the rooster phones it in, again

So, Bell Sympatico has actually surprised me. No, my replacement wifi modem-router did not arrive. I expected as much.

I called the support line after checking the mail and the unit was, as expected, not in the post.

After going through all the confirmation baloney, more than once, I discovered what actually occurred.

The tech on the phone began to tell me the first replacement unit sent out arrived and was received the very next day.  I told the tech that was not possible.

The tech began to recite the address it was sent to. I stopped him before he even finished the street number. I was my old address. An address I have not been associated with in over a decade.

Yup, more than eleven years actually. I questioned Bell Sympatico's competency. I also asked how it could go to my very old address after my current address was confirmed. With both attempts to send me a replacement.

No answer, of course. The tech said they would solve the problem and ship another unit right away. I told him the proper solution was to get a Bell Sympatico employee to take in hand my replacement unit and get in a Bell Sympatico vehicle and bring it to my house immediately.

Some back and forth, on hold a couple of times. The compromise: a field tech will hand deliver the unit tomorrow. I told the dude on the phone that I am out all day tomorrow. No worries, no one need be home. Okay. It will be delivered by 9:00 AM. If no one is home, it will be left in my mailbox.

Luckily, even though we have no home delivery with Canada Post, we actually have a mail box. We use it for dropping off and picking up items with various people and organisations we deal with.

Of course the tech on the phone repeatedly apologised. I know it is not this guy's fault, but I care not for the apologies. Anyway, the third replacement is supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Honestly, I will be surprised if it does. He had to force my actual address for the workorder. It was still wrong. I explained the actual proper street address. He apparently fixed it.

But here is the kicker. I got a text from Bell Sympatico just after I got off the phone. It was to confirm my "repair appointment". Okay? Not exactly right, but I figure there are limitations to the software.

I click the link, I need to confirm I will be there. No option​ to click: no, will not be there, just do your thing. It also says the field tech will arrive Between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. Probably another limitation. It also said it will take an hour to complete the service call. Another limitation?

Anyway, I clicked: I will be there. The guy on the phone said I did not need to be. I cannot reschedule it. Oh yeah, the original text also states: At Bell's discretion, a fee may apply if not present for scheduled appointment.

So, this whole thing, a fiasco until now, should prove very interesting tomorrow. I suspect I will be calling 310-BELL once again. I have begged for help from heaven, but think I am dealing with the devil, in the not too unfamiliar guise of Bell Sympatico. blbbl

lord, give me strength or why hath bell sympatico forsaken me

So, not to my surprise, my replacement wifi modem-router did not arrive by today as promised and assured.

On my phone to post again. The connection is dragging and sporadic on my hard-wired computer.

I am truly stunned. That is different from surprised, in that now two replacement units have not arrived when promised.

The first one: not late, not at all. Maybe the second one will actually arrive tomorrow, but I doubt. If it did, then I would be surprised!

So, now I presume I will need to call yet again. They will probably stall me. However, I will push for a third unit to be sent. I will also push for it to be hand delivered as the first support technician promised.

I will request/demand it be sent immediately. They will probably put it off at least until Friday. In the end, what choice will I have? Bell Sympatico has me by the short and curlies. It is starting to hurt. blbbl

my "wifi" modem-router hates me

So, not only has the wifi all but ceased to function on my home unit, the hard-line is now acting up.

I had all kinds of trouble trying to work online on my computer today. So I am posting from my phone.

Still waiting on my replacement unit from Bell Sympatico. It is supposed to arrive by tomorrow, but I have no faith left in it happening in a timely manner.

As I mentioned in another post, the current unit is allegedly the second one they have sent in the post.

Whenever I do receive it, I will still have to configure it. Then get all our various devices logged in to it as well. Hopefully, this new modem-router will not keep assigning the same IP address to multiple devices, like the very tired one I have currently. Hopefully too, the wifi will not keep stalling either and forcing constant restarts.

My final wish is that it will actually operate at modern acceptable speeds. Wow, I want a lot!

All this frustration puts me in mind of an old commercial: "Calgon.....take me away!" blbbl

thanksgiving shoosting

The wife had to go in to work on this Thanksgiving Monday. So, the boy and I went shooting at the range. (Euphemistically called "shoosting".)

Just .22s and one of my .32 ACP pistols. He was not keen on the 32. He likes the Ruger MKII pistol, but I need to find him a standard barrel as opposed to the bull barrel one I have, for the lighter weight. He is not too bad a shot for just starting out. He hits the paper. He needs more training to control his breathing and improve his aiming habits. However, he shoots better than many novice adult shooters I have met over the years.

The rifles. I have an ancient beat-up Cooey Model 60 bolt-action. It has a modified scope mount that I bought from a guy up in Yellowknife, NWT. It is interesting, in that it prevents spent casings from bouncing off the scope mount back in to the loading area of the rifle. Sighting can be done with either the scope or the iron sights as well. The boy rather liked it and it functions fairly well for left handed shooting, as the boy prefers for rifle. Personally, I find the rifle boring. It is super accurate. 

Colonel Townsend Whelen said, "Only accurate rifles are interesting." Personally, once all the tweaking is done, a rifle no longer is fun for me. At that point, its only purpose is for serious shooting. That is the reserve of other actions that have no place during funtime.

Now, my FN Browning Trombone pump-action, that will give me eons of "fun". It had cycling issues. I had it fixed. The issue is now sporadic. I need to experiment with it to determine if it is what I am feeding it or if something is inherently wrong to just piss me off. Also, it is scoped. Not crazy about it, but the previous owner removed the rear sight. I know not why. I will need to have one installed, as the irons can be used with the scope still mounted, just like the Cooey. Because it was particularly acting up for the boy, he did not shoot it much today. I need to experiment, as it may be one of those firearms that has to be handled a particular way and will just not work for some people; though it may be the rifle. Time will tell.

The Marlin 39-A lever-action is a treat. I particularly like it. The boy does too. The previous owner replaced the existing iron sights with a Lyman peep sight kit, which really is a diopter sight. Anyway, it shoots really well. I think a scope would really make this guy shine, but I fear I would not be able to keep the Lyman sight mounted; the boy really likes the sights on this rifle. Investigation is needed. This is now a "fun gun". Tweaking required.

The fourth, and last rifle, is a Ruger 10/22. A no bells -and-whistles model. Personally, I find people fart around way too much with these. One can hardly recognise them for the rifle they are sometimes. I like my basic model. The only thing that I will work on is scoping it. The boy is interested in that too. Probably because he had the least success with accuracy with it. The only problem with mounting a scope, is that the iron sights will most likely not be usable. I will need to investigate options; maybe a peep sight instead. As to making other changes. I may consider buying a stainless one with a synthetic stock. it would be ideal for field use, but I am in no rush. Then I would have to consider if a take-down model is worth the effort too; probably not. so, another funtime-charlie project with this guy.

Those are all the .22s, we brought them all today. However, I want to get a Remington 552. I missed an opportunity recently and I am pretty pissed with myself. It was a nice model, with really good iron sights. So, now the search has restarted in that particular area. The only other .22 there is an interest in, other than another Ruger MKII as mentioned earlier, is a wheel gun. Most likely a Smith and Wesson Model 17 or one of its variants. Preferably a six-shot. Well, that closes off the .22s and the day. Happy Shoosting Day, um, I mean, um, Happy Thanksgiving. blbbl

bell sympatico has boned me again

Yes, what a shock! ;o)

Well, I never really expect much from Bell and its various services: landline phone, Sympatico internet, Mobiltiy (aka cell phone service). I have never had their television service and have no intention ever to have it.

Bell Canada's quality of service is often left wanting. Their billing and customer service in particular blow huge. Although, I have had excellent individuals from time to time, I have also had terrible people on the other end of the phone - some outright liars.

This time, it is my internet with Bell Sympatico.

I am still renting my non-wifi modem now for well over a decade-and-a-half. Yup, I have paid for it many times over. They have never offered a replacement or upgrade. Jackasses. A friend of mine gave me a wifi modem-router. I have been using it for some time. However, the antenna broke off recently and the wifi is absolute crap now.

Now, I finally called Bell about replacing the crappy modem that I had not used in years. I called them on Thursday 28 September 2017. They said a technician would drop off my replacement wifi modem-router within three days. That placed it as Tuesday 03 October 2017. Well, it did not arrive. I called on Friday 06 October 2017 and spoke with another support technician. They said the modem was mailed.

Really, the guy said that it was not given to a tech to drop off but mailed. Okay. Well, I still had not gotten it. On hold, questions, on hold. Okay, they are sending another wifi modem-router. Two days expedited. That means not before Wednesday 11 October 2017 due to the holiday.

So, that they are telling me they are sending another modem. Baloney! The first one must not have actually been sent. Super rare for Bell to send a replacement piece of equipment when the original is in la-la land somewhere.

I will be amazed if I see it even before the end of next week. Oh yeah, I have to keep paying rent on the obsolete modem until I physically return it and Bell receives it. They are supposed to include a "return kit" with the new wifi modem-router. Yeah, well, I will deal with that once I get my new wifi modem-router.

I am pissed though, and I told them that. I am using my data package on my mobile phone at home because I cannot get wifi. I cannot get wifi on my tablet, so I cannot check my newsfeeds properly; I just do not like going through the news on my computer, I prefer the tablet. Anyway, they said if I go over my data package allotment they will not bill me. Really? I would be surprised if that happened without my bitching about. We will see.

Honestly, their staff are actually getting better with their interactions with their customers. However, as soon as something is cocked up, it is a disaster. Just like my having to now wait for a replacement modem for two weeks. The guy on the phone said that two days expedited was the best he could do. Actually, the best that could have been done was to have someone grab a new replacement wifi modem-router, jump in a vehicle, and bring it to me at home immediately. Then I would have been satisfied, impressed, and happy. blbbl

groceries - back on track

So, sorry about the blow-off yesterday, but sometimes, life gets in the way.

I wanted to comment on groceries. I find the cost of consumable foodgoods and sundry items for daily living, such as dish soap, toilet paper, etc., constantly on the rise.

However, our household generally manages to keep our layout for these goods fairly constant. We check the store flyers, look for sales (it is surprising how many items can be on sale in the stores without advertising, so I normally go down every aisle and check out every corner, even if only picking up a few items), and buy items in bulk. We do whatever we can to keep our costs down.

That all being said, our weekly grocery bill for a family of three (two adults, man and woman, and a teenage boy) is usually between fifty and one-hundred dollars a week. I think that is pretty good. We are not on starvation diets, and we do eat meat and poultry, but not in every meal. 

We do not normally buy organic as it is extremely expensive. To be honest, I find some of the items that are organic, free-range, whatever, at times suspect to be qualified as such. Many people buy these types of goods not just thinking they are eating better (they may be), but also that their impact on the planet is reduced. That last bit is usually a lark. Many of these organic/free-range type foodgoods travel great distances by truck, plane, train, ship, and the like. The global impact on resources that these foods have is fairly significant. So, please do not kid yourself that you are helping the planet.

If you want to buy organic/free-range, firstly buy local. In the second place, find out what they are really doing. Many more "substances" are used in the natural food producing process that are quite shocking at times than people realise. Not all producers use these dubiously acceptable aids, but more do than you think.

Anyway, back on track. We do not normally go organic/free-range. It depends. Sometimes there is a deal, sometimes I buy directly from local farmers. It depends. However, not always all that cheap. Over the spring and summer last year we were buying produce from a young couple just down the road. It was plentiful, cheap, and unadulterated with chemical garbage. Unfortunately it was a bad growing year (they had to put in quite an effort to save as much as possible), they just had a newborn (that is not unfortunate), they had other projects and businesses on the go. That and several other factors all conspired against their efforts of true organic and natural farming and providing it locally. They stepped back from the project. I do hope they will restart it as we ate well for cheap.

Back on track again. So, we normally spend 50-100 bones a week. Several times a year we do larger runs for larger, normally bulk, purchases. These can add up. Yet, we have not had to go out and buy toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags, dryer sheets, soap, toothpaste, kitchen-bath-floor-window cleaner, etc., for over a year. Well, you get it. Basically, many items for personal and general hygiene and keeping a clean house are stockpiled. These are easy items to buy in bulk for long-term use, if you have the space to store them. Sadly, many people live in apartments, condos, etc, that preclude the opportunity.

These purchases can be quite hefty at the outset. But if you can take the sting, the cost has been paid, not needed to be made again for some time, and if you break it out over the consumption period, these items are so very economical. This is a practice I learnt growing up from my parents.

Bulk buying also works well for items that have a long shelf-life too. Canned goods, pasta, rice, sauces, seasonings (spices last way longer than most of you will come across in reading expert opinions, especially if they are items like whole spices such as peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, cumin, caraway, and the like). So, this is something we do as well. We will buy some canned goods when they are on sale. Various beans, soups, chilies, pasta concoctions. Other than the beans, most of the ready to go canned meal goods are used for days when when time is extremely short, power outages, camping. And if they still are before the "best before" date, they are handy for food drives. 

(Just so you know, if you do not know already, most, if not all, food banks cannot or will not accept anything that is past its "expiry". Our local food bank gets a lot of stuff past its date and they put it in the "lobby" and inform clients that they cannot give it to them, but nothing can stop them from helping themselves. Again, if you do not know, these dates are "best before", they do not spoil immediately after that date. Many foodstuffs are still good for some time, but they have a liability issue to contend with. That is their work around. At least in the past.)

If you have a really good freezer, one that can keep things frozen for a couple of days if you suffer a power outage, bulk or sale buying works for items you can freeze for later use. This is really where one can clean up! We will buy various cuts of meat and poultry on sale, usually because it actually is near end of shelf life. If you either cook it right that day or throw it in the freezer when you get home, you can get a really terrific deal. Often way below current market for the protein. The funny thing though, we have been eating less and less meat over the last several months. Poultry is hit and miss; it has gone through the roof, which is total baloney, so our consumption of that has even decreased, but not as much as beef, pork, and lamb. Yet, as a result, we can really wait out the deals; we still love our steaks now and again and we are definitely not walking away from broth fondue with little titbits of meat and poultry (we actually also have several vegetables and even potato for the broth fondue, so a pretty rounded meal).

The other times we make bigger buys is before a few holidays/long weekends. In particular: Christmas/New Years, Canada Day, and Thanksgiving. We will buy some more luxurious products for those times, especially the first one mentioned. We have more elaborate meals at those times and will even splurge if the deals are not forthcoming. Plus, there are treats we may not have at other times of the year. At Christmas, I like to have nuts in the shell, shortbread; the wife likes eggnog. The boy: he likes the seasonal soft drinks, pretzels, Linzer torte, and ginger cookies. So, we try to go out of our way to get the really good stuff. For Christmas and Thanksgiving, they both love pumpkin pie. Me? I go for pecan pie, if I can find it; it can be hard to locate at times so far from the Deep South.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, it used to be a big deal with us. We would always make a big smash and invite many friends or, for a while, we would go to to a friend's cottage up by Lac Sainte Marie and bring "all the fixin's" and again, make a big smash for a bunch of people. It was very similar for Canada Day and between Christmas and New Years too. However, Thanksgiving was the biggie. This year, it is just the three of us. A first in a very, very long time.

So, speaking of Thanksgiving again, this was the ultimate point of my ramblings. As I said, it is only the three of us this time round. Yet, I still managed to drop 600 clams for groceries this week. Then, I dropped about another 100 today. The wife put down 80 earlier this week and then some more today. How is this possible? Well, let me tell you.

Excluding the weekend's indulgences, we stockpiled on various items including deals. I bought a whack of Patak's curry sauces, they were on sale. I bought dumplings with various fillings, not on sale, but a good price and we have a batch most weeks. Some various chocolates and such at really good prices. The wife picked up a bunch of raviolis and real Italian pasta. These are, along with many items, (long term) staples in our house. Plus I picked up our regular grocery bill; it will most likely last two weeks or more this time round. Then there were the adult beverages: a crate of wine that will go for some time and a special bottle of Wiser's 15 year old Canadian Whisky which just came out (I will most likely not crack it for some weeks or even months).

The indulgences? The boy did not want turkey this year. Okay, fine. He wanted roast beef. I bought a prime rib roast: 30 samolians. Actually a very good deal, in this day and age. For Thanksgiving, and Christmas, I also normally do a ham in addition to the gobbler. So, I bought a ham, that will give us a lot cold cuts for various lunches, a pea soup with ham, other dinners and more. I still got a turkey though: 15 smackers, very good deal. We will cook it up at some point when the cold really settles in. Then it will be the basis for a bunch of lunches, a soup, and probably at least another dinner. (Hot turkey sandwiches perhaps?)

More indulgences. Today, many baked goods, various fresh, real breads, some pies: pecan and pumpkin. We now actually have two pumpkin pies for this weekend, but I do not eat pumpkin pie. The boy and the wife do, so a pie for everybody. I also bought some items for future pies the wife wants to make, sale items of course. Then we bough a bunch of sodas on sale too, these will last for months.

So, even though we dropped a bomb this week, it will all carry us for some time to come. The roast will most likely give us a supper of hot beef sandwiches, if not two. So, really we spend more than 50-100 bucks a week. Maybe closer 100-150ish, but this also includes consumable items that are not food. I can be certain that we are spending far less than many people on weekly expenditures. And wasting much less. I learnt from my parents to not waste, the wife is the same way. We know far too many people that are frivolous with their purchases and how they use (or do not use) them. Bang for the buck baby! That is what it is all about.

There is a saying: "To make money, you have to spend money." Well, I say: "To save money, you need to spend money." I know it is not always easy, but if you can pull it off financially and you have the personal resources at home for storage, it is a good way to make your dollars stretch and fill your gut, and keep your house clean and tidy, at the same time. blbbl

groceries - an interlude

I was going to discuss groceries today. However, I have had an odd day and I currently have a visitor. So, I will discuss groceries tomorrow.

I think this is actually my shortest post. blbbl