Old Guard Whosers

11.1.03

 
I see in my TV Guide that John Sessions turns 50 today... and Paul Merton is 46 on Friday. I wouldn't have thought Paul that old... he could certainly pass for early 30s... ( I wouldn't bet my life on the accuracy of this mag, mind you) I wonder if John and Paul, such good friends on WL, might share a birthday party? I also think how remarkable it would be if George Wendt or McGrath also had a birthday this week....
Dean 8:26:00 AM

10.1.03

 
This has certainly been an interesting year so far.

New Year's Eve, on my way to a party, I noticed an unusual visual phemonemon in my right eye. Kinda like a black hole effect from the '60s Star Trek, with a dark area surrounded by lights. The lights subsided, but in their place is a small gray area, just below and to the right of my focal point. Thoughts of detached retinas and blindness went through my head. I went to my ophthalmologist on Tuesday, and he said a small blood vessel in the back of my eye had burst. It was a very subtle thing; in fact it took him a while to find it. So in two weeks I go to another ophthalmologist who will run a dye test to see the extent of any damage.

Cut to today: I get my MasterCard bill in the e-mail and notice ten charges I didn't make. Two were to online software companies, and eight (!) were to People-Data.com, which runs background checks on people. Naturally, I'm concerned about the possibility of identity fraud (thanks Dana!), so I have contacted the three major credit reporting agencies and had a fraud alert placed on my files. Citibank was very helpful, cancelling the card and issuing me a new one with a new number, which I'll get soon. The financial damage so far: $167.80. Since Citibank offers zero liability on its MasterCard products, it looks like I won't get stuck with the damage. They have been exemplary so far in helping me, getting a security report started immediately.

Oh, yeah, I'm hacked at MCI Worldcom. I got my long distance bill yesterday -- $5.15 for no calls. I'm now looking for a long distance plan that has no monthly minimum (I make all my LD calls on my cellphone). If I can save $60 a year, why not?

Otherwise things are good.

Once more, edited to recommend a movie to all, especially Britfolk since it's gonna be on Channel 4 at midnight Saturday night: Last Night. "At the stroke of midnight, the world is going to end. With time running out, a crazy group of big-city dwellers are determined to go out with a bang. Terminally shy guy Patrick Wheeler lets a beautiful stranger use his phone and quickly makes a love connection. Craig, his over-sexed best friend, auditions half the girls in town for the ultimate one night stand--and winds up with his former French teacher. And while a droning gas company representative calls every last customer to sincerely thank them for their patronage, everyone else goes wild in the streets. It's the party to end all others when one man's romantic rebirth collides with the last night on Earth." It is a very dark comedy, very poignant. Good DVD, although it's pan & scan. Hoping for a widescreen DVD spmeday, but it probably won't happen. Joe Bob says check it out.
Joe 1:33:00 AM