Tell Me, Telus

For those of you (blessedly) unfamiliar with the service company Telus, a short briefing. Telus offers internet, mobile- and landline-phones, television and a few other online servicey-type whatsits.

They used to be the only company in Alberta, before they were privatized.

They kind of suck major monkey toes.

          (eww)

I've had whole summers full of getting an internet from them, which turned out to be completely their fault. I kid you not.

More recently, I was looking into phones, as my old one was literally falling apart, and not quite practical for what I needed it to do anymore. (Smart phones, and all that.)

A dear, dear friend mentioned that he loved the plan he was on, with Telus.

I took his word for it—on paper it looked pretty awesome.

I ordered my phone almost seven weeks ago. 

I ordered the case for said phone less than a week ago. 

It arrived today.

The phone hasn't even been shipped yet, while I was promised it in 'two-to-three weeks.'

If I go in to talk to a rep, they tell me to call a number (that has been different at each store) to contact Telus.

I HAVE NO PHONE.

Mine has been gone for two months.

I ordered one online because they were backordered in-store, and was told this would be a faster, more assured way of receiving what I wanted.

I'd cancel the order…if they hadn't already taken over two hundred dollars of my money.

I bloody well love this company.

Consider It

I get really upset when people trash-talk my veganism. Yeah, it's a new development. No, it's not medical. Yeah, I chose to be this way. No, it's not because I'm a picky eater.

Honestly—you've got your beliefs, I have mine, There's a high chance you're religious. I'm not. There's a high chance you use animal byproducts. I don't. There's a high chance you watched bloody Disney as a child (at least in Canada). I didn't.

So what?

I don't bring up my feelings about organized religion, the animal industry or the Disney 'legacy' up all the time—and certainly not in offhand comments, bitching about people who don't share my views. If you bring it up, yeah, I'll say my piece. I don't like to instigate those discussions, though—not really polite dinner talk.

My issue is, I guess, with the people who think I'm somehow a joke because I do _____ differently. Who are you to say my bones will be shit in fifty years? Even if they are—what does that have to do with my milk intake? I get plenty of (more accessible) calcium in my diet. I bet I watch my intakes more than most!

How is it okay to ridicule me for my lifestyle? If I was allergic to whey, there wouldn't be an issue.

I'm frustrated tonight. I don't like those little 'harmless' comments. They hurt. So—as with everything—think about what you'll say, and who you're saying it to. For all you know, that smiling face could be a hurt, new-vegan, asexy gay woman who really wants to simply go about her shift in peace.

Frantic

It's been a while. Let's see, what have I been up to. I went for a hike Sunday, mucked up my knee somewhere between there and Monday, it's still killing me. I need it to be okay for Friday—that's my Grad! Eek! I had a grad test-run for my hair, and it should only take half an hour to forty-five minutes. I'm very pleased with that! 

What else…hmm. My psychology class ended today, but I have to do huge amounts of work to get the final project done by Friday. I'm worried, there's some things I don't understand within the reading of the surveys.

Also, I have to get stuff (how technical!) ready for Grad: cap and gown deposit, hemmed dress, giving up on Sears' late delivery of the shoes I won't be wearing, finalized decals. Plus get my house ready for my family to arrive on Thursday. 

Gah, this is a busy week, it seems like everything has been piled on all at once!

Catch-Up

No post last night—I went to the school dance. For the first one in over ten years that they've held, it was pretty awesome! A few people showed up drunk, but it didn't get shut down, so all's well that ends well.

Today I went on Roadside Clean-Up, talked with my Mommy (long story short, dear friend I used to work for), and picked about one-and-a-half bags of garbage between the two of us. It was actually a relatively clean stretch that we got! It was all a fundraiser for the library, apparently to put in a new book security system, so I was pleased. We did about 11 kilometres, at $100/km.

I've booked grad photos for tomorrow, 1230h, so I might end up joining the masses and purchasing a corny, formal and staged version of myself. (I secretly love formal photos, though, so yippee!)

Burn Lines

What do you think the first photo I took in Hawai'i would be of? The beautiful retreat I'm staying at? The gorgeous beach? The Japanese-replica temple I visited? Local food? Nope.

My extremely sunburned legs. I laid on my front to do my (horridly strenuous) English work, reading Bethune. As a result, however, I have a very definite burn-maybe-soon-to-be-tan line across the backs of my thighs, then down the rest of my legs. And of course, the shorts rode up more on one side than the other, so the lines don't even match…I swear there's got to be at least a five centimetre difference. It is very noticeable…. Plus painful. Ouch!

I burn easily, though, because I'm so damn white—I literally glow. It must be the Scottish/Irish/Dutch/German/English in me—I'm white across the board! Oh well, I got to try a supposedly authentic remedy—no word yet on how it works. It's an oil from a tree—the kukui, actually. Apparently it's been the state tree since…1959, I think. Don't quote me on that!

Anyway, the oil goes on nicely, and gets soaked up really quickly, so I think there's a decent chance I'll be in better shape after I sleep through this. On that note…goodnight…!

Passport Panic

So I had a scare tonight—I was solidly convinced I'd lost my passport. I turned my room, under-bed and trunk apart…then I finally found it in the middle of my lega box, tucked between two envelopes. Whew! I'd looked there before, of course, but I remembered after the fact that, at one of the UK airports I was in last year, they stuck baggage tags to my passport…resulting in a lovely sticky residue. I'm scared to try a remover—what if it wrecks the document…?!

Oh well. At least now I know exactly where it is, and can use it to get to France this summer!

On another note, my first Uni class starts tomorrow…I'm alternately terrified and thrilled. Wheeeee!

Sister Of Mine

I've been thinking of my sister a lot today. Thinking of us through our (albeit short) lives so far.

When she was born, I was a stubborn little kid who firmly believed (don't laugh!) that sisters could only ever have little brothers. So, my new baby sibling had to be a brother. You can imagine my dismay when I saw for myself she was a…well…she. (In her honour, though, by the time my brother came around, I wanted another sister sooo badly, and I was convinced that the opposite of what you wanted came true, so I professed to wanting a brother. And I got…a brother.)

We (my sister and I) fought all the time when we were (younger) kids. I remember a few games we played, though…the most memorable being spin-offs of her favourite movie, Land Before Time blahdeblah (I still hate those!) and our favourite TV show that we both could stand—Jungle Run. Man, I miss that show…!

I remember some of the really good times, for me anyway. Like when I took a school project that was due, and turned it into a story for my sister. It was a dino story (stupid movie influence…!) about the first snow ever. For a nine-year-old's writing, it was pretty decent. And then there were photos of the 'snow' happening…I wonder if we still have it somewhere.

Our, or rather, her early years at school were difficult for us. We fought more than not, and she caught on pretty quick to my 'race you to school so we're there sooner' tactics. (I was sooooo smart!)

Her friends, too—I've rarely liked any of them. That's a whole barrel of oil I'm not opening now! I finally like one of the few she's got now. I didn't like her five years ago, but she's grown into her own, and I really like her. She's good for 'my girl.' And I even have them both on Skype (which makes me feel like an ancient relic!)

It's All In The Wrist

So today would have been as ho-hum as yesterday, save for the minorly huge fact that my wrist has begun acting up again.
I injured it this summer—how, no one knows—and dislocated a disk at my left scaffoid (tiny bone in wrist). The doctors didn't know what to make of it, so I was in a cast for three weeks, had bone and blood flow tests, and a minor bone-disease scare. When everyone was stumped, they sent me to a physiotherapist, and she determined on the second visit what had happened.

So, long story short, it's been bugging me a bit, gradually increasing, over the last…three weeks? Then yesterday I banged it against the garage, and now it's been killing me. I have some pain-cream the works fairly well, though.

I've also been debating going back to the doctor and getting another prescription for physio—but it's so damned expensive, I don't know yet it if it's worth it.

What would you do? Have you ever had any 'medical-mystery' injuries or illnesses?

Deck The STRESS With Boughs Of HEAD-DESK!

Today, the only thing that's really sticking out for me is how much I hate this time of year. Rather, I hate the stress that permeates it. The whole 'feel good, peace love and joy' stuff is great, but throw on some 'I've got to find gifts!' to some 'When does this need to be shipped by—yesterday?!' and a dash of 'Now I have to have "family time!"' and it sucks.

I honestly can say that my favourite part of the season is after the big holiday (that I don't even celebrate!) and before New Year's Eve. I can do New Year's, though usually with a very dear friend/cousin/sister/mind-mate of mine. (Unfortunately, seeing as neither of us are going to visit family down South, we won't get to have our holiday together, second year in a row!)

Other than New Year's, I'm really not into this whole holiday stuff. I shudder to think of how I'd incorporate that into child raising, should that be an option. Dear heavens, my child would be messed in the head!

What about you—what do, or don't, you celebrate? Why? How does your family act around that …occasion…?

Ugh

I made this lovely long post last night…all brilliant and such…than the flippin' site kept having troubles and wouldn't let me post. So, I left it open on my dashboard, and was going to copy it onto a new post this morning…. Unfortunately, my Safari crashed before that was possible. So now I don't have it at all, and I doubt I'll redo it. Too much of a reminder.

Thanks, Blogspot.

Hook, Line and Stinker

I suppose I'm fishing, (two blogs, one day, oooh!) but I'm soo very excited, and terribly nervous.

I've finally started writing again, a story that's been sitting on me for months now, and I've finally begun it. I know where it's going, I know the characters, I know how long it needs to be to keep the setting. What I don't know is how to put it on the freakin' screen. It's driving me mad(der).

Aaaaaagh! I should simply sit down and write it, but…it over think, and what if, and how come and don't do it. Someone should give me an incentive, eh? (Ooh, the quaint Canadian card. >.< )

Please?