Stuck between a rock and a hard place

It's Time to Move on...

2009-03-31T22:20:00.006-04:00

It's about time I finally started using my own domain.

Please visit http://virginiamiddleton.ca/blog for ALL future updates.

Thanks,
Virginia

Typing Meme

2009-03-22T11:27:00.003-04:00

I realize this doesn't count or really qualify as an update, but since I haven't spammed this place with Memes of any sort, I figure posting one is forgivable. I'll try to include some content as well so that this may seem more like a blog post.

76 words

Typing Test

When I first saw my results, I thought, "so what?". After a quick search for "average typing speed", I found an article on Wikipedia (surprise, surprise, just about everything is there!).

According to Wikipedia's "Words per minute" article, "An average professional typist reaches 50 to 70 wpm, while some positions can require 80 to 95 (usually the minimum required for dispatch positions and other typing jobs), and some advanced typists work at speeds above 120." While I wouldn't consider myself to be a professional typist, I'm actually pleased with my typing speed.

There is also a brief discussion on the speed in which most people read. I will confess that I'm a pretty slow reader. It could be connected to my ADHD and my OCD behaviours and the NEED to read every word... but on average I'm really not a fast reader. That being said, I should read more because I room to improve.

The Wiki article isn't very long, so take a look at some of the interesting tidbits it has to offer. So how are your typing skills? Are you surprised, pleased, indifferent towards your results? Or are you so apathetic to a test like this that you just won't bother?

I haven't updated in over a month because life has been quite crazy. My husband and I were on a cruise at the beginning of March. We were attending the wedding of friends of ours and had a really great trip. I'll provide a better update with some photos and details later.

Last Wednesday, I went to the first of two concerts with Britney Spears. More on that later, but overall it was a fun night and entertaining to boot.

Alright, I'm off for now. There are other things to get done and I should take care of them before the day is wasted away.

Knitting Connections

2009-02-18T21:17:00.011-05:00

While in St. John's, I wanted to visit a couple knitting related places.

On Monday, Stacey and I ventured over to Wool Trends. It's a local yarn shop that (unbeknownst to me) has been in existence for 11 years. I guess it's true that you don't notice something unless it's relevant to you.

From the outside, the store looks like a house. But it's much more than that... it's basically 2 1/2 floors of yarn, yarn and more yarn! There were some various types that were new to me and more than a few I'm not ready to use just yet (e.g. sock yarn). I did pick up some yarn to make a cute hat (when I start it I'll post something here). Otherwise, the visit was more for the fun of it and a base reference so that I know what's available for future interest.

The next stop was Nonia, which is located downtown on Water Street.

Side note: That's Stacey in the photo (I was busy taking photos... that's usually the case these days).

I've heard that Nonia has some lovely things there and even yarn for sale... unfortunately, it seems that they're closed on Mondays!! Because we flew back to Toronto on Tuesday morning, and that it was obviously impossible to grab a Tardis and go back in time (Doctor Who reference), I was sh*t out of luck. This was both annoying and disappointing, but ah well, it's something I'll make sure to plan for when we return in June for Darleen and Mark's.

When living in St. John's, I had heard of Nonia, but again, it didn't really have an impact on me, nor did it seem like a significant place to visit. But now that I'm a knitter, it's caught my attention. It was my mother-in-law who lives in Barrie that suggested I visit Nonia during this recent visit.

It's interesting - since moving to Toronto, I've become more aware of smaller stores and boutiques in general. For anyone familiar with Queen West in Toronto, there are lots of shops around the Queen W and Spadina area. Unfortunately, there are more and more chains or "box stores" popping up. But the smaller stores that do remain are unique and some are fun to visit. Of course like anything, there are some places that are pretentious and snobby... but that's to be expected. In St. John's, the downtown area, there are shops that have been standing there for decades and owned by families for generations. It's true that some things are overpriced and more luxury purchases, but I think when we live in St. John's someday, it somewhere I'll want to visit more regularly, even if it's just to window shop and wander around the historic area.

So back to the knitting...

Last Wednesday, we were at the airport waiting to board our flight. Originally, we were suppose to fly out at 7:35 p.m. But because of fog in Toronto (oh the IRONY that it was fog IN Toronto stopping us from flying to Newfoundland...). So while I was at the airport and bored, I was working on a new dishcloth pattern I found online (photo below). After multiple flight delays, we finally flew out just after 11:30 p.m.

I'm still a little burnt out from all of my Christmas knitting, so dishcloths are an easy outlet for knitting some new patterns, but without taking on too big a project at this point. I do have plenty of yarn in my stash and I'll have to get cracking on some new things, but not until after the cruise we're going on in the first week of March (more details later).

Some may feel that dishcloths are simple and a waste of time, but I have friend and family who really enjoy them. And this latest pattern is something you really have to follow to the letter since there's actually a right and wrong side. So while waiting in the airport, I did end up frogging back a few rows.

It's difficult to see the pattern in this photo, but you'll be able to see it more once it's further along. It has a lot of seed stitch and that added texture should make it handy for scrubbing dishes and pots that frustratingly need more soaking.

Visiting Home

2009-02-15T23:00:00.006-05:00

My husband and I arrived in St. John's on Thursday morning at 4:00 a.m. Our flight was technically suppose to arrive at 12:00 a.m... but ironically, there was a lot of fog in Toronto and very few flights were getting out. Luckily though, we endured just a delay and our flight wasn't cancelled.

We planned this trip months ago with the purpose of me organizing a bridal shower for my friend Darleen. She and her fiancé, Mark, are getting married this June. I'm their Matron of Honour and I want to help them prepare for their special day as much as I can despite living away from St. John's.

Tomorrow is Family Day in Ontario, and I'm happy to be in St. John's spending the day with my family here in St. John's. My parents are having a number of people from my mother's side of the family over to have a belated birthday celebration and to also celebrate my grandfather's birthday which is on Wednesday. Poppy will be 82 and we're really glad to be here to celebrate. We unfortunately missed the big party that was held for his 80th, but we were lucky to be in St. John's last July for Nanny's 80th.

The photo in this post was taken on Saturday while at my grandparents' for brunch. It's a real Newfoundland breakfast with Fish 'n Brewis, scrambled eggs, fried up ham, cheese and bacon toast and of course a piece of bread with some Newfoundland jam (marsh berry and bakeapple were the two types I had).

Whenever we come home for a visit, I really try to make sure I spend time with my grandparents, and great aunts. Not to sound terribly morbid, but none of them are getting any younger and someday I'll wish I had taken the time to see them more. But I also know that the opportunities I have now are appreciated so much more because I'm aware of how lucky I am.

What would a visit to St. John's be without "getting some weather"? When our plane touched down, the weather couldn't have been better (again, it was so ironic that fog in Toronto was stopping our flight from taking off!!). We've had snow a few times since that time, but it's just a normal thing this time of year. Even today prior to the shower, there was a lot of snow blowing, the roads became very slippery... but it didn't stop people from going out and tending to business as usual. In fact, we had a really good turn out this afternoon. I think approximately 38 people were invited and we had at least 28 in attendance.

I'm sure I'll have more to say about this trip home and lots of photos for Facebook and Flickr.

My Camera May Have a Cold... or Worse...

2009-02-04T23:10:00.001-05:00

I really enjoy taking photos. Since receiving my Canon SLR Rebel XTi last year for my birthday (my very awesome husband surprised me with it just before we left for a long weekend in Montreal to visit my cousin Megan), I've been very pleased with the unique shots I've been able to capture.

I'm a little frustrated right now because my camera seems to be glitchy and is corrupting files left, right and centre. I did contact Downtown Camera and chatted with someone about the situation. It was suggested that I reinstall the latest firmware upgrade. It seemed to improve things, but I'm a little weary because the corrupted files are still happening, but not as frequently.

There's a bit of a dead-lock situation as such right now too. If I have the camera sent away to be examined by Canon, I won't get it back in time for the cruise we're going on during the first week of March (long-time friends Jason and Heidi are getting married while we're in Grand Cayman!!). But I have concerns that it will be hard to detect when corruptions occurs (and losing some fantastic photos really bugs me).

So for now I think I'll just try to take multiple shots when provided with a good photo opportunity (going forward and until after the cruise). But once we return, if I'm still having file issues, then I really have no choice but to send the camera away and hope that there's something that can be done. At the end of the day, it could mean my camera is replaced... but I would be happy to have it simply repaired because I've shared some fantastic adventures with the camera and am not ready to call it quits just yet. :)

My camera is an extension of me when I'm using it. I'm protective over it too (almost like it's a child and I worry when people who are not experienced camera users like myself try to hold it or mess with it). When great photos happen, I'm proud of the work my camera and I do together. And I have no problem bragging about how I feel really in sync with it when a shot turns out even better than I anticipated.

I thoroughly enjoyed using my previous camera, the Kodak C360 (a simple 5 Meg point-and-shoot that's nicknamed "3-60"), and I still enjoy using it now and then for outdoor shots and of course for video. It too has served me well and I'll only trash it once it finally dies.
I still remember lining up outside Future Shop in St. John's for the annual Boxing Day Sale in 2005. It was a cold, cold morning where I crawled out of bed around 5:30 a.m., drove across the city, and then waited in line until the store opened at 7:00 a.m.. It was a completely new experience for me and I did it on my own and with stubborn determination (because really, whose body voluntarily gets up at 5:30 a.m. without out SOME protest). I know, I know, the whole "adventure" doesn't seem like that big a deal. But at the time it was for me and I was very proud of my success. I remember calling my parents while outside in the line up. They weren't overly responsive and mostly mumbled "yes, that's nice", but I was wired and too enthusiastic to care.

Last year (as in Boxing Day 2007, so perhaps some would classify that as two years ago), Matt and I went to the same Boxing Day Sale in St. John's with my parents. There were a few things on the list, but mainly my parents wanted a new laptop and also some kitchen appliances. So we each had an "assignment" and split up once the doors opened. We then met in the appliance department as it took longer to process that order (it made more sense for Matt to scout out the laptop and I hunted for headphones my aunt was hoping we could get for my uncle). It was a lot of fun and despite the early rise, we were full of energy. Once the purchases were taken care of, we then went on to celebrate at Tim Horton's by devouring some breakfast sandwiches and hot coffee.

It's interesting to see how this blog post progressed... I started telling you about my beloved camera that is seems to be ill, and I've managed to meander into a member from back home. It's normal for everyday routine-like actions to somehow trigger a memory or spark a reminder of my family or St. John's and Newfoundland in general.

As the song Saltwater Joys says, "Some go to where the buildings reach to meet the clouds Where warm and gentle people turn to swarmin', faceless crowds." That's how I feel (sadly) about Toronto on a semi-regular basis. But there are those rare occasions when you encounter someone who feels the same way as I do and is happy to exchange a smile or a passing friendly glance. It really helps this city feel less cold.

Brilliant Offers and Opportunities Await You!

2009-01-26T13:37:00.001-05:00

I forgot about this "draft" I started so many months ago.

I often receive some very creative and entertaining spam. It's amazing what spammers and scammers will say in hopes of luring someone into believing such fantastic "opportunities".

Enjoy! I'll comment after each one...

-----Original Message-----
From: breakdancer [mailto:gbreaker@rambler.ru]
Sent: June 20, 2008 7:21 AM
Subject: Ask

Hello I'm George (*removed*) from Georgia, I'm 19 years old.

I need some help but I prefer to help others in the world My passion is to be first person in the world who is most noble and kind person...

My dream is to became an actor, but unfortunately in my childhood I broke my nose and I need Operation what costs $1000 dollars and I'm interested can I get any kind of help from any organization in the world?

please give me some advice...

Also I'd like to work with you for example share your site link, also find people who can help you, so that to became your official member if it is possible of course and I don't want anything for this I'll do it for Kindness

In future I don't know how my life will go on? But I want to make one big worldwide charity fund...

Thanks beforehand God Bless you
From George

Well George, it sounds like you've had a really tough childhood. I'm confused though how a $1000 nose job can help you reach your goal of becoming the first person in the world who is most noble and kind...

I actually passed this on to some collegues who agreed that it sounded very far fetched and didn't make sense for the email to come into the specified inbox. It was concluded that George was hiding behind his alter ego "Breakdancer" and that only with the improvement of his nose's structure could he have enough confidence to be a most noble and kind person by breakdancing his way to stardom.

-----Original Message-----
From: johnson [mailto:betty@highlandmyst.com]
Sent: June 24, 2008 6:12 PM
Subject: Good day my dear friend,

Good day my dear friend,

I am contacting you based on trust because i believe that good people still exist on earth.

My name is mrs.Betty Johnson from Ivory Coast my husband is late and we have no child,I am very sick with serious[HEARTH CANCER] and recently my doctor told me that
i will not live upto more six monthS. Please my good friend I am not looking for anything else but for someone with the fear of GOD.My late husband left [usd
2.800.000]with a bank here in IVORY COAST, right now this money is still under the custody of this bank so i am looking for someone who will use this money to the glory
of GOD the way i am going to instruct in. Since my life is limited i have shosen to used this money to run charity to the glory of God.

Plaese for more information contact me/
betty.johnson14@yahoo.com

Always pray for me.

Yours Faithfuly,
Mrs.Betty Johnson.

Dear Mrs. Johnson, I'm really sorry to hear about your [HEART CANCER] it's tragic to hear that your husband is "late" (read later in email - deceased...). I'm not sure if I quite have the fear of God in me that you're looking for. I'm sure your Ivory Coast bank account is trustworthy, but if you could instead ship a suitcase of small unmard bills instead, then we can talk about investment options.

Does anyone REALLY ever believe this stuff?

If I had an unlimited income, I would like to see how far something like one of these scenarios could go. I've heard of so many incidences where someone has tried to buy puppies from another country, only to have the them lose money and be left companionless.

Still, neither of these emails are nearly as disturbing as the "death threat" I supposedly received last year. ;P

Leg Warmers

2009-01-20T22:13:00.006-05:00

So after freezing my legs off for the first few weeks of winter, I was finally able to get started on some leg warmers for myself! I had to wait until the Christmas holidays because I had so many projects that needed completion before Christmas. So on Boxing Day (December 26), I casted on my yarns...

I used the pattern found in Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. So I trekked over to Romni Wools and found the needed yarn. My Cascade 220 was a fantastic red colour that provides an accidental irregular self-striping (which I love). And the Madil Yarns Kid Seta gives it a fuzzy look and feel (and takes away the itchiness of wool!).

Because the cast on would have required very short needles (and I'm really not into using four double pointed at this point), I decided to use Magic Loop technique. This is a GREAT technique if you have long circular needles (for anyone on a budget, I really recommend the Denise Interchangeable set - I have the pink set).

But because of my Magic Loop usage, you can see some "laddering" in the right leg warmer in the photo above. But it didn't bother me really because the leg warmers are for me and once on your legs, the laddering is neither noticeable nor visible.

I bought the recommended two skeins of each yarn and I still have lots left, so I'm thinking of making up a set of wrist warmers to match. I won't be doing the spiral ribbed pattern in Last Minute Knitted Gifts (that's for some other yarn I have in my stash). So I just need to figure out my gauge and how long I want them and then start knitting! I'll probably start them from the top, make a thumb hole and then decide as I knit how long I want them to be.

Streetcar wires looming above

2009-01-14T00:39:00.003-05:00

Streetcar wires looming above
Originally uploaded by Virginia_Middleton

Clearly I need to take more photos, knit more and more importantly, blog more.

I hope to combine all three interests in time. With my Flickr account, I want to add more examples of knitting projects as I add them to my Ravelry account and then blog about them here.

I really love my camera and need to find more of those great photos that are just waiting for the right moment (e.g. this photo here taken on a late Saturday afternoon).

I'm not in the right frame of mind to try and tackle the 365 Project and attempt to take a photo a day. I think that would feel too forced at this point.

With the New Year well underway, I'm reflecting on some "goals" I have for the year. Yes I know, I've jumped on the resolution bandwagon, but if it allows me to focus my effort to achieve some clear and measureable results, then why not?!

Tip of the ice berg

2008-08-01T07:10:00.002-04:00

Tip of the ice berg
Originally uploaded by Virginia_Middleton

I took some photos while in Eastport, Nlfd. after Stacey and Steve's wedding. We joked that it was the honeymoon since the six of us went up there only two days after their wedding.

There are three more photos of this flower on my Flickr. Just click this image to view them.

Ironically, I didn't get a zoomed out full photo of the flower... only macro photos. Oh well! Enjoy! :)

Bridal party

2008-07-25T16:26:00.003-04:00

Bridal party
Originally uploaded by Virginia_Middleton

I haven't updated in a while, but I've also been on vacation. It was wonderful to visit The Rock.

Although only a short visit, this was probably the most relaxing visit for Matt and I (comparing the last three summers and Christmas holidays).

Stacey and Steve had a wonderful wedding and I was honoured to be a bridesmaid in their wedding. :)

Urban gardening

2008-07-08T12:46:00.002-04:00

Garden_2
Originally uploaded by Virginia_Middleton

Who says you can't have a garden while living in Toronto?

Matt decided to plant a garden this year. Our building's landlords are pretty good about this sort of stuff and since it isn't located at the front of the building, it's somewhat hidden away... allowing us to have a garden that's somewhat in the open (to help avoid people tampering with it), but out of the way enough to not draw too much attention.

We have some small carrots growing, a type of peas (yummy!), two different tomato varieties, some basil, thyme and other yummy things.

This photo was taken at the end of June and already the garden has grown. I'll upload current photos soon. Before you know it, we'll have tomatoes!

If you visit my Flickr page, you'll see some macro photos from the garden as well. :)

Enjoy!
Virginia

Two aspects of July 1

2008-07-02T00:49:00.004-04:00

First I would like to wish everyone a happy Canada Day.

Yes, it is technically July 2nd and I'm therefore a day behind... but let us not get too picky.

Canada Day is when us Canadians celebrate the birth of our country and express our joy of being a part of this vast and diverse country. I'm very proud to be a Canadian and am happy to tell people where I'm from when travelling. I take pride in my love of hockey, things that are maple favoured, and the addition of the letter "u" to certain words like, colour, favour and harbour.

But July 1 is also known as Memorial Day in Newfoundland and Labrador. It marks the anniversary of the tragic loss of life experienced by the Newfoundland Regiment during the first day on the Somme at the Battle of Beaumont Hamel.

So not to put a total downer on this happy national holiday, but it is/was also a day of remembrance, honour and respect.

Once uploaded to my Flickr account, I'll send over a photo from tonight's fireworks at Ontario Place.

And it's back to work after a four-day weekend... tomorrow's going to be tough.

Magic school bus?

2008-06-29T12:56:00.002-04:00

Magic school bus?
Originally uploaded by Virginia_Middleton

It was a rather quick and random siting, but I was just able to grab a photo of this funky-looking bus before it turned the corner and disappeared.

BBQ Garbage

2008-06-27T20:21:00.002-04:00

BBQ Garbage
Originally uploaded by Virginia_Middleton

I guess in someone's opinion, this was a good idea at the time.

I saw this BBQ back in May and had to take a photo of it. A lot of us joke that we eat a lot of garbage, but this is taking it to a whole new level.

Yum!!

Cupcake Store

2008-06-25T22:00:00.002-04:00

Cupcake store5
Originally uploaded by Virginia_Middleton

While in Old Montreal, we saw an adorable cupcake store!!

This photo was taken on May 19, 2008 while visiting my cousin Megan who's living in Montreal while studying law.

Adventures in Macro Photography... a New Beginning

2008-06-24T23:37:00.003-04:00

Macro_18
Originally uploaded by Virginia_Middleton

For my birthday last month, Matt really surprised me with a new camera!! A VERY spiffy Canon SLR Rebel XTi!

I <3 my camera very much!! I have two lens and the photo here was taken with my 100mm macro lens.

I'll be posting more photos, but to view even more, feel free to visit my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmiddleton/

Flickr

2008-06-24T23:29:00.002-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Champagne anyone?

2008-05-27T09:56:00.003-04:00

Today is considered my "Champagne birthday", meaning today I turn 27 on the 27th of May.

I haven't settled on how I really feel about this birthday. Turning 20 was very significant for me because having a brother that is 12 years older wasn't the norm growing up. When friends or classmates would ask me how old my brother was and I would say, "he's twenty--something (*insert appropriate value here*). Guaranteed, the person listening would say, "wow, that's old!".

Turning 25 was significant as I became "quarter of a century" in age. For some reason, 27 seems to be hitting me a little hard. I don't know why it feels so much more older than 26. Maybe because I'm creeping closer to the big 3-0 and can no longer "round down" my age in my head.

I've accomplished many things in the past year, so it's not as if I come to you with regrets or filled with burdens. I'm just being all thoughtful and reflective (must be a sign of my age).

Something new I learned today is that my birthday is shared with the infamous Ted Rogers. I also learned that the very awesome Jamie Oliver shares my birthday!! I think if given the option to meet either, I'd pick the latter...

That's all for now.
Virginia

Waiting in your Inbox

2008-03-11T21:05:00.006-04:00

Almost a month ago, there was a story in The Toronto Star about residents in Oakville receiving an email scam. The email was from a hitman informing the receiver that someone had hired this hitman to well, kill them, but thankfully this considerate individual was now contacting the future victim and providing an opportunity to stop the pending death... for a price.

GUESS WHAT?
Although I don't live in Oakville, I too received the email mentioned in the article:

From: Ismail Shawn [mailto:shawnisismail@gmail.com]
Sent: February 18, 2008 7:55 AM
Subject: Should I move on.

I am very sorry for you, is a pity that this is how your life is going to end as soon as you don't comply.As you can see there is no need of introducing myself to you because I don't have any business with you, my duty as you are reading this mail now is just to KILL you and I have to do it as I have already been paid for that.

Someone that you call a friend wants you Dead by all means, and the person have spent a lot of money on this, the person also came to us and told me that he want you dead and he provided us with all the necessary information we needed about you.

So I sent my boys to track you down and they have carried out the necessary investigation needed for the operation on you, and they have done that but I told them not to kill you that I will like to contact you and see if your life is Important to you or not since their findings shows that you are innocent of all the allegations leveled against you.

I called my client back and ask him of you email address which I didn't
tell him what I wanted to do with it and he gave it to me and I am using it to contact you now. As I am writing to you now my men are monitoring your movement and they are telling me everything about you.

Now I will like to know if you want to LIVE OR DIE? As someone has paid
us to kill you. Get back to me now with how much you will be ready to pay to have all the tape that has all the information about the person who wanted you dead by all means or are you not ready to comply with us? then by men will move on with their job which is "TO KILL YOU BY ALL COST".

If you are not ready for my help, then I will carry on with my job straight-up.

WARNING: DO NOT THINK OF CONTACTING THE POLICE OR EVEN TELL ANYONE BECAUSE I WILL KNOW.REMEMBER, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS YOU VERY WELL WANT YOU DEAD! I WILL EXTEND IT TO YOUR LOVE ONES, IN CASE YOU ACT ANYTHING FUNNY.

DO NOT COME OUT ONCE IT IS 8:PM UNTIL YOU SETTLE WITH US AND HAVE THE TAPE OF MY DISCUSSION WITH THE PERSON WHO WANT YOU DEAD THEN YOU CAN USE IT TO TAKE ANY LEGAL ACTION. GOOD LUCK AS I AWAIT YOUR REPLY

ISMAIL SHAWN.

DOES ANYONE EVER REALLY BELIEVE THIS?
First thoughts -- "Good lord the grammar and editing in this is terrible!"

Really? Does this sound convincing to anyone? Besides the terrible use of the English language and barely readable word-use, such a scenario is too bizarre for the lamest Hollywood movies.

But you have to admire the "subtle" cues like capitalizing "Dead" and suddenly using caps lock for the very important warnings at the end.

Now I present to you yet another email that recently arrived in my inbox:

From: Miss Cloudy Babingui [mailto:clo_bab07@yahoo.com.sg]
Sent: March 2, 2008 5:43 PM
To: clo_bab07@yahoo.com.sg
Subject: Hello ,

Hello ,

My Name is Miss.Cloudy Babingui from Rwanda in Africa presently residing in Dakar senegal . I was impressed seek for my soul mate, and also i like to establish a long lasting relationship with you. In addition,i will like you to reply me through my private email box(clo_bab@yahoo.com) so that i will give you my picture and more about me.Thanks waiting to hear from you soonest.
Love,

Miss Cloudy

AGAIN, DOES ANYONE REALLY BELIEVE THIS SORT OF STUFF?
First thoughts -- (Loaded with lots of sarcasm) Gee, too bad I'm married, otherwise I could meet my soul mate! And thank goodness she made sure to say she's from Rwanda, Africa... because I'm always getting the one in Africa mixed up with those other Rwandas out there (Can you imagine? "Oh no, you have it mixed up, I'm from Rwanda, Texas!")

Now what I think would have been more interesting is if Miss Cloudy had contacted me about our destined future together and then it would have been perfect for Ismail to inform me that "a friend" (perhaps someone else interested in Miss Cloudy?!) had put a hit out on me.

Too bad the scammers and spammers out there aren't coordinating their efforts to give us a real one-two and come at us from both left and right field. Or, it could be futuristic fodder for romance stories? Nah...

With such a technologically connected world, it's no surprise that we're being inundated with such silly but persistent scams. But today, I found a legitimate email in my spam folder from a journalist with a media request. Thankfully I was able to speak with the journalist and discuss the request that is still relevant. So here I am receiving messages (the scams and spam) that are desensitizing my expectations of relevant messages, while important messages slip through the cracks.

Now those of you in IT and tech support, please relax and don't think I'm blaming you technology warriors -- the protectors of end-users throughout the land. No matter how good a spam filter, server scanning whatever-you-call-it that is available, similar issues and ironies will continue to occur.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED FROM THIS?
1.) Death threats via anonymous email are probably not something to fear.
2.) Spammers REALLY need to bone up on their grammar. I was almost tempted to reply to the death threat email with some copy-edit suggestions!
3.) Perhaps I was foolish to get married this past summer, because clearly my real soul mate is going to find me through the greatness we call The Internet (I now plead forgiveness from my husband as you all understand how sarcastic that comment was).
4.) Scammers and Spammers should hold conventions to organize themselves. Maybe they could draw up communication plans or develop critical paths for targeting certain age groups or target markets to pool their resources in a more effective manner.
5.) Computers aren't perfect and I need to be a big girl and check my spam folder regularly.
6.) Even if the printer jams, my computer locks up, and the email server goes down, I always appreciate any and all tech support received. My opinion is clearly not objective because my husband is one of those "computer guys"... but I have some basic understanding of my own and very often there isn't always a quick fix. You can't just kick a computer and tell it to stop being so lazy because it seems slow.
7.) After not updating for quite a while, I feel motivated to blog regularly. So while this entry is rather long and drawn out, I'll try to streamline future posts.

The better way?

2007-09-22T09:57:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to pass on this experience...

While exiting St. Clair subway station on the north side yesterday at around 8:00 p.m., I was greeted by this image. Perhaps such a sight would have gone unnoticed most days, but images and news of the TTC have littered my brain lately. From the upcoming fair hike, recent subway delays during peak morning rush hour, to the decrease of pleasant street car drivers - I can only swallow so much. What boggles me is that this wasn't the only set of garbage bins in the area, but it was by far the worst of the lot.

The TTC touts that it's "the better way" for commuters to travel within the City. Yet like many commuters, I am more and more frustrated by a service I cannot improve. Sure, I can call and make complaints, but many unpleasant experiences happen while I'm en route to work or even just traveling from point one place to another. By the time I reach my destination, I'm often too busy to give a complaint, or I'm feeling too jaded and cynical to believe someone will hear my voice.

In a past ad campaign, the TTC urged riders to clean up after themselves on the subway (showing images of a man looking like a pig after leaving a mess)... yet can the TTC not clean up after its own mess? Surely they can find "a better way" to address this problem.

Apologies

2007-08-27T00:51:00.001-04:00

I must first apologize for the long silence that has occurred in this space. I will simply say that a lot of things have happened... "life" itself has been flying past me and I believe I've caught up (or I'm at least nipping at its heels!).

I have many things to discuss and hope to do so in time.

One significant change: my name! On July 7 (or well known as 07-07-07) I married Matthew and now I am Virginia Middleton. The name change has required some adjusting and I still slip when introducing myself sometimes. But these things come in time.

Hopefully if you're reading this, you'll return and you will soon see something new to read and/or view.

Until then...

Virginia Middleton

Technology besmirched

2007-02-21T14:19:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, my fiancé Matt and I went to The Bay to update our bridal registry. Now before you leave me for another website, or start thinking, "why do I care?" there is a point to this entry: technology cannot replace good communication.

During a fall bridal show in Toronto, we initially set up our registry with The Bay. It was explained that we should add a few things to our list at the show and could come in to a Bay store and update it regularly. Simple enough, yes? On Sunday we arrived for our appointment, met with an associate and she discussed the full details of the bridal registry. It all sounded fine and we were happy with now smoothly things were moving. The associate provided us with a scanner and we felt like official inventory jockeys as we were set free in the store to scan our hearts out.

Here's where things get tricky...
A copy of our list (from the bridal show) was printed off and we decided to recheck all of the items since so much time had passed. After going through over two pages of items, we decided to cross off everything except for one glass bowel. After an hour and a half of our scanning adventure, we were ready to turn in our machine and go home. A different associate received our information and we tried to explain that our old list (from the bridal show) was no longer valid (only wanting one item from it) and that everything ON THAT LIST should be deleted. We made reference to our new list that was on the scanner as items we wanted to keep. With these explanations, we felt the appointment went well.

Yesterday, I went online to check on the registry. Because it would take a day or so for the list to update and go online, I thought I'd take a peek. Guess what? As it stands, for our wedding on July 7, 2007 our 150-200 attendees can fight over who is giving us 1 DIAMOND FIRE PLATTER 14" by MIKASA. Remember that ONE item we kept from the old list...

After speaking with a manager to find out why our list was so bare, I soon discovered that communication and information sharing is very important when technology is involved. The scanner that we used is actually a virtual device that scans in real-time and instantly adds items into the main database where our registry is stored. Therefore, when we told the associate we wanted to delete "everything from our old list expect this one item," we deleted much more than what we intended. As of yesterday, all items on the scanner were lost and deleted along with everything previously scanned last fall.

Perhaps both Matt and I assumed too much. Having both worked in retail while in post-secondary schools, a lot of price file and inventory verification devices we used were not in real-time and required you to download your information or at least "sync" it up with a computer so that numbers were crunched and inventory details created.

Yesterday afternoon, I was very distressed by the situation. We had wasted two hours of our busy weekend AND we found ourselves trying to figure out how quickly we could go and rescan everything ASAP. Matt's aunt is having an engagement party for us next month, and she suggested we try to finalize our list at The Bay so that any family or friends attending the festivities could possibly purchase something on the list. This makes a lot of sense and hence our sense of urgency to update our registry with items we do wish to receive (I'd rather not have people guess and then we end up with a couple dozen corning ware dishes!).

I did appreciate the customer service I received from the manager in gift registry. After following up with her own investigation, she discovered that the associate who accepted our updated list was suppose to ensure a printed copy was made before deletions and other updates went through. This clearly did not happen. If that had happened, our desired items could have been entered manually to the registry and avoid us coming in again to rescan items. She also apologized for the omitted details about the scanner and how the registry exists in a real-time realm. She then offered me a gift card to compensate our lost time and offered to have us come in either before or after regular hours if either would suit our schedules. For one guilty moment, I enjoyed the thought of going in after hours so that someone would have to work late... but why make someone suffer for a fluke situation? I'd rather just move on and maintain good relations.

I'm not a Bridezilla, I'm just a twenty-something young woman who's used to technology working in her favour and making her life easier. How naïve.

"Some go to where the buildings reach to meet the clouds"

An inevitable situation

2007-02-13T08:54:00.000-05:00

May 4, 2001 2:02 a.m.
That was my first debut into the blogging world.

Since then, many things have happened. My first blog emerged while I was finishing off a second year in university. My heart had been broken early in the fall semester and I was still feeling the sting of naive young "love" (or so I thought).

Some friends had mentioned that they had online diaries in which they wrote and others read; an equilibrium relationship. I thought it was odd, but one day noticed the link for a friend's diary in her ICQ (remember that old chat program?) profile. I didn't know what to think at first. It seemed interesting because I actually knew the person. But soon I discovered friends of that author (people I had never met) who also had their one place on the Internet. Eventually, through reading, I began to feel as though I was getting to know these people on a personal, but anonymous level.

I'm not surprised that my first online entry occurred on a Thursday night at 2:02 a.m. I was probably working on an assignment... that was due the next day. It being late and I getting distracted, decided on a whim to take the plunge and start a blog (we all called our blogs "diaries" since the hosting site was called diaryland.com at the time). After signing up and creating my layout, no doubt I had to publish something!

Yes, through my first online journal, I made numerous friends and eventually lost touch with many as well. My main readership consisted of people I saw on almost a daily basis. Odd I know, but sometimes it's just easier for people to open up to their closest friends if you can avoid communicating in person and if you have the option to ignore a comment.

I have continued to blog since that faithful day in May. I'm not someone who posts everyday, and I've been known to take an unannounced break now and then; life does get busy you know! I have another blog that is used to communicate with friends from all over the world: friends within my close circle from out east, new friends I've made through various happenings, and friends I have online that only know me through blogging and online communication. I have some special friends whom I've never met in person, but we communicate regularly.

This is not a "flog blog", it is simply me claiming my piece of territory in this huge community we call the global online community, the World Wide Web, or simply- The Internet.

Why am I here? Well why not? There is an obvious presence of the "me" generation online. Why are we all here; posting for all to see. Does each of us have something important and profound to share with the world? Are we all frustrated with the world around us and hoping to make a difference on some small scale? Or do we just like to hear our own voices and thoughts... just through a different medium instead of verbal communication.

My answer? Perhaps I'll just suggest a forth choice: all of thee above (in some form or fashion).

I have a plan for this blog and who I want it to develop and grow. In time, there will be a rhythm that regular readers will recognize. Some of you may return regularly; some will possibly wander back once in a while; some of you may stumble upon me while perusing various blogs. Either way, all are welcome.

As a new player in the PR world, I am familiar with social media and the unique dialogue that occurs between the various populations online. Perhaps we'll explore some of these qualities through discussion here.

I'll post more information later. I plan to explain the meaning behind the blog's name, provide my personal disclosure and post some person requests I have for readers. But for now, I'll let you roam free. Please play nice.

"Some go to where the buildings reach to meet the clouds"