I'm a Dork and I'm OK...
Well, I had intended to re-write Monty Python's Lumberjack Song, but my creative neuron is currently distracted by the housefly which is dive bombing my head. (Where's the resident living room spider when you need her?)
Anyway, here's why I'm a dork. I drove a work vehicle today to a meeting in a nearby town. The rule of using the work vehicles is that you have to put fuel in them if the tank gets below 1/2 full. Personally, I like to fill them when they're below 3/4 full, but that's just me. Attached to each vehicle's keys is a fuel service credit card that is accepted at various gas stations. Surprisingly, there is no list of participating gas stations in any of the vehicles, but I have learned that Shell stations happen to accept this car. So I go to the Shell station on the way back into town. I swipe the card. I key in the odometer reading. I key in the PIN number from the little envelope the card lives in. And it doesn't work. I enter the PIN number again. No dice.
At this point, I figure maybe Shell isn't taking the cards for whatever reason and I try a different gas station. Still no joy. Now I decide to drive 10 miles out of the way to try the state garage. There the card reader tells me that I have an invalid PIN number. Okay. Something is goofy here.
Once I return to the office I mention to the lady who keeps track of the vehicles that the PIN number didn't work. She says it worked yesterday and it would be odd if it didn't work today. I pointed at the number on the envelope and said I'd keyed that number in and it didn't work. She says "That's not the PIN number." I say, "Well, that explains why it didn't work."
And then she pulls out of the envelope not only the credit card but also the piece of paper explaining how to use the card which has the PIN number WRITTEN ON IT in the blank labeled PIN Number. DOH! I'm a dork.
Needless to say my subsequent attempt to fill the tank was successful. It's good to know that I'm smarter than a credit card reader. At least some of the time.
Anyway, here's why I'm a dork. I drove a work vehicle today to a meeting in a nearby town. The rule of using the work vehicles is that you have to put fuel in them if the tank gets below 1/2 full. Personally, I like to fill them when they're below 3/4 full, but that's just me. Attached to each vehicle's keys is a fuel service credit card that is accepted at various gas stations. Surprisingly, there is no list of participating gas stations in any of the vehicles, but I have learned that Shell stations happen to accept this car. So I go to the Shell station on the way back into town. I swipe the card. I key in the odometer reading. I key in the PIN number from the little envelope the card lives in. And it doesn't work. I enter the PIN number again. No dice.
At this point, I figure maybe Shell isn't taking the cards for whatever reason and I try a different gas station. Still no joy. Now I decide to drive 10 miles out of the way to try the state garage. There the card reader tells me that I have an invalid PIN number. Okay. Something is goofy here.
Once I return to the office I mention to the lady who keeps track of the vehicles that the PIN number didn't work. She says it worked yesterday and it would be odd if it didn't work today. I pointed at the number on the envelope and said I'd keyed that number in and it didn't work. She says "That's not the PIN number." I say, "Well, that explains why it didn't work."
And then she pulls out of the envelope not only the credit card but also the piece of paper explaining how to use the card which has the PIN number WRITTEN ON IT in the blank labeled PIN Number. DOH! I'm a dork.
Needless to say my subsequent attempt to fill the tank was successful. It's good to know that I'm smarter than a credit card reader. At least some of the time.
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