. I say "oh, just checking because I noticed it was running strange at school, not sure it's me or the school interwebs". His response was funny to me at the time "didn't you just scan your computer last weekend"?
It was shortly after this incident that I realized that I love my computer. I love my laptop so much more than I ever loved my old desktop. This time it was mine. I used my own money to pay for it, I made it all mine. It wasn't a hand-me-down computer that I could change somewhat, it is ALL mine. Every program, every saved photo and document is mine. Plus it comes along with me everywhere and keeps me company or at least keeps me entertained.
And yes, I have developed an obsession with keeping my computer safe. I love it like a helpless child. I would hate to be the reason why something horrible happened to my computer. I would hate to discover that the information I was feeding it or using it for was poisonous in some way. I would be devastated to lose my computer. I would sob, most likely, it would be the emotional equivalent of losing a pet (one that only lived for a short time).
I'm sure there are people who would argue against my perception of my computer however, it has been with me through thick and thin. When I started school, my computer and I had an agreement that we were in this together until the end. If something I did caused my computer to not hold up to it's end of the bargain, then yes I would be sad and of course lost without it.
I find myself constantly questioning every warning my computer shows me, and investigating every slip it makes thinking that I know my machine better than anyone else and I would know if something was wrong. I have gone to great lengths to assure that I have protected my precious friend, however I still feel there is nothing I can truly do to keep it completely protected out in this big scary world of bad things and bad people.
My boyfriend now thinks I'm becoming obsessive compulsive about scanning my computer because I've started doing so once every weekend. I fear that my love for my laptop may end up coming between us and yet I can't help but feel like my laptop needs me more because it cannot defend itself nor can it survive without me. I just hope my boyfriend eventually realizes how much this relationship means to me and perhaps doesn't allow my compulsive tendencies to get the best of him.
Think about it.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Top 25 Green Cities (because you know you wanted to know)
Just to cite my sources, I gathered the following information from The Green Guide (a National Geographic blessing).
The following is a list of cities with over 100,000 in population:
The following is a list of cities with over 100,000 in population:
Highlights of the Top 25 Green Cities (Cities I am proud of because I used to live there)
1. Eugene, OR (score 9.0375, pop. 137,893)
- Sustainable business incubator
- Renewable energy supplying 85% of city's power
- Extensive wetlands program
2. Austin, TX (score 8.5325, pop. 656,562)
- Green Builder program
- Smart growth initiative
- Committed to solar power
3. Portland, OR (score 8.24, pop. 529,121)
- Green building
- Excellent public transport
- Smart growth
4. St. Paul, MN (score 7.805, pop. 287,151)
- Green space makes up a quarter of urban area
- Significant greenhouse gas reductions
- Affordable housing
5. Santa Rosa, CA (score 7.785, pop. 147,595)
- Green building program
- Clean air and water
- Bicycle paths and lanes
6. Oakland, CA (score 7.3675, pop. 399,484)
- Building local food production
- Green building ordinance
- Public transport
7. Berkeley, CA (score 7.285, pop. 102,743)
- Green building requirements for municipal construction
- Well used public transport system
- Community gardens
8. Honolulu, HI (score 7.055, pop. 371,657)
- Clean air and water
- Biomass power generation
- Green building standards
9. Huntsville, AL (score 7.035, pop. 158,216)
- Green space makes up one-third of urban area
- High public transport use
- Excellent public education program
10. Denver, CO (score 7.0325, pop. 554,636)
- Greenprint Denver, sustainability initiative
- Large hybrid municipal fleet and nation's largest light rail system
- Clean water and access to wilderness
11. Boston, MA (score 6.99, pop. 589,141)
- Green building
- Excellent public transport
- Smoking ban
12. Lexington, KY (score 6.785, pop. 260,512)
- Comprehensive growth management plan
- Clean air
- Smoking ban
13. Springfield, IL (score 6.7225, pop. 111,454)
- Clean air and good water
- Green design
- Green spaces
14. Irvine, CA (score 6.72, pop. 143,072)
- Comprehensive green building program
- Smoking ban
- Pedestrian oriented
15. Cambridge, MA (score 6.72, pop. 101,355)
- High rate of public transport use
- Green design
- High percentage of green space
16. Anchorage, AK (score 6.705, pop. 260,283)
- Excellent air and water quality
- Smoking ban
- High public health
17. Syracuse, NY (score 6.66, pop. 147,306)
- Good air
- Smoking ban
- Commitment to reduce greenhouse gases
18. San Francisco, CA (score 6.6, pop. 776,733)
- Municipal composting
- Green design
- High percentage of renewable energy use
- Very high public transport use
19. Minneapolis, MN (score 6.58, pop. 382,618)
- City-specific minimum wage
- Smoking ban
- High percentage of renewable biomass energy
20. Milwaukee, WI (score 6.5125, pop. 596,974)
- Green housing development
- Green space
21. Rochester, NY (score 6.43, pop. 219,773)
- High percentage of renewable energy
- Clean air
- Smoking ban
22. Albuquerque, NM (score 6.3475, pop. 484,607)
- Clean water
- Smoking Ban
- Wind power
23. Ann Arbor, MI (score 6.2875, pop. 114,024)
- High percentage of public transport and bicycle commuters
- High yard waste recover
- Green space
24. Seattle, WA (score 6.115, pop. 563,374)
- Large number of green buildings
- Very high percentage of hydroelectric power use
- Clean air and smoking ban
25. Kansas City, MO (score 6.055, pop. 441,545)
- Clean water
- City specific minimum wage
- U.S. Mayors Climate Protection signatory
I was pretty surprised to find this list, but glad I did. It's been a horrible day for me and seeing some of the cities I used to live in on the list of Green Cities is just nice. It warms my soul to know that things are changing in the US.
Think about it.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Reminder: Start living up to your end of the deal, yo!
I was kindly reminded today that perhaps I should blog more often. To be honest, this blog gets put on the back burner a lot. Shame on me. *Sad Face*
This blog post will be very random, as I am certainly feeling very 'random' myself. Maybe 'out of sorts' is the term that would best fit, but then I would have to say that I'm not sure I ever felt 'in sorts' either.
I have been somewhat the busy Bee lately. I am now a college student. Yes, it's official, my hottness has increased x10. ;) I've been writing tons more poetry than usual. I've started another project where I am writing a blog as a Southern Belle from the 1800's... however I'm reluctant to post the link, because well... I'm just not sure how that's going to pan out right now. I started it as a literary experiment and I'm thinking I should just drop the idea, but for some reason it felt nice, like a better form of Halloween Costume.
In case it takes me forever to post something new, maybe some of my favorite blogs could keep you busy in the meantime. :) Enjoy!
http://theskepticalatheist.wordpress.com (This blog is serious, but still very enjoyable to me. I probably have a crush.)
http://thebloggess.com/ (Her humor can make the worst of my days seem like a cake walk, love reading this blog!)
http://itsblogworthy.blogspot.com/ (Mostly because her stories remind me of the days I lived in Florida, and often funny as well.)
This blog post will be very random, as I am certainly feeling very 'random' myself. Maybe 'out of sorts' is the term that would best fit, but then I would have to say that I'm not sure I ever felt 'in sorts' either.
I have been somewhat the busy Bee lately. I am now a college student. Yes, it's official, my hottness has increased x10. ;) I've been writing tons more poetry than usual. I've started another project where I am writing a blog as a Southern Belle from the 1800's... however I'm reluctant to post the link, because well... I'm just not sure how that's going to pan out right now. I started it as a literary experiment and I'm thinking I should just drop the idea, but for some reason it felt nice, like a better form of Halloween Costume.
In case it takes me forever to post something new, maybe some of my favorite blogs could keep you busy in the meantime. :) Enjoy!
http://theskepticalatheist.wordpress.com (This blog is serious, but still very enjoyable to me. I probably have a crush.)
http://thebloggess.com/ (Her humor can make the worst of my days seem like a cake walk, love reading this blog!)
http://itsblogworthy.blogspot.com/ (Mostly because her stories remind me of the days I lived in Florida, and often funny as well.)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Oil Spill 2010
Surely this is going to go down in history and become one of those defining moments in many peoples lives. When my generation will turn to the next and say "I remember when..."
To be honest, this entire incident is a disaster. It's awful to sit and watch the media coverage of the oil spill and see all the devastation or hear all the stories about the press conferences and how the CEO claims that he "just wants his life back". Really? How can you even conceivably think that you would get your life back after this? Not saying he's solely to blame, but the CEO by definition is the person who represents the company and all it's flaws. If you didn't think you were cut out for the job, why take it? Why sit back in your fancy office making big bucks all this time if you couldn't stand up and be a man when things go wrong?
It really comes down to the commercial that thetruth.com had out for the longest time about tobacco. The commercial asked people if they could be the CEO of a company that kills millions, etc. These are things you really must think about when taking a job like that. You are the person who represents the company for better or worse. It's your face that people think of when things are good and/or bad. It's a heavy burden to bare in times like this, but that is why they pay you so much money. The expect you to make the company look good and to be able to turn a bad situation around, any way you can.
It is just upsetting that a guy who gets paid way more than he's worth can't even do the job he's paid to do when it comes to tough times. I am disappointed. I am NOT saying that he is to blame, but that he is the person who is suppose to take the blame, and turn the public eye from himself to helping fix the problem. He has seriously failed.
On another note, the people who are blaming BP, I think are a little out of bounds. Since when do we blame a company for all the things that go wrong in the world? Granted, they were greedy and pushed the limits, they did things that were unethical and just wrong... since when is that something that Americans don't understand? It's been happening for years, it's the way our government set it up. There have been numerous companies that have done what they wanted for money and/or power to get what or where they wanted.
Not only have there been companies in the past who have done this very same (all be it, shady) thing, there have also been companies that have taken lives of people as well. When a coal mine caves in and kills a handful of hardworking coalminers, we don't blame the company... When our soldiers don't come back from overseas, we don't blame the Army (or whatever branch they were involved with). Why are we blaming BP solely for this? Again, I am not saying they don't deserve the blame or at least a portion of it, just trying to throw out there that rather than pointing the finger of blame, perhaps we would be better served to work together and try to get past this.
If people put in the time and effort to help fix the problem rather than blaming and making terrible jokes at the people involved, maybe more would get done. Perhaps if we all chipped in, in our own way things would get cleaned up, patched or even perhaps we would have no need for oil anymore (that is the ultimate goal, I believe).
So here's my thinking... Rather than pointing the finger like some people are doing in this terrible time, why not pick up a rag and start doing our part to clean up the mess. After we've taken care of the environmental impact of this then we should start to worry about the legal aspect of what has happened. Only then should we worry about who is really to blame.
Because if Enron is any indication, this could be an ongoing finger-pointing fiasco for years to come.
Think about it.
To be honest, this entire incident is a disaster. It's awful to sit and watch the media coverage of the oil spill and see all the devastation or hear all the stories about the press conferences and how the CEO claims that he "just wants his life back". Really? How can you even conceivably think that you would get your life back after this? Not saying he's solely to blame, but the CEO by definition is the person who represents the company and all it's flaws. If you didn't think you were cut out for the job, why take it? Why sit back in your fancy office making big bucks all this time if you couldn't stand up and be a man when things go wrong?
It really comes down to the commercial that thetruth.com had out for the longest time about tobacco. The commercial asked people if they could be the CEO of a company that kills millions, etc. These are things you really must think about when taking a job like that. You are the person who represents the company for better or worse. It's your face that people think of when things are good and/or bad. It's a heavy burden to bare in times like this, but that is why they pay you so much money. The expect you to make the company look good and to be able to turn a bad situation around, any way you can.
It is just upsetting that a guy who gets paid way more than he's worth can't even do the job he's paid to do when it comes to tough times. I am disappointed. I am NOT saying that he is to blame, but that he is the person who is suppose to take the blame, and turn the public eye from himself to helping fix the problem. He has seriously failed.
On another note, the people who are blaming BP, I think are a little out of bounds. Since when do we blame a company for all the things that go wrong in the world? Granted, they were greedy and pushed the limits, they did things that were unethical and just wrong... since when is that something that Americans don't understand? It's been happening for years, it's the way our government set it up. There have been numerous companies that have done what they wanted for money and/or power to get what or where they wanted.
Not only have there been companies in the past who have done this very same (all be it, shady) thing, there have also been companies that have taken lives of people as well. When a coal mine caves in and kills a handful of hardworking coalminers, we don't blame the company... When our soldiers don't come back from overseas, we don't blame the Army (or whatever branch they were involved with). Why are we blaming BP solely for this? Again, I am not saying they don't deserve the blame or at least a portion of it, just trying to throw out there that rather than pointing the finger of blame, perhaps we would be better served to work together and try to get past this.
If people put in the time and effort to help fix the problem rather than blaming and making terrible jokes at the people involved, maybe more would get done. Perhaps if we all chipped in, in our own way things would get cleaned up, patched or even perhaps we would have no need for oil anymore (that is the ultimate goal, I believe).
So here's my thinking... Rather than pointing the finger like some people are doing in this terrible time, why not pick up a rag and start doing our part to clean up the mess. After we've taken care of the environmental impact of this then we should start to worry about the legal aspect of what has happened. Only then should we worry about who is really to blame.
Because if Enron is any indication, this could be an ongoing finger-pointing fiasco for years to come.
Think about it.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
About Stacey (because there was fair warning)! :)
I recently had the pleasure of meeting a lovely woman through my employer. Stacey, came to work with me as a part-time sales associate at my retail job. In getting to know Stacey, I have to admit, I am smitten over her parenting techniques. So smitten, in fact, that this entire blog post will be dedicated to her. :)
Stacey is a Princess, she really has taught me a lot about self-esteem and self respect. She carries herself with confidence and pride. She is one of those bright people that other people are immediately attracted to. When we work together, she literally steals the show with her personality. Simply put, she is amazing.
However, the amazing-ness that is Stacey, doesn't end there... She is a wonderful parent. One night while working together we were "closing up shop" and while gathering the garbage Stacey makes a comment about recycling it. (A woman after my own heart.) I mention to her that our work has a recycling program for cardboard that was recently announced and implemented, however they have yet to refine their recycling to more than just cardboard products unfortunately. Upon hearing this, Stacey is saddened and the look on her face is an upset look. I had never seen her look down before this. Stacey insists on going through the garbage and taking pieces of it home with her to recycle rather than throwing them in with the rest of the garbage. I am intrigued.
We make conversation about recycling and the importance of it. Preaching to the choir, I tell her... and also make reference that she might want to check out my blog. She is surprised that I write about recycling, I explain to her that I write about everything. ;) Recycling is very important to me though, so of course I write about it. I am a huge supporter of everything Green and proud of it! Admittedly, I feel a little ashamed that I hadn't been stealing garbage to recycle it before Stacey did it.
In conversation, Stacey mentions a trip her family went on to California. She said while they were driving they noticed all the garbage along the highway and it sickened her and her children. She said that her children wanted to stop and pick up garbage along the road. My heart literally melted. Stacey has two sons, neither of which is very old, so to hear that they are so responsible already just makes me want to cry tears of joy that someone is raising their children correctly. (Not trying to imply that everyone else is doing it wrong, by any means.) Stacey told me that California is a lovely place to visit, but they need to take better care of their highway system when it comes to litter.
Stacey mentioned that she had spoken to a person she knew who works with the correction system about having inmates clean up the highways like many other states do, and the response she got in return was that gang activity is so high in California that if the inmates were to do anything out in public, they would be murdered. So there is no answer to the litter issue at the moment, other than volunteers willing to risk their lives to clean up the mess.
The reason why I felt the need to write about this wonderful woman is because she is doing exactly what I would do, if I had children. She is passing along the correct information to her kids that they are just as responsible for keeping where we live nice. Her children now have the knowledge that things don't just magically happen, you have to make them happen. By teaching her children the importance of recycling she is handing down something greater than just knowledge. She is giving us all hope through her growing children that someday this planet will be a better place to live in. Thank you Stacey for your amazing-ness! You Rock!
Stacey is a Princess, she really has taught me a lot about self-esteem and self respect. She carries herself with confidence and pride. She is one of those bright people that other people are immediately attracted to. When we work together, she literally steals the show with her personality. Simply put, she is amazing.
However, the amazing-ness that is Stacey, doesn't end there... She is a wonderful parent. One night while working together we were "closing up shop" and while gathering the garbage Stacey makes a comment about recycling it. (A woman after my own heart.) I mention to her that our work has a recycling program for cardboard that was recently announced and implemented, however they have yet to refine their recycling to more than just cardboard products unfortunately. Upon hearing this, Stacey is saddened and the look on her face is an upset look. I had never seen her look down before this. Stacey insists on going through the garbage and taking pieces of it home with her to recycle rather than throwing them in with the rest of the garbage. I am intrigued.
We make conversation about recycling and the importance of it. Preaching to the choir, I tell her... and also make reference that she might want to check out my blog. She is surprised that I write about recycling, I explain to her that I write about everything. ;) Recycling is very important to me though, so of course I write about it. I am a huge supporter of everything Green and proud of it! Admittedly, I feel a little ashamed that I hadn't been stealing garbage to recycle it before Stacey did it.
In conversation, Stacey mentions a trip her family went on to California. She said while they were driving they noticed all the garbage along the highway and it sickened her and her children. She said that her children wanted to stop and pick up garbage along the road. My heart literally melted. Stacey has two sons, neither of which is very old, so to hear that they are so responsible already just makes me want to cry tears of joy that someone is raising their children correctly. (Not trying to imply that everyone else is doing it wrong, by any means.) Stacey told me that California is a lovely place to visit, but they need to take better care of their highway system when it comes to litter.
Stacey mentioned that she had spoken to a person she knew who works with the correction system about having inmates clean up the highways like many other states do, and the response she got in return was that gang activity is so high in California that if the inmates were to do anything out in public, they would be murdered. So there is no answer to the litter issue at the moment, other than volunteers willing to risk their lives to clean up the mess.
The reason why I felt the need to write about this wonderful woman is because she is doing exactly what I would do, if I had children. She is passing along the correct information to her kids that they are just as responsible for keeping where we live nice. Her children now have the knowledge that things don't just magically happen, you have to make them happen. By teaching her children the importance of recycling she is handing down something greater than just knowledge. She is giving us all hope through her growing children that someday this planet will be a better place to live in. Thank you Stacey for your amazing-ness! You Rock!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Computers: Friend or Foe?
I have never been one to scoff at technology. I am a firm believer that the advancements we have made are helping us to live easier lives and also helping to reduce, reuse and recycle (obviously). I love that technology has come so far that I can now check my bank account with a few button presses on my high tech cellular telephone rather than taking the time to balance my checkbook with pen and paper (yes, I used to do that).
However, like any great invention there will be downfalls too. The downfall to doing all my banking via internet and not needing to balance on paper? Well let me point out the obvious before going into my rant. The obvious downfall is that I'm not up to par on my insta-math skills so much these days as I maybe once was. It would probably take me longer now to do simple math than in the days when I did it daily. Yes it's sad, but I've never been a fan of math which is why I love the technology that takes math out of my day.
Now for the rant part.
I have the most technologically advanced options for my checking account. My attached debit card makes life so much quicker than the days of formally writing out checks. Now I no longer need to spell out any of the retail names, rather swipe and go. Easy Peesy, Mac n' cheesy. I also have online banking. I can check my account balance any time of the day or night with just a few clicks of my computer mouse or my high tech cellular phone that has internet access on a 24/7 free basis (well not free, but included in my phone bill). Not only can I check my account balance all the time, I have the bank send me emails on a daily basis. The emails are normally just account balance updates. So every morning at about 8 am (however the times have been wonky lately) I will receive an email and check it from my cellular phone. The emails are short and sweet. "You have $22.58. Have a nice day." That kind of thing... but I also have "alerts" turned on as well so when my account gets dangerously low they send me a nice alert warning me that they are going to charge me for over-drafting if I don't do something about it. Sadly, the bank never catches me in time to properly warn me... usually they are a couple of pennies late by the time I get the email. Figures.
As high tech as my life has gotten in terms of my banking, I've been nothing but pleased with how it's working out for me. Until now...
I received my paycheck on Friday. (I've been too lazy and probably a little unsure of providing my work with my banking information in order to set up a direct deposit just yet.) As soon as my check was in hand, I went to the bank. My receipt says I was at the bank teller at 10am. I cashed my check and then deposited the cash. For those of you thinking "that sounds like more of a hassle than anything", you may be somewhat correct however my account is an out of state account at my bank therefore any checks are held for 5 days. Whereas Cash is instantly deposited and available just in case. :) I have been banking with my current bank long enough to know the ins and outs. So I know how to work the system in my favor without it being against the rules. Yay me!
Back to my story. I cashed the check. Keeping out just enough cash to pay my bills and depositing roughly $200 into my account for use on things I would need throughout the next two weeks (such as food and gas). After depositing cash and feeling sure that I now had money, I went to the gas station and immediately filled up my tank. Swipe, pump and drive. So easy and stress free, or so I thought.
On Saturday morning (yes even on the weekends my bank is working for me), I received an email. I thought "oh goody, now I can see if my phone bill payment has come out of my account since I paid it online". I opened up the email and to my shock and surprise it was a nice little "alert" from my bank. It read something like "Warning: Your account is negative and if this issue is not resolved as of 5/6/2010, you will be required to pay an over draft fee for every transaction... blah blah blah". I immediately logged onto my online banking to see that my account was already slammed with not one but THREE separate over draft fees of about $35 a piece.
I studied my online banking page for a good 10 minutes. Reading that my deposit was listed, but listed as "pending" rather than being listed as in my account like it should have been since it was a cash deposit. That alone was the problem at hand. Had the cash posted to my account, nothing would have been negative. Not my phone bill payment, my full tank of gas, my lunch that day, or any other charge that may have come out.
I signed off the computer and went directly to my nearest bank location. Thankfully they are EVERYWHERE. I only drove a block away. At the bank center, I stood talking to a lady who looked as if she really didn't want to deal with my problem, seeing as how it was Saturday and near closing time for her, plus there was a long line of people behind me trying to get things resolved or money for the weekend. She was polite, regardless of the look on her face and she found the problem, I showed her the receipt for my deposit and she agreed with me about how this was incorrect. She called the corporate offices (or a 1-800 number for their company) and discussed my issue and how to resolve it. This conversation took longer than I had thought it would. I stood at the bank for over 10 minutes while she talked to the lady at the 800 number, then was put on hold, then talked some more.
Finally, she hung up the phone. She comes over to me and says "Ok, well here is the deal. This is completely the bank's fault. The lady I just spoke with assured me that they are going to remove the over draft fees just as soon as they can..." She was speaking in a tone that said 'good news and bad news'. So I asked "when is that". Well, with this being the weekend, they cannot do much until Monday. However, they are going to program it in the computer that on Monday these fees are just going to drop off your account. Until then, it'll still show a negative balance but once all the pending items are processed, those fees drop off ... then your account will be correct again. "Really"?
I'm standing there with my mouth hung half open, trying to process all of this, doing the math in the back of my brain about the amount of hours I will be without a dime until the computer error resets itself sometime on Monday. Finally I ask "so this means I won't be able to use my card for the entire weekend"? The lady gives me the sad "sorry your dog just died face" and says "yes, I'm afraid so. There is nothing they can do to fix this any sooner. I asked her numerous times." Uhm... ok!?!
Needless to say, suddenly I'm a little upset at my high tech banking. I keep thinking if only I had just kept the cash back then I wouldn't be so antsy for this problem to work out. And of course, now is the time that the urge to eat pizza or at a Red Robin hits me. I'm unsure what is worse, not having money or having it but not being allowed to use it.
Yes, it is Monday and things should be fixed... but after having checked my account online at 1 pm and things are still "Processing" on my account with fees still waiting as well, I am a mess with what to do. I am trying to remain patient but as my hunger urges are getting worse, my patients is wearing thin.
This entire mess is really making me rethink my position on computers. I am unsure if being so high tech that they can take away every penny I have with a "glitch" is really a good idea now.
Think about it.
However, like any great invention there will be downfalls too. The downfall to doing all my banking via internet and not needing to balance on paper? Well let me point out the obvious before going into my rant. The obvious downfall is that I'm not up to par on my insta-math skills so much these days as I maybe once was. It would probably take me longer now to do simple math than in the days when I did it daily. Yes it's sad, but I've never been a fan of math which is why I love the technology that takes math out of my day.
Now for the rant part.
I have the most technologically advanced options for my checking account. My attached debit card makes life so much quicker than the days of formally writing out checks. Now I no longer need to spell out any of the retail names, rather swipe and go. Easy Peesy, Mac n' cheesy. I also have online banking. I can check my account balance any time of the day or night with just a few clicks of my computer mouse or my high tech cellular phone that has internet access on a 24/7 free basis (well not free, but included in my phone bill). Not only can I check my account balance all the time, I have the bank send me emails on a daily basis. The emails are normally just account balance updates. So every morning at about 8 am (however the times have been wonky lately) I will receive an email and check it from my cellular phone. The emails are short and sweet. "You have $22.58. Have a nice day." That kind of thing... but I also have "alerts" turned on as well so when my account gets dangerously low they send me a nice alert warning me that they are going to charge me for over-drafting if I don't do something about it. Sadly, the bank never catches me in time to properly warn me... usually they are a couple of pennies late by the time I get the email. Figures.
As high tech as my life has gotten in terms of my banking, I've been nothing but pleased with how it's working out for me. Until now...
I received my paycheck on Friday. (I've been too lazy and probably a little unsure of providing my work with my banking information in order to set up a direct deposit just yet.) As soon as my check was in hand, I went to the bank. My receipt says I was at the bank teller at 10am. I cashed my check and then deposited the cash. For those of you thinking "that sounds like more of a hassle than anything", you may be somewhat correct however my account is an out of state account at my bank therefore any checks are held for 5 days. Whereas Cash is instantly deposited and available just in case. :) I have been banking with my current bank long enough to know the ins and outs. So I know how to work the system in my favor without it being against the rules. Yay me!
Back to my story. I cashed the check. Keeping out just enough cash to pay my bills and depositing roughly $200 into my account for use on things I would need throughout the next two weeks (such as food and gas). After depositing cash and feeling sure that I now had money, I went to the gas station and immediately filled up my tank. Swipe, pump and drive. So easy and stress free, or so I thought.
On Saturday morning (yes even on the weekends my bank is working for me), I received an email. I thought "oh goody, now I can see if my phone bill payment has come out of my account since I paid it online". I opened up the email and to my shock and surprise it was a nice little "alert" from my bank. It read something like "Warning: Your account is negative and if this issue is not resolved as of 5/6/2010, you will be required to pay an over draft fee for every transaction... blah blah blah". I immediately logged onto my online banking to see that my account was already slammed with not one but THREE separate over draft fees of about $35 a piece.
I studied my online banking page for a good 10 minutes. Reading that my deposit was listed, but listed as "pending" rather than being listed as in my account like it should have been since it was a cash deposit. That alone was the problem at hand. Had the cash posted to my account, nothing would have been negative. Not my phone bill payment, my full tank of gas, my lunch that day, or any other charge that may have come out.
I signed off the computer and went directly to my nearest bank location. Thankfully they are EVERYWHERE. I only drove a block away. At the bank center, I stood talking to a lady who looked as if she really didn't want to deal with my problem, seeing as how it was Saturday and near closing time for her, plus there was a long line of people behind me trying to get things resolved or money for the weekend. She was polite, regardless of the look on her face and she found the problem, I showed her the receipt for my deposit and she agreed with me about how this was incorrect. She called the corporate offices (or a 1-800 number for their company) and discussed my issue and how to resolve it. This conversation took longer than I had thought it would. I stood at the bank for over 10 minutes while she talked to the lady at the 800 number, then was put on hold, then talked some more.
Finally, she hung up the phone. She comes over to me and says "Ok, well here is the deal. This is completely the bank's fault. The lady I just spoke with assured me that they are going to remove the over draft fees just as soon as they can..." She was speaking in a tone that said 'good news and bad news'. So I asked "when is that". Well, with this being the weekend, they cannot do much until Monday. However, they are going to program it in the computer that on Monday these fees are just going to drop off your account. Until then, it'll still show a negative balance but once all the pending items are processed, those fees drop off ... then your account will be correct again. "Really"?
I'm standing there with my mouth hung half open, trying to process all of this, doing the math in the back of my brain about the amount of hours I will be without a dime until the computer error resets itself sometime on Monday. Finally I ask "so this means I won't be able to use my card for the entire weekend"? The lady gives me the sad "sorry your dog just died face" and says "yes, I'm afraid so. There is nothing they can do to fix this any sooner. I asked her numerous times." Uhm... ok!?!
Needless to say, suddenly I'm a little upset at my high tech banking. I keep thinking if only I had just kept the cash back then I wouldn't be so antsy for this problem to work out. And of course, now is the time that the urge to eat pizza or at a Red Robin hits me. I'm unsure what is worse, not having money or having it but not being allowed to use it.
Yes, it is Monday and things should be fixed... but after having checked my account online at 1 pm and things are still "Processing" on my account with fees still waiting as well, I am a mess with what to do. I am trying to remain patient but as my hunger urges are getting worse, my patients is wearing thin.
This entire mess is really making me rethink my position on computers. I am unsure if being so high tech that they can take away every penny I have with a "glitch" is really a good idea now.
Think about it.
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