Charger Cable

My laptop's been down for a bit. The charger cable has been acting up for awhile. It wouldn't charge while plugged in, and would only do so if I had the cable sit kind of half-in half-out of the plug. It was giving me flashbacks to my old cell phone, which after gradual deterioration ultimately required me to tape a pen to a charger, then wrap rubber bands around the pen and phone to create a consistent charge. I didn't have any rubber bands large enough to stretch around my beast of a laptop, though.

However, I have a younger version of the same laptop as my brother, so any issue his develops likely happens with me as well. His laptop's charge cable had worn out and he had needed to get it replaced, which gave me hope that I wouldn't need to be getting a new computer or have it repaired in a serious way.

When I was in Guelph for Moss' funeral, we tried my brother's charger with my computer, and it worked fine, which seemed to confirm it was an issue with my charger.

It hit it's last when I was doing a job search. I'd picked up a number of leads, bookmarked them and was ready to start sending applications when I noticed it had stopped charging. I fiddled around with the cable, but couldn't get its sweet spot. Eventually I decided to power it off while it still had a bit of charge and accept that the cable no longer worked.

I went to Wal Mart the next day to see if they had anything. They had a universal charger that was supposed to work with any laptop, and it specified Toshiba. Brought it home and tried each tip. Only one fit, and it wasn't one of the tips that was supposed to work with Toshiba. But even though it fit, it didn't work. Brought it back the next day and went to Best Buy. Asked somebody about cables and described the situation. I'd brought my cable and my laptop but didn't want to show it, because it's so primitive and you know those guys are going to start pitching upgrades, and because they seem so much smarter than you, you often wind up walking away with some fancy thing that isn't all that functional. Happened to me at a Staples where I'd asked for something I knew was reliable and got talked into taking away something more expensive which broke inside a year.

Anyway, so the guy shows me a universal cable that specifies Toshiba. I tell him that I'd just tried a universal cable that specifies Toshiba, but he points out that this one is "Guaranteed Compatibility" and fully refundable. So I bring it home and it doesn't work. I get my brother (who is smarter than me at this type of thing) to look up which type of cable might work. He gives me a name and says it's in stock at the Best Buy I got the last cable at. I return the cable and go to the charger section (I know they're actually called adapters but I can't get used to the word so I'm not using it). I'm staring at the section when an employee walks up and offers her service. I puff myself up, determined to get exactly what I've come for. I tell her I need a very specific charger. She says I'm probably right next to it. I tell her the name and she points to exactly where I'd been staring.

Those displays are so mesmerizing. Too much information, my brain just shorts out. I probably would have stared at that wall, trying to comprehend what I was looking at for another thirty minutes before realizing what I was looking at.

Anyway, that charger didn't work either.

When my brother's had stopped working, he had brought it into an old computer parts store, the guy had looked at his cable, tried a bunch of different chargers, found one that fit and had given it to him at half the price that these chargers were. But I couldn't go to this place because I generally work every day of the week and without a vehicle I can't casually drive to Guelph.

So last Friday I looked up used computer parts stores in Kitchener-Waterloo, choose the highest rated, and head over. They ask if I've got my laptop and they try each charger but none fit. They ask if I've got the cable handy, and the guy gets excited "It's a bullet!"

Apparently my charge cable is rare because there's usually a little piece of metal in the middle that sticks into the computer, but mine is just the casing, like a bullet shell. Back of my mind I'm wondering if this is why mine and my brother's both developed issue.

So they contact the supplier and offer to order one for me, which I accept.

I like these people because they actually looked at my computer, worked out a solution, and described it to me. They also are ordering the cable, but don't require purchase until they know it works, meaning that if it doesn't, they've spent money on a rare cable that they may never need. The guy is very enthusiastic, and in my mind I wonder how a person can stay so excited about everything, but then I remember that my job requires me to be constantly in high spirits and focused on who I'm working with. So it's not that odd.

Met a couple getting something for their son, Gryffin. Poor kid, even with my spelling, the easy observation people always make about my name is that it sounds like "Gryffindor". This kid has the exact spelling. Apparently someone misspelled this guy's name. After they give the correct spelling, I lean over, stick my thumb to my chest and say "G. R. Y. P. H. O. N." They don't get it at first, thought I was trying to correct them. Little awkward. They ask me if I've ever met another Gryphon (All-inclusive on spelling, but I'm sticking to my version for the blog) I say that I've met plenty of people who have known a Gryphon, but not once in my life have I spoken with someone with the same name. Which is true.

I've always wondered how people with the same name relate with one another, if it's a unifying quality that draws people together, or if it's divisive, with each person somewhere inside wanting to be the more prominent example of their namesake. I've always felt like I'd hate meeting another Gryphon, as if it would take away from my uniqueness. That said, supposedly people with unique names do less well professionally, statistically, and not for reasons applying to demographics. Supposedly just entering a job interview and having the boss  unsure on how to pronounce your name creates a feeling of vulnerability in people who generally enjoy a feeling of authority, and even just that can be damaging. Plus I could see having a common name creating a feeling of familiarity and comfort.

But after being required to remember as many people as I have, I've grown thankful for the Habibas and Nyadukus of the world. There's too much name overlap, and that can actually get confusing. At one time I was working with a Chris, Chrissy, Christy, Christine, Christina, and a Tina. Maddening. I know way too many James', Michelles, Dans, Dannys, Daniels and Danielles.

Anyway, that's unimportant. Back to the charger story. It's ordered on Friday and shows up Monday. But I don't have the foresight to pack my laptop that day and don't have time to drop by my place after work and get to the store before it closes. This means I have to pick it up and can't test it at the store. So I spend all my work shift thinking about this cable, go to the store, pick it up, and start heading back, the suspense just killing me. I run into a friend downtown and he wants some support doing something. Not complicated, I just need to be a presence. But it still requires me to postpone getting home, and the suspense thickens.  As I come back, I miss my bus and I have to wait another thirty minutes. Thoughts are running through my head about how I think it's the cable but I never confirmed it. It's weird that the computer light is shining that says it's plugged in when it actually isn't. I'd powered down my computer when it still had charge but it wouldn't turn on again anyway. Maybe there's a deeper problem. Finally get back and...

...It works. Jeez, this whole saga can't have been more than a week, but it's felt like a year. I'm typing from my laptop right now.

You remember how I said I wanted to get a poster for my door, to cover up a hole that got kicked into it by my old roommate, but that all the posters I could find were too tacky? I eventually settled for a map of North America, which was neutral enough. Went to an art supply store. Everything I liked was a horizontal image when I needed vertical (map of the world, that Japanese tsunami painting with the rowing boat, and some abstract art) and it came down to the map of North America or an image of the Eiffel Tower. There were three takes on the Eiffel Tower, and I couldn't bring myself to do that one that said "See You In Paris". I've technically been to Paris France, but only in the airport. Sometimes I mention having been to Paris casually in conversation and pretend to be surprised that the person I'm talking to has never been, before admitting to only having transferred at their airport. Would be a kind of cute in-joke but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Then they had an image of the building specifics of the Eiffel Tower, which was really cool, but let's be real, I'm no architect and it means nothing to me. Then they had a neutral image of the Tower, but on closer inspection, there were some stars and frills and it was just too gaudy. So I took the map of North America.

But recently I came across a Gryffindor poster! It's great because it's the most common observation of my name, but it's also cool because I put it on my door. So Gryffindor is on Gryphon's door! Hahahaha!

I've had a time getting it to stay up though! I tried Scotch tape, masking tape, and duct tape. first with masking tape rolls in the corners, then with rolls of duct tape dotting the entire frame of the back side with Scotch tape bordering the entire thing, but it just wouldn't stay up! Almost as upsetting as the charge cord thing.

Four rolls of masking tape was enough to keep up my map of North America, even when I pulled it off one side of the door and placed it on the other. The rolls of duct tape fastened strong enough to the poster that I couldn't pull them off without causing damage, but they wouldn't fasten to the door. Thumb tacks wouldn't go in the door, either. Eventually I sucked it up and just framed the whole poster with duct tape. Didn't like the idea of the tape being visible, but it's a deep purple masking tape, which kind of goes with the deep red and gold of the Gryffindor image. It's all royal colours, at least.

Borrowed the duct tape from my roommate after he caught me cussing loudly at the poster, which snapped me back to reality.

Recently, this blog has been having record traffic. Which is pretty cool because I've been neglecting it and when I have posted, it's been done quickly and without much thought. But some recent posts have over 130 views! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!

My highest viewed post was the one about Jenga, and the second highest was the one about those 15 guys who showed up in unmarked vans with assault rifles, who took away three guys from the community. That's actually super intimidating, I hope they aren't monitoring this blog now!

RIP Moss

So today my family in Guelph's pet rabbit, Moss, passed away. He was quite an elderly rabbit, I remember adopting him from a friend when I was in Grade Eleven, which was eleven years ago. At that time he was already several years old and since dwarf rabbits have an average lifespan of 7-10 years, so he showed a strong amount of longevity

I was the one who named him Moss. I'm not very good at giving names. We have a cat named Blackavar, which was my favourite rabbit in the book Watership Down. So we had a cat named after a rabbit, and a rabbit named after a plant because of me.

But his name was also Watership Down based, as most of the rabbits were named after plants (Hazel, Blackberry, Dandelion, Buckthorn, Strawberry, Bluebell etc.) Because his origins were a bit rough, I named him Moss because he was able to grow and develop as a fine rabbit despite the craggy, hard, inhospitable circumstances on which he was born.

(Also because I had a rabbit themed online roleplay character named Moss. Nothing too weird, I swear, but I've put that behind me so don't bring it up. Same naming criteria for the character, though)

Moss didn't live in a cage. For some reason, he enjoyed his little section of boxes and carpet to the point he refused to explore further. So we didn't have to worry about him chewing on electrical cords unless they fell on his turf. He even had a kitty liter box on his territory, where he would defecate. He was a free and organized rabbit.

The cats never bothered him. Of note, he had one cat friend who would share his treats with him fairly. He loved broccoli more than anything else, and Luna, his cat companion, would sit side-by-side with him and the two would share their broccoli. Luna also played with him, rolling on her back and batting at him. When she walked on his territory, Moss would bounce up to her and tuck his face in her fur.

In the end, his passing was gracious. I wasn't there, but the night before he passed, he apparently suffered what appear to be a stroke. He wasn't able to stand up and his eyes were clouded over. He accepted liquid food as a dropper from a syringe, administered by my brother.

One of our cats, Thor, apparently lay beside him until the moment of his passing.

Tonight is the night of the Supermoon, a full moon that is brighter and larger than any other for the past sixty years. In some of Eastern Asia, including Japan, China, and Korea, as well as the ancient Aztec civilization, they see what we interpret as the Man in the Moon, formed by shadows created by craters, as the image of a rabbit.

I might be reaching, since Moss wasn't Japanese, Chinese, Korean, or Aztec, but the brightest symbol in the past sixty years representing a rabbit shines on the night of his passing. Let me feel this is significant. who I woul,

Let me hit you with this. The Chinese moon-rabbit is grinding the elixir for eternal life. Let me think this represents Moss's longevity, and the reminder that this event is not a symbol of an end, but a celebration of life and new beginnings.

By the by, I can't help but take notice in regard to my readers from the United States, that you have elected Donald Trump as your president. It's not much my business, since I'm from a separate nation, but because of our geographic proximity and trade agreements, I can't help but feel this choice in leadership will impact us as well.

Since I'm not all that politically savvy, I trust in you voters as having perceived some stronger qualities within President Elect Trump than I have. After all, I've only known Trump as a guy who ran a reality TV Show, where he tried to trademark the common phrase "You're fired". When he tried to build a golf course on marked Scotland soil. When he was attacked by a bald eagle, representing everything virtuous about the United States.

Hope the decisions of our neighbors leave us well enough alone!

Halloween 2016

So, a couple of days ago it was Halloween. I decided to try giving out candy this year. Last year, I tried to do this, but wound up watching a horror movie with my roommates, then we had a few friends over, and we wound up eating all the candy I was going to give out.

This year, day of, I decide to give it another go. I figured my area wouldn't be a hot spot for trick-or-treaters. We have enough kids in the area, but I remember when I was a kid, it was pretty common knowledge which areas were more profitable. Generally, it was better to travel out to the higher income neighbourhoods, and so I thought the children living here would take a beeline out of the complex, and I'd only catch them on their cycle back home.

Besides, after they caught that murderer here, I'm pretty sure the kids are like "Let's go to the places where it's only fake scary".

I go to the local grocery to pick up some candy. Usually they have those boxes of fun sized candy bars, little bags of chips, and twizzler packets. Last year I picked up candy bars and twizzlers. I'm sure I've said it before, but as a kid, I'd hate getting those little bags of chips, because there's so much air in them and it's just wasted space. A pillow sack full of candybars was a real prize. The twizzlers were because I wanted a nut-free option, and Twizzler was the only type that could guarantee that.

My grocery had absolutely nothing and I didn't have time to go to another. I tried a nearby dollar store, and they were stacked. Last year, I obviously overdid it with the candy (since no children came), but this year was even worse. I dropped $40 on candy! I wish somebody was with me, to tell me when to stop. I'm a cheap but festive person, which leads me to spend hard and then moan about it afterwards. It was nostalgic, because there were all those cheap little candies, like the tinfoil-wrapped chocolate balls with the Jack-o-Lanterns on them, caramel squares, toffee pieces etc, that you tend to forget because they aren't bad, but they also aren't the prize of the night. Yet, you usually only see them on Halloween, and they add to the atmosphere. I finally learned where all those adults were getting their festive, mediocre candy. The dollar store.

The dollar store is far better than the grocery when it comes to nut-free candy. Last year, only the twizzlers were nut-free. Even candy without nuts would get that little warning (may contain peanuts and tree nuts) This years, two thirds of my candy was nut-free, and honestly, the nut-free stuff was generally better. My weakness was the fruit chews.

I left the door open with the light on to signal to prospective Trick-or-Treaters that I was available. One of my neighbours, an older woman, shouted into my door "Don't eat all the candy Gryphon!" I said "Do I hear a Trick-or-Treater?" and went to try and make her take some candy. She called out both the children in her unit, who had retired early, and they picked out some candy. Then I pushed some candy on all the adults living in that unit, too. I'd never managed to hand out Halloween candy before, so I was wondering if this counted. But then some kids with costumes came by and walked up to us.

I was so awkward. I was like, "Uhhhh, how do you want to do this? You want to pick the candy or should I just give you a handful?" My roommate came out with the second bowl of candy, so it looked like he was from another unit, and he managed to give out a second serving.

So I managed to give a kid going door-t-door on Halloween night some candy. Cross that off my bucket list. But the children didn't say "Trick or Treat" so I'm not sure it counts. Drat!