mssheen13

Credit card update

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:02:50 GMT

So I just happened to be checking my accounts like I usually do, and I saw American Express had three consecutive charges of $55.50 on my account from when I went to Whole Foods. Gah! I've since called to dispute those first two charges and explained what happened. This thing won't get resolved for probably a month or more. Unbelievable. At least I don't have to pay that $111 while it's being disputed.

I said this last time, and I'll say it again: DON'T USE EXPRESS PAY OPTIONS! SWIPE THE CARD!

Credit card users, beware of the tapping method!

Sat, 03 May 2008 17:15:09 GMT

Lesson learned: Don't use Express Pass with American Express! This happened to me earlier today:

I was at Whole Foods in Sandy Springs, and I had $55.50 worth of groceries to buy. I chose a line where there was one woman in front of me. She had two items, and she paid with a credit card. I didn't pay attention which card it was, but I'm pretty darn sure she did the Express Pass pay option, rather than swiping. For those who don't know what this is, it's when there is a small pad on the top of a credit/debit machine. You have the choice of either swiping your card the "old-fashioned" way, or you can just tap your card on the touch pad. The touch pad will beep, and it will start authorizing like usual.

Or so I thought.

After the woman left, I decided to tap my American Express card instead of swipe it. It appeared everything had worked fine -- until I got my receipt. I happened to notice on the bottom of the card that it did charge $55.50 to an Amex, but it wasn't my card number! I'm changing numbers to protect me for the purpose of telling this story and keeping my identity. Let's pretend my card ended with the digits 9999. Well, my receipt didn't show all those xxxx's and the 9999 at the end. Instead, it had the xxxx's and 1587. That was definitely not my account number. I pointed this out to the cashier, and he was dumbfounded.

The cashier took me to the Whole Foods manager on duty, Cheryl. Cheryl had had never seen anything like this, either. We tried to use my card again at her register in customer service. Once again, I did the tap instead of the swipe. Once again -- at a different register! -- a receipt printed with the other woman's Amex account number. She now has been charged my grocery bill twice!

Cheryl and I decided it would be best to call American Express to see if I had been charged twice. Lucy, a really nice lady on the other end of the phone, told me she had never heard of this problem before and that no charges had been on my card for Whole Foods. We decided to try and use my card yet a third time, but this time swiping instead of tapping. Sure enough, the receipt printed with my account number ending in 9999, and Lucy verified that she saw the charge go through.

Here's the kicker, Cheryl at Whole Foods doesn't have access to voiding those other two transactions. That's because she can't find out the entire account number of the woman whose card ends in 1587. The only way she can do that is to call the corporate office, who apparently does have access to the entire account number. Corporate is closed on the weekends (figures).

At least I know I won't be charged three times for my grocery bill, but whoever that woman was, I wonder if she even has any idea that she's been charged $111 in addition to those two items she bought today. Those charges will go away, but will she even know about them? It got me to wondering how closely others check their credit card statements. She might eventually see these charges, but part of me wonders if I could've gotten away with free groceries today. I would've felt too guilty to have actually done that, but you never know if it could have worked.

Anyway, I'd recommend swiping, not tapping, whenever using your credit cards. You may not get someone as honest as me in line behind you.

Stuff

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:05:50 GMT

I haven't updated this in a while. Let's see...

Bryan's emancipation allowed us to go on an extended weekend trip to Blue Ridge, Ga. We rented a cabin and basically decompressed for a few days. It was really nice. We also took a day trip to Helen while we were there. The highlight for me: buying apple cider from Mercier Orchards.

My work schedule is starting to look crazy. I had been working mornings fairly regularly (9a-5p), but now, I'm starting to bounce all over the place. Tonight I'm here till midnight. I haven't done that in a while. I've been so used to going to bed around 10, so it's been kind of a struggle to not yawn the last few hours. I'm losing that battle, by the way.

I don't enjoy when the Atlanta Hawks are beaten to a pulp by the Boston Celtics. However, it's even worse when the Marlins beat the Braves, like they've always been doing since 1993. I don't get why Florida has Atlanta's number, but it always has.

I'm still running, but I've only signed up for 5Ks so far this year. I got a PR back in March at the Atlanta Women's 5K, and I'm signed up for two races in May. While I think I'm getting better, it's been a struggle, especially with it getting warmer outside. Seventy-five degrees feels like 90 to me. It sucks.

Of the three major presidential candidates remaining, none of them truly fit what I want. In my lifetime, the best candidate I've ever come across is Ross Perot. I just want someone who will basically leave me alone and keep taxes low. Ideally, I'd take the fair tax, but that's being picky.

By the way, RECESSIONS ARE NORMAL. This one won't even last a year. If you're suffering from it, it's because you don't plan ahead with your money. Stop living from paycheck to paycheck and get a Roth IRA, damn it! I could vent on this for quite some time, but I don't feel like it. Back to babysitting CNN Newsbeam.

New gadget [for me]

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:33:32 GMT

Bryan wanted to upgrade, so look what I've got now:

So far, I'm liking it, especially because I didn't pay for it.

In other news, is it wrong I get excited about planning to pay for my bills?

It's good, but is it excessive?

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:53:43 GMT

I'm addicted to working out. I'm also addicted to being productive. I want to do as much as I can in one day plus get at least 8 hours' sleep each night. Otherwise, I feel like a failure. The sad thing is I'm not really exaggerating.

Today I forgot a hair tie, so I skipped the gym today. I told myself I'd go home and run instead. When I got home, it was nasty and cold outside, so I didn't do it. I was ticked off at myself for this, so just to do something productive, I cleaned the entire kitchen (even the floor) and vacuumed the living room.

While it's nice to be productive, I wonder if I have some sort of ornery issues.

Foxy.

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:31:29 GMT

There’s a fox in my neighborhood, and I’ve only seen it once at night. It’s probably the height -- but not even close to the weight -- of Dakota (who by the way is 55 pounds).

Laura called me at work yesterday morning. She told me she saw the fox chase our next-door neighbor’s cat, Hank, up a tree. Hank is a really friendly cat, and he’s only been living here a couple of weeks with my neighbor, Allison. Laura called me to tell me about it and that the fox was waiting for the cat to come down from the tree. I told her to get Dakota on the leash and have her scare the fox. She called me later and told me it worked, but the cat, Hank, was still in the tree, meowing and shaking. I guess he eventually got down, because when I got home from work, Hank was outside to greet me. I’m telling you, he’s an insanely nice cat, and that’s me saying that; I’m not a cat person, and I’m allergic to some cats.

I left a note for Allison telling her what happened, and she left a thank-you note on the front door for me, Laura, and Dakota (who she called a hero, hehehe). I told another neighbor about it, and she’s thinking maybe we should get our HOA to call animal control. Anyway, that’s the excitement in my ’hood for, oh, the year.

Case of the Mondays?

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:39:55 GMT

MARTA was really crowded today. The only open seat was next to a man who was sewing and wearing a kilt. When I sat down by him, he said, "Well, finally someone brave enough!"

Whoa!

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:11:06 GMT

A whale’s vagina just defeated UConn!

Life isn't perfect. Damn it! ;-)

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:06:25 GMT

I don't enjoy being limited physically, even if it is just a measley little cold.

I'm not necessarily ready for vacation, but it'll be nice to have one.

I feel like I don't know jack about making this year's NCAA Tournament picks.

I miss promark420

My college and Birmingham past meets my television set.

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 03:10:32 GMT

I'm watching the SEC women's basketball tournament, and I just caught a familiar face on the screen. It's DeWanna Bonner, who I used to cover on a regular basis when she was at Fairfield High, which is just outside of Birmingham. I swore that girl was way too skinny to play in college, and I sort of got the impression that she didn't really care. Maybe she didn't at the time, but perhaps something changed, and she's Auburn's best player today and leads the SEC in rebounding.

Fairfield is in at best a sketchy area. I got a lot of looks whenever I covered games there, and it was probably because the town was 90 percent black. I kind of felt like the players appreciated the coverage, but at the same time they didn't necessarily like or trust me. It's been four years, but I think the coach and players kind of were were firm and frosty around me. I will say there were a couple of instances where I felt like a target of racism, but it didn't happen at Fairfield. If I remember correctly, the principal was incredibly nice.

Anyway, whenever I see an athlete I covered who made it to college and is making a difference (Ronald Steele, Pat White), it's a cool feeling. I won't get that much longer, as I haven't written a story in four years.

I also just saw Matthew Mitchell, who's now coaching at Kentucky (he was an assistant at UF when I was there), and Carol Ross, who's an analyst for the SEC Tournament. Carol coached at UF when I was there and finished her career at Ole Miss, and she is one of the nicest people I've met in all of sports.

Man, this all takes me back. I really do miss covering women's basketball. There's something about it that doesn't compare to covering other sports for me. It was easily my best sport to write while under a tight deadline. My interviewing skills also were used best covering the women's game.

After I stopped covering the women's game "full time" at UF, that's when sports writing started to lose its luster for me. Football coverage is more of a job than basketball. While you had to devote as much time to basketball (practices, games, traveling), it didn't seem like it was a job.

I wonder if the AJC needs an Atlanta Dream beat writer. Too bad the demand for women's coverage isn't high.

Mom thought I was best at this.

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 00:50:06 GMT

The last couple of days, I've gotten nostalgic about my gymnastics days. Sometimes I wonder if I didn't have that rash of injuries if I would have wanted to continue and compete in level 8 and beyond.

As I sit here and watch Under The Lights, Georgia Gymnastics, and see the Gym Dogs doing giants and release moves on the uneven bars, I question if I could have ever done those skills. I obviously never did them, as the hardest thing on bars was either a no-handed free-hip circle or a layout flyaway. But as a kid, I remember watching 16-year-old Angela Hopkins trying to do giants by herself, and I watched how frustrated she got and -- at times -- how scared she got. Would I have been scared if I had continued? I can't say for sure.

During my final years of competing, I had sliced-open big toe, a pulled hamstring, a nasty sprained ankle, and several other minor aches and sprains in between. There's no doubt that contributed to me wanting to quit. But I also remember wanting to have a life. I wanted to participate in other sports, and there was no way to do that when I spent hours in a gym in Roswell every week. I also remember that I just didn't fully fit in with the other girls. I liked talking about the Braves or other sports. I didn't want to talk about whatever the heck it was that the other girls discussed or gossiped. Even if I wasn't hurt, and even if the drive was still there, would I have enjoyed it because of potential solitude? Yet, when I was out there leading our team two years in a row, they were cheering for me because they needed me. That might have been enough for me to stay.

I'm sure that if I had stuck with gymnastics after age 12, I would have competed in level 8 (that's where I was placed right before I quit). At that time, after level 9, the next level was elite, which was basically vying for Bela and Martha Karolyi to notice you. If you don't quite get that far, your chance at getting a college scholarship or at least a chance to walk on to a major program was favorable. I don't think I would've been an Olympian (I would have been shooting for the Sydney games), but going to, say, the universities of Georgia, Florida, or Alabama to compete wouldn't have been out of the question. I know this because I used to be on the same team with someone named Loren, and she ended up competing for UGA in the floor exercise. She was better than me, and we were the same age, but I think I would have caught up to her level by the time I graduated high school.

I also sort of joked about this last year, but if I had continued in gymnastics, it didn't pan out, and I had no idea what to do with my life, I could have joined Cirque de Soleil. After seeing that show in Vegas last summer, it brought back a lot of memories.

Anyway, it's an interesting thought on what other path I could have taken in my life, but I still think me wanting to have a more balanced life would have won out -- just like it actually did.

YES!

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:07:10 GMT

Normally I can't stand government involvement, but I LOVE this idea. To expand further -- pun intended? ;-) -- let's include the names of parents and the children on a Web site that's distributed to media outlets every six weeks.

I've matured.

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:59:58 GMT

I've learned a lot since Feb. 26, 1999.

As I should have. It's been 9 years?!

Serbia/Kosovo

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:53:45 GMT

Can someone explain to me why it's bad for Kosovo to declare its independence? How bad does that fracture Serbia, if at all? I don't know much about this issue, and I'd like to learn both sides of this story. After searching the wires, I can't find the significance of this story, other than there is violence currently happening.

Getting this off my chest

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:03:21 GMT

Maybe it's just because it's an election year, a few of us just need vacation time or people just need new jobs altogether, but I feel like people haven't been in very good moods lately and it's been directed at me at times.

Lately, I've felt like I've asked some really dumb questions while doing my job. I guess it's good I'm asking questions, but I feel like I should know or once knew the answers to those questions.

Add in the fact I've been sitting in the far left corner of my department for a month, and I've got this feeling that a couple of my co-workers think I'm lazy or think I'm snobby because I'm not sitting near them. I don't know if they really think that. It's not justified, because I think I do just as much work sitting in the corner when I sit anywhere else. But normally, whenever people sit in that seat, it's because they don't want to do anything. I sit there because the two seats I like are taken when I arrive at work each day. I sat somewhere else on Saturday, but that's because no one else was around to take the workspace that I like. And no one will realize I didn't sit in the corner because they weren't there doing OT like me.

Anyway, I have no clue if people really are thinking like this, but the facts remain: I'm worried I've gotten a little dumber, and I'm worried other employees think I'm a lazy bum. These are my peers that help fill out my performance review. I also don't want to be the object of negativity when it shouldn't be there.

There are times when I think I'm making up these thoughts out of nothing. I've come to realize I feed off Bryan's emotions and energy. That happened to a degree when I was dating John. It's as if I want to transfer his stress over to me so he feels better. I wonder if I'm just worried about Bryan because of all the hours he's putting in his job (more than 60 hours a week, 6 days a week), and it somehow is leading me to be paranoid, semi-cranky and stupid all at once.

At the end of the day, I'm happy I have a job that allows me to have really good hours from time to time, and I'm grateful of its other benefits. I'm also thankful I own a home and that I surround myself with a good roommate, dog, boyfriend and family.

It just sucks feeling like your stomach is in knots while things are probably just fine but not how you want them to be.

Update

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:38:28 GMT

I feel the need to chronicle...

Friday: Saw Percussion Group Cincinnati. That was some pretty cool stuff.

Saturday: After an awful and short night's sleep, did some OT because -- to borrow a phrase from someone else at CNN -- I'm an OT whore. Ran 3.5 miles. Went to Laura's early birthday outing. I like Everybody's Pizza, and I surprisingly bowled a 154 later that night. I was out till almost 2 a.m.

Sunday: Slept in late. Saw the movie There Will Be Blood. It's a good movie, and I don't say that often. My attention span is too short, and I'm [probably] one of the more cynical people you [probably] know. Watched the storm go through Atlanta with tornado sirens blaring in the background. Ate a burrito, went to Publix, possibly made a friend, did a lot of laundry, and did my state taxes by myself (which is a first; I figure now with Mom and Dad in Phoenix, I gotta do these things by myself. Next, I need to learn how to diagnose future car troubles).

Today: Booked a cabin rental that's in Blue Ridge. Mailed my tax forms. Requested pet-sitter service. Ate Potica. Registered for an 8K race in Phoenix. Getting ready to practice squash. Loving productivity.

Bleh.

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:51:19 GMT

It's been a busy week -- moreso mentally than physically.

Chris turned 21 Monday, so I was out with him for a little while. Wednesday I drove to Summits in Forsyth County, and that wore me out. Add in working 40 hours, training for an 8K, a concert tonight, and coming back at 6:45 a.m. tomorrow? One tired human.

And Laura's birthday is this weekend. I'm already feeling worn out, and I haven't even celebrated yet. I sound like my mother.

Crap. I need to get gas tonight, too. Dang it!

Reflection.

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:06:39 GMT

One year ago, ESPN offered me a full-time job, and I turned it down.

Two years ago, I began working at CNN Newsbeam.

Three years ago, I decided to buy a condo -- the one I'm in now.

Four years ago, I was working for the Birmingham News and living in Alabama.

Five years ago, I was at UF having long-distance relationship problems and sleeping in until the middle of the afternoon.

In March, I'll mostly be working 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and it has nothing to do with sports, and I'll be hanging out with my best friend when time permits.

This all might sound subtle, but even though I've got a lot of my core traits and beliefs, I've changed a lot since college. Call it maturing, maybe, and reprioritizing my goals and values.

Ducks in the air

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:11:53 GMT

Yesterday, I saw some ducks flying toward the lake. It was gusty, and as these ducks were making there way in for landing, they were struggling to stay upright. These ducks were being tossed around by the wind. They were going straight, yet their bodies were being twisted -- almost around in circles. Their wings were extended, and the wind gusts were turning them left and right, and the ducks were almost out of control. When they were above my head, their extended wings were making whoosh noises because of the wind. I had never seen birds have trouble flying because of windy conditions, and it was absolutely hilarious.

Hmm...

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:53:36 GMT

According to the ratings, around 97 million people watched the Super Bowl, and 106 million watched the M.A.S.H. finale in 1983. I'd argue, though, that more people saw the Super Bowl. Think about it. If you watched the game, did anyone watch it with you? Almost everyone who watched the game was at a bar or at a Super Bowl party, which means several people were watching one TV. So instead of 97 million people, maybe, just maybe, twice that amount watched the Super Bowl. Wouldn't that be wild?

Quick thoughts after Super Bowl XLII

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 04:17:42 GMT

First off, those Roman numerals are correct, aren't they? 42 = XLII?

I actually don't think this is the best Super Bowl that I've ever seen. Best ever? The Rams/Titans in the year 2000, when Kevin Dyson was stopped at the 1-yard-line with no time left on the clock. To me, that's still the best. I mean, think about it. If the Rams or Titans were undefeated AND that game ended the way it did, wouldn't that be the coolest? Tonight's game wouldn't have been AS good if the Pats weren't undefeated. But still, tonight was one of the best games I've ever seen.

Politics.

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:55:09 GMT

It's kind of a bummer that all 50 states don't have primaries on the same day. I feel like everything should be secret ballot. The fact that I know who other people voted for makes me feel like my vote doesn't really count. Like I want to vote for Ron Paul, but I already know the odds of him getting the nomination are slim to none. I like Paul and Mike Huckabee because they both want to abolish the IRS. I like Paul for many other reasons, mainly because he's basically a libertarian but will not say so. Anyway, I'm rambling.

It's nice to know, though, that I figured out who I'm voting for in Tuesday's primary: Huckabee. I don't agree with everything he believes. For one, I'm agnostic, and he's pretty freaking Christian, and I think it's OK for pregnant women to have abortions, but he's got a better chance of being nominated than Paul. Huckabee's got a chance to win up to six states, I think, and that would be extremely helpful to him trying to secure the nomination.

I can't stand that CNN officially is no longer covering Huckabee and Paul. They're still running -- they should get coverage. I've heard producers and people at the political desk say they're no longer getting video of those guys and are concentrating solely on Romney, McCain, Clinton and Obama. That's another reason we need primaries to happen sooner and at the same time. CNN and other media outlets are basically telling us to not bother learning about anyone except those four people. That's not right. Well, I guess it's not wrong, because it's their choice to do it that way. I'll put it this way: it's not fair.

Anyway, here's why I'm casting my ballot for Huckabee.

Ah-ha!

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:57:32 GMT

The Kennedys are endorsing Obama. This further strengthens my argument that if Obama's elected, he'll be assassinated.

It's TENNIS!

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:36:45 GMT

I'm already incredibly sick of men drooling over the Ivanovic/Sharapova final. Why not get excited about the tennis instead of -- ahem -- getting excited somewhere else? It's tennis first, folks.

How I feel good about myself

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:51:54 GMT

I feel like I’ve been fiercely productive today to make up for Monday.

--Went to the recycling center.

--Made sandwiches to take to work for the rest of the week.

--Got some Hawks tickets for 2 games.

--Planned my trip to Boston to see Julie and Michael before they move back to Georgia. The Phoenix trip is already set, which means all that's left is planning for Los Angeles in September plus all the weddings I think I'll be attending this year. I feel like there are a lot of weddings this year involving my friends.

--The gym should actually be open today, unlike yesterday (still miffed about that).

--The oven appears to be fine. I need to actually cook sometime. Or at least heat things and eat them.

--Started to get the ball rolling for paying my mortgage biweekly instead of monthly. I should be able to pay it off a few years earlier this way. I'm pretty excited about this.

promark420, did I use "myself" correctly?