The $900 (mis)adventure

Marlene and I have booked a 25-night cruise from Tampa FL to Anchorage AK in Aprill 2025. This will be the most expensive cruise we have ever taken together – over $2,500 each. This is because it is on the Norwegian Jade rather than a Carnival ship where we both get major discounts. But we felt the expense was justified because it is still not expensive in absolute terms – just about $100 per day – and because the itinerary is amazing – 15 ports, including some in Columbia, Panama and Costa Rica as well as some good Mexican and Canadian ports and both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Had to do it.

Anyway, we need to get it all paid by December. We are going to make several payments. We agreed that we would each pay $900 in July. No problem, right? We had the money. I am responsible for the payments so Marlene gave me $900. I just had to pay via Visa then get the money into my checking account to pay the Visa bill.

So… how to get her money into my checking account in Massachusetts? There are no branches of my bank anywhere in Florida. But Zelle works everywhere, right?

Plan A: Use Zelle to transfer the money from Marlene’s bank to mine

That would have been simple but, unfortunately, Marlene’s bank doesn’t support Zelle.

Plan B: Use CashApp.

We both have CashApp and have transferred money between us before. She successfully transferred the money to my CashApp, I linked my CashApp to my checking account and tried to move the money. That was declined by my bank on Thursday. Why? No idea and I wouldn’t be able to ask the bank until Friday. I needed the money deposited by Monday. Couldn’t wait to try again.

Plan C: Buy a money order and remotely deposit it into my account

I purchased the money order at Walmart, no problem. But as I endorsed the back I saw a little notice: Not for Mobile Deposit. Huh? I tried to deposit it and, not surprisingly, the deposit was declined.

Plan D: Cash the money order, deposit the cash in Marlene’s checking account and have her write a check

You are probably thinking “why didn’t she just write a check to start?” Indeed, that would have been the best plan, except that it seemed so old school. Why deal with a check when cash transfer was instantaneous? Obviously, cash transfers are not always instantaneous.

Anyway, the flaw in Plan D was that Walmart, where I had purchased the money order just 90 minutes before, was unable to cash the money order. Why? They couldn’t say. Just that the third-party check cashing service had some problem with my ID or the money order. Calling Walmart headquarters did not help. The best they could offer was a refund in 10 days.

Plan E: Cash the money order at a Western Union office

It is a Western Union money order so they should be able to cash it, right? If anyone had my $900 at this point it was Western Union. But this, too, failed, due to the prior attempt to cash it at Walmart. I would have to wait 48 hours to try again. Oh, by the way, the fee for cashing the money order – to get back my $900 that they had held for just a couple of hours – would be $55. Unbelievable. The fee for cashing it at Walmart was just $4. Highway robbery. No thanks, Western Union.

So 5 plans, 5 failures. I gave up and sold some stock. I am hoping that money gets into my checking account by Monday. If not, I will have to pay less than my total Visa bill and will incur at least $30 in interest. But I still have hope that the money will be there by Monday.

That is Plan F. I won’t know until Monday if it succeeds.

I will wait 10 days to get the refund on the money order. Then I will deposit it in Marlene’s checking account, she will transfer it to my CashApp and then move it to my checking account. I believe I fixed the CashApp problem. It was due to CashApp having *2* ways to link to a checking account: (1) routing number and account number and (2) debit card number. It seems to default to debit card number – and doesn’t offer the option to use the routing/account number. My debit card number was an old card that had expired months ago. I was not even aware that it was linked to my CashApp. Anyway, I have corrected that.

But that begs the question: why, when processing a withdrawal request, does CashApp solicit a routing/account number and then not use it?

Frustrating.

UPDATE: The stock was sold on Thursday but the money did not appear in my checking account until early Tuesday, about 6 hours too late to avoid interest charges on my Visa. So Plan F, like all the other plans, was a failure.

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“Suspicion of Innocence” by Barbara Parker

Copyright 1994 by Barbara Parker. Published by Signet, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc, New York.

This is the first of at least 8 books in the “Suspicion” series featuring Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana, two Miami lawyers. I wasn’t aware that this was a series until, at the end of the book, there was an except from “Suspicion of Guilt”, #2 in the series.

I won’t go out of my way to read the rest of the series.

The problem with this book is that the first half – over 200 pages – is spent on “character development.” Almost nothing happens, except for the suicide of Gail’s estranged sister, Renee. But the medical examiner leaves the means of death “undetermined” and the police continue to investigate. Eventually Gail is arrested and charged with the murder.

That, in my view, is another problem. What evidence did the police have? Some notes and cards from Gail’s husband to Renee indicating that he was closer to her than Gail was. An argument between Gail and Renee at a birthday party on the day of her death. A fingerprint in Renee’s kitchen. Pretty thin evidence. If a prosecutor can get an indictment on this then we are all at risk.

The book does get better in the second half. A subplot – and history lesson – about the Tequesta Indians of Florida was interesting. But the second half only raised the level of interest to “mediocre.”

5 out of 10.

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CV1 wrapup

The CV1 was very unusual in that it was both a cruise and an auto trip. I will do wrapups for those two portions separately.

The Carnival Paradise cruise

This was a short, 6-day cruise with ports in Honduras, Belize and Mexico. It left from Tampa and returned there.

Highlights:

  • The excursion to the caverns in Belize. It was a unique experience, tubing on an underground river. The guide was very informative. A memorable and very entertaining excursion.
  • Food and drinks. We had some very good meals in the dining room and lots of free drinks in the casino.

Lowlights:

  • The casino. I lost more money on this cruise than any other. Ditto for Marlene.
  • The cruise director. I can’t even remember her name, which says a lot. Just not a very interesting cruise director.

Roatan, Honduras, and Cozumel, Mexico, were both very nice. But nothing other than what I expected from two of my favorite ports. The entertainment on the ship was good, but not great. The ship was weird in many ways, but weird didn’t make it bad. The weather was fine throughout and the seas were relatively calm. It was a good cruise. But not a great cruise.

The auto trip

By the numbers:

  • 11 days, 10 nights, 1775 route miles in 6 hops (296 miles per hop).
  • 159 extra miles in Charleston and Coral Springs.
  • 63.5 gallons of gasoline consumed (30.5 mpg).
  • Total fuel cost: $210 ($3.28 per gallon).
  • 4 hotel nights (3 in Charleston, 1 in Orlando), total cost: $409 ($102 per night).

Highlights:

  • Charleston. What is not to like about this city? It was Marlene’s first time there and she liked it as much as I do. And she found a Goodwill store.
  • Marlene’s grandson’s high school graduation. It is a big life moment, of course, but it was also a nice, very efficient ceremony in a comfortable venue. Well done!
  • The short stop in Savannah. It rained but we were in one of Marlene’s favorite dress shops.

Lowlights:

  • Hop 4. This was the longest hop and we encountered both heavy traffic and detours due to construction. Miserable.
  • Coconut Creek Casino. It took our money. Marlene at least had some wins but I had nothing but losses. No fun at all for me.

Planned and actual routes:

This trip evolved into something far different than what I originally planned. This was due primarily to my last-minute decision to go to Charleston rather than Pigeon Forge. I decided Pigeon Forge was just too far. Besides, Marlene had never been to Charleston. There were many other lesser changes, too. The “plan” really evolved on this trip.

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“Back Spin” by Harlan Coben

Copyright 1997 by Harlan Coben. Published by Dell, an imprint of Random House Publishing Group, New York.

This is the 4th of the (currently) 12 books by Coben that feature Myron Bolitar, sports agent and detective. This one is set at Merion Golf Club during the US Open tournament. Jack Coldren, a veteran pro playing on his home course, has a huge 9-stroke lead after 2 rounds. But he also had a lead the last time the US Open was played there and lost due to a disastrous shot on the 16th green. The crowd was both anticipating a triumphant atonement for his earlier failure or an even more spectacular collapse. Which would it be?

Unbeknownst to the public, Jack’s 16-year-old son, Chad, has been kidnapped. Linda Coldren, Jack’s wife and a world-class tennis pro, asks Myron to quietly investigate and advise them on what to do. Which Myron does without the usually reliable assistance of Win Lockwood III, investment guru and bone cracker. He refuses to assist Myron because of long-standing animosity with the Coldrens.

Myron has to unravel the mysterious kidnapping solo while also trying to land a new client, Tad Crispin, a young golfer in his first US Open and the one closest to Coldren on the leaderboard. A few people die along the way but he figures it out eventually, but not quickly enough to save Chad from harm.

The plot is complex. In some cases, in my opinion, either too complex or not explained with clarity.

5 out of 10.

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CV1 Day 19: Hop 6, Coral Springs FL to Ft Myers FL

CV1 Hop 6

150 miles via I-75, US 27, FL 80, FL 78 and US 41. Cumulative route miles: 1775. Cumulative auto miles: 1934. No lunch stop, no refueling stop, no bio break. The fishhook at the end, to stop at Doubloon Drive in North Ft Myers, was to retrieve Becky, Marlene’s pup. The extra auto mile in Coral Springs were the result of two trips to the casino and some shopping trips.

This hop was completed sans Marlene who stayed in Coral Springs to spend more time with her brother. I will go back to get her in a few days.

Wrapup next.

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CV1 Days 15-18: Coral Springs FL

These were four fairly quiet days with family (Marlene’s brother). The first 2 days we were alone in his house and watered his plants, did some laundry, watched TV, read and took care of his dog. We met a friend for dinner on Day 15 and socialized a bit. Her brother arrived at his house on Monday, Memorial Day, Day 17. His birthday was Day 18. We went to the casino (Coconut Creek) on Days 16 and 17 and lost some money. Marlene, ever optimistic, went back on Day 18 and lost more. I don’t like that casino.

Not a lot to report for 4 days. Unwinding, I guess.

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CV1 Day 14: Hop 5, Orlando FL to Coral Springs FL

CV1 Hop 5

227 miles via I-5, FL 50, I-95 and local roads. Cumulative route miles: 1625. Cumulative auto miles: 1679. We did not use the car in Orlando. The weather was good but traffic was heavy, both leaving Orlando and approaching Ft Lauderdale. Memorial Day weekend.

We made a brief stop at Plato’s Closet where Marlene found some shoes (coals to Newcastle) and a brief stop to buy some boiled peanuts. I thought I couldn’t stand boiled peanuts but these were not bad. They passed for lunch.

Our overnight home was the Baymont by Wyndham in Orlando. This was a pretty nice hotel, near Universal Studios, for a good price – just over $100, tax and breakfast included. The breakfast was basic – coffee, toast, bagels, juice and cereal – but we didn’t mind. And we had a pleasant time talking to visitors from Chile and Argentina that shared our table.

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CV1 Day 13: Hop 4, Acworth GA to Orlando FL

CV1 Hop 4

476 miles via GA 82 and then mostly via I-75 but with two major diversions, courtesy of the GPS that were too complicated to recall exactly. One was down US 41 and back to I-75 via Jackson Road, to avoid an accident. The other was through Apopka, diverting east of I-75 and entering Orlando from the north for the final 47 miles. We had a refueling and lunch stop near Lake City. Traffic was heavy.

Cumulative route miles: 1398. Cumulative auto miles: 1452. We did not use the car while in Acworth.

This trip also included a visit to a Goodwill store near Atlanta. This didn’t add appreciably to the route distance but did contribute nearly an hour to the almost 11 hours of travel.

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CV1 Days 11 and 12: Acworth GA

We spent two days in Acworth (or, more accurately, a day and a half as we arrived late on Wednesday and left early on Friday), guests of Marlene’s son and his family. The purpose of the visit was to attend the high school graduation of Marlene’s grandson, Matt. We were able to do just that on Thursday afternoon, at a local megachurch which is affectionately called “Six Flags Over Jesus”. This church consists of 4 large buildings on a campus so large that many small colleges would be envious. The “worship center” where the event was held probably had a capacity of about 5,000. About 4,000 seats were taken, including almost 600 seats occupied by the graduating students. The affair was efficient with those nearly 600 names called and diplomas handed out in under an hour. The introductory comments by the administration, the salutatorian and the valedictorian were entertaining and brief. Well done, overall.

Then we had to leave. Getting thousands of cars out of the parking lot took as long as the ceremony.

We dined at Applebee’s where we took full advantage of the “Dollarita” promotion – margaritas for one dollar. They were pretty good. We each had two and the daughter-in-law had three. Seven margaritas for $7. Can’t beat that.

The rest of the time was family time. Reconnecting and catching up.

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CV1 Day 10: Hop 3, Charleston SC to Acworth GA

CV1 Hop 3

331 miles via SC 61, SC 7, I-26, US 301, SC 839, SC 39, I-20, I-75 and GA 92. Cumulative road miles: 921. Cumulative miles: 976. The extra miles were due to shopping and sightseeing in Charleston.

This was a complicated route that included some small rural highways. But the weather was good and the GPS kept me from getting lost. We had a stop in North Charleston to return some clothing. That was supposed to be a brief stop but, as is often the case with clothing stores, turned into a 90-minute stop. We also stopped in GA, near Atlanta, for fuel and food (KFC).

We had good weather. But we got into Atlanta at rush hour so the last hour of travel was painfully slow.

Our home in Charleston was the La Quinta Inn & Suites which was just 15 minutes from the center of Charleston. It was your basic hotel. It was a bit more basic than I expected – no refrigerator or microwave in the room (I had to book a “deluxe” room to get those). But it was clean, with a nice shower and good cable TV. It was also fairly scenic, being situated next to a marina so we could watch the fancy boats come and go. Free breakfast and a nice pool. I would stay here again.

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