Umm, yeah... I think today tried to kill me

...but only for an hour.

I set out at One pm to run to Office Depot for office supplies and to pick up some lunch for myself since everyone else (ie the one other person I work with, my boss), was not here.

Office Depot didn't have 4 of the 5 things I needed. So I abandoned my cart with the one thing I DID find in it and walked back to my car across the crowded ass parking lot. I figured, "Hell, I'll just run to Staples."

I turned on to a back street, paused at a red light for a moment, and when the green flipped, I began to accellerate. Dead. Nothing. Car did NOT want to continue on our intended path to Staples. A cop that had been across the road from me when I stalled out pulled up behind me with his lights on so no one would smash into me. *thanks*

I shut off the car. Cop asked what happened. I shrugged "Old car" I mumbled to him. Turned it back on and it was alive again. And then sputtered out. Shut off the AC rolled down a window so as not to die, and it started. I thanked my new cop friend and sputtered down the road. I would limp it to a gas station. Nearly out of gas.

Made it to the nearest gas station, about a mile away, and pulled up to the pump.

Inserted my debit card. "PLEASE SEE CASHIER" flashed on the screen.

Fuck.

I put in my old billing zip, not the new one, in Maryland, that I should have entered. I tried again. Still rejected.

The man inside was less than helpful.

I, of course, only had ONE single dollar in my wallet. That wasn't going to cut it for gas when it's $2.89 a gallon.

I called my bank, got the automated "You must approve these transactions aren't fraud" attendant, and tried again. Nada.

So I walked next door to the ATM. Nothing.

Called my bank again, RE-authorized the transactions, and then yelled into the automated attendant until it recognized my desire to speak to a flesh and blood human, and not a computer.

Blah blah blah confirm my info, transferred to the HUMAN attendant in the fraud department, and he asks me a million questions about myself and my account and releases the hold.

Try again.

"PLEASE SEE CASHIER"

Luckily, I'm still on the phone with the human at my bank. He said to try inside.

Guy inside says they don't have a swiping thing inside.

Walk BACK to the bank, with guy still on the phone, withdraw $20, thank my new BoA Human Friend, who said it sounds like an issue with the gas stations card terminals and go BACK to the gas station.

I slapped my $20 for pump 3 on the counter and said "Its not my card, its your credit card terminals."

"whatever" the douchey attendant shrugs at me

Near tears from frustration (and now hunger and 90 degree heat) I pump my gas and leave.

Note to self, put an emergency $10 in the glove box from now on.

And remember you don't live in Florida in two more weeks.