Bad Apologies

Yesterday was an unusual Friday, because I actually got to sleep in and take it easy. Flex Fridays rule. I grabbed lunch with Thunder Hips (seriously, I am hideous at this naming thing, but if you saw him dance you'd know where I was coming from) and then took a long walk through the neighborhood to enjoy the sun.

As a result, I bring you two pictures from our walk. First, check out this crosswalk that showed up in my neighborhood last year:
I friggin love it. Seriously, it is, like, the most fantazmagorical crosswalk I have ever seen. But you know I always have to know more. Sadly, there is no helpful sign to explain where it came from. Was this sanctioned? How did they do it? Why did they do it? Are they going to do more!? So if you know (I'm looking at you Greg), then TELL ME!

On a more whimsical note, this Beauty Salon made me giggle.
I had to explain it to TH, and I don't think he figured out what I was talking about, but that doesn't mean I'm any more ashamed that things like this still amuse me.

I officially hate this whole FICO score thing. I recently fell under the mis-impression that I might ever understand what is going on, and started to take steps to monitor and improve what is already a pretty sold score. [Hey, someday I might want to buy that closet I've always dreamed of.] I even did smart things like increase my credit limits (while paying down debts) to more quickly improve my debt-to-credit ratios.

I also signed up for myFICO updates. This morning I got my second every instant FICO update directly on my cellphone--a 13 point drop.

"Why did I get this alert?" myFICO prompts me.
The short answer is easy:

This alert was sent because there is new activity on an account that was inactive for more than 3 months.

But from there, even myFICO plays hard to get, like that recurring one-night-stand which just may be interested in more, but hasn't the time to let you in on that thought process.

Even though FICO is just a formula, here is what I get:

You received this alert because one of your credit accounts is showing activity after having been inactive for some time. The effect this has on your FICO score is hard to predict; it may cause your score to go up or go down.

...[I]t is possible for new activity on an inactive account, by itself, to affect the FICO score:

A FICO score may go up if most of the accounts in the credit report have been inactive recently and then new activity is reported on one of the accounts. Consumers who have recently used credit responsibly often have higher FICO scores than consumers who have not used credit at all recently. For this reason, new activity on a credit report with little recent activity can improve the FICO score.

A FICO score may go down if the new activity is reported on an account that was already in bad status. Accounts in bad status include those that are currently past due, have a history of missed payments, or are charged-off or sold to a collection agency.

It may cause your score to go up or down?! Like FICO is some magical genie in a bottle, and if we bothered to ask how it came to this wondrous number directly, we would anger it and forever lose access to its insights!? F* THAT!

Mind you, none of this is really the case. You see, the Nelnet accounts in question are both federal stafford loans in perfect standing. They represent neither recent responsible use of credit, nor do they represent new activity on an account in bad status. I have a perfect payment record on these accounts. I have even paid them through mid-2008. They just haven't told the credit bureaus anything since, oh, December 1.

Thus, I give up. A big ole clenched-fist sign language "Good Morning" to Nelnet, myFICO, and my current and future landlords.

// posted by bad apologies @ 2:05 PM 0 comments

Ah yes, it seems that gChat posts are not just for Fabs and Meg anymore! I doubt anyone will appreciate this, but I'm home alone on a Friday night, waiting for Papa Johns, and damnit I'll post what I want!


Oh, and Snow Patrol was alright, too.

Pretty typical image: Meg on the phone flirting with a boy, and me trying unsuccessfully to get my spoon on. But the surprise visit was more cuddle action than I've gotten since MOSI left, which is probably why I'm smiling.
After that was an impromptu game of Family Feud at Cobalt, which left yesterday as a total waste while I stayed in bed most of the day recovering. At least I got to skip forward to Friday, I've got DJ Glow essentials blasting on the work computer (while I still have an office), tickets to see Snow Patrol tonight with Madchen ("If I could just lay here..."), and a wide open weekend with no roommate and no plans (TiVo naked!).

They tried to make me go to rehab, I said: "No, no, no!"
Yes, I been black, but when I come back, you'll know, know, know.
I ain’t got the time,
And if my daddy thinks I’m fine,
They's tryin' to make me go to rehab--I won’t go, go, go.
Didn’t get a lot in class,
But I know it don’t come in a shot glass.
The man said, why you think you here?
I said: "I got no idea."
I’m gonna, I'm gonna lose my baby,
So I always keep a bottle near.
He said, I just think you’re depressed,
Kiss me, yeah, baby--
And the rest.
They tried to make me go to rehab, I said: “No, no, no!”
They's tryin' to make me go to rehab--I won’t go, go, go!

Two blog entires in two days?! Oh my!

As I'm sure you had trouble missing, after great weather Tuesday and Wednesday it rained excessively Thursday and Friday. The roommate, TraniLuver, brought to my attention this oh-so-helpful reminder from the National Weather Service during the deluge:


Thanks you NWS! How did you know "Drowning" was #14 on my list of things not to accomplish this week?

No news since the Idiotarod report? Sucks to that asthmar.

The weeks have been just work (well, and three receptions on the Hill that I blame for some of my less coherent moments) and last weekend was a 3+ day bender of fun and celebrations interspersed with lustful relaxation.

First off, MOSI made a somewhat clumsy return to my life after getting back into the city for his spring break. Despite that, we ended up having a phenomenal three days together. We relaxed, we laughed, we played--we did things I had wanted to do with him since we first met last May.

Our status is still in flux because of the distance, but leaving things on such a positive note (rather than how it was left the time before) only reinforces that this is a hiatus, not an end, to having such a great love in my life.

And between trysts were parties for the extended Crowl birthday, including dinner/drinks in Adams Morgan and a late night Sunday dance party at the Black Cat. Which by the way, sucked and then was awesome, all in the span of two hours. You see, Thievery Corporation was billed as the performer, and I guess the audience expected a performance. So they crushed to the front and stood motionless for the first hour. I have seen more dancing at actual concerts before.


TC, meanwhile, just stood there DJing--they hardly even looked up. Eventually, the crowd, who never seemed to figure out what was going on, weeded out, and left space for us to cut it up as was intended. Glow even discovered that a wink at a certain bartender would get you a beer for free.

Of course, that turned my last $5 into three beers, not one, and I woke up Monday just long enough to e-mail my boss and take the day off. I slept until 2, when I ran to meet up with Crowl and Meg for pedicures and to talk about boys. And Crowl's preference to be a kept woman.

Since then work as returned, MOSI has departed, the temperature has teased, kickball has been scheduled, and this weekend is the long-awaited "clean my parents house" spectacular. Thank god for a party at Bunny's to break up the monotony.

I wanted to share a few choice pictures from this weekend, but at the same time attempt to protect the gainfully employed. For this reason, I will leave name droping and hyperlinking to a minimum. For the same reason, I won't credit these photos except to say I didn't take them but I got permission from who did. :)

Thank you, Lisa Nowak. Thank you for your inspiration. We will represent you well this weekend, as we compete in the Idiotarod.