Yes, it HAS been a while!!

Almost 5 months to be exact since I've posted anything.

So, my rant will start with this.....WTF is Kat Von D thinking, accepting a marriage proposal from Jesse James? I realize that they may indeed be kindred tattooed spirits, but, really, what is she thinking?

This is be the miscellaneous part....WE moved into a house - our own HOME - how cool is that?? And someday, maybe all the boxes will be unpacked. We cooked chicken in the newly re-homed rotisserie tonight..mmmm, chicken and rice....yummers....

Can you believe that I've actually having a brain fart? Daily, I think of things to rant about, and now that it's time to 'get 'em all out' - I have NO recollection of what I was going to go on about....
Leave it to me.....

Eco Fees!!!!!!!!

While I understand the need for Environmental Recycling Fees....don't you think it would make more sense that these fees are based on the price of item rather than the item itself? I ask this only because we were at WallyWorld tonight so I could purchase an alarm clock. I had a great score (or so I thought), an alarm clock, marked down to $5.00. Great deal wouldn't you say? I thought so....until I went to the self serve check-outs. First after I scanned the UPC code, there was a system prompt, sooooooooooooooo had to have someone come over and help me (which they were NO help by the way...."I don't work self serve") only to find out this prompt was to see if I wanted to buy an extended warranty plan on a $5.00 alarm clock. The cost of the plan? $8.83!!!!!!
Eight freaking dollars and eighty three cents for a warranty plan for a FIVE dollar freakin clock.
But wait...there's more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In addition to the $8.83 warranty offer....there is a NS ECO FEE of $3.50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Three f'n fifty! I couldn't believe it...$3.50, $3.50!!!! So, had I accepted the warranty and add in the eco fee - it would have cost more than the bloody clock. Needless to say...I left without an alarm clock...BUT, we did get a Steak and Cheese pizza....whoohooo

You can view the Eco Fees here

And this would be why....part deux

The firefighter at question in my previous post has been fired. And Mr.Smartypants posted an audio clip of the meeting with HRM in which he was 'terminated'. Needless to say....the posting was up for all of 6 or so hours. It was posted on You Tube, but now when you try to access it via links provided by Haligonia.ca or TheCoast twitter feed....is says: The video had been removed by the user...do do do do....is another law suit in the works now for BC? Too bad I didn't have my "poop piled" and extracted the audio clip just for the hell of it.....would be a good thing to listen to while I was taking a shit.

And this would be WHY you secure your wi-fi!!!!

I realize that not everyone is aware or savvy enough to set-up the security on your in-house wi-fi, but, for god's sake, this would be why.....because some asshole could surf your unsecured wi-fi connection from across the street, make comments about someone on a weekly paper's website, the paper could get a court order to identify the IP addresses and email addresses of those posters....and BAM...YOU get nailed in a lawsuit - and chances are- you didn't do a freakin thing (other than not secure your wi-fi).

Hows that for a slap in the face? The "guilty" party has now requested, through his lawyer, that the innocents be removed from the upcoming legal fight..Innocents? Well, how about a dead neighbor and his wife, who the accused has admitted that he has used their computer/email, and some unsuspecting woman, who is/was unfortunate enough to live across the street from the asshole's place of work and also happened to have an unsecured wi-fi connection.

Apparently the lawyer for the defendants is currently on vacation, so there is no word if the dead guy, his wife and the dolt will get dropped from the lawsuit - seems the only thing they are guilty of if being friends with the accused (the dead guy and his wife) and living across the street from a HRM service. Good Luck to them.....

Oh, and while I'm at it....check out the annoying kid that works at the Lawton's at BRSC. Is it just me, or does it take every ounce of energy in your body to not jump across the counter and pound him in the head.....to me, he's as annoying as F**k.......

Yet another new phone.....

Yes, you read that right - I have a new cell phone. I finally retired my beloved Keybo. I purchased my Keybo back in September 2008 as a pay and talk phone that I switched over to a post paid account. The Keybo did everything I needed it to do....phone calls (imagine), texting (what a shock) and websurfing - albeit limited abilities when it comes to surfing, but, what more do you want from a CDMA phone.......(surfed using Opera Mini, which I installed once I managed to hack into the phone - at the time, all d/l of Opera were restricted by my provider - thank god for BitPim)

My title being "Yet another new phone", anyone who knows me - knows that I'm a bit of a techo-geek, and I love gadgets (thanks Dad). First I had an HTC Snap - which was a fine phone, but, it was with that phone that I discovered that there wasn't much difference between a 'dumb' phone and smartphone - other than the cost of the monthly cell plan. Next was a new LG BL40 aka New Chocolate - now THAT was a sweet phone.....God it was a sweet phone. Tempered glass, 16 million (yes million) colors, widescreen format, mobile Dolby sound, the ability to hook it up to a television should you want to view via the phone, touch screen...BUT (this is a bit but) my cell provider classed this as a smartphone, when in reality, it wasn't. It was a beauty of a phone....but ended up returning it. Next was the Motorola Backflip (I think of this as a baby Android), running Android 1.5 with no upgrade planned in the near future. This was an OK phone, and I mean, OK. I didn't activate it on the network, I brought it home so I could play with it via wifi. Get a feel for it - see if it was really something I wanted/needed - and the answer was a big fat nada. The 1.5 ran slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww......very very slow.

I discovered this INQ (pronounced "ink") Chat 3G last week - it's a HSPA phone (network replacing CDMA). It looks like a BB without being a BB. INQ apparently was going for the BB look - and they succeeded. I've had it almost a week, and I have little or no desire to return it (which is a feat in itself with me). The phone comes with PC Suite software so you can backup everything on your phone (contacts, calendar, music, messages, photos etc...) The is the INQ Hub where you can d/l apps for the phone as they become available, upgrade the o/s (which is basic BREW), and more (I suppose). The only downside/thing I didn't really like about this phone is/was it's basic operating guide. Thank god for PCs, as this was the only way that I could actually find a user guide on their website. The phone has a 3.2 mp camera/video camera, mp3 player, radio (usable only with the mini-usb headphones) and came pre-installed with Opera Mini 5. The UK version of the phone had Skype as an application - but both of the Canadian providers have had it removed - why? Who knows? Perhaps the network couldn't support the Skype technology. There are widgets that you can have on your main screen (which are removable YAY) for direct link to Facebook, Twitter, Google, Weather Network and world clock and up to 3 RSS feeds, OH another wonderful feature of this phone....5 different alarms...yes 5 - I think that in itself if fan-freaking-tastic.

Enough for now. I'll write more later about this new acquisition.
TTFN

Cleveland Rocks!!!

No, I'm not talking about Ohio, I'm talking about Cleveland Beach.

Cleveland is this wonderful little beach about 40km outside of Halifax on the #3 Hiway, just inside Queensland. Apparently there were scene's shot here for "The Shipping News" back in 2001. My sister, my niece and I went here last weekend, and it was beautiful....the water was warm...oh, so warm.....the sun was shining.....and...YES, I got a sunburn. Probably the worst burn I've had in at least 20 years.




If you are looking for a nice beach, not too busy, with warm water - this one is it.....highly recommend it!

And if you are into it - there are ducks in the lagoon behind the beach. They are not afraid of people at all, as a matter of fact, the ducklings (can they be called ducklings when they are almost as big as mama?) will nibble at your toes, fingers, what-ever you put in front of them.

Disgusted

Where to start???
How 'bout I start with the fact there was a rape in our community on Sunday. Disgusted that there was a rape, or it was in our community, or that it occurred in broad daylight at 11:30am? All three. Add to the list on July 2 that a youth was slashed on the wrist and robbed (in broad daylight) and two days prior to that, I personally witnessed a robbery of a young man (14 years old to be precise) in BROAD DAYLIGHT. There was a time when the neighborhood I currently live in was safe, where everyone knew one another (or if you didn't, someone you knew did) and it was safe to walk the streets just about any time of day or night.

I did move away for quite a few years and left the neighborhood, and now that I've been back for about 2 and a half years - I've noticed it's gone from being a neighborhood to being a 'hood. Gone are the days when it was safe for your kids to be further than your front yard, gone are the days where it was safe to be out for a leisurely stroll, gone are the days when it was safe to do anything. And this freaking disgusts me to no end.

Years ago, the Hells Angels had their clubhouse in our community, and I tell ya (I didn't live there at the time) I guarantee it was the safest neighborhood in the city. You don't pi$$ in their backyard without getting your d*** ripped off. Yes, they are a gang, and yes, they've done some 'bad' things, but, for ***** sake, they made sure the area was safe. I'm not going to sit here and be an advocate for criminal activity, but, for f*** sake, something has to be done. In the 2+ years that I have been back, there have been more robberies than I can count on TWO hands (and probably more than what I could count using my feet too)

I was just taking a peek at the crime stats as supplied by the HRM PD, and year to date in the "WEST" division, there were 326 assaults and 29 sex offenses (last year, same time frame, 259 and 34). It's too bad that those stats aren't broken down by community, would be interesting to see what those numbers are.

But, to finish my rant.....I am willing to bet that a majority of the BROAD daylight robberies are committed by young offenders (at least the one that I witnessed was) who have no remorse, no fear of punishment, no care as to what the consequences are - it's all just 'another notch on the belt' and bragging rites. The Young Offenders Act is nothing but a license to commit crime knowing that once you hit the ripe old age of 18 your record is wiped clean. As for the f***** that raped the 28 year old in our community, I hope your C*** rots and falls off! Falls off before you have the opportunity to do this again to someone. You are nothing but low life scum. With any luck you are caught, convicted and sent to a jail. Somewhere where you will have to sleep with one eye open, fear the broom handle, and squat to pick up the soap you dropped rather than bend over. I do believe that what goes around comes around, might not be today, might not be tomorrow - but some day, all you sons of b***** who think that the world is yours to ride roughshod over, will encounter someone bigger, badder, and with less of a conscience then you, and then watch the f**** out - it might not be pretty at all. RANT OFF