Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Monday, October 25, 2010

I Started Out to...

AAADD   -   KNOW THE SYMPTOMS......PLEASE READ!

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder.   Somehow I feel better even though I have it!!

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -  Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:
I decide to water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.  I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,  and notice that the can is full.

So I decide to put the bills back on the table & take out the garbage first.  But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway,

I may as well pay the bills first.  I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. 
The Pepsi is getting warm. I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.  As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye.  They need water..

I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. 

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.  I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote  someone had left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs.   But first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers.  Quite a bit of it spills on the floor.  So, I set the remote back on the table,
get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.  At the end of the day the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter, the flowers don't have enough water, there is still only 1 check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day,
and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.....

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Something for Everyone!

A group of 15 year old girlfriends discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally, it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Dairy Queen next to the Ocean View restaurant because they only had $6.00 between them and Jimmy Johnson, that cute boy in Social Studies, lives on that street and they might see him and they can ride their bikes there.

10 years later, the group of 25 year old girlfriends discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally, it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the beer was cheap, they had free snacks, the band was good, there was no cover and there were lots of cute guys.

10 years later, at 35 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally, it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the cosmos were good, it was right near the gym and if they go late enough, there wouldn't be too many whiny little kids.

10 years later, at 45 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally, it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the martinis were big, and the waiters there had tight pants and nice buns.

10 years later, at 55 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the food there was reasonable, the wine list was good, they had windows that open in case of a hot flash, and fish is good for your cholesterol.

10 years later, at 65 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because lighting was good and they have an early bird special.

10 years later, at 75 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because food was not too spicy, the restaurant was handicapped accessible and they even had an elevator!

10 years later, at 85 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because they had never been there before.

Credit Card Theft Warning

SCENE 1.


A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, 'Funny, I thought I locked the locker.

Hmm, 'He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked okay - all cards were in place.

A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of $14,000!

He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions.
Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the system and asked If his card had been stolen.   'No,' he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made. An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet.

The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.

Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them.  How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? $9,000!

Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped?  Small amounts rarely trigger a 'warning bell'
With some credit card companies.   It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to big one!

============================

SCENE 2.

A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card.   The bill for the meal came, he signed it and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card along.

Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person.   He called the waitress and she looked perplexed.  She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man.

All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card.

No exchange of words --- nothing! She took

It and came back to the man with an apology..

Verdict:  Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours.   Check the name on the card every time you
sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time.   Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, 'assuming'  that it has to be theirs.

FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD EACH TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A TRANSACTION!

==========================

SCENE 3:

Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I had called in.   I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of  course, is linked directly to my checking account.  

The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure.

While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing.   I noticed the phone because it is the same
model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a picture.   He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on.
It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to what he is doing..

He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved.

Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card.
Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened.  Needless to say, I immediately cancelled that card as I was walking out of the pizza
parlor.

Be aware of your surroundings at all times.  Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card.   Be aware of phones, because many have a camera phone these days.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010