Saturday around town

Got out and about a little bit today, thanks to Ruth and Linda.  They loaded and unloaded my wheelchair as we made various stops and it felt good to be outside.  We drove across town to the Eagles Hall where my sister had a table set up for their flea market. She was selling bags and other things so I bought a few for Xmas gifts.

We stopped by Jim's Pharmacy so I could get my special stockings for wearing in the hospital but I have to go through all this rigamarole first. Have to measure various parts of my leg first thing in the morning and then call to see if they have the stockings available. If not, it takes 10 days to order. For a place that has the corner market on these items, you'd think they'd have a better inventory.

Had my camera with me and then went and forgot to take pictures everywhere we went. I must be slipping.  I drove up to Crestwood Nursing Home as I wanted to see what it was like inside.  Looks fine. I think I'll be in a large room with one other person and it has two tvs.  The rehab room is large and has lots of equipment.  We even ran into my doctor in the hall who I introduced to Ruth and Linda.  My regular doctor; not the surgeon.

We drove around PA a bit looking at places we remembered and then came back here so they could get on their way. They intend to stop at the casino for lunch and gambling.

Had a doctor appt yesterday to find out the results of all the blood tests I had.  I don't have adrenal insufficiency so I guess the surgery is on for Tuesday morning early.  I do have a little case of the sniffles but I assume it's allergies so I'm going to keep my mouth shut about it.  It's hard to stay 100% healthy every single day and I can't imagine that a stuffed up head would interfere with knee replacement.  If I don't pull through,......well.....we'll all know I miscalculated.

I'm still not sleeping worth a darn. Mainly because of the upper arm pain. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and suffer through until I'm done using a walker.  Maybe I'll mosey on out to the recliner and see if I can't catch a couple of winks.  Think I'll get on my comfortable sweats while I'm at it.  I made an attempt to dress (and wear earrings) since company was coming but they're gone now to back to my usual attire.

Got this in an email the other day and thought it was worth passing along...tips on ways to protect yourself from thieves...

SCENE 1.

A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the

locker. After the

workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought

to himself,'Funny, I thought I locked the locker...

Hmm, 'He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in

order.Everything looked okay - all cards were in place...

A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of

$14,000! He called the credit card company and started yelling at them,

saying that he did not make the transactions.

Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the

system and asked if his card had been stolen...

'No,' he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit

card, and yep -you guessed it - a switch had been made.

An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet.

The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.

Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the

card missing earlier, he would  have to pay the amount owed to them.

How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy?

$9,000!  Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped?

Small amounts rarely trigger a 'warning bell' with some credit card

companies. It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to

big one!

============================

SCENE 2.

A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card.

The bill for the meal came, he signed it and the waitress folded the

receipt and passed the credit card along.

Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket.

Funny enough,though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and  behold, it

was the expired card of another person.

He called the waitress and she looked perplexed.

She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under

the watchful eye of the man.

All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong

expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and

took out the real card. No exchange of words --- nothing!  She took it and came back to the

man with an apology..(This scenario actually happened to me at a local restaurant- Falls

Terrace-between the waitress and the front desk cashier.)

Verdict:   Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours.

Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or

the card is taken away for even a short period of time.

Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at

it, 'assuming'that it has to be theirs.

FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD

EACH

TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A TRANSACTION!

==========================

SCENE 3:

Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I

had called in.

I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked

directly to my checking Account.

The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid

it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure.

While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing.

I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing

seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds

when I take a picture.He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he

was still pressing buttons.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was

really going on.

It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close

attention to what he is doing..

He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open.

About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved.

Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my

credit card.

Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would

never have known what happened.

Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlour.

All I am saying is, be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Whenever you are using your credit card take caution and don't be

careless.

Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use

your card.Be aware of phones, because many have a camera phone these days.

Looking forward to the Emmys tomorrow night.  And that is about it for now.