Freak On A Leash

One September afternoon, I saw a couple walking through the mall together. Cute.
She was walking him on a leash. Not so cute.

That is all.

Sidenote: When I searched Google images for "man on a leash" I found pictures of Adam Lambert. Ha.

Smile. You're On Candid Camera!

Once upon a time, also known as last night, I went to dinner with a friend named Joan (name changed to protect anonymity). Neither of us ever have cash on us so we each put a debit card on the bill and split it down the middle. I got the odd penny out...like always!
We each grabbed a debit card, our respective leftovers and parted ways in the parking lot. I stopped at Walgreen's on the way home to pick up necessities - face wash, body wash and toilet paper. Again, I have no cash so out comes the plastic.
This morning when I got to work, Joan called, texted and emailed me. "She must be on fire!" I thought. Luckily, once we connected I realized she wasn't on fire. Instead, she informed me that we had grabbed the wrong debit card at the restaurant and that I had hers.
My first reaction was "OH CRAP! I think I totally just used her card to purchase my toiletries." I immediately logged into my Target Credit Card account, praying that I would see the transaction there. Nope, no Walgreen's transaction to be found. Great! Ugh...
Joan advised me that my purchase total was larger than the available balance on the card. I figured that the dinner charge hadn't posted yet and that I somehow sneaked the Walgreen's charge in. Perhaps I still have time to get money in her account before Gregg's Restaurant figures it out!
I left work in a panic, swiftly walking to the closest Sovereign Bank. I went to the teller to take money out of my own personal checking account. Then, I walked over to the ATM machine around the corner with Joan's debit card in hand. While looking for her PIN number in my recent texts, I saw that I had received other texts from Joan. She was calling Sovereign Bank to put a hold on her card so that she doesn't get charged overdraft fees.
I rolled my eyes because this is becoming ridiculous. I walked back over to the same teller and tried to convince her that I'm not a crazy person. I don't think she bought it.
With Joan's ATM card disabled, the teller allowed me to deposit money into Joan's account - the amount of the Walgreen's charge and a little padding to cover any potential overdraft fees.
Problem solved...or so I thought.
I got back to work, red in the face, and I read an email from Joan. During her conversation with the representative at Sovereign Bank, she was told that a new debit card would be sent to her and was advised to destroy her current debit card.
That's right, folks. Joan reached into her wallet and without an other thought in her head cut up the Sovereign Bank debit card. Unfortunately, that Sovereign Bank debit card had my name proudly displayed on the front.
As I read said email, I started to laugh...and then become annoyed...but then laughed again. I just couldn't get over how jumbled up this innocent mistake had gotten. The last thing I want to do is track down all of my automatic withdrawals to change my debit card information.
I stopped at a different branch location on my way home from work tonight to take cash out for the week and request a duplicate debit card (same number, expiration date, etc) be mailed to me. I should get that in seven-to-ten business days. We're almost back to normal.
I just got home and dug out the Walgreen's receipt out of the plastic shopping bag and, of course, the last four digits of the card I used to make my purchase are not the same ones on Joan's disabled card. Only God knows why the Walgreen's purchase is nowhere to be found within my Target Credit Card account summary of recent transactions. Well, God and the producer of the Candid Camera television show that has been following me around today. I feel like Joan and I have been punked.
This whole thing was for nothing and now Joan owes me $50. The lengths I will go to to get you all an entertaining blog! I tell ya...

What's The Rush?

Today is Saturday, July 20th and it's 98* in Rhode Island with a heat index of over 100*. Because of these facts, it was impossible for me not to laugh out loud when I saw a temporary Halloween superstore pop up on Route 2 this weekend.
Just a few weeks ago, I shared a photo on Facebook of a Back-to-School school uniform display at Old Navy. Let's face it, people (mostly parents and/or teachers) got angry because it's "way too early" to think about sending the youngsters back to school or for them to start working on their syllabuses for the upcoming school year.
Then, earlier this week, I saw a photo posted on a well-known author's Facebook page of a Christmas decor aisle at Hobby Lobby. The photo showed colorful ornaments and artificial greenery - perfect supplies for any home's fireplace mantle between Black Friday and New Year's Day.
My question for you, loyal blog followers, is "Why do we rush everything?" Is it because we want to be prepared or is it because we just can't wait any longer?
Dr. Phil McGraw is known for saying, "You want what you want when you want it...and you want it now."
I'm all for planning ahead but I'm really trying my best to live in the moment. That means I will not think too much about a holiday until that's the next holiday on the calendar. No more Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving dinner. No more purchasing Cadbury Eggs before the St. Patrick's Day parade passes by. No more sparklers before...oh, hell, sparklers are always acceptable!
Can't we all try to live in the moment and take one day at a time? Make the best of each day. Live it as if it were your last. Carpe diem!

Protecting My Credit Or Embarrassing Me While Out To Dinner?

Thanks, Target Credit Cards, for embarrassing me while out to dinner with a friend this weekend.
This past Saturday, I went to Verizon Wireless for a long-overdue cell phone upgrade. I put the charges for the new phone and for the insurance on my Target Credit Card.

I, then, went to work for a few hours. When I tried to pay to exit the parking garage, my card wouldn't go through. Weird but okay, I'll use my debit card. Sometimes those parking payment kiosks can be finicky. No big whoop.
On Sunday evening, I went out to dinner with a friend and, like most dinners, we split the check right down the middle by giving the waitress two credit cards. After a few minutes, the waitress, who couldn't have been nicer, by the way, came back to the table to advise that my card was declined.
What in the world? This is my credit card...not my debit card. There's way more money available on my credit card than on anything else I own...including savings bonds.
I gave the server another card and all was okay. It wasn't until later that I wondered what would've happened if I didn't have another card. What if I didn't have any cash? What if my friend refused to help me out? Would the restaurant make me wash dishes in the kitchen to pay back the cost of my meal?
What if I wasn't with a friend at all...what if I was buying dinner for a client or something super important...like purchasing NSYNC reunion concert tickets! UGH...the horror!
The Target Credit Cards customer service line was closed on Monday due to the Memorial Day holiday so I had to call this morning from work to see what the heck they did to my account.
Really long, drawn-out story short...er than it already is. The $6.99 fee for the cell phone insurance policy came from Las Vegas, NV and that's what flagged the Target gurus to put a hold on my card.
I appreciate that they provide this anti-fraud service but can't there be a special code so the merchant you're standing in front of doesn't think you're trying to get a free meal? Instead of just saying "DECLINED" on the credit card machine and receipt paper, can't it say "PLEASE CALL US" or "HEY, YOU'RE NOT IN VEGAS!"

1992

In my travels this weekend, I stepped into a bar. Okay, those of you who know me know that I stepped into more bars this weekend than just the one. That's irrelevant.
In said bar, it was posted that "We ID (something something) May 3, 1992". It floored me that someone born in May of 1992 can drink legally.
In 1992 I was in sixth grade. I had an awful spiral perm and awkwardly spaced front teeth. I could be caught at any moment singing the Aladdin soundtrack...or Color Me Badd's All 4 Love. I was involved in competitive and recreational town sports and the school drama club. I loved romantic comedies, the T.G.I.F. lineup and the first (?) reality television shows on MTV. So, not much has changed since then.
I can't believe that was 21 years ago. I mean, the math works out that way but I don't think it seems like that long ago. I suppose the key to staying young is denial.

O-N-I-O-N-S

I fear for the youth of America. During a recent trip to Subway (Eat Fresh!), I witnessed what can only be described as proof that the education system in Rhode Island needs some serious attention.
The male customer in front of me in line had ordered a few sandwiches so he requested that the sandwich artist make a notation on the wrappers so he knew which sandwich was which.
I frequent Subway and I know some locations have color coded stickers to differentiate sandwich orders. I didn't see any at this location but I didn't think this would become an issue.
Judging by the massive amount of facial hair, the sandwich artist must've been in his late teens or early twenties. He grabbed a pen and began to scribble on the paper. Then, he suddenly stopped what he was doing and said to his fellow sandwich artist, "I don't know how to spell onions".
...
I'm going to let that one sit for a bit longer.
...
Several questions flooded my mind. How does someone over the age of 15 not know how to spell the word "onions"? How does someone over the age of 15 who works in a sandwich shop and works with sliced vegetables all day long not know how to spell the word "onions"...or at least find a sign that has "onions" written on it? Isn't "onions" a word that you learn to spell in elementary school...like, maybe third or fourth grade? Teachers, help me out here!
I'd like to thank the teachers at my elementary school for teaching me what I needed to know...in fact, more than I need to know. You all get a gold star.

Lost: One Shoe

Oh, people of Providence, you never cease to amaze me.
I had stepped out briefly at lunch time so I knew that it was a gorgeous spring day outside and I knew that I didn't need my fleece to walk to my car at the end of the day. After the day I had, I also knew that I couldn't get out of that building fast enough.
What I did not know, however, was that there would be a sighting so interesting that it would beg for a blog entry. Here goes...
While walking through the fine city of Providence just a bit before five o'clock this evening, I saw a man limping across the street. I couldn't figure out whether the man was hurt or not so I looked down at his feet...maybe he was wearing an aircast or a boot or something that would explain the awkward hobble.
Not only was there no aircast or boot but the man was missing a shoe. He was walking funny because he had lost a shoe and the gravel from the road was hurting the bottom of his foot.
I'm not quite sure how one loses a shoe. Not both shoes...just one.
Hell, I wouldn't have thought twice about a man walking through the city on a gorgeous spring day completely barefoot but to just lose one shoe? This didn't make any sense to me. He wasn't carrying the missing shoe and he didn't look like a man who would just leave home with one shoe on.
This struck me as very odd. What the heck happened to this guy during the course of the day? Was he mugged for his left sneaker? Perhaps he got into a run-in with a vicious dog and he threw the shoe to distract the dog so he could get away safely.
I'm not saying I've never walked around a city barefoot. I remember a lengthy barefoot walk through Boston several years ago. There is a logical explanation for that though. 1. I had both shoes in my hand; 2. It had been a long night of dancing; and 3. The wet grass felt great on my sore soles.
Anyway, part of me wishes I had asked him what happened and the sane part of me is happy that it put a smile on my face at the end of a grueling day.