Over the past couple of years, I've immersed myself in my photography, loving every second of it, and being challenged to do more and create more in the photo club. It's been a fantastic journey, and now that I'm officially retired, my down time from Dec to May with my business is now spent with my camera.
I can honestly say that I've improved significantly with my photos, but still have lots of room to grow. It's heartwarming to have a 'following' on facebook on my photography page, which I finally launched only a couple of weeks ago. I've received several requests to purchase photos, which, in itself, is quite an honour.
As a result of my immersion in photography, my artwork has taken a back seat. I haven't drawn or painted in some time, mostly because I'd rather be outdoors. The camera allows me to combine my sense of adventure and curiosity with creativity. As a result, photography's the winner. lol.
Although I've retained membership in the watercolour club, I rarely go to the meetings as they're in my old community - a 45 minute drive each way. I don't like driving at night, and my interest in the club has waned, significantly. Partially, that's due to being ousted from the jobs I'd been doing, without any consultation. I was just informed one day that someone else was taking over my jobs - things I enjoyed doing. I told the president that never again would I volunteer to do anything for the club. I'd put up and regulated a fb page, administrated their web site, and designed their bookmark - yes, for free.
As I didn't attend the meetings, that's fine if they wanted someone else to take over, but not to say anything to me ahead of time was, imo, rude and inconsiderate. It wasn't that I hadn't done what they'd needed done, it was simply politics. So fine, don't ever ask me or expect me to do anything again.
When I got home on Wednesday night, there was a message from a member of the club (of course, not the president), would I be interested in scanning and photographing their art work for a calendar for them this year? There'd be up to 36 pieces of artwork to scan and/or photograph and they wanted it all done in one evening.
Ha ha ha ha!!!
No.
I told the guy no, I had too many commitments and my own calendars to put together. It wasn't an 'honour' to be asked. It's a sh*tty job, scanning all that artwork or photographing it. And there's no way I was going to be responsible for someone being pissed off because their artwork wasn't the right colour tones or whatever. And do I want to photograph someone's art work? Hardly. Like I said, it's a sh*t job, because it's not just taking the photos or scans, it's adjusting and editing everything afterwards. For free? Nope. G.F.Y.
There are some people in the watercolour club I really like, and why I continue to stay, but the president can pound sand if he thinks he can send a minion to ask for a job obviously no one else wants to do. It's mind-boggling how many people are trying to pick my brain about making a calendar and my success at it. Just amazing no one wants to know you until you're successful at something they want. Then they expect you to give it to them for free, after they've shunned you. lol.
Anyway, it's another beautiful day here, there's photos waiting for me to take, and orders to get ready. I'm going to enjoy every second of it. :)
After a lot of teeth gnashing and hair pulling, I finally broke down and phoned my bookkeeper to ask her to do my books for the past 18 months.
Yes, I'm way behind. No I haven't filed my taxes for last year. I absolutely hate bookkeeping and have had lots of good intentions this past year to input everything. So many, in fact, I have a personal road to hell, already paved, I'm sure. ("The road to hell is paved with good intentions"). Don't know who said that.
After sitting down in front of my bookkeeping program and trying again to figure out what goes where, I finally broke down and phoned the bookkeeper to ask her how much she'd charge to get me caught up. It wasn't nearly as much as I thought it'd be. With a huge sigh of relief, we agreed she'd come and get my stuff next week, take it home and get my books done. Right up to the current date. YES!
And after that, she'll do them on a monthly basis, because I just don't want to be bothered with it. For the cost, it's well worth it for her to do it. And then it leaves me time to do the things that I'm good at and like to do.
The only things I have to do from now until next Tuesday is print out all my bank statements, and download all the reports from Amazon and PayPal.
That's another thing I finally made a decision on yesterday. I closed my seller account on Amazon, fed up with their heavy handed bs on how I run MY business. I've told them numerous times, I don't work for you! With not only monthly fees but now they say 15% fees on every item sold, which seems to be more like 25%, I finally had enough and closed my account. I have my own website, and if people really want the product, they'll do a search and find my website. If not, I don't really care. I'm into other things now.
I have no problem paying PayPal the fee they charge to accept payment, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay Amazon for them to dictate to me. Some other sellers have said the same thing about Amazon. They might be good for the buyers, but they treat their sellers like garbage. So bye-bye Amazon.
I've managed to get some small things caught up that have been nagging at me for weeks. I still have a bunch of photos to edit from the week I was with the architectural photographer, but now that these other things are done, I can do that without the pressure of "I should get this other thing done".
Yay! Now I can refocus on the things I like to do, knowing that these other things are taken care of. Yippee!
I've been away from blogging for quite some time due to just having too many other things taking up my attention and time.
Deciding to deactivate my facebook account so I can spend more time getting stuff done that I've procrastinated on is a good thing. But, here I am. Hmmm...
Lots of things happening these days with a request for three calendars this year, plus the book that the First Nations publishing house wants to publish, before Christmas. I'd best get going on it.
The reason I find myself back here is to vent a little bit. Those that know me know that my relationship with my daughter hasn't been the best. Not that I haven't tried to have one with her, just that her abusive b/f is bound and determined to keep her away from me. He's succeeded, too, embellishing stories and assumptions, which she seems all too willing to accept.
I did hear from her near her birthday. She wanted me to go to a local tack store to find out how much a certain girth was for my horse, which she has and is riding. I thought, why don't you just phone? But I know the request was her way of trying to get me to buy the girth and send it to her. Well, I've bought enough tack and equestrian stuff for her over the years, I wasn't prepared to buy anymore. Anyway, I did check, and there wasn't the girth she wanted, so I told her that, and sent her some money for her birthday.
I heard from her on Mother's Day, and received some house plants in a basket. They were lovely and I thanked her, but I want house plants like I want to have to pick up after someone else. I'm terrible with houseplants, and would have preferred just cut flowers. I didn't tell her that, just thanked her for the lovely arrangement.
That's the last I've heard from her. I don't phone her due to her scheduling. She usually phones me when she's on the road, and doesn't tell me her b/f is with her and listening. As a result, nothing much ever gets said. She never asks me what or how I'm doing, and if I tell her of a health concern, she'll tell me something about her b/f - like 'big deal, who cares, Mom?'
At the end of May, her Dad moved in with her. Well, that's been a dream of hers since he left, I'm sure. Her idol daddy who has never done anything wrong finally living with her. I'm sure between her Dad and her b/f, the nasty stories about me are abundant. What's so stupid is I haven't been with her dad for over 30 years, I'm not the same person I was back then, and what the heck does it matter anymore? But I still get the 'my dad said this about you', 'my dad said you did that', and I think 'so what?' Does he tell you what HE did to elicit that? Does he tell you he's a lying, abusive guy that puts on a nice guy facade to everyone else? Of course not!
So I haven't heard a peep from her. Not one word. Then I see on facebook, that she's posted a photo of two trophies she's won through her work. The won the National Championship for the commercial vehicle safety enforcement competition, and the Driver Interview. She's the first woman to win the championship and will be going to Pittsburgh to compete internationally.
Did I get a phone call saying 'hey, guess what Mom? I won!' Nope, not a freaking word. I had to read about it on facebook. So I didn't even acknowledge the post. I didn't congratulate her or anything. She can't be bothered to tell me, I can't be bothered if she's going to treat me like I'm one of her faceless facebook friends.
A week later, and still nothing. And now, there won't be. What's she going to say? Oh hey, I won the championship. Oh great, nice to be an afterthought. The person who drove her all over hell's creation when she was younger, with her horses, and gave up everything so she could attain her dreams, and what do I get 'my dad paid for everything'. Which he did not. It galls me no end, when that is STILL thrown in my face, and it's so patently untrue. (cont in comments).
Have you ever heard the saying, don't be good at something you don't want to do? I heard it many years after I developed the liniment I make, and after it had taken over my life. It was never something I wanted to do for a long time.
Twenty-one years later....
So yes, I did and do make an excellent product, but it wasn't something I wanted to do for a long time. Filling bottles isn't my idea of a good time, or creative. As I'd attended University and received my certification in graphic design, that's what I really wanted to do. Although the business took most of my time, I still found time to do some watercolours and drawing. That took a back seat when I was under a lot of stress.
After moving a year and a half ago into this small community, it was the absolute best decision ever. I have the single floor house I always wanted, with a small yard for me and Sadie (the cat) to enjoy and a big enough garden to grow some vegetables. I joined the local FB community page, where I noted there was a tremendous amount of complaining, and public humiliation occurring.
I started posting some photos on it, just to break up the constant negativity and to show people how much beauty was in the area. Little did I know I'd receive a following and many people that would log on every day to see what I'd posted. Nor did I have any idea that those photos would lead to my 'fans' wanting a calendar - a very lucrative undertaking.
I have already received requests for calendars for next year, although it seems I will have a fair amount of competition. The District I live in wants to use some of my photos in a calendar for their 125th Anniversary next year, and other locals seem to think I should tell them how to put one together and help them sell theirs. Um, they obviously don't get that they are competing with mine, regardless of whether they're doing flowers or whatever. People are funny.
As I knew the District's calendar would affect my sales, I suggested that they do a small booklet, kind of like a guide for a walking tour for their anniversary. After speaking to the coordinator, it sounds like they're committed to doing a calendar, but they also love the idea of a guide for the area and have been given funds to do 'something' for the 125th. I'm thrilled and flattered that my photos are appreciated.
At photo club the other night, as I'm the webmaster now, I had told them how out-dated the site was and how difficult it is to change anything on it. They asked me if I'd re-do their site and they will pay me for it. Woohoo! There's the new camera body I wanted!
So this next month will be busy re-doing the website, meetings with the District in regards to their 125th, and I almost forgot about the book the First Nations publishing house wants me to put together.
At this point, I've still been gallivanting around taking photos, but it appears I'll have to structure my day a little better in order to get these projects done.
When it rains, it pours. But I'm okay with that when it's pouring appreciation and feeding my need to be creative.
As I've mentioned before, I post my photos to a local community site. I've garnered a significant following on there, due to the local photos I take of the area. The calendar I made for this year was solely due to people asking me for one, as I had had no intention of making one. The result was a very lucrative endeavour, albeit a mad push to get the photos together.
This year, it's evident that there's already an expectation for another calendar, which is great, although it can be a bit overwhelming trying to choose the photos. I tried having people 'vote' on which photo they liked, but instead of just choosing one photo, they 'liked' all of them, which essentially, nullified the entire process. Ultimately, the choice is mine anyway.
So I did away with the 'contest' realizing ppl just couldn't follow directions. There are a few photos that I definitely want included, and I know people will expect some of our local mountain. Keeping the calendar in mind, I figured that would be relatively 'easy' for this year. Although I've been asked to do one for two other surrounding areas. Ack!
Continuing to post my photos, several people have asked if I'd thought of doing a photo book of the area. I'm not quite sure why people want a book anymore, as they aren't very popular. They're expensive to publish, as well as have a limited market. I can't see that it would be a lucrative venture.
To the several people that have asked, that was my response. Simply not enough $$ or demand for it. As this area has a significant indigenous population, several of the local First Nations have asked about a book, saying that my photos really depict this area. I still kind of balked at it. One local woman asked me about publishing a book as she's part of a local publishing house. I had my usual response, however, she wasn't prepared to take 'no' for an answer. She asked me if I wrote, which I replied in the affirmative.
Oh groan! What have I gotten myself into?! She asked me to put together some photos and writing (poems, experiences, history) of the area, and she'd present it to the publishing house. She said they were extremely interested (yeah, but does that translate into $$?).
So my next project seems to be like the first one, by request. I'd best get busy trying to figure out how to start the book. It's exciting, but a bit overwhelming at the same time.
But, what could be better? Combining two loves into one project? Yeah, I'd say the move to this community was the best thing ever. Out of the rubble of misfortune, the phoenix of opportunity rises.
The predicted polar vortex hit us last night, with high winds and freezing temperatures that continue into today. Braving the winds this morning in my slippers and sweats, I refilled my heated hummingbird feeder to ensure my delightful feathered friends have enough to eat in this cold weather.
As I slid open the patio door, I could hear the familiar 'click, click, click' of the hummers in the hedge, probably thinking, get that thing filled, woman! After the last time of making their nectar and burning the daylights out of my pot, I've since found that I can just boil water and pour it over the sugar instead of boiling the mixture. Good. I might save a few pots from being burned again.
Life has been exceptionally busy with photography, as I've been asked to join a number of sites and find that has taken up most of my time. This coming Monday is our exhibition night with the assigned subject of 'circles'. Originally, I was thinking of doing a physiogram, but I didn't get my act together to set it up in time. Having come down with 'something' last week, although I went out to take photos, I didn't have the energy to set everything up inside.
On my journeys to wherever, I noticed an old Austin truck on the top of a container and stopped to take a photo. The yard that it's over top of is filled with 'junk'. I'm pretty sure the guy is a hoarder, but he does have some very cool stuff there. I asked him if I could poke around the yard (it's a commercial building with a gravel lot in front), and not only did he say yes, he showed me all kinds of neat stuff and even pulled it out from behind things for me to photograph.
First, there were the Austins. What treasures! In all kinds of aging and disrepair, they offer all kinds of photo opps. I've been back three or four times to photograph just those guys. There are four Austins and a Rover that he's going to be painting this year (I wonder how many years he's said that?).
Then there's the old wringer washer that apparently still works. That brought back memories of standing on my grandmother's back porch with her while she did laundry in the wringer washer and being told to keep little hands and fingers away from the wringer.
He has bikes galore, and one really old rusted one has probably the first baby carrier ever attached to it. One of the really cool things he has that I photographed for circles is a series of round steel pans that look like different sizes of cheesecake tins nested inside of one another. In the centre is a solid piece of steel that's free floating. Setting it on a tire so I could get over top of it, it was very cool and would have been perfect for 'circles' except for the fact the light was too harsh.
Asking him what it was, he told me it was a rock grinder for mining companies to test minerals in the rocks. Interesting! There's so much there, one could spend days just poking through all the stuff.
Today, I'm back to photographing old barns. Our assignment next month is serendipity and the one after that is abandoned buildings. I have some awesome photos for the abandoned buildings and continue to find more. There's one that I haven't quite got the photo I want. It's a burned out old house that the earth is waiting to reclaim, with weeds, trees, and shrubs taking over. The peak of the house and front face of it are leaning backwards as the roof has fallen in. Again, I haven't been happy with the lighting, so need to go back when the light is more favourable.
Looks like it's blowing snow outside now, so today may not be the day to head out. If I get time, I might add some photos later. Or not.
I gave myself a birthday present last week and paid for a workshop on Street Photography in June. I'm contemplating a watercolour workshop in March, as well. I'm certainly loving this retirement thing! Who has time to work?!
While out riding my bike the other day, I think I mentioned the sofa that someone had dumped in the middle of the gravel road. When I saw it, I laughed as I had visions of kids sitting on the sofa watching the blueberry fields because there was nothing on tv.
Well, you would have thought I'd dumped the sofa there with the reaction I got from a bunch of people. They started attacking me personally for posting the photo and finding some humour in the situation. Of course, I didn't respond as stupidity doesn't require or warrant a response.
Yesterday, one guy that consistently posts negativity on the community page, posted that he thought we needed a roundabout at one of our intersections. The intersection is just off a highway, so yes, people are driving relatively fast when they come off it. There's a park right at the corner, an A&W on the corner across the street, and two houses opposite, across the cross street. So they'd have to rip everything down to put up a roundabout.
Dumbest idea ever for that particular intersection.
Just to stir the pot a little, I took a screen shot of google's page, cut the sofa out of my photo, and pasted it into the screen shot in the middle of the intersection. In the same large font he'd used, I wrote "I think we need (on the top) a sofa at X & Y intersection' (on the bottom).
Lots of people had seen how stupid others got about my previous post, and I received all kinds of laughing emoji's and a few comments. Even the admin laughed at it. She'd had to turn off comments on my original sofa post because some people just couldn't control themselves. His post received 18 likes with some very valid comments, like it was not even feasible for the area.
This morning, his post is gone, so I'm presuming he deleted it himself. Mine is still up and still receiving laughing emoji's and likes. I'd venture to say he wouldn't have seen the humour in my most recent post, either.
I can't imagine taking yourself so seriously that you had no imagination and no ability to laugh at situations, or even yourself. Some people definitely need to get off the computer and go outside. Maybe chill on that sofa for awhile.
Christmas decorations always came down on Jan 6th - twelfth night and my ex's birthday. Last Sunday I had mentally prepared for the packing away of all the Christmas stuff. Of course, the best laid plans are always interrupted.
Instead, I had a last minute plea to take my Mom to the airport as my sister was 'unavailable'. Somehow, I knew that would happen. Fortunately, although overcast, it wasn't raining and the trip to the airport was smooth.
On my return home, I detoured along back roads and found a plethora of old barns that are absolutely amazing! I think our photo assignment for next month is abandoned buildings and although I have many already taken, I still love coming across them. They hold such mystery and untold stories.
Today, the Christmas decorations will finally get put away - which requires me to back my car out of the garage so I can get the step ladder out and get the totes labelled 'Christmas' off the top shelf. My little fibre optic tree has it's own box to be placed into, on the top shelf along with the other stuff, and that'll take care of that! Done for another year.
This past Monday was incredibly busy with a lot of errands before going to photo club. Holy cow, I didn't even have time for dinner and with Mom being away, didn't have the luxury of her making it for me and visiting ahead of time.
Getting to the club, I was anxious to see how my photo for the 'wet' assignment would do. I was quite apprehensive when we started off, as the adjudicator started giving really low marks to some of our more experienced members.
I have to admit to being quite disappointed at the lack of creativity in the 'wet' theme. There were the usual photos of running in the rain, umbrellas, waterfalls, etcetera, etcetera. I suppose, that's why the rather mundane marks. I thought I'd see a wet hen (madder than a wet hen) or the back of someone's head as they bent over a sink with water pouring behind their ears (wet behind the ears) or any other imaginative interpretations. Obviously imagination was lacking for this assignment.
Then, my photo of 'Wet Your Whistle' pops up. A glass with a whistle dropped into it and the resulting splash with a black b/g. It's totally out of the realm of what I usually photograph. I knew (which was confirmed later) that many people would think it was one of two other photo members that usually contribute studio photos.
The scores up to this point had ranged from 6.5 to 8.5, with most of them being 7.5. I hoped I'd at least get an 8. 'Nine' he called out! Woohoo!! The first 9 of the night. Yes!! My mentor, who was sitting next to me, gave me a nudge and thumb's up. His photo, after mine, also received a 9, and one more nature photo received a 9.5.
I was thrilled! My other two submissions received an 8.5 and 9 with critiques that were extremely helpful. Two women that I sit near always give me a hard time, as last year, and the year before, I couldn't seem to break 7 for the life of me. It's not that the photos didn't deserve 7's - I just couldn't seem to progress. The two women told me that was enough of the 9's for me and to just stop that. lol.
So I had a very rewarding and wonderful evening on Monday. The woman in charge of one of entering photos in the monochrome competition asked me to submit my 'Wet Your Whistle' as she thought it was an excellent photo and worthy of submission. Wow! I'm so flattered and honoured, as many of these people have years of experience and fabulous photos.
Today, along with getting the Christmas stuff put away, I have to buckle down and get my photos for the store display chosen and in to be printed, and find the other photos that have been requested for purchase and get those printed as well.
Better get to it. I now have two requests for 24"x36" canvases along with the other requests for prints. I never, in a million years, thought I'd be selling my photos and making money at something I thoroughly enjoy!
I remember standing by the train tracks as a little girl, counting the box cars as they chugged by, waiting to cross to the park and beach on the other side. All 7 of us (5 kids and two adults) would pick a spot where we'd count the cars so we wouldn't count them twice.
The high point, of course, was the caboose and the conductor or brakeman waving at us. We were in heaven when we were acknowledged. It was disappointing on those occasions when we'd be completely ignored.
I've loved trains ever since I can remember. I have no idea why, I just do. I didn't find out until a couple of years ago that my grandfather (who died when my Dad was in his teens and I never knew), worked as a bridge foreman for the Kettle Valley Railway and worked on the trestles near where I live now. That's one of my goals this year, to ride the old rail trail on my bike.
On Christmas Eve, after I picked Mom up to bring her to my house, we detoured to where the old mill is located along a dike, dissected by the railway tracks. I didn't attempt to take a photo as I was too late to get my camera set up, so we just sat and watched the train. The light was fading as the engine approached, and would have been directly on my windshield, making it difficult for us to see the engineer.
Regardless, I waved while sitting in the car, not expecting response. To my surprise and the delight of both Mom and I, the engineer tooted his horn twice in acknowledgement. We both felt like little kids again and for some reason, it really made our Christmas Eve.
Yesterday, I was out at the same place, and sure enough I could hear a train approaching. Again, not having time to set my camera up on a tripod, I figured I'd just wing it and hope for the best. As the train passed me, the engineer had his arm out the window waving at me. Unfortunately, the photo didn't turn out, but the engineer still made my day. The simple pleasures of life.
The small community I live in was a train stop decades ago, although we're lucky the CP Holiday train still stops here on it's annual run. The tracks run a couple of blocks from my house and I love hearing the rumble of the trains at night as they clack through town. One of my most popular photos in this community last year was of the red CP train engine coming towards me through fall foliage.
Obviously, I'm not the only one that loves trains. Perhaps it's in one's DNA and Grandpa passed it along. Who knows? I just hope I never lose the sense of delight I feel at seeing one.
The other day, one of my friends posted the following on their wall: "Your beliefs don't make you a better person - your behavior does."
For me, that made a lot of sense. It isn't what we believe that defines us, it's how we behave. I understand why the anti-religious become so incensed at some of the religious. There have been so many things done in the name of God that are so wrong and un-Godly that one wonders how people can possibly justify it to themselves, nevermind anyone else.
But, being human, we can and do justify anything and everything we do, no matter how wrong it may be to others, as long as it satisfies our own wants.
Personally, it doesn't matter to me whether someone believes in God or not. It does matter to me when someone espouses their beliefs but their behaviour is contradictory. It does matter to me when beliefs are used to restrict any freedom. It does matter to me when beliefs are used to justify war, greed, hate and separatism.
I've known people that are overtly religious that use God as an excuse and a crutch. Their lives aren't all they want them to be, because God wants it that way. It's God's will. Nothing is their fault or their responsibility - that's what God wants.
I do take issue with that. If God gave us free will, then God doesn't make us do anything - we make the choice to say and do what we do. It's not God's will - it's our own. We are responsible for how we feel, what we do and what we say. We are responsible for what we think. We aren't responsible for what others feel, think, say or do - only for ourselves. But don't you enjoy being around people that are happy, up-lifting and motivating? Don't you enjoy spending time with those that find the positives in you and don't you find that if you're around positive people, that it's easy to see the positives in others and in life?
Personally, if someone is de-motivating, negative and insulting, I don't care what they believe - they aren't fit to be in my life. I'm only here once, and if I can help make this world a better place by giving whatever I can to others and helping others to feel good about themselves and to be the best they can be, and by being the best I can be, then I will have lived.
As humans, we have the capacity to lift each other up and encourage each other to be the absolute best we can be. We can choose to see the strengths we each have, to encourage those strengths, and to overcome our weaknesses. We also have the ability to rip each other to shreds, to stomp on anything positive, and destroy each other, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically.
And it doesn't necessarily take a belief in anything to do that. For me, what people believe is simply an opinion. It's neither right nor wrong, it just is. What they believe is right for them. Just like what I believe, is right for me - as long as no one else is being harmed. Spirituality is not a competition. No one likes to have beliefs shoved down their throats, regardless of what those beliefs are.
It becomes 'wrong' when they attempt to force their beliefs on the rest of society. It becomes wrong when people hold themselves as 'better' than others because of their beliefs, but behave in a manner completely diametrically opposed to what love, kindness and compassion is. It becomes wrong when some people are excluded, and that exclusion is justified in the name of their beliefs.
Those that believe in religion find what they need in it and it works for them. I respect their commitment to it. Another common meme is 'Religion is for those who are afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who've already been there.' This implies that religious people are not spiritual, which is completely untrue. As with any belief system, there are those that can quote beliefs, but don't actually practice them, and those that let their behaviour be their spiritual indicator.
Bottom line? Talk is cheap - behaviour tells all.
The end of the year and, as usual, the stupid US border patrol has deemed that everyone has to file an electronic manifest. Okay, that's not a problem. The problem?
They use Internet Explorer! No one uses that out-dated browser anymore. No one. Oh, but the US government does. And you can't even get into the site without it. No wonder the government gets hacked.
I use a Mac exclusively. I don't do PC - ever. I hate the stupid things. So now I've had to get a pc just so I can file a manifest. I'm beginning to think it'd be cheaper and easier just to mail the stuff from Canada and to hell with customs.
My sister gave me an old laptop of hers with some pixels missing but good enough to still use. So I open it up this morning, and 3% of 76 updates pops up. Oh great. So now it'll be who knows how long for the thing to update before I can even use it! And yes, I have to go south with a manifest today. What a major pain in the a$$.
So I guess I'll go with the old paper manifest and just bite the bullet on going in. I cannot believe that the government would be so far behind that they'd still use Internet Explorer - which Mac doesn't even support anymore.
What a stupid system that people HAVE to have a PC in order to file a manifest. I've never seen anything so backwards in my whole life. The entire business world makes their sites compatible with all operating systems.
If the US government wants to be the greatest, try stepping into this century.
"In a stunning rebuke of the 46th best president in American history, the United States’ northern neighbour shattered numerous crowdsourcing records today, when it raised billions and billions and billions of dollars to plant and maintain a living barrier between themselves and the adjacent idiocracy.
“We’d heard that a bunch of people down in the You-Ess-of-Eh had decided to empty their wallets out for a wall that won’t block anything other than half of all escape routes, when their dirty bomb of a president melts through his retaining barrier,” explains the man who started the campaign, Tom Candy, of Fewmarket, Ontario.
“So naturally our first thought was: how can we best deal with this shitshow as it unfolds directly beside us, and add a little ever-greenery to a world which, it has to be said, is looking a little bleak right now? The answer was, of course, legalizing marijuana. But with that already having been done, our next thought was: let’s plant a privacy hedge.”
The campaign started with the modest goal of raising $250,000, which was estimated to be enough to pay for an ad on Fox & Friends asking Americans to help Canada secure its border against the dreaded MAGA-16 gang.
“But when we achieved that ambition in less than one hot minute (Celsius), we realized we needed to expand our operations from trolling the dredges to bankrolling the hedges,” Candy says, as he directs another tractor trailer into a vast warehouse he has stocked with young yew saplings, waiting to take their positions along the formerly longest undefended border in the universe.
“And in under two hours we collected $6 billion Canadian. Which is extraordinary, really, given the time of year, and current cost of hockey tickets.”
In an interesting side-bar, one that some have taken to indicate that the stresses of modern populism have already migrated north, a number of spin-off campaigns have begun, calling for privacy hedges between many of Canada’s own provinces.
“We’re seeing funds started on both sides of the Rockies, so it looks like B.C. and Alberta are going to work together to block each other out,” says living barrier expert, Mick Terser. “And Quebec has raised over $10 million for their ‘haie de la vie privée’, to get something between themselves and the increasingly desperate Ontarians, as they try to escape Doug Ford’s term as Revengier. Heck, even Newfoundland has started a petition to rename the Gulf of St. Lawrence the ‘Aqua Hedge’. So yes, it’s a very fractious year everywhere you look.”
News of the cross-country shrubbery came as a surprise to many Americans, who were pretty sure they’d heard that the Canadians had already planted one of those two years ago, in the days following the U.S. decision to elect a discarded traffic pylon – found in a ditch on the road to nowhere – as their leader.
“No,” corrects Candy. “That was a joke. This time we’re serious.”"
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