The Wonders of Statistics

Tonight I was checking out Yahoo news like I usually do. Maybe later I'll blog about the changing face of media. But I came across an article on the main page linking suicide rates to shortness at birth. The actual article can be found here if you want to peruse it. What the article seems to be claiming is that males who are born shorter then the average length were more then twice as likely to commit suicide, especially by a violent means. They also said that weight at birth also seems to be a factor. Now I am going to stop right there... The problem is that it's not a controlled study and there is no ethical way to test cause and effect. So what they are not telling you is that there could be other extraneous factors that are also contributing. Take for instance the fact that babies who are born prematurely are more at risk for health issues and a number of other things. It is also a possiblity that shorter males tend to be teased more. I can't say for sure on that one... but in youth and adolescence being different then your peer group is not a good thing and can lead to being ostrasized. Really you can make stats say whatever you want them to. It's all about what agenda you are pushing. My only real point is that we do not live in a vacuum and there will always be extraneous variables that will impact the results. Secondly, whenever you see statistics question what they are really saying... and if they can really make that claim.

Update on Azrael

I know I just blogged about this... but that was a post that had been in my head for a while. Azrael seems to be eating more the last couple of days. :) I can rest a little easier now it seems. And he is still as happy as ever. Yesterday he decided I made a fantastic pillow. It was already my bedtime and I just wanted to go to bed. But he decided to stretch out across me and looked so cute doing it. How could I resist that? It was especially cute when he started dreaming. But then something got his attention outside and woke him up. Good news for me since I wanted to go to bed.

He's Healthy, Right?

This picture was taken the other day. I thought it was cute that he was holding my hand. Sorry but the cell phone doesn't take the best pictures. They're decent... but nothing special. Any ways when Suzanne and Dave came down over Christmas I was asked if he was losing weight. Now I had been wondering that before but it really hadn't been noticeable. So I weighed him and sure enough he was losing weight. Then, me being me, I started to panic. After all none of my cats ever seem to live past the age of 3 (as an update he just turned 4... Happy Birthday Azrael) plus he had never really lost weight before. Now when Tigger was sick I knew it. For one, he ran away from home. Then when we got him back he didn't eat and pretty well didn't move. I knew something was seriously wrong there. But with Azrael aside from the fact he wasn't eating as much he seemed to be perfectly healthy. He was still as loveable as ever, still playing with his bear, and still grooming himself. He was as playful and active as ever. Not that he ever really was active. His coat still looks healthy and his eyes are bright and shiny. So then I realized that Iams had changed their formula in the cat food. So maybe he doesn't care about his teeth and the new dental formula. I tried the old stuff and while he definitely preferred that he still didn't seem to be eating all that much. I tried wet cat food. He preferred the Iams. I tried kitten food. He preferred his adult food. Maybe he is just adjusting to me being back to work and me working midnights. Cats don't exactly like change. or maybe he is healthy and I am just being over-concerned. Right now he is wagging his tail at me. Azrael is still happy so I guess that is what is important.

Numerology & 2008

Normally I wouldn't even be commenting but seeing L. Bo's post got me thinking. Or more like stealing content from other people's pages. I call 2007 the year of change... 2008 I saw as about new beginnings.... starting over. Apparently numerology agrees with me. I don't put a whole lot of stock in it... but the new beginnings did stay with me. Right along with L. Bo's math. *lol*

In order to work out what number year you'll be on in 2008 you need to start your workings out with 2008 itself.

2 +0+0+8= 10

10 reduces to the single digit of 1.

Then all you have to do is add up the day and month of your birthday and add those numbers to the 1 from 2008.

For example if your birthday is 25th February this is how you work out what year you'll be on in 2008:-

2 + 5+ 2+1= 10

10 as we know reduces to the single digit of 1.

Therefore your 2008 numerology forecast would be a 1 year.

Work out your own year, your partners, friends and colleagues etc. to find out how the New Year will affect you all.

As with all metaphysical subjects; exciting as it may sound that someone else can tell you your future, you do still have free will.

What follows is a keyword for each of the 9 years that people will find themselves on, plus a list of Do's and Don'ts to consider.

Everyone has come back to this earth plane in order to learn the lessons that we didn't learn the last time we were here. And learn those lessons we will, but it's always easier to swim upriver than against it. That is what the Do's and Don'ts are all about; basically, how to make the journey easier.

Now discover your numerology forecast for 2008

1 YEAR

KEYWORDS: New beginnings, initiatives.
DO: Be Positive. Act alone. Use your intuition and make long term plans.
DON'T: Give up too easily. Enter into any business partnerships. Be moody or hang onto the past.

2 YEAR

KEYWORDS: Balance in all things, relationships.
DO: Be co-operative. Save money. Be patient and follow through with whatever you started last year.
DON'T: Start anything new. Be alone. Overspend or be aggressive.

3 YEAR

KEYWORDS: Expansion, creativity.
DO: Re-decorate. Socialise. Advertise and promote whatever you do.
DON'T: Make substantial changes. Start anything new. Lock yourself away or scatter your energies.

4 YEAR

KEYWORDS: Order, work.
DO: Be ready for hard work. Be orderly and methodical. Deal with all details. Make a budget and stick to it.
DON'T: Be lazy. Waste money. Rely on others. Complain.

5 YEAR

KEYWORDS: Go with the flow, self-promotion.
DO: Think things through. Keep an open mind. Accept all invitations. Expect the unexpected.
DON'T: Break any laws. Fight change. Over-indulge! Overspend.

6 YEAR

KEYWORDS: Love, home.
DO: Be responsible. Adjust to changes in the home. Take advice from friends. Be generous and loving.
DON'T: Give unwanted advice. Find fault. Be stubborn. Be selfish.

7 YEAR

KEYWORDS: Waiting, health.
DO: Rest. Research new ideas. Get away from it all. Correct past mistakes.
DON'T: Force any issues. Be impatient. Chase after money. Try and make progress.

8 YEAR

KEYWORDS: Karmic, money.
DO: Be money conscious. Do all the 'big' things yourself! Push on with new plans. Be modest.
DON'T: Be dishonest. Waste money. Invest after June. Be arrogant.

9 YEAR

KEYWORDS: Completion, emotion.
DO: Finish things off. Get rid of anything no longer required. Try and be unemotional. Make plans for next year.
DON'T: Be over-emotional. Delude yourself. Feel sorry for yourself. Over-react!

Pretty Cat Still MIA

Since I said I would update when I had my copy of Leopard I figured I should mention that I still don't have it. Well sort-of. My second copy now seems to be MIA as well. I figured it would have been here at the end of last week. So now I am going to be checking with the superintendant to make sure that he doesn't have it and then am thinking about calling Apple yet again. Seems to be the ongoing debate of how long (and how many calls) it takes to get it.

Now I did say sort-of there. The other day I was getting ready for bed when there was a knock at the door. My neighbour was standing there with a package in her hand. Seems that she was coming in the building when the DHL guy was there. So he told her that she would do and got her to sign for it. Then he asked where my apartment was and she made the mistake of saying that she lived next door. So rather then deliver it he just gave it to her. She came over several times to deliver it but I was either asleep or not home. I guess the DHL guy really did think he was Santa and could hand it out to whoever wanted it. Since I didn't sign for it I am still demanding my copy from Apple. And I plan on calling DHL to complain about it since they are not supposed to hand it out to just anyone.

Pretty soon I think that my entire apartment will have their very own copy of Leopard. All I want is for the DHL guy to deliver it to me. I'd even be satisfied with the superintendant. So the count is 3 calls in... 1 delivery to my neighbour... 1 copy still MIA.

CLARIFICATION: My neighbour really did deliver me the copy she received. But I am turning this into a game (or maybe a sport) and calling Apple to have another copy sent out... right up until DHL actually delivers a copy to me. Besides I had already called Apple for my second copy (that also disappeared) before my neighbour showed up here.

The End is Near

The end just might be near... at least as far as the high-definition format war goes. Warner announced the other day that they were going blu... Blu-ray that is. Right now I am glad that I didn't buy an HD DVD player for Boxing Day like I was thinking of. After all that leaves Universal and Paramount as the ONLY HD supporters... Everyone else (Disney, Sony, Fox, Warner) all support Blu-ray. I hear the death knell already....

Oh to Live in Japan

I saw in the news the other day that a firm in Japan is offering a pet allowance of $9/month to all pet owners. Seems they really are part of the family. Now if only they would do that here as well. While it may not completely pay for Azrael's food it would certainly help out. Supposedly, another company there even offers bereavement days for the loss of a pet. Wonder if they get paid for that.

DHL's Holiday Spirit

So after 2 weeks without my copy of Leopard arriving in the mail I was starting to wonder. I was promised express shipping from Apple which generally takes less then 2 weeks. I would've called them sooner but it was Christmas and all so I figured that it might take more time.

At the two week mark I decided it was time to call them and get another copy sent out. So I called at 9:05 a.m. But then I got a message telling me that I had called outside of normal business hours. Say what? It was now 9:05... What's going on? I kept calling thinking that there was a problem with their phone systems.

Now I should interrupt this to say that a friend of mine was also checking into the status for me. So at 9:30 in the morning I got an email with the shipping information from DHL. It was supposedly delivered on December 20th. Hmm... that's interesting since it sure as hell wasn't in my nice, little hands. I head downstairs to the super's office to make sure that it wasn't hiding there anywhere... even though he's good about calling me and had already told me to pick up 2 other packages. Nope, nothing there. Then I look up the tracking information. The signature looks like it says Robert. No one in the office with that name. So I figure that either the DHL guy saw Apple and decided to scoop it... or he took on the role of Santa Claus and just randomly handed it out to someone. After all I have heard there is no local DHL office so he would've had to drive here. And who wants to do that? Spread the holiday cheer.... give out free stuff....

Any ways... my friend also reminded me that they were only open from 10:00 to 6:00 since it was New Years Eve. Now why couldn't the voice message when you call in be changed to reflect that? Makes me wonder how many people called after they closed and then kept trying since it was before the normal 9:00 p.m. close. So I called back at 10:00 and was on a nice long mute hold... repeatedly. Spent most of the call on a mute hold (for those that have never worked in a call center it means that they press the mute button so you hear nothing at all... instead of a hold where you get music... you are not supposed to use mute as a hold) and after 20 minutes they had sent out a new disk to me and told me there was a problem processing the original order. I am guessing that there were problems with sending out the fulfilments for new disks. But, in my case, I already know that it was processed, shipped, and delivered.... just not to me.

Hopefully by the end of the week I have my nice new cat (don't worry Azrael I still love you) and will be busy installing it. Good thing I wasn't in a rush for it. I still have to finish backing everything up. Now if only Shapeshifter was compatible with it. Just checked... still not compatible. :( But I think that everything else I use is.... If not well I might be going back to the other pretty cat I have... in Tiger. Will update when I get my new package. I love mail...

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I wanted to decorate the post with holly and wreathes but since I'm not exactly at home I can't actually add in any pictures to the post. Maybe later before I go to bed... if I remember... which isn't likely. Going Boxing Day shopping after work today. Hope you all are doing well :)

Working Hard

There is something to be said for being able to update your blog at work. Have I mentioned yet that I love the new job? Full internet access... well aside from Hotmail any ways. So right now I am waiting for a call and it gives me a chance to do other things... like contact people on Facebook, engage in poke wars (knowing that they won't be up for a few hours), check out the latest news, watch videos on You Tube and now even blog. All in a days work let me tell you. I can always find something to do. I was even tempted to write real emails to people but I am still a purist. I like using Entourage (Read: Outlook for non Mac users) and actually having a copy of the email in my sent folder that I can search later... Mind you there are way too many emails in my sent folder but that's why searching for key words is a good thing. Hmm... wonder what's next on the agenda. A nap perhaps?

Zodiac Match Test

The Zodiac Match Test

My Result: Sagittarius

Initially, a Sagittarius may catch your eye with their knack for witty conversation and flirtation. But as you get to know them better, you're even more likely to be drawn to your Sagittarian's adventurousness and unhesitating willingness to take the risks necessary to keep life fun and free. People born under this sign are typically both enjoyable to be around and interesting to talk with. Be aware that Sagittarians do have a tendency to become restless at times. However, this sense of adventure will help keep things exciting in your relationship. In the bedroom, you'll likely find that the Archer is sexually creative and will keep you happily engaged. This is simply a natural extension of the Sagittarian nature. Overall, they want to get the most out of life and are always on the lookout for exciting new adventures.

Take this test >

Hey look at that... I got something other then Virgo *lol* Maybe I should be taking notes....

Yellow Does Not Mean Go Faster

I was walking home from work this morning... much like I do every morning. Well right now trudge would be more appropriate. Some of the sidewalks are non-existent. Watch out for icy patches. Good times.... especially when it's 8:00 a.m. and you have just gotten off work. The eyes are adjusting to daylight, or gray skies if it is anything like today. I had just climbed the brutal hill that always makes me curse walking home and was almost at the lights on the other side when I heard the sound of sirens. Then I see the the fire department command post vehicle. Some people are stopping... some people keep going and then pull over to the right... and they get around the corner. As I am standing there I hear more sirens. As I turn around I can see the fire truck heading for the intersection with lights flashing and sirens going. Do people stop? As the light turns yellow and the fire truck is practically in the intersection I see not one, but 2 cars paying no attention to the sirens.... or the BIG red fire truck coming at them.... no their only concern is beating the red light. All I could do was shake my head. Common decency would tell you to pay attention to the sirens... and if you don't hear them then maybe it is okay to floor it and make it through that light. Since we all know that extra 2 minutes is going to make all the difference in the world. Well it just might to the people wherever the fire truck was going in such a hurry. Some people.

Past Relationships

I came to an interesting realization today... or well I guess it was yesterday now. After a friend of mine said that I was going to be her project for the new year... Find me a man... or something along those lines.... I got to thinking about past relationships. If I think about the 3 men that I still feel something of a connection with I realize that they are all Virgos. Now, for the most part, I don't really believe in astrology. But that is something that definitely strikes me and I find interesting. Maybe there is something to it.

Found the Money

The missing money that I reported on has been found. After I called Apple for the third time I was finally told that they were sending me a cheque after all. Could they not have told me that from the start? So I finally got that money.

I also called Minacs corporate office about the RRSPs and they looked into it for me. They agreed to write a cheque for the full amount plus the contributions that Minacs would have made. It was actually remarkably easy... About the only thing that has been with them.

First Week Done

My first week on the floor is now done. Had 3 weeks of training and the schedule was 4 to midnight. It was a rough schedule. Not a lot of time to get things done. My day just got broken up so I only had a couple of hours before work and a couple of hours after work. Plus that late in the day I just found my concentration wasn't there. Or maybe it was the extended absence from the workplace. But training is now done and over with.

I have discovered that midnights are the perfect shift for me. On day shifts often you have no chance to do things like go to the doctor... chiropractor... anyone that is 9 to 5. And if you work evenings then you only have the mornings to get anything done... and we all know how much I like mornings. Now I get off work at 8 and can get things done first thing in the morning. Take Friday for instance. I went grocery shopping after work. Then I stopped by my apartment to drop off the groceries and then went to the bank. Came home and went to bed. Slept until about 7:30 and if I still needed to go to a store I could've. Then left just after 11 to get to work. Perfect I tell you.

I even called mom up on my way by her apartment... since I knew I'd be working Christmas. So I invited her out for coffee. I ended up visiting with her for quite a while and then she took me out for breakfast... and to run a couple of errands... and then home.

I am enjoying the job, for the most part. And it's not the kind of job that I take home with me. What an improvement. And now I am off until Tuesday.... well I leave here Monday night to go into work. So I will be home for the snowstorm and not trying to brave the weather.

Random Occurrences

The other night I was getting ready for work when there was a knock at the door. People will frequently get the wrong apartment... Probably doesn't help that my apartment has no numbers on the door. I open the door and Tristan was standing there... Now I haven't seen him in almost 2 years. It was quite the shock. He was standing there with an apartment size freezer. Now it turns out that he works for the Brick now and was delivering it but they had the wrong address. Gave me a chance to reconnect with him and he apologized for things that happened in the past. And I thought I had a guilt complex. Got his phone number and we might go out to dinner soon.

Speaking of Missing Money

While on the same topic.... I received my termination pay last week. I must say the letter made me feel all warm and fuzzy. And then I promptly went out and bought a Playstation 3. But any ways.... On the cheque there was a deduction for RRSPs. Now RRSPs are a good thing. However, I no longer have an account with Standard Life. I closed it back in July and transferred the money to the bank. And right now I would rather just have the $280. So I call Standard Life and they have no record of it. Hmm... so where's the money? On an off chance I call my former company.... but not the local office. I call corporate. First I get told that the money would not have even been sent to Standard Life yet. It would be next month. So since it hasn't been sent yet I ask if it can not be sent ever.... and just be sent to me. Now the person I was speaking with couldn't do that but was trying to find the contact info for the person that could. She wasn't able to locate it but took my name and number and is going to get them to call me. So we'll see what happens there. I don't want to be fighting to get the money back. And if it is sent to Standard Life I will only receive 50% back. The other 50% will have to go into a locked-in RRSP. So now I am crossing my fingers and hoping.

More Woes from AppleCare

Don't worry there is nothing wrong with my computer at the moment. Last week I got an invoice in the mail from Apple. It appeared to be a credit for my AppleCare. Guess my letter to CR and to Apple Canada worked. They were refunding what was left of the AppleCare. Since the invoice was dated on November 12, 2007 I checked all of my credit cards to see if there was any new funds on it. There wasn't. So then I had Steve check his credit card since that was the one I used to purchase the computer. Nada. The next day I called and spoke to CR. They told me that it was being refunded through PayPal and weren't sure how long it would take. Was told to contact PayPal about it. Nothing like passing the buck. But since I hadn't checked my PayPal account I was fine with that. So I check. Nothing there either. So I wait.... and today I call Apple again. It's like pulling teeth. First of all the person I spoke with was incredibly rude. She cut me off and placed me on hold without even getting my permission to do so. Not that I would've said no but "please hold" and then click is not very nice and I am pretty sure that their policy (unless it's different then tech support) does not allow that. So once again she tells me that the money is being sent to PayPal. Won't even confirm that they even used the right email address. Starts comparing it to sending out a cheque or a credit card payment. Anyone that has used PayPal before knows that as soon as money is sent to your email address you receive a notice and can log into PayPal to claim the amount. It's pretty much instantaneous. Considering the invoice date is from over 2 weeks ago I can guarentee that I am never going to see this money unless Apple does something about it. So now I have $140 floating somewhere.... It would be nice to actually receive that money. Bring the whole painful Apple experience to a conclusion. And just in case you're wondering you can still see the burn mark on my leg.... so I doubt it's ever going to completely heal.

The Job Front

This has been a stellar week so far. I found out about the labour board dispute yesterday. While it's not entirely the resolution I had been hoping for it was about the best I could hope for. And it does mean that I will be getting about $2000 at some point. Definitely looking forward to that. Then today there was a hiring fair going on at Teleperformance for their technical support position. So I went down for that.

First I got lost. The building is really confusing. I had to ask someone how to get to the main office. Then I went in to drop off my resume and the receptionist was really friendly. That was a change. Wasn't expecting that. Spent about 30 minutes or so filling in the application, agreeing to the police check, and filling out several tests. Then I had to do a typing test. Got 53 wpm with an accuracy of 99%. Pretty excited about that actually. Since it was the job fair I even had the interview today. Susan really didn't ask me any questions. I guess that's a good sign. *lol* I am supposed to go back tomorrow for a tour and more paperwork. So I'm going to go with the fact I am employed again.... unless I find out differently tomorrow.

The job starts on Monday which is really short notice. I was hoping for another week so that I would get the EI in time to pay rent. Doesn't look like that will be the case. But it's not like I am turning down a job so I can pay rent on time. I'll just have to talk to the landlord and let them know that it will be late and explain why that is the case. It will cost more in the end. But hey it looks like I have a job again.

Welcome to the Real World

As many of you are aware back in March I lost my job. Well technically I didn't really lose it. I know exactly where it went and why it disappeared. What you may not know, since I really didn't want it to be public knowledge, is that I was fighting back. I felt that it was unfair and that I was being targeted. Ideally I wanted my job back... but failing that I at least wanted the termination pay.

Now I did get an apology from the parent company over my treatment there but nothing else ever came of that. Then I had someone from corporate looking into it. They dealt the final death knell for any thought of getting my job back. They also refused to admit any wrong doing. But offered me the 4 weeks salary. After careful consideration I turned it down choosing instead to let the labour board make the final decision. If they decided that it was justified then I would accept that answer. But if not then it would go on record that it was a case of wrongful dismissal and the company would be held accountable.

Such noble sentiments. I have since discovered that the labour board is on the side of the employers and will look for any loophole to screw over the employee. Okay so the wrongful dismissal is not the reason for that thought. They didn't give me my raise back in February and then fired me at the end of March. I was told I couldn't claim for any additional wages. So as long as they fire you before implementing the new wages it's okay. For the longest time I had a catch-22 at work. If I took my lunch then we wouldn't meet the mandate and it would lead to disciplinary action. So I didn't take my lunch but they didn't pay me for it either. They deducted the time. And I was told that I voluntarily chose not to take my lunch. Hmm... damned if you do and not paid if you don't.

As for the whole wrongful dismissal claim.... since they had already offered me the 4 weeks pay and to change my termination to without cause that is exactly what I'll be getting. But basically they are calling it a settlement. The company will not have to admit to any wrong doing and can even try and take the righteous high ground of "Look at us. We offered to do this and didn't have to. We wanted to bring closure to the situation." But really.... if they thought they could win and not have to pay anything they would've fought me.

Life in the real world isn't quite as black and white. There are a lot of shades of grey. But the good news is that the whole saga has now come to an end... or will once I get the cheque (which could be 6 months from now). I saw it through.... no matter how many people told me that I couldn't win and that I should just stop fighting. In the end I won.