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  • Attention Bell Canada. I paid you. Why for you kick me?

    written by

    james

    I should probably stop being surprised by stuff like this. And I probably will, just not today. I was getting ready to leave yesterday morning, and take Jessica back to Ottawa so she could get back home to that job she loves so much, and also formulating in my head the content of that update I actually have yet to put on paper–or, at least, online. We were due to leave at about 11:30 yesterday morning. At about 20 after 11, I get a phone call from Bell Canada, who I sadly have yet to fully ditch after losing their internet service over two years ago. It’s from their accounts receiveable department. Strange, I think, since the bill isn’t actually due for another few days–and besides, didn’t they already suck out their alotted portion of my soul for this month? Still, we’re already kind of getting into a time crunch, what with making sure Jess has everything ready so we can just grab her stuff and fly. So, knowing we have to leave, knowing they’re closed today, knowing they’ll be closed by the time I get back from Ottawa–turns out, they closed about 2 hours before I got back from Ottawa, I perhaps slightly less diplomatically than I should, tell them I’ll deal with it on Monday. I’d just add it to the list of about a dozen other phone calls I have to make then. Closed ’til Monday, right? Well, er, not really.

    We do the Ottawa run, drop in to see folks before ducking out, get back here at 7. Jess is due into Toronto any time now, so I hang out for a bit then decide to call her, make sure the drop kicking of personnel isn’t required so soon into her trip. Pick up the landline, no dial tone. Weird again, I think–it worked well enough that morning for Bell to call me, and our ride to Ottawa to call me after that to say they’re here. Figure it’s just a temporary glitch type thing–the lines here sometimes will do that, for no apparent reason other than somebody thinks it’s fun to not fix things like that. So a few minutes later, I try again, same result. Well, okay, screw this. Grab the cell phone, dial my home number. Number’s not in service. Okay, now this is getting slightly irritating. So I call up Bell’s tech support via my cell phone, which routes me to accounts receiveable–who just so happens to be closed, call back on Monday. So now, as it stands, before I make any of the multiple calls that need to be made tomorrow, I first need to line up and jump down Bell Canada’s throat. Again. This is almost getting to be routine.

    Bell. I paid you. Probably more than I should, considering the current state of my bank account. Kindly give me back my phone service so I may make significantly more progress in being gainfully employed, so I can come up with more money with which to pay you until such time as I can work ditching you completely into my plans. And then promptly shove your overeager bill collectors through the nearest doorway to hell. That’d be all kinds of appreciated.

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  • I wonder if she’ll ask the CBC to pull this article?

    written by

    james

    It’s a standard practice, at least up here in the great white north, that the winner(s) of a provincial or federal lottery have some pretty basic info belonging to them attached to a lottery advertisement after they’ve won–usually their name, city of residense and a photo or something. The daughter of a robbery victim who recently won the lottery is blaming that advertising for the fact she was robbed, even though she’s admitted it’s very likely the victim knew her attackers, seeing as they demanded she hand over a very specific bracelet belonging to her as well as money. She’s since asked Loto-Quebec to stop including the victim’s info in their announcements/advertisements. Which prompted the linked article, which in turn includes everything the advertisement had except, presumedly, the victim’s photo–not being able to see the screen makes it kind of difficult to confirm that assumption. If her solution to her mother’s being robbed was to demand Loto-Quebec pull the advertisement(s) that included her information, will the daughter then ask the same of CBC? Inquiring minds want to know.

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  • Now if you have trouble losing weight, you can just blame the TV.

    written by

    james

    At least, according to a study released last week that pointed to too much light being the cause for some people’s inability to lose–or, indeed, even, maintain–weight.

    A lack of darkness could be contributing to growing waistlines, according to a U.S. study.

    The article goes on to say the theory was tested–surprise, surprise–on mice, some of whom were exposed to even low light at night while others were left in complete darkness. According to the article, anything from streetlights to your TV screen could be the cause. Here comes the “Turn off the TV or your kids will get fat” advertising; I can just see it now.

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  • This is why I don’t get people.

    written by

    james

    A Mississippi family has spent the better part of this month being subjected to varying forms of harassment from everyone from their nextdoor neighbours to the local law enforcement folks, at least according to a post on LiveJournal that was linked to via this blog. The synical part of me wants to cry extreme fake, but really, if any part of this crap was actually made up, at the very least the author of the posts in question (find a brief intro and a list of relevant posts here) should get an award for creativity. But if it’s not, it’s a very good example of why I don’t understand most people–particularly most people from way down south. From one of the posts on the issue:

    I currently live at

    591 Hwy 41 E
    Okolona, MS 38860

    Catherine Young’s old trailer is next door.

    Someone probably thinks i saw something or someone over there I should not have.  Having me committed would discredit me as a witness.  Please circulate this post.

    I’m not sure whether or not I believe the whole of what’s posted, but if it is/was going down the way it looks, and if indeed no one in the family has a clue why, then this brings a whole new meaning to WTF. Of course, if it’s complete and total BS then the only WTF-worthy question is why in the hell the author would go through posting something like this in the first place. Still, if you’re feeling helpful and are in the area, I’m sure the family here would greatly appreciate it. Meanwhile I’ll just be over here shutting up that little voice in my head. At least until I can prove it’s right. And if this is really going on, someone kindly delivering an ass kicking from me would be hugely appreciated.

  • Maple Leafs 4, Rangers 3.

    written by

    james

    Sadly, I didn’t watch this game either. It was Jessica’s last night in town–more on that in a later entry, so I decided to spend it with her. Apparently, that cost me in the ability to see a hell of a game, though. Including what I’m gathering was a pretty awesome overtime goal to end it. I’m almost sorry I missed it. Almost, that is, except for the afore mentioned fiance’s last night in town. Oh well, that’s why I subscribe to LeafsTV. Wonder if they’re still replaying it.

    • Wins: 4
    • Losses: 0
    • Shootout Wins: 0
    • Shootout Losses: 0
    • Points: 8

  • Maple Leafs 4, Penguins 3.

    written by

    james

    I can’t even pretend to have watched this game–blame booze, awesome pizza, and Shane. Still, I hear tell she was a beauty. Hell, we won–that has to count for something. Can we keep going? Now taking bets.

    • Wins: 3
    • Losses: 0
    • Shootout Wins: 0
    • Shootout Losses: 0
    • Points: 6

  • I crave bacon. And Mexican.

    written by

    james

    I think it has a little bit to do with the fact Jessica’s going through her own collection of blogs and whatnot she regularly reads, but I’ve been in a mood for a healthy dose of bacon and eggs. We have a couple local restaurants that do a damn good job with that, and don’t demand your first born in return. Including the Santa Fe, the restaurant I’ve written here about before. Conveniently, they do an awesome Mexican menu, too. And, hey, I’ve been contesting a craving for that, too. Two birds, one stone, anyone? Wonder if I can afford to kill them both…

    Sent by emoze push mail

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  • My moment of tech support failure.

    written by

    james

    Clearly, I’ve been out of tech support for far, far too long. I’ve been dealing with the services offered by my web host for coming up on 5 years now, so you’d think I’d be very familiar with how their servers work. Clearly, such is not the case. Jess was in the process of sending a post to her blog via email, mostly to make sure it worked from her address, and for the life of us we couldn’t get it to go through. She hadn’t done a whole lot of anything on this computer with her email other than go through it, so we didn’t know until now we were looking at potential complications. It took me not seeing her post in the blog’s email account to figure out that, okay, her account on this machine wasn’t behaving. Everything looked right from their end–which is usually not the case, so now I was momentarily confused. Turns out, when I set up her account several months ago, I had neglected to inform Microsoft Outlook that it’d need to authenticate her in order to be given SMTP access. Oops. So here she is, and me a few minutes later, trying to convince her emailed post to cooperate with the blog, and it was the fault of neither–just a freaking box I forgot to check off a few months ago. Clearly, I fail tech support 101. Quick, somebody revoke my license.

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  • Fun, family and festivities, oh my!

    written by

    james

    Okay, so escentially since Friday life’s been kind of non-stop. But I’ve been meaning to start this update before then, so we’ll get to that in a minute. I had a meeting with the ODSP person who’s heading up the purchasing of a copy of the screenreader I’ll be using at whichever job I end up landing in the foreseeable future. The meeting only lasted an hour or two, and pretty much just confirmed what I already knew–I’d be having no problem getting the dollars for it, and they’d just be going right ahead with the wiring that to me ASAP. Wicked nifty cool–things in that sector actually doing what they’re supposed to without me needing to apply a liberal amount of drop kick. That can’t be anything but good. So I left a couple messages with the employment opportunity here in Pembroke that I’ve been chasing for the last few weeks. They’ve yet to get back to me, naturally, and will promptly be hearing from me again tomorrow. The job I’d applied for in Ottawa, I’ve pretty much decided, has run off a cliff. Calls to them resulted in them saying they’d be looking into why it is the screenreading technology wouldn’t work with their chosen software, and how best to get it to play nice. They said they’d forward my contact info on to the person(s) responsible for testing such things, but poking them on that hasn’t gotten me very far yet. Another thing to attempt to do tomorrow.

    In more positive and non-employment-related news, after the near fail that was Greyhound’s website and an epic fail that had surprisingly absolutely nothing to do with Greyhound at all–I’m looking straight at you, Canadian customs–Jessica got in safely and in one piece on Friday. We left early for Ottawa to pick her up, hence my running out of time to throw together an update before hand. We finally, after the afore mentioned Canadian customs failure, got her off the bus and in the car with us at about 10:00, and it was pretty much right back here after where she promptly recovered from not having slept since wednesday night. Friday was the lazy day of lazy as a result; we took it fairly easy at that point and just stuck around here.

    Most of the next three days were spent with the family–we hung out with them Saturday evening, did all manner of shooting the shit and watching a little TV, and generally kept it low-key. Sunday we went back over there for dinner again, and received a sound ass kicking in a game of Rummoli–I still think certain members of my family cheat, but whatcha gonna do? that was only Jessica’s second time playing that game–she played once before with us last Christmas–and she pretty much did better than me for the majority of the game. I’m blaming beginner’s luck on that one.

    Today being thanksgiving, we took off late this morning to go for our usual round of visiting, then headed back to the parents’ for a dinner who’s overall quality and quantity resulted in at least two food comas. There was more sitting around and shooting the shit, with a M*A*S*H marathon in the background on the history channel–my father’s always had a fondness for that show; it’s a military thing. When food comas started to set in, we decided to shuffle on back home and let life kind of slow itself down for a while. Now, I think I’ve managed to regain some of my balance here, so taking the rest of the week at full tilt will be fun.

    Life’s been spinning pretty chaotically the last few days, but it’s been a hell of a lot of fun. Now with the holiday coming to a close, though, we can start to at least pretend like there’s some kind of a routine here. Which means it’s back to my usual being pulled in a few different directions–including taking considerable chunks of my day just to hang out and do absolutely nothing with Jess. And really, if I could have it any other way, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t even think about it. There’s no better way to spend any holiday weekend. And hey, if it ends up being back to the usual routine tomorrow, it’ll all have been worth it. Now, I think I’ll just go do that holiday thing a little more.

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  • Verizon borrows a play from Rogers’s book. Anyone surprised?

    written by

    james

    The next time I bitch about my cell phone bill going up while my service takes a giant crap, somebody remind me about this guy. Currently, he’s on a 5 GB data plan with Verizon for $60/month. According to Verizon’s website, there’s nothihg nigher. According to most of Verizon’s available resources–at least, those this poor sucker got his hands on, anyway–there’s nothing higher. Thanks to one generous online sales rep, though, he was able to discover he was being lied to. There is another option–he can either continue to be screwed over by his current data plan and rates, or he can pay over 3 times the price point for twice the service.

    This sounds vaguely familiar. Gee, I wonder why that is? Verizon, please to be not finding new and creative ways to improve on Rogers’s suckitude. Seriously. I really don’t want to have to assign you your own category over here–I can’t even be a customer of yours. And now, I’m not entirely sure I’d want to.

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