Hang on there, trucker....

Reading the description of the 'Cash Rewards' program for my credit card.

"Qualifying Purchases do not include Balance Transfers, Cash Advances (including Convenience Checks), ATM Cash Disbursements, Money Transfers, Truck Stop Transactions, Gaming Transactions, Tax Payments, Finance Charges, Fees, and purchases of other cash equivalents, even if used to purchase goods or services."

Truck stop transactions?  What sort of transactions are we talking about here?

Obscure References

Possibly My Favorite Sign

Pictures

Want to feel dizzy?  Check this out.

Musing

ISIS is not a government, but it's waging war as if it was one.

Trump is not a politician, but he is running for office as if he was one.

Are labels becoming passé?   Does the possibility of  lack of their applicability suggest a loosening of strictures and expectations? If so, could this be a good thing?  Clearly, it's not, in these two cases, but could it be?

Pro- Con Job?

My friend sent me an article about the growth of the 'food culture' in Tucson, where she lives. Reading it, I noticed a sidebar article talking about the usefulness of probiotics.  The article specifically mentioned Activia, although it said that the benefit can be found in multiple sources. . In little tiny letters at the top of the page was the name of the company that sponsored and posted the article. Want to guess who it was?

Scanning

I realize that the ability to scan a document and have Optical Character Recognition turn the document into electronic format is quite helpful.  And I know that it's not easy to set up something like that -- things which are obvious to a human aren't always clear to a piece of software.  And that as products get competitors, the urge is to make it more powerful, snappier, more gee-whiz-wowish.

(Do people even say snappier these days?)

But when I have to take longer to figure out how to use the software than it would take me to just type it in myself....  the charm dies, somewhat.

This is Magical

Packing

Just saw an article titled "how to pack like a pro'.

I would much rather an article titled 'how to have staff that does this as effectively as a British butler'.

Just saying.

Being Square

The question: what is the US postage on a square envelope?

From the ever-clear US Post Office site:

1.2 Nonmachinable Criteria

A letter-size piece is nonmachinable if it has one or more of the following characteristics (see 601.1.1.2 to determine the length, height, top, and bottom of a mailpiece):

a. Has an aspect ratio (length divided by height) of less than 1.3 or more than 2.5.

b. Is polybagged, polywrapped, enclosed in any plastic material, or has an exterior surface made of a material that is not paper. Windows in envelopes made of paper do not make mailpieces nonmachinable. Attachments allowable under applicable eligibility standards do not make mailpieces nonmachinable.

c. Has clasps, strings, buttons, or similar closure devices.

d. Contains items such as pens, pencils, keys, or coins that cause the thickness of the mailpiece to be uneven; or loose keys or coins or similar objects not affixed to the contents within the mailpiece. Loose items may cause a letter to be nonmailable when mailed in paper envelopes; (see 601.3.3).

e. Is too rigid (does not bend easily when subjected to a transport belt tension of 40 pounds around an 11-inch diameter turn).

f. For pieces more than 4-1/4 inches high or 6 inches long, the thickness is less than 0.009 inch.

g. Has a delivery address parallel to the shorter dimension of the mailpiece.

h. Is a self-mailer that is not prepared according to 201.3.14.

i. Is a booklet that is not prepared according to 201.3.16.

 

Oh sure, that's intuitively obvious.

 

Interview

Today my daughter has her first ever interview for a job.  Well, unless you count the interview for a summer job working in a warehouse, three years ago.  Basically, she just had to be able to put two words together in order to be qualified, based on the calibre of her coworkers.  The job was tedious but she earned enough to still have some of her funds left, even now.

She dressed up for that interview.  In retrospect, she really didn't need to, but she did.  I was glad - about that.  Today, she is really dressing up.  This is not the job she wants, but it kind - of is, and she could live at home until her boyfriend graduates from college.

Here's hoping.

Observation

If Clinton wins, fervent Trump supporters will claim that the election was rigged.  But if Trump wins, they're going to regard it as totally believable.

My Neighborhood

"SO CLOSE to the stage that Donald Trump could almost have touched it, a notice on the school wall in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, carried this message: “Welcome to Cumberland Valley where sportsmanship is an expectation. So please …let the spectators be positive.” No chance of that. Even before the Republican nominee appeared, late on August 1st, on a pit-stop between Ohio and New York, the 3,000-odd people packing the gymnasium were spewing hate.

“What should we do with Hillary Clinton?” hollered a local politician, as if this crowd, of young people wearing “Trump that bitch” T-shirts and older ones who apparently did not mind the slogan, needed warming up. “Kill her!” someone shouted. “Lock her up!” the chant began.

This is Mr Trump’s achievement."

--www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2016/08/presidential-race

Watching and Hoping

Despite the perky comments in political blogs, I suspect that it's still too early to forecast the results of the election with any confidence. 

Hillary could shoot herself in the foot, or have some more nastiness from her past appear (her own version of Swiftboats).  Trump could listen to his advisors and actually buckle down to a core, consistant message - or even quit entirely, leaving the RNC able to insert a new candidate who only has to be marginally acceptable to the party, and not an idiot, for three months, maximum.  Granted, that seems to be beyond Trump's abilities, but its not beyond Ryans, or other players. It could happen..

So its not in the bag.  But I do suspect that it's trending in that direction, ever so slightly.

Verizon

"I understand and agree that Verizon is not liable for erroneous bill statements or incorrect debits/charges.  If an error in the bill statement should occur, Verizon will be responsible for correcting it if and when I notify Verizon of this error."

Nice.  They make an error, they're not liable, and they don't have to correct it if I don't tell them.

And, of course, I know what the bill should be, right?