links for 2006-08-31
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None of this is news, but it's still a handy summary.
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Trying not to jinx it
It's chilly and gray today, and I couldn't be happier. I'm actually trying not to get too excited about it, because I remember last August: you know, the one when we had a couple of deliciously cool weeks followed by unbelievable heat well into November.
But nevertheless, I wore a jacket this morning and drank hot coffee and was filled with glee. Glee, I say.
But where?
With PAX coming up this weekend and a couple of friends either leaving for or returning from summer trips, I'm feeling pretty keenly the fact that I haven't been anywhere other than Massachusetts in nearly five years - and even that was only a weekend trip to Seattle. Unfortunately, I failed to use all the vacation time I had saved up before I switched jobs a few weeks back so it will be a while before I can take a really substantial trip. But still, fall is nearly here if the weather is any indication, so I think Chris and I might make an effort to get out of New York a little bit before winter comes.
Not that I'm really looking forward to choosing between checking a bag or buying all new toiletries upon arrival. With my luck, by the time I actually fly anywhere, full cavity searches will be part of the standard screening procedure.
Tram
links for 2006-08-17
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The strip I think of when WoW guild leaders complain about their jobs.
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The strip I think of when suffering through Teenager Hour on TeamSpeak.
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The strip I have to keep finding for Maxim.
Screw you, Chase
I mentioned a while back that I'd opened up an HSBC checking account because I hate Chase with a hate that burns undying. Today I was finally able to confirm that the last pending charge I was waiting for had hit my old account, so I went over to a Chase branch to close it.
I'd expected them to give me a hard time, but I really wasn't prepared for the AOL-esque experience that awaited me. Upon telling a customer service person that I was there to close my checking account, the branch manager herself was summoned to "discuss my concerns." She was probably about eight feet tall and sounded like Darth Vader when she spoke. Her goal, of course, was to talk me out of it - but why she thought hostile badgering was the way to accomplish this is beyond me. (Why was I leaving Chase? What bank was I leaving for? HSBC is a terrible bank! Do they offer X, Y, and Z? Well, Chase does! Where do I work? There's a Chase branch closer to that address than the nearest HSBC branch!) Look, lady, I already don't like your bank, thanks to seven years of shitty customer service experiences and unnecessary fees, and you think the way to get me to stay is by yelling at me?
In the end she resorted to trying to argue that my reasons for closing the account were not good enough and that I would only be disappointed if I left for HSBC. I explained that I'd actually already switched to HSBC, and that I wasn't really interested in her opinion of my reasons and that I'd like my money, please. Finally, she literally threw my bank card in disgust and sent me to a teller for a check. Does this strategy ever work, I wonder? Do people ever say, "Gosh, she's really upset! I'd better not close my account so she'll be my friend."
links for 2006-08-16
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Lots of fascinating anecdotes in this thread about ATM errors. I've never received the wrong amount of cash, but I've seen plenty of Windows error messages.
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Windows errors in strange places
Sky
Taken on Broadway, a little south of Houston.
