The Yin & Yang of the BlackBerry Bold

In early November 2009 I once again broke my ever present Nokia cell phone by inadvertently pressing up against the most powerful production motorcycle in the world the Yamaha V-Max.
The V-Max was graciously on loan to me by my major account Royal Distributing after having to leave my 448 BMW for repairs in Guelph.

After an exhilarating ride home on this incredibly powerful motorcycle I discovered on arrival that my LCD screen on my Nokia phone had cracked and fluid was distorting a major portion of my view. I realized from having had this happen before I was destined to have to obtain another phone. I was perturbed to say the least!

Read the 448 Cell Phone Story from 2008

I struggled for over a week with my damaged phone and after a fairly thorough investigation of my possible options I settled on the probability that a BlackBerry was in my future.

How & when I got it is the interesting part! Here’s what happened.

On Friday November 20th I stopped in to a Rogers Centre in Guelph to inquire about my possible deal and it was during this visit I learned that a new BlackBerry, the Bold 9700 was soon to be released.

Customers were coming in at the time requesting it only to be disappointed by the attendant’s declaration that a waiting list was already in place and this being their only option. This fact threw me off a bit as I knew I couldn’t wait much longer as the LCD fluid was now virtually making my Nokia impossible to use.

Should I buy the older BB 9000 version only to realize later I could have had something better? That’s not my style so I decided to let it go again and see if I could live with my damaged phone a little longer.

The next day while doing some errands in Orangeville I decided to go to the local Future Shop and inquire as to what they had to offer and met a very attentive and knowledgeable sales clerk by the name of Neil. The virtues of the BlackBerry were discussed as compared to the wildly popular I-Phone and he too agreed that for what I needed the BlackBerry was the way to go and he acknowledged that although the Bold 9700 was still not available it may be well worth the wait.
By now my Nokia was almost useless so a decision had to be made. Show me a BB 9000 I stated so Neil went to the stock cupboard and to his shock what was sitting in front of him were two BB Bold 9700’s!

They had arrived that morning & they had no waiting list so the phone could be mine! That’s when the sticker shock came, $599.00!

Neil assured me that a better deal could be had once I signed up with Rogers for a data package and he proceeded to log into the Rogers website only to discover that it wasn’t working so a call to the sales centre confirmed that the computers where down and the transaction could not occur. A lengthy discussion ensued with the Rogers rep as to what deal could be had based on my account history but was told point blank that due to the new phones demand status no deals could be offered. I was disappointed again as the difference between what I could get the older 9000 for was a difference of $450!

Neil then made me an offer that I had to consider. He would hold the phone for me for 24 hrs so I could think about it and return when hopefully the Rogers computers were fixed and I could make an unpressured decision. I agreed, thanked him and said I would come back on Sunday.

Well Sunday came around but a call in the afternoon to Neil was again a disappointment as Neil was busy with a customer and had to call me back about 20 minutes later and when he did he stated the computer issues had still not been resolved at Rogers and no progress could be made. We resolved that we would let it ride till Monday.

I then decided to take my dog Duke for a walk and began to get ready. This nagging delay just wouldn’t get out of my mind and I felt compelled to call Rogers and confirm they still had their computer issues that were holding up my progress.

Well to my surprise after making the call, being prepared for the usual long hold times, I was shocked to have the phone ring directly to a Sales Rep named John. Confirmation was made that the computers had indeed had an issue but they had just been recently corrected and John was most willing to help out and the process began.

That’s when it occurred!

The stars must have been aligned as the process went quick and easy and the price which the Rep from the day before said wouldn’t be available, suddenly was! The price would be half of what I expected and I confirmed my deal and the Transaction Reference number was given and my eyes couldn’t believe what I wrote down…

#I222119844

I immediately said to John that I would appreciate you not asking me why I am going to ask the next question, but please tell me how this number is generated and how it works. John seemed perplexed but proceeded to say that the number it refers to relates to this particular transaction should they ever need to go back to confirm the details.

So it’s my number, I stated boldly. John responded affirmative.

I continued by saying, if you were to talk to the next customer yourself and confirm a deal, the next deal would end in say 845?

John quickly replied that that wouldn’t occur as the numbers are generated throughout all the Rogers Call Centres from coast to coast and if he himself were to do another transaction the number could easily be ending in the 900 ranges as hundreds of transactions occur each day.

I knew this was now meant to be! I’d seen this happen too many times before and after thanking John for his assistance, I hung up the phone. In my excitement I called my girlfriend Anne to tell her how this number 844 came up for me as I realized, had it not been for all the delays I had experienced over the last 24 hrs, or had followed the advice of Neil this number would never would have occurred for me!

I quickly wrapped up my call with Anne as I knew the Future Shop was only open till 6 pm and I knew it was getting late, but before I did I stepped into my living room with Anne still on the line and looked at my Rogers digital box showing 4:47 pm and exclaimed to Anne look at the time!
Anne yelled out, OMG its 4.48 pm!

My digital box immediately switched to the 4:48 as she called out the time. Now I was pumped!

Everything was going to work out!

I had to leave immediately.

Poor Duke would have to wait for his walk!

I grabbed my wallet and headed appropriately for the 448 JEEP!

As I drove out of my driveway and headed up Mississauga Road north I thought how bizarre it is that so many major events in my life have the Yin & Yang of the 448/844 involved.

My mind drifted to my Yoga teacher Sir George King’s statement, Nothing happens by Chance, Luck or Coincidence!

A GMC Suburban was the first vehicle to pass me as I crested the hill by the nearby Caledon Ski Club.

The licence plate was something, something, something, 448!

Ok already, what do you want me to DO!

I knew right away I would be destined to have to do what I’m doing now, document another 448 Story that was unraveling before my eyes.

Who would it affect? Who will it remind? Who will be the next to be exposed to my message?

These were the questions whirling through my mind, and as quickly as the thoughts came so did the answers in order.

The Future shop agent Neil I was dealing with would be affected, and most likely a reminder for Chad his associate in the Electronics Department who had already been influenced by previous 448 stories.

Read the 448 Flat Screen Story or the 448 Computer Story

You who are reading this now!

All of the above occurred as envisioned and the seeds were planted!

The 448/844 Lure has been Cast Again!

I love my new BlackBerry not for what it is but for what it will allow me to do!

www.aetherius.org

This Story is dedicated to My Yoga Teacher, Sir George King who passed away on July 12th, 1997 @ the officially documented time of 4.48am PDT in Santa Barbara, California.

Remember the 448/844 Stories are utilized to bring your attention to HIS Stories. These are the thought provoking Stories that help validate Sir George King’s legitimacy in the mind of the sceptic and the inquisitive nature of a true researcher. As SGK so famously stated during his lifetime…

Accepted or Rejected… Truth Is!

Epilogue

This following account is the icing on the proverbial cake of the Yin & Yang of the BlackBerry Bold Story.

On Saturday Nov 28th, 2009 after a day of errands around the house my girlfriend Anne and I decided that we would get out this night and take in a movie.

Anne went onto the internet and called out the movies and the one movie we really wanted to check out was called “Paranormal Activity”. The problem was it was now only playing in Brampton and we had wanted to go to our nearby Galaxy Theatre in Orangeville.

We decided on the 7:00 pm showing of the infamous 2012 disaster flick. We had just the night before watched a documentary on the Mayan prophecies and this despite the fact we both did not support the doom & gloom basis of the story and it’s specifically emphasized date of Dec 21st 2012. This opinion is largely based on our awareness of the information available from the organization to which we both belong, The Aetherius Society and the teachers of the Western Master of Yoga, Sir George King… We did however think that it would be of interest to see how much this whole story had been embellished by Hollywood.

The plan was set and one of my missions since we were heading to Orangeville was to hand deliver the printed copies of the Yin & Yang of the BlackBerry Story to the two clerks, Neil & Chad at The Future Shop which I thought closed at 6:00 pm. As it would turn out our home dinner took a little longer than expected and I felt we wouldn’t make the closing time. Anne convinced me I could deliver the copies later in the week and although disappointed I reluctantly agreed.

We left the house with plenty of time to spare but upon arrival in the theatre we were overwhelmed by the large crowds and being the ever impatient man, I quickly guided Anne to the automatic kiosks to avoid the major line-up for tickets.

We began to try ordering our tickets and that’s when we got our first surprise! According to the screen the movie actually started at 6:30 pm and it was now nearly 6:45 pm! I was becoming agitated to say the least.

Then to add to my frustration the kiosk would not accept Anne’s Scene Card that allows discounts to occur! The steam from my ears was now almost virtually visible! I quickly turned to a man behind us in line asking him abruptly if he knew how to work this crazy machine. He didn’t have a clue!

Anne then scolded me for my agitated reaction as she struggled with the computer and I left in a huff to ask the ticket taker which was a girl at the time if we had any hope of getting good seats. She offered that if we were not satisfied with the seats available we could get a refund. Fair enough I thought. Then rushing back to Anne and conveying the deal we finally obtained the two tickets but the Scene Card never did work to our dismay.

More on this crazy ticket machine at the end of the Story!

We then rushed to the entrance again and this time the girl was gone and a man had taken her place. I quickly showed my ticket which he took from my hand and read the ticket an directed me to Cinema 6 and Anne then handed in her ticket which he just ripped and gave her the stub. He knew Anne was with me and had already relayed the directions so there was no need to repeat the appropriate theatre.

Once inside the theatre we could see that there were still many seats available so we both decided to go back for our planned drinks and popcorn. Again we couldn’t believe the volume of people as the line-ups to the concession counters were ridiculous. I then decided that it would maybe be better to send Anne ahead to claim our seats as I joked that with our luck so far all these people would end up in our theatre. So off she went and as it would turn out, I was correct the place was packed.

Once back in the theatre with the necessary popcorn & drinks, I found Anne and we settled in and began watching the trailers prior to the main attraction. Trailer after trailer passed before our eyes and we began to wonder why the Feature Presentation had yet to begin! We also commented on how many very young children were in the theatre and questioned what these parents were thinking. Why would these parents subject their young impressionable minds to the premise of 2012!

Surprise number two!

The feature presentation began and it was not the right movie!!!!

It was the Disney movie” Old Dogs” with Robin Williams & John Travolta!

OMG, what else could go wrong!

My attitude was rapidly changing again and it wasn’t for the better! We were in shock and debated about what to do as this now explained the young audience and the lengthy trailers that now had us well past 7:00 pm. Anne suggested I leave the theatre and go see if seats were available wherever 2012 was playing. I was gone in a flash! My main thought was more geared to confronting the male attendant who had directed us to Cinema 6 when it was actually in theatre #3. That’s exactly what I did, but my actions really didn’t accomplish anything! I somewhat dejected went back to Anne and reported that I had peaked into cinema #3 and it was packed as well.

We were doomed to watch Old Dogs!!

My own 2012, (end of the world scenario) had just occurred! I realized there was nothing we could do but endure this movie that personally I really had no interest in seeing.

Perfect time to pout I thought! It’s justified & appropriate!

Anne could sense my frustration and we even considered leaving but we didn’t and I ironically commented that at least it will be shorter than the 2hr 38minute marathon of 2012!

Time is the essence of this epilogue story as you will now see!

The movie was indeed shorter and actually you know what, it wasn’t really all that bad. After its completion I wondered to myself if I might have gained more by watching this family oriented film than the constant death & destruction of 2012.

As Anne and I left the cinema I relayed these thoughts to her and as we approached the front doors of the Galaxy complex I felt my eyes drawn to the wall clock. There it was, clear as day, apparently it was 8:44 pm with the big arm just a notch south of the nine!

We halted in our tracks and took note, smiled and left the door and headed the short distance to Anne’s car that was parked no more than a hundred feet away. Once at the car I grabbed my BlackBerry and there it was in digital form 8:44 pm!

I put the BlackBerry in Anne’s direct view and I said that’s my verification. I think this night was meant to happen this way! I’m not sure why but I was soon to find out.

We drove out of the parking lot and the first thing Anne does is miss the appropriate left hand turn which forces us to make a quick decision to go an opposite direction home. This direction would allow me a clear view of the nearby Future Shop that I thought had closed at 6:00 pm. I could clearly see activity from even this distance and said look they must be open till 9:00 pm.

I should have brought the copies of the BlackBerry Story, I proclaimed out loud.

I still at that moment thought there was nothing I could do and as we approached the next stoplight and just as Anne was about to turn left I realized we were a block away from my Scotia Bank. A quick right turn and our path was now changed.

I was out of cash as a result of the highway robbery that had occurred at the theatre’s concession stands so I needed to rectify this situation. We quickly headed to the Bank. As we entered the Banks parking lot I asked Anne to take me to the Future Shop which is located immediately next door. I would go see Neil & Chad and get their individual e-mail address and just send the BlackBerry Story that way,

I didn’t want to have too much time pass before I could show both Neil & Chad that I had indeed written a story about what transpired the week before on the day I acquired my BlackBerry.

Upon entering the store that was now only minutes away from closing I went straight to Neil’s area only to find another young clerk who informed me that Neil had already left. At the same time I could see Chad over in the Flat Screen TV section and we exchanged waves as I quizzed the young clerk on the possibility of getting Neil’s e-mail address. This was accomplished quickly as to my surprise he called him on his cell phone and the address was given with a message that I would be forwarding him something.

With that now accomplished I rushed over to Chad and told him I needed his e-mail address as I had written a story about the past weekend’s event. Chad was aware of something going on but due to his obligations at the time with customers could not be directly involved with what occurred. As I discovered in this meeting Chad had never talked to Neil so really wasn’t even aware that what he had been called over to witness the weekend before was indeed about a 448/844 Story.

Well I told him that I wouldn’t take the time now as the Yin & Yang of the BlackBerry Bold Story when read would explain it much better than what I could verbally in the short time before their closing.

Instead I gave him a quick synopsis of what had just occurred only minutes ago as I relayed the quick details of the movie screw-up and how we had re-entered our vehicle at exactly 8:44 pm.
Chad had had his own experiences with my 448 Stories so he was familiar with what I was talking about and said he’d look forward to the e-mail. We shook hands and off I left knowing that this was the most likely reason the movie was screwed–up. Had we gone to 2012 the 8:44 pm arrival at the car would not have occurred and this meeting with Chad and the phone contact of Neil would not have happened!

I then ran to Anne’s car parked just out front and told her to just drive to the Scotia Bank next door and I ran to get my cash.

Once back in her car I relayed all my feelings of why I felt this night was all meant to be and that this wasn’t by Chance, Luck or Coincidence!

If you can now believe this, while I was telling her these points her trip odometer on her Saturn went to 244.8 KM! Anne noticed this herself just a couple of tenths of a km later. We were both a little freaked out and right away I knew I’d be up late tonight as an epilogue to the BlackBerry Story was unfolding its details.

Not here’s the finale that I don’t have an explanation for but for all of you familiar with my 448/844 Stories and how they occur, this is just another typical anomaly.

The two tickets to the Movies that came out of the Kiosk bought on the same transaction were different! One was for 2012 which was the one Anne had kept and the one I had was for Old Dogs (how appropriate lol).

That’s why the male attendant had told us to go to Cinema 6 as that’s what was on my ticket, the only ticket the attendant actually looked at when he directed us both!

Had this anomaly been caught in the beginning, I would most likely be dreaming about disasters tonight and in bed sooner than I will be now!

Well I`ll indeed get less sleep tonight, but I wouldn’t change a thing!

Now Chad and Neil will get two Attachments with the Yin & Yang BlackBerry Bold Story and this equally long epilogue.

Nothing Happens by Chance Luck or Coincidence.