I'm counter-cultural ....but that's okay.

I have to admit, I take a little pride in being counter-cultural. It's not necessarily that I like to be different or go against the flow, but I like being my own person and I like knowing that I am able to resist the pressure to give in to fads, trends for my own best interests. I like to think that I'm not easily influenced by marketing strategies, and that I make informed decisions that suit my needs rather than giving whatever is most popular.

Take iPods for example. Everyone and their dog has an iPod these days. They're almost as ubiquitous as cellphones. But why are they so much more popular than other models of mp3 players? This is what I don't understand. I have a cheap mp3 player I bought at FutureShop on sale for $60. It has all the memory I need (2 Gigs) for music, it acts as a flash drive with a built in USB, it has a voice recorder and a built in radio (no need for a transmitter). I can transfer files from home to work, listen to music, or podcasts, or live radio and also record a busker on the street or the really interesting conversation someone is having on their cellphone next to me on the bus (Hey! Don't get indignant with me about that one. If you're talking loud enough for me to hear, you can't be too concerned about your privacy!). My mp3 player does what I want it too (and more). If I had gone with an iPod I would've have to carry around my USB adapter, and radio transmitter and had a whole lot of features that I really don't need.

Anyway, this little diatribe has come out of some research I've been doing into cellphones.

This is another example of how I'm counter-cultural. I don't own a cellphone. I never have. And part of me would like to say I never will. But the truth is, I really should have one. Now that I have a car I'm doing more highway driving and driving in some rather isolated areas, often taking 2 hour+ trips here and there. For the most part I'm fine with it, but there has been the occasional time when I have felt the need for a cellphone. Like last January, when I witnessed a collision on the highway. Both parties were alright, but I was completely unprepared to make an emergency call and ended up having to ask one of the drivers if I could borrow their phone. And I'm constantly being chastised by family and friends for not taking my own security serious (as a single woman) and getting a cellphone to have on hand when I'm walking/driving alone at night. Neither of these were strong selling points for me, albeit valid arguments. The crux of the matter is really this: recently I've been travelling with a child in the car, and I see it as part of my responsibility to be prepared for emergencies (should they happen, heaven-forbid). If it's just me in the car, that's one thing, but with someone else - a child - I'd feel better, and more responsible, if I was equipped with a cellphone in case of an emergency.

The thing is, I don't like cellphones. I don't like the idea of being constantly attached to a phone. I don't like all the exorbinant fees that are attached to cellphones, the contracts, the marketing of cellphones and their accessories. I don't like drivers who talk on their cell phones instead of paying attention to the road; I don't like people on the bus interrupting my quiet contemplation with their noisy chatter that I can't help overhearing. Not to mention, I'm one person! Why do I need three phone lines (home, work, mobile)?? People don't need to know where I am during every moment of the day. But really, I've answered my own question. I need a cellphone for safety, security and peace-of-mind.

So this evening I've been researching cellphone plans, and the best plan I've come across thus far is the More time for less plan through Primus Canada (who also happens to be my long distance phone provider). Basically, it's the cheapest I've seen so far, costing less than $10/month with all fees included (the actual plan is only $2.25); it gives me 20 minutes/month; and the length of contract is optional 1, 2 or 3 years (3 years gets you a free phone; 1-2 years would require me to pay a fee for the phone). I haven't found out much more than what's on the website, but I do have more questions (Do I have to buy a phone from them or can I get my own? Can I change the package as I need to (ie. if I'm in Toronto and want access to a phone)? How is the range? Do the minutes accumulate if I don't use them? How much will I be charged if I go over my 20 minutes? ....etc...

If any of you, dear readers, would like to share your cellphone experiences (good or bad), I'd be more than happy to hear them and to get your advice on packages/plans etc. Feel free to leave a comment!

Giving up!

For better or for worse, my not-so-faithful Toshiba laptop has finally actually given up. Many of my long-suffering friends put up with my whining for a good year over my tempermental laptop which would frequently overheat and shut off without warning. It was a pain, and a frustration, but I endured because I really couldn't do without the convenience of internet, my computer files, etc. at home.

And then, miraculously, my computer problems were solved over the summer! Little did I know that the reason my laptop was overheating was because it was dusty. Apparently, Toshiba expects it's customers to buy cans of compressed air and dust their laptops regularly. Though this may seem obvious to some, I had an IBM Thinkpad for 5 years without once having to dust it. So, needing to perform regular maintenance on a MUCH newer generation of laptops just seemed ludicrious to me. Of course, what also seems ludicrious is the design flaw which should've been a red flag when I was purchasing the laptop in the first place -- the fan of the laptop is on the bottom....so if you actually have your laptop in your lap, the fan is blocked and the computer overheats. Makes sense right?? Stupid Toshiba!

Anyway, just recently my laptop has been exhibiting a different problem. It's been tempermental about accepting the power adapter. This means if I move my laptop slightly the power source will shift from the adapter to the battery (which has a 10 minute lifespan), and no matter how many times I try to replug the adapter, the computer won't recognize that it's plugged in. Fortunately, if I hold my nose just right, and twist the adapter just-so, the power will be connected and I have a functioning laptop until this happens again.

Needless to say, this can't last. I've got to send in my laptop for repair. So, while the computer is working, I've been transferring files to my external harddrive, trying to figure out way to backup my emails and other data (because there's always the possibility of losing information when they're working on the computer), and generally trying to clean up my personal information so I'm not putting myself in a vulnerable spot.

This latest issue with my laptop has probably occurred at the best time - during Lent. I had toyed with the idea of giving up the internet altogether, but to be honest, I use it for such handy things - checking the highway conditions, recipes, knitting help, more recipes, store hours, flyers, etc. - that it just didn't seem practical to give up the interenet entirely. Which is why I focussed on the big time-waster like facebook (and Ravelry). But, I think the timing of my laptop's temporary demise is challenging me to take it one-step further. Live without the convenience of the internet for awhile.

So be it.

I'm giving myself the weekend to clean up everything and transfer what I need/don't want others to access etc. And will take the laptop in for repair on Monday. Thankfully, it's still under the extended warranty I purchased with the laptop so I don't have to worry about the cost; and I'm pretty sure the problem isn't so significant that I'm looking at a huge time-delay. Futureshop assures me that it should take about 10-14 business days to ship it to Toronto, fix it, and ship it back.

In the meantime, there won't be much blogging in the days to come, unless I break my policy of no-blogging from work. We'll see. If I have something significant to share, I may.

"We value your opinion"

I just filled out the most ridiculous survey! A Gallup survey for HomeOutfitters.
I was asked to rate the following questions by how much I agree/disagree:

• I feel proud to be a Home Outfitters customer. Proud?? Of what?
  
• Home Outfitters is the perfect store for people like me. Perfect for what?
  
• I can’t imagine a world without Home Outfitters. Isn't that a bit extreme? I've only just started shopping at Home Outfitters, so my answer is strongly disagree! I can imagine a world without H.O. because for the last 28.5 years I've lived in that world. And lived happily.
  
• Associates throughout the store made me feel like someone important. Do I NEED Associates to make me feel important? I'm pretty sure not!
  
• The merchandise displays showed me how to put an entire stylish package together. Why? Because I can't have my own style? I need the store to tell me what's stylish?
  
• The cashier made me feel like a guest. Well, they didn't serve me tea and cookies, if that's what you mean?
  
• My purchase was handled by the sales associate in a caring manner as if it were their own purchase. So you mean they should really care about the tea infuser I bought?

These are very strange questions in my opinion!

Butchered

I've had the same hair style for the last 5 years. I like having long hair - I like the flexibility of being able to pull it back or let it down, to put it in braids or to curl it, even to twirl it absent-mindedly.

Well for the last little while the ends have been getting drier and more split. It's about time I had a good cut. And I went in willing to get it cut shorter than usual....but this?....

Too short!!
And yet another BAD layering! (Why can't I find someone who knows what they're doing?!)

Why do hair stylists think that they can cover-up a hack-job with small talk. My stylist chattered away about nothing at all, all the while apparently cutting shorter and shorter layers . I made it very clear that I wantd subtle layers, and what do I get? Deep layers, that's what.

*Sigh*

It'll take me a good year to grow it out to a length I'll be happy with. Will post pictures once I get over the trauma and see if it looks better after a wash and my own attempt to style.

Conclusion: I've had good haircuts in Wolfville, and though it's an hour away it's worth it. And it would've cost me exactly half of what this cost me.

In case you thought I was exaggerating....

I came home from work today to see this sign, an order from the Halifax Regional Municipality to Remedy the Dangerous and Unsightly conditions, under section 346 of the Municipal Government Act.

HOORAY!!!


It's officially been confirmed... I'm living in a dive!

And I'm not even scared about posting a picture of the sign (which contains the street address) because I'm moving soon, and the place can't get any worse than it already is. (I'll post a few examples later, after my move.)

Afterall, it seems to be the people inside my building that concern me the most.