Today on the msn homepage, there is an article about some teenager who ran up a $1400 cell phone bill. Fourteen hundred Bucks?

That's nothing...I can do better than that.

We got rid of our land line months ago. In light of the fact that, between my husband and myself and three kids, there are five cell phones in our family, we thought we could save money by cutting out the fifty bucks a month it cost for the home phone. We're never home to use it anyway, and that fifty bucks can buy a couple gallons of gas, right? I thought we were doing great until I got my cell phone bill last month. Usually it is between $109 and $120 a month, depending on how many ringtones Alex downloads. I opened the bill and nearly fell over. Glaring at me from the front page was this: $14,624.00.

I grabbed my cell and dialled the Sprint customer service faster than you can say OMG. A sweet-voiced lady answered and asked if she could help me. I should hope to shout! I explained that Sprint had sent me the bill for the entire block instead of just my own. She laughed. "Oh, yes, ma'am. We've had many calls about that. It was a computer glitch; just disregard it."

Thank dog for that; it was the answer I was looking forward to. Either that, or Alex is done downloading ringtones for a long time.

 My Jordan was not a soldier, and he did not die in battle. But he was a Boy Scout, and he wanted to be a Marine when he grew up. That information got around to our local VFW, and I was honored that many of the retired Marines in our town graced Jordan's funeral with their attendance. They played the Battle Hymn, and Taps, for Jordan, and they honored him; he would have been so proud.

I wrote this for Jordan, a few years ago. I thought it would be a fitting post for today. Jordan would be fifteen now; he was nearly eleven when he was killed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I was unfortunate enough on Monday to be on the freeway when that horrific wreck happened, the one involving a big rig, a pickup truck and two dead passengers. The freeway was a parking lot; we sat basically in the same place for twenty-five minutes. When we finally passed the actual wreck, the big rig was pulled over, the pickup truck looked like it had just been through an F5 tornado, and the two dead men were safely covered with yellow tarps and being removed from the twisted wreckage. I must admit it was one of the most horrible accidents I have ever seen, and I have seen many. But while I was less than thrilled at being stuck in a traffic jam, I was apalled and infuriated by the actions of so many people around the scene. Drivers were standing on their stopped vehicles, trying to get a better look. Three girls were trying to sneak past the cops and EMS personnel to get a little closer to the bodies. People were taking pictures with their cell phones!! As I watched, a firefighter chased away a guy standing over the wreckage on the embankment. His vantage point was perfect for his intention; he had a video camera and was taking movies of the carnage!

What is it these ghouls are trying to see? Are they bloodthirsty violence fanatics who don't get enough gore from watching Friday the 13th reruns? Or is the nightly news not enough to satisfy their lust for blood? Maybe they are voyeurs who are hoping to catch a glimpse of someone whose clothes have been cut off them by paramedics. I guess some people are kind of kinky that way. I don't know about anyone else, but having blood smeared everywhere kind of ruins any erotic idea of a naked person for me. And just who in blazes are they planning on sending cell phone pictures of dead bodies to? Does Aunt Edna in Hometown, USA hope for pictures that show the details of what can happen to a human being when it is caught in a flying pickup truck? Or are they going to use the pictures for their latest iPhone screensaver? What kind of people are these?

I become absolutely livid when there is a collision on the road and traffic is backed up to Pismo because everyone and their dog just HAS to stick their brainless heads out the car window and catch a glimpse of destruction. Looky-loos only make the EMS jobs more difficult, not to mention making a frightening, painful situation even worse for those involved in the crash. I wonder how many of those staring would like to be the woman laying there topless as paramedics try to restart her heart and breathing, or the guy without pants having a bandage and tourniquet applied to his bleeding femoral artery? How would they like to be part of the show instead of the spectator?

I think the next time I see some moron taking cell phone pictures at a wreck, I'll break out my own cell, and take his picture. Then I will post it on my blog so everyone can see that person being a peeping Tom. Maybe someone they know will see it, like their boss, who probably still thinks there was a good reason that person was late for work that day. Now that, I think, would be worth seeing.

Today in the BC in the Letters to the Editor, there is a letter written by someone who recently patronized a local restaurant and discovered at the conclusion of their meal that the place tacks on an 18% "service fee" to their customers' check. This fee has nothing to do with gratuity; in fact, after the waiter's tip, the bill for the writer's dinner was over 30% more than the actual check.

This is outrageous! Unfortunately, the letter failed to mention the name of this rip-off restaurant. Does anyone know the name of this place? If I can find out, I will make sure to tell everyone I know to avoid this rip-off. This is the kind of thing that really chaps my hide!

Here a fee, there a fee, everywhere a feefee, and I am not talking about a French poodle. I have really developed a hatred of the word "fee". It has come to mean more than the price of a penalty or a service rendered. Now, the way I see it, "fee" means "just one more way the public is being ripped off." The banks charge fees for everything the corporate suits can think of, and they get bonuses for collecting as much as possible. Airlines are charging extra fees by the millions just so they can say that they are not raising prices. Although it may seem trivial, the one that gets me really angry is the extra forty-five cents that gas stations are charging for the privilege of using our ATM cards. 

I think Arco was the first company to start this practice, hence the reason I rarely patronize Arco stations. They are deceptive; they advertise what looks like the least expensive fuel around, but then they tack on that forty-five cents at the end. Think about it. An extra forty-five cents adds up to four or five cents more a gallon if you buy nine or ten gallons of gas;$3.69 is actually $3.74. That "fee" is pure profit. And I recently discovered that they charge that in the stores, too. I went in and bought breakfast and some motor oil, and that fee jumped up and bit me in the butt.

How often do you carry enough cash to fill your tank? I'll bet it is not that often. Face it, these days, we almost need a loan shark to buy a full tank. Most of us use a credit card or ATM at the pump. So, think of all those forty-five cent robberies these places are collecting every single day. I am not fooled by their whining that they are not making any money from selling gas. The way I see it, they are making a killing in fees alone.

So, if you really want to fill up your tank at any of these "bargain" gas stations, do us all a favor and stop at your bank for some cash instead of using your ATM at the pump. (Remember, going to a bank ATM other than yours will incur yet another fee.) Maybe they will get the message that we are tired of being ripped off, even if it is only forty-five cents a pop. It adds up.