CLAMP Campus Adventures

It feels like a lazy Saturday, but maybe that’s because it’s 2 pm and I’ve already finished my errands for the day. This included going to the bank and waiting 20 minutes because their only notary public was dealing with a difficult customer who couldn’t just open a new checking account, but also had to ask why she couldn’t get a new rate for her CD which isn’t maturing until later in 2005 but the rates are so much higher now. Someone apparently doesn’t get the concept of what a CD is.

What I had to do took less than five minutes and then I headed to the post office to mail out the paperwork to get my Roth IRA transferred from HarrisDirect to the new company I’m using, Sharebuilder. The annual fee on the Roth is $10 less at the new place. They also charge $4 per transaction when investing, but I don’t think I’m going to get into that right away. I still have to build eight months of savings. By the way, if you’re going to decide to sign up with Sharebuilder, let me know. They have one of those recommend someone deals like ING which gives you some free money. I believe it’s $25. I would just have to send you a referal link.

I also got a settlement check from IBM on some class action on their pension plan. It had something to do with workers who weren’t vested losing the funds they put into it or something. I’m not exactly sure what the litigation was about, but I got nearly $400 for it. So, I’m going to send that to Sharebuilder too, before April 15, and have that count as a Roth IRA contribution for the year 2004. Once the money is in from HarrisDirect, I’m going to close that account up.

Tonight we’re off to dinner at Shabu Zen, a shabu shabu place that has Mishima beef. We’re going out with K and Bob and then heading over to the Opera House to see Phanton of the Opera. This will be the third time I’ve seen it and the first I’ve seen it on tour. The first time was when I was in high school, probably 1989 or 1990 (showing my age here), when the school went for a Wednesday night performance. They were group tickets and the seats were so high up in the theatre, I had to use binoculars to read the word ‘CHANDELIER’ on the stage. The second time was just after I’d graduated college, probably around 1998 or so. I bought my grandmother and myself tickets for Mother’s Day. The rest of my family (mother, father, and sister) decidedly they wanted to come along (at their own expense), so it was a nice, family outing. It was also one of the last times my grandmother got out before the dementia hit and she passed away (in 2000). This will be Carl’s first time seeing Phantom. I think he’ll enjoy it. I wonder if he’ll realize all the music is really stolen Puccini. Maybe, but probably not.