Procrastination!
Citibank just called so obviously I should take a break from my reading (which I have to finish before I can do my weekly case write-up, this time on the Airline industry).

Citibank called because they put my new credit card in someone else's envelope. Luckily, that person called to tell them before going on a massive spending spree. But this means they have to cancel my account for security reasons. Being without the card is not actually any sort of blow to my purchasing power...I still have my Discover card, my amazon.com visa, and my OTHER citibank mastercad. Not to mention my Express, Bloomingdales, Linen's 'N' Things, Marshall Fields, Carsons, and Ann Taylor cards. So really, my finances aren't effected at all.
Oh, and I also have an MBNA Red Sox credit card (a mastercard, I think) that I haven't used in over two years but couldn't bare to cut up because of the picture, and haven't cancelled either. They send me the ocaisional balance-transfer offer, but I don't get bills or owe them any money.
Not that I have too many ways to spend money or anything. Oh, and my ATM card is also, natch, a debit mastercard. Thank god none of them have annual fees...

The Citibank CSR was really nice. I think maybe I wasn't annoyed enough-maybe I could have gotten something out of their screw-up.
hmmm....
He also started joking with me, which is always a little odd.

Disembodied male voice: Can you confirm your address for me Miss Thompson?
Me: [give address]
Him: Oh wow, I'm so jealous. You live so close to Wrigley. Wrigley's, what, 1164 Addison?
Me: something like that
Him: Well that's close
Me: yeah, about two blocks
Him: That's great! I love Wrigley. That's an amazing neighborhood.
Me: I like it.
Him: Well Miss Thompson I just might have to move in with you!
Me: parking stinks.
Him: I can imagine. But still, great bars and public transportation. Too bad about the weather. Now, I'm shutting this account down as of today. You should receive your replacement card in about 10 days.
Me: Thanks so much for your help!
Him: You're welcome. Hope I didn't interrupt anything.

Is it just me or should the conversation have gone more like this?

Him: Can you confirm your address for me please?
Me: Yes, it's...
Him: Thank you so much for your time, and once again I apologize for this error. You should have your replacement card in about 10 days, and because of the inconvenience our mistake has caused you Citibank would like to offer to pay your grad school tuition for the rest of the year.
Me: Damn straight you will.

Sigh. I never should have answered the phone. But I keep thinking it will be my mother, who I talked to for approximately 5 seconds today for the first time in several weeks. She left a message last week telling me that my grandfather (who is nearly 100 years old and staying with her for the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas season) had pnemonia. He's better now, and talked to me briefly on the phone.
It was the first time in about a year that I've been sure he's known who I am as an individual (as opposed to his usual recognition of me as "female descendent whom I know well and love", which means I could be my sister, aunt, mother, or cousin). I told him that I get to dog-sit this weekend and he wanted to know all about the dog (and had advice, in case I needed it), and asked about school and work, and told me he was feeling much better. His inital response when I asked how he was doing was "Barely alive", which is a more common response from him theses days, but it breaks my heart every time. And then my mom took the phone and said she had to go but would call back after dinner. And then I cried. A lot.

In the 5-seconds I talked to my mom she managed to throw in "and you're still determined to abandon us for Thanksgiving?" Even though I had talked it through with her about 50 million times and she said it was fine. I sent her an email when I bought the tickets. I protested the terms, and she said "oh I know, you're visiting Margo of course it's ok". There is something about motherly teasing that just brings out too many conflicting emotions. I'll be home for Christmas and in Colorado with her for New Years.

I don't think my emotions can take any more of the close-to-death announcements I've gotten about my grandfather. Every few months we're all told "any time now", and we all freak out and become unbelievably sad. And then he, thank god, gets better for a few months. I think we're all beginning to think that he is invincible, and if/when anything happens we're all going to be flat-out devestated.

Can you see why reading and writing about pricing strategies in the airline industry between 1991 and 1995 is really low on my list of things I want to do?
- posted by Heidi @ 8:44 PM