WHERE HAVE ALL MY DIGITS GONE?
So, I've finally figured out what to do with this weblog, besides using it as a way of filling up time at work. I just don't have a lot to do right now, and I'm enjoying it as much as possible. But, it's been a hard week.
As anyone knows me has heard,: my purse was stolen. It's been a nightmare. It wouldn't have been such a big deal if it was just my purse that was lost. It was everything in my purse. My wallet with all my credit cards, my cell phone and PDA with very important phone numbers that I can never memorize, my paycheck with my social security number on it, passport (please don't ask why it was in my purse), and driver's license, oh and checkbook -- it's all gone.
Now in some ways this is all just an inconvience. Sure, I had to spend an entire Friday getting bank accounts changed, reporting stolen credit cards, getting a driver's license mailed to me, putting an insurance claim in on my phone, putting fraud alert on my credit reports. It wasn't fun, but it at least the theft was non-violent. No one held me at gun point and my physical well being was never in danger. I can't say the same for my mental and emotional well being however. Fact is I'm not an overly materialistic person, but I couldn't help but feel that everything that was important was in that purse.
It's a horrible thing to admit. I mean there are more important thing than a cell phone or a credit card. But, when it comes to living day to day in our modern society, not having plastic and id, it's as if you don't exist on some level. Without the digits how are you defined at the bank, grocery store, etc. Try getting cash without some kind of id. I couldn't go out to lunch with co-workers because I had to make sure I had enough cash for gas. I couldn't pay the deductible on my cell phone insurance right away because I had no way of paying it without forking over an extra 10 bucks. Now, most people might think a cell phone is merely a convience. Well, in my business it's a downright nessecity. There are people out there who might want to offer me work and only have my cell phone. My social security number has been compromised. I could end up spending years trying to keep my credit report in order because some asshole keeps trying to open credit using my information. I have to figure out how I'm going to get on an airplane without a state issued id of some sort, because I'll be damned if I'm missing my sister's graduation. I could really give a shit about hte PDA except for all the phones numbers and addresses on them, the notes I made while sitting in movie theater, the calander that reminded me of things I needed to do. Luckily that was backed up on my computer.
That's what I keep coming back to, luckily. Luckily it's all replaceble. The information has been compromised, the theoretical phone calls have been theoretically missed, my life is becoming more and more dependent on numbers and magnetic strips and that's disturbing, but luckily they (the big, evil they) didn't steal my car. I had my wits about me enough to cancel everything. Luckily, luckily, luckily I had friends and family around who offered me a shower and a shoulder to cry on. The sun rose in the east, set in the west, and yesterday my debit card came in the mail. All is right with the world again.
