In Which Real Life is... Real
Aug. 10th, 2011 08:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thothmesOkay, so we had a lovely, lovely vacation, marred only by the fact that the Whirlwind of Destruction dove into the lake wearing her glasses, and I spent several hours diving in a grid pattern to try and locate them. Somewhere under the moldering leaves at the bottom of the lake are some lovely wirerim glasses which had only recently been totally replaced under warrantee. Otherwise, there were many relatives, much laughter, interesting tales, good food, swimming, loafing, and games of all sorts. All four of my kids were there (a rarity now that two of them are grown), a niece and a cousin announced engagements, and a cousin who married last October announced that he and his wife are expecting a baby in March. Good times.
We stopped at a restaurant just over the line in New Hampshire on our way back home, and the Whirlwind, who had been plugged into the portable DVD player for the trip home began to act up. I didn't want her bad move inflicted on all the other innocent diners, so I told my Beloved Husband to order the Whirlwind's and my dinner to go, and to bring it out to us when they were done, and we walked out.
Much Whirlwind hystrionics ensued, which my other kids watched much as you might a silent movie. Remember Daniel jumping up and down and whirling in circles when he got frustrated on the planet of the singing plants and funny painted naked people? The effect was similar. Apparently I'm mean, I hate all my children and her in particular, and I need to be reported to DCF because I don't feed children, but take them out of restaurants just because they are having fits because they are not being allowed to order the soda and not some variety of milk (which could have been a milkshake if she had been clever enough to request it).
Eventually middle daughter, who had not been hungry anyway, emerged with our food in takeout boxes (but without utensils), and went off to sit under a tree and have a few moments of teenage alienation and brooding under a tree way across the parking lot from us, so no one could know we were related. I ate, the Whirlwind ate, and before the calories had had enough time to mute her mood, the rest of the family emerged with our drinks. By this time Middle Daughter had apparently vanished into thin air.
I was upset because 1) I don't get that many chances to enjoy a dinner I didn't cook with all of my kids, and I was bummed that an occasion I had been looking forward to had not panned out and 2) where the hell was Middle Daughter anyway? Why couldn't she do us the courtesy to stay within sight.
We found her after driving around the parking lot a few times and sending my son into likely stores, and headed back across the border to Vermont. About half way home I realized that the backpack with my wallet, my credit (& other) card wallet, and my keys in it was not in the car. I'd been upset and distracted, and left them on the bench outside the restaurant.
When we got back there, they were gone. They had not been turned in at the restaurant (we left our number in case they got turned in later), nor had the police in that town or the nearest town on the Vermont side (where someone seeing my Vermont license might be moved to turn them in). We got some groceries and went home. I felt like the worlds biggest idiot, because I grew up in the New York and Philly suburbs and knew to keep a close watch on such things, but I let myself get all wound up and did something boneheaded.
We got home. We put away groceries. Middle Daughter called her boyfriend. I checked the phone messages, and none of them were from the restaurant. I made plans with my son to have him drive me to the DMV the next day to replace the drivers license. I made plans to cancel all my credit cards. Middle Daughter came down to get some food because she was hungry after not eating at the restaurant, and oh, by the way, the restaurant's number was on the phone's call log.
I called the restaurant. They had my backpack. Son and I set of in hope and trembling. The waitress at the bar got the backpack from the manager. Keys restored! Credit (& other) card wallet restored, with the cards in reverse order, clearly indicating that they had been shuffled through like a deck of cards! Wallet missing. Well, damn. Plans for DMV and replacement of all cards still on the docket for the next morning.
So that's what I spent the next day doing. The thief had not ordered anything on line using the number and the code on the back to verify physical custody of the card, so an internet whiz the thief is not, or the thief is bright enough to figure out that sending the stuff to an address they can get mail at is dicey. The day after that (yesterday) I stuck pretty close to home because the Chase Sapphire Cards that were being replaced were coming UPS, and if they came before 4:00 when my husband was leaving to take my adult kids to their plane, I wouldn't have to risk mailing them to them. The cards got there in time, and we sadly sent them off, while the Whirlwind and Middle Daughter and I set off for Middle's piano lesson, and pick up of Whirlwind's new glasses.
We got home. Eldest Daughter called from the airport. Husband is on the way home, flight is canceled, but they are booked on an earlier flight which will go out later because of weather in Philly. If this falls through they will call.
They call. No, plane is still on, but Eldest Daughter got a call from a Vermont State employee at a highway welcome center. They have my wallet, and Eldest Daughter's number was in it, could they tell me to pick it up there. Instead of cooking dinner in a timely fashion, I bundle the Whirlwind into the car, and go get my wallet. Wallet has been emptied of the cash in the main compartment, ($46) and the cash I tucked in under my license ($40), but the thief did not discover the ($60) I had tucked under the safe deposit box key in the other half of the wallet. All my other cards and reciepts, including the card that lists the make, model, and serial number of my cardiac stent are there.
I'm still glad I did all that calling and canceling, and later that night when the rebooked flights are canceled, but my daughter and son are able to use the brand new and newly activated Chase Sapphire Cards to book themselves onto the last flight into Philly that night (on a different airline), thus saving my daughter's job (she had used all her vacation and sick days for the quarter, and fellow employees hearing her story today confirmed her sense that she really had dodged a bullet), I am very, very thankful that a) a Sapphire Card entitles me to next-day replacement at no extra charge to me and b) our UPS man, who has 5 home-schooled kids and is always cheerful and pleasant, is also efficient and prompt.
I love living in Vermont, where even the crooks aren't (by and large) too dishonest, and where life is lived on a human scale.
We stopped at a restaurant just over the line in New Hampshire on our way back home, and the Whirlwind, who had been plugged into the portable DVD player for the trip home began to act up. I didn't want her bad move inflicted on all the other innocent diners, so I told my Beloved Husband to order the Whirlwind's and my dinner to go, and to bring it out to us when they were done, and we walked out.
Much Whirlwind hystrionics ensued, which my other kids watched much as you might a silent movie. Remember Daniel jumping up and down and whirling in circles when he got frustrated on the planet of the singing plants and funny painted naked people? The effect was similar. Apparently I'm mean, I hate all my children and her in particular, and I need to be reported to DCF because I don't feed children, but take them out of restaurants just because they are having fits because they are not being allowed to order the soda and not some variety of milk (which could have been a milkshake if she had been clever enough to request it).
Eventually middle daughter, who had not been hungry anyway, emerged with our food in takeout boxes (but without utensils), and went off to sit under a tree and have a few moments of teenage alienation and brooding under a tree way across the parking lot from us, so no one could know we were related. I ate, the Whirlwind ate, and before the calories had had enough time to mute her mood, the rest of the family emerged with our drinks. By this time Middle Daughter had apparently vanished into thin air.
I was upset because 1) I don't get that many chances to enjoy a dinner I didn't cook with all of my kids, and I was bummed that an occasion I had been looking forward to had not panned out and 2) where the hell was Middle Daughter anyway? Why couldn't she do us the courtesy to stay within sight.
We found her after driving around the parking lot a few times and sending my son into likely stores, and headed back across the border to Vermont. About half way home I realized that the backpack with my wallet, my credit (& other) card wallet, and my keys in it was not in the car. I'd been upset and distracted, and left them on the bench outside the restaurant.
When we got back there, they were gone. They had not been turned in at the restaurant (we left our number in case they got turned in later), nor had the police in that town or the nearest town on the Vermont side (where someone seeing my Vermont license might be moved to turn them in). We got some groceries and went home. I felt like the worlds biggest idiot, because I grew up in the New York and Philly suburbs and knew to keep a close watch on such things, but I let myself get all wound up and did something boneheaded.
We got home. We put away groceries. Middle Daughter called her boyfriend. I checked the phone messages, and none of them were from the restaurant. I made plans with my son to have him drive me to the DMV the next day to replace the drivers license. I made plans to cancel all my credit cards. Middle Daughter came down to get some food because she was hungry after not eating at the restaurant, and oh, by the way, the restaurant's number was on the phone's call log.
I called the restaurant. They had my backpack. Son and I set of in hope and trembling. The waitress at the bar got the backpack from the manager. Keys restored! Credit (& other) card wallet restored, with the cards in reverse order, clearly indicating that they had been shuffled through like a deck of cards! Wallet missing. Well, damn. Plans for DMV and replacement of all cards still on the docket for the next morning.
So that's what I spent the next day doing. The thief had not ordered anything on line using the number and the code on the back to verify physical custody of the card, so an internet whiz the thief is not, or the thief is bright enough to figure out that sending the stuff to an address they can get mail at is dicey. The day after that (yesterday) I stuck pretty close to home because the Chase Sapphire Cards that were being replaced were coming UPS, and if they came before 4:00 when my husband was leaving to take my adult kids to their plane, I wouldn't have to risk mailing them to them. The cards got there in time, and we sadly sent them off, while the Whirlwind and Middle Daughter and I set off for Middle's piano lesson, and pick up of Whirlwind's new glasses.
We got home. Eldest Daughter called from the airport. Husband is on the way home, flight is canceled, but they are booked on an earlier flight which will go out later because of weather in Philly. If this falls through they will call.
They call. No, plane is still on, but Eldest Daughter got a call from a Vermont State employee at a highway welcome center. They have my wallet, and Eldest Daughter's number was in it, could they tell me to pick it up there. Instead of cooking dinner in a timely fashion, I bundle the Whirlwind into the car, and go get my wallet. Wallet has been emptied of the cash in the main compartment, ($46) and the cash I tucked in under my license ($40), but the thief did not discover the ($60) I had tucked under the safe deposit box key in the other half of the wallet. All my other cards and reciepts, including the card that lists the make, model, and serial number of my cardiac stent are there.
I'm still glad I did all that calling and canceling, and later that night when the rebooked flights are canceled, but my daughter and son are able to use the brand new and newly activated Chase Sapphire Cards to book themselves onto the last flight into Philly that night (on a different airline), thus saving my daughter's job (she had used all her vacation and sick days for the quarter, and fellow employees hearing her story today confirmed her sense that she really had dodged a bullet), I am very, very thankful that a) a Sapphire Card entitles me to next-day replacement at no extra charge to me and b) our UPS man, who has 5 home-schooled kids and is always cheerful and pleasant, is also efficient and prompt.
I love living in Vermont, where even the crooks aren't (by and large) too dishonest, and where life is lived on a human scale.
