(no subject)
Jul. 23rd, 2022 08:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatHot day. Went out for a bit to pick up food from various spots, and well exercise. (I walk everywhere - so my grocery shopping consists of me walking about an hour or so to various stores and coming back again. It's good exercise, involves lifting, carrying, walking and navigating around human obstacles such as motor vehicles and people.)
Tried Tokoyo Vice on HBO Max, but it put me to sleep. [That could of course be having pancakes for breakfast. I don't know. I've been going to sleep a lot during the lunch hour on weekends.] Ansel Elgort who plays the lead - does nothing for me. I do not understand why this actor keeps getting cast - he's bland and kind of ...dull to look at it. Don Johnson he's not. Seriously the millenial generation's actors are lacking in the charisma department.
Mother is still fussing over her fraud scare. It was bad. She gave the assholes access to her bank account to wire money into it.
I don't know if I want to explain it, but maybe it will help someone?
She was determined to get a $300 refund from the Geek Squad for a subscription she wasn't using any longer. Best Buy has this annoying thing of selling you monthly auto-renewable subscriptions for computer help/assistance, kind of like a warranty.
Anyhow, my brother found their number off of an old email in my father's email account and told her to call it. He tried, but they were closed on Sunday.
So she calls on Monday, spends several hours on the phone with them, gets into her computer and they show her how to access her online bank account to get the refund wired into it via her awards card. But here's how the scam works.. they send too much in the refund, she thinks it is an honest mistake - and they get her to wire them the excess amount, when in reality they didn't wire her anything.
Tech Support Scam
Fraudsters make telephone calls and claim to be computer technicians associated with a well-known company or they may use internet pop-up messages to warn about non-existent computer problems. The scammers claim they have detected viruses, other malware, or hacking attempts on the victim’s computer. They pretend to be “tech support” and ask that the victim give them remote access to his or her computer. Eventually, they diagnose a non-existent problem and ask the victim to pay large sums of money for unnecessary – or even harmful – services. Tech Support Scams operating from abroad often use U.S.-based money mules (including legitimate-seeming businesses registered in the U.S.) to receive victim payments and transmit proceeds to perpetrators.
Refund scheme: After victims make payments, perpetrators often call back and offer refunds to victims, claiming their tech support services are no longer available. Perpetrators claim to send refund money to the victim’s bank account but falsely claim that too much money was refunded. Perpetrators then induce victims to send payments (often through stored-value cards such as gift cards), purportedly to reimburse the tech support company for its “over-refund.” Victims have lost hundreds or thousands of dollars to this refund scheme.
Department of Justice - Elder Scams
Luckily my mother stopped short of wiring them anything. But now she's worried, and has to change all her account information, and tell everyone she's changed it. It's kept her up at night. The woman is grieving her husband. Whomever is doing this scam? Deserves to be eaten alive by burning locusts. (I just saw Jurassic Park World Dominion - it was very cathartic.)
**
Me: I watched Jurassic Park World Dominion.
Mother: World Dominion?
Me: Yup the latest one, I've seen all of them - Sam Neil was in this one.
Mother: Isn't he in all of them?
Me: No, just three.
Mother: Wait, how many are there?
Me: About six -
Mother: SIX??
Me: I find them nostalgic - it's sort of reminiscent of the Godzilla films of my childhood and the horror flicks of my teen years (actually Jurassic Park - the first film was in my adolescent to post-adolescent years, we saw it as a family). Plus, not scary, since I know none of that is remotely possible. So I have fun with them.
I rented Jurassic Park: World Dominion via Amazon Prime tonight. Went in with low expectations due to the reviews.
Discovered it was available for rental and went for it. I love the Jurassic Park movies - I've seen all of them. I saw the first three films in the movie theater. I actually think I saw the fourth one in it as well. The last one was on television. I've also seen the first one, and the third one four times.
And, I read the book. The book is basically the first film and the second combined, and Alan Grant is the lead character. I adored the character of Alan Grant, and loved Sam Neill in the part. Of the original cast, Neil and Goldblume have aged the best, Laura Dern needs to lay off of the botox. Her face was stiff. It looked like she'd been permanently cast into polite smile mode.
Neil looks about the same as he did then. And still incredibly attractive, even though he has to be in his 70s. He doesn't look it. At all.
Anyhow, I didn't bother to read the reviews - I don't for movies like this one. There's not much point. I rarely read them anyhow. I did when I was younger. Now? Everybody and their cousin feels the need to write them - and I rarely agree with them. So I wait until after I've seen the film - and then I read the reviews just to see what folks thought. The problem with films, television and books - is it's subjective. We like different things.
So..frak you, I loved it. (Worth the $19.99 rental.) It made me happy.
Was it clunky in places? Yup. Cheesy? Yup, but it seemed to realize this and made fun of itself in the process. It probably helps that I liked everyone in the cast. (I don't have the issues with Chris Pratt that others appear to. I have no idea what he is like on Twitter or in his personal life - I don't follow him and do not care. He's an actor playing role and is actually, from an acting stand point, pretty good at it. I find him believable and likable in his roles. If you don't like Chris Pratt - this is most likely not the film for you, since he's in about forty percent of it. Actually Jeff Goldblume tends to annoy me more - but he's likeable in these films - a nice contrast to Alan Grant. ) And that I like watching CGI dinosaurs wander about - the special effects do improve with each outing.
The new characters work - Ramsey and the Mercenary. Also, it's kind of fun to watch everyone problem solve. Plus they do a nice job pairing different folks up.
In sum, a fun movie. Quite cathartic. The bad guys got eaten. The good guys survived. Lovely, intelligent, likable, and cool monsters. Didn't require much if any thought, actually the less thought the better, and fluffy. It's a B disaster-action flick with dinosaurs, what's not to love?
***
Prior to this - I watched the first episode of the Canadian Reality series Alone. They basically send about ten people into the Canadian Wilderness alone, with the option to tap out at any time. Although alone is kind of relative - since they have a bunch of camera equipment with them and spend 90% of their time talking to the camera. Plus they have a tap out button or walkie talkie - which enables them to call for help at any time and tap out of the competition. They lose the money, but hey, they also get to live another day. So, there's that.
It comes with a disclaimer - that all these people are skilled outdoors folk, with primative nature survivalist skills. So don't do this on your own. (People have been dumb enough to do that - and did not survive to tell the tale.)
So they are taken out by boat and dropped on the shore of this big lake, in separate sections, miles apart, selected randomly by each contestant, with the same basic conditions. All they can bring with them is their pack, and basic supplies, and they can opt for things like a fire starter or a tooth brush.
Half-way through the first episode, I found myself rooting for the wild animals to take them out. You know there's a problem with the series - when you begin rooting for the bears, mountain lions, and well nature to get rid of these folks. One guy decided to chase the mountain lion because he wanted to hunt and kill it. "Run Mountain Lion, Run. But bring back your friend the Grizzly later..." I think he'll survive though - he's great at catching food and foraging. He just sucks in the shelter department. I was thinking him and the heart attack guy should have teamed up - heart attack guy could build a shelter, but sucked at foraging for food.
I don't know if I'll stay with it or not. These shows seem to be able to find the most annoying contestants. It's my difficulty with game shows. I don't like the contestants - I root against them. Where they find these folks, I do not know, but they do.
***
Mother informed me that her choir directors dogs had died, and he had one left (he had three dogs) and his last dog was his favorite and he loved dearly. But the dog is missing. He's searched everywhere for him. And..
Mother: Apparently there are people who drive around in trucks, grab dogs, kidnap them, and kill them - making them into dog food -
Me: I do not need to know this. Please don't tell me these things. I don't want to keep adding people to my "COVID KILL THEM NOW LIST" - it's already long enough as it is. Also, this is a very depressing story. The poor dogs.
I decided if I had to know about this - you did too. We can add them to our "get rid of them COVID List" together.
Mother likes to rattle off the things everyone is doing like some deranged Christmas List from hell.
Mother: Your niece got the volunteer position at the International Rescue Committee..
Me: Doing what?
Mother: I don't know. I didn't ask.
Me: So, heard you got a job with the International Rescue Committee. Mother told me, but she didn't tell me what you were doing. She likes to rattle things off like an absurd Christmas Letter.
Niece: Ha Ha..she does do that. I'm helping refugees resettle in NYC.
I'm not sure exactly what that entails? But she comes in twice a week. Well after spending a week in Maine with her mother, her mother's girlfriends, and her boyfriend. Bro is staying home and getting his teeth fixed.
**
Tomorrow I get a haircut, from a new stylist. First new stylist in five years. First haircut in well, however long it has been since I got the last one in November.
Wish me luck.
Tried Tokoyo Vice on HBO Max, but it put me to sleep. [That could of course be having pancakes for breakfast. I don't know. I've been going to sleep a lot during the lunch hour on weekends.] Ansel Elgort who plays the lead - does nothing for me. I do not understand why this actor keeps getting cast - he's bland and kind of ...dull to look at it. Don Johnson he's not. Seriously the millenial generation's actors are lacking in the charisma department.
Mother is still fussing over her fraud scare. It was bad. She gave the assholes access to her bank account to wire money into it.
I don't know if I want to explain it, but maybe it will help someone?
She was determined to get a $300 refund from the Geek Squad for a subscription she wasn't using any longer. Best Buy has this annoying thing of selling you monthly auto-renewable subscriptions for computer help/assistance, kind of like a warranty.
Anyhow, my brother found their number off of an old email in my father's email account and told her to call it. He tried, but they were closed on Sunday.
So she calls on Monday, spends several hours on the phone with them, gets into her computer and they show her how to access her online bank account to get the refund wired into it via her awards card. But here's how the scam works.. they send too much in the refund, she thinks it is an honest mistake - and they get her to wire them the excess amount, when in reality they didn't wire her anything.
Tech Support Scam
Fraudsters make telephone calls and claim to be computer technicians associated with a well-known company or they may use internet pop-up messages to warn about non-existent computer problems. The scammers claim they have detected viruses, other malware, or hacking attempts on the victim’s computer. They pretend to be “tech support” and ask that the victim give them remote access to his or her computer. Eventually, they diagnose a non-existent problem and ask the victim to pay large sums of money for unnecessary – or even harmful – services. Tech Support Scams operating from abroad often use U.S.-based money mules (including legitimate-seeming businesses registered in the U.S.) to receive victim payments and transmit proceeds to perpetrators.
Refund scheme: After victims make payments, perpetrators often call back and offer refunds to victims, claiming their tech support services are no longer available. Perpetrators claim to send refund money to the victim’s bank account but falsely claim that too much money was refunded. Perpetrators then induce victims to send payments (often through stored-value cards such as gift cards), purportedly to reimburse the tech support company for its “over-refund.” Victims have lost hundreds or thousands of dollars to this refund scheme.
Department of Justice - Elder Scams
Luckily my mother stopped short of wiring them anything. But now she's worried, and has to change all her account information, and tell everyone she's changed it. It's kept her up at night. The woman is grieving her husband. Whomever is doing this scam? Deserves to be eaten alive by burning locusts. (I just saw Jurassic Park World Dominion - it was very cathartic.)
**
Me: I watched Jurassic Park World Dominion.
Mother: World Dominion?
Me: Yup the latest one, I've seen all of them - Sam Neil was in this one.
Mother: Isn't he in all of them?
Me: No, just three.
Mother: Wait, how many are there?
Me: About six -
Mother: SIX??
Me: I find them nostalgic - it's sort of reminiscent of the Godzilla films of my childhood and the horror flicks of my teen years (actually Jurassic Park - the first film was in my adolescent to post-adolescent years, we saw it as a family). Plus, not scary, since I know none of that is remotely possible. So I have fun with them.
I rented Jurassic Park: World Dominion via Amazon Prime tonight. Went in with low expectations due to the reviews.
Discovered it was available for rental and went for it. I love the Jurassic Park movies - I've seen all of them. I saw the first three films in the movie theater. I actually think I saw the fourth one in it as well. The last one was on television. I've also seen the first one, and the third one four times.
And, I read the book. The book is basically the first film and the second combined, and Alan Grant is the lead character. I adored the character of Alan Grant, and loved Sam Neill in the part. Of the original cast, Neil and Goldblume have aged the best, Laura Dern needs to lay off of the botox. Her face was stiff. It looked like she'd been permanently cast into polite smile mode.
Neil looks about the same as he did then. And still incredibly attractive, even though he has to be in his 70s. He doesn't look it. At all.
Anyhow, I didn't bother to read the reviews - I don't for movies like this one. There's not much point. I rarely read them anyhow. I did when I was younger. Now? Everybody and their cousin feels the need to write them - and I rarely agree with them. So I wait until after I've seen the film - and then I read the reviews just to see what folks thought. The problem with films, television and books - is it's subjective. We like different things.
So..frak you, I loved it. (Worth the $19.99 rental.) It made me happy.
Was it clunky in places? Yup. Cheesy? Yup, but it seemed to realize this and made fun of itself in the process. It probably helps that I liked everyone in the cast. (I don't have the issues with Chris Pratt that others appear to. I have no idea what he is like on Twitter or in his personal life - I don't follow him and do not care. He's an actor playing role and is actually, from an acting stand point, pretty good at it. I find him believable and likable in his roles. If you don't like Chris Pratt - this is most likely not the film for you, since he's in about forty percent of it. Actually Jeff Goldblume tends to annoy me more - but he's likeable in these films - a nice contrast to Alan Grant. ) And that I like watching CGI dinosaurs wander about - the special effects do improve with each outing.
The new characters work - Ramsey and the Mercenary. Also, it's kind of fun to watch everyone problem solve. Plus they do a nice job pairing different folks up.
In sum, a fun movie. Quite cathartic. The bad guys got eaten. The good guys survived. Lovely, intelligent, likable, and cool monsters. Didn't require much if any thought, actually the less thought the better, and fluffy. It's a B disaster-action flick with dinosaurs, what's not to love?
***
Prior to this - I watched the first episode of the Canadian Reality series Alone. They basically send about ten people into the Canadian Wilderness alone, with the option to tap out at any time. Although alone is kind of relative - since they have a bunch of camera equipment with them and spend 90% of their time talking to the camera. Plus they have a tap out button or walkie talkie - which enables them to call for help at any time and tap out of the competition. They lose the money, but hey, they also get to live another day. So, there's that.
It comes with a disclaimer - that all these people are skilled outdoors folk, with primative nature survivalist skills. So don't do this on your own. (People have been dumb enough to do that - and did not survive to tell the tale.)
So they are taken out by boat and dropped on the shore of this big lake, in separate sections, miles apart, selected randomly by each contestant, with the same basic conditions. All they can bring with them is their pack, and basic supplies, and they can opt for things like a fire starter or a tooth brush.
Half-way through the first episode, I found myself rooting for the wild animals to take them out. You know there's a problem with the series - when you begin rooting for the bears, mountain lions, and well nature to get rid of these folks. One guy decided to chase the mountain lion because he wanted to hunt and kill it. "Run Mountain Lion, Run. But bring back your friend the Grizzly later..." I think he'll survive though - he's great at catching food and foraging. He just sucks in the shelter department. I was thinking him and the heart attack guy should have teamed up - heart attack guy could build a shelter, but sucked at foraging for food.
I don't know if I'll stay with it or not. These shows seem to be able to find the most annoying contestants. It's my difficulty with game shows. I don't like the contestants - I root against them. Where they find these folks, I do not know, but they do.
***
Mother informed me that her choir directors dogs had died, and he had one left (he had three dogs) and his last dog was his favorite and he loved dearly. But the dog is missing. He's searched everywhere for him. And..
Mother: Apparently there are people who drive around in trucks, grab dogs, kidnap them, and kill them - making them into dog food -
Me: I do not need to know this. Please don't tell me these things. I don't want to keep adding people to my "COVID KILL THEM NOW LIST" - it's already long enough as it is. Also, this is a very depressing story. The poor dogs.
I decided if I had to know about this - you did too. We can add them to our "get rid of them COVID List" together.
Mother likes to rattle off the things everyone is doing like some deranged Christmas List from hell.
Mother: Your niece got the volunteer position at the International Rescue Committee..
Me: Doing what?
Mother: I don't know. I didn't ask.
Me: So, heard you got a job with the International Rescue Committee. Mother told me, but she didn't tell me what you were doing. She likes to rattle things off like an absurd Christmas Letter.
Niece: Ha Ha..she does do that. I'm helping refugees resettle in NYC.
I'm not sure exactly what that entails? But she comes in twice a week. Well after spending a week in Maine with her mother, her mother's girlfriends, and her boyfriend. Bro is staying home and getting his teeth fixed.
**
Tomorrow I get a haircut, from a new stylist. First new stylist in five years. First haircut in well, however long it has been since I got the last one in November.
Wish me luck.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-24 12:58 pm (UTC)Season 8 was filmed in the fall of 2020 on the shores of Chilko Lake, British Columbia, a high-altitude glacial-fed lake on the dry eastern side of the Coast Mountains. The season reverts to the original format of the show, with the last person standing (regardless of time frame) declared the winner and awarded $500,000.[7]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-24 09:45 pm (UTC)It's interesting how they always drop them into the spot in late fall. I guess it would be too easy if they were there during the summer, and could hunt and fish and build up food stores for the winter!
no subject
Date: 2022-07-24 10:56 pm (UTC)Although, if you don't know what you're doing - you won't survive out there. I couldn't - I dislike camping. City girl.