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San Francisco will never cease to amaze me. I was searching for an affordable place— some dignified quarters with rent that wouldn’t rape my wallet. In just two weeks, what I found was my ideal match, the largest bedroom I’ve ever rented, perched above the Castro neighborhood with sweeping views of most of the city. And literally, I can see my office from here! Tomorrow I will post a few photos of my new place and its astonishing vistas.
I am repairing my bank account after a case of debit card theft. Embarrasingly enough, I walked away from a Bank of America ATM in mid-transaction, right after grabbing my money. Unbeknownst to me at the time, a thief crept up to the ATM, just 20 seconds later, while the terminal was still awaiting my input. The thief from hell withdrew another $100, then snatched my debit card and went on a whirlwind shopping spree that spanned three stores (and two taxi rides). Well, I hope the bastard had fun while it lasted… what people won’t do for a 2-hour buzz. That was how long it took me to realize what I had done and call the 800 hotline to report it as stolen.
The stupidity among retailers still runs very deep. The cartoon to the right explains it all. But I won’t start ranting about the broken banking system we have in this credit card nation of ours, for it is still far more secure than that of most other countries. You may have also noticed that I mentioned that I use a debit card. I am proudly one of a dying breed of Americans who only use available cash for all of my purchases. I don’t own a credit card, and I save money to buy everything outright (though I currently own nothing). When I finally decide that it is time to buy a dream car, I’m sure I’ll raise a few eyebrows at the dealership when I present a cashier’s check on the spot.
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(By Daniel Culveyhouse | See the 2 comments | comment here)
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