Notes From The Pen

I Love The View!

2012-02-09T11:20:00.002-06:00

I Love The View! I have been watching The View since day 1. I watched when Meredith Viera was the moderator. And I miss her. She is awesome and by the way as hot as a jalapeno. But anyways, I watched during thr Rosie year. And I love Rosie although she was a bit much at that time. (Read - too much for even this lesbian to absorb). Elizabeth has never been my favorite but she is my devil's advocate and I appreciate her for that. Anyhoo, today was a big abortion debate. I feel I need to put my cent worth in. I was a close friend of a woman who worked at my city's abortion clinic and I have to admit, I had some misconceptions - that my friend put to rest right away.

Bottom line. For me anyway. Just my opinion. Take it as that. There are already too many unwanted children in the world. And it sucks to know you are unwanted. I personally don't want children. I love them but I love being the inappropriate auntie and/or godmother. Someday, I might adopt because I do love children and I do realize there are a lot of unwanted babies in the world. And if what my friend says is true, abortion is more responsible than other choices available. I hope she is right.

311 Is A Joke

2012-01-17T13:35:00.000-06:00

So the city by-law officer just called to tell me he talked to the neigbours and of course they lied so now I am responsible to dispose of their garbage because it is on my property. I thanked him for his lack of help and told him that I tried to deal with this via proper channels. I now know that this route is not successful so I will now be dealing with it on my own. I am not certain exactly what this means but for now I will be putting that crap in the bin. So, no matter what happens this year, a fence is now priority number 1.

I have always wanted to install cameras. Not because I am paranoid but because I understand that in this day and age people have no respect for other people's property or possessions. So my main motivation was theft. Now there is another reason. Bad neighbours. Even after the fence is installed I think I want cameras. Just for my own piece of mind.

Update

2012-01-16T19:35:00.000-06:00

So, I called the city to update the status of my complaint. i.e. that I went and talked to the neighbours after they moved their garbage back to my yard. I was told I had to wait until the by-law officer closed the case as it was still on-going.

HA!

2012-01-13T21:49:00.000-06:00

Ha, back at you. I got a buddy to help move the TV onto the neighbours property. Problem solved.

It's Always Something

2012-01-13T00:14:00.000-06:00

I bought a brand new truck in July last year. I know, I know, buying a new vehicle is a waste of money, it loses 20% of it's value the moment you drive it off the lot etc. I know, I have heard it all before. And to make it worse, I traded in a vehicle that was costing me nothing other than maintenance because I paid it off 2 years earlier. Having said that, I don't regret my decision to buy new. My main reason, I got tired of dealing with other people's problems. When you buy a used vehicle you are hoping that you can trust the dealer to tell you the truth about the vehicle's history. Car Fox and all that.

Well, the truck is my fourth vehicle and 2 of the 4 have been lemons. My first vehicle was a '93 Corolla (purchased in '96). I loved that car until my buddy turned it into a metal folding tray. Then was the '96 Rav4 (purchased in '99). I yearned for that car. Let's never speak of it again. Then in '05 I bought the '03 Pathfinder. I shouldn't really call the Pathfinder a lemon. It served me well and I did love it but it needed work when I bought it and it needed at least $3500 worth of work and it was only worth $4000 - at the most.

Annyways. I had command start installed in the truck in the fall. It was an ordeal. Well the saga is not yet done. I get in the truck to go out for dinner with my friend whose mother passed away a couple of weeks ago. And it won't start. Just clicking and battery blinking. The weird thing is that I had just had the command start on. So I am debating who can boost me. And then I remember, oh, I bought a battery booster when the Pathfinder was having problems. So I get out to go get it and I am standing by the back door and think, hmm. Let's try the CS. Well it works. So now the vehicle won't start in the traditional key turning way, only with command start. Is that a big deal, I don't know, I hope not. Fortunately, I am going to get my tires rotated in a couple of weeks so I will have the experts deal with it then. Hopefully, it won't cost me an arm and a leg.

Some Good News

2012-01-12T20:47:00.000-06:00

Well, some good news. The garbage guys emptied the bin and took the couches. Typically when someone dumps garbage beside the bin, it takes a couple of weeks for it to be moved. Hurray for the city.

Now the only thing there is the TV, I have a plan for that.

So now it's in someone else's yard

2012-01-11T20:44:00.000-06:00

I come home tonight from work and the furniture has been moved across the lane into that neighbours yard. It is piled beside the BFI bin. Hmm, how odd. It has to be the cretins next door. Why would some random person dump garbage in a lot and then return the next day to move some of the dumped garbage. I hate renters.

Yay for me!

2012-01-10T23:03:00.004-06:00

So today I passed a test. My poker buddies called trying to get me to go out and play poker. Of course I want too, it's fun, there is the chance to win money which is always a happy occasion and who doesn't want to spend time with their friends. But I said no. In addition to the chance that I could lose a lot of money that I don't have. There is the likelyhood that I would have been drunk by now. Which in turn means tomorrow is a write-off. I have plans for tomorrow and goals that I want to accomplish and that just doesn't work if I get hamm-a-lammered tonight.

Again, Really!

2012-01-10T20:39:00.000-06:00

So, I come home from work tonight and the f****n neighbours have done it again. In my lot, they have dumped a large couch, the matching loveseat, half a cooler, a large broken TV and some sort of dresser/cabinet.

Livid is the only word to describe my mood upon seeing this. So I got out the truck and start throwing stuff at their house. Actually, in the space between their s****y garage and their house. I threw the cooler at the house and then the cabinet. I was hoping someone would come out at the sound of the noise but the cowards didn't. The TV is too heavy to move. I will get to that later. I hate renters. Bloody welfare house.

Happy New Year?

2012-01-09T05:50:00.000-06:00

You know, I just looked back on the titles of past post and my first thought was --- wow how clever am I? And the second thought was --- hurumpgh I should have blogged more.

2011 is over and having said that it seems like it was a transition year for me. Not a lot of growth just an adjustment for what comes next. And frankly 2011 sucked some hairy ass at the end. I had friends lose parents, an ex lost a grandparent. I had another close friend get diagnosed with cancer that is actively spreading. 2011 got it's kidney shots in before it was done. So whoohoooo 2012. Well it brought a funeral and now what?!

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION 2012 EDITION

2011-12-18T15:22:00.002-06:00

I haven't made a real new year's resolution since 1999. At that time I was the "good girl" in my friend group. I was the one who always did the right thing. I always took care of others sometimes to the detriment of my own happiness or fun. So for 2000, my resolution was to do the opposite of what I would normally do. WOW! What a year! New Year's Eve 1999 was the beginning of about 5 years of fun and debauchery. It was the only resolution I have ever kept. And I was so successful at it, I did it for roughly 5 years. Unfortunately this kind of lifestyle is expensive which is part of the reason why now I am still paying for indiscretions of the past. Do I regret it? Not a penny. Perhaps I could have used a little more restraint in certain circumstances but it is what it is.

So I think it's time to grow up a little bit more. I am making a resolution - two actually - for the first time in 11 years. ONE - to go to the gym or do some sort of physical activity at least twice a year. I have bought a gym membership and hopefully that will inspire me. TWO - I need to declutter my house and life. I have way too much stuff for one person.

Wish me luck!

I DID IT!

2011-09-28T16:03:00.000-05:00

The green one is the old fence. All the other photos are the new one. It is made of green pressure treated - the other one was made of pine. Obviously not my decision, no one should make a fence out of untreated wood in a northern climate. Also the post were put 4 feet in the ground - the other one was about 2 feet, which explains the heaving. Again this is a northern climate issue. If the posts are not below the frost line, they will eventually move - simple as that.

I am very pleased with how it came out. A couple of neighbours where sniffing around asking questions. Mom and I traveled for two weeks after the fence was built. When we returned, two neighbours were obviously inspired by my success. Two new fences - exact replicas of mine were built in a 4 house radius of mom's place. Mom is made at the "copycats". I prefer to think that copying is a form of flattery. Originally, I had two friends lined up to help and I had budgeted 3 days. Both friends bailed two days before the posts were to be installed, so I figured, I'm on my own. Luckily for me, my mom has an awesome neighbour who came out to help demo the old fence and helped me for the 7 days it took to complete. That's right 7, not 3. I was off work for 7 weeks so the extra days didn't make a difference except to my aching feet and back.

But it's done, and it's awesome. And now I can tackle my 100 feet of fence in my yard this summer. And I have someone who has already volunteered to help. Giddy up!

For My Next Trick

2011-09-01T15:41:00.002-05:00

My mom's fence is falling apart. It has been heaving - only one one side for about 5 years - roughly a inch a year. Now it is to the point where some boards are rotting and it needs to be replaced. I have never built a fence before but how hard can it be. I have offered my mom to build it for her. We have driven around the neighbourhood and looked at all kinds of different fence styles. She has had no opinion. I have told her if you have no opinion, you can't complain. I know in my head what I want the fence to look like so now we will see if my vision can become a reality.

I Need A Schedule

2011-08-12T02:13:00.006-05:00

I have been horrible about doing this blogging thing. One of my goals for the second half of this year is to blog once every two days. So far I am failing because this is the first blog since february. So let's catch up shall we. I have done some renos, I have paid off some debts, I have incurred some debts. I have to block off some time to update the account amounts because they are way off.

I traded in my old vehicle for a brand new shiny truck. I figure I deserve one brand new vehicle in my life and this just felt like the right time. My other car needed about $2500 worth of work and I wasn't going to keep it long enough to make spending that kind of money worthwhile soooo - new truck. It is exciting. Everything that goes wrong with this vehicle will eith er be my or Chevy's fault. I LOVE IT. I love everything about it, well almost everything. Now I want to trick it out. I want a locking tailgate. That should be happening next week. I want a cool tonneau cover. I also want some other bling that the bling will wait until I install command start. Winters are harsh and I am a suck. My baby needs to be warm when I get in. We also have a name - Rufus. I know it's weird but it works.

What else? I installed a new exterior back door. I wanted the whole pre-hung dealy because I am not so good at the door business. It was either $500 for a door with 3 inches cut off or $150 and I cuty the 3 inches off the house. So I cut my house. Grrr, it was awesome, sparks and sawdust everywhere. It looks awesome and finally the door swings the right way. It used to swing to the right and block off the storage area in the porch. Now it swings to the left and opens flat against the wall. Right on!

I have 6 weeks off. (And will still be getting paid - schweet!) I have high hopes. I want to

(1) build my mom a new fence

(2) build a fence between me and my crappy neighbours to the west

(3) visit the relos for two weeks - we got a wicked deal on tickets

(4) Soffit / fascia / eaves

(5) hire someone to grind 3 stumps in my yard

(6) get into the habit of blogging regularly

and then I will be broke.

Stay tuned!

Wow, I haven't been here for a while!

2011-02-14T17:09:00.008-06:00

So in the past 6 months I have not really gotten anywhere with my debt. I got my roof done finally and perhaps too late. There is some watter damage on my living room ceiling. It took a long time and I fought with the roofers but they did a great job.

I also rebuilt my crap ass back deck. Me and my 64 year old mom. I took 3 days and cost about $800. My first deck and it came out great. My neighbour across the back lane came over a couple of days after I finished and told me what a great job I did and how great it looked. He was very surprised that it was built by a chick. The deck was more expensive than I expected because I decided to go with cedar for the decking but it looks awesome. So the top pictures are the new deck and the lower pictures are the rotten old one. I didn't realize how dilapadated the old one was until it only took me an hour to tear it down by myself. Mind you, I was pretty angry at the roofers so I was a little motivated.

One of my new year's resolutions for this year was to write a little bit everyday but you can already see how that went.

Debts. I haven't done well in that area. I have two high interest loans that are costing me an arm and a leg.. Fortunately one has a beginning and an end. The other however is a line of credit and I was making a fair bit of head way in the fall and then Christmas came. And now I am back where I started. So I made an application for a low interest bank loan to get rid of that. With the payments I am making now, I can be free and clear of that in two years. Less if I get really motivated.

I am waiting for the result of the application.

Oh yeah, Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you all get to spend it with someone you care about.

Love Buble!

2010-08-13T23:50:00.001-05:00

I went to see Michael Buble tonight with the parental unit. I am not sure whether or not she enjoyed the concert but that is OK, I enjoyed it enough for both of us. Itwas great although next time I have to pay attention to the seats. We were in the 3rd tier and that is way to far from the stage. It wasn't horrible but I am getting to old to sit in the nosebleeds. When I was younger, I was just happy to be at the concert. Now I want premier seating. No floor seats or anything like that but I want to see everything clearly. Old eyes and all, lol.

While driving there and back, I noticed a old pulling sensation when driving. There was also an odd faint klunking sound. I will have to monitor this. Today is Friday the 13th. So far nothing horrible has happened.

Opps! or maybe not

2010-08-08T19:14:00.001-05:00

Looking back I may have jumped the gun by locking in early. The rates have gone down a bit since late June. But on the other hand I would kicking my own ass all over the block if they went up while I was greedy and waiting for them to drop lower. I am secure in my decision.

Day 11 - Now they want money

2010-07-18T18:33:00.001-05:00

Can you believe the nerve?! Even athough they know I am on midnights and that I haven't slept much since they have been banging on my roof, those f*****s were knocking on my door at 10:30 AM. To get their money no doubt. They will get it when I feel like it.

Day 10 - Finally!

2010-07-17T18:40:00.002-05:00

I think the roofers are as fed up with me as I am with them. They had a whole crew here today. There were even a couple of little kids and a pregnant lady. I never did find out who the kids belonged to but their job was to clean up. They picked up every shingle and roofing nail they could find. The very pregnant chick was the girlfriend of the head roofer. Why she would choose to sit in a hot truck all day when she should have been somewhere cool, I don;t know. But they finished. It is done. And although I will say horrible things about they from now until the end of time, I can say they did a good job. Or at least it appears that way now, time will tell.

Day 9 - here by noon

2010-07-16T14:21:00.004-05:00

So today I think is the last day. I guess they feel the same way. They didn't bother to show up until noon.

A knock on the door is the owner to let me know about the price for replacing the addition deck.

And the fight is on. I tell him I intend to hold back money for non-productive work days. He gives me excuses about rain and ankles and the weather network. AND threatens to tell the guys to stop and start tearing the roof down.

I tell him all I expected was a call telling me what is going on. He doesn't feel that is necessary. "That is just roofing" he says. Problem. (By the by, and I'm sure it the same for all of you. If I have to be at work on a Thursday and I don't show up and don't phone, I don't get paid.)

Anyway, I tell him fine, whatever, I just want to be done with him and his slack ass band of delinquents. But I want it in writing. There will be no handshake deals since he can't be trusted. He gets on the phone to talk to the wife about writing something up.

I go upstairs to take a quick shower as I anticipate a trip to the bank. I come down 15 minutes later and he is gone (the workers are still here). He is gone home to deal with some personal business - on my f****** time. Nice.

Day 8 - about 2/3 done

2010-07-15T14:19:00.000-05:00

Back to work again. They are almost done the east side. Tomorrow is the addition. And then they are done. The deck on the addition is almost all rotten. I want them to replace it all and start from fresh.

Day 7 - rain

2010-07-14T14:16:00.000-05:00

It rained all last night. So far today is the only day they have had a legitimate reason for not showing up.

Day 6 - back to this again

2010-07-13T14:14:00.000-05:00

Didn't show. Didn't phone. I didn't bother to call.

Day 5 - finally

2010-07-12T12:58:00.000-05:00

For those of you keeping score, that is 4 non-productive work days. Write this down folks. You can keep between 10% and 15% up to 30 days after completion of the job. The theory is that in that month, anything that you notice wrong will be fixed by the company if they know you still have some of their money. Once you have paid the total bill, they may disappear. At least if they do disappear, you have some of your money. I recommend 15%.

So the roofers did show up today and they set to work. I was pretty sure I could sort of block out the pounding but then they turned on a stereo blaring hard rock. That ended my sleep at about 1 PM. And I was pissed. One because the job should have been done by now and two because they screwed up my sleep.

They do good work once they show up. It is a more difficult job than most. There are two layers of shingles and then cedar shakes underneath. The west side of the house is basically done. So it was worth not getting any sleep.

Day 4 - no new roof

2010-07-11T12:49:00.002-05:00

I wake up again today to silence. No one is walking or pounding on my roof. And I lose it. I do notice that there are packages of shingles on my roof but I think they put those there to keep me hanging on for another couple of days. I go over to the guy's house and give it to him with both barrels. Buddy's ankle is still sore. And now it is my fault nothing has been done because I didn't want one of their workers anywhere near my home but of course he is readily available to work.

But they will be here first thing tomorrow. Well great. I go back to work tomorrow - midnights. So if they arrive - yeah right - they will be banging around while I am trying to sleep. The roofers comment to me "isn't there somewhere else you can sleep". Are you kidding me, really. I resist the urge to punch him the throat and just leave.

I am hooped because I gave him half the amount as a deposit because I felt I could trust him. Take a lesson kids. You are only obligated to give 10% to 15% as a deposit. If the company you are dealing with demands more, something is wrong, go with someone else. I don't think buddy has enough money to buy the materials and pay the roofers so he is stringing me along until he can afford to finish the job.

If I had known that at the beginning, I would have paid for the materials myself and just hired them to do the work. Lesson learned.

Day 3 - no roof

2010-07-10T12:44:00.001-05:00

Third day, roofers didn't show. Company didn't phone to tell me what was going on. I phoned and the injured guy's ankle is still sore and another roofer feels it is going to rain. Now the roofer is a f****** meteorologist. But they will be here first thing tomorrow.

Day 2 - no new roof

2010-07-09T12:41:00.001-05:00

So second day, roofers didn't show. Company didn't phone to tell me what was going on. I phoned and apparently one guy twisted his ankle. But they will be here first thing tomorrow.

One More Day

2010-07-08T19:09:00.003-05:00

The roof was supposed to start today but because of all the rain we have been having they are a day behind on the job before me which pushes me back a day. Crap, I was all excited about getting this started.

It's Done!

2010-06-08T18:47:00.000-05:00

So I chose to redo my mortgage early to lock in at a low rate. I locked in at 5.55% for 10 years. I wanted the longest time period possible because when the rates do start to creep up, I don't think they will be coming down for a long time. I also took out a line of credit based on home value to get some work around here done. This summer I want to get the roof done, it isn't a want, it's a need. There is a hole and I have a little water damage on my living room ceiling. The range of estimates for the roof is from $4250 to $8300. Crazy huh?! I am going with a long time established company that gave me a very detailed quote of $6300.

I also want to get the soffit, fascia and eaves done. The eaves are also a necessity. It is like having none - they are so old and holey and I think redoing them will ease up some dampness issues in the basement.

I also want to get the three windows done upstairs. The cost will surely offset the decrease in hydro costs in the winter.

I am debating on replacing the super inefficient window in the back addition with a patio door in anticipation of the deck that will be out there. That door would also ease some hydro costs.

I am also going to replace and slightly increase the size of the little deck in the back. I have been buying the essentials piece by piece but for the wood, I will have to borrow someone's truck. Eventually a bigger deck will be adjoined to it (hence the back door). This I plan on doing myself. I have never built a deck but I think it is pretty straight forward. I will post before and after pictures once it is done.

Review LG DVR Model RH387-M

2010-03-23T03:22:00.008-05:00

One of the blogs that I look forward to reading is One Project Closer. Their recent blog of a review of an LG dishwasher that they bought moved me to comment about an LG product that I bought and now regret.

I bought an LG DVR in July 2008. The DVR I had then had died after 5 years and the repair would have cost more than the price of a new machine ($400) so I upgraded. I had s choice of 3 models and I chose the LG because I thought made reliable products. It was also the mid priced machine.

I instantly hated it. I assumed that this machine would be heads and tails better than the old one - you know technological advancements and all. But it wasn't. So fine, I got used to it and then in July 2009- about 10 days after the warranty was up, it started acting up. Now if I want to record something onto a disc, i have to waste about 4 or 5 discs first.

This product is crap and I will never buy another LG product ever.

I have also learned to get model numbers and then Google forums to get the opinion of others BEFORE I spend money on a product. I found on an electronics forum that the recording problem is common to this particular model. If that is the case then LG should know. I think that if LG was a good company, they would recognize this problem and either change whatever the issue is and/or make it right for customers whose machines are affected.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have paid the $400 to fix my other machine.

Hell yeah for automation!

2010-03-19T08:10:00.000-05:00

I was just reading a post by No Credit Needed entitled Automated And It Feels So Good and it excited me. I have had my finances automated for really for as long as I have been working which is just over 20 years. Back then, there was no online banking. I used to use a service called TelPay and I had to pay a small fee for every payment that I made. It wasn't very popular, no one I knew used the service. As a matter of fact, not many of my peers even knew what it was before I mentioned it. But for me this was a little slice of heaven for two reasons - I am not the most organized person in the world (but I am working one it) and I am a huge procrastinator (that I am not working on as much). The result is that I used to receive bills, put them aside to pay at a later date and then lose them or mistakenly throw them away. As I result, I used to waste hundreds of dollars a year in late fees and similar penalties. TelPay didn't cover ALL my bills but it was a better system than what I was using at the time.

Then I discovered mBanx and it revolutionized my life. I have always been a shift worker so my hours of work, sleep etc. have always been different the rest of the regular working world. With mBanx, it released me from the bonds of having to bank from 10 am to 3 pm like the rest of society. I could now do my banking at 3 am whenever I felt like it and I really never needed to physically go to a bank. I could pay a bill when it was received or at the very least, I could set up a later payment for when payday rolled around and file the bill right away. (For a while there I felt really organized but have since slipped).

Like No Credit Needed I also receive as many of my bills as I can online. I have also in the last year set up my pay stubs from work to be viewable online only. It is unfortunate that every one doesn't have this option. For 3 years I just received the stubs in my mailbox at work, looked at it and then threw it in the backseat of my car. Eventually, I got tired of the mound of envelopes and then recycled them. But sometimes you need a current stub for bank stuff, so that was not the best system. Now I send myself a PDF copy every two weeks and if I ever need a copy, I can print it anytime - at home or at work.

I was explaining my system to my 64 year old mother who still waits for bills to arrive and then sends cheques. I tried to convince her to set up some automated payments for bills where the amounts don't vary much from month to month but she won't even hear of it. She only trusts her cheque system. And that is her choice and she is happy with it. Her main concern is that there will be a difference and they will have more of her money than the amount of the bill and similarly that she will underpay.

I basically take the amoung of a bill, cut it in half and then pay that every two weeks. For example hydro is roughly $300 a month so every two weeks, I pay $150. Some months like this month have three paydays so I will be $150 ahead. I am sure that some where through the year, I will need that $150 and will adjust that weeks payments so that no payment will be made and I will no longer be $150 ahead. When I exlained this to my mom, she was appalled that I would let them "hold" my money like that. Really, it is not ideal. But for me as someone that has a credit past of late payments for no other reason than that I'm stupid, it is a small price to pay to make payments in good time.

So for the extremely organized and for those of us that are just not that motivated. Automating your banking life is the way to go for sure!

Really!

2010-03-17T00:01:00.005-05:00

I tell you, there is one thing that chaps my a$$ more than anything. People who when driving, put on their brakes before they indicate why they are braking. Don't these idiots realize that the turn signal is the indicator to the car(s) behind them to slow down or to change lanes if they so desire. When you brake first without warning, it ruins my smooth driving because now I wonder, is there an animal in the road? Am I not hearing an emergency vehicle; is the driver in front of me in some kind of distress? No, the vehicle ahead of me is being piloted by an imbecile who doesn't know how to drive and shouldn't be allowed on the road. Aaaargh!

In Grief

2010-02-20T16:16:00.006-06:00

I had the loose framework of a post that I wanted to write on Thursday night. I felt exuberant and free and wanted to share my joy with the world. Well I will still write that post but it is now tainted by a great sadness.

My friend's young cat had to be put down yesterday. I don't know all the details as I understand how raw the pain is for her. I will call the cat "Bootsy" for the sake of respect and privacy. The story of Bootsy is for another day as I am grieving as well.

Big sigh, anyhow before I learned of Bootsy's passing, I was feeling exuberant. After a situation at work that I see as another form of harassment. I had experienced some harassment from a peer last year and have been dealing with the emotional aftermath since that time. Last year during that difficult time, I was not dealing with it well at all. Actually, I don't really deal with adversity well at all period. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view working with difficult people in a difficult environment has forced me to speak up to defend myself and learn to deal with adversity.

I am a firm believer that you are where you are supposed to be so perhaps these are all lessons that I need to learn to have a happy successful life. In the meantime however, it makes for some crappy and dark days. This is where my wonderful mood comes in. I didn't go home after a couple of difficult days at work and cry (as I have done in the past). I also didn't toss and turn as I replayed conversations over and over in my head, second guessing my responses and wishing I had said different things (as I have also done in the past). I slept like a baby and woke up rested and content. When I realized that this minor setback (because really, it is not the end of world although sometimes things feel that big and bad in the moment), hadn't shut me down as minor setbacks in the past have done, I felt victorious.

I am a Phoenix rising out of the ashes and I know today that I am mentally and emotionally stronger today than I was even a week ago. Those bastards can throw their best at me. As long as I continue to try to be a diligent fair employee, there is nothing they can do to me. Bring it, I'm ready! Wednesday, February 17th is my new birthday - financially and emotionally. Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

Rest in peace Bootsy. I am convinced that you are a angel that I was fortunate enough to know for just over two years. Thank you for sharing a part of your life with me.

Damn Nice

2010-02-15T16:18:00.003-06:00

It is a damn nice feeling to not feel the pressure of bills unpaid, looming large in your mind and in your dreams. To be able to plan is awesome. And the cushion of my now very small emergency fund is like a cloud under my feet. Wow, so this is a tiny taste of being debt free. I can't wait!

Hmm, It seemed like a good idea at the time

2010-02-13T20:08:00.006-06:00

So I have made what at the time seemed like a great decision. Now I a a little apprehensive but what is done is done so there can be no looking back now. I took out a consolidation loan which will free up $475 every paycheque. The loan is pretty high interest but is only $350 a month so I can pay ahead on that loan and still throw some money at the line of credit (also high interest) and still have a little to build up a small emergency fund.

I did go a little crazy. I bought Michael Buble tickets because he is awesome and I was celebrating my good decision. I bought a cheap vacuum cleaner because I have been borrowing my mom's for about a year and that really sucks. It is refurbished and the belt broke the first time I used it. I bought an extended warranty for $10 which gives me two years so I can deal with that. I bought a new belt for $6.50 and look at 'er go.

So after this Wednesday's payday, my car loan will be done. Complete. Mine all mine. Now Bazoo 2 is free to break down. Lol, please Murphy, if you must use your Law on me wait until next winter when car dealers are desperate for a deal.

Net Worth - Better Than I Thought

2010-02-04T01:29:00.004-06:00

So I have been reading a lot of financially related blogs and I just read one by Spilling Buckets - Positive Net Worth: The Day of Zero! and they were celebrating that fact that after just under a year of budgeting and frugal living, they have achieved a positive net worth. The whole article gave me a great deal of encouragement. I have felt trapped by my debt mainly for the last year. Really only since I have set my goal of being debt free. Since then I have realized that I have been and still am wasting literally tens of thousands of dollars on interest. But if I look at my situation in terms of net worth I am not doing too badly.

Value Owed
Home $60,000 $41,000
Second property $15,000 $ 9,000
Vehicle $10,000 $ 7,800
Other Debt $ 900
$ 2,000
$ 8,000
$ 1,800

$85,000 $70,500

Based on my rough numbers I have a net worth of $14,500. Which is remarkable because my net worth will be really rockin' in less than a year. I am energized and my resolve to keep on this path is solidified.

Pain or Sleep, Pain is Better

2009-12-31T16:51:00.002-06:00

Well it seems my last few foggy sleep filled days may have been hormonally induced. Generally around this time of the month, I have a frenzied need to clean and organize which is followed by a day of pain and then it's pretty much over. This time just long agonizing days of fatigue. If I get the choice, I will take the pain. This sucks and I have wasted half a week. now don't get me wrong. I spend a fair bit of my life wasting time, but when I have goals and plans, don't get in my way.

So of course there is always a situation, always a decision to make. Today is new year's eve. I am totally fine with having no plans. It is just another day. OK, so I have made not so much resolutions but a list of things I want to accomplish this year. I have never done this before in such a detailed way. I feel that since last year was a difficult and I feel unsuccessful year, that I need a game plan. And I feel that a list of goals broken down into smaller manageable goals - as the time management people suggest - is the perfect way to provide that added guidance that I seem to need. At any rate, it is new year's eve and a couple of weeks ago I suggested to my mom that we hang out. You know order a pizza, watch a movie, nothing crazy. But now . . . it is cold outside and all I want is to stay in my PJ's and finish organizing my movie collection.

I know I must go however. I think she will be very disappointed if I don't go over. I do want to go, it is just getting motivated. Alright, I am going, I will jump in the shower at around 7 and leave after that.

Happy New Year's everyone. I hope 2010 is as successful for you as I plan it to be for me. Play safe tonight, you know how I worry.

Still Tired

2009-12-30T19:41:00.002-06:00

So I have a whole pile of days off. From the 28th to the 6th. I had such big plans for stuff that I wanted to accomplish. So far they have been wasted. I have been off for 3 days and have done nothing. I haven't been able to stay awake for more than a couple of hours at a time. I wanted to tidy up a bit because the TV guy is coming tomorrow to try and fix why I have no TV upstairs. I still have time but I like doing house work during the day when the sun is shining but I guess I have no choice, he is coming tomorrow morning. Sigh!

I wanted to:
- cook about 20 meals for lunch
- organize my cassettes and sell a bunch on ebay
- go through the crap in the porch
- go through the crap in the 3rd bedroom
- paint the living room

So Tired

2009-12-03T18:46:00.002-06:00

So I have spent the last three days drifting in and out of sleep. What a waste of days off. I am still waking up congested so I hope at least this is because my body is still fighting something.

2009-12-03T15:31:00.000-06:00

I saw the blindside with my mom A few nights ago and it was awesome. Let me qualify. I haven't watched a commercial in about five years. I saw the trailer and it intrigued me.

For two reasons. Reason number one. My mom is an asshole ... .. and I say that with all the love that an asshole gets. Ok, let me try to explain. I am in the corrective justice industry. So right off the hop you can assume (and you can assume this to some extent that all my "clients" are being consequenced justly for the crime that he is sentenced to. Now don't get me wrong,I firmly believe in in the capacitry for a man to change.

Life is a long lesson. And I know my class hasn't been that long yet. And I get that the learning curve is a fluid concept. But I am also a realist so I ... at the same accept that the mistakes that led a man (or a a woman) to the place where he/she is now has a bit of power ... it's all how you look as it..

Anyway back to the movie.

I Am A Little Scared

2009-11-29T21:04:00.003-06:00

I am worried that my cat is sick. How do you know? You can ask him questions? He is eating and drinking normally which I assumed would be the first clue to something wrong. But he is acting out of the norm. I have looked for puke and haven't found anything. Generally he spends most of the day downstairs with me. When I go upstairs to get something or to go to the bathroom he waits at the bottom of the stairs just to make sure I am coming back down. if I spend too much time upstairs or downstairs, he follows me. But for the last two days he has been upstairs by himself in the dark on the bed. I can't really afford to take him to the vet and I go back to work tomorrow so I won't be home to notice him being out of sorts. If after tomorrow he is still not himself, I will call to make an appointment. Hopefully I can get him in by the end of the week.

Wow, It's Been Awhile

2009-11-23T18:27:00.006-06:00

It has been over a month since I have put up a new post. It has been a fun, busy, serious month.

I have been working midnights AND I LOVE THEM!. If I had known this four years ago, no one would ever have seen me in the bright light of day. And sadly, now that I have discovered how much I love the back shift, I can't work it because our supervisors are no longer allowing block exchanges. Why, I believe that it is part pure laziness and part vindictiveness. Lazy because of the work inputting the exchanges would be and vindictiveness because people would actually get what they want. How dare workers even try to be happy or enjoy their jobs?! At any rate, they can throw whatever they want at us. They bent me before but didn't break me. It is not going to happen now.

Then, I had a revelation that has and will continue to - if I can keep my word to myself - to improve my life on many levels. I stopped drinking for a month. It doesn't seem like a lot but I would get drunk about once a week with my buddy. My friend drinks pretty much every day and I guess the excuse that I would use to myself was that I wasn't drinking nearly as much as her. But that doesn't say anything about the guilt I was feeling, the money I was spending and how crappy I felt the next day or two after. Not to mention the fact that when I was drinking I felt invincible in front of VLT's - that all fits in the the amount of money being spent. So I just stopped. And I feel better, emotionally and physically. My days off aren't spent recovering.

But that wasn't what I meant to talk about today. My point and I do have one is about the cost of my TV/Landline/Internet bill. I was or rather still am really excited because I saved myself about $65 a month on my bill for the next twelve months. That is a total savings of $780. Where I live, there are two competing companies for TV/Landline/Internet and up until this summer, I have never paid full price because I would call and they would basically price match. Well then I upgraded to the PVR package last month. I have been paying full price since September and have been hating it. Wow TV is expensive. Well TV and internet. I don't have a landline because I have a cell phone although between you and me - when they told me they disconnected the landline, they really didn't. It is my emergency line now when I lose the cell phone.

So I have been paying $81 for TV and $50 for internet plus tax, so about $146. Now I will paying $50 for TV and $20 for internet plus tax, so about $79 for a savings of $67. Now that sounds like a wicked deal so I will update when I get the first bill but whatever. HOW MUCH DO I ROCK!

Back and Relaxed

2009-10-17T23:58:00.000-05:00

My Life In Cars - Part 3 - Pathfinder - Find Your Way, Don't Do What I Did

2009-10-14T18:23:00.000-05:00

So here I am. One year left on a loan that is twice my mortgage. Do I regret the Pathfinder?

Pros
- it is incredibly safe on the highway, which I travel on a lot
- it is big enough to transport tools and home improvement accessories
- it is great for camping
- when I get a trailer, it will tow it no problem
- it's way comfortable to drive
- according to others, it rates high on the cool factor

Cons
- gas will never be 80 cents again and it is a 6 cylinder
- ridiculous car payment
- tires are crazy expensive
- repairs are crazy expensive (import)

The main problem is this ridiculous car payment. There are three reasons why I even have the $700 a month payment which is by the way, double my mortgage. (1) I bought more car than I needed at the time (2) I rolled $8000 of negative equity into this current loan and (3) I have no business purchasing a car without help.

I have one year left and it won't go fast enough. I could have sold the Pathfinder - nicknamed Bazoo 2 in honour of the Rav - but I didn't, mainly because of my fear of purchasing vehicles. Looking back - you know - 20/20 vision and all, I should have spent the money to fix the Rav and kept her. It would have been way cheaper than where I am now. And if the Rav had still died an undignified death on the side of the road somewhere, I should have bought within my means. Perhaps a Honda since I wasn't exactly very trusting of the Toyota brand at that point, although I should say it again. Please don't sue me Toyota. No one that I have ever talked to ever knew anyone that had a bad Rav story.

Can I make it through the next year. Of course I can, I have made it through the last four. Will it be difficult. Perhaps, it will be extremely difficult if not impossible if I don't stop sabotaging my own life with stupidity. Somehow I think this is a Crossroads for me. And I can only hope that I take the correct turn.

My Life In Cars - Part 2 - The Rav Chronicles

2009-10-10T18:22:00.000-05:00

So, I looked at this horrible accident and the mystery of my buddy coming through it unscathed as some kind of a sign.

I had been eying up the Toyota Rav 4 for a while. Fortunately I had already been doing some informal research, so after a couple more weeks of formal research, I was ready to make a purchase.

I bought from a car store that I now know is more like a loan shark but live and learn I suppose. I know believe that this vehicle was somehow involved in some sort of significant accident; perhaps in Eastern Canada and it was shipped here and sold to me because I am too stupid to know better. I believe this because I had constant little problems with it and near the end I had major problems.

And the entire time, everyone I ever talked to had a similar answer.

Hmm, my uncle, aunt, nephew, baba etc. has a Rav 4 and has never had any problems.

After a while, I thought it was me but I did take care of my Rav. She was 4 door, two wheel drive, in a girly purple colour. And her name was Bazoo. She was named while road touring out in the country. It fit so it stuck.

And the Bazoo I guess was more reliable than not at least up until the end. She took me to the lake numerous times. Once out to Calgary, once out to Edmonton. Twice to Saskatoon. Once to the states to go shopping.

I actually don't remember what the purchase price was but after the fact, very helpful friends informed me that I had paid more than she was worth. And this is even while I had a male buddy with me at the dealer doing all the wheeling and dealing for me. Note to self, do my own deals. And then I only have me to blame.

At the end, the Bazoo broke down at work and had to be towed 25 Km. I was told hoses were the problem. My then fiance worked with car accessories so I got the hoses cheap and spent way to long replacing them. Mainly because I didn't know what the heck I was doing. When we were done (me and fiance) I felt awesome. My first major car repair. After the hoses were changed, still no car. So I broke down and took her to my mechanic. Rather towed her to my mechanic. The problem turned out to be some small heater piece that fell off the rad. I drove her for another few months and then traded her in.

Winter was coming and winter was always an issue. The winter problem was getting progressively worse. I couldn't get into the car without crawling in the passenger side because the driver side door was always frozen shut even though I stopped washing her in September. More than that, the passenger door wouldn't stay shut once opened so I had to buckle the door closed. The heat gradually seemed to stop working so I had to run her longer and longer to get going. I just had enough.

I had started a new job a few months before the trade-in and made quite a bit more than before. I had also bought the house. I felt like an adult and traded in the Rav with $8000 owing on it. I bought a 2003 Pathfinder Chilkoot for $30000 total. I think about it now and it doesn't make sense. I wanted the vehicle more than I an ounce of common sense. I think the loan should have been more like $22000. The trade-in and the negative equity should have just about balanced out - right? Anyhow, I ended up making payments higher than I already had, which I didn't want and I believe my sales guy got promoted from that deal. After he stopped laughing at me, he better have been sending me some good vibes. In fact he should still be sending them. I might have made his career.

Next: The Pathfinder

There Is Always Something To Worry About

2009-10-05T23:46:00.000-05:00

Well, I am off for two weeks to visit the relos. I managed to get a seat sale and put it on a buddy's credit card. I had the money but of course I have spent most of it at this point.

I haven't told her this yet but I am hoping she can wait until the end of October. Although I guess she has no choice.

I am very much looking for ward to the trip except for the fur kids. A couple of years ago when I went, I left them in the house with a friend that promised to come over daily and spend a bit of time with them and bring in the mail. She is off of work and lives very close so it isn't as disruptive to her life as it sounds. But she wasn't very excited about doing it. And even though I called the kids and talked to them on the answering machine daily so they didn't think I had abandoned them - (yes I will be a crazy cat lady one day) - I still felt really guilty.

So this time, I am taking the kids to my moms and my friend who I owe money to will house sit. She is an awesome advocate of animals every where and will take great care of them. My worry is the little one who is really skittish. I can't decide whether leaving her alone is better than moving her for the two weeks. I will still be calling to talk to them so they know I haven't abandoned them but I am still worried. I will take things that smell like me there so they will feel at home. Besides, I lived there for 20 years. My smell must still be there.

Ohhh, so little time, so much guilt.

I Hate This Feeling But Yet I Keep Doing It To Myself

2009-10-01T21:18:00.004-05:00

Sigh, I did it to myself. I have been stressed and worried about money for about two weeks. Thankfully I can sleep because my waking hours I feel like a black cloud is hanging over my head.

I wish this was this time next year. Living like a hermit for four years has taken it's toll. One more year.

A couple of weeks ago a tooth broke in half. It had a cavity - a root canal in fact and I guess there was a piece of the filling that broke somewhere along the way. I noticed a sharp edge when I flossed but thought nothing of it. Well, I over cooked some pizza and one bite of dense crunchy crust and snap. Luckily I have good coverage so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

So that was an expense that was necessary. I ignored it for a week and just didn't chew on that side but after a week the gum was swollen and sore and red so the dentist was the only option. Plus if I add in unnecessary expenses. I spend money foolishly when I am stressed. You would think that knowing the aftermath of guilt and worry would stop me in the first place, but not so much. So here I am again, End of September and I had more month than money. If I had just stayed home!

CRAP

2009-09-17T14:59:00.001-05:00

I am feeling overwhelmed.

My Life In Cars - Part 1 - Corolla: Love Of My Life

2009-09-11T16:50:00.005-05:00

Let's go back, waaaaay back to when I was just a little gaffer yearning for a vehicle.

Picture it, summer of '96. I had my first real adult job in a town 100 kilometers a way and I was tired of borrowing my mom's car. And she was tired of me borrowing it. I wanted to buy a car. I did a fair bit of research 'cause that's how I roll. No spontaneity here (at least then anyway). I knew that I wanted a used Toyota or Honda. Initially I had wanted a Lada or a Hyundai. I was actually leaning towards the Lada. I liked the shape and they were cheap. My peers were not impressed. In fact one guy from work said - and I am paraphrasing:

These cars are made by people who make about 6 cents an hour. Do you really think there is a whole lot of quality control. Do you think they actually give a s**t whether the steering wheel is actually connected to the tires?

So after several friends rolled around laughing and crying, I quickly changed that idea. The laughter wasn't as loud regarding the Hyundai but same idea for that vehicle. And just a side note, they aren't laughing now. If I had bought a Hyundai in 2005, I wouldn't be in this situation and I would still have a reliable vehicle.

But I digress. So I went looking and I saw a 1993 black Toyota Corolla. And I fell in love. And then I got in it and the driver's seat hugged me so softly and invitingly. I was hooked. Unfortunately the salesman was in the passenger seat and I am sure he saw my expression when I touched the steering wheel for the first time. That car completed me and I knew at that moment if I left her get away I would regret it for the rest of my life.

That car represented the most successful relationship of my life thus far. It was flawless and together we were magic. I hand washed her every week. I vacuumed every crumb or grain of sand. And she never let me down. I didn't name her, but I know she was a she.

She carried lumber and bricks and snotty kids who left McDonald's french fries stuffed in her seats. Her butt was naked as her Toyota emblem was stolen early in our relationship. She had a very long scrape on her driver side where one of my drop-in kids parked her too close to a cement building while I was teaching him to drive. I felt the pain like my own flesh had been cut but she was just a car after all and the kid felt bad enough. She never complained and I did my best to keep her safe.

And then there was the summer of '99. I was working at the drop-in and the guy I worked with drove her back a day early because he had an appointment he couldn't miss. I still feel some guilt, we were up quite late arguing over something that he shared with me that day. In hindsight, he should have told me either before or after the trip but who was to know. Anyhow, He drove her because we needed the van to transport kids and camping gear. She he loaded her up with empty coolers etc. to ease the space issues in the van on the way back. He fell asleep somewhere along the way and when the road curved, he went straight. From the damage it looked like he flipped forward end over end and then landed on the passenger side. Luckily, he had his window open because he was feeling drowsy and wanted the air. IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE: Don't drive while drowsy, it only takes a second with your eyes closed to drastically change your life. We were lucky, many are not.

He should have been killed. The only part of the car that was not damaged was the driver's compartment. The passenger side was pushed into the console. The rear seats were pushed to the front. The front engine compartment was pushed in. Not only was he not killed, he wasn't even injured. His chest was sore from the seat belt and he had a headache and a cut on his head when an empty cooler came flying forward and smacked him in the back of the head. He had some general aches and pains but he was basically untouched. My Corolla's last act was to protect my buddy from harm and as corny as it sounds I truly believe that. He told me the car stopped on the passenger side and he had to unbuckle himself and crawl out of the driver window. He then crawled to the shoulder and laid there until someone saw the wreckage and called emergency professionals.

I guess it was around a week later we went to the compound to pick up some items from the car, trunk etc. The car was so mangled, I couldn't get the car mats out of the backseat and the passenger side. We took pictures and hugged and cried. It was sad - because we knew what could and really what should have happened although we have never spoken the words out loud. It was sad - because my beloved car was in fact dead. But of course, it was more important to have my friend.

So, I needed a car. I kind of looked at it as serendipity. I had been eyeing up the Toyota Rav 4. I wasn't cheating on my Corolla but a girl is allowed to look right.

Next, the Rav chronicles.

Uh Oh, I've Just Flown Above The Radar

2009-09-09T16:28:00.000-05:00

So I have pissed off the bank gods. I noticed that I wasn't able to access some money in my overdraft over a week ago and then again last week on payday. I called the telephone centre and they didn't know. But it happened the first time a couple of days before payday so no big deal. And then I noticed it again. So I called again and they sent me to my home branch. I never go there or talk to anyone. I do absolutely everything online but use the ATM. I called twice and left messages and received no response. So I expected everything to go as it normally would. It should have been fine except my mortgage payment didn't come out.

Anyhow, I sent an online message and then the bank phoned to tell me there were two problems (1) I have had 9 items returned in the past two years and (2) I have a savings account in overdraft that doesn't have an overdraft. Number 2 I know is a problem and I have been eking away at it but obviously not fast enough for them. Number 1 - obviously I am not a banker but 9 in two years doesn't seem all that bad to me. But obviously it doesn't matter what I think.

So I was told that if I pull up my socks and use the account appropriately for 3 to 6 months, then the held amount will be released. And it's a goofy amount too - $255.12 - bizarre. So I said why not take of the hold to make the mortgage payment. She was shocked that they would not take the payment and said she would look in to it and called me back and the mortgage was paid. Basically it means I have to stop being an idiot when it comes to money. I knew that but at least this is more motivation.

Sigh, everything gets better in 14 months when my car loan is done.

Inspired By The Flylady

2009-09-08T16:04:00.014-05:00

I am a part of the Flylady group. I received a message today called "Food For Thought - No More Hunger" and she was talking about how much food is wasted by grocery stores and I thought I would respond and tell her my story. And then I realized what a great blog entry it would be . . .

Talking about wasted food. I used to work at a major national grocery store for 8 years when I was in university. I was also volunteering at an inner-city youth drop in centre. I used to be one of the ones to sift throw the dairy shelves and throw out “old” dairy items and at the end of the day clear out the leftover bakery items . The drop in I volunteered at served snacks to the children and it didn’t take very long before it started to make me sick to have to throw away good food because of a date. It was also this stores policy not to mark down items. They figured that then people would wait and only by the markdowns. They were so bent on throwing things away they got locked garbage bins so that street people couldn’t take the food out of the trash.

I bugged my manager for about 2 years. There were meetings with me and with the directors of the drop in. She wanted to make sure I wasn’t (or that the drop in wasn’t) reselling the food for profit. I tried to talk her into donating directly to the food bank. I knew from inquiring hypothetically that they would gladly make regular pickups at the store. I had big dreams of all the stores in city eventually donating food to their local non-profit organization. My managers answer to that was an emphatic no! She was worried about liability of someone eating something and perhaps getting sick and suing the store. So in order to make this deal happen, no one could know where the food came from. When she said that, I knew I was starting to soften her up.

Anyhow after constant hounding, she finally wore down. She tried to make the rules as inconvenient for me personally. Only I could pick up the food and only at 10:45 pm at night. Even if the shelves were broke down in the morning, it would sit (sometimes) in the cooler until night. Some of it went bad but the other employees that silently backed what I was trying to do would squeeze as much in the cooler as they could without getting in the way of stuff that had to be moved.

After about 6 months, I guess she realized these strict rules were actually hindering the way things worked at the store. I guess she figured that I would give up but I didn’t. Sometimes I took more stuff than we could use and in those instances we just gave it away. We also got food from a food bank so no one ever knew it was this store. The best part was we didn’t get a lot of dairy from the food bank. We were able to make sure that the kids had yogurts in their lunch and milk for their families. And we even started to make pizzas because we had cheese – it was to expensive to buy! So she ended up actually giving me a letter on company letterhead and the directors could do the pickups as long as they had the letter. After about 4 years she transferred to another store. I am sure the then ragged letter would have still been sufficient but by that time, I was working full time at the drop-in and wasn’t familiar with the new manager. I didn’t want to fight with the new guy and I had proved my point and helped feed an entire neighbourhood. (After a while, the stock boys would save anything that was damaged and headed for the garbage so we got pans and measuring cups and all sorts of stuff).

So in the spirit of Flylady. In North America over a million children go to bed hungry every night. Pressure your stores and try to force them to do the right thing. In this time of greenness and social responsibility, there shouldn't even be a question.

A Brother Mourned

2009-09-04T20:54:00.003-05:00

I found out today that a co-worker died in a dramatic car crash. He was travelling down a divided road and a car turned into his lane. His truck rear ended the car and then he swerved into the other lane and was hit by a semi. I imagine he was dead on impact.

It is so sad. He was only 32. A young guy. He just got married this year. He has an infant child. I know he had a solid group of friends and was very well liked. We weren't close and thinking about it never worked together in the four years I have been there but everyone knows everyone so I am still affected. Especially since in my blog of a few days ago I talked about the very thing that killed him. Stupid people that turn into a lane where a car is already driving when there is not enough time for the person to react. Please people be careful. Wait the 5 seconds for the car to pass.

What is worse is that yesterday was the annual golf tournament of another guy from work who died on the highway on his motorcycle when a senior drifted into his lane and hit him head on. So on the day we honoured a brother who passed away, we are now burying another.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. And to everyone at work who cared about him.

Intro

2009-09-02T17:30:00.001-05:00

I guess I should change my intro. Since I am not moving in with mommy, that seems like a misnomer. No I don't think I will change it. I think I will just amend it so that it reflects the change in focus.

Attempts To Be Frugal Thwarted

2009-09-02T17:20:00.005-05:00

I just received a speeding ticket in the mail today. It's one of those speed trap sneaky camera ones. I am not complaining, don't get me wrong. I was going 17 kilometers over the speed limit. I definitely deserved the ticket. I am just upset with myself because I can't control my "road rage" sometimes. I think I can remember exactly when I got the ticket.

It was August 23rd on the way to work. And I vaguely remember thinking ... was that a guy sitting in that truck. I was doing fine. I used to get A LOT of those tickets. Thank goodness they don't count towards your insurance since the officers can't prove who was driving your car. I used to drive fast all the time. But because of ridiculous cost and bad gas mileage, I made a concerted effort to stop being a jackass.

The only problem is when I get angry, I forget all about my pledge to drive slower and safer. And I remember the incident. I was in the left lane and this car waited just about until I was at the intersection he/she was waiting to turn at and then just before I got there, they turned. So I had to hammer on my brakes so as not to rear end this fool. I would have swerved as well but there were parked cars in the right lane. Guess what, then they drove at about 1/2 the speed limit. So this fool almost caused an accident by rushing to blend into traffic and then suddenly the urgency is gone and he/she is driving like the lead car in parade.

When I had the chance I zoomed around this moving hazard and stewed for a couple blocks with my foot firmly on the gas pedal. Aargh $220 wasted.

September 2009 Update

2009-09-01T11:50:00.001-05:00

Mortgage 1 $42,325.94
Mortgage 2 $10,179.45
Car Loan $10,002.11
LOC $ 8,000.00
MC 1 $ 1,229.00
MC 2 $ 2,003.00

Me and Ma Out On The Town

2009-08-25T14:24:00.005-05:00

So a couple of months ago, my mom said she wanted to see a Celtic singer - Daniel O'Donnell in concert when he performed here. I had never heard of him but was intrigued because I love Celtic music. (I really think I should have been born Scottish, but oh well, I can dream). I wasn't too keen on going mailny because I knew the average age of the concert goer would be about 85 - BTW I was wrong, it was more like 90.

But I love my mom and she really wanted to go and it wouldn't cost me anything so I said ok. Well, it was quite an experience. O'Donnell and his group are great entertainment. He obviously loves to sing and it shows. He tells jokes and stories and they are all outrageously funny. And then youo have the Irish accent and that always makes everything better. I was pretty surprised when we were looking for our seats and found out we had floor seats. I thought the tickets were very expensive and I didn't buy floor seats because I wasn't spending my money but I really have no memory of purchasing floor seats. But the upside to that is that he cruises around the audience and we were on the end so Mama Bear and I got to shake his hand. And he certainly gives you your bang for your buck. The concert had an intermission and an encore and was just over 3 hours long.

I told Mama Bear last night I wouldn't go again but in the bright light of day, I would. If only because she really enjoys him and I love her. Next time I will pay. They are going to be in Minot in 2010. I have a year to convince her to take a road trip with me. Plus, we went out for dinner first and who doesn't like an excuse to go out for dinner.

Square One

2009-08-24T15:03:00.003-05:00

Well, I told the window company to beat it. After getting over my anger and thinking rationally, I understand what was happening. They didn't have the money to buy materials which is why that asked for a 50% deposit. I believe they low balled the quote to hook me and then tried a bait and switch type game to try and make a little more. Or maybe they just figured I was a pain and just wanted to see if I would bite but didn't care if I didn't because I was such a pain. By a pain I mean telling them I would not be paying a 50% deposit, repeatedly asking for a written quote and questioning why it has taken so long to get to this point.

They don't know that my mom managed to hire quite a few shysters when doing home repair and that I learned a heck of a lot by watching her experiences. To my knowledge, a customer is only required a 10% deposit once the final contract is signed and that you can also withhold 10% deposit up to 30 days affter the job is completed so that you can make sure there are no problems. The idea being that the company won't disapperar if you stilll owe them money and will return to your home to fix anything that needs to be fixed if they want it at the end of the 30 days. I can almost hear the cash register sound when some of these jokers come to my house to do an estimate for windows, doors, roof etc. and see a young(ish) woman open the door. They assume I don't know what I want or what I am talking about and figure they are going to double the regular price and make some easy money. Not so, and I have asked a couple to get out of house after gettting an outrageous quote. So I am back to square one, and for inconveniencing me and wasting my time aI am seriously considering filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Wish me luck.

But right now I am going to jump in the shower. My mom and I are going to a concert tonight and are heading out for dinner before hand so I have to run.

The Window Saga Continues

2009-08-21T00:27:00.004-05:00

So I thought everything was cool with the windows and I was expecting the final contract in the mail. And then yesterday they called. I wasn't awake when they called and called back about an hour later and no answer. I thought that was weird but so far eveything with them has been weird so . . . I know they have call display since the woman answers with my name when I call so I knew she would know I called and expected her to call me back. No call yesterday. Hmmm. So I called when I woke up this morning and this is the jist of what she told me. They have two suppliers. One American and one Canadian. The Canadian company makes better quality windows more suited to Canadian winters and the American company makes lesser quality windows. Now since I obviously live in Canada and must experience Canadian winters, it would make sense to me that this would be the supplier she would choose when we initially talked about windows. But it wasn't. I did say price was a factor but I also made it clear that first and foremost, I wanted a good quality window. So of course now she is saying that the American company is way behind in production and if I wanted a better quality window the $1800 estimate would now be roughly $200 to $500 more.

So this is of course why she would not give me a written estimate. I have a number for a guy that works at a window manufacturing company. The problems with that are (1) I would have to pay cash (which I won't have for a couple of months), (2) since it would be under the table, I can't claim the tax credit and (3) I am a little sick of all things windows right now. So now what, keep letting this company jerk me around because I don't have the cash right now or wait and pay less but up front? Sigh . . .

One Step Closer

2009-08-14T13:54:00.005-05:00

When I bought this house, I knew there were insulation issues. It was built in 1913 after all and it was obvious that previous owners had not been taking regular care. So I have insulated the completely uninsulated addition (8 " x 8") and mud room. I replaced the window in the mudroom. I still need to replace the window in the addition but I want to replace it with patio doors so I'm not going to bother. I will just keep covering it in plastic in the winter.

I have also added insulation to the attic and have filled every gap with dozens of cans of monofoam. The basement is still not finished but this fall I am going to cap all of the joist ends to try and cut down on basement drafts.

So I wanted to get 3 upstairs windows replaced when I had two weeks off at the end of July. Obviously I haven't got it done yet. I have had about 4 estimates done in the last four years. One was way too cheap, one was way too expensive and the other two were alright but I didn't have the cash at the time. Fortunately for me now, the hydro company is giving out loans to so "green" home improvements so I applied to do it that way. The company I am going with may be a mistake. It has taken about 2 1/2 months to get to the final estimate point. But they have given me a good price and after researching and installing a window myself, I know what to look for. I can't wait. I believe the windows are the last part of the main insulation problem. During the winter, I wear layers and toques and still end up paying about $500 a month (electricity and gas) during the 3 or 4 cold winter months. That is way too much. And that is with windows covered in plastic. I can't wait to get through a winter without plastic taped to my walls.

So the measurer guy tells me I will get the estimate in the mail, I guess that will be the contract and we will go from there. I almost can't wait until winter. I plan to insulate under the addition since there is no other way to stop the upward migration of cold air. That is to be done this fall as well. Bring it winter, I AM READY!

3 Cable Boxes and One Allergic Repairman Later

2009-08-05T19:46:00.001-05:00

Well the tech guy never called back yesterday so I took that to mean that, whatever the problem was, it could not be fixed on their end. So another night watching movies or old stuff on the DVR. It was a blessing in disguise I guess. I got rid of about 30 hours of old DVR shows.

At any rate, the cable guy got here at about 0930 hrs. I was up but only kind of awake. He came in with what appeared to me to be a bit of an attitude. Was it my messy house? Was it his cat allergy? ( I know he wasn't fond of cats when he had the nerve to swat my big lovable guy out of the way, seriously). Obviously because he complained about both, he also complained about the lack of play in my cables. I must be such a jerk for tying my cables up neatly behind my entertainment unit. Did I mention this is all happening at 0930 hrs? On days off, I normally get up at noon. Anyhow, he asked me several questions over and over again (was anyone here this weekend - NO, were any cable messed with - NO, is the TV upstairs doing the same thing - YES, and your internet still work - YES). I was almost to the point of yelling at him. So he narrowed it down to the cable box being defective. He said it was very hot and that I should put my DVR on top of the box because it can't get ventilation. Basically he said, it's ok if your DVR cacks out but heaven forbid don't ruin your free cable box?! Huh, I don't care about your hardware!

He says he has more boxes in the truck and off he goes. He comes back in , gets it all hooked up and ... more of the same - nothing but fuzzy static, not even a cloudy picture. He does all sorts of adjustments and finally comes to the conclusion that this box must also be defective. It is freshly refurbished out of the box but apparently their techs have a rep for not actually repairing defective units. So he says he will be back in 10 - 15 minutes. He is going to check the cable box on the pole and grab another cable box.

On the upside, when he comes back, he is clearly perturbed by the boxes but has much less annoyed by me. He has discovered that the lines on the pole and in my home are fine. I had already figured that out because, I still had internet and because I wasn't home - what could have possibly changed.

He brought some kind of diagnostic tool and hooked it up to both cable boxes and discovered they were both defective. Now I am not a rocket scientist, nor am I a certified cable guy but it seems to me that if you have this handy little machine, one or two things should happen. One, he should have brought the damn machine in the first time. I think from my description of events, machine failure was really the only option. Secondly, if he is provided with this magical machine AND he knows that the refurbished units sometimes don’t work, USE THE F***EN THING TO CHECK THOSE MACHINES BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE SHOP!

Whatever, he is now on a mission and has forgotten all about my house and my cat. He goes out to get yet another box. It is a different model than the one I currently have and it is the last one in his truck. I am excited because I am sure that it will work. Well without my even telling him to, he used his diagnostic machine to check it and guess what – IT DOESN’T work either. He is sheepish and stumped and almost snarling mad at their tech guys. He said he has no more boxes but he actually has one left – his own personal tester machine. Well, he gets that – he knows it works and there are no other options. He gets it all hooked up and there were a couple of tense moments, rally almost a couple of dozen tense moments but it eventually synched up to everything it needs to and BOOM, TV was back. He was sweaty, annoyed and visibly bewildered. He went upstairs to make sure that TV was fine, it was. He did some slight remote controls adjustments and I was good to go. He mentioned that this call would be a story for the shop. Odds and circumstance have made my home a cable man’s cautionary tale. Maybe they will even put in a policy about checking the units first.

But all is well, I should just appreciate getting my MTV back.

Techinal Difficulties

2009-08-04T11:39:00.005-05:00

I have to say - I love TV. TV and I have had a love affair since I was a young girl. So when I came home from the cabin, the first thing I wanted to do was curl up with my neglected kitties and watch some. I had grainy picture and the sound was just loud and staticky (?). But yesterday was a holiday and I couldn't get tech support. I called today and he had me unplug my cable box and re-plug it in and now it's worse than it was before. Now I have nothing. I have internet but no TV. It is just fuzzy snow. I am trying very hard not to have a panic attack.

Techie guy just phoned back and they are going to try to fix it on their end. If they can't they will send a guy out tomorrow morning. This sucks.

I was relaxed

2009-08-03T22:34:00.004-05:00

I just came back from 4 days at my buddies cabin and it was a great weekend. I used to go frequently. I would help open and close the cabin and also go as much as I could during the season. But now that I am working shift work, it has been problematic getting the time off. Also since I have bought a house, money is alot tighter than it used to be. So, I must admit, I was a little apprehensive about going. I haven't been for three years.

And it was awesome! I never realized how happy and relaxed I was until we got back to the city and literally I was hit by a wave of memory of day to day problems. I felt the tight squeeze of money stresses I currently suffering. The memory of that horrible feeling has renewed my resolve to be better at the business of earning and spending money.

I want a cabin and I thought I could make do with having a trailer on a lot but I am not so sure. I will experiment with this concept first because it is a cheaper option but I think I want the stability of a cabin and neighbours etc. Everyone needs to have that get away and for me nature is just that. I mean don't get me wrong, this weekend was more about drinking than nature but the nature was a part of it as well. I am already planning for next year.

I Guess This Is The Second Thing

2009-06-23T01:19:00.002-05:00

So I get in my car on my way home from work and check my phone and find out a close friend had two heart attacks yesterday. He had to have surgery to have a stint put in and angioplasty and is now in the intensive care unit. What a stressful week. I was supposed to go to work today but called in sick so I could sleep. This new schedule has me so tired. I slept for 16 hours. I have only been awake for about 6 hours and now am on my way back to bed. Things happen in threes, I can't even begin to guess what the third thing will be.

I Need To Try Harder

2009-06-20T11:34:00.002-05:00

So last Saturday, the mother of one of my closest friends passed away. She only lived about 3 months after the cancer diagnosis. It has been a sad few months. But for sure, one thing this experience of death and loss is teaching me is that I need to be a better person.

First of all I need to be far more patient with my mom. Over the last few years, I have noticed her slow down considerably. She is moving slower and at times is a little more unsure of herself. I have been impatient with her I guess because I expect the mom of a few years and also because noticing these changes scares and frustrates me.

I bought my mom a Tivo unit for her birthday/mother's day. I wanted her to be able to watch the shows that she likes. Using the VCR was not the best system and I knew I would never be able to teach her how to use a DVR, plus I got a wicked deal. The best part is that if she wants a show recorded, I can set it up online. Easy peasy! There have been some kinks but over all this system works really well. If I let it, the Tivo could be a source of great frustration for me which would result in me being short and crusty to mom, but I am determined not to let it. My mom is 63 and any buddy's mom was 60. Yikes.

RIP

It's Been Awhile

2009-06-14T16:57:00.004-05:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I have posted. And so much has happened. First I decided not to move back in with my mom. We are both adults very much stuck in our ways and we would butt head on a daily basis. At least we know that now. It is sad but exciting at the same time. The worst part is that I have to wait until October of 2010 to finish off my car loan. That will free up $700 a month that can go towards other debt, helping out mom, home repairs, investing or just fun stuff like vacations. So that realization is a little disappointing but I am still dedicated to being debt free in the next five years, I just have to readjust my plan.

Also I broke a friend out of the drunk tank last week. That was a new and unpleasant experience. She seems to be spiralling at this time and I am not sure what can be done to either slow or stop the spiral. It is very tiring to be her friend right now, but I care and I know she would do it for me so I will just endure.

Lastly but definitely not leastly, another close friend lost her mother to cancer. She was diagnosed about two and a half months ago and it progressed very rapidly. I haven't talked to her as she has not answered phone etc. which of course is understandable so I just left a message telling her I was thinking of her and her family. And really that's all I can do.

My new list of goals

2009-05-04T20:30:00.013-05:00

My new list of goals

1/2 - cook about a month worth of meals (20 supper and 20 breakfast)
YES - do some decluttering (who can't say that)
NO - mow the lawn for the first time, maybe even rake
YES - fix door in the addition
YES - put door on pan cabinet
YES - move Tupperware cabinet onto counter
YES - pull out stove and clean behind it
- organize my coupons
- finish painting my stairs
- insulate door in the addition
- put work schedule on outlook
- clean out and drywall addition and mudroom
- wash pillows
- change CFL in living room lamp (tedious and time consuming)
- move storage cabinet into the addition
- golf on Wednesday
- baseball on Thursday

So I haven't cooked any suppers yet and I haven't yet decided what I want to cook. I have to peruse some recipes and figure that out.

I often joke about having adult ADHD but the older I get the more I think that it might be more true than funny. Either that or I have a case of the bi-polar. (No offense intended to anyone clinically diagnosed with either ailment, please read further before you get angry.)

I woke up today and I was terrified because I had this crazy dream about a door being in the wall of my basement that only homeless people knew about and used to congregate in my basement when it was cold or rainy. At any rate, after the terror had passed, I got up with some vigour and excitement about the day ahead. I had no definite plan but I felt that today would be productive. And it appears I was right although nothing I did was actually intended.

I made a nice breakfast of waffles and bacon when I awoke and I have discovered that the downfall of regular meals is that you get hungry on a regular basis. I usually don't eat more than one meal a day so this three meal thing is a pain. So I decided I would take a couple of steaks out of the freezer for later. I went into the addition and immediately got sidetracked by a bag of recycling. Before I got to the freezer, I went back into the house to grab some newspapers for the recycling bag.

ASIDE - Usually when I go grocery shopping, I come in the back door with the bags because the kitchen is right there instead of dragging them through the house. During the winter, probably sometime in January, I came in the back door and then spent about 45 minutes trying to get it shut. It was hard to close and I didn't even try to open it again until last week when I figured that the winter melt was over and the door would be easy to open. Well I didn't try because I noticed that the deadbolt was bent as the door had obviously shifted quite dramatically. (Very scary - what does that mean for my foundation? I won't even worry about that until I have to.)

Anyhoo, when I came back with the recycling, my next thought was, Hmm, I should try to get that door open and I can take the recycling out now. So after about an hour, two screwdriver bits and a fair amount of swearing. I did get the door fixed, which is ok after all it was on my list of goals. Oh yes, I have added a few new goals and added the things I did that I didn't plan on. I know I won't get the drywall up in the mudroom and addition but I do intend on cleaning them out. Then I decided I wanted to move my coffeemaker. That involved moving a small cabinet from one counter to another. I then decided to finally put the door on the counter I had just moved the cabinet from. I had put it off because I thought it would be difficult. Guess what, it took me about 10 seconds. Stupid, stupid, why do I procrastinate?!

So all of this took about two and a half hours. I was sweaty and tired and sat down to take a long gulp of my water bottle. I then noticed an odd pain. Damn, I never did take the bloody steaks out of the freezer.

As a result, I went to the addition and I took out the steaks. It was actually a struggle to stay focused. I had so many little projects zipping through my head. But I did take them out and have them for supper and it was fantastic. All that done because of steaks for supper.

Three and a half days left.

One goal accomplished!

2009-05-02T23:13:00.009-05:00

So the casserole was alright. I got up this morning and popped it in the oven. It was nice, I don't normally have breakfast but I woke up pretty excited knowing that it was waiting for me. It doesn't take much to make me happy. It was a little bland without salt but I added some and it was fine. I also discovered that it has to sit for about 10 minutes before you cut into it. It was a little runny, or rather oily from the sausage I think. So after I scarfed down a couple of pieces, I still had four small pieces to throw in the freezer for other happy mornings.

So it is 11 PM and I just finished putting together another one. I didn't have any sausage so I cut up bacon. Also this time, I sauteed, onions and mushrooms and red pepper before adding. I found the onion a little raw for my liking. I also added some wing sauce. Probably too much, I love the taste but I hate the heat. I added it to the saute. I put wax paper in the pan before adding the ingredients and have put it in the fridge for the flavours to mix and then I plan to take it out of the pan, wrap in the appropriate medium and then throw in the freezer. I also have enough of the saute mix for another one. I also have a piece of garlic sausage that I will use as the meat. I am only missing the milk, so I will have to get milk and then I can make one more for the freezer. So there are my 20 breakfasts. Now I have to get organized and decide what I want for suppers. I have about 5 or 6 containers in the freezer with suppers in them that I have been avoiding for a while. the meals were not that appetizing when I made them. However I packaged them up anyway thinking that I would eventually eat them but no. I think I will have to try to eat them at home. That way if they are horrid then I can eat something else.

Crap, did I mention there are critters living in the space between the first and second floor. I hear sounds right now and I don't think it is the cats. Also, I hear them (I am hoping it is only two small squirrels) in the middle of the night when both cats are snuggled up with me. I am kind of ignoring the problem right now because I am sure I can't afford whatever the cost is to get rid of them. Now that winter is over, and oddly I didn't hear them until spring, I will venture into the crawl space when someone is here with me to be my backup and put some poison in there. There cats have no access so there is no fear of a horrible accident.

Six days left.

EIGHT DAYS OFF, WOO HOO!

2009-05-01T21:53:00.011-05:00

Ah the benefits of this new work schedule are being felt today. This is day one of eight days off. I know it feels like a lifetime now but I also know that on the morning of day 9 when I head back to work I will be lamenting about how quickly it went. So I am determined to make use of every moment. My goals for this week are to:

- finish painting my stairs
- cook about a month worth of meals (20 supper and 20 breakfast)
- do some decluttering (who can't say that)
- mow the lawn for the first time, maybe even rake
- fix and insulate door for the addition
- clean out and drywall addition and mudroom

It is ambitious I know but gotta aim high right. I am already ahead of the game, I made a breakfast quiche tonight. Damn I just realized I forgot to add salt and pepper. Oh well, I can add it when I eat it. I will bake it tomorrow and then divide into Dollarama containers to eat in the mornings. I am not a morning person at all and don't get up in time for breakfast so this is perfect. Here is the recipe:

Basic Breakfast Casserole

6 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 pound ground sausage
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
6 slices bread, broken into small pieces

Spray a 8 x 12 inch pan with non-stick spray. Brown and drain sausage. Mix eggs, milk and mustard in blender or whisk thoroughly. Add sausage, bread and cheese.. Pour in pan and refrigerate overnight. Bake in the morning at 350 degrees until egg is set, about half an hour.

I made some modifications. I had three buns that were a couple of days from going moldy so I used those for the bread and of course I forgot the salt. I also added about 1/2 cup of onions because I think everything should have onions in it. I also added about 1/2 diced Portobello mushrooms and roasted red pepper, just because. I don't really understand the mustard but I used it anyway. I will let you know how it goes.

Seven days left.

A Renter perhaps or am I staying

2009-04-27T00:14:00.004-05:00

It looks like I have a renter for my house. Every day, I waffle on what to do with this place. I don't want to sell it but I don't want to live in it because I could save so much more living with my mom. But what to do with it in the meantime. Well, sadly a buddy from work has just broken up with his partner of 11 years and is looking for a place. The upside is he knows every thing that is wrong because we have already talked about it. Also he knows that I have been working hard on fixing things up since I have owned it. He knows I bought a new hot water tank last year etc. So he knows what he is getting into. He drove by the other day and liked the outside. We just have to coordinate schedules and do the walk-through.

But there is a problem. My mom. I love her to death, don't get me wrong but she was part of the reason why I moved out in the first place. She can't help herself from re-arranging stuff that doesn't belong to her. She can't stop poking her nose in places that it doesn't belong. If I am paying rent then I am paying for the right to put stuff where I want it. Not so. She was a firm believer in that whole my roof-my house argument. I thought that had changed, she has lightened up quite a bit in her old age but today I was made plainly aware that perhaps nothing has changed.

I don't have a vaccuum, just a Roomba. And it is great because I only have carpet upstairs but my mom feels the Roomba doesn't do a good job and comes with her vacuum to clean my carpets every once in a while. Whatever, I don't care. Well my Roomba is dead, so I welcomed her and her vacuum this afternoon. The problem was a couple of times she asked me if I wanted to do A or B. Both times I said no, I don't want that. Both times she completely disregarded what I wanted to do what she wanted. I feel like she either doesn't hear me or she does and she just doesn't care. I actually think it is one or the other depending on the situation.

So we parted and we were both upset. I called her later to make sure she got home ok because she hadn't called me yet and I tried to rationally explain how I felt. I was hoping she would say that she was sorry that she wasn't respecting my wishes in my house and that she would work on that. Instead she got mad and said she was never coming with her vacuum again. Knowing my mom the way I do, I bet right now she is stewing about how ungrateful I am and thinking that she is never coming back to this house period. Her reaction makes me think that if I moved back home, it would only be a short period of time before I was resenting her and was miserable like I was as a child. The only problem would be that I had to wait a year to get back into my house because I had rented it out to someone else.

What to do? And why I am I so bad at making decisions?

Homemade detergent and credit cards

2009-04-26T23:31:00.006-05:00

I finally finished using my first ever batch of homemade detergent. It was good but I knew what I wanted to change when I made it again. It came out too thick and was thus very slow to come out of the container. Also I used Fa soap which I love but the smell was not very strong at all. Also, I felt I needed to add something as I had to use more of it per load then I was supposed to based on the advice of other web users. So this time I used two bars of Irish Spring soap. I grated them and put them in a pot with 4 cups of water. When it was liquidy, I turned the temp down to simmer and put in 1 cup of borax and stirred until smooth. Then I added 1 cup of washing soda and stirred until smooth. Just for added oomph, I then added 1 cup of baking soda and stirred until smooth. I then added 1 cup of vinegar slowly, so as not to foam up and cause a problem.

I use a 8.8 L jug, the big ones with the spout. I poured the warm solution into the jug and then add hot water until the jug was full. Then I just let it sit. Every time I walked by it I shook it up a little. By the next day, voila, 9 litres of laundry detergent. I tried it today and I still have a few issues. I don't have a nice Irish Spring scent like I expected. But on the upside it is more powerful even with more water. I used the amount I normally use and had to put the clothes in again to rinse. On the next load, I used half and then decided to use a third or a quarter next time. That is exciting. I am expecting this jug to last me an entire year. All that for about $5. Sweet.

I also had a small victory. I paid off one credit card. Mind you, it was a card with a $500 limit but it is done. I had already cancelled the card and was just paying it off. Now I am going to snowball that payment into my next card. I have two more cards. ONe with $1200 owing and one with $2000 owing. I have been reading lately about how one shouldn't cancel a credit card when it is paid off because that actually lowers your credit rating but I did that before I knew that information. THat and I was extremely unhappy with the company so I wouldn't have kept it anyway. My intention when I applied for it was to have a card with a small limit as my main card and to put away the card with the $2000 limit.

However, I have discovered the pay-as-you go credit cards. I have a Nextwave Titanium. I use it for online purchases. My thought is that if anyone gets the number oh well, I only put enough money on it to pay for things as they come up. I am going to get rid of this card though. The fees are horrendous. $7.50 a month and $0.50 per transaction. It also charges you $2 every time you put money on the card. I have ordered a Bank of Montreal card - it is the same card load idea, except you pay $10 for the card and there are hardly any fees. So I am anxiously awaiting its arrival so I can stop paying exorbitant fees.

My Crazy Old Neighbour

2009-04-09T00:59:00.005-05:00

I feel way older than my years.

When I was growing up, the neighbours two doors down were an older couple. The wife was pretty nice but I thought the husband was a total jackass (God rest his soul). He patrolled his lawn like he was a general in the army. Unfortunately for him, there were about 7 of us (children) on the block and we all used to play together after school and all day during the summer. We did regular kid stuff- riding our bikes up and down the sidewalk, street hockey, street football and so on. He really had nothing to worry about. I mean if he was alive today, he would appreciate us as kids like I appreciate him now as the old guy on the street.

He used to yell at us constantly. These are the things that drove him nuts:

- stepping on or near his lawn
- if one of our bikes was laid down on or even near his lawn
- if we stepped on his property at all
- if one of our toys, balls, hockey pucks etc landed on his lawn
- if we were in his eyesight, earshot when he was outside

I wish he was alive so I could talk to him now. I have become him. I would apologize for causing him so much grief. Don't get me wrong, he was a little crazy and could have definitely benefited from lightening up a bit. But sometimes I purposely do something to make him yell, just because I knew it would ruin his day.

I am now him and I think it will only get worse. I have no patience for the 16 year old to say ... 25 year old person. The older I get, the more I seem to be annoyed by people younger than me. I can't stand it when my neighbours kid walk on my lawn or use my yard to cut across to the other street. I guess I am old fashioned. When I was a kid, I was made by my mom to go across the street and ask the neighbour if I could cut through their yard to get to school. And if my memory serves me correctly, I had to ask every year even though they were the same neighbours.

I really don't know how to stop the progression of this and I am not even sure when it started but I should really just stock up on heart and high blood pressure medication now. Sorry Mr. D.

Bad Customer Service Rep

2009-03-27T20:56:00.000-05:00

Did you ever want to reach through the phone and strangle the customer service rep on the other end. That is how I feel right now.

Normally I lead my life according to random events,rock paper scissors and coin flipping. I used to make all my major life decisions with a Mark Messier collector coin that one of my best buds gave me. I have to say Messier served me well. I used that coin for about 6 years and then the change purse that I kept it in was either lost or stolen and I never say Mark again. At that point I was faced with a major decision (that I had a difficult time making without my coin). Do I start making my own decisions? Or do I get a new "special" coin?

See, one of the major advantages to letting a coin decide your fate is that you can't take credit for the results - good or bad. And if your believe that every thing you do is ultimately a result of fate then you really are happier because the world is just unfolding as it should. Sigh, I miss Mark Messier.

I never did get another coin and I have been struggling with decisions ever since. I am a horrible decisions maker. I over analyze and make lists of pros and cons etc. And then when I finally do decide, I rarely feel like I made the right choice.

For example, the decision to buy this particular house. I was searching and researching buying a home for about a year before I did. But this house was kind of an impulse purchase. My girlfriend at the time was living in a place where she wasn't happy, which made my life difficult. And I had some sort of emotional reaction when I walked through the door. I am still not sure what that meant but at the time I felt it had to mean something. And the house does have excellent potential. And one of my good friends is about a block and half away. All of these factors made me feel that somehow this home was divined to be mine.

OK, enough of my dysfunctional decision making process. My point was about customer service people on the end of the phone line. Part of my desire to sell this house is my budget problems. I have a good job but my car loan is $800 a month. (I know, what the hell was I thinking?!) In addition because of some bad decisions when I started living with the girlfriend, I have a line of credit with an obscenely high interest rate that I can't get rid of because I fall back on it when I get behind in other stuff. And winter is when I get behind because the 5 months of winter that are really cold average $450 a month. I know, I asked the woman I bought the home from how much Hydro was in the winter and she told me about $200. Either she was never at home in the evening when it is colder or she lied. I am going with the latter since she lied about a lot of other things.

Back to my original story - sort of. So normally I avoid small problems until they are huge and unmanageable and I have decided that really is not working for me. Instead I am trying to be an adult and head problems face on or cut them off at the pass if I can. My last two mortgage payments were returned because I used that money to pay my Hydro bill instead. (Remember the $450 a month bill, well I only have $200 a month budgeted for Hydro). I had my Hydro cut off last summer because I just didn't read the bill. I even had the money but I avoided what I knew would be a problem and ended up having to borrow money to pay the WHOLE bill and a reconnection fee. Even worse was the embarrassment of my neighbours seeing me pleading with the Hydro guy on my front lawn. So at the point where my bill hit $1000, instead of them cutting me off - in the winter. I sent an email with a payment plan. It hurt my pride a bit but not nearly as much as trying to heat the house with candles and having to move my two cats to a warmer home. Crisis avoided. I know I am getting an extra cheque at the end of April so I just had to hold it together until then.

On the 19th, I sent an email to my bank acknowledging that I am behind and to start taking payments out again on my next payday and that I would catch up at the end of the month. I got a response that they couldn't do it and I would have to phone a number to set up this arrangement. It slipped my mind because to me I had already tried to set up an arrangement. Problem solved right. Apparently not. I phoned tonight and got some snotty girl from my banks collections department. I wasn't defensive or rude, in fact I felt pretty sheepish. She kept cutting me off and not letting me explain. Her tone was immediately short and edgy. I assumed that because of her department, she is used to people with sob stories (true and otherwise) or angry. This was not me at all. I just wanted to let them know I was aware, I intended to pay and when exactly that would happen. Trying to be proactive is good right?

At one point I raised my voice and said, "You keep interrupting me, just listen to me!" Obviously she didn't get any nicer after that but I was frustrated and just wanted to end this conversation. So the arrangement is made. I thought I would feel good about this. It is another step in my personal development. However, I don't feel good. I feel ashamed and embarrassed and angry. All I have to say is I have a 5 year plan and in that plan, I am debt free by December of 2010. If I sell the house, I am debt free by July of this year. Either way I have a plan for success. I don't need to be crazy rich and will still have to work probably until I am 50 but I will be comfortable and I WILL build the house of my dreams. And if I was that person that anonymous woman on the end of the line would not have treated me that way.

Oh, and I did have my fries and gravy. I cooked them in the oven. They weren't as good. And I have decided I can't tell my mom about the fire. She would never sleep again worrying about me.

Fur balls and fire fighting

2009-03-27T14:15:00.000-05:00

So another important lesson learned, type your blog into another program and not directly into the web page. When Firefox crashes, it doesn’t save anything.

Here we go again. This morning or rather afternoon I woke up to a pile of fur ball filled cat puke on the kitchen floor. I was very grateful for this because usually it is at the foot of my bed on my carpeted floor. and I usually find it when I stumble blindly towards the bathroom in the dark and feel the cold slimy wetness under my feet. Yech! I was feeling pretty good, I scored with puke on linolemum instead of carpet and I was about to have fries and gravy for lunch. It is there that everything went sideways.

I just about burnt the darn house down. All because of a container of Chicken Delight gravy.

This is how it started. I normally don't fry anything in oil unless it is just sauteing onions or garlic in a bit of olive oil. But I was at my buddy's place the other night watching survivor (damn those recap shows) and she had a hankering for chicken so chicken was ordered. By the by, I must complain about KFC and their central phone / delivery system. The store about 30 blocks away is the store that delivers to her home and it was closing in 15 minutes - therefore no chicken from them. The store about 5 blocks away that was still open COULD not deliver because my friend's home wasn't in their delivery area. WTF!

If we had any inclination to pick up the chicken at the closer store – no problem but with all the snow, that wasn’t going to happen. So Chicken Delight was plan B. And my buddy had a coupon so it all worked out in the end.

I don’t believe I had ever had Chicken Delight before but Wednesday night i discovered they make fantastic gravy. I really appreciate a tasty gravy. I am a decent cook but gravy is one of those things I just can’t make. Correction, I can make it but it usually isn’t edible. So it turns out that I am a little impatient. Microwaves and TV dinners have ruined me. I wanted deep fried fries because, well they taste better and they are faster. So I put the oil in the pan, put a cover on and stupidly put it on high. Luckily my stupidity isn’t total. I didn’t leave the kitchen, I just turned around to wash the dishes.

First I heard a noise, it was a sound like WHUUUMP! I vaguely recognized it as the sound of fire igniting. While my mind was searching to remember what the sound was, out of the corner of my eye I saw a bright flash. All at once my brain recognized the sound instantly. Luckily I am not the type of person to panic. I turned and the pan was on fire and the flames were about two feet high.

My first thought was turn off the heat source which would have worked well except that would have meant reaching through the two foot high flame. My second thought was BAKING SODA. I have a lot of it because I use it for everything so I dive under the sink to grab my big container and run to pour it on the fire. They don’t tell you that when you do that the fire gets a lot bigger initially. I was immediately dismayed by the bigger flash of flame and stopped pouring and jumped back. I put down the soda and went to reach for the extinguisher. (When I first moved in, my mom kept bugging me to get an extinguisher and I wanted to but never did so she got me on for Christmas last year). Anyways I go to reach for the extinguisher and realize the fire is only about half as big. The lazy part of my brain realizes that the extinguisher goop is probably harder to clean than baking soda so I decide to go with the soda again. And the second dump works. Success, fire out!

Now the aftermath, my stove and floor is covered in soda. My pan and lid are burnt beyond recognition. The smoke is so thick I can barely breathe and all I can smell is burnt plastic. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining - it could have been much worse. I am just evaluating my surroundings so I can decide what to do next. It is -17 C outside but I have no choice, I need to start opening windows. Off goes the furnace and I open all the windows on the main floor. I discover that the mudroom door won’t open. I guess it is frozen shut. Just one more thing to add to my list of things to do.

Anyhow, when the temp got down to 13 C from the normal 20 C that I keep it at, I realize although I enjoy the brisk freshness, I can't feel my hands anymore. That was as low as I could go and the smoke was cleared so I close up the windows and put the furnace back on. I put out vinegar to get rid of the smell. Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow the smell will be gone.

I still want fries and gravy. Do I risk home and pan for another go at deep frying or do I just put them in the oven. The crappy part about this is, if I had put some in the oven after the fire, they would be done by now.

Here we go!

2009-03-26T20:29:00.000-05:00

I have a few goals for this blog. I want to talk about my dilemma with my housing situation. I want to talk about my quest to live a simple frugal life and a bit about my adventures at work. And mixed in there will be general ramblings and funny and perhaps not so funny events in my life. So my plan is to chronicle my journey from home owner to adult child moving back in with mommy and then to home builder. I intend to chronicle the ups and downs of all things related to this. My motivation for this is twofold. There is always someone else going through something similar so those of you having this dilemma can hopefully draw from my failures and save yourself some heartache. Also there is the added bonus hopefully of this focusing me to get my sorry butt in gear. Here we go.