This has certainly been an interesting year so far

New Year's Eve, on my way to a party, I noticed an unusual visual phemonemon in my right eye. Kinda like a black hole effect from the '60s Star Trek, with a dark area surrounded by lights. The lights subsided, but in their place is a small gray area, just below and to the right of my focal point. Thoughts of detached retinas and blindness went through my head. I went to my ophthalmologist on Tuesday, and he said a small blood vessel in the back of my eye had burst. It was a very subtle thing; in fact it took him a while to find it. So in two weeks I go to another ophthalmologist who will run a dye test to see the extent of any damage. Cut to today: I get my MasterCard bill in the e-mail and notice ten charges I didn't make. Two were to online software companies, and eight (!) were to People-Data.com, which runs background checks on people. Naturally, I'm concerned about the possibility of identity fraud (thanks Dana!), so I have contacted the three major credit reporting agencies and had a fraud alert placed on my files. Citibank was very helpful, cancelling the card and issuing me a new one with a new number, which I'll get soon. The financial damage so far: $167.80. Since Citibank offers zero liability on its MasterCard products, it looks like I won't get stuck with the damage. They have been exemplary so far in helping me, getting a security report started immediately. Oh, yeah, I'm hacked at MCI Worldcom. I got my long distance bill yesterday -- $5.15 for no calls. I'm now looking for a long distance plan that has no monthly minimum (I make all my LD calls on my cellphone). If I can save $60 a year, why not? Otherwise things are good. ComedySportz closed its Dallas stage, and they're concentrating on corporate shows right now. Jill Bernard tells me they may reopen this year. I hope so... I miss convenient comedy. (Ad-Libs are good, but they're downtown.)