Wednesday, June 11, 2014

I Am Being Tested, But I Will Not Crack!

So, it would seem by our credit card charges, that Buttercup and Cuckoo and I are already on our trip to Kansas City.  Someone spent $105 at a grocery store in Illinois yesterday (Tuesday) using our credit card number.  The card company called us to see if it was us.  It was not.  Our card number has been stolen.

Do you know what happens when a person's credit card has been stolen?  I do.  It happens to us approximately once a year.  The credit card company closes the account and sends a new card.  Normally, it doesn't bother us much, seeing as how we don't use it all that often.  Unfortunately, we are not in a normal situation.

The day after our account is closed (today), I am renting a car and driving to Kansas, where I will be staying 3-4 nights in a hotel.  Basically, a day when I will be wanting to use my credit card quite a bit.  But I can't.  Because we don't have one.

Yes, I have a debit card to use.  And I have the money in the account to cover the spending.  Too bad the rental car place and the hotel can't trust me and will require a credit check in order to do so.  I do have the choice to carry hundreds of dollars in cash to pay for the hotel, but the way our luck is running lately, you know I'd get mugged somewhere in Podunk, Missouri, and be up a creek without a credit card.

Prepare for a quick change of topic without a segue...

I love hearing people talk when they are losing their voices.  That cracked quality, with the squeaks and breaks make me laugh.  I always wanted to lose my voice like that.

Well, I don't anymore.

Three days ago, I started coughing for no reason I can tell.  I never got a stuffy nose.  I've never had allergies.  I just started coughing.  And then on Monday afternoon, my voice started to go.  Horribly.

No one could understand half of what I said.  To illustrate:

At work, Bryan's phone is connected to his email.  Whenever someone leaves a voicemail, his computer will translate it and put it in an email for him.  I called on Tuesday to ask him if he had emailed the guy who I had backed into in the parking lot.  This is what the translator emailed to him...

 Voice Mail Preview:
 
Hey I was just calling to see if you her email tried paging I completely forgot about it but it's prod you on that if you have any bye bye.

It has been ridiculous.  My mom laughs at me when I call her.  Buttercup says, "You sound awful" every time I try to speak.  Normally, it would be a nuisance, seeing as how it's really hard to call for a child who is upstairs.  It's really a nuisance when I'm trying to have a serious chat with a certain 4 year old about his naughty behavior.  It's a big problem when I have to discuss England plans with my friend who will be picking me up from the airport.

Have you ever seen the "Quick Change" people?  They do a lot of pro basketball half time shows and they've been on America's Got Talent.  I change topics faster than they change gowns.

Soccer mayhem has been at an all-time high this week.  Tryouts were Monday night, and things got shaken up.    Many texts and phone calls were had.  Decisions were made.  One coach was finally told off.  And it all happened while I was playing Settlers of Catan with the boys.  (I normally don't have my phone with me when I'm home, but decisions had to be made within the hour.) I was seriously distracted and lost the game.

Last topic change, I promise.

The nice lady from my surgeon's office called.  My surgery had to be moved.  I'm now going under on July 8 instead of 1st.  That means I will only have 10 days to recover before we leave for vacation.  Sure, my dad will be happy, since I can now bring the kids for his 4th of July party, but I will be useless on vacation.

Oh, wait.  One more.  I just caught a glimpse in the mirror and reminded me.

I have been in desperate need of a haircut for weeks now.  Last night, I had an hour to kill between dropping two kids off at different locations and decided to just go to Great Clips real quick.  I've been there many, many times and even if it isn't the best haircut, it's something I can work with.  It's pretty hard to mess up curly hair.  The curls (or a straight iron) cover plenty of mistakes.  Not so this time.  Without even asking me how short I wanted it, she just started hacking away at my hair.  She never once checked to see that she was cutting evenly on both sides.  I didn't have a whole lot of choices at that point, so I soldiered on.  I knew I was in trouble when I asked her to straighten the bangs for me with her hair dryer.  They had curled at a funky angle, and I had places to go after the cut.  She couldn't do it.  And not completely because she didn't know how.  The worst haircut I have ever had.  Hands down.

There is no working with it.  It's too short to work with.  Just in time to meet two of my best blogging friends.

Basically, Dyanne will think I'm going incognito.  My hair is a disaster and my voice is indecipherable.  Just in case this blind meet-up doesn't go as well as planned, she won't ever be able to pick me out of a crowd.

OK, enough complaining about all that's going wrong around here.  There are still good things happening!

Come back over the weekend to see.  I've already written my Ten Things of Thankful list.

I'm going to make it, no matter what gets thrown at me.

Everyone now please pause to knock on some wood.

And say many prayers that no other calamities befall us.

I'd appreciate it.

Have a lovely day!

18 comments:

  1. I hope you didn't pay for such a bad haircut - I certainly wouldn't have. I always think that's the worst thing about haircuts, if it goes wrong you can't stick the hair back on. Hopefully it won't take too long to grow out into something you can work with.

    The voicemail/email translation made me laugh, maybe you should do a few and post them all on here :)

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    1. Unfortunately, I did. No haircut ever looks good when I walk out of the salon. My hair dries in funky curls and waves if you fuss with it when it's wet. I didn't know until I got home and washed it.

      Ha! I only called him the once, so no more recordings, unfortunately. They would have been funny.

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  2. I'm glad your week is worse than mine...you are so good to reframe mine for me. What a pal you are. :)

    Sorry about the credit card. And the haircut. And the scratchy voice. And (especially) the soccer business...

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    1. Glad I could help you out. :)

      Thanks. It's all working out. Except the hair. That will take a lot longer to work out.

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  3. Ohhhhh dear! Life is just not being fair to you. But I still can't wait to meet you, no matter how your hair is :D

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    1. I CANNOT WAIT!! Meeting Dyanne only made me more excited to meet you. It's so fun to meet bloggers in real life. Unless you turn out to be a manly ax-murderer. :)

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  4. I am so obedient...when I read the part about knocking on wood, I dutifully did so on my dining room table.

    The good news? Hair grows. Always.
    The credit card? UGH! My card number was one of the ones that got yoinked in the whole Target fiasco a couple of months ago. I understand the frustration.
    The sudden throat thing? What is up with that? I HATE when that happens. At least if I'm going to be ill, I'd like a little subtle warning not just a BOOM you're sick.
    So cool that you're meeting blog friends. I want to meet blog friends. Have a wonderful time!!!

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  5. You are having a streak of terrible luck. You've still got your sense of humor though. Loved the translation to hubby. I'm sure he laughed.

    See all that laughing over other peoples lost voices isn't so funny now. Right? Bwahahahahahaha.

    I've had more than one of those haircuts. Takes 30 minutes to get the cut and several more haircuts over time to correct the mess.

    Have a fabulous rest of the day. ☺

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  6. You already have your TToT written for this week? I'm impressed! I'm so sorry for your credit card, voice, change of surgery date, and haircut. (Did I miss anything?) You have had quite the run of bad luck lately. Things have got to look up soon!

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  7. cold voice is usually quite attractive, (in a Linda Ellerbee sort of way), squeaky nasal-nasal congestion voice, not as much… ayiie with the credit card thing… what an un-settling prospect (actually stolen credit cards being used at a grocery store is kinda sad… suites at the Hilton, car rentals and caviar can give a good righteous outrage… not so much for someone with that little imagination or money).

    This seems to be the year of meeting VFs in RL sounds like a fun trip.

    total blog-envy over you having your TToT List done...

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  8. ..and your TTOT list is done need I say more to you except that I bow to you...I'm a whining mess this week and that started on Monday before work ! Oh I hate credit card theft hopefully that gets squared away soon, take care of that voice and breathe! :) Marisa

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  9. OK I'm still obsessing on the first subject. HOW did they use your credit card without having the actual card at a GROCERY STORE? I could never get away with that, probably because I'm not a criminal. I had my debit card hacked a while back but the person used it online (from what I could tell), I just can't wrap my head around them using it in person. So strange.
    ANYWAY, so sorry about the haircut. I have learned the hard way that you get what ya pay for! Hope you're feeling better from the cold & the surgery in time for your trip.

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  10. Shave and a haircut...two bits ( that was me knocking on wood!)
    I used to lose my voice that way and grew out of it thank God... of course now its considered sexy ever since Debra Winger days...Now I just get my credit stolen...no just kidding it has only happened once and recently ... my debit card was compromised ( I love it when the bank uses that term...somehow it makes STOLEN seem less awful!) They drained my checking account but the bank replaced everything eventually but to be without the card even for everyday stuff was annoying. I dont use credit cards often but I do use my debit card.
    Have fun with Dyanne! Dont worry I suspect that lethal humor of hers is only in writing and she wont say anything bad about your hair!

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  11. Oh my GOSH you POOR THING!!! Oh how awful I feel for you!!! You can overcome all this crap. Oh yeah sister!

    I am going to be praying for your safety and your healing and your HAIR! lol

    I can't wait to read your TToT post, because I love love love that you can actually embrace the very thought of being thankful.

    Bless your boots! (As Lizzi would say)

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  12. You have a lot going on. Your credit card gets stolen once a year? That's got to be frustrating.

    I think when you meet your blogging friends you should wear a big head scarf and giant sunglasses like they do in the movies. Play it up a bit. Tell them you're too famous to be seen in public!

    Tell Lizzi R. I said hi. She's a blogger I would like to meet. I'd like to meet you too. I think I might be a jealous of both of you right now!

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  13. I CANNOT WAIT!!! Meeting Dyanne only made me more excited to meet you! It is so much fun to meet blogger friends. Unless, of course, you turn out to be a manly ax murderer. :)

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    1. What in the world? That was supposed to be a reply to Lizzi. Good grief.

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  14. our credit card got hacked last month - $600! I think somebody bought an i-pad. The purchase was from an IT place. It makes me so mad that people do that. so selfish and disrespectful. And then, as you said, you don't have a card for a few days. So disrupting. Our bank was good about it, but it's scary. Anyhoo...just had to share. Hope your trip is awesome!!!

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Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you're thinking!