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- <h1>Little by little, I will reclaim my sanity, inner peace, and balance.</h1>
- <p>Day 00750: Sunday, 2017 March 26</p>
- </header>
- <section id="general">
- <h2>General news</h2>
- <p>
- I tried to renew my domain name today, but Visa decided to screw with me with their Verified by Visa system.
- I've used Verified by Visa before with my credit union credit card, so maybe the problem isn't actually coming from Visa's end; it could be coming from Chase's end.
- I tried to get help from a Chase representative, but the bank's website wouldn't provide help unless I logged in, but also refused to <strong>*let*</strong> me log in.
- I figured I'd need to talk to a representative in-branch later, which turned out to be half true.
- </p>
- <p>
- Next, I bought some custom lanyards.
- I've been saving up for them for a while.
- This transaction went smoothly, as the lanyard merchant doesn't use Verified by Visa.
- Later in the day, they emailed me with an even better offer.
- They catch is that they didn't know where to reach me until after my initial transaction with them and the new deal doesn't cancel the initial order.
- To take advantage of their better deal, I have to place a second order.
- The minimum order on the first transaction will leave me with more lanyards than I know what to do with though.
- I don't need a second order of them too.
- </p>
- <p>
- The results of a Web search indicated I'd need to contact my specific bank to sign up for Verify by Visa.
- Perhaps registering for that would allow me to get past the error and prevent the bank from declining the transaction.
- I looked up how to register for Verified by Visa through my bank, and was lead to a page on the bank's website with a non-hyperlink Web address that supposedly allowed registration.
- However, I only reached a page saying "General error occurred."
- I tried again to log into by bank account online, as several hours had past since my initial attempt, and this time, it worked.
- I spoke asynchronously with a bank representative, who demanded I telephone a specific number to have the issue resolved.
- I explained that I have no telephone service.
- Now that SafeLink's dropped me, it isn't even the usual lie to get businesses to allow other contact methods as they should, but the actual truth.
- I explained I could reach them via the Web, email, or in branch, but not via telephone, and they replied that I should visit them in-branch.
- That surprised me quite a bit!
- Usually, when companies are adamant that I reach them via telephone, they don't seem to take "no" for an answer until I push back for several days or call their bluff by taking a somewhat drastic but reasonable action.
- In particular, financial institutions seem to have an incredibly strong tie to the telephone system, which is worrying.
- While we want our financial institutions to use the highest forms of security available, they require some transactions occur over the telephone system, an inherently insecure channel.
- </p>
- <p>
- As an example of a drastic, reasonable action that get financial institutions to behave reasonably, I had to to ask a branch representative at Oregon Community Credit Union to close my credit card account with the credit union.
- They sent me a card in the mail with instructions on how to activate it via telephone.
- They didn't provide a way to activate online.
- So what did I do?
- I walked the card into my local branch and asked them to activate it for me.
- They refused.
- They told me I'd need to get ahold of a telephone somehow, perhaps borrowing one, and activate it via telephone.
- I again explained I didn't have access to any telephones, but they stubbornly refused to acknowledge the fact that not having telephone service is a completely valid choice to make.
- Having done all I otherwise could, i explained that a card I couldn't activate was of zero value to me, which was something even they could comprehend.
- Then I asked them to close the credit card account.
- That got them to change their tune!
- They'd rather help me in-branch than lose a card holder!
- And help me activate the card in-branch the did.
- </p>
- <p>
- Today was laundry day, so I washed my work uniforms and other clothing.
- I thought I should've used the time spent waiting for the laundry cycles to complete to write up the beginnings of my journal entry for the day, but instead, I worked on sorting and organizing my home.
- The entryway was full of my belongings, still packed.
- That's also the only reasonable place to store my bike.
- I planned to keep it against the entryway wall, and I did at first, but it was too much of a pain to get it arround everything each day.
- I started stashing it in the middle of the entryway, then working around it all the time.
- I've cleaned up the entryway now though, as well as rearranged my bedroom a bit to accommodate most of the stuff from the entryway.
- Much of it was clothing bins and my underwear drawers, both of which I'd rather have in the bedroom anyway.
- I also donated several things, including some old candle jars and two pairs of leather shoes.
- I inherited those shoes from Cyrus, I'm almost certain.
- I'm sure they weren't mine, but Cyrus claims they're not theirs either, so when Cyrus escaped, they ended up with me.
- I can't wear them though, obviously, because we vegans don't wear corpse skin on our feet.
- </p>
- <p>
- With laundry done and the entryway clean, I rode over to Chase to get them to fix the Verified by Visa issue, or at least <strong>*try*</strong> to get them to.
- I lost track of time though.
- It's Sunday.
- They're not open today!
- It's such a pain that everyone wants the same days off.
- We could have every business and service conveniently open every day if people would just stager their days off.
- </p>
- <p>
- Chase is in Fred Meyer, Fred Meyer sells groceries and takes credit cards, and I was already there ... so I bought some food to make the trip worthwhile.
- THeir prices are higher than Winco's, but I'll never hit the $500 <abbr title="United States Dollars">USD</abbr> mark if I can't count groceries, especially if I can't renew my domain name either.
- My rent must be paid by cashier's cheque, not credit card, so I can't count that either.
- Seriously: one month's rent would more than hit the $500 <abbr title="United States Dollars">USD</abbr> target.
- </p>
- <p>
- I'd packed one of those insulated bags given to me by my mother in my backpack, just to make surprise visits to the grocery store more fruitful.
- These things are <strong>*not*</strong> practical on a bike though.
- I need a bike basket or something to make grocery shopping more feasible.
- I'm used to living just a few blocks from the grocery store, but things have changed.
- </p>
- <p>
- Today at work was interesting.
- First, one of my coworkers took on the moniker "Daddy Gummy Bear".
- I have no idea why, as the Crown of Voices keeps me from hearing most of what my coworkers discuss with one another, but it was quite amusing.
- Later, a strange group came through the drive-through, and one of them kept asking me to please spit on the pizza, sometimes with a bullhorn.
- Just before leaving, they asked "Will you show me your titties?".
- I don't think my shift leaders would approve if I decided to accept that request though.
- Later, a group came through, ordered a single pizza, then asked me to write "Quavo" on the box.
- There was only one pizza though, there wasn't any need to distinguish it from others.
- Or maybe they had other pizzas from my workplace at home?
- I don't know.
- A customer came in the front wearing a teeshirt printed to look like a Santa Clause suit bearing the text "Does this suit make me look fat?".
- </p>
- <p>
- Another customer came through the drive-through and asked if I like working here.
- It got me thinking.
- Yes, I like working here.
- I didn't always like it, but my new, happier attitude is giving me rose-colored glasses in regards to several aspects of life.
- My neck and back aren't completely better, but they don't hurt so much any more, so work isn't so draining as it once was.
- My energy level has improved, compounding that effect.
- It's nice to get in some human interaction, both with my coworkers and with reasonable customers.
- Some customers are even fun and/or amusing!
- As for the customers that want to be a pain, I don't give them anything they can use against me.
- As soon as they drive off, they're out of my life 'til they come back.
- I enjoy being here now.
- I mean, sometimes I find myself heading into work not wanting to go quite yet, but it's not that I don't want to go in that day, just hat I want a little more time at home first.
- This work is by no means the best, but I do enjoy my work and I do enjoy being here.
- </p>
- <p>
- The shift leaders conspired today to, near the end of the night, stop keeping chicken wings prepared and ready to order.
- As far as I know, neither is against the consumption of chicken, but they do feel bad about the six or so orders of chicken we have to throw out every night.
- I and at least one of my other coworkers appreciated that.
- If anyone wanted chicken, they could still buy it, they'd just need to wait the twenty minutes it takes to cook it.
- Of course, that wouldn't fly if the head manager were here, but they weren't.
- I wonder if we can do that again tomorrow and potentially the next day ...
- The head manager has Sundays and Mondays off. They work on Tuesdays, but they don't <strong>*close*</strong> on Tuesdays, so we might still be able to get away with not wasting chicken then too.
- </p>
- <p>
- Toward the end of the night, I was washing dishes as quickly as I could in our three-basin sink, when one of the shift leaders shoved a pair of trays right in the middle sink where I was working.
- I moved them to the first sink, and they got weird about it.
- They wanted the trays in the middle sink <strong>*now*</strong>, even though the trays were in the way and even though the shift leader wasn't the one washing dishes.
- That annoyed more than it should have.
- Later, they put away a lid, but they didn't put it away correctly.
- Normally, I wouldn't have cared, but I was already annoyed with them, so I moved it to where the other like lids were right away.
- They gave me a funny look, so I explained that this is why I have to organize the lids every day.
- No one puts them away correctly, so they're always in a jumble until I get there.
- Ostensibly joking, they replied that maybe that's why I'm here.
- That really ticked me off!
- I'm constantly making up for everyone else's inadequacies and incompetencies here!
- The shift leader doesn't even care!
- No one keeps things organized but me.
- No one properly cleans anything, so I'm stuck pouring even more effort into trying to catch up with cleaning.
- Some of it's an impossible job alone, too.
- For example, we have these metal dough trays.
- They build up with oil and black grime.
- I can't scrape all the gunk off, as I'll get told off for taking too long with the dishes.
- Instead, I scrape a little bit off every time I do dishes.
- I should be making progress then, right?
- Wrong.
- There are so many dough trays, so little time, and I'm the only one actually scraping the gunk off.
- As such, the gunk builds up faster than I can clean it.
- </p>
- <p>
- After a bit of thought though, I realized something: that's <strong>*not*</strong> why I'm here.
- I'm here to make money and to provide a reasonable contribution to the company for the wages I make.
- I'm not paid the same as five other workers; it's not my job to do the work of five people.
- I will continue to do my best in all areas I don't do so well at.
- I'll still continue to do better than my coworkers in the ways I excel.
- However, I'm done pouring everything into a job that doesn't appreciate me and doesn't benefit from my efforts.
- Does the store benefit from my trying to clean the pans properly when gunk build up faster than I can clean it?
- No.
- Does the store benefit from my daily organizing when the organization disappears as soon as I leave the store?
- No.
- As long as I'm the only one even trying, none of it will matter.
- Quite frankly, this place and these people don't deserve me.
- That said, I feel like I owe the head manager something.
- At this point, I'm a great worker that isn't going to disappear in the near future.
- However, they gave me employment even when I said I'd only be able to stay a month or two.
- That start is a huge part of how I was able to escape my abusive home situation.
- There's a strong possibility I'll try to stay until I get my associate's degree.
- That'll be about two years worth of good labor from me.
- Besides, as I said, I enjoy being here and I enjoy the work.
- I just need to be a bit less ... neurotic.
- Little by little, I will reclaim my sanity, inner peace, and balance.
- </p>
- <p>
- I feel amazing.
- Today's been a wonderful day, despite a few bumps in the road.
- </p>
- <p>
- My <a href="/a/canary.txt">canary</a> still sings the tune of freedom and transparency.
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