Checks bouncing, cranky people and an accident at the raceway.
05/04/2003
Jerry Nadeau had a horrible crash during practice on Friday. He is currently in the hospital and there is little word on his condition. My thoughts and prayers will be for he and his family at church this morning. The race Saturday night was a little somber. The best sign I saw from the crowd read something like, Nadeau, and army of one, prayers from millions.
The race last night had 11 lead changes. Robbie Gordon came from 3 laps down and finished 4th. Mark Martin came in 5th and Dale Jarrett is just having a crappy season. Joe Nemechek won, Bobby Labonte second, Dale Earnhardt Jr. in third. The track looked slick last night. The sealer defiantly creates a lot of smoke and haze as the drivers spun out. The race ended up rain shortened by 7 laps. I didn’t think it would go that far. The pit strategy was to race the rain.
I had a frustrating day Friday and Saturday. I have a problem in my checking account. The contractor came back into my office Friday morning to tell me the bank said the check I wrote him was “no good”. I had transferred some money from savings to pay for the siding on the barn and somehow, the check was returned. I spent a good hour at the bank on Friday trying to get this straightened out. The savings account is in another state and when I called, they couldn’t tell me why they returned the check but would research it. Lot of good that does me. I have 6 guys waiting to be paid. I managed to work a deal with the Texas bank to deposit a second check to cover the first and get the contractors paid that day. The Sr. Customer Service rep made a big deal out of this. “I am going on the line to cover you, that is like giving you a loan for the contractor check.” YUP, I replied, obviously there is a problem with the banks. You just confirmed that there were funds available to pay the check, they are researching the reason and I just wrote a hot check. Please look at the record of my account, 10 years and not a single problem with the account.
I found out later in the day that there is a signature missing from the original deposit check. Where I have no idea. It could be I didn’t sign the back of the check. The Texas bank would stamp it with an endorsement guaranteed stamp. That should have covered it. I was back in my office when I got the news that a signature is missing. I called the local branch to see if I did endorse the back of the second check. I had called the banker I like at the branch and he checked with the teller. Yup I forgot to sign the back of the second check and she used the guaranteed stamp. Unfortunately the check was already on the way to San Antonio to be processed so I could not just go and sign it.
Saturday morning I rush off to the bank to again put a transfer check into the bank. I figure worst case, I end up with to much money in the checking account and they honor both checks. I am afraid to touch anything in the account over the weekend. Did I mention I had already sent my mortgage payment out? I hope that one clears. I had to borrow $10.00 from the boss to cover me this weekend. It just sucks.
I stopped off at the poling place after the bank Saturday and ran into a bunch of folks I know. I ended up having breakfast with G. from down the street. She was bitching about the tax assessment she just got. I got mine also. The values in our neighborhood are going up again when the rest of the city is going down. We gossiped a little bit about different neighbors and just had a nice chat. I headed over to work next. There was not a lot for me to do. I hadn’t gotten the checks from the other location so I headed home. I checked the voice mail last night and found out there is another banking problem I have to deal with first thing Monday morning. I hate days like this, just one problem after another. I am off to church this morning and am going to pray that this all gets worked out.
