Month: November 2014

Discover Card Change

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I was recently notified by Discover Card that my card # was identified as possibly being compromised, so they sent Joe and me new cards. I’m a bit annoyed with the whole thing for two reasons:

1) They didn’t change the card #, just the security code on the back. Considering the fact that several years ago someone stole our card number and was able to successfully order a computer online even after entering in the wrong 3-digit code, I don’t think that was very wise. What’s the point of that code if the retailer will let the purchase go through without it? And why in the world would Discover Card not do something to stop it and/or change the card # entirely given this knowledge?

2) While they sent Joe a new card with the identical design as his old one, they sent me the generic silver card. I have been using a cool black card with a frog on it (I love frogs, hence the domain name). I logged onto the Discover site to request a replacement card and learned they no longer offer the frog design. Oh, but I could get a deer on my card, or an eagle! Or how about someone fly fishing? Really? Or I could choose from a dizzying array of dogs or cats, but no frogs. Son of a…!!!! It’s just annoying because the card was really cool and I got comments on it often when I’d be paying for something. It was unique. I also liked the color scheme. The closest thing to it was a butterfly design so I went for that. And I realize in the grand scheme of things it’s no big deal but I’m annoyed nonetheless because that’s how I roll.

Warmth Update

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I’ve been doing what I can to make myself comfortable (i.e. warm) at work lately. The VP never got back to me regarding the space heater issue, but I did some research online and learned that it’s super easy to blow a fuse with a space heater because they typically use 1500 watts which equals about 12 amps and most outlets are either 15 or 20 amps. The outlets in our cubicles are daisy-chained and have several computers, monitors, etc. plugged into them, so the chances of the space heater blowing a fuse when someone’s cubicle printer kicks on are high. I don’t even want to chance it, so I ordered a heated carpeted mat that uses much less power and should work well if the reviews online are to be trusted. It should be delivered next week sometime. It cost me $100 but it will be well worth the cost if it keeps me comfortable this winter. It’s definitely cheaper than resigning!

In the meantime, I’ve been messing around with what clothes I wear and how I layer to see which combination works best. It’s been a bit difficult, however, because the office temperature isn’t the same every day. For instance, instead of layering nylons, cotton socks, and then my wool blend socks, I eliminated the cotton socks because I read one’s feet will get colder if there are too many tight layers not allowing air to circulate. So far that seems to be working better, but then again, it’s about two degrees warmer in the office lately so it’s hard to tell which is having a bigger effect. Also, I’ve been bringing my lava seat after microwaving the insert at home each morning. At lunch time it has lost most of its heat but it definitely helped keep my butt warm through the coldest part of the day since the office is always warmer in the afternoons.