Well its 2010. Time for a new year. I'd make resolutions but feel a revolution may be needed, at least that's what I am thinking. Its getting so I am only seeing the cup half empty not half full. TV business is slow, yet there is nothing to watch. Actors and actresses keep getting better looking but you can always catch them acting. Movies are entertaining but they cost a fortune and don't get me started on the cost of popcorn. As for government, especially Canadian and Ontario; well we can prop up car companies using fossil fuels but try to get a small business loan. And how about those banks? Ours urged us to get rid of our variable rate to lock in a great fixed rate - well that cost us a few thousand because we thought they were 'helping' and they were 'experts'. Turns out they wanted to get rid of all the 2% variable rates knowing that the prime was going to stay at 0.25% for quite some time. Oh well live and learn. Maybe I am just getting old but it seems customer service means fuck you. Of course there are great stories. I went on vacation and everyone - every service person for Skyservice and the Superclubs resort and Sunquest were fantastic and nice. There you see maybe the cup is half full. Maybe we don't need a revolution, just a few more smiles! And competent people behind the smile. Have a healthy and happy 2010 - and I promise more prose this year
Now its the cellphone companies that are driving me nuts. If you take one of their bargains you could end up with a 3 year plan and no way to get out. The constant pressure from advertising makes us always question "If we are on the right plan?" And you can never have it all. It goes back to cars - "do you want the floor mats and good stereo or the sunroof and extended warranty?" - same with phones - txt, image emailing, fave fives - give me a break. All I know is they have you by the short and curlies. Forget going into a store to have someone 'help' you. They want you to phone in and when you finally say you want out of your plan - suddenly, miraculously there is a better deal. But you have to be onhold for awhle first. Its a fulltime job keeping up with all the customer perks - but you can't really get a phone for 0 down and 10 bucks a month just like the one week all inclusive for $200 or the car lease for $199 or the Corvette for $200 because someone died in it and you can't get the smell out. Well I dunno about the others but the Corvette may be true.
The Canadian federal election approaches and its making me sick. First of all the guy (Harper isn't really a guy, he wears sweater vests) who called the election was elected last time in part because he said he wouldn't call random elections, that the election timing would be fixed. But in Canada if the guy ( or gal) running says one thing in the election and then does a total flip flop, they are merely fitting in with every Prime Minister since Trudeau. You have to go back to Pearson to get a man of his word. And unfortunately your vote in Canada doesn't really count. Face it. We all go to the polls with limited knowledge of the people running our riding and decide, based on who we want as Prime minister, if we vote liberal or conservative. Some vote green because they want them to get enough votes to get funding and some vote NDP because they do know how good the representative in thier riding is. But the Prime Minister is the leader of the party. and unless you are one of the delegates at the convention you had no say in this person. And you do not check their name only the person in your riding. so you have no say, really, in the Prime Minister - whose office controls the flow of information to and from his cabinet (but that is another story) In short - would you want to invte Dion, Harper, or Layton to your house for party? Would you like to go to a ball game with them? Hey Harper, grab Dion and Layton lets go do some shooters!
March 13 2008
Gas. They say it may go as high as $1.40 a litre by summer. That's a 300% increase in ten years - give or take a percentage. Has your income gone up 300%? Has the cost of a bag of chips gone up 300%? And while we are on the subject, everytime they raise the prices we all say "How can every gas station raise thier prices at the same time by the same amount isn't that illegal?" And we are all right. It's against the Combines Investigation Act that stopped grain cartels from controlling their industry. But everything has gone crazy. The media would rather talk about Harper allegedley bribing someone, than the gas companes raping everyone. Of course the oil companies say - hey why doesn't the government lower the tax? To that I still say how can every gas station raise prices the same day the same amount? And with each company ( Esso, shell, Petro Can etc) all having different quantiites of reserves - they can't use the cost of crude as a rationale. Of course most people would rather read about a US govenors hooker habits than our own government protecting the people they were elected to serve. $1.40 a litre - who cares? Did you see the tits on that $2,000.00 an hour hooker?
I got my new license plates today. They say Ryoukind. I wanted to give people in traffic something to think about. Are you kind? It also gives me something to think about and ask myself everyday. I didn’t want people looking at my plates to think I was macho by getting “timmer” or “tjp one” or some play on my name. Imagine a voiceover at a sports arena asking if the owner of a car with plate “bigcock” or “greatguy” could come to the information area. No I chose ryoukind. And remember being kind to yourself counts.
