The Trouble With Plastic

 "I've been hacked."

In the past couple of weeks, it has come to my attention just how addicted we are to our little plastic cards. Now unlike some folks, I don't have a wallet full of the things, just two, a credit card and a debit card. That is to say, I used to have two. At the present time I have no valid plastic.

Let me explain. Some time around my birthday, my credit card was refused by Amazon. Knowing that I had no payments past due, or even due, and that I was far away from reaching my limit, I contacted the card company to see what the problem was. (Contacting the company was a whole nuther hassle, but that's a story for another day.) I was informed, probably by an AI entity, that attempted suspicious charges had necessitated blocking my credit card. My card had obviously been hacked. So I told the entity to please cancel the card and issue me another one. It said it would, and I subsequently received and email to that effect. I was told the new card would arrive in 7-10 business days. 

Yesterday being more than two weeks since that communication with no new card showing up, I went to the credit card site, clicked on "check status of new card" button, and learned that the card had supposedly been delivered. I have no idea who might now have my new credit card, but they can't use it. Because now I have cancelled that one and am supposed to received another new one in 7-10 business days.

But that's not all of the story. As I was dealing with the credit card problem, I received a call from my bank (a real person this time). She told me that they had noticed  several suspicious charges on my debit card. I pulled up my account online and sure enough, there were numerous charges that I didn't make. After a protracted phone session with the bank rep, we got all the suspicious charges flagged and I was told I would receive a new card in 7-10 business days.

Fast forward until today. I have not yet received a new debit card. I checked my online account and, lo and behold, there are more unauthorized charges. All in all, the unauthorized charges amount to several hundred dollars stolen from my account. So I called the bank. 

It was a nightmare. The poor woman (or girl, she sounded like) had a very thick foreign accent. I was able to catch about one word out of ten.* We had to go through the whole month of March again, asking me if I recognized each charge. If she told me why my card had not been cancelled and a new card issued, it was during one of those times that I didn't understand a word she said. The call was long, very long, about an hour and a half.

Anyway, I think she told me that an investigation would begin and I would get a refund. I should also receive a new debit card within, you guessed it, seven to ten business days.

So now I'm without plastic--no credit card, no debit card. I had to write a check at the grocery store yesterday. I'm glad I remembered how. But I'm sure I'll have my bright and shiny new cards in about seven to ten business days. But, just in case, I might better order some more checks.

*Note: I have no negative feelings nor bigotry about the woman's accent. I mentioned it only to point out the nightmare this long long call was. I hate talking on the phone anyway. The woman on the first bank call had an accent too, but it was something like Brooklyn. She was also hard to understand but no so much as the one today.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 

Good Health!

Let the malarky and shenanigans begin!

St. Paddy's Eve

 

Tornado watch yesterday; snow today. Weird huh? But the temp is holding around 34 degrees, so the white stuff won't stay long. That makes most people around here happy. Me? I'd like to see several inches. for several days.

We celebrating St. Patrick's Day after services at church yesterday. As usual, the folks outdid themselves with eats. For some reason, I wasn't aware of the feast and I didn't bring anything. Just as well, I guess. I don't think anything else would have fit on the table.

After church I had to stop by the grocery store for just a few items. By the time I got home, my back and legs were complaining so that I could barely walk. Had to go to bed. This chronic pain thing seems to have got much worse in the past few months. If anybody out there, anywhere in the country, knows a back doctor or pain doctor that can work miracles, send me info. I've gone through all the doctors around here, I think.

The snow has stopped now, and I can tell it's already melting. I still haven't caught up on my reading, so that's what I'll be doing for the rest of the day.

Another Trip Around the Sun Completed

Yesterday was my birthday. Andy came and brought cake and ice cream and a goody bag containing Dolly Parton's book Coat of Many Colors and some treats. Jesse joined us and we had a s scrumptious lunch from Rusty's BBQ, one of our favorite local eateries. 

After lunch we watched "Good Will Hunting," a wonderful movie that I can't believe I haven't seen in all these years. Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, and Minnie Driver were just amazing. It was fun seeing them all in their younger days. Ben and Matt wrote the script. Their writing combined with the cast's superb acting make for a movie that everyone should see. I highly recommend it.

The weather here can't decide whether it wants to be spring or more winter. Yesterday, the temperature was in the 80s. Last night we had strong storms, and today it's cold (but sunny) with a brisk wind. The electricity went out early this morning and only just came back on at around 2:00 p.m. It got cold in the house, so the cats and I snugged up in bed, and I read until the electricity returned.

I think my health has returned to normal, which is not to say excellent. I still have the chronic pain in many parts of my body, especially my back. But the flu and sinus infection have left me finally.

Now I think I'll return to my reading for a little while. 

Seven More Months Till October

I'm already missing Autumn, so I made a Jack-o-Lantern quilt block. This is the first time I've been in the sewing room for weeks and weeks. I started it yesterday, but my hands were still shaky and my back didn't last long. I went back up today and had a little more luck. At least I finished the block. I might add a border, depending on what I decide to do with it. I have a couple of Autumn pieces started, and it might find its way into one of those.

I went to church this week for the first time since just after Christmas. It was a wonderful service with a meaningful sermon. Sister Ramey, Niece India, and I went to Cracker Barrel after church. We had a terrific lunch of fried chicken and veggies. I overdid my post-flu strength limits though.. When I got home, my back was in misery and my legs felt like rubber bands. I spent the rest of the day and night in bed. I've heard others say that it takes a long time to get your strength back after this flu. I believe it.

The flu problem is totally gone except for lack of strength, but I'm not sure about the sinus infection. I still have some facial pain and congestion. I have a couple more of the antibiotic tablets to take. When they're gone, I'll decide whether or not to go back to the doctor.

Gotta go. I have three library books due in a few days, so I have to do some speed reading.

The Winter of My Discontent

 It seems I've been sick absolutely all winter. I've finally conquered that bout of long-lasting flu. But I still have lots of congestion and sinus pain. (Also a strange thing with my ears, which I'll get to later.)

So I ventured out for a doctor visit yesterday--actually a visit to the nearby urgent-care clinic as I am currently at odds with my primary care doc. Diagnosis: sinus infection. So I'm now on amoxycillin, hoping to clear things up. 

Meanwhile, I finished another book: The Stillwater Girls by Minna Kent.  It's basically a good book that held my interest throughout. It's about three girls who have spent most of their lives with their mother in an isolated cabin in the woods, without modern conveniences and no knowledge of them or the outside world. When the youngest girl becomes ill, the mother leaves the other two at home and takes her for medical help. That's the last the two older girls see of their mom and little sister. After months alone and running out of food, a strange man breaks into their cabin and refuses to leave. The girls feel threatened and decide to escape while the man is asleep. The remainder of the story deals with what the girls discover about their past, which is not at all what they had been lead to believe. Yes, generally this is a very good book. But I had trouble with he girls' ages and the timeline. This could have been just me, as I was dealing with a pretty discomforting sinus condition the entire time I was reading it. But for anyone who likes a good thriller, with no blood and gore and only one instance of violence at the end (which was much deserved, I would recommend this story.

Now for the strange thing with my ears. About a year ago, maybe a little more, I went deaf, well practically. I mean instantly, like overnight. I couldn't hear the tv sufficiently, even turned to its highest volume. People who talked to me had to literally scream. I was freakin' deaf.

So I went to my doctor. He looked in my ears and announced that he didn't see anything wrong with them. He prescribed hearing aids. So I got hearing aids, to the tune of more than $1,000. (Hey, it could have been much worse. But I refused to spring for the more expensive models.)

The aids worked pretty well. I mean I could now hear people talking and the tv and stuff. But everything sounded so weird. And some sounds were like bombs exploding. When the doorbell rang or the timer on the stove went off, I'd jump in fright. (I guess I should have sprung for the more expensive model.)

OK, so a couple of days ago, I was standing at the stove cooking. All of a sudden, my ears started popping. I mean big, loud pops. (I had the hearing aids in, which probably explained some to the bigness and loudness.) That went on for maybe five or ten minutes, just kept on popping. When the popping stopped, every sound around me was so loud I couldn't take it, so I turned the aids way down. 

The next morning, things seemed strange. Before I had put in the hearing aids for the day, Bella came into my bedroom and meowed for me to get up. And by jingles, I could hear her meow! The first time I had heard a cat meow without hearing aids in months and months.

This tweaked my interest, so I left off the hearing aids and got up. After making coffee, I started some investigating. I could hear videos on the computer. I could hear the tv. I could hear cars going by on the street. Somebody outside was running a lawnmower, and I could hear it fine. 

Hmmm, I thought. But the real test is going to be if I can hear people talk. I could hear myself, but that had been true even when I was deaf to other sounds. About then, Jesse came in and we held a whole conversation. I didn't have to ask, "What?" once. Something had definitely changed.

So yesterday, when I visited the urgent care doc about the sinuses, I told her my whole sordid hearing story. She looked amazed and then looked in my ears. (BTW, this conversation with the doc went down sans hearing aids.) Her diagnosis: wax. (I know: eeewww). She prescribed Debrox, which is an earwax cleaning solution. I haven't used it yet, but I will. I'm just not sure yet that this is the problem. I mean, why would that make my ears pop? I don't know, but I'm going to give it a try.

I would be interested if anyone else has ever had the instant-deafness thing happen. And if so, what was your story?

Stay well, everyone. As my mother-in-law used to say, that old stuff's going around.

In Powder Blue

If you're a fan of crime novels, you know the names Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly, Mario Puzo, Gillian Flynn, Nicholas Pileggi, and others. If you're not yet familiar with the name Nikolas Pleiadi, you probably will be soon. 

I went back to Pleiadi's debut novel, In Powder Blue, which I had started and stopped recently. I guess I just wasn't in the mood the first time because it's an excellent story. It follows Vincent LoCicero, who at age 12, after losing his mother in the South Tower on 9/11, is drawn into a world of crime and addiction by his uncle. 

The setting is Levittown, Long Island. And Powder Blue refers to Vincent's father's 1970s powder blue Mercedes Benz. Both the town and the car become, if not actually characters themselves, powerful literary devices that carry the story on their backs.

Levittown is one of the first and largest post WWII mass-produced suburbs. Built during the period between 1947 and 1951, it brought hope of home ownership to many Americans. But by the end of the 20th century, the town and the hope had begun to deteriorate. The Mercedes, a recurring image in the story, represents memory, especially of Vincent's mother, and hope, hope of breaking out of Levittown and the drug/crime culture. 

The novel contains the emotional character development of Mystic River, the violence of The Godfather, and the grittiness of the tv series "The Sopranos." all of which I count myself a huge fan. The writing is flawless, except for the fact that I didn't understand some of the Levittown lingo, but that didn't stop the story.

Pleiadi, who grew up in Levittown, now lives in North Carolina. The novel, while not actually autobiographical, draws on his experiences as a former addict in post 9/11 Levittown. In Powder Blue is his debut novel. I truly hope there's more to come.

“This whole thing (the novel) is for the people who didn’t make it…friends I lost to addiction, grief that never got spoken, families like mine that cracked down the middle and kept going anyway.” Nikolas Pleiadi