Wayne’s World – Flashback

After composing last week’s column and discussing the negative aspects of social media, I realized that I forgot to address its good points which was driven home by a recent event in my neighbourhood.

I have to report that my illegitimate half brother did not track me down on Facebook, nor did my stepmother’s daughter contact me in hopes of starting a twisted love triangle. Neither did a child of a former girlfriend message me and claim to be my offspring.

The event I am referring to is the disappearance of a neighbour’s cat named Wilson. The feline was put outside one day and it never returned. It was as if there was a cat burglar operating in  town and Wilson was a victim. Then my wife spotted a Facebook photo and posting by Kim Reznechenko. She asked if anyone was missing a cat because one had shown up at her doorstep and did not want to leave. The mug shot that was attached looked similar to Wilson, so my wife suggested the animal may belong to our neighbour. In keeping with the famous feline song that children love . . . the cat came back. Thought he was a goner, but the cat came back thanks to social media. I think the event provides sufficient material for an entirely new and contemporary verse.

Regarding the world of finance, headway was finally made on my bill for a credit card that I had chopped up many years ago. Readers may remember me complaining about being billed a whole $12 for the privilege of having a new credit card for a year. I refused to pay the sum since it was not part of the arrangement when the card was issued. The card was chopped up and the issuer was advised. However, monthly interest was added to the $12 bill and over the course of many years the total charge increased to almost $75 by April, 2014.

A letter was sent to the credit card company explaining what had transpired. To my delight another monthly statement arrived in May and it showed an adjustment had finally been made. A $48 dollar credit was issued to the account, but wait – there’s more. An additional $26.49 interest refund was also made which removed all outstanding expenses. But wait, there is still more! Interest was somehow charged on part of the sum ($65.12) which now leaves me owing $1.04 according to the last statement.

My initial reaction was to send a loonie and four pennies, but then I remembered pennies have been discontinued by the federal government. Therefore, a loonie should be sufficient to end this fiasco. However, giving away a dollar to end nonsense that should have stopped years ago still goes against the principle of the matter. Therefore, I have decided to let it ride and see if the company will continue to mail out a monthly statement for a $1.04 bill. Furthermore, Canada Post has a significant deficit and I am sure the corporation could use the business.

My wife is happy to report that the one-cent credit she had with the same credit card company has finally been eliminated. In a letter to the issuer of the card, my wife gave the company written permission to keep the penny and stop sending monthly statements. It appears that has happened (without interest being applied).

I find it most interesting that after a seven-year hiatus I am back at the Maple Creek newspaper office working in the sales department. Since I continued to write a weekly column and my mug shot was in the newspaper during that period, some people did not realize I was no longer employed at the News-Times. In the interim, I worked as a safety officer and most recently as an educational assistant at Cypress Hutterite Colony. I truly enjoyed working with the youth at the school, but felt a call to return to the newspaper business when an opening occurred. Thank you to everyone who passed on congratulations, and to those individuals who gave their condolences to my fellow employees – that may actually be more appropriate.

I have a couple of reservations about my new/old job. After several years without a male presence in the newspaper office, estrogen has infiltrated almost everything. Therefore, I have cautiously begun making a manly imprint on the operation. I will let you know how it goes after the ladies start leaving the toilet seat up.

Secondly, my boss at work is now the same person who likes to boss me around at home. That can’t be healthy, so I am open to suggestions on how to deal with that situation.

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