Wash Your Hands!

Back in the darkest days of the Coronavirus pandemic there was briefly an outbreak of hand-washing. We all bought small bottles of hand sanitizer and carried them everywhere with us— in pockets, in purses, in backpacks and brief cases— and dutifully washed up after touching things and before eating.



Like most smart things a lot of people did at the height of the pandemic, that discipline has largely disappeared. But here's the thing... Hand washing is still a great idea!

I don't just mean for avoiding Coronavirus. Handwashing is a critical step for reducing the spread of the common cold. The primary viruses that cause colds survive well on hard surfaces. That's how they transmit— they sit on places like countertops, sink knobs, and door handles. You touch one of those, then touch your mouth, nose, or eyes, and BAM! Transmitted. 😨😥🤧

After catching a cold a month ago on a trip I'm purposefully getting more careful again about washing. I've got a few small bottles of sanitizer and I'm trying to remember to take one with me each time I leave the house. I've got one in my business/travel bag and one next to my sunglasses near the front door. Remembering to take them with me— and use them after touching things and before eating— is a habit I'm working to rebuild.

"Taco Tuesday" Now Trademark-Free!

Under the heaading of "Also in the news today" comes this tidbit: the term "Taco Tuesday" is now free to be used with trademark infringement!

Fast food giant Taco Bell filed a petition with US Patent & Trademark Office in May challenging the holders of the trademark. Smaller fast-food chain Taco John's, which held the trademark in 49 states, relinquished it in July rather than face expensive litigation costs with Taco Bell. In New Jersey, the one place where Taco John's didn't hold the trademark, "Taco Tuesday" had been trademarked by Gregory's, a local bar-and-grill restaurant, 46 years ago. Yesterday Gregory Gregory, the owner, conceded. Example news coverage: The Philadelphia Inquirer, 24 Oct 2023.

I've got to admit, though, I have never been tempted by a Taco Tuesday promotion. Cheaply made tacos sold at even cheaper prices... yeah, even poor college student me wasn't swayed by that.

I Think I'll Hate my New Mortgage Company Even More

Several years ago I wrote I Hate My Mortgage Company. Their automated processes worked well, but whenever an exception occurred that required human assistance, their people were terrible to work with. Well, now they've sold off my loan... to a mortgage company that's apparently even worse.

Get a load of this opening paragraph in the first letter they sent me. The bolding and capitalization are theirs.

"[Company Name] is the new servicer of your loan and is a debt collector. We are trying to collect a debt that is owed to FANNIE MAE. We will use any information you give us to help collect the debt."

Great way to use unnecessarily confrontational language in introducing yourselves to a new customer, treating me like a delinquent instead of a person who's paid every debt on time, ever!

And this company isn't even a bank. At least my previous mortgagor was a bank, with branches in several states (though none near me). That meant at least they had people who knew banking. This business looks like some boiler-room shop of debt collectors operating in a state notorious for with minimal oversight on the collections industry.

Yelp reviewers complain of it being hard to get a customer service agent on the phone, agents refusing to help, and bogus fees and charges that could not be removed. Likely they're a bottom feeder company trying to break in to the mortgage servicing business by operating on thinner margins than anyone else... thinner margins they achieve apparently by understaffing and not hiring people with appropriate skill or experience.

Fingers crossed nothing goes wrong that requires assistance from these clowns.