Midnight Pub

~inquiry


johano

Helo, Inquiry, and pardon the absence... sounds like your credit card thing is part and parcel of larger credit card processing outages that have struck recently...

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inquiry

But technology!!!

<rolls eyes in tech's direction for the 0xF4240th time>

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johano

Ye gads, don't I know it?!? Part of why I've been half-absent revolves around how my ISP suddenly decided to put in Carrier-Grade NAT in our region, which proceeded to break my self-hosting setup... I've been trying to find a way around it that *doesn't* involve paying extra for a static IP...

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inquiry

<blows the dust off his monkey wrench>

Could have been worse, e.g. a Barrier-Strayed NATO....

>_<

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johano

geopolitics, oy vey!

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inquiry

Heh. Yeah. Minor trolling disease flareup. >_<

Not that I'm affiliated any particular way. I mean, I feel I was driven from one of the camps/sides/tribes. But other than occasionally sore feelings connected with that, I'm usually fairly apolitical.

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johano

Noswaith dda, Inquiry! Wel wel...

Minor trolling disease flareup. >_<

Should you have a doc take a look at that? /jk

I'm not *affiliated* in the sense of being a dues-paying, card-carrying member of a party, although I have certain sympathies/tendencies... lately though it's been more a matter of voting for the lesser evil.

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inquiry

Even in my USENET heydays, I can't say I was ever a legitimate "troll". But I've long been rooted in wanting to tease people a bit, I think mostly for having been the first born to a couple siblings.

As for politics, I see merits in various sides.. but lean toward being less amenable to "helping" others in ways I've deemed don't really help when seemingly opening the door to alternative forms of subservience. I believe people need to "stand on their own two" as much as possible - which I consider in accord with Darwinist thinking.

I'll admit I've been a lucky motherfuck in a lot of ways. But I definitely took the bullhorns when needed, so I expect similar of others. But I definitely acknowledge some come from places in which doing that is essentially "not humanly possible".

As always, the devil is in the details....

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tffb

Luckily there is a pool table off to a side room of the bar, Inquiry! I'll play ya, but I have to warn you, i aM TeRrIbLe At iT - never won a game to impress someone or to win money. Ever. I swear it ;)

Honestly, it's been years since I've played pool, but I used to play daily when I was at Job Corps, and was very good at it very quick.

Anyway, enjoy the tequila! I am off the sauce these days, have been for a while, I plan on staying that way, too. I hope the U-Haul/bank fiasco works out, too, and you get refunded soon.

later

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johano

Prynhawn da, tffb! I'd definitely take you up on a game of pool, although my skill level is likely the equal of yours :)

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tffb

Haha, I'll definitely play you after I "lose terribly" to Inquiry a couple rounds - the third round I up the ante on a whim and clean house. LMAO!

Honestly though, no poolsharking in The Midnight, as it's an honest establishment, with good patrons. It doesn't have to be like Roadhouse (though, that would be kinda cool, in a way).

Nice to see you, johano - the next drink is on me! :)

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johano

Ahhh diolch yn fawr :) ~bartender? I feel like a kalimotxo would hit the spot right now!

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tffb

and it's on me ~bartender! I'll take a black coffee, as per usual. And let's not forget Inquiry, who's thread this order is taking place in.

Inquiry, what'll ya have? It's on me, even though I've been writing all day on TMO about how my debit card issues continue (bad chip on the card), and I may have to end up pleading with the bank to both replace this card, yet, NOT cancel this card in the meantime, because it is still good for online purchases.

By the way, johano, what dialect/language are you corresponding in? I had a friend from another life that was (or, in fact is - assuming he avoided the 'rona) Welsh, and he sometimes Tweeted in a language similar (similar to my eyes - sometimes I can't even figure out what an Associated Press headline is trying to communicate, and that's in English).

:)

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johano

Yep, it's Welsh/Cymraeg, which I'm learning/practicing bit by bit here and elsewhere.

Hope your issues with tech get resolved too!

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tffb

Awesome!

Yes, I hope my issues are fixed soon. In the meantime, I an stranded on Internet Island for any and all purchases.

stay well :)

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johano

but I hear that island is a wild'n'wooly place; there be dragons... be careful!

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inquiry

I definitely would like to being off The Stuff. I was, in fact, for something like eight years, then fell hard off the wagon to help my younger brother celebrate his 40th birthday....

The UHaul thing is slowly becoming clearer. I'm all but certain it's something effed with the credit card charge alert system of my bank... but embarrassingly that's after reaming out a UHaul customer support person a couple times.

Part of the problem was that in the same time period I wound up being double charged at a "Dollar General"... because I attempted their self-checkout line... but their machine froze and no receipt was printed... I assumed the charge didn't go through.. and the employee there at the time checked me out manually.

But it turns out the original charge DIDN'T go through... and of course wouldn't you know I declined a receipt through the manual lane... BUT, the manager there listened to my story and immediately showed the employee how to work a "CUST SAT" refund. Very impressive.

However... you can imagine that a couple credit card faux pax's had me in the palms-gushing-sweat "credit card fraud" zone.

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tffb

My Lawd, Inquiry. Next time, use an ATM and pay cash. Something I wish I had thought of the other day when I had my card reading false start at BP. The whole thing was "an event" there, because no matter how many people waltzed up to pay for their items using a debit card reader that didn't work, the indifferent clerk just lightly muttered "declined". Like it was a thing that JUST happened.

No, "cash only, sir/ma'am - the card reader is broke". He passively stood there and let it keep declining cards back-to-back.

Good things came of it, as I mentioned in a previous Midnight post - but the dude had zero integrity to just SAY the machine was not working. Crazy.

Either way, an ATM visit could have solved my problem, but the ones around here run $4.50 per transaction, and I'm too broke to burn off $4.50 just to have cash.

I'd consider it in your case though, Inquiry. The bank you use seems to be having trouble processing transactions. U-Haul employees got eviscerated, Dollar General clerks got crash courses in obscure refund methods - it's been "a deal" for everyone. ATM's are simple (expensive, but simple).

Happy (very?) belated birthday to your younger brother.

later

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inquiry

You know, it occurs to me I'd likely have whole lot less problems if I'd just stay in the Pub permanently. It's as though I've developed a severe brick 'n mortar allergy....

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