virgochica77's Xanga

2009 is finally coming to a close (THANK GOD!!!)

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:01:01 GMT

What a crappy year this was! I am so glad it is almost over. I have never wanted a year to end as much as I want this one to. We lost so many great people (famous and not famous). Michael Jackson at 50 and Farrah Fawcett on the same day? My Aunt Glonda at 57? Ted Kennedy? Brittany Murphy at 32? Chris Henry at 26? Patrick Swayze? Natasha Richardson? Ron Silver? Ricardo Montalban? Jeremy Lusk at 24? David Carradine? Lucy Gordon at 29? Nick Adenhart? Billy Mays? Waymon Tisdale? Steve McNair? DJ AM? Bea Arthur? WTF? I am counting down the days to the end of this abysmal and craptastic year. It has been a year of tears and pain for many. The economy is in the crapper, our politicians don't know their asses from a hole in the ground, and you can't even give away a house (the house you bought 3 years ago is now worth 50% to 60% of what you paid for it - yippee!). The year began with promise: George W. Bush's inept ass out of the White House, but it just progressively got worse (Obama was a mistake. His inexperience is so apparent. The man is feted without reason. You need more than just ideas to be a good president). GM owned by the government? Taxpayer funds used to save banks (what about saving us???)? I am so over 2009! If 2009 was a person, I would say to him/her: "You don't have to go home, but you have to get the hell out of here. Don't let the doorknob hit you where the good lord split you!" and then put up my middle finger.

We all face uncertain futures and I hope things get better. I am just tired of all of this misery. 2009 was a year full of loss, poverty, gloom and doom. I hope and pray that 2010 brings wonderful things to us all. I wish everyone a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year. Peace and many blessings. --VC77

P.S. --Please pray for our troops' safe return and find ways to let them know that we appreciate them.

RIP Auntie Glonda (11/03/1952 - 12/05/2009)

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:02:13 GMT

{Please note that I am writing this with no filter, just on pure emotion - I hope no one is offended (if so, oh well)}.

My Aunt Glonda passed away on Saturday, December 5, 2009 with complications from the swine flu and pneumonia. She went into the hospital the week of Thanksgiving and didn't come out. She was my mom's oldest sister and my brother and I were very close to her. I haven't had someone close to me pass away in a long time. It feels like someone threw a brick at your stomach and then reached into your chest and yanked out your heart (graphic I know, but it is hard to find the right words to describe it). I am someone who doesn't cry often (OK, maybe when I watch a sad movie like "Mask" or "Beaches", but not very often). That has been true of me my whole life. I used to think that crying was a sign of weakness and that you have to keep it private. Well, when I found out she was comatose in the hospital, I broke down right in front of my boyfriend. He was there for me and held me as I cried. My mom flew out Thanksgiving weekend to be at her side (she had no family at the hospital, only her ancient husband - the man is almost 90 years old and has no social skills. I am still a bit bitter about her being there alone for days - my mom has 3 other sisters who live closer that didn't go when they first found out about her being in the hospital). Only my mom went - I love her so much (I couldn't go: lack of $$$ and vacation time). One of my aunts finally decided to go a couple of days after my mom left and she ended up being there when my aunt passed away. My mom was angry and wouldn't talk to anyone in the days after my aunt's death. I can totally understand why. She lost her sister, yet the old geezer she married is still here (he now has two dead wives - the merry black widower). My guess is God needed another angel.

Her funeral was on Saturday, December 12th in Detroit, Michigan. Per her wish, she was cremated.

My Aunt Glonda was an amazing and beautiful woman. She was very active in her church and would give her last money to help someone else. She was also a tough lady who survived cancer and took down a mugger who tried to rob her. She was all of 5 feet tall with a smile that could light up New York and long beautiful hair. I will miss her very much, but know that she is not in pain anymore and is up in heaven with God and our dead family members and friends.

Just know that you have many people down here that love you and miss you. I love you with all of my heart. Rest in peace, Auntie Glonda. --VC77

RIP Brittany Murphy (11/10/77 - 12/20/09)

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:22:06 GMT

My prayers are with her mother and family right now.

I cannot believe she is dead. She was an extremely talented actress and singer (I love that "Faster Kill Pussycat" song - she had a great voice). In one of her last interviews she spoke of wanting to have a baby. There was so much more for her to do on this planet. She's gone way too soon. I loved her as Tai in "Clueless" (so funny and sweet) and she made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up in "Don't Say a Word". She also was a talented voiceover artist (she played LuAnn Platter on "King of the Hill" for all of the seasons).

It is always spooky when someone your age passes away. It makes you look at life differently. I have a feeling that the tabloids will rip this woman apart with accusations of drug abuse. People keep citing her strange behavior as reason for the accusations. I've read some strange accounts of Brittany's behavior on the set. It doesn't sound as if she was abusing prescription drugs. It sounds more like arsenic poisoning. One set source spoke of her being "in and out of consciousness" and when you pair that with her experiencing flu-like symptoms and vomiting it just fits. A lot of the symptoms for arsenic poisoning mimic that of the flu. I hope they look for arsenic. It may not be in her system, but it stays in the nails and hair of the victim.

{Arsenic Poisoning Information: http://www.ehow.com/how_2350872_diagnose-arsenic-poisoning-symptoms.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art}

There is something not right about this. A 32 year old woman just does not die of full cardiac arrest. And all of her friends seem to have issues with her husband. He may have isolated her from her friends. That's an easy way to slowly poison someone. Based on reports about this guy, it doesn't seem farfetched. Everyone automatically assumes that drugs was the cause of her death, but I have a very strong feeling that there is more to it. I hope they investigate Simon Monjack (he of not wanting an autopsy done).

RIP, Brittany. Just know that you were loved by many. Your body of work will live on, even though you are no longer with us. --VC77

Playing catch up...the year-end edition...

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:32:00 GMT

Well, I know it has been a while since I've updated my blog. I have been so busy! Where should I begin???

Well, Jason moved here in October. He and I drove from Manchester, New Hampshire to here. I now live in a 2 bedroom apartment in Toluca Lake with the love of my life. I am really happy. Woo-hoo! That said, it was definitely an adjustment living with someone else after having lived alone for so many years. But I wouldn't change a thing. He is a great partner. He's neat and doesn't piddle (aka leave pee drops) on the floor in the bathroom. He also puts the cap back on the toothpaste and washes dishes. You may wonder if I have changed... I believe I have. I now cook (I actually like to cook) and order from restaurants far less often. I am a bit more patient than I used to be (not hard to do actually - I had zero patience previously - LOL). He and I do random things together like playing Wii, grocery shopping, decorating, going to concerts and watching movies. He's really funny and makes me laugh all the time. My mom and brother get along with him. And his mom is so incredibly sweet. I really like her. As I said above: I am really happy.

Life is really funny. If you had asked me two years ago if I could see myself in love and living with someone, I would have told you that you were certifiably nuts. LOL.

I will say this: I feel incredibly blessed. God did it His way - He gave me what he thought I needed instead of what I thought I wanted. Guess what??? He was right as usual.

I am not looking back anymore. The past is the past. No more dwelling. I am looking straight ahead and leaving 2009 in the dust. I am grateful for everything in my life: my family (my mom, my brother, grandma, etc.), Jason, my friends, the ELF kids and volunteers, my health, and most of all - God (His love and guidance gets me through anything and everything). I'm blessed. Peace and many blessings. --VC77

Five Secrets Your Bank Doesn't Want You to Know (cool article)

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:06:42 GMT

Five Secrets Your Bank Doesn't Want You to Know

by Laura Rowley

Banks are squeezing customers with historically high fees and penalties, from overdraft charges to account service fees to new surcharges on foreign debit transactions.

But the pressures that have prompted the fee war with consumers started well before the financial meltdown, according to Jo Preuninger, a former management consultant who spent more than a decade in the consumer banking arena.

I asked Preuninger for a little history, as well as some of the tricks of the trade that banks would prefer to keep secret.

Secret #1: For many banks, the most profitable customers aren't the mass affluent -- they're "Joe Lunchbox."

In 1999, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act allowed banks, insurers and securities firms to merge, breaking down barriers that had been in place since the 1930s. Following the new law, "if you took all the (deposit) checks written for $10,000 and above, most were written to institutions such as Charles Schwab, Fidelity or Merrill Lynch," says Preuninger. "They took the best customers. The banks were becoming more like Laundromats, where you put money in for a short period because you still needed to pay with a check or (get cash)."

At the same time, loans provided little profit as interest rates remained relatively low, prompting banks to seek consistent, non-interest income. "The focus was on how banks could not only identify fees they could charge, it was how to do a better job of collecting their fees," says Preuninger.

Middle-income customers presented the greatest potential to harvest fees. "There's certainly a customer segment that could be called 'Joe Lunchbox,' who expect to be nickeled and dimed," says Preuninger. "They are managing money from paycheck to paycheck. It's someone who would prefer to pay an overdraft fee to get their mortgage covered rather than get hit by a mortgage provider with a late fee and a ding on their credit score."

Last year, overdraft and insufficient-funds charges totaled nearly $35 billion and comprised about 90 percent of banks' consumer-fee income, according to a study by the consulting firm Bretton Woods Inc. Three-quarters of banks automatically enroll consumers in their "overdraft protection" programs without formal permission, and more than half of banks manipulate the order in which checks are cleared to trigger multiple overdraft fees, according to a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation study.

"They are going to try to turn the best profit they can, which is why they post in the most attractive way they can while avoiding and minimizing legal exposure," says Preuninger.

Someone who overdraws a checking account a few times a year should choose a bank with a program that makes it easy (and free) to shift funds from savings to checking to protect against overdrafts.

Secret #2: Banks hope frequent overdraft customers don't understand the alternatives.

The banks deemed overdraft protection to be a customer service convenience that provides an alternative to payday lenders, says Preuninger. And yet some of those customers might almost fare better with loan sharks. The Bretton Woods study found 80 percent of overdraft fees are incurred by 20 million households, who paid an average of $1,374 in overdraft fees.

These customers should consider ditching traditional checking account in favor of a prepaid debit card, which typically cost $70 to $80 a year ($10 upfront with a $5 monthly fee). Users direct-deposit their paychecks onto the cards (the money is FDIC-insured) and can do point-of-sale transactions and pay bills online. There are no overdraft fees; the purchase is declined if the card is empty.

Secret #3: Those helpful new customer set-up kits, designed to make it easy to switch banks, also try to make the account "sticky."

"I did a lot of work in customer attraction and retention," says Preuninger. "The biggest barrier to new accounts was switching. There's a higher tolerance; a bank may have a lot of long-term customers -- that doesn't mean they love (the service)."

Most banks have a kit to assist customers in switching services. But do it yourself instead. Enter your regular bills in the bank's online billpay site, rather than signing up with each biller's website. If your new banking relationship goes sour, the account is more transportable. You won't have to log into a dozen different biller sites and change the account and routing numbers.

Secret #4: Long-term relationships matter.

"Know what you want in the way of a bank and stay as long as you can because tenure does matter," Preuninger says. "If you've been with a bank three to five years, they treat you differently than if you are there six months. If you direct-deposit your paycheck and have a (savings) relationship, they think of you differently than if you have free checking with $100 in it. Tenure and relationship does matter."

So if you incur the rare fee now and then, always call customer service and ask (politely) for it to be removed. Emphasize your long-term relationship with the bank and ask for a supervisor if the initial effort fails.

Most customers aren't profitable until they've been with a bank a few years because of the high cost of customer acquisition -- sales compensation to branch managers, IT infrastructure, documentation and account setup. "It's a long time before they break even, especially if they goose it with $100 to you to open the account," Preuninger says.

Secret #5: Banks want you to enjoy the "advantages" of paying with credit, debit, check and cash -- because it will make you more likely to lose track of your money.

"One of most dangerous things going on with consumers is they are not paying attention to the variety of ways they are paying. They are balancing money back and forth because it's too hard to account for," Preuninger says. "If you pay seven different ways, you've just added complexity to your life. Consumers shouldn't say to the bank ‘you're responsible to tell me what I'm doing with my money.'"

But more banks are moving in that direction. PNC Bank, for instance, launched an account called Virtual Wallet that presents account information in calendar form, focused between today and the account holder's next payday. A "danger day" appears on the calendar in red if the account is at risk of an overdraft. The user can either move bills later in the month, or shift money immediately from the savings portion of the account at no charge (the account does it automatically if the consumer doesn't). Statements are only available online and the bank charges 50 cents per check for writing more than three a month.

Best bet? Simplify. Get a free checking account with no fees and a low minimum balance requirement, pay major household bills online, and then stick to cash. You'll think twice about purchases, and avoid getting caught in the widening web of bank fees.

Yet another European ad (not banned)...

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:23:12 GMT

American ads are so tame in comparison to European ad. This ad is a lot more clever than the Sprite ad, but it would so be banned if it was pitched for American television. Check it out....

Banned German Sprite Ad????

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:51:43 GMT

Do you think they went too far? Yes, the ad has sexual connotations to it, but are we prudes for taking offense?

Bill Maher is on fiyah!

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:45:21 GMT

I just got home from work and am just surfing the web. I found so many funny and irreverent things. All of my posts today are from things I found in the hour I've been home. This one if a funny treat courtesy of Bill Maher (he is a hoot and a holler). He is discussing the whole Mark Sanford issue (short story: a holier than thou Republican politician who cheats on his wife with a Argentinian woman). He actually took the time to compare Mark Sanford's e-mails to his mistress to Mark Foley's (the creepy Republican politician who sent dirty IM's and texts to male pages) messages to male pages. LOL. It is mighty enjoyable. After hearing some of the excerpts from the e-mails, I do think that the Mark Sanford guy is in love with his mistress. Now, after hearing Mark Foley's messages, I need a bleach bath. LOL. Enjoy.

Random observation...

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:19:38 GMT

Forgiveness is easy. Forgetting is the hardest part.

My take on the whole Proposition 8 thing...

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:38:59 GMT

I am so sick and tired of this Proposition 8 thing (the California gay marriage ban). I just hate when people run topics into the ground with opinions based on ignorance. People just need to stop worrying about what someone else chooses to do with their life - especially if it isn't hurting anyone else. I voted no on Proposition 8 last year (one of my co-workers and his partner have been together for over 10 years and marched in all of the protests. When I made my vote against Prop. 8, they were on my mind. It is hard to be passionate about something that doesn't directly affect you, but thinking of those two made it an extremely easy thing to do and I was raised as a Baptist).

I hear so much ignorance everyday about Proposition 8, that I need to vent. I read a few comments on the LA Times website and one guy actual compared gay marriage to bestiality. WTF? He wrote: "If the ban is removed then people will then want to marry their dogs. When does it stop?". If memory serves, gay people are human beings, not animals. I've had friends be really emotional about the whole thing and to see ignorant comments like that just makes me wonder about our educational system. LOL. I grew up in LA and at my high school (Fairfax High School) just elected a gay male as prom queen. So maybe our young people are more tolerant of others than their parents.

Here is my take on the whole gay marriage thing:

Who am I to tell someone who they should love or marry? The issue doesn't affect me directly, but I have a lot of gay friends who deserve the right to be happy. And if being married is what they feel would make them happy, so be it. On a personal note, I am someone who doesn't believe in marriage period. It is just the government's way of sticking their nose into our private relationships. It is just a piece of paper. The people who get on their soapbox against gay marriage are just small minded individuals with a whole lot of time on their hands (so much time that they want to control everyone's life, liberty and pursuit of happiness). To those people I say: worry about your own lives and just MYOB. Who someone chooses to spend their life with is their business - plain and simple. There was a time when interracial marriages were banned (Loving vs. the State of Virginia helped to overturn the ban). I couldn't imagine someone telling me that I couldn't marry Jason (whom I love with all of my heart) because of some stupid law. Granted marriage is so not on my radar, but it is an excellent example. That is what helped to make this whole issue something I could care about (that along with my friends, co-worker and his partner) and not be indifferent to.

OK, now I am off of my soapbox. LOL. Peace and many blessings. --VC77