Category Archives: Girlie Groove’s Rants

Verbal regurgitation of that which peeves me.

SIM Card Hijacking – Some Advice

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Okay I thought I was safe, I have antivirus on my phone, I have two step authentication for a lot of stuff however Rogers had not encrypted my port as yet and so my SIM card got hijacked. Before I could put a halt to all that went on they also managed to hack my PayPal account and make an online purchase for $1,400.

So some things I think people might want to know that no one really says in any of the articles I’ve read.

First of all – the order of things:

simjacker-sim-card-hacking

1.     Cancel all your credit cards and bank cards immediately! Yes, it’s going to be a hassle to replace them but you have no idea how deep the hack has gone so cover your assets!

2.     Call the police – although this is merely a going through the motions process, you should file a police report with cyber crimes. In Toronto they will call you back in 4 or 5 days so obviously this is not enough but it’s a good start.

3.      Change all your important passwords – this may seem like a laborious task (and it is believe me – I think I spent about 5 hours total on this alone) but again, better safe than sorry. Anywhere you can implement two-factor authentication, do it.

4.               Set up notifications for any changes on any websites you can. This way any time your password gets changed or something is off, you will get notified.

5.      They say don’t write down your passwords but how the fuck are you supposed to remember them all? Okay you can do one of two things, you can use an encrypted program that stores all your passwords – personally this made me feel more vulnerable – or create a document that is password protected that has your passwords in it. This is what I did.

One of the things that I found truly disconcerting was that after I got my number back from Rogers (the hijackers had transferred it over to Bell) and asked them if there was anything I should be doing further they just said no, everything’s fine. The police were also useless. No suggestions, no steps of procedure, bupkus.

By the way PayPal was also utterly fucking useless and didn’t help me whatsoever. I did manage to contact the merchant and get the purchase refunded that way.

Oh yes, and another sage piece of advice I did receive along the way, if a fraudulent purchase has been made, you are best off contacting the merchant to put a stop to it. Makes sense really but you are usually inclined to call the credit card company or the bank. The only reason I ended up going this route was I had already cancelled my cards and had no other recourse, a very happy accident.

I hope this helps someone should they come across this situation in their lives. Good luck! Stay safe! And being hyper vigilant and a little paranoid might serve as a bonus in this instance.

The 365 Day Challenge – Getting Unstuffed

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No, I don’t want to own only 33 items of clothing, no I don’t want to be able to fit everything I have in a knapsack, no I don’t want to get rid of my t.v. or cable. Having said that, I already don’t drive or have kids or own property, so I have a few huge minimalism things covered. My pets are dwindling and I’m getting very good at getting rid of stuff lately. Then there’s the age old adage – what do I really want? I want this, I want to sit down every day and write and sustain myself in that way.

I haven’t really thought about it for a few years, I’ve kept myself busy with the usual crap at home, work, attempts to go to the gym regularly, etc. but it always comes back to this and why aren’t I doing it on a regular basis and why am I so lame about taking care of myself? I start writing and then I just let it veer off into the ether, what is wrong with me?!

So I thought, perhaps if I put into play some of the practices to do with minimalism I would free up some space in my mind so that I could start to devote some time to this. (Although I have to say, the getting rid of cable thing is really starting to resonate with me as well, along with the t.v. in my living room … baby steps).

The other thing about embarking on something like this is I have to consider those around me. Okay granted I don’t live with anyone but I spend a great deal of time with someone and I wonder what they would think? Although, they don’t have a television so …

Then there’s the whole getting rid of debt thing. Sheesh, I can’t imagine. I’ve owed thirty or forty grand for as long as I can remember. I have started to chip away at things but I’ve been doing a haphazard job at best.

So I’ve decided today that I’m going to clear out my spare room as best I can and have the option of renting it. I can’t see myself staying at my job forever – and the threat of being fired or laid off has always loomed over me at this place. Plus it is a toxic, horrible place to work and so not where I want to be. I sit in an internal office all day with air pumped in and maladjusted, bitter, angry people all around me. I’ve just recently gone on anti-anxiety medication because between the situation with my neighbour and work I am totally stressed out.

So we’re back to the whole minimalism thing. I have no desire to backpack around the world and I like my creature comforts but honestly, what do I really need all this shit for? I was going through my closet today, pulling stuff off the hangers and throwing it in a bag and thinking, why do I feel compelled to keep buying this shit? So I thought if I wrote it for myself that as of January 10, 2018 I vow not to buy anything for a year unless it’s something I need (i.e. food, cleaning products, pet care stuff, replacement light bulbs, etc.) and challenged myself that would be a good thing and NO, it is not a fucking New Year’s resolution, it’s an about fucking time resolution.

This Article was Refused Publication in my Co-op’s Weekly News Letter Allegedly for Human Rights Violations – Where are my Rights in all This?

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HOARDING IN OUR CO-OP

I would like to address the topic of hoarding in this co-op and bring it into an open forum in order that we might put some policies in place regarding same to protect the health and well being of everyone in this co-op and not be at the mercy of the hoarders.

Obviously I am writing this because it is at present affecting me personally, and I would like to stipulate to the fact that when addressing this issue I have tried my best to do it through the proper channels.

1. First I tried on countless occasions (over many years in fact) to offer my assistance.

2. I wrote to the office who subsequently took the issue to the Board. I have been told that “it is being addressed” but unfortunately, if said “hoarder” is uncooperative and refuses help, we as a co-op at this juncture have little or no recourse. There is no system in place to monitor or ensure that hoarders are being looked after or getting the help that they need AND if they refuse help, currently we have no avenue of recourse.

3. I called the various authorities and asked that they come and investigate, again, they can do little else except ask that things be brought up to code and/or rectified in this situation. If there person does not comply the situation is moot.

http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/landlord-groups-call-for-guidance-on-dealing-with-hoarders
Landlord groups call for guidance on dealing with hoarders …
toronto.ctvnews.ca
Two groups representing more than 2,500 landlords in Ontario say they’d like to do more to deal with tenants who have hoarding problems, but want guidance from fire …
This article is from 2011. It states (among other things):

“The landlord-tenant laws in the province make it hard for property owners to inspect a suite or evict problem renters, he added.

“What our system fails to do is recognize the rights and concerns of all the other tenants around,”

So basically, as it stands, we are at the mercy of the hoarders.

However, we as a co-op we have the opportunity to change this by implementing a by-law that stipulates to:

(a) defining a hoarder; and

(b) compelling them to get assistance or face eviction.

I do not know why this has not been implemented as of yet, as we have had two fires that I know of due to these situations and at present, we are at risk by hoarders living among us.

My suggestion is that during annual inspections, those people doing said inspections should submit to the board those units that they consider hoarding situations and they should then be assessed on a case by case basis and measures implemented to assist said person in dealing with said situation. Perhaps we develop an ad-hoc committee for same.

The criteria can be assessed as to fire risks, state of apartment (is the person living in filth, are there bugs or other health risks), etc. Are they placing those around them at risk?

In the meantime, where is the protection for those of us living around said hoarders?

Obviously, my motives are somewhat selfish at this point as I am currently in a state of stress as I know of at least two in my immediate vicinity of varying degrees that have been allowed to exist in said state for many, many years with little or no interference from the co-op or the city due to their limited capabilities as defined by the Human Rights Code.

Yesterday, for the first time since I have lived in this co-op I saw a cockroach in my kitchen. To what extent am I to be held hostage by this situation before something is done to protect me and my fellow neighbours?

In the meantime, I have been recommended by 311 to call on a regular basis and continually file complaints, I suggest if you have concerns regarding your living situation you do the same.

The areas of note are:

Toronto Board of Health – 416.338.7600
Fire Services – 416.338.9050
Animal Enforcement Services and Mobile Response – 416-338-PAWS (7297)

Here are some suggestions to implement a standard for our co-op, to protect our members based on the Landlord and Tenant act if we need a model to go by.

Filthy Apartment: What is a Landlord to do? – Google
ontariolandlordandtenantlaw.blogspot.ca
What is a clean and acceptable apartment to one person may be viewed as an utter disaster to another person. To a certain degree, how a person to chooses to live …

Yes of course I love you, what was your name again?

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50-first-dates.jpg

My life is like a slightly more memory conscious version of 50 First Dates. I don’t need to break out the USB every morning to remember by family but close enough. I have recollections of some things but in no particular order and in no time context whatsoever. We could have been friends for 25 years of three weeks, it would feel the same to me. By the same token, I have forgotten people’s names after knowing them for years, forgotten really important life events and dates and much to the chagrin of most of my boyfriends, forgotten nearly all of those pinnacle points in my relationships.  It’s like this hazy, pot smoked, alcohol filled memory that sort of looms up from time to time (except there was no pot or booze at the time but that’s just how it seems in my head) and it doesn’t seem to pick any particular set time to do it or not either. I will have stark moments of clarity and recollection with people where I will remember the happenstance clear as day. The only thing I seem to be fairly good at with any amount of consistency seems to do with music and, I suspect, that has something to do with how I feel about music in general – you know, it drives me, I couldn’t live without it. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to be in a world without music, can you imagine?!

When I Hear Music

Also, the Alzheimer’s Society must agree because they have a program in coordination with 91.1 Jazz FM wherein through donor contributions (I believe) they provide iPods for old folks loaded up with all their fav tunes and they’ve found this has had amazing results. Not surprising really, music soothes the savage beast and all that.

Let the Music Play

(Also those two tracks ought to tell you a teensy-weensy little bit about me, although my music repertoire is vast lemme tell ya.) K, so this is my Soundhound list for recent stuff: Holding On – Gregory Porter, Heaven – Majical Cloudz, Ho Hey – Lumineers, Leben – I Feel You – Schiller, The Passion of Lovers – The Shroud, Dream of You – Shiller, This Corrosion – The Sisters of Mercy, You Got No Right – Velvet Revolver – most of those were awesome tracks I caught bits of on t.v. shows and wanted to hear the whole thing. Some are old standards and that’s seriously just a fleck of dust in the hour glass that is my love of music. Maybe that’s what I should do – just write a book filled with all the songs, entire albums and their songs, and random one hit wonders that have shaped my life.

I’d blather on about all the kinds of music and genres I like but it’d probably be easier to narrow it down to what I don’t like – ga head ax me if you like, otherwise I’ll just leave it at that. One of the things that’s kind of cool about my altered chaotic head is about 50% of the time or more I have a soundtrack playing in the background and it’s amazing how many different songs will flit through my head at any given time and thanks to YouTube and the like, I’ve pretty much got it all at my fingertips. Here’s one that will make your hair stand on end, it’s sooooooo magnificent!

Black Diamond – Yoshiki & The American Symphony Orchestra

So basically, I’m in a perpetual Alzheimer-esk state with bouts of lucidity and a slightly better temperament because I’ve been dealing with it so long. Also, I have some mad skills that just sort of come automatically, but by the same token you can see my several kinds of special say in my journals where sometimes a word will be crossed out three and four times. Okay, yes, sometimes it will be because I misspelled it but most of the time it’ll be because I just couldn’t seem to get my hand to incorporate that missing letter, or I just spazed out and it looks suddenly so bad, it’s illegible. Good times. Still, I really like writing long-hand and it’s a place where I can write sheer drivel and not worry about offending anyone (well, myself later on, s’why I don’t read them over anymore as I’ve said before).

So, if I forget your name, forget who you are, forget our anniversary, forget I took your virginity or any number of poignant life-altering events – just forget it, ‘cause I already have (not on purpose of course). Just remember, being with Danielle involves a lot of forgiving and forgetting, but it’s a lot easier if you do it in reverse like I do.

Yay you! (Better late than never … – originally written August 17, 2015)

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Kudos!

“Your entire community — however you define that; your hometown, your neighborhood, your family, your colleagues — is guaranteed to read your blog tomorrow. Write the post you’d like them all to see.”
Umm yeah, about that, first of all if I wrote thinking about what everybody else wanted to see, hear read, I’d never write a damn thing in the first place and second of all, nothing in life is guaranteed this we all know. People read stuff because they want to, something draws them, they find it interesting not because they’re your friend. (At least I hope you’re not reading this just because you’re my friend and that you’re at least getting some kind of enjoyment out of my meanderings here and there.) Gawd, could you imagine having to read stuff just because you liked someone, wow would we ever have to read a lot of shit every day to keep everyone happy. And about that, art is not necessarily there to make you happy, sometimes people create things that are controversial for the sake of that. They say the worst thing you can do is make something that compels complacency. I always appreciated art that made me angry or upset me even if I proclaimed I didn’t like it I did get that in its raw way it evoked such a passionate response that I could not deny the intensity of the piece regardless of how much I hated it. Hate is a strong emotion, meh is not.
I have however found that writing in this blog and not just for myself has been tremendously rewarding in terms of people actually reading what I’m writing. Honestly guys I’m blushing and overwhelmed and so very thankful for all my friends that have told me that they are reading and OMFG, enjoying my blog *swoons over keyboard a little and has to fan herself. I am soooo honoured you have no idea! So I guess what I’d want you to read most of all is a huge fucking thank you for all your support, comments and appreciation. I cannot even begin to relay in mere words what it has done for me. Oh fuck look what I did there I done went and wrote a blog where I blew smoke up your proverbial butts, well you’re welcome!