Friday, December 29, 2023

Thursday December 28, 2023 Banking Woes (Updated)

 

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Thursday December 28, 2023

Tuesday, I was up by 6am to watch the Canadians play Norway in the Junior Hockey Tournament from Sweden.  Canada's team is meshing well and they won easily.

I got emails about the gift from my daughter and the kids which should be very interesting once I get going with it.....  Storyworth!  Great idea!

Bob came by with a stupendous gift of Dr. Ho's Triple Action Back Belt because he says I am sore from bending over the computer all day...  This thing has so many bells and whistles that it would probably chop carrots if I asked....  


 Bob also gave Don an expensive style of seat cushion (donut) because of his tender tailbone.  Both of us are very appreciative of Bob's thoughtfulness.

I got a call from Brenda that they were having trouble getting the DVD player in the common room to work to show a Chevy Chase Xmas movie that evening...  The first thing I found was that the DVD player was not hooked up to anything...!!  I managed to get it hooked to the Tuner beside it and got sound, but no picture...  There was no way to access the rear of the TV which is stupidly built into a wall.  The Tuner had 4 HDMI cables going somewhere...., and I tried every possible combination with a fifth slot and still had no picture...  Movie night there was cancelled due to "Technical difficulties"...

Don came over and we watched a movie, and later I watched most of the original "Alamo" movie myself before crashing.

Yesterday, I was up late and watched the Canadian Juniors bomb Latvia.  Then Don and I went to Oliver Square shopping.  First we went by the Registry but the line-up was to the door so we reversed to Safeway for Don...  I checked M & M Foods for macaroon cake which they no longer carry.  The bacon-wrapped Filet Mignons were $52 for 6...!!!!  No sales today....

I did a quick shopping trip at Dollarama, picked up a few things for Cristina, where my credit card was refused again,... so I went stomping to the CIBC down the block.  The security person said I needed to get that fixed through a teller, so I waited in line for 20 stupid minutes only to be told that I needed to call the number on the card....  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

We came home and I offered Don some salad for supper but he insisted that I have 2 pieces of pizza which he will bring in 20 minutes.  50 minutes later, he brings monstrous pieces of pizza!  Bob stopped by and tried to eat as well, but couldn't.  The pizza had chicken and oddities on it and a spicy sauce.  I think that it backed up later on the 3 of us overnight.  Then Don and I watched a Gal Gadot movie that was quite entertaining but we missed a lot without subtitles....

This morning, I woke early and called the CIBC number on the credit card.  I actually got through fairly quickly and they admitted that they had put a "stop" on my credit card when I tried to pay for my Avianca airline tickets!  Geez!  What is the point of having a decent limit on the card if they don't allow a person to use it and they embarrass us in the process...  They unblocked the card and recommended that I make small purchases to start with in Colombia to avoid problems there.  I made the point that no alert was sent to me in any fashion about this, so I spent another 30 minutes being transferred to someone who supposedly could fix this....  Typically, the said they couldn't, that I had to do it myself through Online Banking....   Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I did a few paperwork preparations for the trip south rather that wait until the last minute.

I rode the Gio to Dollarama again because I had forgotten to get items for friends in Colombia.  I found something good for vet John who has promised again to pick me up, but forgot about the other....  The credit card was accepted.

On an impulse, I swung by the Registry again and there was zero line-up (praise the Lord) so I actually got to drop off the paperwork to correct my name and address for Alberta Health Care...

Around 4pm I checked my Online banking again and was shocked to see that the Investments I had cashed in for US Dollars were already in my account, so I left a message and emailed my contact at CIBC.  Now here again is where things get stupid again....  She claimed that I had to physically come into the branch, talk to a teller about the withdrawal, and the teller would tell me when that could happen....  or..... I could call the branch in Ontario to arrange it there....   Duhhhh????  Maybe I am too cynical to wonder why it has to be in person here, but could be done by phone there....?????????  More idiot misdirection.....

I made my salad and ate slowly, just to cool myself down.

So, the bank was open until 7pm so I returned at 6pm, and luckily there was no lineup....  I showed the teller the deposit in my account and that I wanted a substantial withdrawal quickly.  She said it may take 2 weeks and I lost it!!!!  I told her that was MY money and I was going to withdraw it before I left Jan 4, and I wanted to talk to the Manager immediately!!!  She went to the Manager and came back explaining that my contact had already explained it to the Manager and that my money should be available Jan 3.....  Not perfect, but liveable....  You all know that I do not suffer fools well at all....

From there I decided to hunt for the Duncan Hines Fudge Cake requested by Roger....  Safeway didn't have it, so I quicly searched online on my phone and it directed me to Loblaw's City Market downtown, which I had never before visited, so off I went..  It was right next to the skating rink in front of Rogers Place, home of our beloved Oilers, so I took some photos and made some calls...  City market had no Duncan Hines either...  So I went to Save-on Foods as well, where I struck out again....  I called my sister in Ontario and she pointed out that Duncan Hines is available on Amazon... go figure... and I let my buddy Roger know this, because there are many different cake mixes and the chances were that I would pick wrong...

Don came by to get my help to search for a specific massager that he has, but is damaged, and needs replacement.  We found it on eBay.

We watched the Oilers take out San Jose Sharks 5-0, so it was a productive day overall....

I hope you enjoy the pictures.  That was the day’s excitement.

Al

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© All my work is COPYRIGHT protected and may not be used in any way without purchase, or without my permission. 

If you want to borrow a picture to share with family and friends, Facebook or whatever, at least PLEASE give me credit for the photo.

NOTE  that you may click on any photo for an ENLARGED VIEW.

 

 

My first time here

Bob and Doug McKenzie were uncommunicative





 

 

 

 

 


Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Monday December 25, 2023 Christmas

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Please see my best artworks for sale at my websites:  http://souvenirphotostudio.neocities.org/ or

al-bourassa.pixels.com

******

Monday December 25, 2023

Yesterday, I got picked up in the afternoon for a fabulous meal of genuine tourtiere with family before taking a walk to the nearby park which is lit up so beautifully.  They have a figure-8 ice path which was smooth with a slight skiff of snow on it.  The intention was to check it out for skating the following day, Christmas, as I had brought along the skates I had bought in Devon....  Then it was a little ping-pong with old, wobbly racquets.

Family and friends joined us for a Christmas Eve celebration that was full of lively conversation with tons of food to eat.  Around 11pm we were tuckered out.... and I was spending the night there on a comfy cot in the basement.

Today, I was surprised that everyone slept in until 9am before everyone was ready for the gift opening.  They had done the Secret Santa thing with a $50 limit and it was amazing the thought that went into the gift giving!  The hilarious part of the morning was when two of the guys gave each other new ping-pong racquets, so now everyone can play with fours....  Too funny!

At 1pm we grabbed our skates and headed to the figure-8.  The ice was lightly shoveled and everybody was enjoying a relaxing skate.  I tried my new skates which proved to be too big and wobbly and I barely made it 3 feet before coming back to sit.  One broken neck was enough.  It was just not worth the risk.   Even with 2 pairs of socks I am not convinced that I would enjoy those skates which did not feel sharp either.  My kingdom for another pair of the old Lange sturdy skates...

Then it was time for the fourth delicious turkey and ham dinner of this Christmas season!  What a glutton I am, but I am basically sticking to the one plate a day regimen regardless... 

After all that, I was given a long tiramisu cake for my birthday so I have had friends from the building pop in and share as large a slice as they want...  So far, 5 have joined me.

Names have been withheld to protect the innocent....

Now I am tuckered and ready for bed.

That was the day’s excitement.  Most photos removed.

Al

******

© All my work is COPYRIGHT protected and may not be used in any way without purchase, or without my permission. 

If you want to borrow a picture to share with family and friends, Facebook or whatever, at least PLEASE give me credit for the photo.

NOTE  that you may click on any photo for an ENLARGED VIEW.

 


Cristina celebrating in Cali





The figure-8 with lights





Almost full moon (happens tomorrow)




















 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Saturday December 23, 2023 Feasting

 

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******

Saturday December 23, 2023

Yes, feasting instead of fasting is not a good idea for this correspondent who is struggling mightily to stay below 100 kgs....  with the desire to get much lower.  Struggling is the operative word...  One meal per day is the only way I can do it...

Friday, I dealt with many responses to electronic Christmas greetings, hearing from people I know across the world and with whom I still maintain sporadic contact.  One friend from Cuenca intends to visit while I am in Colombia and that pleases me greatly.

After 10 tries, I finally got through surprisingly quickly to the Service Canada office to enquire about the status of my GIS application from July on, filed November 7th....  I was pleased to be informed that it is in process, assigned, and I should get a letter in a month or so advising me of the backpay and the new monthly amounts.  That extra income will be most welcome.

My cousin Jeanne smuggled in her dog Suki here while we explored my stash of old family pictures so she could pick and choose those that she wanted put on a memory stick.  It was so nice for me to get a doggie fix and enjoy getting licked by a happy Suki.

I went up to Bob's place and Don joined us to watch the Oilers get back on the winning track.  I came home, craved some popcorn, so made some, and flipped channels.  I came across a favourite, "Man On Fire" with Denzel Washington which I watched until late, again....

Today, I got a quick nice visit from niece Dawn and we had a catch-up conversation....

At 5pm Don brought down a turkey feast and Bob brought Baileys and snacks, while I supply the place and clean-up.  I forced myself not to overdo it but ate a healthy plateful.  Both did not stay terribly long after so I got into a new book while James Bond was saving the world on the TV.  I forced myself to stop at 11:30pm because tomorrow promises to be a busy day....

It truly saddens me that my closest friends all seem to be fighting severe health issues, to the point that the dreaded phone call would not be a surprise.  All we can hope for is that they maintain a good attitude and stave off the painful issues as best they can.  It almost makes me feel guilty for being so comparatively healthy...

Again, Merry Christmas to all and hope your celebrations in the coming days are joyful.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.  That was the day’s excitement.

Al

******

© All my work is COPYRIGHT protected and may not be used in any way without purchase, or without my permission. 

If you want to borrow a picture to share with family and friends, Facebook or whatever, at least PLEASE give me credit for the photo.

NOTE  that you may click on any photo for an ENLARGED VIEW.

 

The turkey meal for the day.

We raided the snacks brought by Bob

Bob and Don are good friends.

Don reacting to a spasm in his hand