Today, one of my friends returned from New York and, like last time, brought me bagels. So while I'm incredibly jealous that he's been back to the city twice since I left it, I did get a good bagel for late breakfast after picking him up from the airport and another for late lunch when I got hungry again mid-afternoon.
Then, one of my roomies made another turkey and more stuffing (or technically, dressing) and another pie because we were beginning to run out of leftovers from Thursday's festivities. Now I'm completely stuffed again, but I will have to get up to go to class tomorrow instead of hanging around all day recovering (at least this time there won't be a mildly irresponsible combination of wine and cider and hot-buttered rum with brandy to recover from in addition). And, while I'm on the subject of Thanksgiving food, certain readers may be interested to know that bourbon sweet potatoes were a hit with my roommates.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
WI not too bad: In which the protagonist contemplates Thanksgiving
In spite of the facts that I have classes five days per week instead of four (or three last semester), was not given the Monday before Election Day or Election Day itself off, have to sit in several hours of meetings every week, and have been occasionally (i.e. twice) confronted with the horrifying thought that I could spend *one* weekend day not doing work but have nothing else to occupy myself... there's snow sticking to the ground before Thanksgiving. So I'm forced to conclude that Wisconsin cannot be Hell; it's too cold.
Anyway, I get tomorrow and Friday off for Thanksgiving and some grad students are coming over for food/drinks/board games tomorrow. So things really *aren't* that bad. But about the weather - if you're in the NY area and are thankful for nothing else (bagels, pizza, hangover brunch, a reasonable population density, etc.) the forecast high temperatures there are currently 30 degrees higher than here so you can go outside without gloves and not get frostbite. :-)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Anyway, I get tomorrow and Friday off for Thanksgiving and some grad students are coming over for food/drinks/board games tomorrow. So things really *aren't* that bad. But about the weather - if you're in the NY area and are thankful for nothing else (bagels, pizza, hangover brunch, a reasonable population density, etc.) the forecast high temperatures there are currently 30 degrees higher than here so you can go outside without gloves and not get frostbite. :-)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Oh man...
Why do I have to miss everything exciting? While I've been stuck under a rock in the Midwest, there have been a multitude of exciting Columbia mini-scandals. First the president of Iran was invited to speak, which led to most students skipping class to watch/protest. And more recently several students have gone on a hunger strike. Why are they on a hunger strike, you ask? I haven't the foggiest notion - but apparently they've convinced the administration to change the major cultures requirement and to add more layers (or to expand existing layers?) of the ever-amusing Columbia bureaucracy.
Meanwhile, I've been busy with classes and work and more classes and more work. In fact, the funniest campus semi-protest I've seen was in response to a bunch of rabid evangelical Christians of some fundamentalist variety who spent several days standing out on Library Mall yelling (literally) about how we're all (everyone except these people, apparently) going to hell for tolerating homosexuals, among myriad offenses. So the following week, some kid stood around yelling: "Everyone sucks except me! I'm always right! I could be raising money for charity, or going to class, but I want everyone to know how awesome I am!"
Meanwhile, I've been busy with classes and work and more classes and more work. In fact, the funniest campus semi-protest I've seen was in response to a bunch of rabid evangelical Christians of some fundamentalist variety who spent several days standing out on Library Mall yelling (literally) about how we're all (everyone except these people, apparently) going to hell for tolerating homosexuals, among myriad offenses. So the following week, some kid stood around yelling: "Everyone sucks except me! I'm always right! I could be raising money for charity, or going to class, but I want everyone to know how awesome I am!"
Friday, October 26, 2007
Gah...
It sucks when you finish midterms on the morning of half-price margarita day, only to call off afternoon festivities because of vertigo. WTF? On the plus side, I don't feel like being far from my bed/couch again today, so I get a nice vacation day (as long as I don't move). I'm not going to write anymore in this post though, because my computer screen is giving me a headache.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Lest anyone suspect...
that I have too much time on my hands. Today I really wanted to listen to some music that's on my desktop, but not my laptop. I can't, though, because I haven't set up my desktop yet... it's only been two and a half months since I moved in. Crap!
Anyway, this is my last post for the next week or two because I'm starting mid-semester hellishness.
Anyway, this is my last post for the next week or two because I'm starting mid-semester hellishness.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Midwesterners: unintentionally comical
Apparently, one of my roommates was in REI and overheard the phrase "Matterhorn of the Midwest" used in serious conversation. Subsequent googling of the phrase turns up Wilmot Mountain, the self-proclaimed Matterhorn of the Midwest, which is located on the Wisconsin-Illinois border. It has a mind-boggling vertical drop of 230'. For comparrison, the WI state capitol building is 50' taller.
In their defense, the actual Matterhorn may be rather taller, but it isn't lit for night skiing.
In their defense, the actual Matterhorn may be rather taller, but it isn't lit for night skiing.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Citibank: unnecessarily complicating my life since 2003
It took me weeks to get my checking account open and functional back at the beginning of college. Then, their weird labeling of credit card application entries caused me tremendous confusion, and it took a couple days for me to get my credit card working. Then, things went more or less smoothly for a few years, but lately they've gone back to giving me migraines.
First, in July my credit card account "may have been" compromised and Citibank basically shut it down without warning. This was a minor inconvenience, as I was moving the following week, needed a credit card before then, and didn't want them to send it to my old address. I had to call and yell at them to get them to send me a new card the following day. And did they explain *how* my account was compromised? No, they were cooperating with an ongoing investigation and therefore couldn't provide details. This immediately makes me think my account in fact "was" compromised and that whatever happened was their own fault. Gee, thanks.
More recently, in an attempt to pay my credit card bill online, I accidentally checked the button for my Citibank checking account (which has essentially no money in it) instead of my current checking account (which is periodically replenished through direct deposit). So Citibank sent me a letter, which I got earlier this week (ten days before my credit card bill is due), saying there were insufficient funds and they were deducting $30 from my account. Fine, whatever, my screw-up.
But when I tried to correct my mistake, I checked my checking and credit card accounts, and, oddly, both showed that the bill had been paid (my checking account had the amount of the bill added to my balance and listed as credit) - so I couldn't go back and pay the damn bill from my good checking account because the balance was not listed. Today (eight days before my credit card bill is due), I got an email about how my credit card payment was returned due to insufficient funds and blah blah blah and further online transactions from the account in question would be suspended. Excellent! I can finally fix my mistake. And moreover, they're going to save me from my lack of eye-mouse coordination by making sure that I can't pay my bills from a checking account with no money. Unfortunately, when I went to pay the bill now that they acknowledge the balance I see that they have suspended *all* online transactions until I call them and yell at them. Oops, I guess they meant the credit card account then. Bastards.
Next, just for kicks, I decided to look at the current balance of my checking account... and although the credit card now lists a balance the checking account *still* lists that I have that amount in credit. Right now, I'm exhausted and am going to go to bed. But tomorrow I will have to call the bank's customer service to find out what is going on with my checking account (lest they decide to hold me accountable for the amount that the credit card did not actually deduct from the account due to insufficient funds and blah blah blah). Then I will cancel the transfer I was going to make from my savings account to cover the credit in my checking account (lest Citibank decide to hold *actual* money hostage while I yell at them). Then, I will call the credit card company and figure out how to reactivate online payments so I can pay my damn bill. I will not be surprised when this involves talking to clueless people's supervisors, faxing them paperwork, showing up in person at their billing headquarters in South Dakota with fourteen forms of current ID, waiting an entire billing cycle, or otherwise being prevented from paying my bill by it due date next week, costing me another $30, irreparably damaging my credit, and really really pissing me off (because you can tell that I'm not annoyed yet).
First, in July my credit card account "may have been" compromised and Citibank basically shut it down without warning. This was a minor inconvenience, as I was moving the following week, needed a credit card before then, and didn't want them to send it to my old address. I had to call and yell at them to get them to send me a new card the following day. And did they explain *how* my account was compromised? No, they were cooperating with an ongoing investigation and therefore couldn't provide details. This immediately makes me think my account in fact "was" compromised and that whatever happened was their own fault. Gee, thanks.
More recently, in an attempt to pay my credit card bill online, I accidentally checked the button for my Citibank checking account (which has essentially no money in it) instead of my current checking account (which is periodically replenished through direct deposit). So Citibank sent me a letter, which I got earlier this week (ten days before my credit card bill is due), saying there were insufficient funds and they were deducting $30 from my account. Fine, whatever, my screw-up.
But when I tried to correct my mistake, I checked my checking and credit card accounts, and, oddly, both showed that the bill had been paid (my checking account had the amount of the bill added to my balance and listed as credit) - so I couldn't go back and pay the damn bill from my good checking account because the balance was not listed. Today (eight days before my credit card bill is due), I got an email about how my credit card payment was returned due to insufficient funds and blah blah blah and further online transactions from the account in question would be suspended. Excellent! I can finally fix my mistake. And moreover, they're going to save me from my lack of eye-mouse coordination by making sure that I can't pay my bills from a checking account with no money. Unfortunately, when I went to pay the bill now that they acknowledge the balance I see that they have suspended *all* online transactions until I call them and yell at them. Oops, I guess they meant the credit card account then. Bastards.
Next, just for kicks, I decided to look at the current balance of my checking account... and although the credit card now lists a balance the checking account *still* lists that I have that amount in credit. Right now, I'm exhausted and am going to go to bed. But tomorrow I will have to call the bank's customer service to find out what is going on with my checking account (lest they decide to hold me accountable for the amount that the credit card did not actually deduct from the account due to insufficient funds and blah blah blah). Then I will cancel the transfer I was going to make from my savings account to cover the credit in my checking account (lest Citibank decide to hold *actual* money hostage while I yell at them). Then, I will call the credit card company and figure out how to reactivate online payments so I can pay my damn bill. I will not be surprised when this involves talking to clueless people's supervisors, faxing them paperwork, showing up in person at their billing headquarters in South Dakota with fourteen forms of current ID, waiting an entire billing cycle, or otherwise being prevented from paying my bill by it due date next week, costing me another $30, irreparably damaging my credit, and really really pissing me off (because you can tell that I'm not annoyed yet).
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