Too Snoopy For My Liking

I decide to jump on the offer by Sprint Relay for a new phone device since my trusty sidekick has breathed its death rattle.
If you are not familiar with this deal (which is all over DeafRead and whoever has the sprint-relay advertising), to receive the special offer you have to buy it through sprintrelay's store. The deal is a data-only plan for same price that T-mobile offers with rebates for a new phone (Joey Baer's sales pitch)... so if you browse Sprint's website, you won't see this deal. This process began to send up small red flags. Why couldn't Sprint offer it on their own website?
Maybe Sprint just wants to make it easier for their D/HH customers to find this data-only plans... whatever, the deal is so good that I am moving on...

I clicked, typed in your typical stuff, like credit card # and shipping address...
click-click-click, typetypetypedeletetypetype, click-click...
PAUSE.
A red flag shot up the flagpole.
The form asked for my social security number, driver's license, its expiration date, which state issued... it is like filling out a form to get a loan!

The superficial reason which was sitting right above the question is that they wish to run a credit report on me and will need to investigate to deem whether a deposit needs to be made. They gave you options of how much they can take out of your account-- 200, 150, 100, 50 or "none"-- which the "none" follows a disclaimer stating if they found me ineligible, they will refuse to send me the phone device.

...
Is this normal?
...

Far as I remember, minor purchases like cell phones, they usually just want your credit card number.

But now, they want my SSN#?

What is going on???

So I shot off an email to Sprint (not sprint-relay, because they only list emails of local representative to order through... some average Joe that I really don't think can answer my email.) which you can read below (pardon grammar errors, typos, whatever ):



*****
Skeptical Business Conduct
*****
I am very skeptical that one of your sub-business known as "Sprint Relay" which operates a store as well offering data-only plans for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing customers. They require driver's license and SSN... this is NOT normal for a cell phone business to ask.
Maybe I am behind in the cell-phone world, but I feel that if you are asking very personal information that are IRREVELANT to buy something minor like a cell phone (before you know, we will be require to give out our SSN to buy a dress!)... I believe a bussiness like you and your sub-business like SprintRelay need to state what will you DO after you did the credit check. Will you store those highly-confident information on your database? Will you erase them and begone with it after a positive credit report? You need to assure your customers' trust that you won't risk the possibilty of third-party receiving their SSN and other confident information. It took me 30 minutes to debate with myself and ask my friends around to inquire if this is violation of my privacy rights, and whether this is a normal and revelant question? I believe those highly-confident information such as my SSN and driver's license number to see my credit reports should be left up with credit card companies who will actually pay you since the customers will charge with the cards from various credit cards companies.


The reason I am very ambivalent and resistant to release my SSN and driver's license to a corporation like Sprint Relay is because... WHAT WILL THEY DO TO ENSURE MY PRIVACY? I looked throughout their websites (included sprintrelay's) and nothing is stated. Will they erase my confident information once I passed their credit report check? Will they keep mine in their database FOREVER? Will they SELL my SSN to a third-party company?

Is there limitations to whom we can refuse to release our SSN# to? I understand for a new credit card, for a job, or whatnot... but... to a CELL PHONE COMPANY?

Me Kiss-Fist DC What?

If you happen to pit me down on the ground, twisting my arm to get an answer from me to the question: what do I love about D.C.? I will yell out "architecture! architecture!" as if I am yelling out "uncle! uncle!"

Needless to say, the styles of historical buildings in Washington D.C. are drop-dead gorgeous. The 19th century period homes are the best. I found myself fascinated with the textures, the lighting fixtures, and the weathering effects of patina, rust, and warped wood.

My utmost favorite thing is not in DC per se, but rather hanging over the Potomac River. Yes, I am referring to that gorgeous rail bridge for VRE (Virginia Rail Express)... with lovely graffiti here and there accented by the patina. Let's not forget those robust vines clinging to the posts as the high tide waves bash against the posts.

You only get this great view either from a yacht wading down the river or from a Yellow line metro train as it trods from L'Efante station to Pentagon station.

Not the people. Not the politics. Not the museums. It is just that one bridge that captured my heart.


This is actually the back of the view. This picture is only to give you the idea... soon I will snap a picture of the proper view that will take away your breath. :-)

A Branchful Morning

**** ENGLISH TRANSLATION SUMMARIZED ****

The cat was stressed out, my husband felt something vibrating which was odd. Thought somebody tried to break in... nothing. Woke up next day, husband says "look out the window" and there the tree is! IT seems that one tree which had two elongated branch (two cores) and one snapped off due to a heavy rainfall over the weekend. Thanks god the tree didn't break through the window and THANKS GOD we are DEAF so we slept throughout the night just fine while our cat panicked as the tree toppled down on our home.

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A Leap of Joy

I got accepted!

So this Fall, I am officially a graduate student at Gallaudet's Interpretation Program. Let's see where this forked road takes me. Right now, my big worry is to find how to pay for graduate studies. Don't tell me to go to local VR office-- they won't accept my case because a BA degree is pretty much good enough for me (yet I haven't a decent-paying job since I moved here in DC?). I am a bit leery about taking a student loan because I plan to take a loan for other purposes (details not needed to elaborate at the moment). Two major loans simultaneously is a bad idea. I am hoping for scholarships/grants, work-study, waiver of tuition fees-- whatever resources that result with my money staying in my pockets.
... so I am not exactly out of woods-- I still have to figure out what to do, where to live, which job, and whether I have to be a starving graduate student... :-)
Wish me luck but meanwhile, go ahead and leap for joy!

My Typical Approach to Introducing Myself

My typical introduction in ASL would appear somewhat along this line:
My name (AT SPEED OF LIGHT): K----- (and A NANOSECOND OF PAUSE) G---G.
(huh?)
No, wrong spell... K-I-R-S-I. Yes, finish. not K-R-I-S-T-I. that name Finnish. Last name-- no no wrong spell... No "S" at end of G---G. Right Know, American Tend Spell G---GS but mine different. Know, Know Both names different. Me Odd...

:-) It is really MY fault for fingerspelling too fast. My former ASL students can testify to that... (sorry kiddos!). I am fully aware of my speed... and I cannot help it. Note to future friends: I do not mind repeat the fingerspelling for my name-- it is very unique and many people are not accustomed to spell that way so I prefer to have my name properly spelled instead of having you telling everybody about "how cool Kristy* is!". ;-)

More blogs about how to introduce yourself in ASL!!!
"Deafies, Let's Chat!" @ http://blog.deafread.com/oscar1997/2008/04/30/my-name/
Joey Baer's ASL vlog @ http://www.joeybaer.com/?p=139

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I decided to do a brief video to show you what my introduction looks like when I meet people-- I usually get the same "huh?" look when it comes to my name-- both first and last names. .






* = Kristi, Kristy, Kirsti, Kim, Kris, Krisi, and many variations that people usually err with spelling out my name.