6 posts tagged “arizona”

I love snail mail and getting surprise packages is a treat. My pen pal, Anna, sent me a lovely letter, tea goodies and an Australian import. So cute!

You know what’s funny? Bankers themselves don’t know what an online/e-commerce merchant account is. It’s really dumb to hear, “Well can you explain to me what it does? Because I don’t think we have that.” Are you kidding me?

In the apartment-front, so our very posh (hahaha–I keed, I keeeed) apartment management have very strict guidelines for would-be tenants. Since I’m staying there for over two weeks, they also require me to apply as well as sign the lease. They’ll be doing a background security check, residence history check, credit check and all that fun stuff. A month ago, my boyfriend sent his application to them and got approved, so that’s done. Today my boyfriend gave them my application. [It took a while because they don’t want applications electronically sent, so everything was done via snail mail.] Aside from that, they asked me to send them proof of income, namely my 2006 personal tax return, business tax return, and certificate of registration for my company. For these, I was allowed to scan and send via e-mail. Problem is, the apartment manager did not correct me over the phone when I repeated the email address to her for clarification.

Can you tell where I’m going with this?

Instead of sending all my personal, financial and business information to @yadda-yadda-apts.com, I sent it to @yadda-yadda-atts.com. Here’s the kicker: the email with attachment wasn’t bounced back.

Yes, all my confidential financial information was sent to some cybersquatting site. And the company that owns the domain where I accidentally sent my info to has been sued and is being sued by numerous large companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp., for squatting.

I almost cried this afternoon, because aside from dealing with idiots the whole day, I was slapped with the horrific fact that someone out there has all my personal information, including my SIN number (that’s “Social” for you Americans).

This is the last thing I need. I actually had to draft and send a formal legalese letter to the registrant of the domain, non-threateningly threatening to sue if some untoward circumstance arises due to their receipt of my information. UGH!

Lessons learned:

1. There’s a reason why people still rely on fax machines for important documents: It’s far easier to cybersquat than faxsquat. I don’t think the latter even exists. I should remember that of all the times I’ve sent and received signed contracts and credit card information where I previously worked, the worse that happened was a fax number being wrong or unsuccessfully transmitted pages because of connection problems.

2. Send a test e-mail first before sending personal information. That or ask the receiving party to send you an e-mail to make sure you have the correct e-mail address.

3. Seriously, learn from my experience.

I’m just trying to de-stress now after a horrible week and immensely enjoying the ‘ttude of my new furry pal. What should I name him?

Alternate view: through a digital camera.

I find that my Lomo works better if there is sunshine. It’s like me. And I will be drenched in glorious sunshine in the next few months.

I have to look forward so as not to be too overwhelmed with the details of the present. Sometimes I can get really bogged down with those damn details and I find myself tripping over, not seeing what’s beyond the nearest point in front of me. I really have to watch out, check my pulse. Think of the positives and step way back to see a different perspective: the bigger picture. Think positive! Feel positive!

These are photos I took from our trip to Canyon Lake last September. I look forward to taking more photos of these contrasting landscapes (compared to Vancouver), clear blue skies, and beautiful heart-wrenching sunsets. And I will be waiting for rain, instead of wishing for the next time the sun will kiss my cheek or peek out to tease me. I’m screaming EEEEEEEEEE! kind of excited! :-)

D and Iwent to the Phoenix Zoo this morning with his sis, sis-in-law, and their kids (the nieces and nephew I spoke of before). We looked at the monkeys, giraffes, elephants, birds, otters, etc. We petted (well, brushed the hair of) goats and sheep, and fed ducks (pictured). We also had hot chocolate, soft pretzel, and on the way out, snow cones! Whee!

That was fun! =) I’ve forgotten how fun it is to go to zoos with kids. They are so easily stimulated by anything and everything. Their awe over much-too-common-for-adult things is infectious.

After a 3 hour zoo trip, I was pooped, but I stil had to work in the afternoon. Ow.

Tonight it’s movie time for me and D. And tomorrow I’m off to meet up with my ol’ gal pal and just be crazy. =)

What are you up to this weekend?

D and I went to the Phoenix Zoo this morning with his sis, sis-in-law, and their kids (the nieces and nephew I spoke of before). We looked at the monkeys, giraffes, elephants, birds, otters, etc. We petted (well, brushed the hair of) goats and sheep, and fed ducks (pictured). We also had hot chocolate, soft pretzel, and on the way out, snow cones! Whee!

That was fun! =) I’ve forgotten how fun it is to go to zoos with kids. They are so easily stimulated by anything and everything. Their awe over much-too-common-for-adult things is infectious.

After a 3 hour zoo trip, I was pooped, but I stil had to work in the afternoon. Ow.

Tonight it’s movie time for me and D. And tomorrow I’m off to meet up with my ol’ gal pal and just be crazy. =)

What are you up to this weekend?

1. September 13, as soon as the units were out on the shelves, I got a DS Lite for myself. I was hesitant about the pink at first because it looks like calamine lotion color on the box and they don’t have display units. But, eventually, after being assured by another vendor that it’s definitely not calamine-lotion pink/peach, I exchanged my still-unopened black DS Lite.

   It’s cuuuuute:

   

   
   

2. We drove out to Canyon Lake last Thursday to kayak:

   

   

   

   

   Who knew this existed in the middle of the desert? I certainly didn’t. Hehe. Honestly though, I’ve been pining to see water I was psychologically hyperventilating. :p We had a great time. When we got back, we had margarita’s with the boyfriend’s family. :-)

   
   

3. Speaking of family, we had a ‘couples’ dinner with his brother and sister and their spouses. No kids, no conversations interrupted by kiddies who want to play. We had beer and pizza at BJ’s. That was fun. His mom volunteered to babysit the kids so we can all go out. Awwww. Isn’t that sweet? She said she bet she had more fun than we did. Haha. I can’t argue with that, they’re all incredibly cute and such interesting characters.
   


4. If you can believe it, D and I have been cooking and baking. We made RR’s vodka cream pasta. YUMM-O. Hahahaha. [I know some of you hate that/her. I couldn’t tolerate watching her this afternoon with her own show. Ack.] We also baked peanut butter cookies and peach crisp. Hee!


5. We saw “Crank”. Weird and gory movie. It was dark and funny. I like it.


6. We rarely eat home-cooked food. I’m loaded up with Spinato’s pizza, Buffalo Wild Wings, Pick Up Stix, Sonic, KFC, Doghouse hotdogs, TGIF, etc. Time to cook more!!!


7. Hmm…what else…my baby’s celebrating his birthday this Friday. Woohoo!




Ok, later kids…

Flying America West:

If I remember what they pilot said, we were getting a view of Vancouver Island when I took this pic.

Clouds. I love clouds. I’ve always wanted to touch them since I was little just to see how fluffy they were. Alas, my heart broke when I learned in school that they consist of vapors. How can that be? It’s so cute!

And the line here, it’s not the horizon. It’s the line separating the clear blue skies and the smog above AZ:

Wiggy.

I’ll try to update often. Usually if I try to blog AFTER the trip, I just get so lazy. And I forgot what I wanted to say. Haha.