Go South, Young Woman

It's that time again. Time for our daughter to head back to college. We came to South Florida on Thursday, visited my brother & his family for a few days and my daughter moved into her dorm yesterday.



Last year was a difficult transition for us all, with our daughter starting college in Miami. As I noted back then, she had never been away from home much, so the idea of leaving home was both exciting and terrifying for her. This year, not so much. There was still a little trepidation on her part because she had such a good summer, so having to leave friends and family to go so far away caused some angst. It didn't help that a few of her close friends transferred to schools in or around Philly. On our end, it's also been a little easier and harder. Her summer job (selling kitchen knives, no less) ended up being a wonderful experience for her and we saw her mature and gain confidence in herself as she honed her sales skills. We had a good summer together, so it's sad to see summer end and her leave. On the other hand, it's easier to say good-bye, knowing she's better able to handle herself on her own.

While we were here, we got to see (sort of) the Discovery shuttle launch the other night. We headed outside at midnight, to see the sky light up after the launch and hear the lift off -- even though we're almost 2 hours away. That was an unexpected treat.

I'm also staying a few extra days to hang out, while my husband left for a trip to NYC with his brother & brother-in-law to see an Earth, Wind & Fire & Chicago concert and then head to the US Open tomorrow. Before the concert, he's having dinner with EWF -- our brother-in-law, who's from LA, knows a few of the musicians in the group. If I'm nice, my daughter will let me take her shopping for a few forgotten items and take her to lunch.

Into Each Life A Little Rain Must Fall

The rains last night had the toads falling from the skies, or so it seemed in our back yard.

My daughter & I sat on our porch swing during the rain & lightening storm and noticed that the tree frogs were merrily wandering around the backyard after being washed out of the trees. So she tiptoed through the rain drops and scooped up a few of the frogs.


The rainy summer has also left a few other visitors behind.




It seems to have also caused some alien matter to sprout in the yard.

The Magic of Home

As I observed on Twitter:

Who says you can't go home again? Weekend in Scranton. Yummy lunch @ Pappas Pizza & dinner @ Savory Maza. My Italian/Lebanese sides happy.

We spent a long week-end in Scranton, where we had a 50th anniversary party for my husband's parents. My parents are also home from Florida for the summer, so I got to visit with them as well. A family-filled week-end (and, as always, some good eats).

A perfectly timed Week-end Journal piece in last week's Philadelphia Inquirer selected Scranton as a destination point, The magic of Scranton, which provided a chuckle for the family and friends from the area.

Calling downtown compact -- about 6 square blocks, in the article may be accurate, but doesn't truly reflect what that downtown was like when I was growing up. Back in the "good old days" (or at least my memories of them), downtown was a vibrant place to be. My high school was on the edge of town, so we went downtown every day after school. To the Charlamont Restaurant at the Globe Store, for brownie a la mode, to Coney Island (mentioned in the piece) for hot dogs, shopping at the Globe and the Scranton Dry Goods Store -- as well as the Army/Navy Store -- believe it or not -- in my hippie days. Those were the days, my friend.

Because the party was held at the Scranton Hilton, I drove my daughter around center city, pointing out various points of interest from my youth. She insisted that it was the first time that she had been downtown (which I find hard to believe), and observed that it was nicer than she expected. I also have to admit that I was amazed at the revival of the downtown in the past few years. My old high school, Central, is now home to a college. The train station and courthouse have been renovated and look fabulous.


As the Inky notes of Scranton:

Mary Ann Moran Savakinus, director of the Lackawanna Historical Society, gives us the city's history in a nutshell:

"The industrial boom was fueled by the holy trinity of iron, rail, and coal." In 1847, brothers Selden T. and George W. Scranton were the first to mass-produce iron rails in America. Their iron-manufacturing business was short-lived, but coal stayed hot. With local fields containing 85 percent of the world's anthracite coal, the family shifted to railroading to transport those "black diamonds" around the country.

By 1900, Scranton had grown into the 38th-largest city in the country, with a population of more than 100,000, and families such as the Scrantons had joined the so-called robber barons of the era.

But the city's story is not just about the wealthy. Industrial growth required labor, and immigrants poured into the city to fill the jobs. The Irish and the Welsh were among the earliest arrivals, followed by Eastern Europeans and Italians.

"Having mined anthracite coal in their native country, the Welsh were a perfect match for the Pennsylvania mines," Moran Savakinus says. "Back then, Scranton had the largest Welsh population outside of Wales itself."

After World War II, coal was displaced by cheaper fuels - oil and natural gas - and the city's fortunes faded.

Its fortunes faded and many of its inhabitants migrated elsewhere (Philly has lots of them). However, like the "hardscrabble" people of Scranton, the city manages to survive, and thrive in its own way.

And, it's nice to know that you can go home again. At least once in a while, for a visit.

(Photos via Scranton Design)

The Big Sport

Yesterday was my husband David's birthday. As part of his day long celebration, he played in the Senior (45+) Grass Court Championship at The Germantown Cricket Club. Although he lost in the second round, the winner bought him a few beers.

He then moved on to a golf tournament (he didn't play), followed by a Beef & Beer event. The day ended with a BBQ at our house, complete with a birthday cake that read "Knocking on 60's door" -- courtesy of my daughter & her friends.

All in all, a happy day.

Bookends

The summer continues to be a whirlwind of activity, but this week was one filled with sorrow. I started & ended the week by attending funerals. A friend and a relative. Both were known for their warm, loving personalities, who gave much to friends, family and others.

My cousin Linda, who just turned 50, died very suddenly. She was out to dinner with her 20 year old daughter and collapsed shortly after she was seated at the restaurant. Her son's high school graduation party was just last week. The funeral was held on Monday, because the family didn't want it to fall on his 18th birthday, which was Tuesday. In addition to her work and caring for her family, she helped to care for her sister, who has advanced ALS. Linda was funny, warm and above all, generous. It was one of the saddest funerals that I've ever attended -- the unexpected, sudden loss of a young, vibrant person.

Whenever I went back home, her sister invariably teased me about the lack of "style" with my hairdo. She hounded me to plan a week-end when I could come home, so that Linda, a hair stylist, could work her magic on my hair. In fact, my brother had made an appointment with Linda for a "make over" in mid-August as a birthday present, when I plan to be home again. Of course, the fact that I'll never get the Linda treatment was a refrain during the viewing & funeral.

On Friday, I ended the week by attending a memorial service for a friend who died at 52 of endometrial cancer. Last I had heard, she was in remission and doing well. I had just received word that she was not doing well when I found out later that day that she had died. Like my cousin, Debra was a wonderful person, kind and generous to all. Our kids went to Greene Street Friends School together, where she also taught & worked in administration for many years.

As her obituary said:

Everybody needs a hug once in a while.

That was the idea behind the Prayer Shawl Ministry, begun by Debra Pinder Symonette at the First United Methodist Church of Germantown.

Members of the ministry combine knitting and crocheting with prayer, creating shawls for people, mostly women, in need of comforting.

"A shawl ends up being very personal and very loving," said Zelphia Ellerson, a friend of Debra's since they attended Girls High together. "It's a hug. That's what it is."

The shawl ministry was just one expression of Debra Symonette's compassion and love of people. The multi-talented educator, onetime architect, artist and craftsman died Wednesday of complications of endometrial cancer. She was 52 and lived in East Mount Airy.

* * * *

Debra founded Paper Crane Studio, a crafts studio based at the church. She taught doll-making, rubber-stamping, scrapbooking, basket-making, card-making, calligraphy, beading, orgami, crocheting, knitting, quilt-making and other skills.

"Paper crane" is a Japanese symbol of peace and hope.

Debra also taught a variety of crafts at the Mount Airy Learning Tree, and organized "Stitch and Pitch" outings to Phillies games.

She was a member of United Methodist Women, which works to raise awareness of human rights, economic opportunity and health and quality-of-life issues relevant to women. She also was a member of the board of Weaver's Way, the West Mount Airy food cooperative.

The quilt pictured above, titled "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt," was part of an exhibition that was shown last fall by a group of quilters. Embodying the spirit of Debra, her quilt contained quilt blocks from all of the original quilters in the group, as a way of showing the creativity of each member and the community. Debra looked at life that way in all that she did.

At the end of the service, paper cranes -- the symbol of peace & hope -- were handed out to all.

Looking for Treasure

Before I left for vacation, I remarked to friends that Las Vegas is probably on the top of my list of places that I'd rather not visit. However, my in-laws are celebrating their 50th Anniversary next month & the kids decided to hold the family vacation in Vegas this year so that we could combine the vacation and renewal of vows (and get a little gambling in for those who indulge).

The ceremony/reception was lovely, with all of the 5 children participating. My husband, as the oldest, was the best man. My brother-in-law, who is a minister, performed the ceremony. All of the grandkids also took part. I was one of the few in the audience, along with a few close friends & relatives who came along.

My husband & I aren't gamblers, so Vegas is not really the place for us. I couldn't believe that there were slot machines at the end of the runway when we deplaned. I'm only surprised that the bathrooms didn't have mini-slots, since they pervaded every other possible spot. To me, the non-stop gaming activity was an assault on the senses. With the temperatures over 100 degrees every day, there wasn't much else available -- even the pool was off limits until late afternoon.

We stayed at Treasure Island and visited the casinos that mimicked Paris & Venice. I've been to both cities several times, so I have to admit that I was pretty condescending about the thought of a Vegas Paris or Venice. The commercialization was a bit over the top, but the trompe l'oeil was decent. I went through the Venetian early one morning before the stores opened, so the effects were pretty good.

One evening, the ladies all went to see Menopause, The Musical, which was delightful. Another day, we wandered around old Las Vegas in the downtown section, which I enjoyed much more than the built-up strip. I even visited a few pawn shops, trying to benefit from someone's else's bad luck. I managed to find a good deal on a piece of jewelry, natch.


A number of people insisted that I at least try my hand at gambling, so I wagered $2. on the slots, which I promptly lost & quit for good. If I'm going to spend my money, I at least want to have something to show for it. All I have to say is: Las Vegas -- oy, what a place.

Eat, Drink & Be Merry

So, my hectic social life continues unabated. I'm normally a homebody, with an occasional night out, but lately I've been out almost every night, either for a client meeting or a social event.

In fact, I've been out to dinner so much in the last week or so that I could write a food blog. In the last week alone, I've been to Cooper's in Manayunk, Bocia in Mount Airy, a new restaurant in Roxborough twice, Sole 2 Soul, and had dinner at the Germantown Cricket Club.

Except for the Cricket Club, all of the restaurants are relatively new and are BYOB. Our favorite (thus, the second excursion) is Sole 2 Soul. It's just the kind of place that Ridge Avenue in Roxborough needs -- good food, nice setting. My daughter (who works nearby) is actually the one who discovered the place and we all went there last Friday. My husband & I returned last week again on our own, since we enjoyed the meal so much. The menu features a lot of seafood (which I don't eat), so my husband can get his fill. My blackened chicken breast was very tasty as well.

Cooper's Brick Oven Wine Bar is the sister restaurant to Jake's. We all had gourmet pizza and salad, which was good, but not anything special. Unlike Craig LaBan, I'm not a fan of the crackery flatbread pizza. I prefer stretchy pizza dough, even if it's pulled thin for margarita pizza. Our friends liked it more than we did.

Thursday was our anniversary (21 years of marriage/38 years togetherness), so we dined at Bacio. Again, my husband had seafood, Filet of Talapia, which he loved and I had a delicious chicken parmigiana. The service was so slow that the chef sent out a beef salad gratis while we waited. We were in no hurry, so it was no big deal for us. We'd definitely go back.

On the 4th, we opted for a restful day -- a day relaxing at the pool, followed by a BBQ in our yard, with a late night dip in our hottub, sipping wine. We could hear the fireworks in the background, so it was a fab 4th.

Tomorrow we're off for our family vacation. This year we're going to a place that topped my list of vacation spots I don't want to see -- Las Vegas. We don't gamble, but everyone says it's still a fun place to go. My in-laws are renewing their vows on their 50th Anniversary and we're doing it up in Las Vegas. I'll see if I can find some hidden treasure at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino.

A Pox on You

Don Wright, Tribune Media Services

After a busy start to the week, with the annual dinner meeting of a non-profit whose Board I recently joined and a celebratory dinner for a friend who was just appointed Dean of the University of Maryland School of Law, I've been plagued for the last few days with the worst of the worst -- a summer flu.

I suppose there's some consolation in the non-stop dreary, rainy weather that we've had, so at least I'm consoled by the fact that I'm not missing any prime pool time.

I have my own suspicions about how I contracted it. Last week-end in Scranton, I attended our Church picnic in McDade Park, but I left just as the priest began setting up for an outdoor mass. I believe a curse was put on me for skipping out early.

Of course, I've had no end of diagnoses and suggested remedies to try. The "advantage" of having physicians as clients, I suppose. However, can I say that I wasn't especially thrilled when an ER doctor client said that it sounded like I had swine flu & should get tested. Bed rest & lots of fluids were also recommended (and even a homeopathic remedy, believe it or not) -- as soon as I finished whatever project that the particular client had called about.

Luckily, it looks like on the fever & chills are gone, along with the sore throat. So I'm just left with the dull headache, fatigue and of course, the sniffles, coughing & sneezing. And with the pitter patter of the rain outside my window, I have no desire to go outside today, so I'm sure to get the all of the R&R I need.

Sailing Away

I'm back from a long week-end in Scranton for my nephew's Graduation Party. Another trip back in time as I wander the halls of the Tripp House. As I mentioned 2 years ago when my other nephew graduated, Ain't No Party Like a Scranton Party:

The trip to Scranton was a real trip down memory lane for me. The Graduation Party was held at The Tripp House, which is Scranton's oldest home. Even more, years before it was taken over by the Junior League and restored as an event venue, my grandmother lived there. My brothers and I went to the house early to help set up for the party, so I got to wander around the house and remember spending time there with Noni. Great memories.

The rest of the week-end was also filled with family-related activities. On Saturday, we attended a Church picnic at McDade Park and another graduation party that evening.
Scranton has some of the best state parks around. After the bucolic setting of McDade Park, on Sunday the family spent the day at Lackawanna State Park, where we went kayaking and canoeing. After the rest of the gang headed out on the lake, my brother & I sat with my parents for a while, before we decided to hop into our own canoe.

Of course, anyone who knows me knows that me in a canoe isnn't exactly a picture that easily comes to mind. I probably haven't been in a canoe since the days when we had our vacation house in the Poconos. In fact, after the shock wore of the faces of my niece and nephews when we caught up with them, I had to take pictures to prove to doubters that I really was sailing the lake in my canoe.

She's Back

I haven't disappeared into the great beyond of the "ethernets" -- at least not yet, anyway.

Blogging has been light or non-existent for the past month or so due to my crazy schedule, both at work and home. Despite the fact that my blogging has suffered, most of the stuff going on in my life is good.

Work has been especially hectic, with the usual emergency client matters, as well as the latest technical difficulties compounding the problem. Trust me, I'm not complaining about the client workload -- especially when I see the severe problems faced by BigLaw these days. I realized many years ago that the big firm life was not for me, so I left before things got really out of hand and I've never looked back (other than with great relief).

On the other hand, technical difficulties at work continue to plague the office. We recently switched our phone system, moving to T1/PRI lines. Unfortunately, the transition has been anything but smooth. Our system has been down several days each week since the move two months ago. What makes it worse is the fact that the PRI lines hold not only our phones, but our internet & fax as well, so when they go down, we are totally shut down. No fun. The frustration and hassle of dealing with our work under these conditions has been burdensome and annoying, to say the least.

Outside of work, I've been on the road, visiting family in Scranton, Delaware & Pittsburgh for a funeral, wedding & graduation. Another trek to Scranton is scheduled for this week-end for more graduation festivies.

Our daughter is home for the summer & we've had to adjust to having her around again. Thankfully, she is also gainfully employed. Of course, her job is selling kitchen knives, so our assistance is required -- imposing on friends & family to listen to her sales spiel. But at least she has finally gotten a real paycheck & she's enjoying her job.

Besides that, my social life has been more active of late and I've even started going to the gym a few times a week after work, in my attempt to prepare for beach blanket sun & fun. In fact, with the beautiful weather on Sunday, I spent a good part of the day at the pool. Next to the beach, my favorite summer pasttime is the pool.

With all that's been happening in my life, most of my blogging has been written in my mind, with not much time to actually sit down & write it down to post. But I'm hoping things will calm down just a bit, so I can get back to my blogging routine.

(Sign via Gort42)

'The Soloist'

We rarely see a movie in the theater (a Mother's Day outing to see Crash a few years ago may have been the last time), but we decided that the rainy weather was perfect for a family movie night. The Soloist certainly fit the mood of the weather.

My daughter's reading the book now and I'm familiar with the story from reading Steve Lopez' columns in the LA Times when he originally wrote of the story of the mentally ill musician in 2005. Lopez had been one of my favorite writers at the Inky, so I followed his columns when he moved to LA., including his awarding winning series of stories about Nathaniel Ayers, a schizophrenic homeless man who was a gifted musician and had attended Juilliard. These stories comprise the book and the plot of the movie.

The headline of the Philly Daily News review says it all, ‘The Soloist’ not a feel-good film. As Gary Thompson explains:

Did I mention it's also intentionally atonal, this dirge? "The Soloist" is a tough movie built around the difficult friendship between Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez (ex of the Inky) and the homeless man whose life he chronicles.

It begins when Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) strikes up a conversation with a street musician named Ayers (Jamie Foxx), who's ranting and plucking on two strings of a busted violin.

The man babbles, but Lopez gets his name, hears the word "Julliard," and does a little digging. He unearths (and reports, in a series of columns) the compelling biography of a boy genius whose promise was cut short by madness, a biography that also tells the story of urban homelessness. (As does this movie, with rare emotional restraint.)

Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx gave excellent portrayals of the two men, Lopez and Ayers, as they met and eventually connected, despite their different backgrounds and Ayers mental problems. Lopez, in his own way, had the more difficult task, since he had to overcome the desire to help Ayers "fix" his life by trying to find a way for Ayers to obtain medical assistance. He also had to confront the fact that, as a writer, he connected with others through observation and maintained his distance. As he became involved with Ayers, that solo personality would prevent him from reaching the soloist Ayers. With his severe mental illness, Ayers was unable to change his behavior in any meaningful way. For him, music was the only way that he was able to soothe the voices in his head and sometimes let in the real world. Once Lopez was able to accept that reality, they were able to form a bond of sorts.

I tend to agree with Rebecca Murray's Review:

As Lopez gets to know Ayers - as much as anyone can know a stranger with severe mental problems who's not being treated for his disease - he discovers an incredible musician still exists inside the man who 99.9% of the population would go out of their way to avoid eye contact with. What started as the idea for one column turns into a life-changing relationship from which both men benefit, though in vastly different ways.

Is proclaiming Robert Downey Jr one of the best actors of his generation pushing it? Check out The Soloist and tell me Downey Jr isn't at the top of his game as a newspaper reporter who uses Ayers to get a story before finding himself unintentionally becoming the most stable friend the tortured Ayers had during his years on the streets. It's mostly through Downey Jr's eyes that we follow the story, listening in while he dictates what he's learned dealing with Ayers into his tape recorder before writing up his articles for the LA Times. Downey Jr thoroughly and absolutely becomes this veteran journalist who gets too close to his subject and finds himself caught up in Ayers' life to point where an actual friendship has formed.

Jamie Foxx delivers yet another poignant performance as he tackles what just had to be the most difficult role of his career. Whether speaking at a manic pace as Ayers' mind trips out on him or altering everything about his being when Ayers shows moments of near lucidity, Foxx never, ever turns his portrayal of Ayers into a caricature of a mentally unbalanced man.

* * * *

Wright's made an honest, unflinching film that's uncomfortable to watch at times, a pure joy to behold at others, and overall as faithful to its source material as possible while still being cinematically entertaining.

Most of the reviews of the movie were mixed, but the family all liked the movie, despite it's overall depressing theme. I'm glad that I saw the movie before I read the book, to eliminate the comparisons between the two. Both my daughter and the woman sitting behind me kept pointing out differences in the movie. (The Los Angeles Times review notes a few of the variances).

But it was my husband who was most affected, because he worked with the mentally ill homeless about 20 years ago and it brought back a wave of memories for him. In fact, he coincidentally had a meeting nearby this week, so he happened to stop at the agency he had worked. An old colleague is now running the Center. He even ran into an old client, who remembered him. The man, still homeless after all these years, was excited because he thought my husband was returning to the Center.

All in all, we thought the movie was a realistic portrayal of mental illness & homelessness that certainly won't leave you feeling uplifted. Yet, it was well-done & managed to be moving nonetheless.

Home Alone

My husband flew down to Miami Thursday morning to load up & drive back all of the stuff that's in our daughter's dorm room. Lucky for us, we have family in the South Florida area, so we were able to store most of the big items (refridge, microwave, TV, etc) in my parents garage. Her first year college experience had its tribulations, but the semester is coming to an end.

We gave her a car for Christmas (my brother's old Mustang GT), so my husband is enjoying the drive home in the "muscle car." After spending the night at my brother's house in Delray, he drove to Atlanta on Friday to visit his brother. Then it's on the road again, Philly bound. He's reliving his youth, recalling the time he drove to Florida & back during Spring Break with one of his best buddies in his corvette.

This also means I have a few days of hanging out, with no responsibilities (except the job & the pets, of course). Also on the agenda was a girls' night out, and cruising around on a nice sunny day with the top down, doing some browsing at my favorite consignment shops & antique jewelry stores.

When I talked to my husband on his drive to Atlanta on Friday, he mentioned that he couldn't believe the array of Confederate flags dotting the landscape. I thought perhaps that he had passed the world's largest Confederate Flag near Tampa that was raised last summer.

And, the timing is apparently perfect to be immersed in the Rebel flag, since April has been deemed as Confederacy month by the powers that be, including Georgia's governor, Sonny Perdue, as I discovered from Philly's own field negro.

Maybe there was a sign up to greet him as he entered Georgia, declaring Happy Confederacy History and Heritage Month.

(*edited)

Almost Easter

My daughter, PhillyAngel, didn't believe me when I told her the buds on the tree in our backyard would bloom on Easter.

Peek-a-boo Rainbow

The skies from the east and the west, with a rainbow peeking through, after the torrential rains last night.

Celebrations

Whatever with the past has gone,
The best is always yet to come.

- Lucy Larcom

Another birthday for our daughter, PhillyAngel

The 6-word Valentine

I'm definitely a sucker for the 6-word story. I've penned a few Mini Memoirs.

So, when I saw the call for 6 word love stories in the Washington Post, Your Love: In Six Words, I just couldn't resist.

My contribution:

Summer love.
Long ago.
Still today.

Take the Money & Run

With the shady practices employed by Bank of America, I'm frankly not sure how they've gotten into the financial trouble that they have. They should be in great shape. They sure know how to take the money & run.

Of course, the latest news of the dastardly deeds of BOA is the attempt to collect the credit card debt from the son whose mother had died, with an outstanding balance due on her credit card. Despite the fact that a family member is not legally obligated to pay this bill, the BOA representative tried to mislead the son when he called to report that his mother had died. The rep also suggested that the son had a moral, if not legal, duty to pay. Finally, he added that the financial crisis was due, in part, to defaults such as this. As TPM reports, How Theresa Hatt Caused The Financial Crisis:

The rep's apparent intention, as Kelleher described it, was to mislead him into believing that he was obligated -- at first legally, then, failing that, morally -- to cover his mother's debt (which, in any case, was not large: she had had a $1000 limit on her card). Of course, Kelleher was sophisticated enough to know that's not true. But how many other less savvy callers in similar situations, he wondered, might respond to the rep's breezy "how are you planning to take care of her balance?," with a confused "I guess I'll mail in a check"?

The clear impression was that this was part of the routine collection practices engaged in by BOA, which Zackary Roth of TPM had confirmed by a former rep. As to these sleazy practices, he noted:

Bank of America and its competitors have already taken billions in taxpayer dollars. So it seems logical to insist on a similar set of public interest conditions -- and the industry's range of deceptive and rapacious lending practices would be a natural place to start.

Good luck with that! That's just standard operating procedure for these guys.

I'm having my own battle with BOA over a student checking account that my daughter tried to open at school in Miami. BOA is big in South Florida, and they have ATMs on campus, so she wanted to open an account with them. She first tried to open an account on-line and shortly after that, the Bank sent reps to the campus, to sign students up. My daughter told the rep that she had already opened an account, but he said to sign up for a new one with him. Of course, not knowing any better, she did. And, surprise of surprises, he gave her false & misleading information.

She then received a letter from BOA saying that they were closing her accounts. After several calls to "customer service," she was told they had closed the accounts because of suspected fraud (since she opened more than one account). First of all, I didn't know that it was illegal to have more than one account with a Bank. Second, although she tried to explain that the rep misled her about opening the second account, they brushed her off & advised her that it could affect her credit in the future.

When she came home for break, we went to a local bank office & explained the situation. The Bank manager took the information and said he would have the account re-instated. At the end of the holidays before she went back to school, we went back to BOA and we told that the account was re-activated. So, she deposited two checks, totalling $250. A few days later, she received her debit card. The next day, she received another letter saying that the account had been closed.

A few days after that, she received a letter stating that the Bank had confidential information that the checks would not be honored. I checked my account & the money I had given her was deducted the day after it was deposited. I just confirmed that the other check had been paid as well. So this accusatory letter was just wrong.

We tried to call the local Bank manager & were told that she had to speak to someone in "corporate." Several calls later & she was told that she'd have to go back to a local branch office to have the account re-instated, but that the account was closed and the money was being refunded. I said I wanted nothing to do with such a bad bank, so I wouldn't allow her to have an account there.

A few weeks later, she received a check from BOA in the amount of $190, stating that it was the full amount in her account at the time it was closed. What happened to the other $60? No explanation given -- then or since. A 24% charge for a student account that she was never able to access, after holding the money for three weeks before refunding it?

Of course, now that I've confirmed that they did in fact take the money from the other check, I certainly don't plan to let this one go. I will make a fuss, write a few letters (including to her college, suggesting that they considering switching on-campus banks), but I know that it won't matter in the end. That's the problem with BIG Banks, BIG business. They don't have to be responsive. There aren't as many choices, so you're stuck & they don't care.

Google "Bank of America Sucks" & you find 394,000 hits.

BOA stands for Bunch of Assholes.

A Six-Pack & A Snowball

Back to the snow-filled City of Philly after our trip south. My husband is still high on the thrill of attending the Super Bowl, with an exciting win for his team, the Steelers. He & my brother (the two Daves) had fabulous seats (so they tell me) -- 18 rows back, near the 30 yard line. They saw all of the major action up close & personal.

And surprise of all surprises, I even watched the game. Even to my non-sports eyes, it was an exciting game. I was so happy for my husband that he got to be there for such a good game -- with the right outcome, of course.

I may not have gone to the game, but I got to spend some time with my family (including the daughter, who's a little homesick after her Christmas break). Of course, the weather cooled off a bit while I was there, but it was still a treat compared to the Welcome Home snow that greeted me on my return.



I spent a few days visiting my parents, so my on-line time was very limited -- they still use dial-up. In a way, it was a good thing. I got a chance to enjoy a good book without the usual breaks to see what's happening on-line.

Snow Be Gone

The snow, rain & ice even has our bamboo trees drooping. The holidays are over and spring feels like it will never come. It's that time of year when the winter doldrums have arrived.

So, when the call came last night, it wasn't just welcome news for my husband. My brother called to say that he had 2 tickets to the Super Bowl, and that means that he & my husband will be headed to Tampa this week-end to see the Steelers. My sister-in-law's family has connections and they managed to score tickets. My husband is, shall we say, ecstatic -- he's a big Steeler's fan, after all.

And I'm not staying behind, that's for sure! I'm certainly not going to the game, but we'll fly into South Florida and I'll be tagging along so I can spend a long week-end with my daughter, who's back in school in Miami. And I'll also get to visit my parents, who are there for the winter.

Ever since they won the playoff game, my husband has been rooting for Sixburgh:

(Cartoon via Rob Rogers)

Happy Dad Day

Today is not only the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., it is my father's 84th birthday.

I may be sarcastic and snarky now and then, but I owe my generally positive, optimistic outlook on life to my father. As I said to my brothers a few years ago, we are lucky. We inherited Dad's happy gene.

Thanks Dad & happy day.