Because we are buying a new house, my super power (the power of organization!) has been thwarted. By itself. Meaning that I have super-organized certain sections of my life, already packing away unneeded documents and files. Or, as it turns out, needed documents and files.
Example One
It's well known that I live paycheck-to-paycheck. I don't mind, really. I don't live beyond my means, but neither do I save. I should save, but I don't.
Sometimes this habit has interesting implications.
When it came time to make my car payment last week, I couldn't find the bill. I tried to set up automatic payment via Ford's web site, but couldn't figure out how. I tried to set up automatic payments via my bank's web site, but the payment would not process until five days after it was due, so cancelled it. Instead, I spent an extra three dollars to pay the bill via phone. The payment processed instantly.
No problem, right?
Wrong.
On Wednesday, I woke to find that the on-line payment from my bank had processed, though I thought I'd cancelled it. Yikes! Overdraft city, dude.
What's worse, U.S. Bank (which, you'll remember, I hate) has a policy of processing charges to its customers' accounts in order from the most expensive to the least expensive. Do you see the implication?
If I have three charges to my account — one for $100, one for $50, and one for $25 — and my balance is $80, then if those charges are processed from highest-to-lowest, I'm dinged for three overdraft charges. If they were processed in any other order (by time received, or from lowest-to-highest, for example), the number of overdrafted items would be reduced.
I got dinged for three overdraft charges.
What's worse, our new home equity line of credit came with overdraft protection. But our mortgage broker told us not to touch the home equity line of credit until we use it for the down payment on our new house. Well, fortunately — or unfortunately, I can't decide — the home equity line of credit never kicked in to cover the overdrafts. Instead, I was charged $29 a pop for three overdrafts. For an accidental duplicate car payment. All because I intentionally live near a zero balance in my checkbook.
Am I an idiot?
I called the bank, and to my surprise a very helpful woman volunteered to waive the overdraft charges after hearing my tale of woe. She also volunteered to attempt to reverse the extra payment to Ford. So, things might work out after all.
Example Two
At the end of April, I received a letter informing me that I'd been selected for jury duty at the end of May. I was to mail back a postcard confirming my status. But then we found the house, and I forgot to mail back the postcard.
The county mailed me a letter saying, essentially, "Dude, you have jury duty coming up. Mail us your frickin' postcard or we're going to fine you." So I scrounged around til I found the postcard, and then I mailed it back.
To be safe, I wrote the dates for my jury term on the calendar. And then I tucked the notification in my Box O' Stuff (which, since this whole house thing, I've been carrying around with me wherever I go — it has books and magazines and bills and documents and etc.).
Then I forgot about it.
Until last night while we were eating dinner with Jeremy and Jennifer. Somebody said something that suddenly reminded me that I had jury duty. Starting last Monday.
Crap.
I called the jury help line and found that my number isn't up for service today, but that doesn't mean it wasn't called any of the four previous days this week.
What happens now? Technically, I'm in contempt of court. Seriously. It says so on my jury letter. But what does that mean?
It means I'm disorganized.
Organization may be my super power, but moving is my kryptonite.
On this day at foldedspace.org
2005 — The Golden Rules of Weblogging Weblogging isn't difficult. It's something anyone can do. There are, however, a few guidelines to keep in mind to make the experience more rewarding for both you and your readers.
2003 — Cats and Dogs Animals are a big part of my world.
2001 — A Passage to India I am an ardent believer that perception clouds judgment, causes different people to see different things. I've mentioned this before in this journal, I think, and I will mention it until I die. What a person brings to a situation determines that person's perceptions.
I think you need to send out the emergency signal for your fellow superhero, Lawyer Man. Maybe he can help you with the contempt of court thingy.