THIS WEEK IN REFLECTION
First, my classmates got me on the Venmo app, and that one is great. I learned many of you in other countries have the ability send money from your bank to another person’s bank account. We don’t have that in the U.S., to my knowledge. Then, they got me on the Be Real app where I promptly, though accidentally, shared a picture of my bra. That app got deleted. Now, they’ve got me on Snap Chat for reasons unknown to me. So far, the only person who writes to me is Biscuit, i.e. Christy, my mom:
I’ll probably delete Snap Chat if nothing happens with it, but Biscuit does love all the cute avatars and filters.
It was a busy weekend. The farmer came to harvest the corn in our field that he rents (he pays in money), but the machine broke down, so it’s sitting in our yard. The young hunter who rents the field, too, (he pays in deer products) keeps asking if the corn is gone yet. He’s so excited. He stopped by on Saturday to bring us deer baloney (that’s a thing?!), deer jerky, deer bratwurst, and ground deer.
He also revealed that he and his girlfriend are Amish, so the reason he has a truck and a cellphone is they are doing Rumspringa. Currently, deer guy is 23, so based on what Wikipedia says, he’s on the older end. He did decide to join the church, he said, so in the future we’ll contact each other through his brother’s house phone, and he’ll drive his brother’s truck. I’m not sure why modern marvels are okay so long as you personally don’t own them, but there you go.
The whole week or so has been a lot to navigate. On November 9th I had to do a debate in ASL, which I mentioned last Sunday, and then first thing Monday morning I interpreted chapel. Thursday I did another presentation in ASL, this time describing how one machine in a box factory works, all information I received after I interviewed a Deaf employee. All three activities made me nervous, and even though my mind is not anxious like it would be in the past, I’m still getting physical symptoms that in the past have varied. This time it’s being itchy. What fun!
Friday night the interpreting department hosted a Thanksgiving dinner, and a lot of people came — probably more than 50. The more I socialize, the more I become used to different signing styles. Saturday, the ASL department hosted a Deaf comedian, and we also had tables with information about services for Deaf people. The comedian was really funny. The stories were funny, the pictorial nature of ASL adds humor, and sometimes the way Deaf people experience something is funny. It was a great event, and I saw a lot of old and new faces from the Deaf community.
However, I did learn that the damn mice are back in my car again! I had the audacity to leave a napkin in the console, so they took it and tried to make it into a nest. I’m seriously thinking about getting barn cats.
Next week is Thanksgiving, so I’m gearing up for that. Nick and I are hosting Biscuit and Dad here at our house for my first-ever family Thanksgiving at home. I’ll try to take pictures to share with you!
IT DIDN’T MAKE IT TO GRAB THE LAPELS
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THIS WEEK’S BLOG POST
For the most part, we discussed The Longings of Women cover instead of the content. But I wonder: have you, in the past, had trouble describing a book that sounds mundane or familiar (like the plot has been done 1,000 times), only to wonder how to convince people the story is worth it because it’s engaging? I felt that way about Marge Piercy’s novel.
NEXT WEEK’S BLOG POST
Currently, I’m really trying to wrap my head around how I feel about Weightless by Evette Dionne. It’s both familiar and new, written by a fat Black woman who writes personal perspectives, not all of them endearing, and comments on pop culture. Review Wednesday.
BOOKS I BOUGHT
Books I paid for (that are not textbooks) since January 2023: totaling $65.04
BOOKS ADDED TO THE TBR PILE
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Grab the Lapels 
We learnt a long time ago – like back in the 1980s – how fiscally conservative the USA tends to be. Back then, we discovered we had to use traveller’s cheques when we wanted to travel from state to state because the USA didn’t have any credit cards that could be used interstate. We already had something called Bankcard which was a credit card we could use throughout Australia. And, as you and I discussed recently, there’s the matter of cheques. They are all but non-existent in Australia. I don’t think my kids, who are your age, have ever had a cheque book in their lives.
Then as I discussed with my Californian friend there’s the issue that we can do our taxes online, and not just do it online, but most of the data has been prefilled for us. We only have to enter things that institutions can’t know – like deductions – but all our income, including any interest etc, that financial institutions handle are automatically entered by their systems into our tax record (because they have our tax number.) I think this is pre-filling is being piloted now in a few states in the USA.
And, we can pay each other from our bank accounts by using our phone numbers. I owe you for my share of lunch that you paid. I go into my banking app on my phone, and I click the pay by phone option and enter your phone number and the amount and bob’s your uncle, the money goes from my bank to yours. (All you need do is to linked your phone number to your bank account, and then you’re ready to go.) The advantage of this system is that you don’t have to divulge any of your bank details to me for me to pay you. I just need your phone number I probably have anyhow. I think this is a bit like Venmo, except you just do it straight through your banking app so it’s direct … there’s no third party app (which I think Venmo is?) involved.
Oh dear, I have rambled on. The trick is keeping up with all the options, and working out which ones are secure and which ones aren’t, but one thing is for sure, money is more and more electronic …. which is great until systems go down.
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I know at one point I got a check book because you couldn’t pay rent with cash or credit card. I don’t remember a time when credit cards couldn’t be used across state lines, but I do remember a time when suddenly we were all getting credit cards and it felt “newfangled.” Yes, they existed, but institutions were really pushing a cashless society. Venmo IS a 3rd party app, which always makes me nervy because why do they need my routing number, but they do. I can’t believe how easy things sound in other countries.
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I made a mistake about the credit cards … they could be used across state lines. Sorry. The old foggy brain. The issue was the fact that US didn’t have nation-wide banks and that back in the 1980s credit cards weren’t used for everything, so we had to use cash for a lot of things. But, if you were in another state you couldn’t go to your bank and get cash out, hence having to use the traveller’s cheques, whereas in Australia our big banks have always been nation-wide so a Sydneysider in Perth could go to their bank over there and withdraw money.
I think the issue with the USA might be your banking rules. You certainly have the technology, but Mr Gums says different rules impact how money is managed.
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Yes, lobbyists who make money off us NOT using bank-to-bank transfers have won here. As for ATMs, you’re right. I can use another bank’s ATM, but it will cost me. If you have a local bank, you’re stuck when it comes to traveling.
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Yes, it will usually cost us using other ATMS but we can usually find one for our own bank wherever we are. Now though we almost never use cash. I can’t recollect when I last went to an ATM, though Mr Gums does occasionally, so we usually have a little cash on us. Gradually, businesses here are going completely cashless, like a garden nursery business in my city, a favourite cafe in Melbourne. Is that happening where you are? I must ask my Californian friend.
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Most places here want cash so they don’t have to pay credit card fees for processing. Some people in service industries that have tipping want cash because (it’s pretty obvious) they don’t want to claim it as income so they don’t have to pay taxes on it. THEY SHOULD, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WITH THEIR INCOME.
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This is similar to how we do it in Canada too. I just need your phone number or email address to send money direct from my bank account to yours. Our banks operate on a much more national level than in the US (at least, as far as I understand it) and I think that makes a big difference.
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Thanks Karissa … it seems like the US is the odd one out here, probably. It’s so easy paying someone now isn’t it. (Ours is phone number, email address or ABN – Australian Business Number. It’s mainly small businesses, like tradesmen, who use that one.)
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I think many Americans are skeptical about online banking security. If the current crop of people who just want to see the world burn get re-elected, I’m going to continue to keep as much banking information as I can offline.
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I got this a bit wrong though … the prime issue is the USA’s banking rules – and the lack back then at least of banks that operated nationally.
The online banking is an issue here for some but I think overall Australians are early adopters. Mr Gums worked it secure IT systems so is pretty good on how to manage all this but nothing is fail safe!
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Nick was saying he wanted to comment on this post and share information about lobbyists making sure banks can’t transfer money to each other and so we must use 3rd party apps, but it looks like he was too shy to comment.
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Well thank him for wanting to! Lobbyists – for big software companies, are they?
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This is a long read and is about tax services in particular, but it breaks down the reasons why our financial system will remain broken until something changes. https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-fight-to-stop-americans-from-filing-their-taxes-for-free
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Oh wow Nick … I read some and skimmed some but that was fascinating, and saddening. Thanks very much for sharing this.
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Get off the grid, Jeanne! But don’t read Into the Wild as a guidebook.
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Surprised to learn you can’t transfer money account to account in the US (but it does explain all the references to Venmo that have puzzled me in US telly of late) – it’s very useful for splitting bills etc. (I have one friend where the payment reference for her account is “pizza” since that is almost always what I am sending money for!).
One of my colleagues has the BeReal app, but tonnes of our students follow her on it, which I find icky. I would be much too worried about – as you say – accidentally sharing something I didn’t want them to see!
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Yes, Venmo is a 3rd party app that lets us send each other money. I think Americans in general are paranoid about having our money stolen, because we have so many cyber attacks, etc. I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten letters from the company that runs my doctors’ offices saying beware, some of my info was stolen, but not, like, the important info, whatever that means.
I wouldn’t want BeReal if my students were on there! Ack! The only time I enjoy it is when the BeReal timer goes off and we’re in class and the teacher gets involved. He never knows that it’s taking a picture of him, too, and he makes the funniest faces trying to figure out how to take a photo.
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I actually feel more secure now that my banking is all online. If something went wrong I would see it much more quickly; when I pay a bill I have an audit trail to prove I’ve done so, whereas when I used to pay cash I was reliant on the receipt; it takes literally seconds to stop my card if I need to. If my identity had been stolen when I was still using paper statements, I wouldn’t have noticed until either a) the statements turned up or b) my account had been drained and my card was declined. These days I would probably see an unexpected notification within an hour and be able to do something about it.
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That’s a great point. Sometimes when we travel, we get a message asking if we just made a purchase at such and such a place that isn’t in our normal routine.
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Sorry for being stupid, but… I can’t believe you can’t send money direct to somebody else’s bank account in the US! Do you have to do everything using Venmo etc? And what happened before Venmo? Just cheques?
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We did checks and cash. Everyone has Venmo or Google Pay or we used to use PayPal way back in the beginning of the internet. People use Western Union, which costs money. Then there’s ApplePay and Square. It’s ridiculous.
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I lived in a field for many, many years and never got mice in my vehicles. The barn was a whole other ballpark though. What makes your car so comfy cozy??
I can’t wait to see Thanksgiving pictures! 🙂
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Dude, f-ing McDonald’s napkins. They got in there, stole some napkins, ripped them into shreds, and made them into little beds. In the past, I thought they got in my car because I had a banana peel in the little car trash bag, and that smells sweet, so I get it. But if they found napkins, I wonder if they’re just occasionally exploring the interior of my car.
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They must be. Toadman probably told them you were kind and caring and they’ve decided to find out for themselves. :3
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Ugh! The little traitor!
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We had an issue with mice in our car last winter. Traps seemed to make a difference, as well as making sure snacks didn’t get left behind. (You probably don’t eat as messily as my kids though). Happy Thanksgiving week!
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First time I had a banana peel in my car trash bag, so I figured that did it. This time, they just wanted some napkins I left in the console, though to be fair, they were McDonald’s napkins, so maybe they smelled like a hint of French fries??
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I bet they could use napkins to make a nest so that could be an incentive. I know here mice in cars is a bigger issue in the winter because they want to get out of the cold. Last summer while we were camping, mice got into our car and ate our dog’s food!
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Poor, traumatized Winne the Dog!
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Haha, she was fine! It was the wasps who kept gathering on her kibble that really traumatized her that trip!
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Of course I support the idea of getting barn cats because we are crazy cat lovers in my family, although I’m not sure if they will necessarily eat and scare away the mice? Cats do what they want, regardless of what their owners want LOL
Let us know how the deer baloney tastes!!!
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These cats are basically feral, and the website warns that these cats may never connect with their humans, which is fine by me. Their mere presence should be enough to keep the mice away, even if they don’t chase or eat the mice.
I’ll give you a deer update when I eat my first sammich.
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I am so behind!
I love how you are trying all these new apps because of your classmates! It sounds like you had a very busy week of interpreting! I hope your anxiety has since backed off a bit. The department Thanksgiving sounds lovely. I hope your family Thanksgiving was also wonderful! Sorry about the mice in your car!
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I feel you about being behind. I’ve had to skip over some blog posts because right now a few people are really active in their blogging with so many November reading challenges going on, and other times I get notifications about blog posts from folks who don’t stop by here too often, so I may not read their posts. I’m catching up, though. I just read about your chickens scratching the leaves around. Lovely ladies!
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I’m also very behind! Basically took all last week off from reading blogs.
I’m sorry about the mice in your car! But yay for you for being brave and trying all the new apps. 😄 I hope you guys had a good Thanksgiving!
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I gotta say, a lot of these apps I straight up don’t get. Like, what does Snap Chat do that’s so special. It has a story feature, but basically it’s just someone took a picture and now I can look at it. Erm, do I want to see your random pictures? I thought this was a texting app?? So confusing.
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Well I’m just the two weeks behind now … My friend Claire has BeReal but basically uses it to check her kid (now at university) is OK, which is fine of course. I’ve been in the odd one if it goes off while we’re running together! SnapChat is beyond me, though! I love hearing about your ASL studies, you’re doing so well and so much complex stuff. The Amish farmer is interesting and that reminds me I have a book about Rumspringa on my wish list, although it’s secret santa / Christmas / birthday season so I can’t buy anything at the moment!
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