Thank God I haven’t been swindled out of money like my cousin or have had my identity stolen like when I was 21 although I just might get a credit report and double check. It all started after the first of the new year. The only thing I can think of which could have set everything off is that I changed my wireless account. This perhaps took my name off of the National Do Not Call Registry because within a day or two of doing this, I became bombarded with telemarketing calls from various companies, some calling me as often as four times in one day. When I did answer the phone to one of them, they said they heard I was interested in their services. I said I wasn’t and asked them how they heard this. They said I filled out a form on the Internet. I said I didn’t. I asked them if this form had any other information about me besides my phone number and they said yes, an email address. I asked them for the email address. It was an email address with my first name but with a domain name I had no idea existed. I was very upset. The lady said she’d take my name off their list. So how did a spammer get a hold of my phone number and my first name so they could begin filling out forms in my name to get telemarketers to call me? The telemarketers have to be buying these phone numbers from people who are payed to get a hold of phone numbers and first names and then fill out forms using them and then creating fraudulent email addresses with their first names. I just pray to God they don’t have my last name or any other information. I just might change my website address to this WordPress account for that very reason.
After this disturbing conversation with this telemarketer, I immediately reregistered my number on the NDNCR and then checked out this domain with which I supposedly registered an email account. I called the company and they said they couldn’t disclose any information about the person who set up the account or when they did unless I filled out a subpoena at the police department which could release this information. She did, however, freeze the email account for me. So now I need to go down this week and fill out this form and get to the bottom of this.
My other spammer issue is a separate one entirely, not as disturbing, but annoying nonetheless. I also am having to finally close my junkmail email account (the email account I use when joining or visiting any websites that are not important to my livelihood) after 12 years. Some spammers have gotten a hold of my email address and are using it to spam people. I have hundreds of emails everyday that are “delivery failure notices” to people I have never emailed. When I read the email I supposedly sent, its a spam email. Grrrrrr. So I just spent an hour now going to all my websites like facebook and babycentral and ebay and have had to change my email address to another junkmail account I recently created. Now I am going to erase my old treesa184 email address and start anew.
This is getting way too close in similarity to the time in my life when I was 21 and had my purse stolen by a prostitute in a dirty dive bar in Escondido. The woman memorized all the information on my drivers licence, used my canceled credit cards as other forms of identification and then after she was arrested for returning stolen merchandise at a mall nearby two months after she stole my purse, presented my drivers licence to the police officers. So she was arrested under my name until three days into her detention an intelligent police officer looked at this 300 pound woman (150 pounds of which was in her rear-end alone) and looked at the buck twenty younger woman on the ID and thought it didn’t add up. He looked up my name and found my police report I made about my purse being stolen. I had to go down and identify the woman. She was charged with stealing merchandise and impersonating me, but unfortunately didn’t get charged with stealing my purse because I couldn’t verify with 100 percent certainty that she was the same woman who stole my purse. I told them I could if I could see her rear-end in a line up instead of just looking at her mugshot. They declined. I told them 75% based on her face. Guess that wasn’t enough.
It might be time for me to set up some extra sensitive measures on my credit report like I did when this woman stole my purse. It was a 7-year screening on any credit inquiries about me. Can’t be too careful.
Happy New Year everyone! I know the news in the world makes 2009 seem pretty glum, but I’ve got a good feeling about this one! I really do. I pray that everyone of you are blessed this year despite any subconcious fears about our jobs or houses or debt. I know that may be easier said than done, but there is something to thinking positive and so I’m sticking with it, and you should too. :) And I am further stoked to have looked back at my New Years Resolutions from last year and find that I succeeded in reaching half of them! That is a first! So, Since I’m on the upswing here, here is the list for 2009. So now that you know them, you all better call me on it when I am not following through. I need reinforcement! :)
Since my family is not only large but also seemed to to do Christmas separately this year, it took me a while to be able to make this post. At first I was very upset about it, but it worked out and it just made Christmas feel more like Hanukkah instead, which does have its perks. We didn’t have just one Christmas….we had like five! So it took about a week to get through all of my Christmas-get-togethers and boy am I tired!
Upland where we spent the afternoon and evening at my old friend Lisa’s house. We exchanged gifts for the kids and the Kanan had a wonderful time playing with his buddy Nolan. They shared trucks, played chase, watched cartoons, went shopping at the local mall, ate dinner together, and took a bath together before going to bed. What a joy it was to be with my friend Lisa with whom I’ve been friends for 15 years and see our children growing together.
for the 3 o’clock service. The ushers told me not to worry–that they were going to have a puppet show and that kids were welcome. Well, apparently none of us were ready for Kanan’s plans although I had an in-cling of suspicion. He was okay through the worship part but then started wanting to run down the aisles and climb up on chairs and throw his toys over the backsides of chairs or shout out hello to nearby Christians. I gave him a cereal bar which appeased him for about 3 seconds, but thankfully the puppet show started. I thought for sure, this would entertain him. They wanted all the children to come up on the stage and listen to this monkeyish puppet teach the children about the true meaning of Christmas. All the kids from 3 months old to 5 years old stared quietly, in awe of the little hairy animal telling his tale. That is every child BUT mine. Kanan was more interested in the kids around him and in jumping down the steps of the stage. He then attempted again to run down the front aisle, but thankfully a nearby saint grabbed him for me. At this point I gave up, went back to my seat, grabbed my purse and told my mom we were leaving. She smiled understandably. So I took Kanan in his dressy Christmas outfit out i
nto the playground where he played a bit before discovering a muddy rain puddle. That was the end of his handsome Christmas getup. I was so done. I carried him out to the car, drove through a local Starbucks for a Espresso Truffle for me and a Vanilla Steamer for him and we went back to Grandma and Grandpas
Christmas was otherwise good. We had a small get-together at my dad’s house where I currently live. My mom and her boyfriend came over (yes, my parents are friends) and my step mom Linda’s best friend came over with her boyfriend. We enjoyed opening gifts, eating an amazing brunch that Linda cooked up, and then after Kanan’s nap, we headed out to my sisters to do a Christmas dinner with her and her family. Barbie’s boyfriend Paul made an incredible prime rib roast and Kanan finally cheered up although it took the whole day before he was somewhat normal and recovered from the previous day’s sugar. We played Catchphrase, exchanged gifts, laughed, and talked. Kanan thought my mom’s toes were candy and tried to nibble them and later pointed at his rear-end and said “butt” so that was in deed a highlight to our Christmas evening. Unfortunately her kids were not there because this Christmas was their year to spend with Dad.
So Christmas continued on through yesterday, when Barbie came over with her daughter Harley so Harley could open her Christmas gifts. We had another delicious dinner with Honey Glazed Ham and Au Gratin Potatoes. My Grandmother Lois came as well because she spent Christmas with my cousin Breanna in Palm Desert. Harley and Kanan played with each other because Mike stopped by for a bit so Kanan could see his favorite cousin. Kanan left on Friday to be with his dad and have their own little Christmas on Saturday morning with Mike’s family who drove down from Santa Barbara.
My son this morning stared in awe at the wonder before his eyes. Water was falling from the sky and Kanan wanted to know what the heck was going on. His little mouth fell open and he kept pointing out of the car and saying “whats that?” He also did not like my windshield wipers going back and forth until I started moving my right arm in the same motions and saying “wipe” everytime it sprung back to position. He laughed and laughed.
Hey, It's Theresa Marie 