Wells Fargo sucks!

I realize that's not very nice to start off like that. but that's just how I felt when I visited my banker the other day. But I love the way it sounds and I like saying it!

This all came about after I read an article in the business section of "The Oregonian" newspaper. It stated that as of October 14, Wells Fargo & Co. would begin charging most Oregon and Washington checking account customers a $3 monthly debit card activity fee. That would count just if you used your card for purchases. Now what the hell does that mean? Isn't that why they introduced the card in the first place, to make it easy to purchase items without always carrying money with you? It was like a miracle had happened. I loved it. This fee comes as a result of the federal cap on debit card swipe fees imposed by Congress and the Federal Reserve. This takes effect October 1 and will cost big banks millions in lost revenue. When I read that I almost cried for the poor banks. So now Wells Fargo is trying to find ways to make more money and decided to hit the little people with a charge that they figured no one would notice. And maybe they thought we were all too dumb to ever read the business section of the paper and see the little article. The average person in this country is not dumb; we just aren't as crafty as the people who run the banks.

I was so mad, I went to the bank the next day and talked to my banker who was young, slim and very nice. When did bankers get to be so young. I thought they would be older and sort of fat. But that's just in old movies I guess. I don't think he expected someone like me because the first thing I said was that I was very pissed off at their plan and refused to pay the $3 monthly fee. I told him I had been a customer of Wells Fargo since - - I won't say it on my blog as it will make me about 120 years old. I said that should count for something, but apparently it didn't. I finally mentioned another bank that wasn't doing that and maybe I should go there. I also told him I had some money in securities which had been held by Wachovia before it went down the toilet and was now listed as Wells Fargo Advisor. He perked right up at that and said I could opt out of the $3 fee and have a special account. So everything turned out ok for me. But it still pisses me off that they came out with debit cards and everyone thought they were great, and then they pull something like this. I would like to know what their CEOs make and what sort of retirement package and golden parachutes they have. I asked him about that but I think he was looking out the window about then and wishing I'd just shut up!

When I called my broker's office and told them what I was doing, they said it was fine and they really didn't care what I did! I asked them why everything they sent to me was listed as Wachovia Wells Fargo Advisor. I said I thought Wachovia was all done so why is their name still there. She tried to explain that Wells Fargo is like a big umbrella and they are under it. I didn't know what the hell she was talking about, but we both seemed happy. I don't know anything about how banks run. Maybe that's why they get into so much trouble - they don't know either.

The Secret of Google

On 8/3/11, "The Oregonian" newspaper wrote, "Google doesn't dumb you down, it just reprograms your brain's search." Actually, I think it does dumb you down as it enables you to go to your computer and find out anything you want to know, right at your fingertips. It doesn't make it necessary for you to search every dictionary, encyclopedia, newspaper, etc. for your answer. When I used to try and figure something out, I would say, "What would Jerry (Seinfeld) do - probably something funny" or, "What would Craig (Ferguson) do - hopefully something off color," but now I don't need to do that anymore. I can just run into my computer room and find out whatever I want.

But where does Google get all its information? I just can't figure that out. I know that they know where everyone lives and even have pictures of our houses. There is no such thing as privacy anymore, and they probably know what we're going to do before we actually do it. That's sort of creepy, but I still use Google . . . a lot. It blows my mind that I can type the first word of a phrase and the entire phrase will pop up before I'm even through typing. I have requested much information, some of which I wouldn't want others to know. I'm sure they must have a file on me, and I can just see what happens when I hit Google. I see all the little people in the big Google warehouse - they have many warehouses but I just see one - and I can see one of the guys scream at the others. Oh, I almost forgot - they all look like Jesse Eisenberg who was so good in "The Social Network." He was so geeky and quirky, and that's what all the guys in the warehouse look like - Jesse. So Jesse screams at them, "Here's that crazy woman who requests all the info on strange diseases!" I did have them look up Prune Belly Syndrome once to see if I had any of the symptoms. That was during a particularly bad time for me. Jesse goes on to say, "She also wanted to know about abnormal sexual practices of the Mayan culture." For his information, that was during a period when I wasn't getting any, and that's nothing for them to laugh about. Jesse and the guys all go on to laugh over my latest request which was quite normal if I remember right. And then Jesse makes fun of the fact that I ask the same things over and over again. That's none of his damn business. He should be glad I'm doing that - that's job security for him.

A team from Columbia University studied Google and its effect on people. They decided that we have a mental dependency on instant access to information, and the loss of our Internet connection would be like losing a friend. I can agree with that. But will Jesse and his fellow nerds please quit laughing at me?

More about my open-air aviary

Larry, my sparrow, is no longer around, so I assume he's dead. Sparrows don't live very long, but I have a whole batch of new birds, mostly finches. I miss Larry - we had sort of a kinship going. He'd sit on the ledge on my deck, all hunkered down and just sit, and I'd sit on the couch, all hunkered down and just sit. It would finally get dark as night came on, and he must have gone to bed someplace - I know I did. He left me just like Larry, my pigeon did several years ago. I miss them.

When I put the bird feeder on the floor of my deck in a big pot, all the new birds came and even brought their kids whom they would feed. The young ones would chirp and chirp and finally the dad would stuff food down their open mouths or beaks or whatever you call them. It was fun to watch and I spent a lot of time doing just that. But that didn't last too long as Charley, the squirrel, came and got right in the pot with the food! I tried all sorts of things to scare him away, but nothing worked. So I ended up throwing empty, plastic gallon milk bottles at him but that was no good either. I think I put a couple pictures on my blog of the bird feeder and birds and even one of Charley. But it got worse from there. The other day I noticed a big rat slithering into the feed pot! He came back several times, so our bug guy put a black box under my deck to catch him. There must be all kinds of black boxes, but up until now the only time I've heard mention of a black box is when a plane goes down. Do you suppose when, and if, they ever find those black boxes there are rats in them? So I was thinking maybe I'd seen the last of my rat, but yesterday another one slithered onto the deck, but he was smaller. I live by a river so there are rats around all the time.

This morning I went to my hardware store and bought some rat poison! I hated to do that, but I didn't want to trap it which they suggested at the store. So now I have to set it out someplace on the deck where the birds can't crawl into it. Hope it works. I used to have mice rummaging around in my kitchen drawers! I had no clue until I found mouse poop all over. I tried a mouse trap with cheese, peanut butter and other goodies but they always took the goodies without snapping the trap. Finally, one night I heard a loud snap! When I got enough courage to look, I found a dead mouse caught in the trap. I threw the whole thing away and got some other kind of mouse killer that I put under the sink. That works fine. Now the mice just take the food home and eat it and die right there, just like any normal person would, in their own home. That makes me feel better. You're probably thinking I live in a slum with all the rats and mice . . . that could be except for the fact that I pay a huge condo fee and I don't think they do that in the slums. I may look into that.

I bought a hanging bird feeder and had our handy man hang it from the center of my deck where nothing could reach it except birds. Now sometimes during the day it's covered with birds! They love it and are eating a ton of food. I bought some more yesterday, and it had gone up a dollar. Everything is going up. I don't know what's going on now with the debt crisis. I imagine the Tea Party idiots are in the chapel, praying again like they did yesterday. It's getting to the point it's almost an embarrassment to say I live in this country - a place where people can't get together enough to solve anything!

The picture is of my new bird feeder with just one bird. I stood in front of my window and the birds just wouldn't stay on it. I finally got tired of standing there. But one brave little bird did stay for the picture - the others flew back as soon as I stepped away.