Great Technological Disasters part III So, having lost both my computer and my cellphone within days of each other, one might ask, "What else could possibly happen??" Was I really that bad of a person that karma had chosen to punish me this severely all at once? I was pondering this as I was filling out an online Western Union form to get Summer some emergency money to get The 'Yota fixed. (The car was immaculately maintained when it was Mom's, and I have every intention of upholding that tradition, since although it is mine now, I will always think of it as Mom's car.) I finished entering in my credit card info, and pressed the send button only to find that Western Union had declined my card! Cards usually get declined because they don't have any funds available on them, but mine was quite the opposite. Just fifteen minutes prior, I had verified that the very hefty payment that I had sent in did indeed post to the account. Frustrated, I logged into my credit card account. Or tried to, rather. My account had been locked. Blood pressure rising, I dialed the emergency number on the back of my credit card only to be connected to a fax machine. Further attempts to talk to a human being were frustrated by a voice mail system that dumped me to either a fax machine, or just hung up on me altogether. I really didn't have time to deal with this issue at the moment, so I went to plan B. There was a Western Union office in the PX. I'll withdraw cash out of the ATM and wire the money that way. The ATM machine, however, spat out my card, telling me "Card Not Accepted At This Machine". A quick trip to the PX verified that my card wasn't accepted at that machine either. Desperate, I called my Credit Union, who informed me that, due to new security measures, all members were issued new ATM cards, and their old ones discontinued. Thanks, guys, how about a warning email next time? That explained the problem, but didn't solve it. You see, my mail was being bounced off Dad's address in Arizona. A quick call to him verified that all the mail that he had collected was put in a box and sent out weeks ago...why didn't I have it yet? I dashed over to the mailroom, which is pretty far away, so I only check my mail when I am expecting something. Sure enough, the box Dad sent was there, along with a letter. I ran back to my place and popped open the box. What was inside brought me up short. 
In all the excitement and drudgery of daily life here, Easter had come and gone without so much as a blip on my seasonal radar screen. My father, however, knew the impact of being away from loved ones during holidays, and sent an Easter basket (Some assembly required)! Chuckling to myself, I assembled the Easter basket, and took the time to read the card that came with the box: "I got this card after a guy stopped me in the parking lot at Home Depot. I was using your truck to pick up some stuff, and he saw the Cavalry stickers. He wanted to thank the owner for his service. I told him the truck belonged to my son who had three trips to the mideast, and currently in Korea. He told me to tell you how much your service was appreciated. I told him thanks, and that his Dad was pretty proud too! Luv, Dad" Tears in my eyes, I sat down on my bed, and suddenly all my problems didn't seem that horrendous. In my rush to solve daily disasters and handle each crisis four at a time, I had lost sight of the important things in life. Up until now, I believed that being in a relatively cushy job away from the combat zone somehow made me less of a Soldier, and in turn, less of a man. I had forgotten that I had already been there three times before, and this was someone's idea of giving me a break. Dad, I don't think you will ever know just how much that card means to me, but it rearranged my thinking just in time for the biggest challenge that I would have to face yet over here. However, that story will have to wait until next post. Take care everyone! P.S. The new ATM card was in the box, and strangely enough, a week after my credit card account was locked, it was mysteriously unlocked, and now life is back to some sort of normal. | 
