Speedy Auto Service

I have to give a shout out to Speedy Auto Service on Tacoma Drive in Dartmouth. They have always taken great care of my Mother when she had car problems. Every time they were more than fair in their dealings.

We have had a few problems with the car in the last couple of months. Every time they lived up to their name and provided speedy, and very fair/honest, service.

A couple of days ago the right rear signal light went out. Remembering how impossible it was to get in and replace the front one we just called Speedy. They fit us in the next day. It took maybe 5 minutes at the most for them to fix the problem.

Sadly, I am horrible with names. I am better with faces. The guy behind the counter (I believe he is the owner) let me know the car was ready. He then said "Consider it an early Christmas present. It's on us."

It seems like just a simple gesture but it really touched me. I deal with some of the extremes of society at work and not always in a good way. This helped improve my view of people.

For now. ;)

Scammer 2: Phone Follies Bugaloo

And the assholes that scammed my Mother for her credit card number over a month ago called back last night. This time they totally blocked out their number. It just appeared as 000-000-0000.

The guy calling had the same Indian accent as the last and started the same spiel. He purported to be representing BMO and could lower her credit card interest rate. She immediately hung up. The piece of shit then had the balls to call back and start yelling into the answering machine demanding that she pick up the phone and talk to him.

Unfortunately, I had been called in to work and wasn't there to deal with it. It left her more than a little shaken.

I talked with Eastlink about it today. The girl at Customer Service was helpful. Since the scum are blocking the number call blocking won't work. However, it turns out there is a way to trace a blocked call like that. The information gets sent to the local police to be used if/when you file a complaint. Here are the steps.

1) Answer the call and hang up.

2) Immediately pick up the phone.

3) Listen for the dial tone.

4) Press *57

5) A message should come up confirming that the number was traced and the information logged.

6) Contact your local police and file a complaint.

Next time these assholes call Mom will be prepared if I am not there. Hopefully everything works out and at the least I will be able to find out who they are when a complaint is laid. It could make for an interesting blog post.

And life goes on.

I finished a bear of a week at work made worse by my back injury. I now look forward to 2 days off and my back starting to feel better. I don't know if I will be able to catch up on all the blog posts from ones that I follow or not. I missed a lot. I will at least try to catch up on the comments here and on WTK.

Grizzly is a damn welcome addition to the family. Even with a bad back I still managed to walk with him. He needs it and so do I. Last Monday he had a "playdate" at Doggy Day Camp aka Camp Bow Wow where Ruger used to go. The staff there loved Ruger and I am sure they will love Grizzly just as much.

My biggest fear was his head sensitivity. The SPCA said he was hit by a car before he ended up with them. One of his teeth was smashed up so badly that they had to remove it. When he first came home with us he was a little head shy. If you went to touch one side of his head he would move away. That has stopped.

However, he does NOT like other dogs jumping at his head. Two dogs did it and he put both of them on the ground, on their backs, quicker than I could react. Which lead me to warn people about his sensitivity. He has met MANY MANY dogs since then and there has been no problem. He spent 2+ hours at Doggy Day Camp with no problems. But when he has met those two dogs, since then, he has been ready to fight and very aggressive. ONLY with those two dogs.

Damn he makes me walk. Which I thank him for every day. Thanks to Grizzly I discovered a Provincial Park, Cole Harbour Heritage Park, that I never even knew existed less than 10 minutes from my door. It is GREAT for walking around.

The next week at work doesn't get crazy until the weekend. Less than 10 hours between shifts at one point. Unless of course I get called in, and I will answer the call.

Take care.

Not back yet.

I tried to think of some witty way to work a back injury into the title unfortunately that was the best I can do. Between work and hurting my back last Monday I am not on the computer much right now.

I forgot that when my Mother says "A friend needs help moving some stuff." she really means "A friend needs you to move some stuff." Which I would do either way but it did mean doing it alone and I overdid it. Lifted something heavy the wrong way and I have been paying for it ever since. Sitting hurts more than standing so I was able to go to work.

I am off today for Remembrance Day and resting my back. Work the next two days and then 2 days off. I hope the problem is gone by the end of the 2 days off.

All of this means that my limited time online is even more limited. So I am way out of date reading blogs and posting on my own. I had planned on putting something up for Remembrance Day but just couldn't sit down long enough to write it up.

The weather is bloody horrible here today. Lots of wind and rain. They were calling for up to 100mm of rain.

Take care

Random Acts of Kindness Day

I am bloody tired. It has been a long week at work. Graveyard shifts, some 10 hour. Yet I had to make a post about something I caught on the news before going to work. Normally I avoid the news, it is just too depressing or stupid. Sometimes both at the same time. I saw a story about Random Acts of Kindness Day and it made me angry.

You have to have a fucking day set aside to do "random" acts of kindness? Planned spontaneity? The whole point of random acts of kindness is that you see someone who needs help and help them for no other reason but the simple fucking fact that they need help.

If you actually set aside a day and plan out what you will do it is NOT a random act of kindness. Hell a lot of what I saw on the "news story" was a bunch of self-serving bullshit. "Ohhhh look at us we did ONE thing on a day set aside to do something. Aren't we nice people? See how nice we are and acknowledge it!"

One website promoting this "special day" posted some ways to perform "random acts of kindness. Here are some of the ones that stuck in my craw.

For Employers:

Treat everyone to coffee and donuts in the morning.

Allow your staff to leave a half hour early on November 4.

Send an e-card to your employees letting them know how much you appreciate them.

Why not let your employees know you value them by TELLING them when they do a good job? Why not organize your office so that year round you support a charity in your community?

For co-workers:

Share your “to die for” chocolate chip cookies with your cubicle mates.

Make a point of thanking a co-worker for their help on a recent project.

Make a point of thanking co-workers for their help? Make a point of sharing? What kind of a fucktard doesn't do that normally? Is common courtesy that uncommon?

For strangers

Purchase a meal for a homeless person. Now that is getting better ... but why only do it one day of the year? Why not make regular donations to a local food bank? Donate to a homeless shelter?

Let someone in front of you on the highway. Isn't that also common courtesy? Wow let 1 person in front of your car on one day of the year and you are a great humanitarian.

All this "special day" really does is allow people an out for not actually doing something to REALLY help others the rest of the year.

My ire was initially raised by the inanity of having a day called "Random Acts of Kindness Day". It then became directed at the whole concept. To me it doesn't really look like a day to do something for others it is more of a day where you can do something to make yourself feel better, look better to others, and then ignore your apathy the rest of the year.

It is the people who selflessly help others any time of the year that need to be recognized. But they won't be for the simple reason that they do NOT do it for the accolades. They do it because they see someone who needs a hand, help out, and do so for no other reason than someone needs help. They do it anonymously just because it is the right thing to do.

Random Acts of Kindness Day my ass. If this is what it takes for people to do something, anything, then they are a bunch of fickle fucktards looking to be noticed.

Now, I sleep.

A story.

My life was falling apart. Everything shitty that could be happening seemed to be, all at the same time. I had broken up with my fiance. I was out of work with no immediate prospects for a job. Along with that I was having money problems and my old boss was trying to screw me over. I was having a falling out with one of my best friends. And just to round things off I was having some health problems. All in all it was not a good time to be me.

The stress and depression was intense. If I had believed in suicide I probably would have killed myself. At times all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and ignore the world.

One night I went to sleep depressed as usual. For some reason I woke up at 3 AM on the dot. Or as on the dot as any digital clock can be. Something felt off .. strange. It felt like someone was in the room with me. I looked at the foot of the bed and that is when I saw them.

Standing at the end of my bad was my Father and my dog Zeus. That might not seem so strange except for the fact my father had died 7 years and my dog 2 years before that night. I know how incredible it sounds, the ghosts of my father and dog. Was I still sleeping?

My father never actually spoke. It was as if I could feel what he wanted to say. I felt ... reassured. Safe. Loved. It was as if he was somehow telling me not to worry. Life would get better. They were watching over me.

Then they were gone. I blinked a few times and doubted everything that had just happened. Then I laid back down and went to sleep.

When I woke up I felt refreshed. The sense of stress and depression hadn't vanished but it wasn't as strong. I even felt something that I hadn't felt in what seemed like an eternity. Hope. Life did progress and things got better.

The few people I told about this story scoffed at it. It was just a dream. Your mind was playing tricks. They may be right or maybe I really did see two ghosts that night.

Jesusween?

I was watching The Colbert Report and he talked about Jesusween. It sounded so screwed up that I knew it had to be real ... and it is. Stephen Colbert referred to it as part of the War on Halloween.

Some Christers decided to try and create a "Godly alternative" to Halloween. Proponents of Jesusween are supposed to hand out Bibles and "Christian" gifts. They actually believe that it will become the most successful Christian outreach day. Odds are it will just end up creating the most successful egg sales day of the year. Some asshole put a crucifix in your treat bag? Egg the motherfucker!

Bloody whackjobs have to try and ruin everything. Isn't it bad enough that a lot of "Christian" holidays ripped off those of other religions in a move to assimilate them and gain more converts? Now they have to ruin candy day for kids? You would think followers of the ultimate zombie would embrace Halloween and not try and destroy it.