This morning I paid bills, and came across an unexpected charge for 'Credit Monitoring' on my MasterCard statement. $79.95. Now these nimrods have been calling me for months trying to get me to sign up for this stuff. My usual response is to say 'Hold on one moment, please'. Then I lay the phone down, and go back to taking my shower or eating dinner which are their usual times for calling. When the phone starts making that 'Ba-Ba-Ba' noise, I know its time to hang it up.

So I was not happy about this. I called Mastercard, who told me they couldn't help me, that I needed to get it resolved with the company who made the charge. Since I had them on the phone anyway, I made them reduce my APR by 5% since I'm getting offers out the wazoo from Discover to transfer the balance.

Later on in the morning, I called the credit shop, and they refused to take it off, because although it was my card, it wasn't in my name. It was in my brother-in-law's name (G., R's younger brother). I nearly went apopleptic then and there. I called R.

"I'm trying to remain calm"

"Ok"

I explained the situation then asked "Would you please call him and get him to call them and get this taken off?"
"Why don't you call him?"
"Because I'm liable to go ballistic"
"Why is that a bad thing?"
Hmmmm...good point.

As it turned out , R's cellphone was dead, and that's where the number was, and I didn't have it either. After I'd calmed down for a while, my brain finally managed to piece together what probably happened.
Last year, G. wanted to check his credit, so I gave him my credit card number to use. This company automatically renewed it a year later. Not G's fault, then. He still needs to call them though. I hate faceless companies like that. There should be a law against automatic renewal with consent. In fact there probably is. Anyone know it?

Next week, I'm off to Atlanta. Never been before except to the airport. I fly out Sunday and stay there a week doing ABAP training, about 30 miles north of the airport. I hate being away from home, away from R. I tend to just sit around the hotel room getting bored and drunk. Does anyone know anything more interesting to do in the evenings? I'd like to get some photos to take back with me. I heard there's some kind of underground park or some such thing, and I know there should be a lot of history, so any ideas?

R. has started a diary out here somewhere, but she doesn't look at mine, and I'm not going to look for hers - diaries are a cathartic process I think, and you can't be totally honest in them if you know you're being watched.

Tomorrow I have lots of washing and dry cleaning to do, and I need to get a haircut. I'm taking a laptop while I'm away, but I don't know what the internet connectivity is like at the hotel, so if I update at all, it may be brief and spotty.

Alright that's it for now. No news on the Reserves yet, the weight loss so far is about 12 lbs, and my tooth has been quieter today, but I can just feel it starting to warm up now...Think I'll buy some wine on the way home, and think of something nice for dinner...

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