2023-04-07 - 2:47 p.m.

Fucking banks

I am so irritated at the bait and switch of a credit card offer.

Read the fucking fine print carefully folks.

I did some research and responded to a credit card offer that said NO interest on balance transfers for 21 mos;

they sent me a card which does not have that in writing ANYWHERE in the T&Cs sent to me.

Fuckers
Bait and switch

If I read the T&Cs and accept the terms by calling to activate, and signed the card and use it I would be bound by its terms.

So I call

They tell me they can offer the deal I saw and wanted over the phone only.

OK I did this once before. I know they record calls and read the long terms and get you to agree.
I would do that..
I had him read the terms-
I get the 3% rather than the 5% Transaction fee for balance transfer

I KNOW there are O% offers on transfers out there that are better BUT BUT BUT

I also know that if I just get this the fuck done I will still save some money on interest. So sometimes go with the deal at hand that will save me money think about investing time to do research and find a better deal
as getting it done
BETTER than ASPIRING To get it done BETTER
and not having the damn thing done... as put it off
in the perfectionist manner of trying to do it as perfectly as possible.

* Atrophy of not being decisive
* fear of commitment
* Might be something better out there etc etc
which I HATE witnessing in others so try to avoid in myself.

( Thinking of the bathroom leak I tried to fix, did not work PERFECTLY but at least I have a new flapper and it is an improvement even if runs a little sometimes... and I was worried about the high water bill. I had a $450 water bill two months ago but this month the bill for the last two months came and it was SIGH OF RELIEF $175! WHEW)

BUT THEN There was interference on the line

The fuckers apparently don't really want my business.

SO annoying.
I will call back and just tell them to cancel the darn card they sent to me and am buckling down to do the research anyway.

As I have a kid going overseas looking at who has ZERO interest on foreign purchases.
May be AMEX is the best choice.

My kid says does not want a credit card but that is the best way to have some assurance of access to funds in an emergency. So the kid may want to re-think that.

I paid down my AMEX. Not carrying a balance on it. So good time for me to get a card for the kid if they consent. Then the kid could have some back up plan and help when goes overseas. I think it is pretty important. I don't have cash on hand but heck can offer a decent credit rating and that help for an emergency safety fund for the kid at least.

OH and in other news in the past few days I DID finally plan travel for the clan to go visit my Dad and family!

The good news is that I was able to do so using Airline points with Southwest Airlines! I have had nothing but good experiences flying with Southwest!

Just had to vent as taking care of just a couple bills and financial things before go for an afternoon run now. I really do like to take care of paperwork when I get it. I mean ASAP. Freaking pay the bill, throw out junk mail immediately and file crap immediately when can. I am not a fan of putting shit on my desk to deal with later as with ADHD that is what gets me in trouble with things like forgetting deadlines or paying stupid fines on small tolls etc.

I function much better when just take care of stuff ASAP when have time to do so. I am really disciplined with how I manage mail. Most of it gets thrown out immediately to be honest. Paper clutter messing up a home is in my mind can be avoided with good habits of decisively throwing out about 80% of the mail one gets immediately! MARKETING CRAP ALL GETS THROW OUT! Seriously with few exceptions. I think Brecks flower marketing one of the few exceptions.

In happy news I am delighted I decided to go for their flower bulb offering last Fall. I was wondering if it was foolish as I dropped money on tulip bulbs.

I don't think so however, as if I recall correctly they are where I bought the bulbs that now resulted in my flower bed having the tulips I envision but seldom have had.
Only one prior year do I recall the bed being as full of tulips. Of course the unseasonably warm winter helped much.

BUT, it was a good buy as I have the loveliest tulips in my front yard on the short walkway to my front porch. I mean its a small plot, but it is PACKED with blooming bulbs just now, pink and yellow and red, interspersed with what is left of the Spring daffodils.
To the right of my porch as you approach it is the one crappy bike I am going to toss ( my kid's) but I did not yet throw out as I decided it is worth removing it's cushioned seat and the reflectors and the kickstand. The bike from my son does not have a kickstand and I find them useful.

I did take the ride to pick up the one bike my son left that was fixed. I relunctnatly paid for its repair and let go ( so I thought) of the anger at the bike shop owner who did not listen and just fixed it rather than call with the estimate. I mean he called with the esitmate of MY BELOVED bike which was outlandishly high, so it made me feel like he was just intentional and it was not some oversight. I felt very much like he was just a downright asshole and being dishonest and a jerk. Like if I did not pick up the bike he was then going to be left with it and SELL IT at a profit.

I think he was not naive and not really not paying attention when I said I was not sure I wanted to fix that
BUT CHOSE To ignore me.

I think he was trying to take advantage.

But I was too angry to think about engaging in conversation with a stranger I have no investment in a relationship with. I opted to pay and pick it up and pick up MY BIKE saying NO to its repair and then then brought my bike to another bike shop 30 minutes west of my home. (The one I dropped it off is 20 minutes east.)

What a difference in prices of everything as go further from D.C. We found when shopping for a car in the past it pays for us to drive further from the city. True of real estate, cars, and also bike repair apparently.

The initial estimate is about 1/3 the cost the asshole in the shop east of me quoted. The 2nd shop confirmed what I thought:

Nothing wrong with tires,
or bike chain ( but needing cleaning)
or the pedals

I mean the guy at the first shop was just full of shit to be honest.

Giving me BS about shit that made no sense like I was clueless and didn't know my own bike.

I rode the thing not that long ago, rust and all... but when I was refilling the tires did have trouble aligning the tire on the rim as when cleaning it I think I knocked it off.

It just needs some work and I have no trouble paying for labor, actual time and actual work
but the inflated BS was nonsense.

I mean the one that was repaired did have the broken shifter replaced but the $75 labor charge and overinflated cost of that actual part were nonsense for a bike that I feel like was very lightly ridden in past. It was freaking brand new looking. I broke the part when I was not USED to the brakes you use with your feet on the pedal ( Disk brake? I forget the kind. The 2nd shop owner said he has not seen one of those in YEARS.)

I apparently was not over the emotional upset of this as the poor guy at the 2nd shop did hear the earful of my vent. I thanked him for his gracious listening and being so patient with me.

I am so relieved my water bill is low as I was concerned if it was not it might have been a problem having paid for that bike to pick it up. The shop called and I figured just go get it and let go of the anger and figured, yeah it is good to have a back up, and yeah I will ride the darn thing to work soon in this nice weather.

Bike to Work day is coming up.

https://www.biketoworkmetrodc.org/

It is one of my fav things. I really enjoy that event alot. I really ENJOY bike commuting. I seriously would love a job in which I could regularly bike commute.

A job actually opened up that I applied for that would be nice. Not what I was looking for but the opportunity arose. It honestly would pay FAR LESS than jobs I have been looking at but there are reasons I would like to work there regardless. One is the NATURE Of the business and the services they offer.

I know the person who just gave notice. They gave only two weeks notice. For the role they are in, that tells me either they were not happy OR They have another great position they HAVE to start right away and the existing place did not value them enough to be willing to convince them to stay by paying their worth. I put in my resume with a salary that is fair for my experience in this market (maybe a little low to be honest) BUT which is likely HIGHER than they were paying *(knowing the space it is in.)
I have no idea why the person resigned. BUT I can tell you this- IF IT WERE due to not being paid enough there is no way I would want a company to get away with that so I refuse to be the one to go in at LESS Than what they paid the last person if I can help it (Hell no).
And if that person I know left due to not being valued, well then it might help to put that person in a negotiation position to get money they do deserve. Frankly therefore if it turns out that person does not leave but gets the pay they deserve because they can only replace by paying me (or someone else) MORE that would please me. The problem is companies always can find someone to work for less- but the truth is the green employee most often will not have the skills to be as good as a seasoned one. It is in fact a place I have WORKED before which is how I know of the opening to begin with.
.
The reason I mention it is that it does meet my goal of being a job I could bike commute to!
It is in the town that is the ideal one for a nice bike commute. I mean my vision was to find a full time role that supports:
bike commuting
healthy work life balance
continuing my own company with its clients where NO CONFLICT
doing meaningful work that I inherently find valuable meaning
some mission of service to others WITH
NICE Work environment, nice people who ACCEPT me for me
(And who are not going to fire me the moment, if it happens, they find I have a trans kid, or I have a disability- if in being ME I happen to perhaps OVERSHARE. I mean Fuck being worried about oversharing and being a REAL PERSON. I want to work in a space I can be myself and not have to mask all the fucking time. SURE we all have to mask to be professionals and I AM GOOD AT IT when needed. But it is not needed all the damn time. I can't work with folks who are nervous nellies around anyone different.)

OK back to my financial responsibilities of the day before the run and then watching Godspell. It is my family tradition! Today I will watch it by myself (unless one of my few local friends wants to join me. It occurred to me the arty stylist who helped me prepare for my theater piece might like this! Perhaps will text him after my run. We do have plans to meet next week along with our mutual friend available then but I know he has had a wicked crazy busy hard week and he might like to chill and relax over the movie tonight even though we have plans already for next week).

Oh in other social news, I had a lovely afternoon flying a kite with Dr. Faucci! AND this was super fun I finally met his beloved too! About freaking time. She was over which is one of the things kinda rare (as he heads to her place most often to be honest and something he is disappointed about but accepts.) It was honestly so nice to see him SO HAPPY with her hanging at his house with him last Sat, and the joy they shared when walking the dogs. I mean just the way they look at each other says it all. They are clearly both very much in love with each other. YES ! It was so good to see. I mean he is helpless when she looks at him. HA HA Seriously.
I did enjoy flying a kite with him on Sunday afternoon. We did that last Spring too, as it is one of the things he loves and he was so happy to share that with me. He has a couple kites so we each had one over at the local park and fully enjoyed the windy day, then a snack at a gem of local coffee shop next to this old historic hardware store. There is a new chain store in town and it may be impacting the local business so I think he just wanted to go support the existence of the shop and continue our time out for a bit to talk. I love that when we hang out I bring Bella with me as it is SO NICE to always have adventures with this friend who loves me bringing her along. She had such fun at that park and there was plenty of running. I am good at running holding dog on leash while navigating the kite. I did have to run to get my kite airborne and as it was a very windy day moved with the direction of the wind to keep the kite afloat. I am rather good at it to be honest which of course makes it even more fun

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