Beware of Dogs?

Beware of Dogs?
Originally uploaded by dcumminsusa

Last night we took Scout and Bandit to their first session of dog agility training. I don't think the Girlfriend and I had laughed that hard in a long time! We had a blast. The boys were by far the oldest dogs in the class (everyone else was less than a year old). We are looking forward to next week's class.

On a totally different note... some people just suck.

I hate people sometimes...

Big Brother is Watching

Sometimes it's Nice to Have a Big Brother
Originally uploaded by dcumminsusa

I got a call Monday night from American Express. They wanted to verify some recent charges to my card.

“Oh, that’s easy I haven’t used my card since the middle of last week.”

The security rep from American Express tells me that there is a total $327.68 of suspect charges. She cancels the card and then begins explaining the next steps… and… nothing…

Damn cell phone dropped the call! (I don’t have a regular telephone, only a cell).

Sunva…

I call back… the Security and Fraud Department is now closed? They close at 8pm. It’s 8:01pm.

F*&#!!!

I call the 1-800 number on the back of the card. Now the real fun begins… I get their “after hours” customer service.

I explain the situation and that I was on the phone and got disconnected.

“So then, how may I help you Mr. Cummins?”

“Ummm what happens next? What do I do? How do I get a new card?”

He explains to me that the card has been canceled (I knew that and told him that initially) and that in a few days I can call them back and file a fraud claim and refute the charges.

What?

“Call back and file a fraud claim? You people called me. You identified the charges first and I confirmed I did not make them. Why do I need to call back and open a fraud claim?”

“These charges are pending, so we cannot do anything with them right now.”

“How about you decline them and start the fraud claim now…?”

“Sir, these charges are pending…”

You can see where this was going. I’ll be calling them back today.

*Sigh* At least I’m not liable for the charges and they caught it early.

It’s at times like these when it is nice to have “Big Brother” watching.

"I'm Not Dead Yet..."

I really should've gone running instead of taking pictures of my running shoes...
Originally uploaded by dcumminsusa

It's been about one month since I've updated my blog; far too long. I gave myself the goal of posting at least once a week when
I started.

A couple of quick updates:

My weight still hasn't changed, but my running has improved. This tells me a couple of things. On one hand my cardiovascular health must be better than it ever has been.

Why?

Because currently I can haul my jigglin' self around for 8-9 miles at a reasonable pace every weekend. In the past I weighed less and had a more difficult time running that kind of distance. My heart rate is also approximately at the same level it was when I was 20lbs lighter; meaning my heart/lungs aren't straining to move the heavier me. To me those are good things. If you are REALLY interested
you can see the my running routes, paces, distances, etc on my Motion Based web page.

The fact that my weight has not gone down confirms that I have not been disciplined in what I have been putting down my gullet. I'm consuming just the right number of calories... to maintain my weight. If I was consuming too many my weight would go up and if I was consuming less calories I would be experiencing some weight loss.

I had a physical about two weeks ago. Everything looked good and my doctor was impressed that someone my age is taking an active interest in their cholesterol and blood pressure. I still need to get my blood work done so I know all those specific numbers. I plan to get that done tomorrow.

I'll have some more posts coming soon...

The picture above is of my running shows, heart rate monitor, and workout towel. Click on it for the details.