Friday, February 11, 2011

Feel Good Friday



Last Friday, I was guest posting over at thegirl's.   That was fun, but strange not to be on my own turf.  So here we are, it's Friday again, and here are some feel good moments from the week.

1.  I had a bit of a boot issue last weekend, but I got my credit and gave the boots back, so I was pleased.   That's my feel good piece.  Then I thought I had found the perfect boots.  Wellies from LLBEAN.  All of the reviews were so excellent.  I knew they would be waterproof because they are completely rubber and there are no zippers or ways for water to get in.  They are almost knee height.  I was OK with that.  They were supposedly well cushioned for all day wear.  And they had the cute socks that you wear with them and they fold over the top so they don't get all stuck down by your toes.  And they arrived yesterday.  I was so excited to do a feel good post about it.  But they don't feel good.  So they're going back.  Just one more issue I have with boots.  I dont' like the floppy, clunckiness by the ankle. 

2.  I needed my jacket zipper repaired because the pull tab has sheared off and I refuse to throw away this coat.  It's an Eddie Bauer ski coat from around 2000 and no one seems to make them of this length anymore.  And the weight is so perfect.  Not bulky, just the right warmth.  So, I went to my handy local cobbler and he was able to put on a new pull.  This is a picture of his place.  You walk in and it's just lots of weird things that people give cobblers as collectibles.  But he's a nice guy and I was tickled.  He also looked at some shoes that I have that had a heel issue and he said he can fix them.  They are fine otherwise and pretty much a staple in my clothing diet, so I must get them repaired.  What will we do when no cobblers exist at all????

3.  If you spend money foolishly and have credit debt up the wazoo, skip and go on to #4.  I don't want to hear your whining.  I, on the other hand, know about spending money like a true old world scotsman and not a nickel goes out of my pocket without some severe thinking about it.  This also means that come hell or highwater, I have never carried a balance on a credit card because I refuse to give those suckers any of my money, while instead, I reap all those rewards they give to people who collect points.

Imagine my horror when I paid Discover on Wednesday and happened to notice at the bottom that it said in 2011 I had paid $21.00 in interest.  WTF????  I reread the statement like 50 times and couldn't figure it out.  I called them so fast, I didn't have time to dig out my other statements, but I was sure this was absurd.  I always pay in full.  AL.WAYS.

When I got a person, I said was calling about an interest charge.  She immediately told me it stemmed from

"the 10 cents you did not pay in November. "

"Excuse me?  Did you say 10 cents? "

"Yes, but I am removing those charges right now. "

"Wait.  WHAT???  10 cents?  What are you talking about?  I have to pay $21 because I underpaid by 10 cents??????"

"Yes, but I am removing that now.  And the $19 you paid in December because of that 10 cents.  You see, Miss Simpleton, 10 cents really ruins everything."

"Ok, I am still not understanding this.  Almost $40 because I didn't pay 10 cents?  I paid in full last month, correct?"

"Yes, and the $19 in interest you earned from the 10 cents you did not pay in November."

"So if I paid in full last month, how am I still receiving interest?"

"Because,  Miss I'm Going To Revoke Your Degrees, while you were waiting to pay that bill last month, there was still interest growing from that 10 cents you not did pay.  Yes there was $19 in interest on your bill that you did pay,  but that other interest was still there, earning.  It's not like this is geometry."

"...."

"I can see you are a customer who has never carried a balance which is why I am removing the interest.  Whenever people like you call, I always know it's 5 or 10 cents that ruined the whole thing."

"Ok, so both charges have been removed and I have no interest?"

"Correct"

"Well, thank you for that."

I didn't even have to ask, she just did it.   That was a major feel good moment.   I can't believe I am so stupid as to not know how interest works.  And here is the irony.  I ALWAYS overpay my bills.  I prefer to round them up to the nearest round figure.  However, with my Discover card, I don't, because I use that for my lia sophia business and I want that to be down to the penny.  Had I rounded like I do with everything else, that 10 cents would have been covered.  It literally was 10 cents.  I went back and looked.  Truly amazing.  Lesson learned.  Thank God I noticed or I'd be paying forever and ever and not even know.  And I'm pretty meticulous when reading my bills.

K-ster says that's what I get for writing checks.  If I did it online, he says, this would never have happened.  But, the money thing online for me is too much like a game and not real.  And too easy to overlook and never get around to checking.  I need the paperwork in front of me.  I need to write the check and mail it.

4.  I ran on Sunday for the first time in far too long.  It might have been October, the last time I ran.  Keep in mind that I do workout, I teach at the gym, I cross train, so it's not like I sat on the couch for 4 months and ate things.   I don't love running.  I run because I am trying to outrun death.  I've been running for 10 years and still don't love it.  They say that one day, you just love running.  Really?   Which day will that be, cuz I'm still waiting.

I have to say that though I do not love running, there are things that I do love about running.

I love being done.

I love the portability.

I love that I ran when I was in Belgium.  I ran in Washington, D.C.  I ran in Florida.

I love that I am strong and have endurance because of it.

But if you say "sparkling, do you love ice cream or running?"  I would choose ice cream.  "Correcting papers or running?"  Correcting papers.  "Cleaning the litterbox or running?"  cleaning the litter box.  "painting the walls in your house (which are not smooth and are little bastards, every one of them) or running?"  painting.  "getting a paper cut or running?"  paper cut, every time.

So, while it felt good to get out and run and not expire, I did have a little issue.  I was running, thinking it was a decent day for a change, the ice and snow were pretty much gone, it was nice to be running in the sun (something I loathe in the summer and curse the entire way).  Out of nowhere, my ankle turned and I was doing one of those comedy sketches where I'm trying to keep my balance while frantically spinning my arms so I don't fall down.  I managed to stay upright, staggering like a drunk and kept on running.  My ankle hurt, but I figured I could run off the pain.  And I did.  And at least I didn't fall, right?  But it probably looked even more asinine than if I had fallen.  The people driving by, whose eyes I saw before I tripped, must have been like

"What is that runner doing?  Is that some kind of newfangled training??"

5.  Gwentsopher does not appear to have anything wrong with her eye.  And that's a good thing.  The other morning, she jumped on the bed when k-ster let her in, and she wasn't opening her eye.  This has been a sign in the past of nasty fights.  She can't keep her paws to herself, outside.  She had 2 infections one summer, one right after the other, both needing surgery to drain and then had to stay in for 45 days.  Each time.  Have you ever tried to keep a cat who was born outside, inside for 45 days?  In the summer?   While applying a warm compress to the wound each night and giving antibiotics?  It truly is a work of art to watch me wrangle Gwenstopher into the proper compress/antibiotic administration position.  One k-ster stands back and admires.

One of those infections was noticed with the inability to open her eye.  So I kept my eye (ha ha ha) on her but she seems to have been playing with me.  Considering she has been out once in like 2 months, I was shocked she managed to get into a fight that one afternoon, but I wouldn't put it past her.   Looks like the coast is clear.

Now get over to thegirl and link up your own feel good moments from the weeek!

2 comments:

  1. I have a HUGE amount of credit card debt but I still read #3. Because I want to get out of debt and be frugal. I'm working on it but it's like losing weight. It's easier to put on than take off. :(

    I'm looking for some Wellie type boots, too but I'm hard to fit because of a high arch. I think I need a zipper to get them on.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven't had credit card debt since the 80's. I felt horrar at reading your story. My god that is amazing. I'm happy for you that she took it off so readily. I too would not want to give them my money especially in such ludicrous amounts. I have Scot in me too. Muhaha.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments almost as much as I love summer. I reply to all comments except those ridiculous anonymous comments offering me dirty deeds and real estate. When you leave your comment, please make sure your own settings will allow me to reply to you. Nothing makes me sadder than replying to your comments and then realizing it’s going to the no-reply@blogger address!