another day....

~ not another dollar that's for sure. I hate being caught in the middle of feuding friends (or co-workers). Its terrible when one is always trying to gain allegiance by all who will listen. I like them both, but when the bickering stopped and they both stopped talking to the other, the true colours can be seen. I am not perfect, but I couldn't work in a hostile environment - the scenario: the two woman were friends, the partners/husbands are friends... one day, Friend A goes out with the other couple and is introduced to some scumbag, and well, to shorten this - she breaks up with the boyfriend of 17 years, and lets the s/b move in after a couple of months, and surprise - surprise, by the end of the year, she's married to him. He's a accused 'woman beater' - I say accused because this is all hearsay. I don't trust him - he gives me the creeps and everyone is convinced he's only out for her dosh. After everything that's happened to her, I really hope that she loves him - because if he fucks her up, she won't have many friends to pick up the pieces when he's thrown in jail or whatever. And if I am wrong, and he really does care and treats her well, then good- I hope he was worth it.

online dating

So I have taken that step into the online dating world. I made a half-a**ed attempt a few years ago and again last year. What I have noticed is that it is very hard to 'trust' anyone these days. It will be almost 10 years since I first started communicating with dear Andreas, and we are still friends. There were a few years in between when I really felt I loved him and wanted to be with him. I had went so far as to research everything I needed to know about marrying him. When it came to it - we both realised too much time had passed, my job had become more stressful and I was not a happy camper all the time. I hadn't felt so much in love since I was with MA. My love is deep, enduring, and I really want to be in it for life. I've seen so many people get married, divorce, date, break up - and I just don't want to go through that. So now fast forward to these past few weeks, I've been out to a few of the bars, met some really nice guys, but no one I'd want to date. People say I am attractive, I'm fun to be around, I have a way of looking at the positive side of things, and I make them laugh. So where are all the guys at? (no need to comment here). I just have so much happening right now that perhaps it isn't the right time, but if not now, when?

Meet and Greet

Tonight I attended a meet and greet (or a holiday wine/cheese party) for the residents of the condo. It was nice, the first one I've been to. It was a small gathering, mostly older residents but it was a good opportunity to meet other people. It would be nice to do this again - hopefully with a much younger crowd. Anyhow, lets see what the new year brings. The vet was here today - and it was Berlin all over again. I am referring to speaking with people who's first language is not englisch, aber, a very nice man - Silas got his shots - which was perfect, so now, I do not need to travel all the way downtown.

Right now, I am watching Walk on Water... I want to go to Israel!

ALEXTEL and other pre-tech toys of mine

ALEXTEL [From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

Alex was the name of an interactive videotext information service offered by Bell Canada from 1988 to 1994.

The Alextel terminal rented to customers was a NAPLPS terminal with a standard modem for use on regular phone lines. The service could also be accessed with a personal computer with the appropriate terminal software.

Using the service could cost as much as 0.30$CAD per minute, and many users terminated their subscription upon receiving their first invoice.

The advent of the World Wide Web contributed to making this service obsolete. On 1994-04-29, Bell Canada sent a letter to its customers announcing that the service would be terminated on 1994-06-03. In that letter, Mr. T.E. Graham, then Director of Business Planning for Bell Advanced Communications, stated that "Quite simply, the ALEX network is not the right vehicle, nor the appropriate technology, at this time to deliver the information goods needed in our fast-paced society."

The Alextel terminal is reportedly usable as a dumb terminal for VT100 emulation.

Holy schmokes, I HAD one of these things (twice I'm sure!). The first time must have been 1989 or something, and the second time in 1992. I can't remember how much I paid for it on a monthly basis, but I remember talking with some Bell reps from Montreal (they were moderators for the some of the chat rooms). The chat rooms were a step up from the 'party lines' of the late eighties. My cousin and I used to go on them all the time, and met some interesting people out of them. My technology needs seem to have been met throughout my life. [UPDATE: I was saddened to learn that my cousin passed away on her birthday last September, and had missed an opportunity to visit earlier in the summer. I will always have such wonderful memories of the summers we shared. edit: July 28, 2018]

Other tech needs...

I remember using a cell phone in 1991, one of those big humongus ones, then another one - slimmer, smaller, in 1994, buying our first computer in 1995, an IBM Aptiva. That was a major purchase for the time. Hello, AOL! and an introduction to web spaces and chatrooms. Later on in the 90s introduced me to "Eurotrip.com" and travelling abroad solo... 

More another time...

My Space

I am addicted to MySpace. I've neglected doing my own web page, now I spend all my time looking for 'friends' people who interest me - share interests, and what's really great about this is I am really starting to 'know me' - or rather have a clearer understanding of who I am and what I want.
I read all these profiles and I think,g~d this is too weird, I am not the only one or someone else out there likes the same things. its been tremendous in relieving stress from work, I get stressed, I logon, and suddenly I am among 'friends'. Okay, so its a bit stretched - for now, its better than spending money i don't have on ebay or amazon.