Are we there yet?

[rolanni]

Friday. Sunny and cool.

Finished yesterday with a phone call from the Investigator from the finance company, who only wanted to tell me what I've been told eight times before, that they did not submit the check twice and the error was on the bank's side. I told her to call the bank, but no, investigators can't call banks to find out WTF. Nor can banks call investigators. I was a moderate wreck by the time we finished up, and spent the evening reading until I stopped shaking. I finished When the Wolves are Silent around 11 pm.

I did have a pleasant dream where I was grocery shopping with Steve, so there was that.

Woke up this morning, called the bank and went through five levels of experts until the fifth said, "Jeez, I don't know why we pulled -- oh, wait. Yanno? I bet we weren't sure that said thousand." So, we verified that the needed funds were in the account (yes). I called the finance company, explained that the bank had acted out of an Over-abundance of Caution, verified the amount due, which I carefully BLOCK PRINTED on the check, and God, may She be willing, this is the end of that.

(And, yes, I am aware that we have reached the land of Everybody Make Something Up Until we Hit on Something that Sounds Plausible and Doesn't Lose Anybody Their Job.)

What else?

Ah. Indeed, Ray cannot install my dishwasher-arriving-on-May-6 for me, so I need to cast about for someone else.

And? There's actually more, but I'll reserve the rest for later, before this becomes too long.

How's Friday treating y'all?
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* I believe it was Val Con who said that being a Scout was one-quarter being terrified and three-quarters mucking about in the mud? The same can be said of being a writer.
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Oh, hey, here's more:

Back when I first met Steve, I operated on the principle that people -- all people -- were out to get me, and that I could trust no one. Which makes the entry of Steve into my life even more extraordinary, but -- that aside.

I hate that we -- or at least I -- have returned to a place where I must suspect everything of being a scam.

This takes a toll on your soul, and I hate it. I especially hate it because for much of my life, after Steve convinced me that sometimes, people will actually be kind and helpful because there are kind and helpful people in the world, I very much benefited from the kindness of strangers.

And now? Everyone has to be Scrutinized and Weighed and the walls must be fortified. Not just the normal stuff of "You're Old and Now You're Prey" that's always been out there, but the unrelenting barrage of people trying to steal from you, frighten you, and trick you is approaching lethal. And now, there are AIs added to the arsenal of the scammers.

In this brave new world...