I have had my new Richie brace for about a month and I am finally used to wearing it without any soreness. When I put on my shoes I sometimes have to go through some gymnastic moves to slid my foot into my shoe. Once I have my shoe and brace on it literally fits me like a glove or I guess in this case a sock.
I am not sure if the brace is helping me walk any better yet as it may still be a little too soon to expect results.The only issue I have at this point is I can only wear my walking shoes as these are the only ones which the brace fits into properly. Oh well I guess it is a small price to pay if this brace is going help me walk.
Great intentions do not make up for no posts. So what have I been up to? Well went on the cruise in early May and then got lost in work and life. The cruise was great, it is hard not to enjoy yourself when you are waited on hand and foot. I have a few pictures which I will post, I promise really I will post soon. We enjoyed the cruise so much I am thinking of doing another one in the fall. With the price so reasonable it is hard not to think about another one. Next one I think will be to the Caribbean in October-November, a good time to go south I think.
As I get ready for my upcoming cruise, wherever we end up at least we are going on a cruise. Due to the Swine Flu issue in Mexico our ship will not dock in Ensenada and at this point we are not sure what the itinerary will be for our cruise. All I know is that in 4 days I will be enjoying an umbrella drink and looking forward to a few days of relaxation.
Today I received my new custom built ankle brace so we shall see if this will help me walk better. I am hoping to see some improvement over the next few months otherwise I will be back at the doctor and the alternative is not fun. The new contraption is pictured below
Now back to packing, I will post some pictures from the great adventure soon.
It has been almost a month since I got my Blackberry Storm. Since cell phone numbers are now portable and can move to another provider my current provider, Bell had to come up with something which really interested me otherwise I would have tried the free agent market.
Just a month before my package was set to expire I received a call from the Loyalty Group trying to convince me to stay with Bell. As the package I had was a great package which I have had for the last 6 years I was dreading the sales pitch and pressure to change packages. The story is always the same “We do not offer your package anymore but this one is just as good”, Yaa right. My Package 150 anytime minutes, unlimited evenings and weekends starting at 6pm, 100 minutes Canadian Long Distance, Voice Mail, Call Display and the extra fees, 911 and access fees all for $30 a month. A very good package and one I was not interested in changing. The package that Bell offered me was the Uber 25 with Call Display, Call Forwarding and Voicemail which they were willing to give me for $40. Hmmm wait a minute $10 more and less features and this is supposed to be just as good as my package. After further discussion during which I had let the agent know I was willing to walk if I did not get my package we discussed what kind of phone I wanted and I said if I get my package I would like a Blackberry Storm. After some back and forth discussion the agent found a way to make a package with the features I had previously as long as I took a $40 data package. I agreed so my new package would be $30 for the voice plan which included all the components I had before and a $40 data package which included unlimited email, unlimited Data, unlimited NHL package and music downloads. Next step pickup a new phone and get it activated.
I visited a local Bell World Store to pickup my new phone and everything went well until the activation. The customer service rep from Bell said we could not activate the phone as the packages were incompatible and I would have to pay extra for the Canadian Long distance to put the two packages together. The cost another $12, which was a non starter for me. The problem now was I had committed to another 3 years and Bell was not going to honor the package we had agreed upon. After some spirited discussion with the Bell CS Rep she put me on hold and went to her supervisor. When she returned she indicated they could offer me the long distance for half price which of course was unacceptable. I sent her back to her supervisor for a better answer, after a further 10 minute wait she came back on the line and listed the package that they would offer me. After she went through the list I was stunned as she had listed everything I was originally offered. Finally I had a new phone and got to play with my new toy.
It is amazing what you have to go through to get some reasonable service and for a company to follow through on their committments. Cell companies in Canada are still in the dark ages and even though you can move your number to another company, the companies do not treat current customers with any respect. They figure once they have you signed up you will never leave. It should not be a massive chore to get a new cell phone. I will post a review of my toy soon.
I spent the last two days attending the annual Northern Voice Social Media Conference and while I am not a paid blogger or a tech writer or a media type I found a number of interesting sessions. On Friday the highlight of the day for me was the Photocamp which was an open discussion on cameras, taking pictures in dark places, taking pictures of people and some discussion on using film instead of digital. I learned a few new tricks and saw some interesting camera and lens combinations. I think to go along with my Canon xti I will look at a small point and shoot camera to allow me to be more versatile.
The Saturday sessions started out with two keynotes, Nora Young, host of Spark on CBC Radio and Rob Cottingham, president of Social Signal a Social Media consulting firm. Rob ’s presentation looked at the funny side of social media such as Twitter and other such tools. A very hilarious look at the different aspects of social media which made a nice start to the day.
The other sessions I attended
The Future of Influence looking at how we look for advice and how we are influenced in our decisions
Who are You? Defining Yourself in the Online World A panel discussion from 5 women and how your online activites can impact your everyday life and what they have learned. I found this to be an interesting perspective for a young person, maybe a teenager just getting online but for the over 30 crowd not a lot to be learned.
Then and Now…Citizen Media and the Olympics A panel discussion concerning the changing ways to report on the Olympics and promoting the concept of Citizen Journalists (Bloggers) reporting on the Olympics and being accredited to report. A very interesting idea and one which I think is long overdue, it would allow for different perspectives and give participants, fans and anyone who cares to offer their insights an opportunity to provide information.
From Permalink to Profound: Where is the Art in Social Media A discussion on if there are profound things to be found from Social Media sites and tools. An interesting presentation and discussion with some good suggestions on possibly what was profound and where to look.
A good conference, where I met some interesting people and had a good time sharing. Definitely worth attending and I look forward to next year. Great job by the organizing committee to make a well rounded conference.
Not sure why or even how it happens but life seems to interfere with my updates. I really do have good intentions and then somehow I do not get to completing my updates.
So where have I been, what has been happening? I have been keeping busy with work and normal life stuff and have had a couple more doctors appointments for my ankle including a lengthy visit to see a specialist. The bottom line so far concerning my ankle problems is we are going to try a custom brace for the foreseeable future and if that does not help then there will be major surgery in my future. So here is hoping the brace is all I am going to need.
The cruise ship in my previous post was a hint of things to come. I am going on a cruise in May down the Baja coast to Ensenada, Mexico on the Carnival Cruise ship Elation. This will be cruise #2 for moi and I am looking forward to a very relaxing time, good food, good company and a nice beach.
Personal, Random Thoughts | Anthony | Tuesday, June 2, 2009 | 
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