No, the university didn't close, but a lot of school systems around the area did, especially as it's barely in the teens outside, and instead of the "2 to 3 inches" of snow we were supposed to get, Wichita got four and I got about five. I think with less than a day's notice with the weather forecasts, 4-5 inches of new snow across most of the area is something significant, is it not? That sounds like something that we should be warned about a few days in advance, not 12 hours in advance and then have the forecast change for the worse three times in those 12 hours.
Of course, the public is outraged, because we live in a society where that's a thing now. But, they're mainly outraged because nobody's treating the roads properly. Anywhere, apparently.
...yes, because most people with a brain and a basic sense of chemistry know that. But, I bet the fucking snowplows still work. And apparently, that's the problem -- they're not sending out the snowplows anywhere. Or, if they are, they're not actually plowing things the way they're supposed to be. I've read numerous reports all over Facebook and Twitter that are basically all saying the same thing -- plows are driving around with their plows up, not doing anything. Or they're all just out wandering the area or lounging about in parking lots, the drivers doing little more than talking to each other.
And this after I read a news story that says the snow removal crews are working 12-hour days to get the streets clear. Well, they're certainly not doing that up here in Newton, and from most reports I see they're not actually working to do it in Wichita, so...what are they doing?
Friends and coworkers say the parking lots on campus are an absolute disaster area -- lines and spots can't even be seen, so people are just parking wherever they can. That is a serious problem with the parking issues the campus already has. I'm guessing that they'll be plowing and re-treating the parking lots as much as possible in the overnight hours tonight, though, as tomorrow's home basketball game is sold out. Said game also starts at the same time my night class starts tomorrow night, at 7PM. I'll be arriving on campus by around 7:20 AM at the latest, and will actually get to park on the main campus for once this semester...but getting out to get home tomorrow night will be a nightmare in itself, especially if the campus streets and parking lots are still terrible, with all of the game commotion and traffic.
In other strange/interesting news, I got a phone call today from an unknown number -- they left a voicemail message for someone with the same last name as me, but not the first; they were looking for some guy named Roy. They said a "complaint had been filed" against this Roy person and that they needed to talk to him immediately because "actions are being taken" or something like that, and left a case number to reference with a callback number.
WTF? Okay. Well, I'm not Roy. I don't even know anyone named Roy. But I did do a number search on the callback number, and it's for some collections law firm in California. So, apparently, the number itself is legit (or they're using that firm's number as a front), though I doubt the call itself was -- even though there are no scam reports I could find based around that number. The guy on the phone said his name, though he didn't say the name of the company he worked for (big tip-off #1 to a scam call) and didn't reference anything the call was for other than "a complaint" (big tip-off #2) and the number they were calling from was an unknown number (huuuge tip-off there, so that makes #3). What's interesting about it is that my phone is prepaid and unlisted, and has a Missouri area code (I got the phone there in 2006, shortly after moving out here, and have always had the same number). I've also not made the number public anywhere, nor do I have anything in collections -- my student loans have been deferred until at least the next nine months or so (November, when unless I'm working a damned good job, I'll have to reapply), and while I have some credit card debt because I've been living on said cards, none of it is behind, and I pay my bills for them every month on time, even if I pay the minimum payment some months. I don't have a car payment or a cell phone bill, and all of my other bills are also paid on time as quickly as possible.
Plus, and here's the big thing -- I'm not Roy.
So -- it's either 1) a scam call using a legit callback number, 2) a legit call looking for someone named Roy who, by an amazing coincidence, has the last name as me, 3) someone who apparently has my number listed by a typo on a digit or call list for some reason, or -- in the most unlikely of scenarios -- 4) they are trying to reach me and got my first name wrong, or were reading the wrong line on their sheet.
Again, I don't have any outstanding debts or anything in collections, so the latter option is more than likely not the case, but it is indeed interesting. I've had plenty of calls over the years that have been wrong numbers, sometimes official-sounding people looking for other people (one time I got a call from some sheriff's office in Missouri leaving a message for some guy with a completely different name, saying his court date had been canceled for the day), but the fact that there's no scam reports for the callback number and that this Roy guy did indeed have my last name is, at the very least, sort of perplexing. Maybe that's their trick, though -- get you to call them back and say that you're not Roy, and then they run some huge charge up on your phone bill.
The number they left was an 855 number -- which, in my searches, I found out is a common toll-free number and could come from anywhere, but the one they gave me was for that collections law firm. In a little more research, I found stuff like this:
Seems to fit the same sort of call I received, about a "complaint" against Roy. There's also this as well, though it wasn't in reference to the same number I was left:
This number is connected to a scam. Don't believe anything they say! It will seem real because somehow, someway, they know some of your personal info. They even have a fake automated system to make it seem real. They will seem to try to "settle" a debt with you, and steal your card number if you give it to them. You can scare them off if you ask a lot of questions. They will lie and say they mailed papers to you that were returned, threaten you with court, "legal talk", and anything else to get you to pay. DON'T FALL FOR IT! I'm too smart to fall for scams, but unfortunately some people are not.
They may call from a different number, or different area code, and leave a message telling you to call them back at [number]. Again, they have a good scam going. Seems believable. DON'T GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION! The message will say they are calling from "Summary Services" or something of that nature.
Some of my personal info? Yep, that fits the profile as well. Looks like this is a scam, folks, and apparently one that's getting better over time. These are just a few I've read -- believe me, there's more out there, all of them seeming to fit a similar profile, and including several people who have been called from "unknown" numbers like I was as well. They say stuff about scammers getting info from, or mentioning things like payday loans and the like (which, of course, I've never done). Some people are saying the numbers they're calling from have been spoofed or are for somewhere completely different than what they should be (one lady wrote that she looked up the number and it was for a Doctor's office). I'm wondering if this caller thought I'd just call back the "unknown" number and had the law firm's number in there in the message as a placeholder, or something -- since, obviously, he didn't say where he was calling from.
855 seems to be a toll free number. What is important to consider is that the receiving/paying party gets your phone number. With your phone number they can trace where you live; address, name etc. and with that they can run an internet search and get to your Facebook page, and anything else that you put on the net. With this they establish a profile and set you up for a scam, identity theft you name it. Be careful out there and NEVER wire any money to anybody. Tens of millions of dollars get scammed every year.
Interesting ruse there, I think. Anyway, after further research I'm not really concerned about it. I used to get scam or phone-spam calls all the time -- numbers from Washington and Oregon leaving cheesy messages about how I'd just won a cruise or something like that. There was a time where I was getting four or five of those calls a day, and how they got my number was unknown. Again, it's prepaid and unlisted -- not even T-Mobile really knows who I am or where I live, since it's prepaid. About the only people who have my number are friends and family, my bank, the school, and the utility/credit card companies who require a phone number. So yeah, not really concerned.
I've been reading more reports about the road conditions around the area and how, apparently, they are plowing some of them now. I guess the public's outrage did something after all. One of the news channels put up a poll on Facebook asking what letter grade the citizens of Wichita would give the snow removal crews, and the responses were -- overwhelmlingly so -- "D-" and "F." Despite this, the city has put out another press release that said they were now salting/sanding the roads again.
Stop salting, start plowing. It's really that simple. It's 18 degrees outside -- too cold for salt to really work effectively. It's supposed to be in the single digits tonight. The temperature isn't going to get above freezing until Wednesday, and while it's (apparently) going to be in the 50s and 60s all next week, salt doesn't help now. Getting the snow and ice pack off the roads with plows is what helps now. It'll melt on its own in several days, yes, and the salt will help when it's warmer outside, but right now, that's not the case.
My driveway was re-covered again with last night's snow; you now can't even see where the neighbor with the tractor plowed it out before because the new snow covers that completely. I'm fully expecting the roads to be terrible again in the morning when I leave, and on top of that I have to give myself even more extra time than usual (when I'm already leaving early anyway) because I need to get gas first. Temperatures in the high 50s and low 60s next week sounds like summer to me at this point. I desperately cannot wait to start wearing shorts, flip-flops, and t-shirts again, not just to teach in, but in general. If I didn't have to wear them all day long tomorrow, I'd wear my big boots -- but they are incredibly uncomfortable to drive and/or teach in, especially when I'd be stuck with them on my feet for about fourteen hours straight and would be doing a lot of walking all around campus (for, remember, I have to pick up my check tomorrow as well).
As I was typing that last sentence, I heard/felt a loud rumbling, and went out to the front window to see that the neighbor with the tractor has again plowed out all of our driveways -- and I can totally actually see the pavement, the street, that I haven't seen in the better part of a month due to the fact that in the winter, even when it's warm and/or sunny outside, my house is situated where direct sunlight will never hit 3/4 of my driveway or yard...so it can be 60 outside and beautiful, and there will still be a sheet of ice and/or snow covering part of my driveway and yard, at least for a while. It had just melted away completely from the last decent-sized snow in early January before these two new snows hit.
So that's what's going on right now. In the morning, I shall go to campus for my first 14-hour-or-so day in two weeks. I'll probably be exhausted by the time I get home tomorrow night. Tonight, since I've only needed to get up early once in the past, oh, ten days or so, I'll be taking a sleeping pill (in about three or four hours) to ensure I sleep all night and get back on a normal "teaching" sleeping schedule for the week, especially since I have to be alert enough and awake enough to leave the house about 80 minutes or so earlier than normal to ensure that I can actually get a parking space on main campus when I get there.
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