Random thing you loathe right now.

I'm weary of banks like PC because they don't have actual branches with tellers, which isn't usually a big deal. Unfortunately, I need assistance moving funds between US and Canadian checking/savings accounts with up to date currency conversion on a regular basis that can be timed with direct deposits an automatic deductions. I need skilled people that I can hold accountable because they know the system and it's their job. I'm too likely to f*ck it up, myself.

It's tempting, though. If I ever get around to settling my debts or moving my lines of credit to Canadian carriers, all online banking would totally be the way to go.

I also highly recommend ING Direct Canada. I've been using them for a while now and they're amazing, have great customer service and yeah, no fees. Not sure how easily they can handle your conversion needs but if you call them, I imagine they can explain it.

We needed a vacuum when we moved into this house and being fairly tapped out from the move, we couldn't afford to spend the hundreds needed to get a good one. We ended up buying one that was cheap but had decent user reviews online. Turns out it's from one of those scummy companies that buy up brand names of previously famous, now dead companies and slap them on the cheapest Chinese junk they can import. We've had the thing for 5 months and both powered heads have died, rendering it useless for our basement carpet. I looked into warrantying it but it turns out this company expects you to pay shipping both ways to warranty their defective crap and the replacement parts only come with a 90 day warranty, even if the balance of the whole machine's warranty is longer. And based on the experience thus far, I've no doubt that they'll both die again in short order anyway. The company only operates two brands now: Shark and Ninja, though they've had others including Fantom (which ours has on it) and Bravetti. If you ever come across these, steer clear is my recommendation. Also, if you see a brand you don't recognise, check the box and see if you see the name Euro-Pro Operating LLC on it. If you do, run from it. They're a junk peddler.

Re: Banks.

Credit Unions FOR THE WIN!!!!! I will never ever ever use a traditional bank again. The only thing I have to pay for are paper checks which I don't use. I have used like 6 of the 500 they gave me for free when I signed up.

Rykin wrote:

Re: Banks.

Credit Unions FOR THE WIN!!!!! I will never ever ever use a traditional bank again. The only thing I have to pay for are paper checks which I don't use. I have used like 6 of the 500 they gave me for free when I signed up.

I second that. I love my credit union.

Now back to your regularly scheduled loathing.

Rykin wrote:

Re: Banks.

Credit Unions FOR THE WIN!!!!! I will never ever ever use a traditional bank again. The only thing I have to pay for are paper checks which I don't use. I have used like 6 of the 500 they gave me for free when I signed up.

Rykin wrote:

Re: Banks.

Credit Unions FOR THE WIN!!!!! I will never ever ever use a traditional bank again. The only thing I have to pay for are paper checks which I don't use. I have used like 6 of the 500 they gave me for free when I signed up.

I wish we had a greater selection of credit unions in Canada. Most of the few we have are really small and offer limited services. I actually researched around when I was sick of the big bank I was with and had to settle with ING because the local credit unions were missing features I wanted, their online services ranged from bad to non-existent and most of them had monthly fees as bad or worse than the big banks. Our banking system may be one of the only ones that were well regulated enough to survive crashing in the recession but it also doesn't provide nearly the flexibility and choice it should.

I hate the fact that the movie Django which takes place in 1858 has dynamite. Dynamite (which you can light with a fuse) was invented in 1867.

Minor loathe: why did I think it would be a good idea to store my motorcycle in a garage over an hour away? I want to order stuff now but need to take measurements to make things happen, and still have 4 months of cold weather to suffer through

My job, sometimes. I have to fire someone today. They screwed up, and there's no other choice, but still...

Laid off.

Next little while is gonna be tough what with having a wife who can't work yet due to our 7 week old. Thankfully my boss is still paying commissions for service calls but if I don't find something within a month it's gonna get really sh*tty.

Stylez wrote:

Laid off.

Next little while is gonna be tough what with having a wife who can't work yet due to our 7 week old. Thankfully my boss is still paying commissions for service calls but if I don't find something within a month it's gonna get really sh*tty.

Crap, I'm so sorry to hear that Stylez.

Stylez wrote:

Laid off.

Next little while is gonna be tough what with having a wife who can't work yet due to our 7 week old. Thankfully my boss is still paying commissions for service calls but if I don't find something within a month it's gonna get really sh*tty.

sh*t, man. That blows goats. Hope you find something excellent soon.

My wife's torn Achilles tendon.

Wife's cousin just had a heart attack and is at heart institute in a medically induced coma. He's 32 years old. 2013 is sure shaping up to be something.

Stylez wrote:

Wife's cousin just had a heart attack and is at heart institute in a medically induced coma. He's 32 years old. 2013 is sure shaping up to be something.

Gah, I should be brushing up my resume and looking for contracts but I think I'm just gonna write the rest of today off. I can't focus anyhow.

internet hug

Man Stylez, I hope everything gets better for you and your family soon.

So sorry to hear that, Stylez, that's a lot of bad stuff happening for you right now. I really hope things start looking up, that you find a kick ass job soon and that your wife's cousin recovers quickly. Best of wishes, sending you lots of positive energy.

Also, blew my food budget. DAMMIT

I have to go grocery shopping, but I just got out of the gym and I'm so damn hungry. I hate shopping hungry because I buy a lot of unnecessary food when I'm hungry. I've got this budget I gotta maintain.

We've got this fancy, swanky new shopping center at the train station before my apartment. So I get to the indian restaurant there 20 minutes before they close. I order it to-go and decide to eat it at some of the outdoor seating in the mall area outside of the restaurants connected to the train station (seating is park-bench style). Headphones in (nothing's playing anymore), staring at my phone, I sit down with my things...and this middle-aged guy shuffles over to me and starts talking to me. I assume he's wanting to know the time or bum a smoke or something so I take an earbud out because he's clearly not cluing into the fact that the whole ipod and phone thing means I don't want to be bothered. I got neon green earbuds/ipod for a reason. So anyway.

Me: Sorry...yes?
Strange Guy: Hey, uh...I was wondering if I could sit here with you.
Me:What?! Uh...Um, no. Thanks. I wanted to sit alone. *starts to put earbud back in*
Strange guy: Well I'm not going to be here too long...I was going to catch the train. *Sits down across from me, starts staring, yammering*
Me:Uh...dude!? (I've got a way with words) *I get up and leave*
Strange guy: Fat Female Doggo, you stupid Female Doggo, etc etc etc (note: this isn't super threatening. It's kind of...sad? Bitter? His heart doesn't seem all that into it).

The courtyard is filled with empty tables and chairs.

Sufficiently creeped the f*ck out, I wander around a bit, and then eventually I go up to the second level and sit at some of the cafe tables in front of the closed starbucks right next to the train stop where the transit staff hang out because that's where all the lights and cameras are. Start to settle in, and another f*cking dude walks up to me. I have yet to take a single bite. Do I have a sign over my head or something? What is this? Really? Two in one day? What the hell. I just want to eat this even though it's almost totally cold now so I can food shop and go the f*ck home.

Strange guy 2 is a lot less creepy. Clearly just wants a smoke and asks where I got the food because it smells good. I tell him "no man, I don't smoke, I got it downstairs but they're closed. Have a good one" and gather my things and walk away because this guy doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, either. Guy mutters something like "hey I was just trying to make conversation man" and then says what I think is "f*ck you too" just before he's out of earshot. I don't think he thought I could hear him with the headphones.

So enough of this. I'm ravenously hungry, exhausted, and tired of suffering these f*cking fools. I'm tired of trying to find a place I can eat in peace. I go into the grocery and shop hungry. My food is cold. I buy a bunch of stuff I don't really need because, dammit, my night's turned kind of crappy now and ...you know what? I deserve you, plethora of yogurts. I deserve you, overpriced jar of sweet peppadews and huge cheese block. I deserve you, cherry tomatoes and small tub of sliced melons.

So I go home and eat my cold curry over the stove with the fan on so my husband isn't too nauseated by the smell (he's vomitously allergic to curry. I got it because I miss having curry. I try not to eat it around him, also why I wanted to do it before the shopping).

I understand I'm in a public space and part of that is being exposed to the public. I get that. I also get that when someone's body language pretty much screams "LEAVE ME ALONE" I try to, well, leave them alone. I guess it's a mistake to assume that common courtesy is a universal thing.

Strange dudes: Just being alone in a public space is not an invitation. At least let me eat before you're going to demand things of me like it's your right to invade my personal space and assume I owe it to you to pay attention to your creepy, entitled, socially maladjusted ass.

TL;DR: Hangry, and creepers be creeping, they're interrupting my dinner and hassling me for things.

Amoebic wrote:

I deserve you, plethora of yogurts. I deserve you, overpriced jar of sweet peppadews and huge cheese block. I deserve you, cherry tomatoes and small tub of sliced melons.

Amoebic is the best right now

carrotpanic wrote:
Amoebic wrote:

I deserve you, plethora of yogurts. I deserve you, overpriced jar of sweet peppadews and huge cheese block. I deserve you, cherry tomatoes and small tub of sliced melons.

Amoebic is the best right now

+1

Amoebic wrote:

Strange guy 2 is a lot less creepy.

You just described me!

PRG013 wrote:
Amoebic wrote:

Strange guy 2 is a lot less creepy.

You just described me!

I'm house trained. Sorry. That's all I got.

Seriously, you just gotta let that sh*t roll off you. Urban areas are crawling with odd and creepy folks.

Stories like Amoebic's really clarify why I like being a big man (albeit fat, but still applies). I have conversations with my wife about how it is sometimes hard for a man to empathize with a woman's perspective in the world. We can sympathize, but I, at least, cannot truly understand.

Two things at one this morning:

- Our refrigerator isn't getting cold enough. Moved dial to colder to see if that fixes it. I hope it's not dying on us.

- I spilled part of my fruit smoothie on myself on the way in to work today. It sort of looks like I threw up on myself. Shirt currently drying on desk while I wear my t-shirt and fleece jacket at work, hoping the boss doesn't notice.

Nevin73 wrote:

Stories like Amoebic's really clarify why I like being a big man (albeit fat, but still applies). I have conversations with my wife about how it is sometimes hard for a man to empathize with a woman's perspective in the world. We can sympathize, but I, at least, cannot truly understand.

Same here. My awkward and odd facial features and my big hook nose, combined with my mannerisms, guarantees I'm left alone by most. And like you said, I can never understand what it is like to be a woman in these situations.

It feels like I have a cramp or stitch in my upper back, and it hurts to breathe deeply. Figures this would happen right as I start some fairly expensive voice over classes, and any opportunity for a refund is long gone.

At least I can go see a doctor about it this week. Thanks, socialized medicare!

Strangeblades wrote:

Same here. My awkward and odd facial features and my big hook nose, combined with my mannerisms, guarantees I'm left alone by most.

You mean that homicidal look in your eyes?