Geoffrey Wale
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Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me

9/30/2014

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Living in Centretown Ottawa for several years I am accustomed to seeing panhandlers on Bank Street and occasionally accosted by fraudsters trying to separate me from my money. Usually, it is while I am waiting at the bus stop on my way to work or walking along Bank Street. The entrance to the Independent Grocer at Bank and Somerset almost always has panhandlers begging for change. I generally ignore them. Does this mean I am cold hearted and lacking in charity? I do not think so. There are social service agencies and private charities that serve the less fortunate. The Independent Grocer has jars out where shoppers can make donations to support local soup kitchens and boxes where you can groceries for the food bank.

As for the fraudsters plying their trade in Centretown, I have no sympathy for them. Some of them are reasonably well known; they ply a myriad of scams with some success. Some years ago I had a visit from the $35 woman. It was late at night when this strange woman showed up on my doorstep with cheque book in hand and her fast talking sob story about having moved in nearby, a migraine setting in and needing to fill a prescription. Her bank card was corrupted so she could not withdraw money from her bank account or pay via Interac. Could I see fit to lend her $35, she would give me a cheque to repay me. I could not get a word in edgewise until she completed the pitch, but all the while stood there listening and wondering "who are you and why are you bothering me at this hour?" I told her "I can't help you" and shut the door. I learned this was one of her varied scams when I stumbled across a news report on her in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper and to my astonishment found that a great many people fell for her scam.

The thing to remember when you are confronted by a fraudster is it is nothing more than a stranger asking you for your money. They appeal to your charity and sympathy in feigning they are in distress: they are hungry, need medicine, bus fare, etc., but they are only after your money. I saw a rough looking woman impeding a man walking along Bronson Avenue haranguing at him that she needed money for a taxi to take her mother to the hospital emergency. I did not linger to see how this drama played itself out. I hope the man told her to get lost. When a stranger stops you and asks for money, just say no.
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I hate Tuesdays!

9/17/2014

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Tuesday is typically the hardest day of the week. Getting through Monday takes a Herculean effort at the best of times and leaves you spent come Tuesday morning. This past Tuesday I managed to get through the work day feeling pretty good, all things considered. The day went off the rails when I got home from work. Hera had an accident while I was out at work. I put Hera in the car to take her for her daily run, then cleaned up the poop on the dining room floor.

There was a strange sound coming from Mika's telephone--he has a land line with Bell--and the burglar alarm panel on the wall next to the front door was beeping. We have a burglar alarm, it was installed by a previous owner of our house, but we opted not to use it and do not have a subscription with the alarm company. The message on the call display on Mika's telephone read "extension in use." Odd, there is no extension and there was no dial tone also. I unplugged the telephone and the sounds stopped. With that settled for the moment, I took Hera for her run.

When I got home I got supper under way and when Mika got up from a nap I told him about the issues with his telephone and the burglar alarm panel. Mika checked out his telephone and this time the message on the call display indicated there was something wrong with the connection. He went to the burglar alarm panel to see if he could stop the beeping sound and managed to arm the alarm. Problem with that was we never used the alarm and did not have the access code to disarm it. The motion detector promptly set off the alarm--a siren whooping at a high volume--that set Hera off as well. I put Hera outside while Mika frantically tried to turn off the alarm, but without the access code there was nothing he could do. I went to the computer and googled
the manufacturer and model of the alarm to see how to turn off the alarm in such an instance. There were instructions on how to disconnect the batter and AC connection if applicable. We found the panel in the basement, unfastened the screws holding the cover and disconnected the battery. This took care of the motion sensor in the basement, but not the sensors on the doors and windows. The alarm started shrieking as soon as I opened the kitchen door to let Hera in. Mika went back into the basement and while I called the customer service for the alarm company, only to find the service is available from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm. It was 8:47 pm when I called. I was looking online to find an electrician who makes emergency house calls, when Mika found the AC connection and disconnected the burglar alarm, finally!

We had supper and after supper Mika called Bell to send for a technician to come repair the land line. A technician is due to come Thursday morning between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm to tend to the land line. With this drama finally concluded, I retired to my bed for the night.


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Islamic history is fascinating

9/11/2014

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This is a first rate documentary detailing the origin of the Koran and Islamic history. It is well worth viewing as it will leave most who view it who do not know much about this topic much better informed.



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Our sixteen Years together

9/11/2014

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Last month, August 2014, Mika and I marked our sixteen years together without ceremony. We started seeing each other in August, 1998 and remain happy together in the present. We continue living quietly with pride as we enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Expensive repairs to the roof of our house precludes the prospect of trip to some exotic locale this year. This time last year we took a trip to England for two weeks. We had a great time are thinking of taking a trip to California in the new year.

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Yellow jackets refuse to go

9/4/2014

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My efforts to rid the garden of a nest of yellow jackets continue. They are entrenched in the wooden beam that borders the garden in the front yard. The beam borders on the sidewalk and I am concerned the yellow jackets are a threat to passersby. I tried the OneShot foam to get rid of them, but they are still there. The effort to rid my garden of these insects continues.
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    Geoffrey

    I enjoy writing and publishing articles and find inspiration for my writings in life with my husband Mika and caring for my dogs, Hera and Stella.

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