Buses, Phones, and Clothes

So recently my phone broke. I discovered this when I got an unexpected paycheque, and to celebrate, I  decided to order pizza. It was past 12:00 midnight and so there were only a few franchises open, but since I've ordered past this time before, I knew what was available. First location answers, I state my order but they continue to repeat their greeting as though they hadn't heard me, and eventually I hang up. I try again, same result. I try another place, same franchise, different location, but the same thing happens.

It just so happens that at midnight, things crossed over to April Fools Day, so I wonder if management told their employees to pretend they can't hear customers that call in, as a festive prank (terrible for business). Plus the unexpected paycheque only would have added to this festive theme.

Unfortunately, April Fools passed and I still couldn't use my phone. I could text and go online with it, I just couldn't use its function as an actual telephone.

Around this time, the buses decided to go on strike a week after they had stated that they would not, saying they rejected the prospective terms they had come to with the City. This time they're saying it's non-negotiable, and the strike will happen. Lots of people don't know if they should buy a bus pass or not, since it's near the beginning of the month and they don't know how long the strike will be, or if they will be reimbursed.

Around this time, our laundromat was busted into, which is something that routinely happens nowadays. People break in to smash open the machines and harvest their coins. The most recent bout left two washers and two driers operational, but only if you know a trick to make them work by poking around the exposed area left when the robbers smashed open the coin slots. This makes the complex real excited, because it means we can do our laundry for free, but since we only have two of each and everyone's jumping to do free loads of laundry, it means they're constantly busy. Especially since the new Super has put a new time restriction, so the laundromat is open from 8 AM to 8PM, which is really incompatible with my overnight schedule.

So I finally have a bit of money, but I can't bus, or use my phone, or wash my clothes. Things can't just go my way.

But the buses backed out of their bus strike again, which again happened the day before it was going to happen. They said it was a sure thing this time, but they did some behind-the-scenes negotiating and they wound up getting what they want.

I'm of two minds on that. I've always said that being a city bus driver has to be one of the most difficult jobs, because people expect you to be on-the-minute exact with your timing, when there are so many different factors that could slow you down or speed you up, such as the number of riders getting on and off, the whether, detours etc. And people only come to you with their negativity, blaming your for ruining their day by being early or late, or missing a stop request or forgetting to open the side door. You don't often see people compliment a driver for successfully completing an expected route.

But all their complaints about health and safety concerns, about how they're getting disrespected and have to worry about being assaulted... That's my regular job, and they get paid twice what I do. But I don't threaten to close an essential service like they did. Lost a little respect for them for pulling the strike threat twice, especially after they'd agreed to terms after their first threat and later thought they could get better based on how everyone reacted.

I brought my phone in to see if it could get replaced, since it came free with my plan and had a year-long warranty, and it broke down in under a year. But there's a smudge in the centre of the screen that apparently indicates that it has been water damaged, and even if your phone is damaged in an unrelated way, if it's ever been water damaged, they won't repair it. It's not like I ever dropped it in the toilet or a sink or anything, it must have gotten that way from me walking through the rain or something.

But you can buy a headset with a mic to replace the one broken on your phone, which I have. So now I can use my phone again, I just have to be wearing head phones.

And I learned the trick on the broken washing machines and managed to get a couple loads done. So I can bus, phone, and wash my clothes again.

I got accepted to Brantford Laurier for Bachelor of Social Work, so that's another option if I decide to go that route.

Friend Passed

So my friend passed away. Within an hour or so of when I visited her, she got transferred to a more comfortable location, where people go basically to die in peace.

She didn't really wake up after I'd visited her. I said that when I saw her she was asleep, and the most I'd dared to do was theatrically whisper at her, but I don't think there was much I could have done to wake her even if I'd taken the extra effort. She was essentially in a coma at that point.

I was with the family when they received the news. Tough stuff.

I don't really want to post about anything that might distract from this topic, but just so you know I'll probably be posting about my phone breaking, the laundromat getting busted up by robbers, getting accepted to another University, and being four weeks into my new job and having done case notes, Serious Incident Reports, and a containment (with no identifying information, of course)