Weekday Randoms 7/3-7

izza2

It's Monday guys.
I wasn't prepared for today.



Anything fun happening this week?

pebbledam

I get to rollover my month and cycle number this week. Womp, womp.


On the bright side, I'm going to a Queen (with Adam Lambert) concert on Saturday and I can drink all the booze. 

lurvleybunchococonuts

@pebbledam that concert sounds like a ton of fun!  Have a blast!  
And my Monday is off to a *GREAT* start.  Apparently I decided to ninja kick my phone and ignore ALL the alarms.  So I had 5 minutes to get ready for work (thankfully was still on time, just very bedraggled looking) and 0 coffee.  Stupid Mondays.  

RVAmom315

@pebbledam So jealous! Have fun!

@lurvleybunchococonuts Yikes I'm sorry, get the coffee, stat!

AFM Our debit card got hacked, jerks took $500+ from us. Waiting to get on the phone with the bank and cancel our cards, get refunded and get new cards. Yay Monday 

charlestonchew

@RVAmom315 Oh no! Do you know where or how it happened?

RVAmom315

@charlestonchew I don't. I'm just glad that I caught it, and my bank is really good about refunding the money fast (as you can see this isn't the first time it has happened )

KariAnn323

@pebbledam *Hugs!* and have fun at the concert
@RVAmom315 That's horrible! At least your bank seems on top of it. FX you get the money back soon.

kiki75

@RVAmom315 Are you using it at gas stations? I swear that the last time my CC info got stolen it was from a gas station when we were on a road trip.

becausescience

@RVAmom515 Oh no! Good thing you caught it! Does it have a chip? Someone told my BIL to never use a debit card without a chip after that happened to them. 

fishsticks-n-custard

@kiki75 @RVAmom315 There's been a string of stolen CC info from gas stations around here. Apparently there's a device they put over the card slider at the pump that skims the info for all cards swiped there. Hard to tell the difference when it's there. 

RVAmom315

@kiki75 and @becausescience It does have a chip, and it was DH's card that was compromised - he does primarily use it at a gas station so that's definitely a possibility! I called the bank and they've got a hold on it, but DH has to call to cancel and reissue. And go to a branch to sign paperwork to get refunded. I don't remember having to do that last time but as long as I get my money back we'll do it!

kiki75

Yeah, sounds likely. A lot of gas stations have started adding security seals so you can theoretically tell if it's been tampered with. The one I swore got me, I remember looking at the seal and it was broken (as I'm pumping gas and after I had put my card in of course). It just looked like someone ran their fingernail through it when they were bored. But sure enough, I got a text from my CC company in a couple weeks asking if I was trying to buy gas in Canada. If you're debit card only people, it may be worth it to just go in and pay inside since with debit card fraud, you're out the cash until the bank gets everything figured out and repays you. (I also think that some debit cards still don't have the protections of CCs. Some banks have adopted those so people will use them but I don't know that there is a law requiring it.)

doxiemoxie212

Just throwing this out there - you might want to consider using credit cards for purchases and just paying off the balances each month: https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-cards/credit-card-vs-debit-card-safer-online-purchases/    (this is mostly about online purchases, but it extends to IRL fraud situations too)

RVAmom315

@kiki75 Thanks! I think I'll tell DH to go inside (esp at that particular gas station he goes to)

@doxiemoxie212 I agree, I think CCs are better protected but we try to use cash / debit as much as possible. We're just going to have to be much more aware! Thanks for the article!

Avrilmai

@RVAmom315 so glad you caught it. It's so stressful to think/know your credit cards/debits have been compromised. I had a slight panic 2 weeks ago when I was reviewing my cc account and saw $125 at a gas station.  It was still pending, so I called the and they eventually said that particular chain always does $125 hold. 

pebbledam

@Avrilmai - That's an awfully big hold for a gas station. 

I really hope we hear from LoveInDC today. I mean, I know she graduated, but I hope she stops buy to let us know how to stalk her!

becausescience

@doxiemoxie212 That is crazy!  I bet that's what happened to my sister.  We do our CC for everything too and pay off the balance every month.  We like CC rewards.
@kiki75 You make a good point about going inside to pay if debit.

doxiemoxie212

@becausescience yah dude, rewards points are free money! I get so many free flights home to visit my mom and free hotel rooms for vacation and just straight up cash because of credit cards. Not to mention how important it is to have good, long standing credit. 

vflux33

@pebbledam BIG Queen fan over here! Jelly! Have a fun time!

@RVAmom315 That sucks! Happened to us last summer and our credit union reimbursed us in the end even though we never were able to find the crook. Hopefully you'll reimbursement will go smoothly soon. And I second @doxiemoxie212 on the CC thing. 

doxiemoxie212

@vflux33 hahahahahaha DH just started the common law property lecture for the CA bar exam, and the lecturer will not stop quoting Taylor Swift. I am dying. 

Said in a very monotone, slow voice: "Because, baby, now we have bad blood, BUT we used to have mad... love."

vflux33

@doxiemoxie212 Is he doing Kaplan? I did Kaplan all online (the closest Barbri was in the city, no thanks!) Definitely some of the lecturers were more entertaining than others. I can't believe he's down to his last few weeks! How's he doing? Those last weeks are the toughest. I definitely got to the point where I was like "I might not pass, but I am ready to take this shit and have my life back for a few months." 

doxiemoxie212

@vflux33 haha no, he's doing Themis online. He did Barbri (it turns out Barbri is also all online; he went in person for one day and realized they were all just sitting in an auditorium watching the online videos together) for NY because his firm was paying for it, and I don't remember the lecturers being this nuts. After the TSwift quotes, this dude kept quoting Lady Gaga (bad romance) and saying... (putting in a spoiler for actual GoT spoilers)

 "Hodor...hodor... hold the door.. hold the door!" 

The past two weeks DH has been working 6am-3am, so he hasn't had much any time to study. At least he seems to think common law makes logical sense (???) so IDK. I'm super nervous he hasn't been studying enough. He seems fine so far (emotionally), but I think at some point a ton of panic is headed his way. I just don't want to pay for this stupid exam again - like, even if he doesn't have to repay for the prep costs, the exam itself is not cheap. 

jsnakehole

@pebbledam Also super jealous that you're seeing Queen. Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the first music videos I remember ever seeing. Also how I learned about AIDS (my mom wasn't the best with age-appropriate discussions).
@RVAmom315 I'm sorry, that sucks super hard.
@lurvleybunchococonuts I hope the rest of your day is better than your wake up!

I was the stage kitten at a burlesque show last night for one of my teachers. It was tons of fun, I got to schmooze with some people I've seen perform before who are like total celebrities to me, and I made $20 in tips. I'm performing in a group number tonight and, true to fashion, have not finished my costume. I really need to sew the sequins on my headband but I just don't want to right now. I also need to figure out how to stop my makeup from melting off my face on my way to the theater in 90 degree weather. I start my act development class on the 12th and I'm so psyched.

vflux33

@doxiemoxie212 Yeah they put the Barbri lectures online but you're paying for the in person course so it is way more expensive. I definitely negotiated with our Kaplan rep and threatened to use Themis until they gave me the Themis price (I heard Themis is good though!)

Yeah the panic is coming. Break out the wine to prepare!! I will be keeping FX for him so you can get back to the bay!

charlestonchew

@jsnakehole I love burlesque and have always wanted to see a show.

jsnakehole

@charlestonchew if you're ever in NYC I'll give you some recommendations!

doxiemoxie212

@vflux33 maybe Barbri is different in CA, but in NY, DH and all his friends thought Barbri was in person too, but it wasn't lol. Like, they all got up, went to the "in person" location together, found their respective class rooms, and then it was just a giant monitor with a pre-recorded video stream lol. Like, no teacher there. No one to ask questions to. Just a tech to handle the video stream. It was literally just an online class....together. I died laughing when they told me because WHAT A RIP OFF!! They didn't have a choice for that one though; their firms all required Barbri. 

vflux33

@doxiemoxie212 It is mostly like that here too except they charge more than the online ones with no class area (you're paying more for the class space, but yeah total rip off). I did hear that sometimes you got a live professor who they recorded for future use. I never heard of certain firms requiring Barbri-- like you'd think passing would be enough, right?! I mean, come on! 

doxiemoxie212

@vflux33 haha, well, the firms require it if they're going to foot the bill. They just have a deal with Barbri to pay them directly, so I guess it's easier for them? And everyone thinks Barbri is the end all be all so they don't want to be accused of not doing everything they can to help their associates pass. IDK. I think it's dumb, and the entire thing is a rip off. It's a weirder system than even MD board exams. 

vflux33

@doxiemoxie212 Yeah everyone "says" Barbri is best, but I noticed no different rate of success specific to any testing company among people I know. The pass rate in CA for the February 2017 test was under 35%, and I guarantee a fair chunk of those 65% took Barbri. They try to scare you into thinking paying them a grand or so more than the other companies will make a difference, but it's all about the individual's study habits and memorization skills. 

charlestonchew

@jsnakehole maybe that's where i need to take my next vacation 

LazyCrane

MH ranting about baseball is never my favorite part of the day. 

::insert eye roll gif here::

(someday i'll ill learn how to do that)

fishsticks-n-custard

@doxiemoxie212 Hard to imagine anything weirder than the MD board exams. If the oral boards didn't kill me, the MOC requirements will. 

becausescience

@LazyCrane I got you.


^^^ Also me when DH tries to talk to me about Excel.

LazyCrane

You da real MVP @becausescience. 


^^^^also a gif--imagine Kevin Durant saying that. 

becausescience

@LazyCrane

LazyCrane

Thanks @becausescience. 

I've really got to figure gifs out again. I used to be really good at it. ::shakes cane::

jrm_14

@lurvleybunchococonuts. I would be rather sad without coffee on a Monday morning.  Or morning.  Are you a coffee snob or loyal to any particular coffee? MH has me hooked on whole bean.   

@pebbledam. That concert sounds like a dream!!!!  Are you going with anyone fun?

@RVAmom315. Oh man, I hope the process is as painless as possible.  That happened to me last year when I was on a trip & my account was frozen.  Luckily, I use my CC for almost everything, then pay off the balance.  So, I had my debit as a backup.

@doxiemoxie212.  Whoaza, you rake in the rewards!  I have a rewards card, but I don't feel like it's all that great.  

@jsnakehole.  Yay for classes on doing something you seem to really enjoy!

@LazyCrane.  You & me both. And he never likes it when I tell him to calm down.  Ha.  

Whew!  I tried to get everyone. 

I planted a garden today.  Cucumbers, watermelon, sage, oregano, mint, bell peppers, and tomatoes.  I'm stoked.  What do I use sage for other than stuffing, though??

MH & I put together a tool bench tonight after he got off work.  3 hours later......  Ugggggggh!  However, now he is in the garage piddling around and not in here telling at the baseball game.  Win!

lurvleybunchococonuts

@jrm_14 no, I'm not a coffee snob or have any brand in particular. We've been getting whole bean lately and grinding it at home which has been really good. We'll get berres bros flavored coffees every so often. But otherwise we just get something decent. 

icecubeinthedesert

@becausescience, I'll see your Excel and raise you an R programming. People at work are hoping I'll be a convert, and while I see some use, there are some things a good Excel shortcut is great for.

@jrm_14, I'm jealous of your garden. It's so hot here nothing will really grow, and therefore I forget it's really summer (which is weird, because its 100+ here). Sage is great in butternut squash soup! I've also used it in sauteed green bean recipes. 

jrm_14

@icecubeinthedesert. Oh, yum!  Good call on the soup.  I have been wanting a garden since we bought this house 3 summers ago.  Finally did it!

@lurvleybunchococonuts. I always used ground until I met MH.  He converted me ti,whole bean. I have no idea what berres bro is, but we can only find flavored whole bean from a specific place about 4 hrs from here.