Sunday Scribblings prompt: Puzzled
Did the loud music coming from the apartment above mine ever get turned off last night? It started up in the late afternoon yesterday, was still on (loudly) when I finally went to sleep around 1:30am, and when I woke up at 8am it’s still going strong.
Was Discover (the credit card company) not receiving enough profit? They used to offer this great service where you could go to their website and send a gift card to someone. You would choose the amount, tell them where to send it, add a personalized message, and they would ship the card for free to your recipient and deduct the amount from your existing credit card account. How quick and easy! I liked the fact that the recipient could use the card anywhere, instead of having to choose a store card that they could use in only one place. I used this service for several years but now it’s no more—at least the “free” part. But it now costs $3.95 for them to send the card, or $6.95 if you want them to enclose a greeting card. So now I will no longer use their gift card service, because I don’t think I should have to pay any extra. Haven’t there been studies that show gift cards are more profitable for companies than the recipients?
Why does the state of California think I might owe them money? I started a job in the state at the very end of 2005, which means I only worked for a few weeks in California for the 2005 tax year. When I filed my taxes the following April, I looked at the requirements on their website and ascertained that I didn’t have to file a state tax return (although I did, of course, file a federal return and one for Virginia state taxes). But I just recently got a notice in the mail from them that I DID have to file, and I spent several hours printing out forms from their website, going through my records, and mailing them the information they requested.
Where are all these people going? This is what I wonder when I drive in northern Virginia traffic. Sometimes I suspect they’re out there in their cars just to be out and about. They’re all conspired against me. (Kidding.) But I estimate that it generally takes me at least twice as long to get from one place to another than it would if I lived in a different area.
Why did the weather have to take a turn for the worst today, when I had every intention of braving that traffic and going out to run some errands? It’s no fun to drive when there’s snow coming down.
If you’re a blogger, don’t you realize that there are certain color schemes that make it really hard to read the text on your page? Like green words on a black background? Small text that I have to squint to see? This is not reader-friendly. If you’re going to take the time to write on a blog, it would be unfortunate to have it overlooked because it’s too much trouble to read.
Why did my friends look at me funny yesterday when I described the most recent documentary I’d received in the mail? I guess it didn’t seem quite as interesting to them as it did to me.
5 Comments
california is stupid but there is not much snow.
60 degrees yesterday and today is looking bright.
and some bloggers are idiots
and maybe your nieghbor died!?
i think that all i have to add.
Dear zandria. Tell me if my blog is one of the small type ones. Although my mother hasn’t commented and she’s a) rude and b) blind as a bat. Also, I do wonder where people are going. In Sydney at 3am, I used to see traffic jams on the roads. Surely they can’t be going to work? Not that many people? Interesting indeed.
Lol I loved that post, I just hope I don’t fall under the category of those stupid bloggers.
Last year I lived exactly 4 weeks in the Brussels area (which is a distinct federal entity) before moving and I had to pay the regional taxes just as if I had lived there the whole year, plus of course the taxes for the area I lived in the other 48 weeks. I am afraid Governments are never more creative than when they find ways to make us pay (Belgium has the highest taxes rate of Europe).
Random puzzlements is certainly accurate!
Random comments.
I think Discover is missing the mark by adding cost to what was a good thing for them. I think that driving in snow makes everything seem 2x as difficult. And I think that many bloggers have no sense of style so they don’t even think about what their blogs look like to others.
Good take on the prompt.