Xavi's Diary of a Raving Looney

Going to keep adding to this post and bumping it ahead.
( click for stuff, will be added to over time. )

Forgot to say -- the one who said I could just sign the tag & leave directions for them to leave the package with a neighbour? She neglected to inform me that this can only be done if I live in a single family dwelling; they can't do it for apartments. The girl at the sender's help line told me they don't require a signature at all for packages and that they usually tell the couriers just to leave the package on the doorstep if there is no answer. So, I have been lied to, misinformed, and generally fucked over four ways from Sunday by UPS. Companies who use them will never get my business again, even if it means I have to pay friends in various countries to get things and ship them up by standard postal service for me. I deeply and truly hope UPS finds itself out of business ASAP.

I hate liars. I just had to call UPS again as they hadn't called me back within the promised hour.
Local boys left a note that said they had left me a voicemail telling me I could pick up my parcel at the depot.
Funny thing is, my phone never rang. I stayed off it just so I could get their call.
No new voicemail, no nothing.
I told the clerk I spoke to this time just to send the damn package back to the sender, then I called the sender and told them that the package was being returned and why. I also said if they sent things by regular mail I would actually be able to get them. No can do, their packages automatically go by UPS. I won't be ordering from them again.
If I don't see a refund for my order on my card ASAP, there will be more calling and screaming.

Three phone calls with UPS today and STILL no package.

A little more info courtesy of freefloat:

http://www.unitedpackagesmashers.com/

Of particular interest;

http://www.unitedpackagesmashers.com/index.php/the-ups-cargo-largo-connection/

So after multiple calls last night, UPS said to leave a note with an address where the parcel could be left & they'd deliver it today. I checked with the kind neighbour lady -- they didn't so much as see the truck today. So I call, and press zero repeatedly to talk to a human again.
Oh, we're very sorry for that," I do apologize. There is a note here that they were to attempt delivery again but it shows that the package was held at the depot today instead of going out on the truck."
*much gritting of teeth on my end*
So now they are supposed to have it sent out tomorrow & I am to leave the note telling them where to drop the parcel. I'm strongly tempted to tell them where to shove the parcel instead.

I case anyone else has to talk to a human at UPS, dial in & then press "0" repeatedly. Pressing Zero gets a real human on the phone since it seems little else does.

Ten miles away. Half hour drive according to mapquest.
Yeah, not impressed.

Seriously, I detest UPS.
Parcel was sent to me via UPS.
I got a delivery attempt notice. Tried to call and arrange pickup. Automated voice system directs me to their website.
Check the website & it says "click on this link" only the link isn't on the page you're meant to find it on.
Three failed delivery attempts, two notices left. First notice & "Final Attempt" notice.
Tonight I called and was very annoyed with them.
No, you can't send it to me at work. I work in a high security area and your couriers don't have clearance.
No, I can't stay home to accept it.
No, I don't want it left in the hallway for me. (WTF? Do you think this is small town Idaho?)
Yeah...Picking it up requires a bus trip that will take me two transfers and a three hour trip minimum. Not with the fun there.
Finally we've agreed I'm going to leave the driver a note to leave the parcel with a friendly neighbour who is retired. Here's hoping customer service gal actually sends the message through before they ship my parcel back. :(

I'd like to suggest everyone go to Amazon and search "gay pride" and order at least one thing, and put as many items as possible on your wish list.

Amazon Rank

[ explanation ]

People who create an LJ just to friend & follow mine? Creepy. All damn kinds of creepy. If you add me as a friend and your LJ has no entries, no profile, and/or no-one but me on your friends list, do not expect me to add you back. I may lack in social skills, but that is stalkerish in the extreme and thanks but no, I won't be playing along.

Pay off all of my & my mom's debts, get all the cats vet checked and healthy, buy the garage & barn from mom & start a proper cat rescue. I'd also take as many courses at university as I could afford.


In lieu of lotto wins, I'm putting a pay-pal button in my user info in case anyone wants to buy tarot pouches, clothes, tarot readings, or just donate a little so I can get my ancient Lammy cat to the vet for a check up, or get Ginger in so I can find out why her eye is all swollen and puffy this morning. *worries*

My horoscope for today says "Your life situation improves dramatically."

I contacted jblaque last weekend while I was in a panic over getting Gizmo checked out at the vets. We talked a bit while I was trying not to hyperventilate -- he was very patient with me while I couldn't form a coherent thought. After talking to him I felt calmer about things, and now that the medication from the vets seems to be working for Gizmo, I feel better. Mamacat is still the "black sheep" of the kitty herd, but I took her sutures out yesterday and she's not scratching at her belly as much now.

The kindness of internet friends always comes as a wonderful surprise to me -- he put up a post here with some of the things I've been working through, asked his friends to help, and I've already seen some donations hit the paypal account, for which I am intensely grateful. I'm trying to sew something that I can sell on Etsy, so there may be posts about that soon. oceannadelamer has seen the number of strays around here, and now there are more hanging out up by the dumpster, apparently including two small kittens. I know not everyone can afford to send a donation, but I hope everyone can take a few seconds to remind people that pets need to be spayed/neutered and kept in safe homes. I'll post a set of kitty photos soon to show you kind folks the cute little faces that are so grateful for the help!


Oh, and bellacrow posted this; it is one of those "can't help but move to it" songs, and it really sums up how I feel about my internet friends at the moment!

I'm tired of drama.
I'm tired of people who set themselves up to be hurt and then complain when it happens.
I'm tired of being accused of having deeper motives when I say why I did what I did, and tired of having to not say when I am worried about people who are self destructive.
Want to unfriend me? Fine.
Want to stop talking to me? Well Hell, when was the last time you called me anyway?
Heaven knows, it couldn't be something as simple as me not being able to find a setting on facebook. Oh hell no, must be some uber evil plot.
I'm leaving this one public so the world can see; this is hereby a "make drama and I will block your ass" zone.

Canada has a Constitution, though many Americans don't seem to realize that. It was originally known as the British North America Act, and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is included within it.

In 1866 representatives of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Canadas (at that time Canada consisted of Upper Canada and Lower Canada, mainly comprised of what is now Ontario and Quebec) came together in London for final discussions with the Colonial Office. Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island for the moment had withdrawn from the confederation talks. The London Conference led directly to the most important statute in Canadian constitutional history, the British North America Act of 1867. This act, with its subsequent amendments, embodied the written constitution of Canada for more than a century. It was proclaimed on July 1, now celebrated as Canada Day. (Here in Halifax, that's also known as Cannabis day, when revelers flock to the green spaces of the city to partake in a leaf that looks not entirely unlike the Maple Leaf of our nation's flag.)

The British North America Act provided that there should be four provinces in the new Dominion--Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia--and that others could join later. Each province was to have its own seat of government, its own lawmaking body, and its own lieutenant governor to represent the Crown. In addition, the act established a federal government at Ottawa, composed of a House of Commons (elected), a Senate (appointed for life), and a governor-general as the Crown's representative. It set forth the matters on which the provinces could make laws and listed those that were the special concern of the government at Ottawa. Any powers not listed were to belong to the federal government. (The act remained in force until the Constitution Act of 1982.)

Newfoundland was an independent country from 1907 to 1934. They held out until 1949 before joining Canada in Confederation.

That spiffy little thing that happened in 1982, when I was in high school and old enough to understand and remember it? The British Parliament passed the Canada Act, giving up all remaining constitutional and legislative authority over Canada. Yes, that's right, we Canadians have our own country just like you 'mericans have. We just went about getting our independance in a far more civilized manner.

See the Wiki if you need more details.

CSIS is our intelligence agency here, and I've worked with them. They're pretty decent guys, and they have great anti-terrorist dogs, even if one of the pooches is terrified of elevators.

The Black Watch, the Queen's Royal Highland Regiment, uphold the standards of Clan Stewart and Her Majesty the Queen. Rumour has it the name and the tartan they wear originated in the Scottish Highlands in 1729 in service to "watch" for "blackmail." Black Mount? Other than the fact that the horses used by the RCMP are uniformly black with a limited number of white markings, never heard of 'em, despite years of sitting at my cousin's side as he talked about his adventures in the constabulary.

If anyone out there wants to knock Canada's military, they'd do well to look up the Black Watch and the Royal 22e Regiment, known to their friends as the VanDoos.

Some folks would do well to read up on Pierre Trudeau and at least get their facts about Canada updated to only thirty years out of date.

We don't live in igloos, we don't have snow year 'round and we don't all eat pemmican and whale blubber.

Canadians invented basketball, codified Lacrosse, created the gas mask, the variable pitch propeller, Java (the programming language), the jetliner, wireless radio, the Black Berry, (He moved from Turkey when he was five. He's Canadian,) the snowmobile, The foghorn, ( the inventor was Scots by birth, Canadian by virtue of living the majority of his life here,) the hydrofoil, metal detector and telephone, the snow blower, the rotary snowplow, the music synthesizer, IMAX, the Robertson screwdriver, the garbage bag, the light bulb, Easy -Off oven cleaner, the alkaline battery, and the paint roller.

Can't think of any famous Canadians? Let me help you.

Ruby Keeler.
Tommy Chong.
Glenn Ford.
Mary Pickford. (Yes, America's Sweetheart was Canadian.)
Walter Pidgeon.
Fay Wray.
Norma Shearer.
Joseph Wiseman.
Pamela Anderson.
Dan Ackroyd.
Paul Anka.
Norman Bethune.
Frederick Banting -- he discovered insulin.
Raymond Burr.
James Cameron.
John Candy.
Jim Carrey.
Kim Cattrall.
Steven Cojocaru.
David Cronenberg.
Elisha Cuthbert.
Keifer Sutherland.
Donald Sutherland.
James Doohan (That's Scotty from the original Trek for those who don't know.)
Lexa Doig.
Atom Egoyan.
Linda Evangelista.
Michael J. Fox.
Terry Fox.
Brendan Fraser.
Matt Frewer. (You may remember cola commercials with Max Headroom?)
Abraham Gesner -- he invented kerosene.
Robert Goulet.
Lorne Greene.
Tom Green.
Graham Greene.
Paul Haggis.
Corey Haim.
Rick Hansen.
Paul Gross.
Monty Hall. (Tell me you have never heard of him and I won't believe you unless you're under thirty.)
Shalom Harlow.
Phil Hartman.
William Hutt.
Michael Ironside.
Robert Ito.
Peter Jennings.
Margot Kidder.
Eugene Levy.
Evangeline Lilly.
Art Linkletter.
Howie Mandel.
Jay Manuel.
Louis B. Mayer -- you know, the guy who co-founded MGM.
Sarah McLachlan.
Eric McCormack.
Todd McFarlane.
Bat Masterson.
Lorne Michaels.
Rick Moranis.
Mike Myers.
Sandra Oh.
Matthew Perry.
Gordon Pinsent.
Sarah Polley.
Keanu Reeves.
Caroline Rhea.
Morely Safer.
Kyle Schmid.
Paul Shaffer.
Joe Shuster. You might know him from the little comic he and a friend created -- What was it called? Oh yeah, Superman.
David Steinberg.
Alan Thicke.
Alex Trebek.
Vanity.
Nia Vardalos.
John Vernon.
Moses Znaimer, who created MuchMusic in 1984 -- Canada's answer to MTV.

You may not like it when we knock the US, but we didn't elect Bush twice in a row, and I am, and will always be, proud to say I AM Canadian.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/68486

This is how they treat their soldiers.

I have formerly compared the present US leadership to Hitler & the Nazis.
For that I apologize...

to the Nazis.

Hitler at least created the Autobahn and the Volkswagen before he went nuts.
As far as I can tell, there is not one positive thing to say about G.W. Bush.