I currently have an iPhone 3G that I bought about a year and a half ago. Sadly, I’m a little hard on cell phones, partially because of my job. About 2-3 months ago, I had my cell phone in my hand and went to put it on the kitchen counter, but missed it and it fell on the floor. This hasn’t been the first time that I’ve dropped the phone, but I usually have a case on it. I didn’t this time. The result was that the phone completely functions, short of the fact that the speaker on it no longer works. This means that I can’t use the speaker phone or hear the phone ring.

So, I decided to wait for the iPhone 4.. I knew that there would be hype about it and that it would be hard to find. I have a friend that went to the Apple store in Toronto the day it came out and had a prolonged wait even after the store opened just to get one. I’m eager to get it, but not that eager!

So, since then, I’ve been popping into various Fido retail locations to see if it’s been in. The first couple weeks I expected it to not be in. But it’s been a month since it’s been released and stores are getting very few in.. And there seems to be no sign of a mass release in the near future..

I went to school for marketing, so I understand the rationale behind building demand and hype about a product such as this. But seriously! For me, this is now becoming an annoyance. Here I am, a customer willing to give money for a product that is being withheld by the manufacturer. I like Apple products, but I’m getting a little pissed. I tried asking the rep in the Fido store in Coquitlam Centre today when did she think that they would have a regular supply. Well, she kept cutting me off and not letting me finish my question. I tried to say that I have no problem waiting, but am I likely waiting a couple weeks before the market is adequately supplied with the phone or am I looking at 3-4 months. I’m sure she gets similar questions all day and every day, and I don’t envy her having to explain it over and over.. But I just need a new phone. One that rings!

So.. If someone from Apple happens to read this, I just want a damn iPhone 4! Stop withholding the product and release it outright. Demand doesn’t need to be built up for a product that you KNOW is going to be in high demand. You are just pissing off a lot of people and wasting their time by going to various retailers looking for it. I do have better things to do with my time than to chase down a product that you apparently want to sell.

START SELLING IT!

I recently bought a new truck. The sales guy told me that the tires were filled with nitrogen. So, of course I asked him what the benefit of this was. He was going on about how it gives you better mileage on the tires and treadwear and blah, blah, blah. I asked him what happens when I need to add air. He said that I could fill them with air, and then the next time I brought the truck in for service they would drain the tires and refill with nitrogen.

Since then, I’ve seen a number of places that advertise this “amazing” product! NITROGEN FILLED TIRES! A MUST HAVE!

But wait… Something doesn’t add up here..

Now, I don’t remember that much from high school science, but I do remember that air is already 78% nitrogen. How much more benefit could having that extra 22% really provide..

I decided to ask my landlord who is a mechanic. I haven’t known him more than a few months, but I’ve come to learn that he’s pretty honest about all this car stuff. And when it comes to vehicles, I’m dumb as a post.. He said that there may be a slight benefit to putting pure nitrogen in there, but not enough to warrant the cost.

So, I’m just going to put air in there. Seriously! I can find better ways to spend/waste my money than on that..

This is just another fine example of a marketing ploy. Much like the box of saran wrap here that says “BPA Free” (with in very small letters above it saying “As always”). Or olive oil bottles saying that they are now “Cholesterol Free”.. umm.. Olive oil never has had cholesterol in it..

That’s it.. A short rant from me.. for once..

The year started off with promise. I got to go on a trip back home to Ontario — something that hasn’t happened for 9 nine years. I visited my family and a few friends on my quick trip back.. It started off well!

Then the 2010 Winter Games were here! An exciting event that I brought the kids to see the sights downtown. We even took the kids to see a Sledge Hockey game for the Paralympics..

Sadly, this was also a turning point. The same day as the hockey game was the same day that my wife and I let our children know that we were separating. It wasn’t an easy decision, but after being together for over 12 years, it wasn’t working for us..

Shortly after I moved out. And since then, things have been a very different. I left nearly everything in the house, so I had to quickly furnish a place as inexpensively as possible. (Well.. the inexpensively part didn’t work out so well). I’ve also had to learn how to operate a household on my own. This is the first time in my life that I’ve had to be on my own. And yes.. I do suck at housekeeping! My ex and I are also still working on how to schedule the kids around our needs, and parent as a cohesive unit that live separate lives now. A challenge indeed..

I’ve met someone as well. This happened much quicker than I thought and she’s had to put up with me. I’ve been all over the map in terms of how I feel about where I am in life, dating and family. It’s been over four months since I’ve moved out and this new lady in my life has been supportive (she’s clearly a sucker for punishment!). I’ve made mistakes and I still keep trying to improve myself.

I’ve had a lot more time for myself. When I don’t have the kids and when I’m not working, I spend time with this new woman in my life (Meghan). I go geocaching, have gone camping a couple times (with another trip planned in a couple weeks), and still am full of good intentions..

So, here it is on a beautiful, sunny holiday Monday. I’m planning to take the kids to the beach today, play in the water and find seashells and some crabs.. I have no idea where life is taking me at the moment, but I’m still moving forward. Who knows where this journey will take me.

Hopefully, I’ll be blogging a lot more regularly now..

I thought that I’d try something with them.. But first, here is what they look like!

Now, I really like geocoins. I’ve bought a few over the last year and have released them all into the universe to travel. I usually assign a mission to each one. I know lots of people like to have them “travel where the world” without having a set goal. Not me.. I want mine to achieve something!

So, I have these two identical coins. I placed them in the same cache at the same time. They are in a race around the world. One is to travel EASTBOUND and one is to go WESTBOUND only. Will they make it around the world? Who knows! How long will it take? I don’t know! But since I placed them only 2-3 days ago, they are already doing better than I had anticipated they would at this point.

The eastbound coin was picked up within hours of me placing it in the cache. The person that picked it up said that they were heading to the Maritimes in mid-September and would place it in a cache there. I was amazed! I figured that it would take many, many short hops to cross North America, but clearly one person is handling that for me!

The westbound one also seems to be poised for a big jump. I assumed that it would travel to Victoria relatively soon and then sit there for a while.. BUt that isn’t the case! Someone picked it up yesterday and placed it in a Travel Bug Hotel right by the Vancouver Int’l Airport.. It stands to good reason that it may move across the Pacific Ocean much sooner than I thought..

So.. The race is on! Which one will make it back to Maple Ridge first? Will either of them make it? I’ll keep you updated here..

So.. As it stands as of tonight…

Both were placed in my cache, “Building Blocks” (GC232PR) on the evening of July 25, 2010. Westbound has currently traveled about 40km and is near the airport. The eastbound one is in a player’s hands that will deliver it to the Maritimes in about 6 weeks..

FILE–Investigators, in an attempt to determine the cause of a DC-8 crash, haul one of the engines from the main crater during cleanup on July 7, 1970. The Air Canada jetliner crashed when landing killing 97 passengers and nice crew members. It’s been 40 years since Air Canada flight 621 crashed into a ravine while trying to land at Pearson Airport. Friends and families of the passengers and crew members – many from Montreal and Los Angeles – will gather Sunday July 4th, 2010, for a memorial at the crash site. The 109 people killed in that crash are being honoured by developers who dedicated a half-acre lot to the crash victims and will erect 109 headstones. THE CANADIAN PRESS/STF

My life the last few months has gone through some radical changes..  I won’t go into the details, but those of you who know me…  well..   you already know..

That being said, this past weekend, I went to Victoria to get away and do some sightseeing..  I had a great time!  One of the things I got to do was go on a whale watching tour.  I have never done this before and was not disappointed!   Here is a clip of the whale watching!

Other than that, I went on a ghost walk, went to the museum, went into the BC Provincial Legislature buildings, and found 7 geocaches in the two days that I was there..

All in all, it wasn’t a bad trip!

Yes…  That is a fully functional toilet right next to our service box!

I changed my background pic from me in front of Alcatraz, from my trip to San Francisco last March to a skyline shot of Toronto, (with me blocking it!), from my trip home this past January.

So..  on with spring cleaning!  Good luck with yours!  :)

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/glowing-hearts-day-in-bc.html

Have a great day!