I had the gross misfortune of turning on the televised local news last night. There were a couple of ten second previews of what was going to appear on the news the next night. I never quite understand how New York News programs always seem to have the news for tomorrow, today. If I knew what they know, I could retire.
So Thursday night into Friday of this week New York City is expecting the mother of all snow storms. The headline was "Hurricane snow storm" expected in the Metropolitan area. I feel terribly sorry for this hurricane. It is an unnamed anonymous storm. It is worthy of pre storm headlines but not important enough to name it like all the other storms that pass over the shores of this great country i.e.: Katrina and Hugo. It will eventually be known as "The Late February 2010 Storm" or the " North East Hurricane Snow Storm." This future storm would be remembered better if it had a name so I am suggesting "Hurricane Snow Storm Fiona." The F in Fiona is for ferocious, for fierce, for feisty and for fictitious. It is named after an ex girlfriend of mine Fiona who was all of the above. And judging by the weathermen's previous predictions in 2010 for Manhattan snow accumulation it would be named correctly
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
lost mortgage payment mayhem
The reason why so many financial institutions are in trouble has nothing to do with the sub-prime mortgage crisis. It also has very little to do with people not paying their mortgages on time and being delinquent. It has everything to do with people like myself paying their mortgages on time................and the company with whom you have the mortgage with then losing the funds. Just last week I got three phone calls from E trade mortgage regarding a missed payment. I had no idea that my mortgage was with E trade. That was my first surprise. I pay electronically each month through my bank. I haven't opened up a mortgage payment envelope in 6 years. I looked up my checking account to see if payment had been sent out and to see if the check had been cashed. It was and it had. Phew!! So I picked up the phone and called E trade. What a debacle.
I first listened to the menu of options and typed in my social security number into the phone to verify who I was. It wouldn't take the number. I was then diverted to another menu which needed my account number that I didn't know. I was lost in self help, self dial, self kill oneself mode. I said the word representative six times . Eventually the electronic voice asked me if I wanted to speak to a representative. I was so frustrated that I said, " no, I want to speak to someone who can help me please." The machine just understood the word "no" and so I was reverted to yet another electronic menu.
When in doubt just hit the zero button over and over again. This finally worked . I eventually got put through to a representative 20 miles north of Calcutta, some 9,000 miles away from the property concerned.
The very nice lady told me that I had not paid my mortgage. I told her I had. We went back and forth six times until I said that I have proof and did a nah nah nah nah nah. She didn't like that very much. She asked me what proof I had and I informed her of the proof of payment that I had from my bank that I could print off and fax to her. That wasn't possible. She didn't work in the fax receivable department. She then transferred me by phone to them.
I then spoke to a lovely lady in Tampa, Florida. She gave me the fax number. I asked her name but she told me that she couldn't give me her name. I asked her what her employee number was. She couldn't give me that either. I asked her what her work number was. Nope. Not possible. She asked me my address. I wouldn't give it to her. She said that she couldn't do anything further for me unless I gave her my address so that she could update the file.I told her we can swap information. She needed it for my non payment payment and I needed her information because I needed to follow up when and if everything had been resolved. No deal. She wouldn't do it. So there we were at a stalemate. And so I told her I was hanging up, which I did. I know I have paid so I don't care. we shall see what happens!
I first listened to the menu of options and typed in my social security number into the phone to verify who I was. It wouldn't take the number. I was then diverted to another menu which needed my account number that I didn't know. I was lost in self help, self dial, self kill oneself mode. I said the word representative six times . Eventually the electronic voice asked me if I wanted to speak to a representative. I was so frustrated that I said, " no, I want to speak to someone who can help me please." The machine just understood the word "no" and so I was reverted to yet another electronic menu.
When in doubt just hit the zero button over and over again. This finally worked . I eventually got put through to a representative 20 miles north of Calcutta, some 9,000 miles away from the property concerned.
The very nice lady told me that I had not paid my mortgage. I told her I had. We went back and forth six times until I said that I have proof and did a nah nah nah nah nah. She didn't like that very much. She asked me what proof I had and I informed her of the proof of payment that I had from my bank that I could print off and fax to her. That wasn't possible. She didn't work in the fax receivable department. She then transferred me by phone to them.
I then spoke to a lovely lady in Tampa, Florida. She gave me the fax number. I asked her name but she told me that she couldn't give me her name. I asked her what her employee number was. She couldn't give me that either. I asked her what her work number was. Nope. Not possible. She asked me my address. I wouldn't give it to her. She said that she couldn't do anything further for me unless I gave her my address so that she could update the file.I told her we can swap information. She needed it for my non payment payment and I needed her information because I needed to follow up when and if everything had been resolved. No deal. She wouldn't do it. So there we were at a stalemate. And so I told her I was hanging up, which I did. I know I have paid so I don't care. we shall see what happens!
Monday, February 22, 2010
chinese new year
All i wanted to do was eat a piece of steamed fish and some rice and read my book. my family were all away skiing and i was left behind to fend for myself. i walked into the restaurant and sat at the bar and started reading my book, waiting to order .
out of nowhere a fake tiger appeared underneath which were two men. drums started playing and the tiger started to gyrate in ways real tigers would never be seen dead doing. the barman suddenly thrust a small red envelope into my private space. i looked at him in a "what on earth are you doing?" kind of way. " it's for the tiger."
i paused briefly and then listed those i tip regularly: cab drivers, the man who cuts my hair, waiters, doormen, supers, barmen( providing they are not annoying). BUT NOT FAKE TIGERS.
i refused to tip the tiger and got booed by the other customers and staff of the restaurant. i got up and left, without having eaten or drunk anything. i guess its another place i can't go back to and i really like it there.
out of nowhere a fake tiger appeared underneath which were two men. drums started playing and the tiger started to gyrate in ways real tigers would never be seen dead doing. the barman suddenly thrust a small red envelope into my private space. i looked at him in a "what on earth are you doing?" kind of way. " it's for the tiger."
i paused briefly and then listed those i tip regularly: cab drivers, the man who cuts my hair, waiters, doormen, supers, barmen( providing they are not annoying). BUT NOT FAKE TIGERS.
i refused to tip the tiger and got booed by the other customers and staff of the restaurant. i got up and left, without having eaten or drunk anything. i guess its another place i can't go back to and i really like it there.
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