So I’m getting gas at ARCO and I see this credit card looking flyer and decided to grab it to see what it was. It works kinda like a PayPal Debit Card except this thing is linked directly to your checking account. The attraction is no longer being required to pay the 45¢ “convenience” fee per transaction whenever you purchase anything. It looks like a good idea… but I’m not necessarily convinced just yet…. but wait … there’s more! You also earn rewards† on the things that you purchase. For each dollar you spend using you PIN, you receive a point. If you purchase something using it as a Debit MasterCard, you receive 2 points for each dollar spent. They even have a Preferred version of the Debit MasterCard where you pay an annual fee of $24.95 and get double points. Sounds like a pretty good deal… no 45¢ fee anymore… get bonus points that turn into cash (currently $.001 per point otherwise known as .1¢). I will apply for one of these cards, but I just thought the fine print was humorous.

†Rewards are not earned for ampm, ARCO and non-ARCO gasoline brand purchases.

Tonight, I had the bright idea to defrost the mini-fridge at work. I then went to Costco with a friend to pick up a few things (brilliantly obtaining items that need refrigeration). After getting back to the shop, I noticed the slow speed at which the defrosting was occurring and decided to go pick up some ice. I get in the car and start it up... then it dies... hrmph... not good. Try again... nothing. Not a good sign. Disgusted, I walk to the store and obtain four bags of ice for the cooler. I clean the cooler and put all the "stuff" inside the thing and one more time, tried to start the car. Nothing. So here I stay. The "again" portion of the title regards the previous night, where I worked until 4AM and then decided to just sleep here. I'm gonna need a shower soon. I guess it's Bubble Breaker time!

My wife called me yesterday to inform me that we had no heat in the house. Once I got home (7:00AM), I checked everything and sure enough... it doesn't work! So my Rheem Classic 90 Plus furnace is malfunctioning ... what to do. The LEDs inside the furnace indicate that the "Limit Switch is Open"... whatever that means. I looked up the problem on the Al Gore invented Internet after I woke up (3:30PM) and sure enough.... something is wrong with it. :) If I can't figure this out tomorrow, then I guess I will need to call the heating and air people for service. On the bright side, at least I won't be using up our precious propane. It also makes me feel great to know that we are no longer destroying the Al Gore protected environment with my pesky CO² gas.