When most people who haven’t actually had anything really to do with Canada think of us, their first impression is often of us sitting around, snacking on some poutine, and sucking back a beer. Which, depending on which part of Canada you’re talking about, probably isn’t all too far from the truth. I didn’t know that was true of Toronto, though. But yet, in an attempt at bringing the Pan American Olympics to Canada in 2015, Toronto officials–and some provincial ones–are in Mexico, sitting down to a lunch of poutine and beer. With a little smoked salmon and chardonnay for folks who aren’t french fry fans. Guess what they say is true. There’s always a little fact based in every rumour. Who knew?
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The Canadian stereotypes are true!
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Well hello there, winter.
I got the distinct impression when I got up this morning something was up. It wasn’t forecast to get all that cold last night, but I definitely needed to add some heat to the mix. Now, I know why. Apparently, at some point before I got around to actually getting out of bed, we were on the receiving end of a little dusting of snow. Hardly enough to do anything except make people reconsider road travel at breakneck speeds, but still an indication. Winter, in all her uh, glory, has returned to the great white north. Now, which box is my winter gear in?
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Reviving an old blog, and reincarnating an older one.
After a little over 4 months not maintaining a personal blog, I decided to get back into it again. And, while Live Journal served its purposes when I eventually moved away from Movable Type, I kind of liked being able to actually know what’s happening insofar as the blog was concerned. I could have–okay, so some folks will probably insist should have–gone back to MT, but I’ve also become quite fascinated with WordPress of late. Specificly, the amount of flexibility it gives you–and that without needing to know all that much about PHP. Which, well, is great, considering the only thing to this point I’ve managed to do in that language with any degree of success is break it.
The down side is, of course, I’ve yet to actually find a program I like that will allow me to update this blog without needing to have a browser open. But, hell. This loads easier and faster than the old site anyway. And because it’s self-contained, I’m not quite as dependant on other people’s ability to figure out what went splork.
All this to say I’m trying to start up with the regular blogging again. If it’s random, amusing, or just plain makes me wonder what in the 7 levels of hell someone’s thinking, or even if it just involves me–some folks seem to be under the misguided impression I lead an interesting life, it’ll go here. It’ll also go on my LJ, though that’s mostly for the folks who still have me on their friends lists and don’t know about the change yet. And for my next trick, an entry that actually relates to what I’m up to. Hint: it involves another move.
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last weekend, the past week, and what happens when I have free time.
As anyone who follows my twitter feed will probably already know, last weekend went actually quite well with myself and Jessica (samari76). She arived safely on Friday, and we spent the majority of that day just hanging around the apartment, talking. she ended up being a little more tired than she thought she’d be, so she caught a couple hours’ sleep while I came out here to finish up with checking email and the like. We ended up just relaxing and enjoying ourselves for the rest of that evening. I threw together a little something for supper, and we just sort of talked and did a little listening to music. Saturday we slept in a little, and took our time getting to that point most people would call awake. Again, there was more just hanging out, and talking. We ended up ordering out for supper, after which we got into a bottle of lemmon rum I’d picked up a couple days before leaving Pembroke.
It was actually before we started drinking, though, when we got a call that my grandpa had been taken to the Ottawa hospital; he was having issues with his apendix and they weren’t sure if it would require surgery or not. We stayed up most of the night waiting for news, but after being told my parents were enroute to Ottawa just behind him to make sure he was being looked after, we hadn’t heard anything. Trish IMed me at that point to say she hadn’t heard anything new, really, either. We ended up aranging to get together for breakfast the next day, since we’d not hung out in a while anyway and Jess was looking forward to seeing her again. Well, that, plus since we were waiting for information it made more sense to all be in one place when it came in. We ended up going to bed about 4:00 that morning, getting up again at an impressive 9:00. Cabbing it over there, we hung out with Trish, her husband and both her brothers for much of the morning. She made an awesome breakfast, which kind of reminded me a little of something you’d be able to order from any decent restaurant on Jessica’s side of the border. Family started to trickle in shortly after, and we learned he wasn’t actually going to get the surgery right yet; they wanted to see if they couldn’t treat it with antibiotics first, which kind of makes sense to me. I mean, the guy *is* in his 80’s. No sense in putting him through a surgery that may or may not be required. We got to see a goodly portion of my family, though. And Jess got to meet a few people we couldn’t get around to visiting the last time we were both in that neighbourhood. We all sat around and talked, the older guys watching nascar on TV and everyone with something better to do just generally conversating/trying not to hear it. They ordered pizza and wings, some of which we both helped ourselves to (Hey, breakfast was good, but it’s pizza and wings. Come on.). We spent the rest of the day just sort of hanging out. After everyone left, Trish, her husband, both brothers, plus myself and Jessica decided to go and check out one of the local carnivals in town that weekend. We got there just in time for it to start packing up, of course, but at least Jess got to get a brief look at some of what goes on around here this time of year. We didn’t get home until about 9:00 or so, and stayed up for a bit longer just generally talking and the like.
Monday was a very low key day; we didn’t even get dressed until that evening. we just enjoyed our last day together for a while, and recovered sort of from the day before. I took Jess to the bus station that night, and she made it across the border all in one piece, luggage and all. As for me, I went back home and did that thing where I fall into bed until 6 or 7 the next morning. I spent the rest of the week going through my usual routine; looking for work, not finding much, talking to Jess, and occasionally cursing technology. I did eventually finally hear that my grandpa was back home and doing well, the antibiotics seeming to be working thus far, so that was one less thing on my list of things to be paying attention to.
One thing I did finally get around to this week, that I’d been threatening to do before, is installing Gentoo linux on the formerly retired laptop. It actually didn’t take too long when you break it down to time spent actually working on the system; the longest part of it all was the waiting for things to compile. I had it installed and running by yesterday morning, and talking by yesterday afternoon after I learned I missed a step in building the kernel so had to do that all over again. Lovely. I got that fixed up though, and it behaves beautifully now. I ended up playing around with Speakup, one of the screenreading packages available for linux, a bit yesterday and again this morning. Now, I’m waiting for the various Gnome packages to install, including its screenreader, so I can have a little bit of a look at that. Judging by the sheer number of packages that are needing instalation, and the fact they all need to be compiled, this could take a while. In the meantime, I have free time on my hands that I’m sure I’ll put to good use ordering groceries. Or sleeping. Or something. I may or may not have missed something in my update. If I did, I’m sure Jess will remind me… she’s good like that. As for now, though, I’m so gone it’s not funny.
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An updatey type thing.
Because I’ve come to the shocking realization that Twitter is not, in fact, sufficient for updating in any amount of significant detail. Well, okay, so I already knew that. Oh well. Not a whole lot of any real significance has gone on of late that needs updating anyway. Spent Victoria day weekend in Pembroke with the family, only getting back just yesterday. And this time, aside from the fact I spent most of the weekend doing free tech support for my father, who’s laptop decided it wanted to spend most of said weekend sideways, it was actually nice and uneventful. Not bad for a long weekend, I dare say. In the last week and a bit, I’ve found a grand total of 2 jobs (including the one I just applied for a few minutes ago). Not bad considering there was a report released not all that long ago saying over 30000 new jobs were created up here. Guess I shouldn’t have expected they’d all be created in my particular industries of choice. Oh well, I’ve still got unemployment insurance.
No sooner did we end our long weekend up here than the folks south of the border are starting theirs. And with Jessica (samari76) having Monday off from class, we decided to spend the long weekend in style. So, she’s presently on a bus and an hour and a half from the station, where I’ll be meeting her. Neither of us likes to make any kind of detailed plans, but I can say the 3 or so days she’s here are going to be enjoyed by both of us. And I do know that one of said days is going to be concluded with the consumption of things alcoholic. Because hey, all the cool kids are doing it. Can’t guarantee we’ll have a whole lot of time for LJ, but you can still keep up with us on Twitter if you’re into that sorta thing (I’m over here, and she’s over here.). I have this nasty habbit of paying more attention to that than LJ lately these days anyway. But today, well, and the rest of the weekend, I’ll actually have a reason. Happy memorial day to those who cellebrate it, belated happy Victoria day to those who cellebrated it, and I’ll catch yall on the flip side.
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Let’s just all be 6 for a minute.
First off, because there will probably be at least one person asking why it is I’m posting about this, I’ll just say right now, I’m doing it because that’s what one does when they have access to a medium with which to do so. Names of the offending parties will be removed, to protect the guilty. Because contrary to the opinion of a small minority, I can occasionally be a nice guy. Somewhat.
Jess (samari76) and I haven’t particularly cared a whole lot for a particular person she has the misfortune of working with since events, that have already been gone over either generally or specificly on her LJ, transpired a few months ago. Things were said, and whether they were meant in the spirit in which they were taken or not, they were things you just don’t say to/about someone you’re supposed to be friends with. This of course after said person pretty much invented a conversation between myself and them that never happened, and proceeded to fill Jess in on only the vaguest details as to what it was about before going into some explanation about why they couldn’t go into specifics right then and there. Said person hadn’t so much as tried to talk to either of us since then, until yesterday, when I received an email from them. The general point of that email pretty much consisted of “Tell Jess not to write about me in her LJ anymore.”. Apparently, as we were to learn later, the supposedly unwanted entry was written a couple weeks ago, and friends locked, which kind of limits the people who had access to read it pretty significantly right there; this person isn’t on LJ, never mind her flist, so they’re automaticly ruled out.
I responded to the email this morning, letting them know in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t about to tell her what it was she could and could not write in her own LJ. It *was*, after all, her LJ and I’m really not into the whole sensorship thing. Sorry. They wrote me back, because clearly I didn’t understand them the first time and how dare she write about them on her LJ when they’re not *on* LJ and have given her no reason to do so. So again, I responded, telling them exactly the same thing; it’s *her* LJ, with *her* opinions on things that matter to or have quite irritated her. And neither myself, nor anyone else, is about to tell her, or anyone else, they’re not supposed/allowed to write about such things in their own personal space. That *is*, after all, why we have our own personal space, y/n? I also added in this reply that if they didn’t like what was being written about them, perhaps they aught to 1: stop doing whatever is prompting the entry in question, and 2: keep their and their friends’ noses out of her/our LJ’s.
I guess they thought third time’s a charm, because they again responded, trying to play the “you don’t understand” game. So again I restated my point, then told them to either deal with it, or whine to someone who cared. Because at that point, well… actually… long before that point, I seem to have forgotten how. All they said in their last reply to me was, “You’re right.”. And that was pretty much that.
The conversation in and of itself wasn’t the problem, though. Actually, to be fair, the conversation didn’t bother me at all. That was just this person’s typical behaviour whenever they discovered we weren’t going to be playing by their rules. The thing that irritated me to no end, though? Someone, and there are definite suspicions as to who, decided to share said entry with their significant other. Said significant other happens to be close friends with the person about whom the entry was written. So, the entry in question, or at least the general point behind said entry, ended up leaving the LJ flist, and showing up at Jess’s place of work. The emphasis here, of course, is that this was *not* an entry that could have been accessed by just anyone at random. Someone decided to stick their nose in where it had no business being, just for the sake of trying very hard to stir the pot. And that, more than anything else, pisses me off to the third degree. If you’re so bored that you can find some form of amusement in playing the part of the gossip girl, you are in desperate need of either a hobby or a job. Or both, if it’ll help. And sorry, but being a proverbial pain in my ass does not constitute the makings of either. People need to seriously start acting their age, knock it off with the highschool bullshit, or crawl themselves into the nearest hole so the rest of the world can go on headache free. You can join the rest of the adults when you decide you can act like one.
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If ever you find yourself wondering why I so love call center jobs…
You need look no farther than moments like this. Not mine, obviously, but good lord I wish I could take credit for this.
No Tickey, No Watchey
Call Center | Ontario, Canada(I work in the billing department for a cable company. One day I took the following call.)
Me: “Thank you for calling ****, my name is ****, what can I help you with?”
Customer: “Hi, I need you turn my cable back on so I can watch the fight this weekend.”
Me: “OK, if I could get your phone number, I’ll bring up your account and see what’s up.”
(I proceed to bring up his account, and notice he had been installed 6 months ago, and had not once paid his bill.)
Me: “Sir, I’m afraid that we can’t turn anything back on for your account until there has been a payment made.”
Customer: “No, that’s not the agreement. I need to watch the fight this weekend, my boys are coming over.”
Me: “That’s all well and good, but you owe us over two thousand dollars for charges, pay per view and equipment. Nothing can be done until you are up to
date on payment.”Customer: *angry* “I NEVER AGREED TO PAY YOU ANY F****** MONEY! GIVE ME MY GOD**** CABLE!
Me: “Sir, you obviously don’t understand how this works. We provide a service, and in return you pay a monthly fee. This is where we’re at; nothing can
be done until you pay your balance.”Customer: “F*** YOU GUYS THEN! I’LL JUST WATCH IT ONLINE, SO THERE! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?”
Me: “I think you forgot that we supply your internet as well. It won’t be reconnected until you pay your bill.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you, the clue by four.
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And sometimes, forwarded emails can be fucking hillarious.
Due to the climate of political correctness now pervading Canada , Albertans will no longer be referred to as ‘Rednecks.’ You must now refer to them as Rocky Mountain/Prairie Canadians.
And furthermore
HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT WOMEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:
1. She is not a ‘BABE’ or a ‘CHICK’ – She is a ‘ BREASTED Canadian.’
2. She is not ‘EASY’ – She is ‘HORIZONTALLY ACCESSIBLE.’
3. She is not a ‘DUMB BLONDE’ – She is a ‘LIGHT-HAIRED DETOUR OFF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY.’
4. She has not ‘BEEN AROUND’ – She is a ‘PREVIOUSLY-ENJOYED COMPANION.’
5. She does not ‘NAG’ you – She becomes ‘ VERBALLY REPETITIVE.’
6. She is not a ‘TWO-BIT HOOKER’ – She is a ‘ LOW COST PROVIDER.’HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT MEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:
1. He does not have a ‘BEER GUT’ – He has developed a ‘LIQUID GRAIN STORAGE FACILITY.’
2. He is not a ‘BAD DANCER’ – He is ‘ OVERLY CAUCASIAN.’
3. He does not ‘GET LOST ALL THE TIME’ – He ‘ INVESTIGATES ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS.’
4. He is not ‘BALDING’ – He is in ‘FOLLICLE REGRESSION.’
5. He does not act like a ‘TOTAL ASS’ – He develops a case of RECTAL-CRANIAL INVERSION.’
6. It’s not his ‘CRACK’ you see hanging out of his pants – It’s ‘REAR CLEAVAGE.’And the best thing about it? It’s also employer friendly! Fire me for saying that, your royal prickness er, I mean…
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Do we need another political blog? And, would I get help?
I’ve always had a passing interest in politics. Following it, reading about it, commenting and/or debating it. I’d like to try my hand at blogging about it. I know at least one of you is going “Good god he wants somewhere *else* to spray his opinionated bs.”. And, well, that’s part of it. But more so, I’m thinking more along the lines of offering a place that could be used as a debating tool. I’m thinking something not too much different from this LJ, except a little bit more professional and, well, not necessarily on LJ. Very much unsensored, beyond the rules of common sense etc. Because really, media outlets and former political party members shouldn’t be the only ones who get to get on a soapbox about crap like this.
It’d cover politics on both sides of the Canada/US border, so if anyone’s interested in helping, I’d be curious to know that as well. Mostly because I don’t know nearly as much as I probably should about US politics. I already have a general idea of how I want to structure the blog, mostly. Now, I just need to know if anyone would read/contribute to it. Because, y’know, a blog written by and read by one person isn’t a very effective blog. See, this is what happens when I’ve been up for a while and up to my ears in news articles.
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Be careful when asking citizens caught in the economic crisis how to fix the economy.
You may wake up one morning and see an answer like this in your morning paper.
Dear Mr. President,
Please find below my suggestion for fixing America’s economy.
Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan. You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:
There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. – Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:
1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings – Unemployment fixed.
2) They MUST buy a new American CAR. Forty million cars ordered – Auto Industry fixed.
3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage – Housing crisis fixed.
It can’t get any easier than that!
P.S. If more money is needed, have all members in Congress and their constituents pay their taxes…
And yall thought I was blunt/sarcastic/whatever. Not that I haven’t thought this exact same thing for our political system. Wonder if I aughta mail an altered version of this to our beloved Prime Minister?