Well, there is a school of thought that says "just because things aren't going well, don't believe for a moment that they can't get worse." I lost my wallet (see last post) at the end of November, and had to replace the contents, which has been a little trying. The credit cards weren't ordered and El Jeffe and I had to call them, although to be fair they were with us within 48 hours following the second request. The ATM card was the same. The bank failed to order a new card, even after both El Jeffe and myself had asked them to do it. I finally recieved a card today, 19 days after reporting the loss. DMV were pretty fast considering their reputation. Worst of all, though, was the Green Card. It's a cool $260 to replace that, plus a trip to Maryland's Eastern Shore to get new fingerprints done. Why my fingerprints would change is beyond me, but there you go.
And just when it all seemed like an expensive mistake, what should happen? Yep, you guessed it, El Jeffe found my wallet. It was in a box in the garage. Needless to say the $260 can't be refunded, so I feel pretty wretched about the whole episode. It's almost like I'm being taunted by my own absent-mindedness. At least I won't have to drive to the Eastern Shore for the fingerprint session.
On a lighter note, I found the kayak I want to build. I looked at a number of designs and chose the Chesapeake 17 from Chesapeake Light Craft. The plans won't arrive until after Christmas, but I'm in no hurry. I'm collecting tools. Incidentally, I did some bargain hunting and managed to get 2 Black & Decker Workmates, an orbital sander, and 14 one-handed spring clamps for around $80 at Lowes. That's what I call a good deal. I priced them up in English Pounds and back home in Britain that lot would have been around $250 or so. Hooray for Uncle Sam is all I can say.
El Jeffe's Christmas present arrived this week. I bought her a German language course. She lived in Germany as a teenager, and loves the place, and we'll go there on vacation as soon as we can afford it. Meanwhile she wants us to learn German so we can talk about people without them knowing. I bet she learns the rude words first.
Thought for the day - things can always get worse. Night, all.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Monday, December 04, 2006
I Left My Wallet In El Segundo
Well, not actually in El Segundo. I left my wallet somewhere. I borrowed a kayak and went paddling on the mighty Beaverdam Lake at the weekend, and managed to lose my wallet. I think it fell out when I was looking for my truck keys after the trip. It hadn't been handed in the following day, so I've cancelled my cards just in case.
What a pain. The bank cards and credit cards, well they are easy to replace. But my drivers license has gone, and that cost me a morning at the DMV, which is about as much fun as one person can have without taking off their clothes. Worse still, my Green Card was in there, and that really will be a pain to replace. The INS want $260 just to process the replacement form, plus a trip to my local INS office, 40 miles away. Oh, and an additional visit to the Biometric Data Collection office so I can give them another fingerprint and retinal scan, all very high-tech. Wonderful system, shame the British government don't implement it. Trouble is, the Biometric Data Collection Center is conveniently located halfway up Virginia's Eastern Shore, which is a 4 hour drive even from mainland Virginia. I suppose if I get there and they are really peeved at me for losing my card they'll just drive me off the Eastern Shore into the Atlantic. That'll teach me to be more careful.
I had a nice trip on the lake, though. It was unseasonably warm for December, about 78 degrees, and sunny but windy. The lake was choppy, and covered in ducks, geese and the occasional heron. In fact, I liked it so much that I'm going to build a kayak. Buying one would be easier, I know, but where's the fun in that? Also, it'll be too cold and rainy to go on the water for about three months now, and I need a project to keep me out from under the feet of El Jeffe.
Thought for the day - rain drops, work stops. Night, all.
What a pain. The bank cards and credit cards, well they are easy to replace. But my drivers license has gone, and that cost me a morning at the DMV, which is about as much fun as one person can have without taking off their clothes. Worse still, my Green Card was in there, and that really will be a pain to replace. The INS want $260 just to process the replacement form, plus a trip to my local INS office, 40 miles away. Oh, and an additional visit to the Biometric Data Collection office so I can give them another fingerprint and retinal scan, all very high-tech. Wonderful system, shame the British government don't implement it. Trouble is, the Biometric Data Collection Center is conveniently located halfway up Virginia's Eastern Shore, which is a 4 hour drive even from mainland Virginia. I suppose if I get there and they are really peeved at me for losing my card they'll just drive me off the Eastern Shore into the Atlantic. That'll teach me to be more careful.
I had a nice trip on the lake, though. It was unseasonably warm for December, about 78 degrees, and sunny but windy. The lake was choppy, and covered in ducks, geese and the occasional heron. In fact, I liked it so much that I'm going to build a kayak. Buying one would be easier, I know, but where's the fun in that? Also, it'll be too cold and rainy to go on the water for about three months now, and I need a project to keep me out from under the feet of El Jeffe.
Thought for the day - rain drops, work stops. Night, all.
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