AOL Bitterness

I had an upsetting night after checking my bank account online. I noticed some weird unauthorized charges on my account, and after doing some research (ie. googling the description), I found out that they were fraudulent charges by TWX*AOL. I have absolutely no association with AOL, but for at least the past few months, they had been charging an inconspicuous amount of $25.90.

I called Wells Fargo and reported the case. Thankfully, the woman on the phone was extremely sympathetic, and it was a relatively short call to file a claim and have a new check card sent to me.

Make sure to take a closer look at your bank statement, guys! I wish I had a bat with me right now.

*Update (10/15): "We have completed our investigation of your recent inquiry and have determined that an error was made on charges to your account. Today we have credited your account ending in XXXX for $XXX.XX and your claim is now final." Woot.*

My First Taxi Ride

I have never used a taxi in the US before and certainly never by myself. I was pretty terrified just thinking about it because it involved being alone with a stranger, having to tip, and doing it with a strict deadline (of having to get to the airport to catch my flight). My plan for that night was to drive to YouTube and take a taxi to the airport by 4AM to meet my family. This is what happened:

2:30 AM - I start driving to YouTube.

3:10 AM - I arrive and park in the parking garage. My taxi reservation is at 3:45 so I decide to call the taxi service to see if they can bump up my pick-up time. No answer.

3:30 AM - 8 attempts later with multiple numbers (thank goodness for having my laptop with me to look up the info), and still no answer.

3:45 AM - I am sitting at the curb in the dark and the street is absolutely dead.

3:55 AM - The taxi is still a no-show. Luckily, I looked up a different taxi service while I was searching for alternate numbers for the original evil taxi place. I call them, and a mean dispatcher tells me that they Youtube address I gave doesn't exist and yells at me for not knowing where I am. He will not allow me to just give him the intersection -- he needs a freakin address. It is dark and I don't see another building address in view. I start to panic because I'm already late so I look up at the street sign and see Bayhill 1200s ->. (Ya know, the arrow indicating that the buildings in the 1200s are "that way".) So I tell him "1200 Bayhill". He says ok, and I have absolutely no idea if there is actually a place with that address.

4:00 AM - I am wandering the streets with my luggage, hoping I find a building with an address that's at least somewhat close to 1200 Bayhill.

4:05 AM - Horray, it exists! I get there just in time to see a taxi circling the parking lot.

4:15 AM - I arrive at SFO and give the taxi driver a pretty hefty tip because I'm glad to be alive and somewhat on time.

...

I originally planned to give a detailed schedule of the rest of my travel day, but I'm too exhausted, so my taxi experience will have to do. The rest of the day was very annoying, but not quite as pathetic so you're not missing much. Let's just say I finally arrived at my destination at 8:30PM and I'm pooped.

On a positive note, the friendly, trusting Canadians like to leave their wireless networks unlocked, allowing me to post this blog entry. Yay Canada!

Camping Disaster

I went backpacking/camping with my crew in Yosemite this past weekend. You can read Michael's rendition of the trip on his blog, so I won't go into a whole lot of detail in terms of time line.

Reasons why we are not as "soft" as Matthew likes to think:

• It was forecasted to be over 90 degrees (high)
• We started the hike between 1pm and 2pm, meaning we hiked during the hottest hours of the day
• Air was smoky and hazy from the Yosemite fires
• Terrain was very rocky and mostly uphill
• Distance came out to ~9.7 miles (first day) according to Reid's GPS device, including all the backtracking we did from going in the wrong direction.
• We were carrying very heavy camping backpacks
• Most of us ran out of water approximately halfway through
  

Reasons why I'm never ever doing that again:

• Almost died from exhaustion.
• Almost died from dehydration.
• Almost died from being eaten by a bear.
  

Other reasons why I did not have an awesome trip:

• Having to hike back the next day
• Needing to use a trowel to bury "waste" at least 6 inches deep
• Sleeping like sardines in a tent while being very hot and uncomfortable
• Getting 7 mosquito bites, 5 of which are on my face, 4 of which are on my forehead. I look almost as bad as Dan and you can connect the bites on my forehead to make an annoyingly nice rectangle.

What made it sorta worth it (but not really)?

• Michael offering his life savings for a Pepsi.
• Michael fashioning a pair of shorts by cutting up his jeans.
  

Hoping We Don't Get into an Accident

This is what the bus window looks like:

This is the sign under each window:
There are no written instructions. I don't know about you, but both drawings look the same to me. No one I asked nearby on the bus knows what this sign could possibly mean.

Driving Home

My car just got egged on my way home, no doubt by some hooligan who has nothing better than to waste my time. UNHAPPY!