16 posts tagged “life-snafus”
A couple job changes ago, I made the unfortunate mistake of not watching my 401K. This happened just before the market tanked and like many people, my portfolio reduced itself like a bulimic model on Atkins. After make a mental note to take care of this, forgetting to do so, making another mental note, repeat a few times, I decided to pay someone else to watch my money. One of the people I train for marathons with actually does this for a living. I won't mention the company name because for the most part, Fred has done a fantastic job of securing my investments and making me money, although really, there wasn't anywhere else to go but up.
However, when it comes to dealing with paperwork, his crew is a giant FAIL.
Issue 1: My benefactor's social security number. He and his assistant were adamant that I provide the SS# for the person who, in the event of my unfortunate demise, would get my money (less their processing fees, I'm sure).
I could have taken the path of least resistance and asked my mom for her SS#, but I was feeling like quite the Dark Angel that day, so I asked a question of the admin, the exchange went something like this:
Me: So can I make anyone I want my benefactor?
Admin: yes, I just need their social.
Me: anyone at all, even if they are not a relative?
Admin: of course. Who did you have in mind?
Me: How about Tony Blair, former prime minister of Great Britain...what do you think his American instituted savings plan social security number is?
Admin: [deer in headlights look] uh....
Me: I'm guessing the geeks in Benefits at Edward Jones Corporate push you to get socials because it makes their life easier, but I'm guessing there are procedures for beneficiaries that don't have social security numbers.
Issue 2: last time I checked, it was the 21st century and there was a big todo about saving the planet. Yet I get constant paper mailings for every transaction, update, etc involving my account. I went to the website,logged onto my account and opted for paperless everything.
I still get paper mailings. On my last visit to their office, I asked, begged, pleaded with Fred's new assistant (I guess I broke the old one) for paperless everything. She assured me that it was taken care of...yet I still get paper mailings.
Issue 3: I decided to take my savings account that was earning me a whopping $12 a year in interest and buy some savings bonds which would bring in more yield. Fred raved about how our mutual friend is doing this and she loves getting a check every few months, especially now that she is underemployed. I said sign me up. He kept boosting about how I'll get a check. So I didn't think to explicitly ask "when I would see that check!"
Fred backpedaled and said that since I didn't ask for one, he assumed it would go into the new account he opened for me -- which comes with another layer of paper generation. I said I wanted the interest check to put some of the money back into my now depleted savings account in case of an emergency.
Fred suggests we do a direct deposit to avoid having to request a check from corporate, which is all the way in St Louis and couldn't possibly get it to big bad Chicago for 5 days as it would arrive via horse drawn carriage (what did you think the Budweiser Clydesdales day job was?).
Naturally I had to fill out more paperwork. First, the phone call from the Admin. She asked me the account number I wanted the deposit made to and the routing number, which I was able to look up electronically using this thing called My Bank's Website. Then she printed the form and faxed it to me, adding that she couldn't print the form before inputing the routing number because the software doesn't let her print blank forms. Brilliant!
I get the fax from her and after filling it out, I send it to the fax number she provided. It is their office number main line! I look at one of the 7846 business cards that Fred has sent me over the year and none have his fax number on it. His corporate website has a listing for each account manager but no fax number. I decide that I'm done playing and put the form in an envelope and mail it to them. I figure I'm in downtown Chicago, they are in downtown Chicago, the Post Office will get it there by tomorrow and Fred will hear about this and wonder what happened.
A week later I get a letter with a check that I have to deposit into my account.
I've been a member of the Ray Meyer Fitness Center at DePaul Unversity's Lincoln Park campus since 2004. It was a great deal at the time: a gym on the way home from work with a discounted alumni membership rate. All I had to do was pack my workout bag in the morning and get off at Fullerton Brown line stop after work, go work out, and get back on. At first I was even able to complete a workout and get back on the EL within the same 2 hour transfer window. But the workouts got longer as I'd include a spin class. That prompted me to switch to a monthly CTA pass.
Over the years, things have changed. Though my office is located near all of the major El lines, I don't take the brown line to work anymore, so it's not as convienent to take it home and stop at the gym -- especially if I leave my car at the blue line station in Irving Park. Also, the gym mostly caters to students, not alumni nor other non-student members. This is evident by the elimination many of the late evening spin classes.
So after realizing that I hadn't been to the gym since Febraury, I called and asked about cancelling my membership. You can't just do it over the phone, you have to fill out a Membership Cancelation Form (MCF). The lady who took my call offered to fax me the form. About a day or two went by when I realized I didn't receive the fax. I called back and asked for someone to fax me the MCF. This went on for a couple of months. I'd periodically remember that I wanted to quit the gym and would call and never receive the fax.
I decided to drop in one Sunday afternoon before going to mass since my church, also DePaul, is across the street. Alias, the Membership Relations part of the gym was closed at the time I got there (about 90 minutes too late). No one could find the MCF form although a nice polish kid did try to help. I started to count this as one of those times when it would be helpful to speak the langauge of my ancestors, but it turns out it wouldn't have made a difference because he couldn't find the form.
I politely suggested that putting the form on the website might be 1) useful, 2) 21st century and 3) a FUCKTACULAR idea. His response indicated that he had drunk a full gallon of the corporate cool-aid when he said "oh the reason we don't is because we have it right here where you need it when you want it".
"but you don't have it here," I pointed out. he smiles and shrugs his shoulders while checking the same file cabinet for the fourth time to see if the MCF has magically appeared.
Flash forward to Monday. I called the gym again for the MCF. This time it actually arrived at my fax machine! I filled out the form and tried to fax it back. I'd hear the busy signal and the report sheet would come back busy/no response. The thing about cancelation is that if you don't do it by the 15th of the current month, you are charged for the next month. I'd be able to use the gym but since I'm not using it now, it's kinda a moot point. I was determined to get this resolved, so I called and asked if their fax machine was, in fact, working.The lady who answered -- same voice as the one who promised to always send me the fax -- said it was working. Let's call her name is Trudy. I explained my issue and Trudy suggested I try it again, and added, if it doesn't work I can email it to you.
I know what she meant, at least I hope she meant that I could email her a scanned document, but if not, I'm not sure how her emailing me something would help.
After trying to send the fax several times over the next couple of days, I called back and got the same lady and asked if I could scan the MCF and email it to someone. She said sure and gave me an email address. This is on a Friday afternoon and With the 15th of the month deadline drawing near, I could just see my email sitting in someone's junk/spam folder.
Finally, at the end of the day, I get an email that say:
Icarus,
I am out of town until Tuesday, I will have Trudy follow up with you regarding your cancellation.
Thanks for letting us know.
Nancy
Now I'm thinking that the fate of membership, whether or not I will be charged another month's dues, depends on the skillset of Trudy, the lady who couldn't or wouldn't fax me the MCF all these months. The lady who thought the problem with her fax machine could be solved by emailing me. I'll be lucky if I don't get charged twice each month from here on in!
While heading home I entertain a wild thought: there's a scene in the movie Reality Bites where Winona Ryder sets camp at a gas station and offers to pay for everyone's gas in exchange for cash. I start to figure out if there is a way I can do this with my gym membership. Maybe just send homeless person after homeless person into the gym to use the shower and take advantage of the complimentary towels! Alas, I recall that they check my gym card against a photo they have on file.
The good news is that Monday I did receive an automated email from Campus Recreation: "We received your request for cancellation. Your membership will expire on 7/31/09. " The bad news is I've gained some extra pounds and could really use a gym to work out at right about now.
One of the many things I learned from the former SigOther is One Price Dry Cleaner. Most dry cleaners charge over $3 to dry clean and press men's slacks. But OPDC does it for $2.29, a savings of a $1 per pair. Unfortunately, they are not very conviently located for those of us who live outside the Trixie Zone.*
So it's worth it to me to make a special trip to one of the OPDC in the city. However, they always seem to be understaffed. whenever i walk in there, there is one person ahead of me and only one person behind the four counters.
Today, I got there about 6pm and it was the same situation. before I knew it, four more people got in line behind me. I'm not an MBA nor do I own a business but I gotta think, maybe your business model should allow for peak time coverage! I mean people usually drop things off at the dry cleaners on their way to work and pick them up after work, or vice versa. And last time I checked, unemployment was in double digits so I'm thinking there's someone out there who would take a job at a dry cleaner.
* Trixie Zone is what I refer to as the part of Chicago people who didn't grow up in the city believe is all there is to Chicago. They feel the city's borders are Evanston to the north, downtown to the south, the lake of course to the east and about Ashland or maybe Western Ave to the West.
Thanks to some buttmunch who threw something at my windshield, I am without the use of my car for the next
month. The crack isn't very bad from the outside but inside the car it looks worse. And it's technically an undrivable vehicle. I can have it fixed quickly but the problem is this:
My city sticker would have to be replaced and Chicago charges a $30 fee for doing this even though it is not my F-ing fault this happened. But always looking to make a quick buck, the city doesn't care. Well, since the sticker renewal is in June, there's no point in getting a replacement sticker just to have to fork over another $75 next month.
Luckily, I don't need to drive my car very often. As it is, it's pretty much a weekend only vehicle. I do like to use it for groceries.
The irony is that I stayed in on Saturday night even though I had got a last minute invite to a party...I talked myself out of going because I didn't want to give up my good parking space in front of my building.
For a long time, the running part of my life has been solid and improving while the other areas of my life had been unstable, chaotic and even in disarray. It seems that things have changed. Now that I'm in a stable, long term relationship with marriage on the horizon, and my job situation is more functional and positive than it has been in years, it seems the trade off is my running skills.
For the last year or so, my running ability has deteriorated. At first it seemed to only occur with long distances, like marathons and training runs in excess of 18 miles. But recently I've struggled with short runs and races, posting my worst half marathon result ever last month at the Cary March Madness Half Marathon (on the Ides of March no less).
Running has been a very cyclic experience for me this last decade. I've had seasons where I've seemed to slow down only to rise again the next year and light up the boards with new PRs. But something is different this time. It seems like I just cannot run fast or far. I've dropped down to an 8:30 mm pace group, I've done my training runs slower when necessary but I still am struggling. The only thing that seems to help even marginally is to increase the number of rest days. Therefore, as soon as I get through the next three races I've already paid for -- St Louis half marathon, Kenosha Marathon and Soldier Field 10 miler -- I will take an entire season off.
I'll still run when I can fit it in, but I won't be tied to a training schedule and there will be no races to complete. Suffice it to say, I won't be anywhere in the zip code of 1000 miles for 2009.
today was kinda of split. I woke up before 6am but couldn't bring myself to get out of bed and go running. I can justify it as it was very cold outside but given my current weight, I really need to take advantage of these moments when I can. I was doing pretty good this week too. I ran on Monday and went to a spin class yesterday, my first in months. If I run tomorrow am (not likely as SigOther is staying over) or after work, I'm no worse off.
At least I left home a few minutes earlier than usual and caught two buses without having to wait. But then when I got the IrvingPark blue line station, about 4 people ahead of me on the escalator stood instead of walked, apparently because the first guy didn't want to walk. When we were about 2/3 up the stairs, the train started coming. as soon as we were able to clear the slowpoke, most of us started running. A lady shouted something about not running people down. I wanted to tell her that we are running because we don't want to be bunched up on the last car when there are 10? other cars and we wouldn't be running if the slow people would move out of the way.
I can understand not being in a hurry. And I can sort of understand not wanting to walk up an escalator. But what I can't understand is why wouldn't you want to avoid those people who are in a rush? Why not make a little effort to move to the right so those needing to move faster can get around you.
During the week of December 20 - December 26, 2008, Chicago experienced radical shifts in the temperature. Earlier in the week, the temperature had been extremely frigid, followed by a warmup and snowstorm in the middle of the week. Toward the end of that same week,Chicago experienced unseasonably high temperatures and thunderstorms.
Because of this, the gutters on my condo, which do not slant correctly, were solid ice. Ordinarily, this would not be a problem. Because of the rapid increase in temperature and the rainfall, the snow on the roof started to melt and run off. Instead of hitting the gutter, The rainfail and the melting snow bounced off the ice and re-directed itself toward the adjacent wall, finding a crack in the window lintel of my upstairs neighbor's condo.
By sheer luck, SigOther and I happened to be home when this happened. We were out shopping and were going to an event later that evening but decided to come home first to grab a quick bite. We spent a couple hours capturing water in the Cocoa-cola cooler I had borrowed for my party. The 82 quart container filled up within 20 minutes and had to be emptied 5-6 times before the water finally stopped coming in.
Had the gutter not been frozen over, or had the gutter slanted correctly, or had the Window Lintel not been cracked, or had the rain not been so heavy or had the temperature been cooler...had just one of these things been different, water might not have found its way into my condo, traveling through the walls from my neighbor's condo to mine. There is water damage to my walls and ceiling. It might be possible to simply scrap and replaster but most likely, the dry wall needs to be replaced since mold will undoubtably form.
So I got this letter from my bank the other day. Essentially it said that because my property value has declined, they can no longer support the full amount of the Line of Credit they issued me a year and a half ago. The Line of Credit they insisted I take when they generiously offered to refinance my HELOC so that I could get a marginally better rate of interest, and they could obtain a few more years of maintenance fees. I didn't want the amount they offered then, I was perfectly happy with the limit I had.
I'm a bit pissed because I was hoping to use that Line of Credit to make a downpayment on a second house purchase, as either investment property or to buy a bigger home so that the SigOther and I could live in while we rent our condos out until the market improved enough to sell them.
I'm pissed becuase I'm not the one with a mortgage in default. I've paid my loans on time each month and only bought as much condo as I could afford when banks were handing out loans like hotcakes. I'm not the one who let some ambitious yet devious realtor talk me into buying a home I couldn't afford and take on an impossible to pay loan from a seedy lender.
My reward for being responsible with my money: my efforts to purchase real estate in this economy get handcuffed even further. Luckily, I am only using barely 10% of the LOC, so it doesn't make too much of a difference. Some people have used their LOC to buy bonds or CDs or other short term investments and would be screwed right now.
Speaking of screwed, I feel bad for poor Ms Avers. Ms Avers is selling her home that we looked at the other week. We asked the Realtor some question and learned that she is selling the place because her children have finally moved out, her husband has passed away. We also learned that the place has been on the market for five months and the asking price has dropped about $150K. And that's what really sickens me.
This woman isn't one of those people who bought a few years ago thinking that she could simply flip the place for a tidy profit. This was her home for at least a generation. It's not her fault the economy and housing market is tanking. She should be entitled to retire on the proceeds from her home so she can move into a smaller place or a warmer climate and enjoy her golden years. Instead, she has to cut her nest egg significantly just to be competitive.
The house wasn't everything we are looking for and we have our own concerns to address, such as what to do with our condos. We are gonna wait and watch the market. If a place with everything we want goes on sale at a price we can afford, and the sun and moon aline and our places can be rented for the majority of their respective mortgages, we might make the move to snag said house. But not if we have to bargain down some old lady's nest egg.
It's been a while since I wrote anything about the Judas-Jezebel Saga and I may not have written about post-Krazy Guatamalan's Birthday party events. She and I chatted over IM a couple weeks after that and met for tea in person. It seems that after I left KG party, she and her friends started talking about So-Suede's unusual behavior toward her and she decided to get out of there too and not look back.
She told me that he said that he wasn't ready for a relationship, and was depressed. He's also got a long commute to work since they closed his downtown location and he has to drive out to Aurora. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy!
This is a conversation we had a few days ago. I removed some of the extraneous banter but she brought up So-Suede so I decided to ask a question that has been on my mind for a while.
Angela (3:38 PM): just for the record... i don't think i count as one of So-Suede's girlfriends
Icarus (3:38 PM): fair enough
Angela (3:41 PM): well, at least you guys can hang out again
Angela (3:41 PM): i don't ever want to be even a slight reason to your falling out
Icarus (3:41 PM): can i ask one more question about the whole thing
Angela (3:42 PM): go
Icarus (3:42 PM): did you really think it would be okay to date one of my friends after telling me that we, how did you put it, shouldn't date
Angela (3:43 PM): i felt that way before i met your friend
Icarus (3:43 PM): that's not what i'm asking
Icarus (3:44 PM): i mean did you think i was gonna say "hey great you two krazy kids should get together"
Angela (3:44 PM): well, i will say that i was unsure about it at first
Angela (3:44 PM): and so was he
Angela (3:44 PM): which is probably why it didn't work out
Angela (3:46 PM): and honestly, if i didn't know you liked me "that way" until "that night" then how would he and i dating be an issue?
Angela (3:46 PM): cuz i didn't know you liked me
Angela (3:46 PM): "that way" until "that night"
Angela (3:47 PM): then yes, i said yes to your "we should date" question
Angela (3:47 PM): so, i'll say once again (and I hope this will not affect our friendship for the future) I deeply apologize for it all and wish it never happened
At the time I knew that in six months I'd probably not care but when everything first came down, it was painful. Because she wasn't just some lady I met at a party. She was a friend who I started hanging out with and, through misinterpreting some signals, started to have actual feeling for. Of course after IM"s like this one, I have to ask, what was I thinking!
Then again, I also have to remember that we are all fallable human beings and while most of us are generally good, we do have our moments of weakness when we let others and ourselves down. And in February when we got together for tea, we went over what had happened between us and she apologized for hurting me and for her part in everything.
And now enough time has past that I don't feel the way I felt anymore. At Guy's Night Out the other week, the desire to punch So-Suede was completely absent. It's a factor of at least three things: 1) enough time has passed to ease the pain; 2) it's finally sunk in that she wasn't that great of a catch, and he's got nothing on me; and 3) someone else has come along. Someone who appreciates me and all that I have to offer.
While Angela got a Cade McNown draft bust, I traded up and am thinking Superbowl.
Chicagoans willing to brave frigid temperatures and look to the skies Wednesday night will be able to observe a total lunar eclipse, the last such event for almost three years. Beginning around 7:30 p.m., the Earth will begin to move into a position where it blocks the sunlight striking the moon, throwing its planetary shadow across the lunar surface. The eclipse will be total between 9:01 and 9:51 p.m., astronomers predict, and then will taper off until about 11:09 p.m. Though the most recent total lunar eclipse was only six months ago, Wednesday's will be the last until December2010, Adler Planetarium astronomer Larry Ciupik said.
By Robert Mitchum | Tribune reporter
5:54 PM CST, February 20, 2008
The moon was full in the Christmas night sky when So-Suede told me that he was going to ask Angela out again. So every time there has been a full moon since, I am reminded of that moment when it felt like a knife had been placed in my back.
Saturday night did not go well. On the surface everything went down okay. The place was crowded when I got there, most people were running late and I had established that I had to eventually leave to attend another birthday party. I gave myself a 90 minute window which I felt was more than fair especially since the Krazy Guatamalan was late for his own party. I used the time to talk to everyone I could, engaging them in small talk and showing genuine interest.
About 75 minutes into that window, Judas walked in and Jezebel was with him. While he was saying hi to someone, she told me that he called her that afternoon. I didn't get the rest of the story though. He came over and asked me how it was going and I said "good. Thanks for asking."
But here's where I blew the opportunity to outclass him. I gave him a if-looks-could-kill-he'd-be-dead look that I had not planned on doing but could not stop myself from doing. It was just pure, uncontrollable instinct. So any edge I may have had from the he did a scummy thing, I gave up because he made the effort to talk to me and I gave him the angry eyes.
I'm hoping that the full moon being swallowed up by the Earth -- even if just for a few hours -- is a sign of better things to come. The last time there was an astronomical event that wouldn't happened again for a long time (Mars moving closest to Earth), good things happened for me. Is it asking too much for lightening to strike again?
