Unidentified Callers -- Thurs., July 19

San Antonio, Texas:

The insistent phone rings, you pick it up. Nothing, no voice, no "hello," nothing. The most infuriating thing is, "they" don't leave a message. The voiceless, nameless "they." Who are these people?

Sometimes, when a telemarketer calls, you get two seconds of silence before "they" start speaking. That gives you a chance to hang up as soon as you hear the voice or the recording. But when there's nothing, and they keep calling back for days on end, you begin to wonder..."Did I miss something important?"

Here's a way to find out who's calling. Go to 800notes.com Directory of UNKNOWN Callers on the web. I discovered this site a few years ago. You enter the phone number of the person who called you into the appropriate box on the left-hand side of the site (if you know it, otherwise it won't work) and hit "Search." If other people have reported the number, you can read about who the callers are. Spread the word.

I researched the calls I've received for the past three days and found out it's Shell Vacations. I identify them in my phone's directory and ignore the call. If you have a call blocker or ignore app, you can use those.

On the 800notes.com web site I have identified spam calls from: People trying to offer me a bogus job, YAK service in Canada (which reroutes calls so you won't know who they're from), "You have won a $1,000 gift card from Walmart," Shell Vacations, insurance companies and more. Handy website if you want to know who's calling you with bad intent.

In the right-hand column of the web site you can look at the most recent threads, read the latest news about fraud, and read articles about their web site, including FAQs (which is informative).

If no one has reported the number, you can fill out a report on their web site and check back to see if anyone else has been receiving calls from the same number. Very useful website. The only thing better would be if the web site could help stop the calls or report them to the Attorney General's Office.

On to life in general...

Picked up my car this morning from Grande Ford Light Truck Service. Total repair bill $142 and some change. Pretty good when it's under $200. They did an oil change (lube, oil, filter), replaced air & fuel filters, checked brakes, suspension, battery, and a "clunking" sound when turning the steering wheel. The Escape pod has a clean bill of health. Now all my car needs is a full detail, including engine cleaning, to remove as much caliche dust as possible. Then my baby will be "purring" again. Grande Ford just called me and they have someone there who will detail the whole car for me. I'm taking it in on Monday! Woo hoo.

Bob is very busy at work getting the 2011 year-end financial statement done. That is his goal before we leave for Yellowstone. Oh, and even though he's controller, he is now in charge of hiring a replacement receptionist for the company. Two people were interviewed yesterday and two more to interview today. (He received over 40 applicants.)

This morning I spent time planning our overnights on the way to Yellowstone. It's so much fun to ferret out RV parks/campgrounds along the way. We won't have the Escape pod this trip to run ahead and check RV parks or campgrounds so I'm trying to suss out how easy it is to get in and around the campgrounds. Free wifi is always a plus, especially since Bob will be working on the road. We can give our air card a rest. If needed, hopefully there will be a library, truck stop, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks or McDonalds nearby just in case we can't get internet any other way.

Last night, I didn't sleep much so I cat-napped with the cats for four hours in the middle of the day. I feel much better.

Life is very interesting, you never quite know what will happen next.

Welcome to John and Ellen at Connected to the Vine Photography.