Monday, December 27, 2004

There is a blizzard warning in effect for the Island, oh, and a storm surge warning too, but no plans to go swimming or anywhere near bridges so should be ok on that front.

So, I am storm-stayed, thus making my visit home a completely Canadian experience. As an encore, perhaps I'll have a bottle or two of beer tonight and watch CBC.

Hmm am trying to decide between watching Lord of the Rings or Ghost or It's a Wonderful Life tonight.....

I am Home Alone..... no worries though. Will not be pulling a Macauly Culkin (Jen, I know I probably spelled that wrong - bad me!)

The most eventful thing that has happened yet today is that I ventured outside to, yet again, ensure the safety of wee Smudgee. Yes, yes, I did put him out earlier in the afternoon, but believe me I didn't want to. After a few vain attempts to call for him from the front door, I determined I would have to go out and get the Smudge.
It turns out the back door couldn't be opened because the snow had drifted up against it and I am very weak. Right, so after donning my marshmallow jacket, a toque, some ski pants, a scarf and some heeled winter boots (so practical), I made my way into the blustery whiteness. Finding Smudgee was easy, getting Smudgee to come out from under the patio was not so easy. I had to shovel out the back door as I knew immediately he would never make it as far as the front door. Anyways, I finally got him inside (woohoo me!!)

And that is as eventful as it has been. I don't mind, it is nice to be homebound with Elvis, Queen et al to keep me company and plenty of choclate to keep me from starving....ahem.

Right, anyway, I am going to try something new here..I am going to try to post a pic of me and my new man - Fred. He's a great dancer and very classy.

Hmmm..still working on that I guess...will get back to trying that later, plus maybe posting some new pics in my album.

Promises, Promises.....

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Phew.. OK that was by far the scariest driving I have ever done. All in the name of Smudgee's comfort and appetite. Hmm, well maybe a bit of my own too, but mostly I did it for the cat.

I hate driving. No, wait that is NOT TRUE!! I love driving when it is sunny and the roads are clear and visibility is more than, like, 10 feet in front of you!!

So, in conclusion..I hate driving in the following circumstances:

1. I am in Canada (or any other country prone to sudden meteorological happenings that could wreak havoc)
2. It is night-time
3. It is snowing
4. It is windy
5.The roads are basically a blanket of snow
6. I really have to use the washroom

Gah! The most harrowing experience I have had since returning to PEI that hasn't been related to my thoughts/heart, but to something concrete and scary as shite - A Weather Bomb (note the use of bomb in this blog is figurative and has no doubel meaning..incidentally I recently learned that 'weather bomb' is actually a bonafide meteorological term)

12 hours ago I was completely oblivious to the impending storm and enormous amount of stress it would induce on me (my back, in particular, is suffering).

I started the day off right - having a shower, packing up presents to bring to my Dad's and making sure the house was secure, as was planning a late night out - Boxing Day Bash in SUmmerside, here I come!!

Right, so its sunny and the roads are clear all the way to my Dad's. After a pleasent present opening event we take a drive up to Lloyd & Rita's. What a blast from the past - this lovely neighbour couple were subjected to constant visit from Mary, Sara and myself when we were just wee little things. We used to visit oh, I don't know, maybe once a day. Sometimes we'd prepare a song & dance - a particular favorite amongst us three gals was 'Rockin Robin'. Lloyd & Rita would invite us in and we'd have a nice chat (well..I'm not sure how exciting it was for them to talk to 8 year olds). If they didn't invite us in they'd always be sure send us away with candy!!

Anyways, it was great to see them again - they are still sharp, witty, well-informed and interesting conversationalists. But, given that I am a bit of a softie and romantic, I'd have to say that what I enjoyed most about that visit was seeing that this couple, who'd been together for 50 years, was still in love. You could see it in the eyes and in the way Lloyd took care of Rita. 50 years and still going strong - a beautiful sight and an inspiration if ever there was one.

OK, so after that blast from the past, I figured it was time for more blasts from the pasts in the form of a mini highschool reunion. OK, admittedly I've seen Keri, Schemida and Daniellle since high school, but I hadn't seen Christine!

So, by this time I was aware that PEI was going to be hit by a blizzard the next morning. Let me repeat - the NEXT MORNING. I came to conclusion that SUmmerside Boxing Day Bash with KISH gals could be carried out with no problemos. I would chaffeur all and head back to Long Creek after a fab night out..

Alas, it was not to be so. Well, actually, it was to be so..just A LOT shorter than expected and much much more stressful after dropping Ms Shields off in Riviere du Francais.

So, yes I am safe, but I never ever want to drive in snow again. And might I say, it is amazing what runs through your mind in such stressful moments.

A final thought for the day: Warm hugs, tender kisses, loving and kind words - offer them generously and recieve them graciously - they are the greatest gifts we can give or recieve.

Friday, December 24, 2004

1 More Sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Christmas Eve of last year (2003) I booked three one-way plane tickets from Halifax to London for May 13th of the upcoming year.

Two years ago on this day I recieved a telephone call from Don McCormac informing me that I had been offered a job by Allied Irish Banks in Dublin, Ireland. The job would start in April and run for 6 months.

Understandably then, this Christmas Eve seems a bit anticlimatic. No plane tickets to book, no surprise phone calls (yet) and I know where I am headed for 2005. Hmmmm.. I still have faith something will happen before this Christmas season is out, whether it be serendipitous or the result of plain hard work and ambition I am not sure yet, but I do believe. As Raffi says ' Every litte wish and every little dream has a chance of coming true at Christmas.'

Merry Christmas to all. May this year and all those to follow find you with happiness in your heart and love in your life.

'One day, the people of the world will want peace so much that the governments are going to have to get out of their way and let them have it.'
Dwight D Eisenhower

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Righto..so I should be wrapping presents right now, or having a shower since I jus finished working out..or, well, doing something mildy productive in any matter..given that I've kind of 'wasted' a lot of my time home doing one or a combination of the following things: Sleeping, emailing & crying/trying not to cry. Right, so on that note - Yah! Happy Happy Christmas!!

LAst night was my fav night home so far because I got to see so many fabulous, interesting and wonderful people all in one place at one time...and I organised the get-together (surprise!!). Many of those in attendance had, at one time or another, lived and worked abroad...a number of them in Scotland! There was also a bonafide Irish bloke there....I've decided that, in fairness to John & Janet, I will not make any blanket statements about Irish gents over the age of 30. I will, however, continue to make horribly generalised statements about those under the age of thirty, seeing as how I've encountered a representative sample of the lot.....but,I digress, it is, after all Christmas....

OK..so here's something I ripped off Jen's blog, because I am too unoriginal at the moment to come up with a witty blog post:

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. What does it say? "which the story ends"
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first? Teh computer desk shelf..
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? I have watched about 1 hour of tv since I arriving home over two weeks ago. Sadly I watched daytime TLC, meaning 'Perfect Proposal' followed by 'Finding the Right Wedding Dress' Blech.
4. WITHOUT LOOKING, can you guess what the time is? 12.20PM
5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time? 12.24PM
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? Music - 'Band on the Run' is playing at the moment
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? When I got out of Keri's van last night. I was getting home from the get-together of fabulous people.
8. Before you came to this website, what did you look at? Jen MacPhail's blog, because it usually gives me a good laugh.
9. What are you wearing? A Sports bra and track pants. I juts finshed an hour workout
10. Did you dream last night? Yes, something about havinga weird gopher like animal in the attic. MOm put some plastiv up to keep it from getting out, but it turns out the gopher is Smudgee's best friend so the poor cat wasn't happy and neither was the gopher, which had really ppink and very big ears.
11. When did you last laugh? Last night..continuously...most of all when Ernie was telling tales of how he stepped in something the family's puppy had left on the floor.
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? A calendar and a picture...and not-so-pretty wallpaper..
13. Seen anything weird lately? Two rather nice-looking men working at the restaurant we were at last night. Believe me that is a weird sight on PEI!!
14. What do you think of this quiz? I didn't realise it was a quiz..I hope there is a prize.
15. What is the last film you saw? Ocean's 12.
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first? Round the world plane tickets for myself and any friend/family member who wants to travel the world.
17. Can you tell something about you that no one knows? I could, but I choose not to.
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? I'd make it compulsory for anyone in power that decides they are going to invade a country to first visit the nation and hug every single citizen there and hear out each person's dreams & ambitions.

Or maybe I'd say - 'hey, you men have been leading the governments and business world for all time, step aside and lets see how this world works with females at the helm.' Don't get me wrong, there've been some damn fine men that have done great things in history but if you recall The Apprentice (first season)..The Women RULED when they worked exclusively with others in their gender and the men failed miserably when they worked exclusively with those of their own gender.
19. Do you like to dance? Yes, Yes Yes
20. George Bush: is he a power-crazy nut case or some one who is finally doing something that has needed to be done for years? Well, since I have ot travel throught he States on my way back to Scotland I don't want to be black-listed.Let's just say he's neither, he's a puppet. Go read 1984 and Animal Farm - the answers are thered.
21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? Number One.
22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him? Number One.
23. Would you ever consider living abroad? NOPE, cause if I actually considered it I probably would have got too scared or too logical and never actually done it. As it
turns out I've lived in Dublin and Edinburgh ....

Saturday, December 18, 2004

Ho Ho Ho!

Well, I've been 'home' for almost two weeks now. THe cruising speed of time seems to vary from day to day. When I have things to do and people to see (read - when I have a car at my disposal), time just flies by. When I am left to my own devices at home during the day, time is like the turtle..slow but surely passing. The trouble - I ahve been afforded waaayyyy too much time to think and of course, this has, in some instances, resulted in me bawling my eyes out. Perhaps this is a trend for girls that return from Scotland..if Keri would just get on board we'd be 3/3 in that department.

Anywho, I am not big into tears so I've decided to keep myself entirely too busy for the rest of my time here. If that means cleaning the house from top to bottom so be it (sidenote to mother - only using this for demonstrative purpose to show just how desperate I am to NOT think anymore!!)

Well, the past few days have been kinda sorta busy. I've been keeping to the gym routine of 50 mins cardio per day and, although I didn't plan it this way, my appetite has depelted substanitally..not for lack of good food mind you..let's jsut say I'm pulling a Keri type existence at the moment.

Got a chance to catch up with another like-minded traveller/not-sure-which=path=-he's-going-down-yet friend on Wednesday. It was refreshing to sit down and talk to someone who hasn't got it all figured out yet and realise..you know what 'maybe/probably that's a good thing - keep the options open for as long as possible'.

Wednesday night I went to the City Cinema with father to see I Heart Huckabees - hilarious, original, rather off-the-wall..in a nutshell - recommended..but only for quirky people...

Thursday - pull my hair out at home..contemplate actions that would be like taking two steps backward, become (yet again) entirely grateful that level-headed and very smmart Miss Jen is on Messenger to stop me from doing stupid thing....

Friday - Finally - out and about for the day!!! First the gym, tehn another visit to teh Kelly Building..refreshing and enjoyable conversation with an ENFP (you know who you are!!!), quick chat with other fabulous peoples at the Business School, then off to lunch with teacher/mentor for whom I am entirely grateful to have crossed paths with, because now I know where I want to make my career..or maybe more importantly that I don't want to waste my days running the rat race.

I was then meant to do Christmas shopping, but somehow found myself wandering nad meandering so that, in the end, I only had about an hour to shop and came out of that rather dismally..

Saturday (so far). Myrtle's step class. I wore my Snata Hat..I was not the only Santa, but probbaly the cuter one :) Some grocery shopping and then, once home, chocolate peanut butter ball making (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm). If anyone wants the recipe..just ask!!

Tonight I am going out..aside from the night I went to the Wave, this will be my first time 'out and about' since landing on PEI.I promises to be , if anything else, an interesting night and I am sure I will run into loads of people I know..as has been the case since I got back.

K..off to sample those balls..........

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Bonjour/Hello!

Wednesday already? How the heck did that happen? Apparently time flies when you're dong absolutely nothing. OK, OK, it's not that bad, but really, without wheels I am kind of stuck at home most of the time. Not that there isn't plenty to keep me entertained here....

Ss, what's the news of the last few days?

Sunday = Visit the gym (just for a quick hello), then off to see Father. Put my cooking skills to the test and make yummy (in my opinion) stuffed haddock fillets and sweet potato oven fries. Finally, off to the cinema to catch teh Polar Express. I'm sorry, but I expected more from the film. TO be honest, it seemed like the film was made expressly to show off just how good they are at animation these days..the story seemed to play second fiddle to the animation itself. I'm starting to agree with what Jen said - animation that doesn't try to replicate reality is much more enjoyable..like The Incredibles.

Monday - Lllllaaaaazzzeeee around most of the day (am getting seriously practiced at this, it is rather disturbing). Popped into town to do Myrtles Steps & Weights class, then spent the evening decorating the tree.

Tuesday - Not even worth reporting what I did/didn't do..

Today - in an hour or so I am heading to the gym with Adam (one of the few remaining friends that is still on pEI!), then having lunch. Tonight I am going to see I (heart) Huckabees!

On that note, should probaly go have some food for fuel and get ready..

Will try to make next blog more interesting, promise!

Saturday, December 11, 2004

You'd think - with all this free time on my hands I'd have the decency to write more frequently on this blog. Well, afraid I'm just too busy (read: lazy) to get around to this writing thing on a daily basis. I have, however, managed to do the following things on a daily basis since returning home:

-Check my Hotmail on hourly basis
-Use MSN Messenger (most frequently to chat with Jen)
-Sleep
-Shower
-Exercise (or at least contemplate the possibility)
-Think too much
Right, so what have I been up to for the last few days/nights?

Well, Wednesday night I headed into town to celebrate Jen's B'day (again). This time by joining her and some other mates for trivia at The Wave. IT ended up being the MOST interactive trivia ever - hilarious. I also had the good fortune of running into Sheena, Natasha and Shanon Comeau while at the Wave (this made me feel not so archaic). It occurred to me that I wouldn't knw any of these gals if I hadn't lived in Scotland, seeing as that is the common link between us all. Shannon, understandably, burst out laughing every tiem she caught my eye...she was present for my most embarassing moment (yet), way back in August.

Thursday I woke up super early to head into town. Went to the AFC and then did a few errands before heading to the university in hopes of seeing some of the crew at Kelley. Yah!!! I caught up with Janet, Ernie & Joan. We are supposed ot arrange some sort of get-together (a couple of drinks says Ernie, but I suspect it will be more like a few jugs...). Hmm..come to think of it, Janet volunteered me to get that organised..so if you are reading this Janet, please send me an email with all the people i should contact. Thanks!

Oh - in other boring errand news of Thursday I also got my hair cut..it is really short. Big surprise.

I fell asleep around 10.30 adn didn't wake up until 10.00 teh next morning..think the jet lag cuaght up with em finally.

Friday I was lazy. Firday night I was even lazier. There is no news worth reporting as to Friday's events. Oh, except that I ran into Jared Hogg when I popped into the video store. Crazy...he stayed with us while backpacking around Europe..strange how 4/4 of the young people I've seen since returning home. I wouldn't know unless I lived in Scotland. And my friend visting for the new year..I wouldn't know him if it hadn't been for Scotland either! Crazy!!

Saturday - more gym..return to Myrtle's step class. Not much has changed..all was good. Followed that with grocery shopping nad Christmas Tree picking out. Yah!!

K...gotta run..places to see, people to do...





Wednesday, December 08, 2004

I have a friend named Anne, she lives in Edinburgh, but is orignally from somewhere between Calgary & Edmonton. We (meaning me) want her to stay in Edinburgh for longer than she stayed in London or Belfast :) She is super nice ...

Lalalalalalalala.

Ah - the joys of winter in Canada. The kids are at home today (not mine, as I don't have any, but the kids in general). A combination of snow & freezing rain forced school closures and has left this timid winter driver stranded at home. Lovely.

Am meant to head to the 'City' tonight to join Jen's birthday celebration/trviia night at the Wave, but chances of that happening are not looking so good.

In good news - I got my lost baggage! Unfortuately *cough**cough* some of the chocolate I brought back as for gifts was damaged and HAD to be opened (and sampled).

I am joining the gym for the month - yah!! I missed the AFC while in Edinburgh - my gym at work is lacking in Elliptical Machines and Myrtle's step classes.

Is it sad that the person I have talked to the most (aside from family) since I got home is Jen? And is it even sadder that I've 'talked' to her exclusively via MSN Messeger? Don't get em wrong, I heart you Jen!, but um...hello where is everyone else? Oh, that's right..they've all escaped PEI in order to get jobs and travel the world. Most will be back for one week over Christmas, then return to their new homes. Meanwhile, some of us (read - Jen & I..oh and Becky R) will be enjoying an extended and unpaid stay on this fair isle.

Isn't it just my luck that I check the employment section of the Guardian yesterday and find a job I would love to apply for nad may acutally be eligible to get, but which starts at the beginning of January?

Anywho..off I go to do....wait ofr it....its coming.....NOTHING!!! Oh, and do it well I will :)

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Well, it's official, I am a bigger nerd than Jen, whihc probably makes me up there in the top 5 percentile, but anywho. I mean really, I arrive home 12 hours ago and I'm already blogging. Egads!

Not that I want to be awake right now. I told myself I would sleep for twelve hours stright - from eleven last night, util eleven this morning. Myself obviously doesn't listen very well, so here I am.

How as the flight? All was well. I came to discover just how slow Americans talk in comparison to Canadians and had to take my sneakers off for security in New Joisey...rather embarrassing as I had white jogging socks on and one had a whole in it (surprise, surprise). The only real hiccup was at this end of the flight, when I landed in Halifax and found that only one of my checked bags had travelled on the same plane. Conveniently, the 'delayed' baggage is exclusively Christmas presents for other people :( It is supposed to arrive in Halifax this morning....we shall see. It had better.

Last weekend in Edinburgh was full of drinking, friends and celebration. Wow, what an odd combination eh :) So let's see...my last Weekend Review from Edinburgh in 2004:

Friday - A short day at work..the team left at 1.30 to have CHristmas lunch at a Mexican restuarant in Grassmarket.Of course we had to have drinks beforehand..at a bloody Irish pub wehre doubles were only 30p more..so how could I not have two double in the span of an hour? Luckily my managaer was of the same mindset as me, so was not the only 'giddy' one by teh time we left for Mariachi's. Three-course lunch was lovely, but not exactly Christmasy, ,expect for the Christmas crackers. Spent the rest of hte night doing a bit of a pub crawl and talking A LOT to team members.. it is amazing how much I can talk in general, but give me a bit of liquor and its a danger zone really. Rihgt, capped the night off rather early by going to the World's End pub for Vancouver Shannon's leaving do :( My fellow Shannon has left Edinburgh for good...sigh.


Saturday - last minute Christmas shopping by day, house party by night. House party was at 'the guys' place. The guys being our Calgarian friends, Steve, Grand & Scott. It was a good time, what else can I really say? Much drink was had, many funny/fooloish things were done and numerous pictures were taken to prove this point.

Sunday - KEri, Jen & I met up with BEth & Lisianne for 'coffee' just up the street from where we live. All of us live in the same area of town, which is nice. Amywho, after 'coffee, we headed over to the fairgrounds in the Princess Street Gardens. First we checekd out the German market and scored delicious free samples of chocolate, then it was over to the rides. Eeeeee!!!!!!!!!! Beth & I forked over the pounds to ride one of those fancy carousels where the horses go up and down on poles..ahem..lalalalalala. RIght, welll it was sooo fun and much faster than one would expect.

The rest of the afternoon was spent packing. When Jen finally got home from the gym (or should I say sauna??), we sang her Happy Birthday and proceeded to eat chocolate cake galore and head to a pub for birthday meal. Afterwards we headed for Rose St to meet up wiht other birthdya celebrators. KEri made pirate hats out of newspaper and we wore them while we sipped back drinks at Scott's. We got a few odd looks. Mos t previous moment was when two young lads came in and kept staring at us as they passed. Jen went 'Aaarggh' in best pirate voice ever. We finally mosied over to Filthy McNasty's. WE hadn't been there in about three months, but everything was stil the saem, incluiding the crowd in the corner. Well..they say if one doesn't have anything nice to say, one should not say anything at all..so will not speak of Filthy's :) Left after a bit and, on teh way home, I noticed a load of Santas in a pub..we went in and got out pics taken with them.

And that was the end of Edinburgh in 2004. Now it is PEI in 2004...

NOte - now that I am home and have access to computer I will be posting a LOT and emailing and, best of all, UPDATING MY PHOTOS page..let you know when that happens - stay tuned.




Thursday, December 02, 2004

I apologise for the length of the rant below, and for its lacko fdisjointedness..I had just come from a boxercise class - thus adrenaline was running, but hands were still shaking and mind has been in a muddle since the first part of November.

In any case..near the end I meant to say 'treated unfairly' rather than 'untreated fairly'..BIG difference :)

6.5 hrs of work left in this calendar year..well paid work anyway.

For the record - I miss you!

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

OK - a few comments first:

Janet - can't wait to see you, Ernie,Joan, Don & the rest of the gang..Expect the unexpected in the near future

Kelly C - you need my assistance!???? That is laughable, but anywho..it'd be great to hear from you and catch up..my email is shannoncourtny@hotmail.com. Will be home on Monday

Becky Rogers - you'd better have one damn good tan when you come home. I hear you on the leaving your home sadness....I can't imagine how I'll ever pull up my roots from Edinburgh. I can't wait to see you though and hear your plans for the new year, knowing you they'll be..er..interesting and completely unexpected...maybe you will est up shop in Souris and open a hostel for all the backpackers that head to the 'field of mice'?

OK - enough notes, now it is time for a rant. As of late, Ms Shields has related to me two disturbing stories regarding persons being screwed over royally by businesses. Here are the details , I ask you to consider, whenever you buy a product or service- does the business really deserve your custom? Have they treated you well? Do you feel good when you leave the shop/finish the transaction? Way too often I think we go back to businesses that provide crap service because we think there is no other option - we assume that there is a trade off between price & service. This is simply not the case... I've outlined a third story (also from Ms Shields, to prove this point. Please, people - you have the power - choose to use it.

E-Vil Business Number 1 - E-Bookers


Ebookers are an on-line business that book flights for travelers. Keri booked her return flight home from Edinburgh to Halifax and back. It cost her about £50 less than the on-line booker Jen & I used. At first I was jealous, because she was also flying Air Canada for most of the flight, thus avoiding a stopover in the US. But then the cracks began to show. They had screwed her over royally in a number of ways:

1. On her return flight, Keri will be arriving in London Heathrow from Halifax. 4 hours later she will be departing from London Gatwick for her final flight to Edinburgh. The cost of getting from Heathrow to Gatwick is approximately £20..the travel time is approximately 1 hour and, of course, there's the hassle of traveling, dragging luggage from one airport to another and then checking in again.

2. On the way home, Keri's stopover in London Heathrow is 1 hour and 10 mins. This is simply not enough time to get from one terminal to another, given the need for security checks, etc. Air Canada recommends a minimum of 1 hour and thirty minutes for transfer in Heathrow.

3. Because E-bookers booked Keri's flights separately, she can not check her luggage the whole way through. she would have to pick up her luggage in London and recheck it for her flight to Halifax. Impossible.

4. When Keri called to inquire about this issues, she was given the run around and basically told that there was nothing they could do since she'd booked the flights. This phone call followed numerous unanswered emails and one previous callwhere she'd been put onhold for ten minutes.

5. Keri also had to pay £15 initially to have her tickets mailed to her - Jen & I rec'd our tickets free of charge through first class mail.

6. In the end Keri made the choice to book another flight to London - the night before she is to leave London. She is now out another £60 and will spend the night in the airport. ON the upside, she will have plenty of time to check her baggage.

I know this is only one instance, but I suspect that it is not uncommon for people to experience these hassles...

Some better discount airlines (in my experience) - www.canadianaffair.com
Major Travel
Zoom Airlines


2. The Unloyal Loyalist in Summerside PEI.

Imagine the shock of arriving at the place you are having your wedding ceremony & dinner two hours before it is to begin, only to discover that all the decorations you spent hours putting up have been torn down because some worker thought the wedding had already taken place. Imagine how you would then feel when, ia panicky state you approach the woman at the front desk to ask what has happened and what can be done to rectify the problem and find that she shrugs her shoulders and basically says 'its not my problem'. so you spend the next two hours frantically redecorating and trying to find the stepboard platform you had set up so your little cousin could do her stepdancing routine. And then, to add insult to injury, the LOyalist OVERCHARGES you for the event - claiming they have no record that you paid in part back in July when you booked the place. Finally, after much hassle you find you ONLY have to pay what you actually owed in full..no compensation whatsoever for the fact that they pulled apart your wedding and caused you stress.

3. It DOESN'T have to be this way

Last year Keri went to buy a digital camera at the FutureShop. EVerybody goes to the Future SHop yet I know few people who actually enjoy the experience there, namely because they have sales people trying to sell you upgrades and ridiculous warranties, and because when you actually try to cash in on a warranty, they try to give you the run around and most people just give up.

Anyways - so Keri goes to buy her digital camera and encounters the sales guy who tries ot sell her the warranty (no thanks) and tells her that the software doesn't come with teh camera????? what? Right, so Keri leaves without buying it because she feels a bit uneasy about it. And then she does what every person should consider doing -she shops around and finds that she can get teh exact same camera with teh software for the EXACt SAME PRICE from Charlottetown Photography (I thnk that't the name). And the people who work there are nice and not at all pushy and you can leave feeling good that at least your helping a local business person and not some huge conglomerate which answers only to its shareholders and sees customers as putty to be moulded.

There- rant over - anyone still readin???? really though - I am sick and tired of hearing all these stories about bad businesses - why are we all so Complacent? This is my attempt to not be complacent - spreading the word is a powerful thing - try it on for size the next time you feel you've been untreated fairly...and while you're at it lodge a complaint with the company and DON't give up - persistance does pay off.....