New look

I don't know if you noticed, but I changed the look of the blog.

I didn't have much choice, since the site I got the background from removed the graphic from wherever it was saved on the web.

So, I went with one of the new blogger backgrounds.

I spent thirty-nine seconds making up my mind.

Hope you enjoy.

I'm off to spend time with Darrell and eat a rice crispy treat.

Or two.

Life's little lessons

I truly believe that we each have many things to learn in this life. 

Some of these lessons must be learned here, with a physical body.

If we don't learn these lessons, we will be forced to repeat the mistakes.

One of those lessons I repeatedly make and refuse to learn is this:

Eating too much cookie dough makes me sick.

I don't think I truly learned my lesson today and will eat it again. 

Maybe even tomorrow.

Seriously good music!

I so loved this song when I was little--like 3 or 4.  It looks like I was in good company.

This is a really great cover.  You won't be sorry you watched it.  Except Dave does give Obama too much credit.

Dear Charmin,

Did you really think I wouldn't notice that your rolls are smaller?  And I'm paying the same amount?

Dear Monsoon,

Where are you?  I can draw you a map if you need one.

Dear Roly-Poly Bugs,

Please stop coming into my house.  There is no food for you, so you die.  And then I have to clean up after you.  Really...just stay outside.

Dear Vending Machines at Work,

Can you stock something that is pseudo-healthy?  My Cheddar Sun Chips and Peanut Butter M&M lunch yesterday probably were the best choice there and it still couldn't be called a good choice.

Dear Curtains Hanging in the Home Office,

Do you think you can clean yourselves?  I really don't feel like taking you down and driving to the cleaners.  Is it too much to ask for some help around here?

Dear Dairy Queen,

Can you honor my expired BOGO Blizzard coupon?  I totally forgot I had it until 15 minutes after you closed on the day it expired.  You'll have a customer for life.  :)

Dear Bunionette,

Can you go away?  I know that's asking a lot since bunionettes are like kids...once you have them, you have them for life.  But I would really appreciate wearing *cute* shoes rather than *comfortable* shoes every once in a while.

Sincerely,

Stephanie

PS-Roly-Poly Bugs, if you worked out some sort of agreement with Scorpions that you will come into my house instead of them, please know that the welcome mat is out.  You are much better house guests.

How lame is this?

About eleven years ago, when I was 13 ('cause I'm only 24!), I bought a fabulous dress at one of my favorite stores...the clearance Dillard's.  It was a fabulous deal and I was so excited to wear it to church.

Now, this was back in the "olden days" when I could actually wear almost all the clothes in my closet, unlike today, when I can wear almost nothing in my closet.  This is an important part to the story that I tell.

As I was getting ready for church, I was anticipating how great I was going to look in my new dress.  All the compliment I would receive.  The success that would be mine, just from wearing this new dress.

As I was putting the dress on, I noticed an odd accessory that I hadn't seen the day before, when I purchased the dress.

It was one of those dang security tags with ink in it!

I couldn't wear the new and magical dress to church!

Whatever was I to do?

I surely couldn't remove the tag, since my beautiful dress would be ruined.

Could I pull off wearing the dress, hoping no one would notice the tag?  No.  Prob'ly not.

So, even though I had a massive closet of clothes--all appropriate for church--I decided my best bet was to skip church that week.

And so I did.  And that is about the lamest excuse for ditching church I have ever heard.

What's your lamest excuse?  Or do you go to church even when you have a truly justified reason to stay home?

Circle

Even though it's sort of melancholy, this is one of my favorite songs. 

One of the songs that I forget about until I hear it. 

And then I play it and play it and play it.

Take a listen and let it become a favorite of yours.

Me, I'm a part of your circle of friends
and we notice you don't come around
Me, I think it all depends
on you touching ground with us.
But, I quit. I give up.
Nothing's good enough for anybody else
it seems.
And I quit. I give up.
Nothing's good enough for anybody else
it seems.

And being alone
is the best way to be.
When I'm by myself it's
the best way to be.
When I'm all alone it's
the best way to be.
When I'm by myself
nobody else can say goodbye.

Everything is temporary anyway.
When the streets are wet --
the color slip into the sky.
But I don't know why that means you and I are
- that means you and....
I quit -- I give up.
Nothin's good enough for anybody else it seems.
But I quit. I give up.
Nothing's good enough for anybody else it seems.

And being alone
is the best way to be.
When I'm by myself it's
the best way to be.
When I'm all alone it's
the best way to be.
When I'm by myself
nobody else can say...

Me, I'm a part of your circle of friends
and we notice you don't come around.

Halalalalalala

iTunes Sucks, part three

John,


 
I understand that you work for a corporation that has your hands tied. I, too, have worked in the customer service industry and understand your frustration and difficulty in helping clients the way you would like to. I appreciate your help, but unfortunately iTunes and Apple were so inefficient in getting back with me, over $200 was stolen from my account for unauthorized purchases. Had I been able to talk with a real person when I discovered the $1 charge, I could have prevented this fraudulent activity. I fortunately was able to limit the purchasing power of my debit card, even though I was unable to close the card over a holiday weekend when my bank was closed.


 
I address the company for which you work below and do not wish to detract from the help that you were able to provide me.


 
Do not pass the blame for your company's inability to protect consumers from fraudsters. Let me tell you that I have not shared my password, responded to any "phishing" emails, or used the same password for multiple online accounts. I do not appreciate being told that I am responsible for someone else's criminal activities. Your company has made promises of account security it is either incapable of or unwilling to keep.


 
I appreciate that Apple was able to determine from MY investigation that "It appears that your account information was modified without your authorization." Thank you, Captain Obvious!


 
I have reset my password, but REFUSE to provide ANY account information to your company, since even after I limited the ability to use my own bank account, fraudsters were able to download further unauthorized purchases, including "The Fart Machine." My account information even reflects that I OWE you $25 for such downloads. Let me tell you that not only will iTunes never receive a penny from me, Apple will also never receive a penny from me. I will not purchase an iPhone (not like I would be able to use the telephone feature since it appears to be more useful as an app-machine and cannot receive a telephone signal--one would think that a telephone would be able to, but apparently not. Further, not even your company's CEO can use the dumb thing, as shown here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxZZauBN2pU). I will not purchase an iPod (I have one that has gone unused for eighteen months since it is so inconvenient to use and my Napster-to-Go account is cheaper, more user friendly, has not been compromised, and allows for contact with people). I will not purchase an iPad (my five year old "inferior" MP3 player has more memory than your iPad. A netbook has more capabilities than an iPad. Plus, the name is stupid--really? It sounds like an Apple sanitary napkin). And just like the general public, I did not purchase your other "ground breaking" products, such as the Newton and Apple TV. They appear to have taken off like wildfire--and we all know how much the general population loves wildfires.


 
Please provide me with user-friendly directions to de-activate my account as I will no longer need Apple's services.


 
John, I certainly appreciate your help and hope that you are adequately compensated for working at a company that values its privacy, but not the privacy of its most important asset--its clients.


 
Regards,

Stephanie


 
PS-Please feel free to forward this email to your manager so that the company's problems can be addressed. I will forward this email to my contact list and I'm sure they will be happy to spread the word.


To my blogging friends: Beware!  The same thing happened to my sister and numerous others according to a quick google search.  Feel free to link back to this to help others prevent the same fate.

iTunes responds

Hello Stephanie,


 
My name is John, and I am an advisor with the iTunes Store Support team. I would first like to apologize for the delay in responding to your inquiry. This is certainly not the customary wait time for a reply from iTunes Store Customer Support. We have been experiencing higher than expected volumes, and your patience is greatly appreciated. Please note I will be escalating your request, so if you have any other questions or concerns, you can reply to this email and it will come straight to me.


 
I understand that you have found several unauthorized charges on your account and you have not been able to sign in. I can certainly imagine how eager you are to get this resolved and I would be more than happy to assist you with this today.


 
It appears that your account information was modified without your authorization. This can happen for a number of reasons, most commonly due to "phishing" emails, sharing passwords, or using the same password for multiple online accounts. I have restored your account information and your Apple ID is "blahblahblah". You will need to visit http://iforgot.apple.com to reset your password so you can sign in.


 
Please review the following article for help in identifying legitimate emails from the iTunes Store.


 
Identifying legitimate emails from the iTunes Store

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2075


 
For the time being we have disabled the account to prevent any further unauthorized purchased. To reactivate the account we will need you to reply back with the following infomration:


 
-Billing address on the account


 
As well as one of the following


 
-last four digits on the credit card on the account -a order number for purchase made on the account -the title of an item purchased on the account


 
I urge you to contact your card issuer as soon as possible to inquire about canceling the card or account and removing the unauthorized transactions. You should also ask them to launch an investigation into the security of your account. Under the circumstances the iTunes Store cannot reverse the charges for those purchases without chargeback orders from your card issuer.


 
I have disallowed it from being used on the iTunes Store. If you wish to place orders using a different payment method, you can add one to your account by following these instructions:


 
1) Open iTunes and sign in to the iTunes Store.

2) Select "View My Account" from the Store menu.

3) Enter your password and click the View Account button.

4) Click the Edit Payment Information button.

5) Select the card type and enter the card number, security code, and expiration date.

6) Click the Done button at the bottom of the page.


 
If you suspect you are the victim of identity theft, consider following these recommendations:


 
- Contact the fraud departments of any consumer reporting company to place a fraud alert on your credit report.


 
- Close the accounts that you believe have been used without your knowledge.


 
Thank you for being an iTunes Store customer. If you have further questions regarding this issue, please don't hesitate to reply. Have a great day.


 
Best wishes,


 
John

iTunes Store Customer Support

Dear itunes,

You Suck!


 
I don't really use you, but since Napster sometimes doesn't have the song I need and you do, I have an account.


 
So, on Friday, when I got an email receipt for the purchase of some stupid game that only works on iphone, I figured something was up.  You see, not everyone in the world thinks that the iphone is the best phone out there.  Some of us actually use our phones as telephones and think that coverage and the ability to not drop calls is important.


 
I decided to log on to itunes to do some investigation.  I couldn't remember my password, but since I have a few in my arsenal, I decided to try them all.  However, none worked.


 
No problem, I said to myself.  I will click on the "Forget Password?" link and straighten things out.


 
Au contraire, mon frere!  There are two options to retrieve your password: A-Request it to be emailed to your email address on record; or B-Answer the secret question and reset your password.


 
Easy-peasy.  I clicked to have my password emailed to me.  Afterall, I DID get an email receipt, so clearly the itunes yahoos have my address.  Nope.  I did not get an email, even after waiting longer than the 5 minutes promised.  So I clicked on the same button.  Several times.  No luck.


 
Ok, so let me answer the secret question.  What is your birthday?  Super easy, since it was just two days earlier.  Apparently not.  I could not even get that answer correct.


 
I then spent 25 minutes trying in vain to contact itunes customer support.  There are three ways to make contact--telephone, email, and chatting.  Guess what you have to do to even get the phone number or initiate a chat session?  Your password.  NICE!


 
I finally was able to email the dorks at itunes.  The good news is they will respond within 48 hours of receipt of my email.  The okay news is they sent me the following automated message:


 
Dear customer,


 
This is an automated reply, but an iTunes Store representative will review your request and send you a personal response, most likely within 24 hours.


 
While you are waiting, you may wish to review this article:


 
iTunes Store: Best practices for protecting the security of your account


 
Please do not reply to this email message. It was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming email. 


 
Thank you for your patience.


 
Sincerely,


 
iTunes Store Customer Support




Message Subject: iTunes Store Account and Billing    

Follow-Up: xxxxxxx


 
The bad news is it has been nearly 72 hours since that time.  And no response.


 
I guess the nice people at Apple are too busy explaining to iphone 4 users why the telephone they just bought has such an ineffective antenna that they cannot use the phone to place or receive a call.


 
Or the ipad owners why they cannot connect to the internet unless they purchased the most expensive one on the market and then only if they are in a internet hotspot.  Good luck downloading anything if you are not at a Starbucks.


 
Apparently hijacking a user's profile, password, email address, and secret question and then using the profile to purchase stupid games is merely a problem best left to the FAQs.


PS--Because it has taken you so long to respond, I'd like to thank you for the additional $200 in charges that have been incurred.  I'm betting the scammer changed the email address and you have since responded to him.  You are freakin' idiots!