mallorys_camera

I'm off work for my "weekend" now. I am, however, on-call for potential overtime during the next 6 days, because I volunteered my name on the list.

I didn't watch either livestream, because it was busy at work this evening. As I type this message, the Board of Trustees issued their vote on the closure of several university campuses in Pennsylvania. The President of the university also ended a livestream discussion about these profound changes. There is a special phone queue setup for handling calls about this issue. Who attends that campus closure line? Why, it's IT Support, of course, you silly goose.

If it gets too busy for regular staffing levels, they'll call in people to help out. I've turned on the ringer on my smart phone, so I can respond if I'm called to report for duty.

I hope it's dull. I hope there's no increase. It's rational that they're trying to be prepared. I'm just not in the mood to get yelled at, even though all of us are always (not just for this event) empowered to immediately hang up on anybody who is verbally abusive, which is a wonderful policy that I appreciate immensely.

Here is the roadmap for the closures. The data is solidly behind these closures. They did a good job on the recommendations here (PDF file, 15.8MB, 143 pages). I hope all of this phone preparation is completely unnecessary. I don't want to get called in for overtime.

bill_schubert

Usaa responded to the complaint I filed at CFPB just now:

Hi William,

Thank you for bringing your concern to our attention. My team at USAA Federal Savings Bank works in conjunction with the CEO’s office, and I’m researching what occurred. I’ll contact you shortly to discuss this further.

If you need to reach me, please feel free to call me at 210-531-USAA (8722), 800-531-8722, (TTY:711/TRS) or #8722 on a mobile device and enter extension 54205 when prompted.

Sincerely,

Carolyn

Member Advocacy

USAA Federal Savings Bank

Very interesting. And thanks, again to Senator Warren. And fuck the MAGAs who undercut CFPB funding.

bill_schubert

I'm about halfway through moving my banking from USAA to SoFi. Most of it is easy, just a lot. Connecting PayPal and Schwab and my credit union and HEB and probably others I've not thought of is time consuming and has to be done with care for obvious reasons. Plus things are still happening so I've got to be sure I have money where it should be when it should be there.

I've got half a dozen various auto deposits coming into the USAA account and have to track each one down and change it. The first was my military pension. That was actually not too bad. I did make the change but it will not take effect until my July paycheck. I actually have some USAA checks so I can deposit money into SoFi that way. I did the first today. If that works I'll just keep doing that until everything is moved over and automated.

The big glitch, turns out, is Social Security. Thanks to Elon I can't make a direct deposit change without physically going to a SS office. I'm not attempting to make an appointment to do that. When I went to their page I found this note:

The Austin and Georgetown offices have shifted to an appointment focused enumeration model for both original and replacement SSN Cards. If using ESS to assist caller with scheduling, please input the Online Control Number. Walk-ins may not be accommodated. Callers should complete OSSNAP and schedule an appointment. If caller has a driver's license/ID card, iSSNRC will allow them to complete the process without visiting the FO.

Can you imagine the majority of people who need to go to the office now due to Elon's edicts and they get this message. I actually do not know what all of that means but have called to request an appointment and am waiting for a call back.

Well while I was writing that I got a very nice lady from Georgetown on the phone who said I could drop in and make a Direct Deposit change without an appointment. She said the paragraph above had to do with getting or replacing a card. So strange.

At least it appears that it should be straightforward if annoying to go there and make the change. But I'm resolved to leave USAA behind with or without my $500.

fauxklore

Continuing the catch-up ...

1. Name three things in your fridge right now that you are looking forward to eating I have corn tortillas and Mexican cheese blend, which means I can make quesadillas. I also have surimi and ramen noodles (and there are frozen Asian vegetables in the freezer) which will make a nice stir fry with the addition of sesame oil and soy sauce. And there are a couple of containers of Trader Joe’s strawberry-vanilla Greek yogurt. Aside from that, except for some eggs and a jar of spaghetti sauce (which really doesn’t need to be refrigerated since it’s unopened), almost everything in the refrigerator is some sort of condiment or a beverage.

2. What is the price of a dozen eggs at the store near you? Is there a price at which you will choose to not buy eggs? I think I paid $4.29 at Trader Joe’s a couple of days ago.

3. What does "copy cat,” mean to you? Someone with the good taste to imitate me.

4. What was your first pet? Why did you choose this pet? My brother and I both had turtles when we were really little. I don’t think there was any choice involved, since my parents bought them for us. Later on, we had Rosie the mouse, who we got from my next-door-neighbor after her mother objected to having a mouse. (I think her name was officially Rose Petal. She was a very cute white mouse.)

5. What is my earliest or happiest memory? My earliest memory is of being at my grandparents’ bungalow in the Catskills. I may have been chased by a cow, so it wasn’t actually a happy memory. I do have happier memories there which involve all the women playing mahjongg.

6. How are you going to make tomorrow a joyful day? Maybe working my way through my to-do list.

7. What are a few qualities you dislike in other people, and why? At the top of the list of annoying qualities is interrupting people. Mansplaining is a particular example of this.

8. What was your favourite thing to collect as a child, and why? I collected foreign coins, which started with buying a packet of them. I know I bought some at Expo ’67 in Montreal, but I may have gotten some earlier than that at the New York World’s Fair in 1964.

9. What is your greatest fear and how often do you think about it? I am terrified of heights. I can’t say I think about that a lot, however, since it is easy to avoid high places in my day to day life.

10. Have you ever moved? Tell about one of your moves. I’ve moved several times. Probably the most interesting was driving from Los Angeles to northern Virginia in 2002. I stopped at the Meteor Crater in Arizona and went to both the Cadillac Ranch and the less famous Bug Ranch in Texas. I ate some very good Mexican food in Tucumcari, New Mexico. I did not stand on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, but I resented the sign suggesting I should do so since I was then earwormed by the song “Hotel California” all the way to Oklahoma, where there was a sign telling me that the land was grand. I was also surprised in Russell, Arkansas where overhearing a conversation between two guys and a motel desk clerk informed me that dry counties still exist in some places.

11. Tell about a time you were given, or gave, flowers. My mother was really thrilled with the bouquet of flowers I had sent for her 80th birthday.

12. What is something that made your mother happy. Aside from getting flowers, Mom loved going to the theatre and I took her to Broadway shows for Mothers’ Day for several years.

13. What did your family do on Sundays as a child? My brother and I rode our bikes to Rhodes (officially called a delicatessen, but really more or less a general store) to pick up the Sunday New York Times and a box of “mixed fancies” (i.e. Italian pastries). We ate pastries as well as things like bagels or pletzel for brunch. We had to wait for Mom to finish with the NYT Sunday crossword before we were allowed to even look at it to try to fill in the words she didn’t know.

14. As a whole, do you live for tomorrow or today? Explain. I do both. I have long to-do lists for today, but I am also always planning things for the future.

15. Which talent would you most like to have? I’d like to have actual musical talent.

16. Which holiday has the most meaning for you-—and why? Passover brings back a lot of family memories.

17. What’s something exciting you are looking forward to? My upcoming paper conservation workshop in Greece.

18. Who do you feel most connected to right now and why? Probably Cindy, because we talk on the phone or text almost every day.

19. How much money is enough for you? As much as it takes to pay for my condo fees, food and other necessities (e.g. housewares and drugstore purchases), books, and a couple of trips a year.

20. How have your views on friendship changed as you’ve gotten older? I recognize that some friendships will inevitably end, just because of people moving or changing interests.

21. Make a list of 10 fun things you could do this week. I’m going to Balticon this coming weekend, so that probably accounts for 10 in and of itself.

22. What author, book or series do you refuse to read? I have no interest in the Fifty Shades series.

23. What helps you feel grounded and centered? This is a tough question. I guess completing some home organizing chores would qualify.

24. How are you and your parents alike? I share my parents’ love of books, especially mysteries. I also share some of their musical tastes, especially Broadway show tunes and humorous songs, e.g. Tom Lehrer and Allan Sherman.

25. What did your parents do for fun? My parents liked to go to the theatre and to play board games. Those are also things I do for fun.

26. If you had the option of living forever, would you take it? Only if that included perfect health and if the people I’m close to would also live healthily ever after.

27. What is your favorite day of the week? I don’t think there is any particular day of the week that is always my favorite. For any given week, there may be some event I am looking forward to, however.

28. Who do you talk to when you have a problem? One of my friends, usually either Cindy or Kim, depending on what the problem is.

29. What did you see today that was beautiful? The fabric that one of the women in my crafts group dyed.

30. Did you have a good sleep last night? Pretty good.

31. What are some things you are proud of yourself - for accomplishing, for being, for surviving, for changing, for not changing? I’m proud of how many places I have managed to travel to.

wayfaringwordhack

Hello, Internet friends.

Long time no interaction. So long, I don't even know how to start a post. Just writing about inanities feels like a waste of time, but laying out all the heavier stuff feels very unfair. I know this is my blog and I can write what I want, but just unloading All The Stuff and then possibly (probably) disappearing for another few months seems a bit pointless and unfair. All that means I have written and consecutively erased five openings to this entry.

Anyhow, let's just do the abbreviated version:

- The hyaluronic acid injection has finally made a difference in my day-to-day pain level in the arthritic knee. While it is not perfect, I am much better. However, I am still wake in the night from the pain and am feeling the effects of several months of broken sleep. This, coupled with my allergies (also mostly better this year because of meds), has meant that I am often tired physically, but also mentally and emotionally.

- The fatigue is also likely in part due to walking alongside a friend whose daughter is dying of a brain tumor. I don't pretend to be some super friend who is really there with her all the time and is carrying any kind of load other than being another mother with a child of the same age.

- Our contract in Lebanon is about to enter its last year. That, too, starts to take a toll because we are now entering "what's next?" waters and all the weighty decisions and discussions that always accompany this phase. I am not complaining about this because it is the life we have chosen. This is just me recognizing patterns and accepting that this is the way it goes. In some ways, I have already "started checking out," as one friend puts it.

- Ever since discovering pottery upon our return to Lebanon in February, I have thrown myself wholeheartedly into it. I have loved all of it until getting things back from the glaze firings. What should be a lovely, crowning, fulfilling moment has so far been one of serious disappointment. All my hopes of beautiful pieces have not been realized as my ignorance about glazes and what they do has meant all my efforts have churned out tripe. Our teacher is not big on the artsy side or experimenting, so her glazing instructions were very rudimentary. I should have started with training wheels (ie one glaze at a time, simply applied) instead of trying for special effects. But I had bigger ambitions! *sigh* So disappointing. And expensive. Pottery is definitely a more expensive and time-consuming hobby than oil painting.

- Oil painting. Haven't done much of it of late. I might try to paint tomorrow. J has been gone to France since the 10th and will be back on Saturday, so it might not be the best time to pull out paints. I should clean instead. 😜

mallorys_camera

Not only has it been raining for the past two days, it's been cold! It's not even supposed to break 50° F today. I've been forced to haul the space heater back out.

My life continues to be ver-r-r-r-ry quiet. I don't lack for friends, but few of them live here. There are days when this is a source of agita for me, but fortunately, today is not one of them.

NightCafe gets no ❤️LUV❤️ from the Kool Kids, but I like it since I prefer bringing animated illustrations to life to so-called photo realism. Fantasy R Us!!!

rebeccmeister

Somehow or another it's almost the end of May, and I only just got most of the tomato plants in the ground yesterday!

The varieties that I transplanted into the wine barrel a week? Two weeks? ago are looking pretty happy.

I planted six different varieties in the main garden bed. There is basically a row in between the mint and strawberry plants where I could fit them in.

I still haven't decided on homes for the last 2 varieties.

Meanwhile, there are little strawberries on many of the strawberry plants.

And flower buds on the raspberry canes.

I probably won't manage to get the soaker hose and timer set up before leaving to bike tour, but the tomato plants will all fare far better in the ground instead of in pots, while I'm away. They had reached the point where I had to water them on the daily, and now they will have access to a ton more nutrients, too.

It will be interesting to see how all these different varieties fare. All of these plants are planted too densely for optimal tomato production, but for whatever reason I just can't bring myself to thin them out too much.

puddleshark

Aquilegia longissima.

Another warm morning. The gardens at Holme looked lovely in the sunshine, but this harsh light is horrible for flower photography. My camera just couldn't cope with the light/shadow contrast, and none of my pictures came out well.

( Read more... )

summersgate

Art table today. When I get done with the latest LIVE book (art-a-day) I'm working in now I'm going to do something new and start to use a commercial coil bound book next. The handmade books I've been using get very out of shape as you can see by the one I'm working on now on top of the pile in the center. I can get 30 sheet 140 lb watercolor paper books for cheap so I think those will be my next books to work in. Maybe not as "cool" as a handmade book but more suited to watercolors and acrylics. I tried out a page in one last night. I say I'm tired of art-a-day (with its rule of having to do SOMEthing everyday, no matter how simple or dumb) but really I like it. It feels like a daily accomplishment that I wouldn't have otherwise. It fulfills something. An expression of my day. I don't want to stop. Thinking about this stuff energizes me.

Breakfast this morning: plain Greek yogurt, honey almond granola, dried cranberries, walnuts. Another breakfast I like is a hard boiled egg with a handful of lime corn chips. Or I make steel cut oatmeal for us and have mine with brown sugar, a little butter and almond milk. Sometimes we'll have French toast with butter and real maple syrup. I think we'll be having that a lot when the younger chickens start laying in July. Something is wrong with Blondie - her last 3 eggs had no hard shell, just a rubbery bag around them. Hopefully it's just a calcium deficiency - I gave them a big handful of oyster shells yesterday in addition to the usual ground up eggshells that I always have available for them to peck at.

Art group today. I got a game yesterday called Shut The Box that I'm bringing and hope that we can play it.

smokingboot

It isn't deja vu; I remember seeing it and trying to copy it from memory when I was a girl. I only saw it once and never again until right now when it appeared on my FB feed in full glory, title and name supplied: Mystery and Melancholy of a Street by Giorgio De Chirico.

Mystery and Melancholy of a Street - de Chirico

I never knew the name of this piece, nor anything about it, but the image haunted me for a long time alongside a couple of others easier to trace. This painting, this yellow road right here is a place I can understand and almost recognise as a suburb of Carcosa. This is where Cassilda sent her daughter when she finally understood the Yellow King. I remember yellow light and roads of yellow dust mixed with that light, Singapore, Spain, brilliant beautiful years before I could speak. But I am not caught in some allegory of my past made up in a half dream. For once I can be definitive; I saw this landscape long ago, only once, but I remembered it and tried to recreate it. My moment in the kitchen is as real a memory as my sight of the painting.

But when did I see it? Impossible before I was seven, when there was neither school nor TV around. And afterwards I don't recall watching art programmes at the time even assuming they existed and interested my parents. I never saw this at home, never learned of it in school, so where do I know it from? And when did I try to make my own version of it?

Maybe the painting I need to create is one of me sitting at our old kitchen table trying to reproduce the above. Or if I really want to be clever, a portrait of now me trying to paint a picture of then me trying to reproduce Mystery and Melancholy of a Street . If that doesn't get me on Portrait Artist of the Year, I'll hand back my pseud's membership card.

Meanwhile, I am getting over having another tooth out (eh, they did warn me re the radiotherapy) fortunately the damage is mostly at the back. I have spent days on a combo of bloody powerful painkillers, wandering around the house like a stoned elephant. It is, in fact, the perfect point at which to bump into a painting I know, like an old friend who's crazy-lucid but tells great stories all the while insisting they are true.

poliphilo

Being a Quaker elder turns out to involve more than sitting in the corner looking venerable. It also involves dealing with people who bring untrained puppies into the Meeting for Worship. And doing so firmly but lovingly. It has a lot in common with the office of churchwarden in the dear old, corrupt old, silly old Church of England. Churchwardens it occurs to me, are issued with staves as a symbol of office- and not only as a symbol but also as a defensive or offensive weapon- used to keep order and maintain decency in the sacred building. It is essentially a quarter-staff as used by the outlaw Little John to thwack persons of whom he disapproved....

flemmings

By force of will I got the biodegradable garbage out in its green bin but nothing else, because it rained all day and I am not up for getting soaked more than twice. Once was physio and twice was nama gomi, and though I know garden waste bags don't disintegrate in the wet like other paper, my bag can stay dry in the bunker for another fortnight. By which time there may be two or even three of them.

It's not unheard of to have the heat on in May, it just hasn't been necessary in recent years. But I bumped the thermostat up this evening because 10C/50F on a day when the sun didn't shine but the wind did blow is quite different from 10C when it does and doesn't.

Worrying about not hearing anything re: my dental plan renewal, I went back online and did it again, this time being sure to give my address, which Service Canada surely has. This time I read the note about You will not receive an email in response to this (good, that's why I didn't get one) we will mail you your registration. Well no, you won't, because we're going to have another mail strike oh joy. Oh well. I trust I'll be covered come July one way or the other.

rebeccmeister

I decided I should bring my last bag of chocolate-peppermint tea home with me, to do a taste test.

The tea has specific brewing instructions on the back:

I figured I could weigh out equivalent amounts of each tea, as part of the test:

Alas, my kitchen scale isn't precise enough for the task! So I had to guess.

But I steeped both teas for the same amount of time, with water of the same temperature, at least.

Not that you can compare the hues accurately, in these mugs!

A taste:

And a taste:

The Stash variety is definitely much more mellow than my homemade stuff. That could be partly due to the age of the Stash leaves, but I also wonder whether the chocolate peppermint plants might be a type of spearmint rather than a peppermint. I was getting a much stronger and sharper mint flavor from the homegrown stuff. Not enough of a chocolate note yet; it may take more trial-and-error to figure out just how much to spritz on the leaves.

I mean, this first homemade batch is certainly drinkable!

But the experimint will continue.

summersgate

Today's art a day: Bright Rainy.

I'm starting to make plans for what I want to do art-wise, when I get done with my art a day project next month and I'm thinking I'd maybe like to fill a book with abstract watercolors - patterns and lines, zentangle/doodle stuff. I just ordered a fresh bottle of masking fluid and some tiny brushes that I think will be helpful.

The creek earlier today, between rain showers.

somedayseattle

Boy howdy. Yesterday was a day. I got an early text from Da Younga Sista. . Her ex-husband but they never got an actual divorcée was found unresponsive and passed away. That came completely out of left field. For years the name I used for him on this journal is Gurg. Out of respect I will give him back his name. Greg.

He and my sister have been together a long time a long time. Without going into bloody details they split up a decade or so ago but never went through the process of a legal divorce. They separated and went on with their own lives. Greg has fought a 40 year battle with the bottle. He’s tried rehab several times but to no success. (“Ya gotta wanna”-OC) J-Nic called me a couple weeks ago and said Greg had reached sobriety for the first time. She said hanging out with him for a weekend was a great experience. I’m so happy she had that before Greg left as their relationship (as was Greg with many people) tempestuous at best.

I was never a big fan of Greg’s. His arrogance and cockiness were over bearing and completely undeserving. MeDad gave him a job when he was down on his luck. Within a matter of weeks Greg was referring to himself as a 'carpenter. At that point he was the clean up boy and the gopher (the gopher is someone who you sent out to do menial tasks. Go get me a saw. Go move that pile of wood etc) about six months into his tenure he told me that MeDad didn’t know how to do something and he had to step in to show him. In case I never mentioned it MeDad was a certified master carpenter. That point there were only six in North Carolina. MeDad knew everything about carpentry, plumbing, framing, electrician work etc. He doesn’t forget things and need some newbie scrub to show him. That was the kind of person Greg was. He went on to start his own business. Within two years his attitude and poor quality work alienated most every builder in the area. I was never anything less than polite to him. My opinions matter not. Sista saw something in him that I didn’t and that’s what was important.

Having gone through Alcoholics Anonymous with Uncle OC I knew the struggle he was up against. I was never quiet in my desire that he sober up and be a better dad.

I am sad today knowing that Da Younga Sista and fam are having to deal with this heartbreak. Of my five nieces and nephews, J-Nic is one of the TOP 5. She had her gender reveal party and found she was having a little girl. They decided to name her Lucy Ann after MeMum. On top of the roller coaster. A couple days later her dad has passed away. The bottom of the roller coaster.

Grief is the price we pay to ❤️ love.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After trying to quickly process Greg’s passing I had to haul ass a pulmonary appointment. The Cripple Van showed up on time. I was just as surprised as anyone. I had to do a breathing test. The technician, Jim Bob , kept imploring me to take full deep breaths. Little did he know those were the deep breaths. I’ve never been able to breathe easily. I believe I have a deviated septum because of which I never get really deep breaths. A lot of time I have to breathe out of my mouth. When people call others a 'mouth breather' as an insult I take it as a point of pride lol. The tech said my lungs Showed some signs of stress. Yeah, Jim Bob. A collapsed lung, a pneumonia, and two tubes shoved down my gullet in five days will do that to you.

I survived and had a post chest test conference with another doctor. Last night my lungs hurt so badly. I felt like I slept with the Titanic resting on my chest. My breathing was strained at best. And I think I paid them to make me feel this way. There’s got to be better way to spend money than this.

mallorys_camera

My lungs cleared up! I can breathe again!

Before my lungs cleared up, I had no idea how compromised I was. I mean, I could feel the stiffness in my chest, and logically I know I know that if you can't breathe well, you don't take in enough oxygen, which leads to air hunger, which leads to shortness of breath with physical exertion—but I wasn't connecting the dots.

I was thinking the fatigue I was feeling when exercising was due to some sudden acceleration in the physical aging process! I am 73! And after all, that is old!

And 73 continues to be old—but still, when I went to the gym yesterday, for my weights circuit and 30-minute cardiovascular workout (spinning), I felt great!

Though two days before, I'd been laboring for breath and my muscles had actually been aching with the lifting effort (lactic acid buildup.)

I have no idea why my lungs cleared up. Did some lethal allergen finally disappear from the air? Did some nasty virus finally run its course?

But I am grateful, Universe!

###

Other than that...

I've been busily generating income, watching instructional videos on making AI videos, and trying to think of ways to expand my social life in the here and now.

Basically, I'm resentful about the first because I think I deserve a MacArthur Genius Grant for pursuing the second, and if the kiskas and Black Chicken would only learn to speak English, I wouldn't have to worry at all about the third.

###

I'm trying to identify the video creation service with the best bang for the buck, but that's difficult because right now AI video is in its gold rush phase. There is no available enterprise software; there are literally dozens of AIV engines attached to subscription services, new workflow and pipeline technologies are constantly raising the bar, and the state of the art is changing on a weekly—sometimes daily—basis.

This one was done on the Chinese AI video engine Kling. I reused my calico cat prompt. I actually like the one I did on NightCafe (same starting prompt) better for sheer fantasia. But there's no denying this one has a higher degree of photo realism.

Thing is, though, I'm not big on photo realism.

I much prefer fantastical imagery and animation.

plaidcake

Sylvia at Spanish Woods wrote this today.

poliphilo

Picture Diary 92

1. The Lost Traveller's Dream Under the Hill (alt version)

2. Transformation

3. Cat lady

4. They have forgotten who they are

5. I sort of floated down the hill....

6. Weekend in Moscow

rebeccmeister

I don't think I've done anything more than a day trip since we got back from the sabbatical adventures!

But now I have 2 trips in very quick succession. The first is for a regatta in eastern New York, the second is a 9-day Erie Canal bike touring trip (yay bikes!!).

Cue the packing flurries!

And also the, "OMG what do I ABSOLUTELY need to do before traveling??!!?!?!"

The incomplete list includes things like:
-Get the hissing cockroaches resettled into a fresh bin
-Water the leafcutter ants and lower the insect room temperature
[x] Do the semi-annual Deep Clean in the insect room
-Transplant tomatoes so they don't die of thirst
-(hopefully) retrieve a fully-overhauled Frodo from the bike shop
-Figure out various food things
[x] Arrange cat care for George and Martha
-Spend quality time with packing lists
-Finish getting the GPS stuff sorted out
-Feed the horseshoe crabs and the fishes
-Get ready for research students to start up

But you know, it's a privilege and a luxury to be able to travel. So it's all in good fun.

bill_schubert

For some reason in the middle of the night I looked at my email and saw one from USAA. Thinking it might be a resolution of the $500 that they have managed to lose I opened it. Mistake. USAA's verdict on what I could do after having inadvertently transferred $500 to a USAA legacy account that for some reason I still had one way access to:

'no error occurred' and that I should 'contact the recipient for refund or correction'.

I'm current on long term hold with USAA while some poor woman tries to figure out what to do and meanwhile researching how to submit a complaint through the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (thank you Senator Warren!).

Meanwhile my account on SoFi is cruising along. I was able to set it up in a few minutes and was able to attach it to USAA and to the local credit union I use to manage my mortgage and infrastructure bills. They use a company by the name of Plaid, one of companies out there that have perfected the system of connecting financial institutions easily and securely. USAA does not use them and it shows. They have an old school way of connecting (send a penny deposit back and forth to create a link). Plaid connects banks in under a minute without sending any pretend deposits. It is interesting to see the different generations of banking. I remember when USAA was cutting edge online.

I had one minor glitch with SoFi and easily got into a chat with a rep there. He could not resolve the situation (which had to do with my ability to create a nickname of an outside account on their site) but bumped it up to the web people. Clearly a minor developer issue. It will be interesting to hear what happens, how and how quickly they respond. Good test.

Meanwhile USAA is saying that the account I sent $500 to belongs to someone. They can't tell me who. I only know three people with USAA accounts, two sons and a step son, and none of the three have accounts with that number. So I'm as sure as I can be that it is an old account of mine

I submitted my complaint via CFPB so now we're waiting. Or maybe someone will magically contact me and say 'hey, I just got $500 in my account, was that you?'

I've got to do my dilligence but my insurance bill might be less expensive through my friend too. Several variables there but if it is less expensive I'll be severing all ties with USAA after 45 years.

Profile

Every Day Above Ground

May 2025

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
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11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Page Summary

mellowtigger - it will be an interesting week
bill_schubert - This is the good and bad from the same government
bill_schubert - Thanks Elon
fauxklore - March 2025 Prompts
wayfaringwordhack - The "I'm-posting-because-I-need-to-stop-thinking-about-posting-and-post" post
mallorys_camera - Never Enuff Anthromorphic Cat Prompts!
rebeccmeister - Tomato time [gardening]
puddleshark - Holme Gardens in May
summersgate - thursday
smokingboot - I have seen this painting before
poliphilo - Thwacking People Out Of Love
flemmings - (no subject)
rebeccmeister - "An Experimint Was Carried Out..." [food, projects]
summersgate - wednesday later
somedayseattle - the potatoes are late again
mallorys_camera - Inspiration
plaidcake - (no subject)
poliphilo - Picture Diary 92
rebeccmeister - Hoo boy travel flurries [status]
bill_schubert - Never, ever check email in the middle of the night

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Page generated May. 23rd, 2025 01:26 am

Mallory's Camera

Reading

it will be an interesting week

This is the good and bad from the same government

Thanks Elon

March 2025 Prompts

The "I'm-posting-because-I-need-to-stop-thinking-about-posting-and-post" post

Never Enuff Anthromorphic Cat Prompts!

Tomato time [gardening]

Holme Gardens in May

thursday

I have seen this painting before

Thwacking People Out Of Love

(no subject)

"An Experimint Was Carried Out..." [food, projects]

wednesday later

the potatoes are late again

Inspiration

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Picture Diary 92

Hoo boy travel flurries [status]

Never, ever check email in the middle of the night

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May 2025

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