This post is rated R for Ridiculous.

But first, guess what we just paid cash for....that's right! A BRAND NEW SWING SET!!!!!

Woo to the Hoo! Now if the weather would just co-operate!

On to the ridiculous.

Hubs and I are enrolled in some debit card reward program. Whenever we use our debit card, we get points. We'd been saving them because I wanted to redeem them for a wii, but Santa Hubs took care of that, so we've just been racking them up. When we went to Chicago, we decided that would be a good time to cash them in for 2 $100 gift cards. We didn't know it, but they apparently enrolled us in two separate accounts, so after jumping through hoops, we each got one mailed out in our names.

Of course, they finally arrived in the mail the day after we got back from Chicago.

Anyway, we went to the lumber place today to buy the swing set materials and realized that if we wanted to use them, we'd have to activate them. We paid with our cash, Hubs went to get the truck to load everything in, and the kids an I went home.

I called Bank to activate the cards. One is in my name, one is in Hubs' name, but both have "a gift for you" written on them, so there is no way to tell whose is whose. I called the 1-866 number and activated the first one, then pressed 0 to speak to the operator hoping I could just activate the other one while on the same call.

When the operator picked up, he was a lovely man who had English as a second language. Grrreat.

Me: Hi! I just activated one of my gift cards and would like to activate my second one, or do I have to make a separate call?

Banker: That will be no problem. May I have the 16 digit number on the front of the card?

Me: Sure. 123456789...

Banker: And your name, ma'am?

Me: Mommy Chick

Banker: I apologize, but that is not the name I have associated with this card.

Me: Oh. Ok, that one must be my husband's. HIs name is Hubs.

Banker: I am sorry, ma'am, but I will need to speak to the card holder.

Me: He's not here.

Banker: I am not able to activate this card without speaking to the cardholder first.

Me: Ummmm. Ok. So I can just call back and go through the automated registration activation?

Banker: Yes ma'am that is correct.

Really? I get the fact that they would want to validate who is activating the card for security purposes, but when the automated system will activate with no questions asked? Ridiculous.

I hung up, called back, did it the automated way, and voila! Gift card activated! Thanks Bank! You are crazy.