This is me...D.C.B.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

8 Years On...Still Going Strong

I haven't looked at this blog in over 8 years and somehow found it again tonight.

What's weird is the previous entry I wrote back in November of 2008 was a weird epiphany - I only wanted to stay at Exel for a few months until I found something better.

Well, 8+ years later -- my time at Exel is coming to an end on December 31st. We're closing.

Well let me rephrase that...

Exel is shutting down because they lost their contract with Kelloggs that they have had for almost 25 years. As a consequence, there is another packaging company taking over January 2nd...Belvika Packaging and Trade Ltd.

I am going over with them in the transition because hey...if I haven't left Exel in the 8+ yrs I was there (7 years as a long suffering temp...and 1 1/2 years with Exel proper) then I was never leaving.

So along with a handful of current co-workers, we are switching on Monday...

So as one door closes, another opened.

I can't wait for 2016 to end...so much bad things happened this year. I hope 2017 is better.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Got a New Job...well..."Temporary Job" That Is...

I finally broke down and went to a local agency to find work at the middle of October. I started a new "temp" job on November 3 working for a company named Exel Logistics here in Brampton.

They handle the logistics work for Kelloggs currently and basically I am doing what is classified as "heavy labor". Every day the job I am doing might change but essentially what is involved is 8 hrs of heavy lifting. When I first started, I felt like a truck ran over me having been off work for the entire summer and first part of the fall season.

The first four days I was working was a reality check/wakeup call for me. I did not realize how good I had it at Loblaws despite the less-than-ideal working conditions vs. the payrate. I am getting significantly less to do more hours now. I started my job at Exel lugging completed cases of cereal to a machine that tapes up the box after it came off the packaging line. The reason the cereal had to be unpacked and repackaged is because Exel inserts the free promotional item inside the cereal box. After the cereal is resealed, it goes down a line to one of four girls who re-pack the 24 boxes into a full case and slide it down rollers to me.

Yep...pretty boring for 8 hrs.

The 5th day they didn't run the insert line and I quickly learned that the insert line was a cakewalk. That day they had me working on the end of a line where I had to:

Stamp the date twice on the cardboard case
Tape the bottom of the cardboard case making a box
Tape the boxes closed after the girl packed it
Carried the finished case to an area 10 ft away to make a stack set on the floor
Once the set was completed, I would hand-wrap the stack for the clamp-truck to take the stack away
Lather, Rinse, Repeat...etc.

Suffice to say, I couldn't keep up. So I was moved to a seemingly easier line with smaller product -- cases of cereal bars. Was it easier?

Relatively.

Was it faster?

Yup.

By the end of the shift, I had completely sweated my way through two t-shirts. Note to self: DO NOT WEAR LIGHT OR GRAY SHIRTS AGAIN.

My second week started off much like the first - working the insert line, which I was happy to see! Then on the Thursday of the second week, I was told I wouldn't be needed in the packaging area but would be working the "Core" section of the receiving docks. I thought I was being punished for not "working hard enough".

Working in the docks meant that you had to unload 40-foot trailers by hand in the 8-hrs. To be honest with you, I like it more than working in the packaging area since you had no one watching you except for the forklift driver and he doesn't care if you take your time because as long as you get the trailer done, he won't have to "find work" to do.

We finished the trailer with 45 minutes to spare so we took our time signing out so as to only lose 30 minutes pay.

This week however, its been a totally different story.

Thanks to the recent economic state, work inside the plant has slowed right down. Monday I was sent home after 3 1/2 hrs when work ran out. Today I didn't work because they didn't have enough work for all the temp. workers that are employed on site. Tomorrow I get to work the "Core" section again but its bittersweet since I am currently sick with a chest cold.

I guess I'll be wearing warm clothes tomorrow.

How long will this temp. job last? Hopefully into the new year or longer until I can find something better.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Game Over...Mario Super Sluggers Card Game Comes to an End

It was fun while it lasted but all good things must come to an end.

I do have to say though that today was the most exciting day throughout the whole month-plus long process that the game was being played. I have to tip my hat to fellow Gamespot forumer "Biloxibilbo". She really pulled one out of the hat for everyone by being able to figure out what StarBP had done to gain access to the main administrator account.

I hate to say it but StarBP had a huge ego and couldn't resist bragging about his "find" of the codes that I previously listed here on my blog. He threatened me not to say anything about how he got access so I stayed silent for my own neck's sake. But now I can say that he only really took advantage of the very poor security setup they were using at the website.

To make a long story short, Biloxibilbo discovered his scheme and shut him out of his access and released the last remaining card he was holding hostage. He knew the url all along and wanted to make it seem like he was a hero of sorts by using a system similar to what I had done last week by cloning the card and paying it forward. I can't blame him though -- it felt good to know that you were helping people. His execution of it however lacked forethought.

Anyways, the game is over and here is the complete list of card locations:

Mario Super Sluggers Cards Level One:

I hope everyone had fun playing along and I was more than happy to be of whatever assistance I could be.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Near Complete List of Card Locations

I don't believe this but someone has given me the list of card locations for ALL THE CARDS except one - King Boo. So sit back and get ready to be blown away.

--Update--
I have just been informed that I am not allowed to post the links here. If you want to see the links then you can do so by going to the Gamespot Forums. All the links that were here are listed there.

We only have one card left to find and since he's a ghost he might be harder to find so let's get out there and flush him out!!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

The End Is Near...Baby Mario FOUND...King Boo Too!!

It has been one exciting evening. I went out for about two hours earlier this evening and when I got home I was surprised to find out that not only was Baby Mario in my collection of cards but this agonizing month long game is finally winding down.

The last card in the series has been spotted on the dashboard of the "Moderator" account for the MSS website -- don't ask since its a long story.

The Baby Mario card can be found at the following location: http://mariosupersluggerscards.com/JDKHG

As soon as I find out the addresses to the still missing King K.Rool and King Boo cards I will put them up here.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Damage control time...

Earlier I mentioned that it was discovered how bad the security was on the MSS website. Well, that revelation has unfortunately come back to bite me in the rear. Someone used the information that was posted on the Gamespot forums to gain access to the moderator account and make a whole bunch of posts as the "moderator" and some posts under my screen identity.

Not cool.

I just want to go on record now saying I do not support or condone the actions of that individual one bit. For the lack of a better term, what you have done is not only vandalize the Mario Super Sluggers Cards website but my good name as well.

You even admitted it that you used it and I have saved the screens where you have admitted to such acts.

I never meant for any harm to come from this knowledge -- I only meant to show how poorly designed a billion dollar corporation's website was.

Stay tuned...I think its only going to get worse :|

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Blooper is on the loose!

Yes it's true...

The third of the remaining three cards has been "released" much in the same manner that King K.Rool was last weekend. Blooper is now circulating throughout the Gamespot/GameFaqs forums and he's multiplying faster than Nintento would like it to.

I still blame Nintendo for shoddy security and poor website setups.

I cannot go fully into how we found Blooper but let's just say that if it was that easy to gain access to the "dashboard" then how many others have quietly done it?

Let the cloning continue...

The Blooper Url has been found -- http://www.mariosupersluggerscards.com/DUEKD/