tomsepper.net

My lovely wife tagged me in a recent blog entry, so I figured I’d better follow through or face the wrath.

The object of the picture tag is to:

1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 people to do the same

NO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc!)

This is a picture of Monica and our niece Madison from January 2006. Kim and Madison were visiting us in Lubbock, and this picture was taken during that weekend.

So now I get to tag four people to do this same thing: Kim, mjp, Ben, Amanda. Tag! You’re it.

For various reasons, Monica and I decided to apply for a Capital One “No Hassles” credit card. Simple enough, right?

Of course not.

Online application process was quick and easy. Approved within minutes. Great!

But that’s when the fun started.

While waiting for the new credit card to arrive, I get a call from my mom. Capital One had called their house to verify information as part of their fraud prevention techniques. WHAT?! Why on earth would they call a phone number that:

1. Isn’t the one I provided on the application?
2. Isn’t my current residence?
3. Has not been a phone number I have used in thirteen years?

That is ridiculous. I do not appreciate Capital One calling a phone number that, while luckily ended up belonging to my parents, was not mine. They could have been talking to a complete stranger inquiring about my personal, private financial transaction.

Okay, I finally get ahold of someone knowledgeable at Capital One and get that cleared up. Finally received the cards and proceeded to make two purchases one of which was large. 

More troubles. I get an email from one of the places where I made a purchase saying they could not receive authorization for the purchase.

So I get back on the phone with Capital One who proceed to inform me that my account is restricted due to suspected fraud.

WHAT?!

Supposedly, this “no hassles” credit card indeed comes with some hassles.. such as requiring a phone call to Capital One when you’re going to make a purchase over a certain dollar amount. That’s not a hassle, right?

Okay, so I confirm the purchases and restriction removed. All clear, right?

Nope. Not on this “no hassles” credit card.

A few days ago I receive my PIN number in the mail. I proceed to check online for a place to change it to something I would remember. And what do I notice? The account is once again restricted!

So I again call up Capital One. Apparently, their fraud department once again flagged my account as potential fraud. In order to have the restriction removed, I will need to fax them my driver’s license, social security card, and a utility bill that isn’t a cell phone bill.

Wait.. huh?

Let me see if I get this straight. I apply for a credit card, I receive the credit card, I make purchases, I confirm purchases.. and my card is just now being flagged as potential fraud?!

So being the inquisitive person that I am, I ask the third representative I had been transfered to (since the previous two were obviously reading from a script) what would happen if I didn’t send the information they requested? It’s a legitimate question since there is no way I am faxing my social security card to them. He tells me I can go to my bank and have them call Capital One to perform a “visual verification”. Okay, fine. So I continue on with my inquisition by asking, “And if I don’t do that?” My account remains restricted. Okay, so what. Capital One just won’t receive any additional money from me. The representative says, “That’s your decision, but you will still be liable for the balance.” Of course I am.. I made the purchases; I am going to pay for them.

Fraud prevention and ID theft is big these days. I get that. I deal with it every day at work. I fully understand the need to be absolutely certain about these things. But Capital One has done everything backwards here: account approved, credit card mailed, purchases made, then restrict the account for fraud prevention? No. Fraud prevention means just that — being proactive in fraud prevention; not being reactive.

Luckily for Capital One this one case is not fraud. I cannot imagine the amount of money they have actually lost due to real fraud based on their backwards fraud prevention techniques.

My take – avoid Capital One at all costs. Their “no hassles” credit card is anything but free from hassles.

Each day has 24 hours and there’s a certain period during the day that I look forward to.

• Five o’clock end-of-workday whistle? No. I love my job.
• Bedtime? Nope. Although I do enjoy sleep.
• Cubs/Bears/Tech/Mavericks game on TV? Surprisingly no.

Monica leaves for work between 6:45 and 7:00 each morning, therefore; I have between 30 and 45 minutes with Katie Lynn. Just her and I. I feed Katie Lynn her morning fruit, get her dressed for daycare, and play with her in the living room. I have her undivided attention — unless Wrigley walks by, or she spots her favorite toy(s), or sees that one random piece of lint on the carpet. But that time is our time to bond. This special father-daughter time is invaluable. We “talk” to each other in the car as I drive her to daycare each morning.

I’ve always heard the phrase that babies are only “this” size once, and it’s so true. Before I know it, Katie Lynn is going to be feeding herself and dressing herself for school and riding with Monica. She won’t need us to do any of that for her.

On a somewhat related note, it’s amazing and refreshing to see fathers involved in raising kids. Each morning I see a good amount of fathers dropping kids off at Katie Lynn’s daycare. In Lubbock, I rarely saw any fathers at the daycare. Maybe that’s a geographic differentiation or something; I don’t know.

What I do know is that I value every minute I spend with my daughter, and the day just doesn’t seem to have enough time.

Looks like the marquee operator-changer-person needs to go back to kindergarten to learn how to spell ‘kindergarten’..

Photo taken at Smith Elementary in Lubbock, TX

New Year’s Eve – time to make a resolution.

With everything that Katie Lynn has gone through, it’s only fitting that my 2008 resolution is to get more in touch spiritually. It states in the Bible that the husband/father should be the spiritual leader of the house:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

My daughter (and any future children) will be raised in a Christian home, and I need to be a strong presence and advocate in that.

I want to get more involved in our church, and make a very conscious effort to attend church on a weekly basis. Monica and I have started praying together, and that is a huge step for me personally as I find praying aloud extremely difficult. It’s getting easier, but it’s a hurdle I will overcome.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

Christmas is upon us once again!

This season means many different things to everyone. I’ve always thought of Christmas as Jesus’ birthday and that is what we’re truly celebrating. This year, Christmas has taken additional meaning. Katie Lynn‘s situation has truly changed my perspectives on almost everything in life. The good Lord works His miracles daily, and I’ve experienced one in Katie Lynn.

Monica and I did Toys For Tots this week. We were at the mall for family pictures and so Katie Lynn could see Santa. We went to The Disney Store, made our selections, and went to the main drop-off point. It is a great feeling knowing that our gifts will significantly impact the life of a less-fortunate child. We don’t do it to make ourselves feel good; we do it because we can. Monica and I are fortunate enough to enjoy some of life’s niceties and pleasures, and it’s the least we can do.

I sincerely hope that people reflect during the season and remember what is truly important.

Merry Christmas.

This will be a random post, but that’s okay.. I tend to be random anyways.

So I needed a new pair of tennis shoes. Anyone that knows me knows that I despise buying shoes. We went to every place under the sun and ended up at Academy. I found three pairs that I liked and selected one finally.

So what’s the big deal you ask?

They weren’t Nike.

Yep. For the first time that I can remember I do not wear Nike tennis shoes and instead purchased a pair of New Balance. It’s not that I don’t like Nike anymore; I still love Nike. The New Balance pair simply felt better than the other two pairs I tried on (which were Nike).

I feel like I’ve betrayed Nike though after being such a loyal customer all these years.

Oh well.

This will be a hodgepodge post containing a random assortment of topics. So clear your mind, start reading, and try to keep up.

Family & Friends
Monica and I have some of the greatest family and friends. Everyone has been exceedingly generous with baby gifts. To everyone that has been kind enough to send us or give us cards and gifts, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Additionally, a huge thank you to my Mom, my sister Kim, Monica’s sister Amanda, and friends Dru, Stephanie, and Mandy for throwing two wonderful baby showers for Monica.

Fuel Costs
Gas costs significantly less in DFW then it does in Lubbock. By significant I mean $.10 – $.20 cheaper. Ridiculous.

Tollways
I love tollways. Sure you have to pay, but it’s worth the money. Driving from Irving to Frisco took ten minutes. Can’t beat that.

Texas Tech
I hate using this phrase, but once again, it fits. Typical Tech. Come off a great win versus Texas A&M, get cocky, get put in your place by Mizzou. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Mike Leach is not the man to lead Tech to the next level. Until we hire a head coach that realizes a team is only as good as its weakest link, Tech will continue to be the red-headed stepchild of the Big XII South. On a happier note, we received our Red Raider and Lady Raider basketball season tickets in the mail. This is the first year we’ve bought both men’s and women’s season tickets, so we’ll have an abundance of games to attend!

Chicago Cubs
Swept out of the first round. I’m definitely not a fair weather fan, but it’s rather repetitive to have to keep saying “Just wait until next year”. I guess it could be worse..

NFL
The Bears are struggling for consistency. It’s too early to assess whether or not they can rebound and turn the season around. The best news is that Grossman was finally benched; he was given far too many chances and failed almost every time. On a happier note, I’m in a fantasy league for the first time, and through yesterday, in first place! Let’s hope I can sustain that for the rest of the season; I could use the $120 prize.

Work
I’ve been at my new job for over a month now and I’m loving it. Like all jobs, there have been some stressful situations – namely a rather large one that still is on my mind. It’s a different kind of stress than my former job, and I am much happier where I am now. It’s what I was born to do.

2007-2008 TV Shows
Lots of great shows this year – new and returning!

• Damages – GREAT new show on the FX network. If you haven’t been watching this show, wait until they start over and replay it from the beginning. It’s another “serialized” show in that you can’t just pick it up mid-season. It was a summer show that I would imagine will come back next summer. The season finale airs this coming Tuesday.
• CSI: Las Vegas. We have too many shows we DVR, so we’re only following CSI: Las Vegas this year. We don’t watch the Miami version as David Caruso is a horrible actor. We’ll put CSI:NY in our Netflix queue.
• Heroes. After a rather slow start in the first episode, it’s gotten far better. I don’t know how long this show will last after last year’s fantastic rookie season.
• Back To You – A new show on Fox staring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton.
• Carpoolers – A new show on ABC staring Jerry O’Connell and a bunch of other people I’ve never heard of before.
• Grey’s Anatomy – This is more Monica’s show than mine, but it’s actually not that bad.
• Private Practice – As we watch Grey’s Anatomy, of course we’d watch its spin-off..
• Desperate Housewives – We’ve watched this show since day one, and this season is already far better than last year’s.
• Jericho – After the widely-covered fan outrage, CBS will be bringing Jericho back as a mid-season show to close up the storylines.
• Cold Case & Without A Trace – We love these mystery-type shows!
• The Big Bang Theory – This is definitely Monica’s show.. I’m not really that sold on it.

Hmm.. that list makes it seems like we have no life! Oh well – we enjoy it.

Well, that’s the end of this post.. I’ll be surprised if anyone makes it this far!