Hate My Printer

October 6, 2008

Which of the following reasons, in addition to the fact that it doesn't print when I want it to print, explain why I want to throw my printer out the window?

It is a printer that...
a) Repeatedly prints the alignment sheet, thus wasting your newly bought ink
b) Keeps telling me I'm out of ink/paper/time/money... despite all the ink/paper/time/money I keep putting in to it
c) Keeps flashing random lights at me to tell me it's trying to "do something"
d) Has a support site that does not support me and instead tells me to let the printer do its thing first (thereby supporting the printer and not me... I guess that's why it's the printer's support site)
e) Is all of the above

If you selected e, you are correct. What a coincidence, that is also the answer my printer has selected. Looks like it's time for a new printer.

Pesky Postage

June 14, 2008

I finally had my hair and make-up trial session today (as well as our engagement photos, finally). While I was waiting for my appointment, I figured I could be a little extra productive today and mail out the final (hopefully) invitation.

I walked into the Shoppers Drug Mart and headed towards the back where the Canada Post desk was, fully intending on mailing this invitation with the same amount of postage all my other domestic invites had, 96 cents.

The girl at the desk, however, had other things going on in her head. Clearly, she did not have too much in her head, but what she did have was out of touch with reality. She informed me that according to Canada Post policy, they were required to put more postage on the letter than it needed because of its weight and shape to ensure that it wouldn't be sent back to me.

I thought she was a little nuts but I let her go about her business anyway. She proceeded to putting a pad of Post-It notes onto the scale along with my invitation and after punching a few more keys on her computer, looked around the desk for yet another item to place on the scale. Then she announced that I had to pay her two dollars. Two Dollars! I couldn't believe the girl.

Politely, but firmly, I explained to her that I have sent out hundreds (literally) of other invitations with a 96 cent stamp on them and they have all arrived safely to their intended destinations. There was no way I was going to pay two dollars for this one. After being told more lies, I decided I had had enough of her lunacy and took my invitation and left. That girl was really something. And it's not like I was in a rush or anything, they don't send mail on the weekend anyway. If they did, then maybe I'd pay two dollars.

Bridezilla Attacks Guests

March 6, 2008

So now that we're less than 5 months away from our wedding it's pretty much crunch time! At the beginning of the year, I decided that I'd consciously try to be a little less stressed out over things. Needless to say, with grad school applications due at the beginning of the term, a shortened school week with a constant barrage of exams and assignments plus the added workload of wedding planning (or lack thereof), the chances of achieving my goal has been kept to quite a minimum. For the most part, I think I've done pretty well keeping my cool. Sure, I get those moments where I get really worked up about something but I'm sure everyone does. But then, there came a point where I just snapped. And when I snapped, this little monster jumped out from inside of me and took over my body. This little monster? I call her Bridezilla.

I think I've mentioned before that I like to have control of things. But hey, we're talking about my wedding here, I think I'm allowed to have a bit of control. The one thing you can't have control of, though, is other people. So far, I've had a pretty good time with all the vendors I have to deal with (despite my anti-social nature) and even my family has been pretty good with accepting my non-traditional tastes. So what's my big problem? Guests.

The task of making a guest list is a pretty stressful process. Who do I invite? Who do I not invite? These decisions can potentially have a lot of consequences. I've been reading a lot about wedding crashers and unexpected/unwanted guests lately so this notion has been pretty fresh in my mind. How can I possibly control who shows up and who doesn't? We've been trying to limit our numbers because if we really did invite everyone, I'm pretty sure something along the lines of our first home being a cardboard box would follow.

Most of our friends are very understanding but at the same time, we've had to deal with a handful of not-so-subtle self-invitations. Maybe it's an error of enthusiasm but where are your manners, people? You don't just go ahead and invite yourself to someone's party (or assume you're invited), never mind the fact that it's someone's wedding. And telling me that you're just going to become best friends with my bartender that night? Just go ahead and un-invite yourself now - save me the trouble of doing it later. RAWR.

I apologize for the angry nature of this post. I promise the next wedding-related post will be filled with love, joy and colourful pictures!

Salted Jeans

November 26, 2007

Every winter I have the same dilemma. While I welcome the snow with open arms (as long as it means there won't be any other form of precipitation), it means that I have to face salt stains once again. I realize that the salt is necessary to keep the roads and sidewalks from freezing over and thus, safe (unless of course, everyone just goes and gets YakTrax, then we wouldn't need to salt the sidewalks!) but I hate the slush it creates and I hate how it makes my shoes and the legs of my pants wet.

When my pants (and shoes) dry, I always end up with unsightly salt lines. For some reason, it seems that these lines don't really go away even after washing (at least from what I remember - it's been a while). It's been bothering me all these years. It seems like everyone else has figured out how to either avoid getting salt stains or how to get rid of them afterwards. (I realize that getting a pair of Uggs, or any pair of boots in which to stuff my pants to avoid getting them wet might be a wise option, it doesn't work for me. High boots and my calves have an ongoing argument. It's just not pretty.)

All you people out there have perfect, unsalted jeans. Well, I've had enough. I want in on the secret! So... what's the secret?

(I've also considered dunking my shoes in hot water to make the salt come out - see how desperate I've gotten?)

Creepers on Campus

September 28, 2007

Earlier this week, I went to Laurier to finish up some paperwork for my new job. One of the administrators told me about a working alone policy in which you're not allowed to work alone during certain hours. At first I thought this was ridiculous - where are you going to find someone who's willing to hang around at work the same time you're there?

I never realized how naïve I was about how creepy this world has become. I have a tendency to block out external stimuli, if you will, when I don't want to risk running into someone and having them talk to me (yes, I'm anti-social like that). I like walking around campus with an implied bubble around me - earphones in my ear, sunglasses on when possible... it gives a sense of protection.

But when I take all those things off, I hear about a friend being followed around and 'harassed' by a creepy old man. I hear about a girl who's being stalked by a random guy on Facebook, who reports to her where he's seen her on campus.

I, myself, have never been approached by people that creepy and I hope I never will be. But, I have experienced how uncomfortable it is for someone to randomly ask you questions on Facebook because of things they've read on the newsfeeds - conversations you're having with other people. And not only does said person 'eavesdrop' on conversations but this person has the audacity to come out and ask questions as if they have some right to know the intimate details of my life, despite the fact that they sound like a total stalker and that we never talked when we did see each other.

What happened to people having a sense of decency.. or at least pride? Aren't they embarrassed about their creeper tendencies?

All Up In Knots

September 12, 2007

For some reason, everytime I step out of the shower here (in Waterloo), my hair looks like it's been put in dreadlocks one big dreadlock. After every shower, I spend upwards of fifteen minutes in front of my mirror with my brush in one hand and a handful of knots in the other. I've never had to struggle with my hair before. Usually, my hair is pretty much knot-free after showers.

I don't understand where the knots come from. I wash my hair the same way and use the same products. The only difference is the water - which people have suggested might be the culprit. Now, I rake at it mercilessly and end up with garbage cans full of hair. At this rate, I will likely be bald by winter... great.

House Foes - Part 4

August 10, 2007

A lesson in communication.

Over the years, I have come to understand the general "rules" of communication. I also understand that people communicate in different ways. But the way my house foes communicate is just plain dysfunctional.

First of all, Tobermory. Not to be harsh or anything, but he's the stereotypical University of Waterloo Computer Science Nerd. He has the whole "play computer games all day, don't talk to anyone" deal going. Earlier in the term, we were having problems with the Internet and since both of them are in CS, I left the fixing up to them. Finally, it started working again. So, for his efforts, I went to thank Tobermory, y'know, as a nice gesture to start the term off right. This is how it went:

Bee: Hey, Tobermory.
Toby: *pause* Uhh.. yeah?
Bee: Thanks for fixing the internet!
Toby: *longer pause, not really knowing what to do* Uhh.. yeah.

One night, I couldn't get my internet to work and so I asked Tobermory if he could look into it for me. Without looking up from his laptop, he said "Yeah, I'm doing something right now. I'll look at it in an hour." Are you kidding me?! The guy was clearly just sitting there watching videos off the internet or playing his video games again. Would it have taken that much effort to restart the router again? Oh wait, I guess that would have messed up what you were doing. My apologies. I forgot you had so many important things to do, like research a paper or something.

Ajax, he isn't so bad with communication. He's actually a pretty friendly guy when you actually get a chance to talk to him. But sometimes, his responses are a little awkward.

*Running into each other at the door*
Ajax: Hey
Bee: Hi
Ajax: Just get back from class?
Bee: Yeah
Ajax: True

Umm, yes it's true. I'm not really going to lie to you about something like that.

Anyway, the final thing is about the internet bill (the only reason we still talk). Every month, I ask them to give me the money by Wednesday of a certain week. For me, if someone said that to me, I'd take the initiative to get the money to that person on that date and I think most of you would do the same. But with Ajax and Tobermory, I feel like a creditor. Every week, I have to remind them to give me the money on Monday. Then, on Wednesday, I have to ask again. Then, on Thursday, I ask again which is when I finally get the money. Goodness! Can't they do anything without someone nagging at them?!

A few more days and it's ALL OVER :)

House Foes - Part 3

July 27, 2007

Guys are slobs. Actually, let me correct that because I do know of a very few guys who are actually quite clean. These two guys are slobs. Apparently they don't mind living in their own filth.

In the previous terms I was living here, my house mates and I had a cleaning schedule. Every week, each of us would clean a certain part of the apartment and the place would sparkle (even though we didn't actually let it get that dirty in the first place). This term this agreement didn't occur, in part because communicating with Ajax and Tobermory is a chore and I just didn't feel like adding more stress to my life, and in part because these guys never seem to feel the need to initiate any action until I almost nag at them like I'm their mothers (those poor women).

The Common Area
Last term, I'd relax on the couch ever so often to watch TV. This term, I avoid it like the plague. Why? Do you ask? Because the sheets on it has either been messed up to the point where they only cover the cracks of the couch (a lot of good that does) or I remember that another member of the house has previously sat in it and I don't want to risk catching any diseases. On occasion, Ajax's clothing is strewn in various places throughout the common area, along with various other pieces of his belongings (i.e., wine bottles, beer bottle caps, cardboard boxes, etc.)

The Kitchen
It has come to the point where I no longer feel it is safe enough to cook a meal without getting poisoned. At times, the sink is piled so high with dishes it was impossible for me to wash my own without dirtying them by touching the other dishes. When those two cook, the pans are left there, unwashed, for days on end. When food is spilled, it is not cleaned up (I saw a bone on the ground the other day). When they take something out, it is not put away. My shelf in the fridge has been over-run by Ajax's food. Tobermory never takes out the garbage. (How do I know? His packages are always on the top of a very full garbage bag)

The Bathroom
Oh my gosh. Here's my philosophy: You go to the bathroom to clean yourself. In order for you to be clean, the bathroom also has to be clean. Here's the reality: I have to run the water in the shower for at least 5 minutes (sorry environment) before I can take a shower so all the leftover hairs and dust (why is there DUST left in the shower?!) is washed away. When I come out of the shower, I make sure that I don't touch the edge of the tub and my feet touch my flip flops (and ONLY my flip flops) because there is hair and dust all over the floor. Every time I use the toilet, I wipe the seat down as if it was a public bathroom.

I don't understand how guys can stand living under those conditions. I can't - which is why I'm never "home".

Now, to figure out how to make them clean (and keep the place clean) so we don't get fined.

House Foes - Part 2

July 23, 2007


I have a propensity towards taking note of obscure details that no one else could be bothered to pay attention to. For example, when I first moved in this term, I took a quick survey of the bathroom and noted the types and brands of products Ajax and Tobermory use. I also noted the amount that was left in each bottle, jar and tube, for no real reason other than the fact that I can't help but take note of these trivial things.

Now, three months after I moved in, I noticed that I look at the bathroom and see pretty much the same scene.

1. The same, less-than-half-left bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash. I don't actually know the brands but I'm pretty sure they haven't invented self-replenishing products yet, or ones that will keep the user clean for extensive amounts of time (in the range of days).
2. The same, thoroughly-squeezed tubes of toothpaste with just enough toothpaste to last the rest of the week still sit on the counter. Yes, that's right. It's likely that those tubes have been used three times, at most, over these three months. These are normal brands of toothpaste now (Crest, Colgate) so I know for sure that they don't have super cleaning powers.
3. The same, filthy, smelly towel sits on the rack beside the hand towel that I now avoid as if it were the plague. Think about it for a minute, would you? The point of taking a shower is to get clean (okay, maybe not so evident for Ajax and Tobermory). The idea of using a towel after is to dry your body off, while still keeping you clean. Now, if you use an obviously dirty towel after your shower, doesn't that make you dirty again? Not to mention, it makes the bathroom smell of mould and fungus for the next person.

What doesn't make sense to me is that they have all these products in the bathroom, indicating that on some level, they'd like to be clean. But, based on the unchanging amounts of product that still remains in the bathroom after three months, it doesn't seem that they act on this desire. Don't they feel dirty? At all? They obviously have a very high dirt-tolerance threshold or an uncanny neglect for hygiene.

Stay tuned for more to come on the current state of our unit...

UPDATE (July 25): based on the picture, how long do you think you would have been able to last with the amount of product there?

House Mates Foes

July 17, 2007

When I moved in at the beginning of the term, I thought I lived with a mute and a party animal. I now know that this is not true. I live with a quiet boy named Tobermory and a socially defective boy named Ajax.

Wait, let's back it up a little. When I first moved in, all these notions filled my head about how crazy my house mates could possibly be and the first night kind of confirmed these notions. But as time passed, things settled down and we grew to be able to live deal with each other with as little contact as possible (to the point where we communicate with notes).

Anyway, for the most part, I didn't let the things they do or the nasty habits they had bother me until today. Tonight, Ajax decided it was socially acceptable to pee... with the door open. After his long, dirty pee, he did not flush the toilet NOR did he wash his filthy hands. Like, what the heck?!

Sick.

Mispronunciations

July 16, 2007

So I'm a bit of a nut when it comes to pronouncing words correctly and using them for their proper meaning. To a certain extent, I can generally brush it off and forget about it. But I think there are times when it is pretty much inexcusable. This is one of those times.

I'm taking a few psych courses DE this term, which means the lectures are pre-recorded. For one of the courses, which happens to be the advance psych course I need to fulfill the requirements for getting a psych minor, the prof. mispronounces a word. It's not a very hard word. In fact, when he first said it, I thought it was one of those psychology terms that you learn as you listen to the lectures but I soon realized that it wasn't. The word was 'scenario'. However, my prof. said 'sceniaro' and does it multiple times throughout the lecture (in fact, I've paused the lecture to write this because it's annoying me THAT much).

I suppose this wouldn't be such a big deal except for the fact that this guy is supposed to be a prof - a title which I think holds a lot of weight. He's supposed to be an academic fellow with a certain amount of knowledge, and I think the correct pronunciation of that word should be part of that knowledge. Also, this is a pre-recorded lecture. It's not like it takes that much effort to go back and record the lecture with the correct pronunciation. As with most lectures, I'm sure this one has been used over and over again for many years and I'm quite surprised that no one has mentioned anything to him. (On the other hand, maybe they're all like me and don't really feel like writing an email to the person who's in charge of giving them a mark at the end of the term, saying he's stupid because he can't pronounce a simple word.)

Anyway, I really should get back to the lecture...

You Got Served... NOT
June 22, 2007

Even in first year I had my reserves about FedBus. Now, I like saving money but the cost difference between taking Fedbus instead of Greyhound just didn't outweigh the other benefits of taking Greyhound instead of Fedbus. Greyhound was just more comfortable, more relaxing and you could take as much crap with you as you wanted (which was a big deal because laundry would go home with me every trip in first year).

After first year, I thought, maybe I should just suck it up and give it a try. It can't be that bad. So I did. And soon, I became a frequent FedBus patron. Until this summer, it was working out pretty well for me. And then, it all crashed and burned.

1. The Letdown
Typically, FedBus had been pretty punctual and I could plan my schedule around when I was expected to arrive at home and stuff like that. And then, one week, my fellow patrons and I stood in line anxiously awaiting the moment big yellow bus turns the corner to bring us to Islington station. We waited. It rained a little. We still waited. The bus did not come. Then the FedBus woman (I don't know here name, nor do I want to) comes and tells us that the bus 'will be coming in 15 minutes' and saunters off. It did not come until about an hour after the designated arrival time. I was pissed. FedBus has this stupid rule that you're supposed to show up 15 minutes before the bus gets there so you won't miss it. So we waited MORE than an hour. And so we load the bus and asked the FedBus ticket person why the bus was late and she said the driver got lost on the highway. Oh good, that's exactly what we need - a driver who doesn't know where to go. But we didn't realize the problem was that big until we had all boarded the bus and he turns to us and says "Now, how many of you has done this before?" Done what? Taken the bus? A bunch of us hesitantly put up our hands. He continues, "Good, because this is my first time. I might need your help." Wow, wasn't that the understatement of the year! He didn't even know how to get back to the highway! Luckily, some guy was nice enough to offer to be his co-pilot and get us all home without getting lost.
Conclusion: FedBus is unreliable and hires ridiculously under-qualified drivers.

2. The Miss
So the university has decided that summer is the prime time to do some (much needed) road construction on Ring Road. Makes sense - the volume of people is drastically less during this term. FedBus usually picks up in front of DC on Ring Road. So Andrew and I went there and waited. There was no bus. There were also no people. Unfortunately, we didn't take this as a hint that something was wrong until three minutes before the scheduled pick up time. Andrew called the Feds office and the lady informed him that the pick up was now in front of Hagey Hall - at the OTHER END of the campus. So we get there as fast as we can, just to find that there was no bus. Was it possible that we missed it? We asked some people who were there already if they had seen a yellow bus. "No." So we waited a little longer and figured maybe we should head over to the office to see if it had already left - apparently, NOW they're punctual. Darnit. So we try to reason with the lady and ask if we can get our money back. "No."

See, I can understand if a service provider doesn't want to give the money back but most bus services allow you to use the ticket you bought for another trip. Stupid thing with FedBus is that you can only use it for that ONE bus ride you bought it for. There's no room for mistakes here. But the stupid thing is, with all their stupid policies in place, they didn't think to put up signs around DC to remind patrons, just in case they missed the sign on the stupid website or for some reason, with all the school stuff floating around their heads, forgot about the new pick up.
Conclusion 2: FedBus is unreasonable and is not, in fact, there to "enhance the quality of life for students" because I do not feel that the service I have been receiving was enhancing the quality of my life in any way. In fact, I feel like my blood pressure has been pretty high lately.

3. The System is Down
Usually, we buy our tickets online to avoid having to go all the way to the SLC to get them (Well, for me, it's just so I don't have to deal with the FedBus lady). But then for some reason, the Waterloo server crashed and we couldn't access the site. I usually like to get the tickets ahead of time but this week, I had passed the torch to Andrew and as usual, he likes to wait until the very last possible moment to do things. So we find out, before the alloted 15 minutes, that we needed to go to the office. There were people in line (of ALL the times) in that normally deserted office and so we waited patiently, but slightly annoyed, in line only to find out that 'the system gets rid of the bus once the 15 minute mark has been passed'. What kind of ridiculous moron came up with THAT idea? Apparently the logic behind that is because the system doesn't know where you're getting the tickets from and doesn't know if you'll get there in time.

Two things: 1. What the crap does the system care if we get to the bus on time or not? It's not like you wait! You just want our money! 2. If we're standing in front of you, you know we're here and will make it to the bus in time so why is the 'main' computer shut out of the system as well?!

So we try to get the lady to sell us a ticket to the next bus so we can get on the bus we want. We're still paying the same fare. But she can't do that. Seriously, she can't do ANYTHING. Quit your day job, you suck at it.
Conclusion: the FedBus system sucks

Luckily, there was a Greyhound leaving only 30 minutes after that fiasco and we gladly hopped onto the nice, comfortable, air-conditioned bus and went on our way. Another lovely surprise was that it now conveniently drops off at Islington (probably because they wanted to up the competition after the whole 'taking FedBus to court' issue, which I initially thought was ridiculous but now I'm secretly wishing they won that and sued FedBus' caboose).

Anyway, I'm done. From now on, I will be a loyal Greyhound patron. I'm too fed up with FedBus.

NOTE: there is no picture for this blog because any face I put here will probably cause you to have a myocardial infarction.

Nazis of DC
June 19, 2007

It really pisses me off to no end, all the stupid rules of DC, real and made up. Last term, I started studying at DC more frequently because I found home to be a little too distracting. It worked out alright except for those stupid Nazis (librarians) that march up and down the aisle with their clipboard and their ugly made-up faces, with their noses pointed up in the air like there's something they have to be proud of.

Last term, I got yelled at for whispering in the silent area. I was barely audible! (I am a good whisperer!) But that librarian got all up in my face about how I was not allowed to talk (I wasn't) in the silent area. Thing is, she made more noise about me making noise, than I was making noise (whoa, confusing). Then, I had the bright idea to bring my pita in to eat while studying - we all get hungry while we study don't we? And the stupid sign sitting at the door clearly says that there's no HOT food allowed in the library. So, my pita being COLD, I brought it in. I sat there, eating it happily until another ugly woman stomps up to me and tells me that I can't have food (as in food in general) in the library. I'm pretty pissed off so I tell her it's not hot. And she used all 2 brain cells in her brain to come up with "well, it smells". "Well, YOU smell, how the heck did you manage to stay in the library for so long? And what about all those people walking in with coffees? Those smell too! MORE than my friggen pita!" I wanted to say it but her ugly face was not worth my words.

Then, today. Today Andrew brought me sushi to eat since I'm working on my paper and I didn't get to eat. He got himself some Mikey's. I managed to finish my California Rolls but decided I didn't want to eat the salmon (I'm starting to think I don't like the squishiness in my mouth). Anyway, I said we should trade and so we did. Just as I was sticking the third piece of yummy sesame chicken into my mouth, this ogre of a woman scared the b'geezers out of me, because as I turned around to her "no hot food in the library" I saw her face and almost pissed my pants. I KNEW that would happen - Andrew could sit there eating his whole meal and the second I decide we should trade, the Nazi appears.

I hate the Nazis. They make me want to stay away from the library. But alas, I have no choice because yesterday I almost went crazy from the heat - apparently it felt like +39 and with no AC, that's bad news. Anyway, I am currently devising a plan to eliminate all the Nazi librarians, one by one. Any ideas?

only 10 cents
This is a bit of a rant - I just needed to voice a little bit of opinion. So the other day I bussed back to Toronto and it was pretty early so I decided to take a nice little walk (during morning rush hour - I love the buzz) from Royal York, up to Eaton Centre. And of course, nothing is open yet so the mall is pretty quiet, aside from a few other people wandering around. So Andrew and I decided maybe we should get some breakfast. Besides, we've been up and about since 6am (and I couldn't find the stupid Timmy's near the bus station, might I add, even after wandering around for 10 minutes) - we might as well get something in us while we wait for the mall to open... or... while I wait for the mall to open and he waits for us to go home. Anyway, so I was sitting there, waiting for Andrew to come back and I see this sign (we had McD's). And I was like "really? 10 cents?" And it really bothered me because those Happy Meals cost what? like $5 each? And they're making this big, colourful sign, proudly announcing that they donate 10 cents to the Ronald McDonald Charity House for each Happy Meal they sell. That's 2% of their profit from Happy Meals - it's not even from ALL their meals sold. Seriously, way to help the kids out. And then they go on and ask other people for donations (on their Website). I'm sure they can scrounge up a couple more pennies from between the cushions of those big, luxurious couches they have in those executive offices... seriously. Sometimes, the way these big companies give to charity really bother me