I ran into problems when I tried to unlock my T-Mobile US Blackberry Curve 8320. I tried two places and neither could unlock it using traditional methods. They claimed they could not find subsidy (or remote unlock) codes because my phone’s IMIE was not found. As blackberryfaq.com suggests, there are cases when a blackberry cannot be unlocked using remote unlock codes.

The good news is that there are other methods to unlock a phone. http://www.universal-sim.org offers a hardware and firmware solution that worked for me. It involves inserting an additional card into the SIM compartment and cutting away some plastic from your carrier’s SIM card to make more room.

If you want to do this yourself you will also need a ISO card reader and must be willing to run programming software for it. After the whole process is done, when you check if the phone is unlocked it shows that the subsidy lock is ACTIVE but my 8320 still works perfectly on the Rogers Wireless network.

Where do rabbits hang out? I always thought you would find them in corn fields or close to livestock. Apparently, this is incorrect. Last month, a white rabbit hang out in my backyard for about three weeks.  No, it wasn’t the BBQs with beer talking either -  I have pictures to prove it .  So, yesterday I am walking to the beach in Sarasota, Florida..

What do I see just next the pier?  Yes, rabbits!

These ones were brown with larger ears, so technically they were hares. Who knew rabbits like the beach?

So I am trying different ways of getting downtown in the morning. The other day, I get on the No. 165  TTC bus heading south to the York Mills subway station.  I am the only passenger sitting comfortably at the back of the bus. The Highway 400 and Major Mackenzie Road loop is the first stop. I get on 1 min before its scheduled departure. The bus moves up about 20 meters and stops.

The driver turns to me and says, “I am going to shut the engine off now. We are going to be here a while.”

“Isn’t this bus leaving now?” I asked.

“No.You can’t follow the schedule, especially in the summer.”

Alright, I am a patient person and he knows what he is doing. So, I wait. An elderly Italian lady gets on the bus, apparently, just to chat to the driver.

“So, whattya tink … today rain or no? Last week lotsa rain but today I dunno. Ma, maybe I water the tomatoes anyway. ” More  friendly chatter follows and the lady is now ready to step off the bus. I guess the driver’s break is now over. She suddenly notices that someone else is on the bus. She points at me says: “Insomma, ma, whattabout him. He comma with you?”

“Yes, I come with the bus.” I yelled from the back trying to be funny. The lady leaves and the driver is laughing has head off. I guess, this far north there are not that many passengers on a TTC bus.

Last Sunday was another hot weekend. So what better way to cool off then to head to the beach? Since I am practically (in downtown terms) close to Barrie I decided to take the family for a trip to Centennial Beach.  I was supposed to be a quite day of lying on warm sand and going for swims in cool Lake Simcoe.  A day of enjoying the sounds of tiny waves washing ashore and the smell of algae in the air. I tried to ignore the crowds gathered next to the beach but I simply couldn’t. Coincidentally, it was also the location of the  Barrie Brews and BBQ Festival. The smell of smoked meat and BBQ sauce was filling the air and I couldn’t resist. I decided to check it out.

Once on the festival grounds, one vendor clearly stood out. Traeger was displaying their line of wood pellet grills. The rep told me that each unit is actually both a smoker and a BBQ. Too bad, I just bought a shiny BBQ. Anyways, there were two units that caught my eye mostly because of their appearance: The Longhorn Steer and Lil’ Pig.

I should mention that the pig snout is used for venting the steam. Oh yeah, there was also a band doing  covers of rock classics like The Rolling Stones, Neil Young and U2. All this fun and excitement just minutes from home. Yeah, living north of Hwy 7 has its perks.

We see you staring at our racks.

Meat is murder. Tasty, tasty murder.