Presents and cable

They're installing the cable right now, so I'm sitting here watching. I'll be able to swap over to my own Internet connection pretty soon and won't have to leech of someone else's any longer. The best part about it is that it'll be a much stronger signal, so I shouldn't be bumped offline anymore. But, as always, installing cable comes with an adventure as Peekaboo just nearly took a leap out the second story window as the cable man was installing the cable, then I stepped on his tail while helping to plug in my cable modem.

When taking my garbage down, I saw two packages waiting for me - one from Mama and one from naniwa. The one from naniwa contains some manga for me to review for a new article that's going to start on AoD in January. I can go ahead and read it today since it's my day off. The one from Mama is my Christmas presents. I'm wondering if I should go ahead and open them or wait until Christmas. I don't have a tree and I'm not sure if I'm going to get one. I'd rather use the money to purchase more presents for my family and friends and get a tree next year. But, it'll feel strange waiting until Christmas morning, then opening my presents by myself. By treating Christmas as just another day, does it help with the fact that you're alone? Does Christmas have to be celebrated on a certain day, or just when you feel the time's right?

Okay, I've watched waaay too much Sex and the City lately.

I picked up the first two seasons at GameStop on Thursday for $36. I just couldn't beat the price for those two used. I'm hearing rumors I might be getting some more in as well.

Southern girls don't get mad. They take their business elsewhere.

After the cable guy left earlier, I headed to Bank of America to deposit my Christmas check from my grandfather. He'd sent me $250 as a Christmas present and a $50 gift certificate to Outback. The check would cover the one for $90 I had just written to Adelphia and handed to the cable guy just minutes earlier and allow me to fill out my pantry with a few more items.

When I got to Bank of America, they told me that they couldn't accept my check. I stared horrified at the clerk and demanded to speak to a manager. So, I got shown into see the world's rudest manager (and I had thought the BoA manager in Tennesee was rude). The manager informed me that the bank was still a Fleet branch and that they wouldn't be allowed to accept my deposit until Dec. 20 because of their computer systems. And, she informed me, there was no other bank in Maine, New Hampshire or even Massachusetts that I could take my money to for deposit.

WTF?? When I had opened my account in Tennessee, I was told that I would have no problems at all depositing to my Bank of America account. I informed said manager of this. She said I pretty much was screwed, even though I now had that check pending against the account, they can not deposit money to my account.

So, she calls a lady at Bank of America who tells me that I'm screwed, but will transfer me to another department that would waive the fees. Except the second department didn't know what was going on and I had to repeat my story. I also asked for confirmation that there was no BoA I could take my money to that would allow it to go into my account. She said no. In the background, the idiot manager kept saying, "Nope. Not in Maine," in a very patronizing tone.

I HATE being patronized.

After 15-20 minutes of being given the runaround by Bank of America on the phone and listening to the manager's rude comments, I finally said, "I realize what I'm suppose to do with this check. I'm suppose to use it to open an account at another bank." I hung up the phone on the operator, turned tail, walked out to my car and burst into tears.

I sat in the car and bawled for about five minutes, then decided my course of action. There was no way, no how I was going to let Bank of America screw with my good bank rating. I drove to the Sun Journal and enlisted the help of some of my new co-workers. They recommended a few local banks for me to go to and I selected one just two blocks from the paper. I went there and used my grandfather's check to open a new account. The manager there was an extremely nice woman and let me convert $100 of that check to cash. I took the cash, went and paid Adelphia in cash for my cable. They tore up my check. Then I took the remaining $10 and bought myself a sushi lunch at Shaw's supermarket.

Forgive my language ely_chan, but fuck you, Bank of America.

I have one remaining check that is due to clear the account later this week. I'm going to write Media General and ask them to hold it until Monday. After that check clears, I am closing that account and I am finished with that bank. I've had nothing but problems since I opened my account there in November and I have yet to receive my check card from them. It's been a month. I'm finished with them. And I won't recommend them to anyone else either.