I'm Keeping My Day Job

I was on the phone most of the day yesterday notifying clients of my upcoming move. It was satisfying work though I'm not sure I'd ever make a good call center agent.

I found it pretty tiring probably because I was sitting all day and I'm not used to that. A new found appreciation of such a job was developed as I reached my 5 hr mark.

I'm telling myself that once all the start up stuff ends, then I can just concentrate doing what I know best.

Got my first cell phone bill and do not understand what all the line items are about. So a call into Bell Mobility is in order today. It seems like I've been billed for a whole lot of stuff I didn't think I paid for.

A switch flipped in my mind this morning that helped to frame what I was embarking on.

I'm going to start looking at my new venture as my semi-retirement project -- Slower pace, simple way to go about doing business, lesser need to bring in the "big bucks".

Once I started thinking this way, my stress level fell. Let's hope the reality is as rosy as the picture in my head!

Downtown vs On the Edge Shopping

D and I were making yet another trip for office supplies yesterday and I remarked on how convenient the area we were going to was as it had 3 out of 4 stores we needed.

He agreed even though he is a long time proponent of "downtown shopping" vs. "big box store in generic edge of town plaza" shopping.

I was thinking that even though we aren't supporting our "downtown" on this occasion, we were spending less gas by going to the edge of the city. In reality, what we were looking for didn't exist "downtown" but even it did, it made more sense to us not to go this time.

Another example of this phenomenon is the idea of living "downtown" and being able to walk everywhere. In our case (perhaps we live in a strange area...), it is actually more expensive to live "downtown" as well as to buy groceries. Plus there would be high level of temptation to shop and eat out.

Where we currently live, it is easy to buy direct from nearby farmers and pick our own fruit. Downtown, where the version of a "market" is a highly modernized one, you end up being charged higher prices to offset the higher cost of rent.

Speaking of eating out, we've done a lot of that this last week. Both of us have been so tired from working our regular jobs as well as prepare for the move. We intend next week to be easier.

Down Time

It's like the universe has come out and told me it will do everything it can to make me feel better about missing out on my trips.

My apartment I was going to rent in Buenos Aires got rented and I received my deposit back! In fact, whoever rented it end up renting it for a month so the owners of the apartment are giddy about the additional business income.

Today I received notice that I got deposit money back from my New England cancelled adventure. I thought I read in the fine print and it didn't sound like I was supposed to get anything back. A lucky windfall!

The only things I haven't cancelled yet because I've had a million other things to do are some flights and hotel reservations.

Hoping to carve out some down time this weekend.

Wrapping Up

I found out yesterday I'll be getting one final cheque next month instead of the customary 2. That's amazing news as I'll be starting with higher than normal cash flow in my first month of true proprietorship.

Administratively I went over my accounts receivable with my office administrator and there are 2 accounts outstanding that will be written off for now. Should it ever get collected, I'll get a little bonus cheque. Total amount just over $400 so not bad at all.

Yesterday the pendulum swung back towards the "uncooperative" side of the scale. Such petty passive aggressive and grasping at control tactics, I am happy to be getting out of there.

I'm no longer scared. The momentum has shifted and no matters what happens, I am putting myself and my business in a better place now.

My new business cards and "I'm Moving" postcards arrived yesterday. They will be put to work today. I'm hoping to get most if not all preparatory things done soon so I can enjoy our Canada Day long weekend next week. After that, it is show time.

Once Overs

My car insurance renewal ought to be showing up soon. There has been a lot of talk "out there" about rates going up this year for no apparent reason.

I don't know how others approach raising rates but here is what we try and do. For example, if our house insurance has gone up say $20 a month, we'll look for another place to save $20.

It can mean changing deductibles, dropping an optional coverage, eating out less, putting money in a different investment vehicle to gain more fixed income etc.

There are no categories that aren't scoured to look for savings. It's a neat exercise. A forced "once over" if you will.

Inevitably, we get to a point where the cut backs on certain categories will have been maxed out. I can say we are getting close for some.

Funny day yesterday. All of a sudden there has been an about face with respect to attitude from the owners.

Apparently they had seen our websites and realize we are serious competitors now. So what would they like? To cross link between our sites... so we can promote each other... the comedy just does not end...

Getting All Teckie

It has been interesting observing myself through all of this, especially with respect to the technology stuff. My website is 90% complete.  I'm using a Wordpress platform this time. This part is fine. It's like blogging in some ways and I'm already familiar with that.

The Blackberry, on the other hand, has given me headaches. I'm still not understanding why some people are addicted to this technology. I cannot see it though I've been assured I will never go back to a regular cell phone after this. We'll see about that. Remember I'm the one that let her "pay as you go" plan and phone number expire.

So now we have it such that any online messages/requests from both my associate's and my site gets "pushed" to the Blackberry so everything is managed there. Plus copies of all messages are also sent to a back up mailbox for safe keeping, just in case. I can hardly believe I'm typing about all of this -- considering I don't even like working a sunroof in a car.

The nasty stuff at work has started. Little jabs here and there. Little road blocks here and there. So much for "working with you in your transition"... I was really angry yesterday for a few hours. Now I'm thinking I need to take a day off from all of this and do stuff on off hours when I don't have to be around that type of energy anymore. It's not worth it. My last day is a week from today.

Plugging Away

I literally have to force myself to stop and take a break right now. The 15 plus hr days are blurring into one another as I fervently push to take care of details.

It feels like there are a million things vying for my attention and because I am making plans that involve 2 people -- my associate who is coming to work with me in my space, I am constantly double checking both integrations.

My tendency is to forge ahead and have space to breathe before the launch date. I'm not much of a do everything last minute person, knowing there will likely be last minute things anyways. I can sort of think I see the light at the end of the tunnel now... :)

I will do my best to keep my business cash flow as similar to what I've been used to. With the move, there will be some services that will not be offered anymore. So that will translate to less income. I'm hoping that will be balanced out with receiving rent from my associate as well as my rent being much lower.

My weekend buying spree for business start up is already in the $800 mark and I didn't even buy any equipment per se. Amazing just how quickly things add up. Thank goodness I managed to get some stuff used. My budget is $2200.

There is talk that interest rates in Canada won't be rising as quickly and frequently as first predicted earlier in the year. With all the chaos in Europe, it may buy those of us with variable rate mortgages a bit more time. That works for us.

It's Done

Quick note as I have loads to do today. I handed in my departure notification letter yesterday. It's over. I will be flying by the seat of my pants starting July 1st.

The last meeting again, wasn't enough to make me want to stay. They wanted to keep dragging it on with promises and options but too vague to sink teeth into.

When I went over my exit plan, they went along but didn't really believe I meant it until I brought up my timeline. That's when they jumped.

I got an offer to "buy more time" at a slightly higher rent but not as high as it was supposed to be starting July 1st until we figure this out... no thank you.

So this is it. I am putting my money where my mouth it. I've had my panic moments and I've had to remind myself that I already know how to do the hardest part -- my job. I can learn the administrative stuff.

Crunch Time

It's crunch time with respect to my work negotiations. The latest news has been a request that I come up with numbers and a working model...kinda hard to do when I do not have access to their numbers...so it appears they are not willing to do the work as the owners of the place.

I've already given them a reply with respect to the number they used as starting point. They have chosen not to respond to that.

I sent a response back stating most of the above and asked for an honest answer as to whether this new idea/setup can even work financially for them. If not, my feelings won't be hurt. I just want to know as I am running out of time.

By the way, they have not agreed to keep my existing rent as is. The changes are happening July 1st and I have made the decision not to work under the new rules. I may as well transition out asap and make my own way.

The lack of good will on their end is very apparent. It feels like they are hoping to stall for as long as they can. Final meeting is scheduled for tomorrow.

My trip to BA has been cancelled. If someone rents my apartment then I'll get my deposit back, if not, I was prepared to lose it anyways. Looks like for some reason, I am getting more money back for my flight than I thought -- not complaining!

The trip to Maine and area is trickier. I've already prepaid for some hotel nights and the flight. The flight cancellation policy pretty much wipes out any credit I would have gotten. Plus the points I used for partial payment are non refundable.

Right now, I would like to aim for a trip to France with D in the fall instead so Maine will likely be sacrificed. Plus my final payments for Maine are due in a week, so not much time left to think about it.

On a very cool news front, there is a good possibility that D is going to be offered a full time position at this current contract place of work. It will likely happen when his contract is up, which is end of Sept. whereby he will get "converted" to full time status, which will come with extra health benefits, partial pension, life insurance, 4 weeks vacation etc. We are very excited.

Myself Be Humbled

Still on the topic of feeling humble, I shared with D a couple of my favorite humbling mishaps. Unlike yesterday's post, I wasn't humbled because I felt particularly full of myself. It was because I wasn't particularly good at what I was doing!

My first humbling incident occurred during my summer of learning how to sail. I went through the sport sailing route so instead of learning on bigger keel boats, I learned on Lasers about 15 yrs ago. Turned out I am a horrible skipper and lost every race I participated in by a huge mile.

The worst result, I think I was 1/2 hr late getting in. Everyone else had taken their sails down and folded them and some had already left. Not only was I slow, there wasn't enough wind so my crew and I had to use our oars to paddle in! At one point before the paddling started, we nudged another docked boat at the yacht club...

If it was any consolation (not really), I aced any and all the written tests I had to take that summer. I just couldn't seem to apply it when I was on the water.

My second humbling experience came about 7 years ago when I ran my first 10km race. Race is a very loose term for what I doing as I am not considered a fast runner. It was my first race ever and I ended up choosing the 10km because it fit the timing for D's race weekend.

I dressed poorly on race morning. I thought it was going to warm up so I skipped over my running tights and went for the shorts. The temperature was 1 degree Celsius and it did warm up -- to only 4 degree Celsius. I was freezing and my legs didn't want to move for me.

I guess the police officer who saw me coming up a hill didn't realize I was so slow, because he held up traffic so I can pass but when he realize I still hadn't made it up the hill, he let traffic go and told ME to stop. After quite a few seconds, I waved at him, pointed at my watch and my race bib...

The race I ran in was in preparation for the "real one" that was to come 3 weeks later when D ran his marathon. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed with my experience. A race volunteer even gave me a Werthers candy, probably because I looked so bad...like I had hypothermia...

Three weeks later, I ran the "real race" and came in middle of the pack in exactly the opposite weather -- hot!

Humbled

D used to work with a couple who are much more materialistic than us. What I mean by that is stuff like: Believing that it is necessary to drive, dress and live such that people cannot possibly think they are anything less than successful. They are also a good decade younger than us and have things to prove.

This is also the couple I mentioned in an earlier blog post who were travelling to Paris, Nice, Cannes and Monaco during the Grand Prix and Film festival. It was an eye opener for them -- in a good way. They came back humbled.

Being the showiest in your small town and neighbourhood is like being the biggest fish in a small pond. Though I would argue if the showy stuff one displays is a result of credit, that isn't true wealth... Wealth where they were was on a totally different scale -- no more small pond and it blew them away.

They described their experience perfectly. The truly wealthy people they saw had faces that looked as if it had been bathed in moisturizer and looked like it never made a stressed expression or seen an ounce of stress or worry in their lives. Those weren't the botox unlined faces prevalent in North America. It isn't something you can fake.

Cost of Living

The cottage plumbing came in the mail -- $227.96. OK, I guess. It took 2 guys 2 hours worth of labour. Like with a lot of automotive repairs, it's the labour that makes up the bulk of the bill.

D doesn't envy them as the crawlspace is more accurately described as a slither space. No way ever, will you catch me down there. The sight of the bugs living there alone would give me a heart attack!

Have a Great Weekend Everyone!

2nd Meeting

My meeting the other day was unsatisfying. In a nutshell, they weren't prepared and it did feel like a waste of my time.

However, a number was thrown out into the mix as a "starting point". When I did the preliminary calculations, it doesn't make enough sense. I'll delve into it deeper this weekend.

More importantly, it doesn't look like my current rate will continue until the negotiations are done so that doesn't sit well with me as it was a condition of my continued participation in these discussions.

I toured another potential business location and there is potential there. One of my reservations is that the owner of the business doesn't have an established business direction and structure but is open to ideas.

To me, that translates into "I am open to changes but you will have to lead". I don't know how I feel about that -- walking in and organizing someone else's business.

The bottom line is that they aren't currently used to doing business in the scale that I have been working at. The owner appears to be an honest person and that means a lot. This avenue will take time to develop.

Regular Stuff

A lot of people are awaiting their first of three HST rebate checks to show up in a direct deposit account or by mail starting today.

I too am waiting and hoping to get one these checks. As a family, we could get up to $1000 spread over 3 payments if we qualify. They are an effort of the government to lessen the blow of the harmonized tax that will come into effect July 1st.

We have been "eating from our fridge/pantry" this week in the effort to use up food stuffs so that they wouldn't get freezer burn from sitting too long or expired from being forgotten.

So far so good. It's a nice feeling to see the space appear in the freezer again -- to be filled with new stuff.

I broke down and took an allergy pill yesterday. There is so much stuff floating through the air that I couldn't handle it anymore. Normally I hate taking medicine of any sort but it couldn't be helped as I thought my eyeballs were going to burst or get scratched out by yours truly.

The construction that started in March a block away from us has ended. They did a good job and it is nice to be able to sit outside and open windows again without being covered in dust.

Tug o' War

I'm a bit sick and tired of thinking of work so much. It's not like me to do so.

Then there are the calculations of how much it will cost me should I end up cancelling my trips -- $1422 -- doesn't make things any better knowing I'll have paid that amount to see absolutely nothing.

OK. Enough complaining.

Philosophically, I feel I shouldn't have to cancel anything; new business implementation or not. I know I may be acting a bit spoiled here and doing the equivalent of stamping my foot and shirking responsibility.

But, I do believe I have worked long enough and is established enough to be able to pull this off. So the 2 sides of me have been battling it out for the last week or so.

No side has claimed victory yet.

***My above mini rant doesn't even rate compared to the news we just got from friends who found out their youngest child has a rare genetic disorder that will render him unlikely to live much into adulthood.

Words cannot express our shock and sadness for them and their family.***

Post Vaccines

It has been a week since my Yellow Fever and Typhoid shots were done. Since then, I've felt cold at the end of each day and seem to have a slight fever. At the injection site, there is a bruise like mark that feels itchy.

The Yellow Fever shot in particular stung as it was being injected. The travel Dr said he likens it to getting vinegar sprayed on an open wound. It takes 10 days to build up immunity. It is important you are not allergic to eggs for this one.

Total cost of the vaccines and appointment, $185.

I also got a script for malaria pills just in case I decide venture into infected areas. Plus I was told about an effective oral vaccine for travellers' diarrhea available should I wish.

Of course the nurse and Dr didn't know anything about what was going on with my work and that the likelihood of me going on this trip was shrinking. I didn't want to cancel my appointment and just smiled and thanked them when they wished me a good trip.

So now, I am fully vaccinated for the above diseases. Add to it my previous vaccinations of Hep A & B and recent tetanus; I am pretty set for a lot of places.

Enough of the Work Drama -- A Fun Post Today

I miss the colours of Berlin. The hot pink phone booths (that's right!), the fluorescent orange garbage trucks, the spring green and white police cars. Where do they come up with this?

Perhaps it is the ever practical German mind that decided to colour coordinate service items to make things obvious and simple. I like it.

We feel in love with the fun and retro look of the Amplemann, figures of the "stop" and "go" of the crosswalk traffic lights. I kinda wish I did buy a mug when I was there.

Another Berlin thing to do is to eat currywurst at various street stands, served with fresh cut fries. At first we didn't really get it. It was OK tasting but didn't knock my socks off.

(That probably had to do with me knowing I had french pastries from Lenotre in my shopping bag waiting to be eaten.)

Oh yeah, Berliners didn't tend to eat with their hands whereas I like to eat french fries with my fingers. I got some looks. So I used the mini plastic fork provided.

After a couple of days though, you start craving the stuff. There must be something in the curry ketchup...or in the coarse salt on the fries... D missed it badly for a couple of weeks after we returned from the trip.

Long Week

It has been a very long week. Seriously, most days this week, I had to think about what day it was and if I had eaten lunch yet. My years of professional experience was what got me through the client work, nothing else as my gas tank was hovering on less than 1/4 tank.

Dramatics aside, we surprised each other at the meeting. I talked for over 80% of it about my philosophy of doing business, what I built it on, how it has been changing in the last 6 years, how I have been simpifying my life and household in the last 3 years, how the new fee guideline conflicts with how I would like to manage my business expenses, how I am looking for more control over my business.

Bottom line, when I ran the numbers from Jan to now and for the rest of the year plus where I'd like to be 2 years from now, it doesn't work for me.

Silence.

How could they not see this coming?! Ah, that's right. Because they judge power by what one wears, what one drives. As I am not into showing off and drive a 13 yr old car, neither of them know about my properties or my lifestyle. So to them, I'm a dependent in quasi self employment shoes they "own". I did however, show up wearing all black :)

The back peddling started. No, they weren't trying to back me into a corner. No, they do not want me to leave. They have always (right!) believed in creating a place where different business people could run the type of practice they wanted. They didn't want a clone of them (right!).

I decided to give them my pitch.

I told them that should we were meeting for the first time today and I was an existing business owner in town looking for a new place to hold my small business, this is what I would be looking for... would you be able to accommodate this new business model?

Silence.

They admitted they had never considered anyone who would want to practice this way. I didn't think I was asking for a flight to the moon. Just a few rooms, reception, perhaps billing service -- A hybrid model.

Here's where I think I sold it too well.

What they would gain would be my prime time real estate. Right now I hold the best group of times and space for doing business. If they could build/arrange a new space for me, then I would be freeing up that area whereby they could rent it to a more "conventional" full time business whereby their cut would be higher.

They liked it and I saw light bulbs go on and eyes get slightly bigger. They aren't very good with the poker face.

I was asked if I had a number in mind. I didn't (other than "much lower") as I really didn't think they would go for it. As we ran out of time, we will be reconvening next week with numbers for 3 scenarios from least to most services provided.

I waver between wondering if I did the right thing by pitching them my new idea and signing myself up for another week of this or if it would have been easier having it end right there.

I'll be sending a summary of our discussion as well as a guideline to further negotiation/discussion which will make it necessary for them to accept that I will be paying my current rates month to month to a maximum of 3 months (thanks I'd rather be sailing!) until we come to a resolution. Should they not accept the above, an appropriate exit strategy will be put in place. Those are the conditions for my continued participation.

Meanwhile, I've been spending the other waking hours fine tuning my home office idea. Whether it end up being here or elsewhere, the same preparations need to be made.

D is up at the cottage this weekend surveying the plumber's work (they fixed it and water pressure is normal) and doing the big spring cleaning. I'm going to do my best to take the weekend off -- which will likely mean working at only 50% capacity on the business :)

New Mortgage Numbers

The new mortgage payment numbers are out today. For our house mortgage, each payment is going up $5.20 and for the ski condo, $1.69. Not bad and not too much of a shock. We can handle this. Our amortization stays the same.

Remember we have the type of variable mortgage where we cannot lower our payments when interest rates go up. Not all variable mortgages behave this way. When the media is trying to scare people, it is this type of mortgage they commonly refer to.

The real estate hunt for potential new offices was very successful. We saw 7 and about 3 worked and 1 was a stand out. It also was the one that required leasehold improvements. At lease I know what my options are. I have someone working on a quote and time frame for the renos. Meanwhile, I am still developing my home office option.

I am not worried about my meeting today. Why? Because I am going in there and telling the truth about what will and will not work for me anymore. I'm no neophyte in this business and I do not appreciate being treated like I need them more than they need me.

D feels I should dump the idea of a counteroffer and just give my notice. I think I'll know by the tone of the conversation how it will go. So it will be a game time decision. Either way, I'm starting to get the feeling I will not be going to BA in 3 weeks.

Work Updates

No news yet from my bank regarding the new mortgage payments following the Bank of Canada rate increase yesterday -- hopefully by tomorrow -- I like to know where I stand.

End of May numbers are in and I made $1185.62 net extra. More fun money! Speaking of fun, my 2 upcoming trips are in jeopardy because of this sudden onset of work chaos. I need to make a decision soon or I will forfeit too much.

Lots of meetings set up for today -- a couple of hours with Realtors to look at rental and buy options for my business, just in case the numbers work out. More time with co-workers brainstorming.

The "big" meeting will be tomorrow with the dude who is behind the increase. I am in the midst of coming up with a counter proposal based on a completely different business model than I am currently on. Of course the price tag will be much lower.

Not sure if they will bite or even care to negotiate. If not, then the meeting will turn into a serving of my notice of departure. I tried, right?

Here We Go

The first increase by the Bank of Canada happened this morning -- 0.25%. Our new rates will be 1.60% & 1.75% respectively. Tomorrow, I'll be able to see the new amounts payable for our mortgages.

Planning for what may be the next phase of my business has been going at a quick clip. I estimate 75% of the details have been sorted out.

I'm at the point where I need to thinking of when to set up the exit strategy meeting. From the way things have been going, I am preparing for what they will say or come back with.

So, I feel it is better to have made up my mind first and come up with answers to potential counteroffers/comments before I proceed.

Some questions I have for myself include:

• Is there anything they can say to make me stay?
• Do I want to be a solo office manager?
• Do I want to buy another property?
• Do I want to sign a lease for 4 people?
• Do I want to learn to do payroll?
• Am I prepared for less than 100% transfer of clients?
• What do I know about advertising and marketing?

What the Heck?!

I just got some shocking news from work. In a last minute emergency meeting a couple of days ago, it was announced that everyone's cost of doing business there is going up -- get this -- June 1st -- that's tomorrow. There is a lot of speculation as to why the owners are so cash strapped.

We have been given sheets with the new rent rates with no potential of negotiation. Is that even legal? For a second there, I had to ask myself if I was still living in Canada. I spent hours yesterday fielding phone calls from my co-workers, brainstorming about options etc.

Some of my co-workers do not have a lot of assets and are in a tight spot. I feel for them but I need a plan for myself first before I can decide if I would be willing to sign a new lease for everyone in the group.

The bottom line is I need an exit strategy fairly quick as the idea of paying $1400/month extra in rent when I'm already paying around $4000/month isn't sitting well. One of my co-worker's has a family member who is a lawyer and they are looking into that aspect.

Either way, the planning needs to move ahead swiftly. And the owners have now made it OK to give 10 people/business owners 2 days notice...

First D a couple of months ago, and now me. Are there extra full moons this year? I'm doing my best to focus. The positive thing is that I haven't lost my job, just my costs have gone up significantly. I don't want to rush a decision nor do I want to dawdle.

Some Pictures Explained

A few people have asked about the pictures I posted of Berlin. I find it so much easier on Blogger just to load up pictures, that is why there are no captions. That's a round about excuse for being lazy... :)

The first picture is a presentation with a portion of the Berlin wall at Potsdamer Platz. Under the umbrella is a fellow (border guard) dressed in olive green army garb who, for a small fee, will stamp your passport with the east and west Berlin stamps that were used before reunification. That is what the line up was about.

The last picture is the remnants of a church (Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirchethat) that was bombed in WW2. It has since been turned into a museum/memorial/education center. I must say, when we got to it, the energy of the destruction was distinct and affected me more than I would have thought -- especially in contrast to the new buildings around it.

You cannot tell from the outside but the tall and short geometric buildings beside form the new church and the small squares that make up the buildings are glass inlay/mosaic. When inside the colour is stunning -- mostly sapphire blue.

One fun note about the picture showing the tour boats and water taxis on the Spree River. They were moving fast, dodging in and around, as if they were cars on the autobahn! It was hilarious! I am so used to cruising up and down the Seine when in Paris at such a leisurely pace, it just struck me that's all, the contrast.

New Electrical Reality

I've heard from other people I know in our city they have gotten their "smart meters" already. We've had ours at the cottage for a while now and how it is going to literally hit home.

What it will mean is we will be billed for when we use hydro. The day is split into 3 regions of low, med & high usage rates.

What we are paying now will be the "low" rate and in order to continue paying it, you'll be need to stick to the time of day restrictions which on average will be between 9pm and 7am during the weekdays and it will be low on weekends and holidays.

Mid and high pricing will be almost double and over double.

We are at the cottage on weekends mostly so we will be in the low range. We've had our new meter up there for a while now and we haven't noticed a significant difference in billings.

Some of our neighbours have seen their bills double, to their dismay and others have seen it drop. I think it is just a reflection on household routines and habits.

Some of our routines at home will be changing. D and I will need to discuss laundry routines, cleaning times and when our hot water heater gets charged up.

Early Sales

You know how they say opportunity favors preparedness? I'm finding it applying more and more with respect to airfare sales. Our flights we like to take out west for Christmas are on sale already. Three years ago, we didn't see them on sale until the fall. Last couple of years it had been end of summer. Now spring.

Our flight costs are saved in a yearly expense account which also includes funds for the ski condo insurance and property tax and season passes. I do my best to have that account funded by April of each year so we are prepared for whatever comes up.

Good thing because this year, D has already bought his season's pass (I'm going a la carte again) to save on the new tax that is coming in July, and now the plane tickets. We will only buy one way as the Jan routes have not been put on sale yet. We wait for it and end up coming home after New Years and when school has started up again.

Prior to 3 years ago, I'd be working our spreadsheet on an as needed basis and this caused a lot more stress and work because I'd hear of a seat sale and then end up re-arranging numbers to make it work last minute. Saving in advance is much easier especially when you know you are going to be spending it anyways. Sounds simple right?

Random Pics -- Berlin

Fix It

It looks like we will be needing the services of a plumber at the cottage. This weekend, D identified a pipe joint that has come loose in the crawlspace which helped explain the drop in water pressure. Oh the joys of owning a cottage built not so professionally 65 yrs ago...

Other than that, the drive in was great. Ate too many french fries and onion rings but it's all good. Caught up on a lot of sleep. It's funny how sometimes you don't realize just how tired you are until you are away from your everyday routine.

On the car front, good news and so so news. The rear brakes didn't need to be replaced. They ended up just machining the drums at a cost of around $90. The tail pipe showed 3 holes along the longest length of it so to replace it cost $345, so with taxes, the whole bill was $501 something, $100 over what I had hoped.

For what it's worth, they also said for the age and mileage of my car, it is in great shape. A good thing as I am starting to think of road trips...

You Win Some

Even though it has happened before, it still bugs me when I find out flight prices have gone down when I had booked it not long ago. The same goes for computer prices, car prices etc.

The list is never ending. So this time, I find out I could have saved $162 on my trip out east had I held off til this week... oh well, you win some you lose some. I still get to go, so that's a win.

My car's rear brake job and exhaust appointment is today. Hoping the bill will be under $400. My travel clinic appointment is in a couple of weeks. Estimated bill from there is in the $200 range.

This category of health care is not covered by our country's universal health care program. The expiry dates on Yellow fever and Typhoid shots are 10 yrs and 3 yrs so it is a good investment towards your health, especially for someone like me who attracts mosquitoes like nobody's business!

On a fun note, I've been shopping around for stereo components online and have found it is significantly cheaper (40%) to buy it from the States and have it shipped over for installation. This finding just might do it for me... I could get what I want and have it installed for the price of parts only here.

This is a long weekend for us Canadians so have great weekend everyone -- back on Tuesday!

Stereo Summary

Wow, did I get lucky! After pricing out their basic Pioneer speakers and deck, the bill was already at $700 plus including installation. I know I paid many thousand for our surround sound system at home but I couldn't get my car's age out of my mind. Plus I had set a mental limit of $300 for today's appointment...

In the end, there was only a loose plug and once plugged, voila, I had sound again. I had to forced them to take some money for their time as they didn't want to charge me anything. Would I use them should I wish to upgrade my system in the future? Absolutely.

In fact, after spending time today learning about the choices out there, I am kinda hooked and I think I will put a stereo upgrade on my list of dream account wishes for the future. I want to give them my business because they were so honest and kind. What a great experience today! It is hard to put into words just how relieved and grateful I felt, not having to spend any serious money.

It was a gorgeous day today with everyone out in shorts and T-shirts. As I was driving by, I could not help but notice the number of teenagers drinking coffee. I don't know about you, but I never even tasted coffee until I was in university and even then, it wasn't until exam time and I gave up on it pretty quick because I couldn't sleep well for 2 - 3 days after having a cup.

I don't believe that starting young with stimulants is such a great thing. I've also never tasted stuff like Red Bull or others of the like and don't plan to. Our nervous system and adrenals can get worn out when exposed to chemicals like this over time. I also think it can help age us. I got enough of a high today without caffeine.

Investments & Commitments

I've been fairly satisfied with my accounts with ING. A newer player on the scene is Ally and I am considering opening an account with them to try them out. Feedback I've read have been positive.

By the end of Sept. I ought to have my yearly $5000 towards my tax free savings account saved up and this is what I'll put towards my new Ally account.

My end of summer getaway to New England has firmed up, courtesy of credit card points and dream account. I'm going to get to noise around Boston, Bar Harbour and Portland ME for a few days.

I arrived at work yesterday to my first issue of Iceland Review! The photos of the volcano eruption were something. As a new subscriber, I got a mini hardcover book on Puffins. They are really cute. I'd like to go back at a time they are there.

Today I am biting the bullet and bringing my car to our local car audio place. Last fall, when I had inquired about not having sound in my front drivers' side speaker, I got intimidated by their description of having to take apart my dash to get to things. Plus D had just gotten steering column work done on his old car and ended up losing his cruise control...

Don't laugh but there is a 3 movie marathon this weekend at the drive in by the cottage and I want sound...Ironman isn't going to cut it for me with partial sound.

On a philosophical level, I believe my ability to make this move represents my commitment to my car for the remainder of its years. I've been doing a lot of that lately -- with our location, our house, with turning down a job opportunity overseas.

I'm heading in early to pick out a new deck and speakers just in case either or both need to be replaced. It could be as simple as faulty wiring. They tell me it will all be done in a few hours. I have a long lunch meeting so the timing ought to be good.

Berlin Real Estate

When we were nosing around the real estate offerings in Berlin, we found out some interesting things.

Less than 15% of Berliners own. So the sales pitch we were given was that Berlin is a great place to invest in. So much so, most real estate we saw offered came with tenants and you are guaranteed an annual yield of 5.5 - 6.8%.

For those of us who are interested in actually using the apartment, it took a bit of time to sift through the newer developments. We never found out exactly why owning isn't very popular.

My guess is that there are a lot of people who have moved to Berlin to find work rent first. We were told that banks require 30 - 40% down for a purchase with interest rates in the 4.5% range.

Berlin is also a fairly young city population wise with women making close to what men earn and at the end of the month, lots of disposable income. You'll need it if you are hoping to own one of those Maseratis!

There is a lot of value in Berlin real estate. The cost of an average 1 bedroom apartment around 55m2 would buy you a 20m2 apartment in Nice France. Property tax is differs according to the area of city.

The process of purchasing is similar to France as you'll need a notary as well as a lawyer and you will need to be present for the final signing. We feel Berlin would be a great and exciting European home base. The year round climate is also quite reasonable.

Great Inspiration!

First of all, A HUGE Shoutout of CONGRATULATIONS to Sue who participated in the 24hr race in Brive France where she ran just over 197 km to win the Canadian Association of Ultramarathoners 24 hr record for women 40 - 50, surpassing the old record of 185 km. What a debut!

I don't know about you, but I feel like strapping on my running shoes and going for a run!

Remember I wrote about having gone to university with a fellow who is now a professional Rally Car Driver? Well, he won The Oregon Trail Rally yesterday!

Congrats Andrew! In fact, it was a Mitsubishi sweep of the first 3 places with drivers all driving Evos, my dream car...

Now, back to my fairly ordinary life with more ordinary news...

It looks like trying to order tickets online for a performance at Teatro Colon is going to be just as frustrating as for the Deutsche Oper... so I'm going to leave it until I get there in person.

Turns out I'm going at a time where it won't be condusive to catching a Polo or soccer match either. Oh well, I'll need to consult the calendar of events a little closer next time!

Books and Car

A couple of books I just finished really touched me. The kind of books that make you question the way you live. They are "Stones into Schools" the follow up to "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and "The Last American Man" by Elizabeth Gilbert. And no, it is not written in the style of her more public books. I would highly recommend both.

While we were away, I got used to reading eBooks. I rather like that method now. The audio book didn't work for me too well.

I found the voices of the readers too different from the way I would read things in my head and some of the background music too distracting. I had no idea there was going to be background music. It made some books sound like a musical.

So 50% success is good enough for me. I can now understand the appeal of the Kindle. The type is brighter and there is less eye strain. I'm still OK with reading from my laptop. It is free and our library has a good enough selection for me. If I ever use it up, then I may consider alternatives.

My car is finally ready for its rear brakes to be replaced after 13 years. It is starting to make a racket during braking and it is embarrassing D to be in my car... I'm going to make an appointment hopefully for next week.

While it is in, I'm going to ask them to take a look at my exhaust system. It sounds like there is a small hole somewhere. I use oil spray on my car so this is the first time it has shown symptoms of this. Hope the bill won't make me faint!

Youth Hostels

The monthly numbers are in for April and I did end up with some extra -- to the tune of $1440.95. As with most bonuses, my half will be tucked away for the next travelling adventure. I'm thinking of going to Maine at the end of the summer.

I was talking to someone I casually know yesterday about travelling as he is planning a trip to Ireland. He and his girlfriend are hoping to do that trip "budget" by staying in youth hostels.

Youth hostels can be a great savings but it depends on the country and city. Sometimes 2 people in a hostel can add up to a what a hotel charges. A solo traveller will often do better than a group travelling together but paying separately. It is worth looking into and to not assume it is always the cheapest option.

Personally, I like my quiet, my own washroom and a good night's sleep so group dorm rooms don't appeal to me anymore. They appealed much more when I was on a limited budget. Why go on vacation and be cranky all day when I know my tolerance isn't that great? I also prefer to come home somewhat rested and not sleep deprived. Nowadays, I will save up more for a trip so I wouldn't have to be.

I've stayed at youth hostels on 2 occasions in my life. Back 15 yrs ago when I was in New York to see the US open. Believe it or not, I took my mother for the first part of trip as a gift to her and it was all I could afford as a student. I saved up my earnings from teaching piano all summer to be able to pay for it.

Let's just say she didn't much care for the hosteling experience! There was a lady in our dorm who was a lawyer and my mother made me promise her that I will be successful enough that I wouldn't ever have to stay in hostels again. She didn't realize that some people chose to stay there, rather than be forced by circumstance.

The second time was on a road trip with a girlfriend about 13 yrs ago. We met in Las Vegas. I arrived earlier so I could see the Cirque du Soleil show that just opened "O" before embarking on a journey that would take us through Yellowstone, San Francisco, Napa Valley, down the Pacific Coast highway to Santa Monica before returning to Las Vegas.

Our friendship almost went away on that trip but that's another story...

Berlin -- First Thoughts

If you are looking for Lederhosen and other Bavarian inspired sights, you are not going to find it in Berlin. In fact, we only saw 2 restaurants serving German food in our entire time there and we were looking.

I had braced myself for endless days worth of eating sauerkraut, wurst of every sort, ham hocks, downing it with a different beer each time. Instead our first meal was Vietnamese, then Taiwanese, then Turkish, then French etc. Berliners are into world food.

In fact, the 6th floor of the KaDeWe department store is all about good food. It probably houses around at least 20 mini bar style restaurants based on food region.

For example there are champagne bars run by big names like Veuve Cliquot etc., caviar bars where you can buy $1000 Euro tin of Beloga cavier and enjoy it with top line Volka, oyster bars, any kind of major food from around the world is represented there.

The smells are amazing -- except the cheese area where I know, the best types are frequently the most stinky...

I cheated by visiting that floor 3 times to buy french pastries from Lenotre. Normally I eat what is local but I couldn't help it. Seriously, I was almost in tears when we bumped into that area of the store. D and I haven't been back to France for 2 years and it has felt like decades to us.

Germany has the world's 4th largest economy and you can see evidence of it all around you. There is serious money in Berlin. The kind of serious money you feel from people who live in places like Monaco, Nice and Cannes. The kind of wealth that is palpable, but not heard.

I love European style wealth because it isn't of the showy sort (outside of their cars and boats) and much much more classy and understated. The people who could afford to shop at the glitzy stores on the Kurfurstendamm just wore everyday no label (that I could see) clothes and didn't have their makeup and hair just so.

And they are not looking around to see who is watching. Berliners have a very eclectic personal style. It is one of those places where everyone seem to fit in. I didn't feel like I needed to dress differently (like I do in Paris), walk around in heels all day. It is a very freeing place -- everything goes. We love that.

Holy smokes, did we want to buy cars in Berlin. The dealerships are amazing. They are beautifully designed, located on the main shopping areas and have bars and restaurants to woo you into buying. If you are going to buy anyway, why not go for the full experience?

Those of us in North America, for example can buy a BMW here and then fly to Germany when it is ready whereby you are wooed with great stuff and then you get to drive it right out of the factory whereby they will shipped it to you.

Berliners take their cars seriously. Small compact cars and scooters are few and far between, unlike other major cities in Europe. They are all spotless and they park them with good spacing. It is an ordeal and expensive to get licenced so people are naturally careful. I would not be intimidated to drive there.

D and I left Berlin wanting to own the cars those people go into though -- a Maserati Granturismo, a Porsche Panamera, an Audi A8 and a BMW 5 Series Wagon. We even saw a Bugatti Veyron. There are Mercedes everywhere.

Because people tend to drive high end cars, what you'll notice immediately is how relatively quiet the city is compared to those where the cars and scooters going by are subcompact and have to be revved to go. Our apartment faced a main street and we were able to keep our balcony doors open -- unheard of for us!

We also love flying into Tegel airport. They have things arranged so well. You get off the plane on the tarmac and are bused to a door that opens right where your luggage arrives. I am so used to walking and walking and walking through airports on arrival, it was a very pleasant surprise.

After you pick up the luggage, you go though a small corridor and you are right at ground transportation. The easiest transition and arrival ever.

Back At It

I finished my first day back at work yesterday and as with most first days post vacation, it felt strange, a little surreal, as if I didn't really believe I was back.

Not much jet lag this time around. I think I'm getting used to it. The Ash Cloud Gods we kind to us and we managed to make it on all of our flights there and back on time.

The only delay was upon coming home where the air traffic was so congested, our plane wasn't allowed to take off for 2 hours. Luckily our connection afterwards was booked with lots of leeway.

It wasn't until we got home we found out friends of ours who were heading to France last weekend were delayed 10 hrs.

They are planning to head to the south of France to take part in the Monaco Grand Prix / Cannes Film Festival and then journey to Portugal... hope for them, the cloud has drifted away from the area by then.

We did take evasive action should we become stranded in Berlin or Amsterdam by figuring out which hotels / apartments had availability and jotting down numbers, addresses etc.

We figured should entire flights get cancelled, we didn't want to be part of the mass all trying to find hotels etc at the same time. It would be easier to know where we'd like to be ahead of time and just hop in a taxi and GO.

I have to admit, airport personnel were really on the ball. Most of the people connecting our flight coming home missed their connection and it was announced upon arrival that everyone had been rebooked and new boarding passed will be printed.

Everyone we encountered were genuinely concerned about getting people home as quickly as possible.

We know we got lucky. We could have easily been stranded. It has made us consider travelling to different parts of the world for the time being until the volcano calms down -- places like New Zealand, French Polynesia, Asia etc.

Berlin was awesome. Not at all what we expected. Liked it enough to consider owning real estate there. Will post a travelogue soon.

Ready to Go

Last minute packing this morning after checking the Berlin forecast and we will be ready to go catch our flight later tonight.

Ended my work month on a high note -- Anticipating close to $1000 bonus monies if my calculations are correct.

I really want to use my portion as a deposit on that houseboat in Amsterdam...they are very popular so you need to book way ahead.

Just found out airfare is subject to the new HST tax as of May 1st. Glad I bought my ticket for BA when I did.

Checked to see what it would cost today -- $200 or so more than I paid 3 weeks ago.

Guess my travel budget will have to be increased to take this tax into consideration.

Managed to strain a muscle the other day so the week or so away from work will be good for recovery.

Have a Great Weekend Everyone -- back in 10 days.

The World of eBooks

I discovered the world of ebooks last night via Adobe Digital Editions software. For some time, our local library offered e-audiobooks and ebooks but we hadn't made the leap.

It took some time finagling before I "got" it. Now that it is all set up, we are allowed to "borrow" 5 books in this format.

Having never even seen a Kindle or a Sony Reader in person, I don't know what the difference is other than what I have set up is free but I have to read from my laptop.

I can live with the free and laptop part and not having to bring yet another device along with me.

We have 14 days to read our selections before it "disappears". If we are done early, we can "return" it. Amazingly cool! You can bookmark where you are and chose from a few display formats.

If you sign up for an Adobe ID, you can access your "books" from other computers, otherwise you stick with the one you are set up with.

When you are looking up books, if the number of licenced copies are all being used, you can place a hold and the library will email you when one comes up and will send a link for downloading.

If I remember correctly, you get a time limit to do so before the opportunity goes to the next person. I would highly recommend checking this out if your local library offer ebooks.

Don't I Wish!

I am a believer in a liberal arts education. If I was able to, I would have done an arts degree to balance out my science one. Alas, the call of work and career was a mandatory one and I continued on to the "real" world.

Luckily I had been studying art and music on the side privately for a long time so attained some balance that way.

Friends of ours' daughter just finished up their degree in History. As there isn't a huge demand for undergraduates in that field, they have been busy helping their daughter look for job opportunities. Other than some entry level business jobs, they haven't found anything too exciting.

So, the suggestion came up at dinner one night to just take a year off and head off to France to study French. Having French would be a huge bonus in a bilingual country like Canada and would open more doors.

D and I both gasped at this suggestion as we'd give pretty much anything to have an opportunity like this. Now, that would come after a spending a month in Greece as a end of school celebration first. We immediately requested adoption by this couple.

Neither of us came from families who are educated or worldly enough to even come up with suggestions like this. Nor would either of our families be able to afford to send us. Remember D and I both paid for our own educations.

So, being the ever helpful friends we are, we volunteered to chaperon such a trip and promised we'd send daily emails and photos of our adventures.

Isn't it the way sometimes that kids of parents who have travelled around the world twice end up with kids who have no interest in travel? And those of us who came from families who never travel would somehow inherit the bug out of thin air?

Stepping Up

I have never been more grateful for my days off than in the last month. Why is that? I believe it is because I have been fully present in my days. The crappy dealings with getting my computer fixed and dealing with difficult people at work pulled me away from my core of peace I prefer to dwell in everyday. It didn't feel good.

This has re-confirmed why I have trouble being around perpetually cynical and negative people or people who cannot seem to brave up and look outside themselves.

I have invited a good friend over for dinner tonight because I just found out they are going through a difficult time. It has been 2 weeks since we've seen each other and lots have happened and I didn't want to wait until I was back from my trip. That didn't feel right. We are good friends and we step up when each other needs extra support. It's as simple as that.

Ironically the topics for discussion tonight are people who just disappear when they cannot handle stuff -- that's what has happened to my friend -- as well as people who engage in relationships on their own terms ie. conditional relationships -- with neither situation bringing any joy with it.

I have strong opinions about relationships. I believe that relationships are as strong as the weakest link. You can't have one person giving it their all and the other one taking all the time without serious consequences. Long ago, I decided to give as much as I get from the other person and it has served me well. No unmet expectations.

Of course there will be times you'll be required to step up for a while but on average, it is a nice balance. It also keeps things honest and real as it is easy to imagine something that is not there when you are too busy doing everything. Someone once said if we'd look at our personal relationships akin to building a business relationship, we'd avoid a lot of mistakes. Interesting thought.

Preparations

Barring any new ash cloud return, it looks like our upcoming trip is a go. We are taking a few pre-cautions.

• We are bringing more money.
• We will know where the nearest banks are just in case we need to access more cash.
• We are looking up alternate accommodations should our stay end up longer.
• We are looking up train transport to other cities should we need to get re-routed.
• We are bringing all chargers for all devices.
• We will be travelling with a laptop.
• We will have extra photocopies of our passports.
• We will have oversea toll free numbers to our credit card companies.
• We will know where the Canadian Embassy is.
• We will know the number to our travel insurance support line.
• We've learned from current events that airlines are using Facebook and Twitter as a tool to help rebook passengers...really amazing...this age we are living.

Anything else you'd add to the list?

Different Strokes

D and I have a very small circle of friends. Most of them are older than we are brought together by mutual love of travelling and life. Friends our age tend to be knee deep into shuttling grade school or highschool kids around.

As we don't have kids (and don't plan to), we have a fairly leisurely lifestyle and the numbers of people our age who can relate to us has dropped off significantly over the years. Luckily we don't need to have other people around to have a good time.

We had dinner with some of D's colleagues who I found out, do their best to avoid taking vacations with their spouse. It took me by surprise as I don't understand that.

"B" is a senior member of a medium size corporation, makes a good amount of money and has a couple of kids finishing highschool. They are members at a prestigious country club and on the surface look like they have "everything".

His wife doesn't need to work but does part time because there are great benefits to working for a bank. They probably spend 8 nights away a year with each other. The other 7 weeks a year are spent vacationing with 3 - 4 other families.

I cannot imagine it. I can understand when the kids are young, it is nice to be able to switch off with other parents but when the kids are ready to move away for school?

D and I spend an inordinately amount of time together even thought I go away solo a few times a year. I cannot imagine not seeing him much during the week for most of the year and then not really getting away together on top of that.

It wouldn't be my idea of the way I'd like things at my home. They seem to be alright with it. Perhaps I am way more needy than I thought. Makes me wonder how they will fare when they have an empty nest.

Getting Ready

We are so close to hitting the 5 digit mark on our main house mortgage, I can taste it. It will officially happen next Friday when our mortgage payment is taken out.

This month has been a big month for mortgage pay down because it is a 3 payment month (biweekly schedule) as well as the annual top of extra prepayment. Remember we have maximum prepayment laws here in Canada...

May will mark the start of prepayments on the ski condo mortgage as well. It will be nice to see it clip along faster than the measly amount it has been moving.

In light of D's first pay cheque coming soon, we've spent a lot of time working on modifications to our spreadsheets to reflect the different days of the month he is getting paid and the effects on our cash flow.

What a nightmare it was as I already had mine jigged out "perfectly" and now, some of our savings goals and regular spending timing is changing.

It's hard to go with the flow when spreadsheets, by their nature are exact. D's severance ended up less than we thought due to differing tax withholding levels but at least it came earlier than they said so that was a nice bonus.

Stepping Away

There comes a point where it is best to step back and not fight. I know of this idea but have not really voluntarily felt like doing it before. Maybe I'm losing my Type A personality status?

My computer is still noisy. The problem wasn't solved. A part that we ruled out initially with help from support was replaced -- a waste.

My first response was anger. A couple of phone calls later and more time wasted with each person needing to get up to speed with the situation did not offer any next steps other than please send it back for them to delve into it deeper.

To add oil to the fire, they were not able to just send me another box and return slip even though they had all my information already. I had to go through the process again. Do I have another 15 min?

No I didn't. My time is my most precise commodity and my internal timer for such nonsense had just dinged. Am I happy with the idea that should I send it back, they will have had my computer longer than I've owned it? No, I'm not.

Then something inside me just let go -- Just blew away, it felt. I don't need to do this. I don't need to feel this anger/discouragement/powerlessness anymore. It was my choice. I believe I had a Zen moment.

It wasn't a feeling of defeat that accompanied my realization (which would have angered me further) but freedom. Freedom of choice, to step away from this unhealthy mental/emotional energetic mess. It felt good and powerful.

I will continue to enjoy my somewhat noisy laptop until it no longer wishes to work and take full responsibility for not choosing to engage with their support crew any further -- since it felt like it was shortening my life.

My relationship with HP has ended with this experience. Too bad as this is the 3rd laptop I've owned from them. I like what they make but what came with it this time undid my previous good memories with interest.

I started filling out their support feedback survey and stopped shortly after as I had mentally already moved on and didn't care to re-live my experience anymore.

Ending on a happier note, D and I just got word our local area's drive in theatre is opening up for the season again. We've never been around here, just to the one near the cottage. So that is on tap for Friday night!

I can already taste the popcorn, fries and onion rings... :) Just 2 movies this time. We have to wait for a long weekend to take in 4... can't wait for that either!

Delays

There seems to be growing Canadian anger from people who know people or are themselves stranded in Europe unable to come home.

I'm surprised at this because as a nation, we aren't known to be overly opinionated or vocal.

D and I discussed what we'd do should we find ourselves in the same predicament.

Basically, we aren't seeing why there is an expectation of the Canadian government to send war ships and planes to evacuate people who have been stranded for 5 days in a first world country.

If it isn't safe to fly, I don't want to fly.

Some of the points that have been brought up include people running out of money, medicine, people who needed to be at a surgery, funeral, birthday party, wedding etc.

No one asked for this... This is an act of Nature...

And, it isn't all about YOU... There are tens of thousands of people involved.

This may come across as uncaring or harsh. My intent isn't to be unfeeling. If 5 days is enough to unravel your life in a first world country, then I would question just how prepared or secure are you?

It doesn't take much or many people for chaos to spread. Taking personal responsibility in a case like this includes being patient.

Airlines are more anxious than anyone to get back into business. The Internet will allow people to keep in touch, make alternate arrangements.

Hopefully people have enough room on their credit cards to spring for some extra days' worth of accommodations and to buy needed medication.

Airlines are giving priority to people who have been waiting the longest during flight re-booking. I realize that camping out at an airport isn't fun -- it never has been.

Travel insurance claims can be made once people are back home -- Keep your receipts. It is unfortunate that there are reports of hotels increasing their rates seemingly to take advantage of the situation.

We cannot always make it to birthday parties, funerals, surgeries etc. even if we weren't stranded. Car accidents take more people out than something that happens once in a blue moon.

If we have to take a week longer off without pay, then so be it. I would not expect anyone to compensate me. Travel is a luxury item and a choice for a lot of people.

I'm pretty philosophical about stuff like this. Things do not always work out as planned. This is a part of Life.

I only read one article in Canadian news about the plight of the farmers in southern Iceland. They are exhausted from working overtime caring for their contained animals while having to breath in the ash laden air.

Not surprising, they have refused to abandon their home. Some ash clean up has started at farms where winds have shifted.

I decided to subscribe to a magazine I read while in Iceland called "Iceland Review" so that I can keep up with what is really going on in what has quickly become one of my favorite countries.

Getting Caught Up and Ready

My plan this summer was going to include not working Fridays. As I don't work Mondays, it would mean a 4 day long weekend for 8 weeks.

This morning I had another idea. It would be maybe as fun or better to take 2 solid weeks off instead of all the Fridays. When I looked at my calendar, I realized I could accomplish that with a couple of days to spare. A good or better alternative. Going to sleep on it.

Over the weekend, I was proactive and purchased a can of regular bug spray (for personal use). I am one of those people who tends to get sought out by biting insects. The natural spray I've been using hasn't worked very well the last few summers so it is back to using DEET.

Was at my family Dr's today to go over my long overdue blood work. Everything came back really good. I also got a Tetanus shot as it was overdue as well and my prescription for a new Epipen. All and all a good visit.

I always feel better after seeing him because he is just the most lighthearted guy. He genuinely loves what he does and loves being around people. When you don't need to work anymore, I think you'd have to love it to voluntarily continue to work full time.

Next stop will be our local travel clinic. I need to make an appointment to discuss travel immunization needs for Argentina. Most likely I'll be getting shots for Typhoid and Yellow fever.

Like many others, we are keeping a close watch on the volcanic ash situation over Europe. If we don't get to go, the airlines are offering a very fair refund or change policy. We'd likely have to claim our apartment rental through our travel insurance if we do not receive an option to change dates.

Would You Pay For This?

I was really surprised to find out that an acquaintance of mine had joined a multi-level marketing/pyramid scheme. For some reason, I thought that whole type of business didn't really exist anymore?

Back in the late 80's and early 90's they seemed to be everywhere and was a source of income for stay at home moms who weren't already involved with Avon or Amway.

The one he has linked up with requires a fee to join and monthly quotas whereby if he doesn't sign up at least 2 people to work on behalf of him, then you lose your "status", whatever that means. To me it seems like a lot of pressure.

The product he is representing is a health supplement which costs at least $300 a month. When I was given the sales pitch, all I could think about was "holy smokes, that is more than our monthly food budget...".

I have a hard time justifying that expenditure and I can afford it. What would I need to hear to convince me to shell over the money? Personally, I didn't hear anything that overrode the $300 plus dollars a month echoing in my head. I'm going to stick with eating better and exercising.

Over Service

Can there be such a thing as over service? Yes, yes I believe there is and I have been a recipient of it.

I came home yesterday to D telling me there was another message from HP giving me an update on my laptop fix. They have been calling 4 days out of 5 to give me basically the same message when I've been already checking my status online.

Forget that part.

The fact that I can barely understand the agent who is leaving the message is the most irritating thing as sometimes, because of the intonation, I start thinking they are telling me there is something seriously wrong when in the end, there isn't.

So I get online and email about my experience and to request that I no longer wish to get updates by phone and 3 emails later, after being asked to provide documentation on when and what time I've been called and by whom, I gave up and called customer service in Canada.

They confirmed that I have been receiving calls from an overseas call center and she will suspend their access to my phone number. Excellent. I reminded myself to call that number next time should I need any help.

Customer service gone too far. Doesn't help and ends up irritating instead of feeling like you are being taken care of. Inefficient and not organized.

I'm sure it is far cheaper for a company like HP (and numerous others) to move an aspect of their business that way because on paper, it probably looks like you are getting a lot of value for the dollar but as everyone knows, its quality, not quantity.

(Update: Just got notice my laptop is fixed and is getting delivered today! YEAH!)

Have a Great Weekend Everyone!!!

What a World We Live In

I cannot imagine my world without the Internet anymore. Sure, it can be a total time waster as well as a great way to part with your money but I have learned so much from online sources.

Take this blog for instance. I am communicating with people I would not likely have a chance to meet in my day to day life. And I would not say that this hobby is taking away anything from my regular life. I've added to it, not substitute it for something else, increasing the dimensions of it.

Like a lot of people I know, I was a late adapter to Facebook (cannot see myself considering Twitter -- Don't want to be plugged in that much...) and have caught up with many friends from around the world since.

Probably only have 5 people who I see regularly as "friends" as this is a tool I use for people I don't live close to.

Another case at point. I just paid the rest of our balance for the apartment we are renting in Berlin and the booking deposit for the one I'm renting in BA, using PayPal. When I first heard of it, I thought it was a crazy concept.

What use case would there be for people to deal with a vendor whereby I would want to hide my credit card number?! Not anymore. You can't beat the convenience.

Sure there is a fee sometimes but when you are taking a crazy early flight and need to get your security deposit back after check out, it's nice to know it can just be credited it back without inconveniencing anyone.

Plus, it is less cash I have to be carrying around. The world has just expanded just that much more.

Life Clips Along

I'm getting a raise. What it means to me is that I will be raising the price of my services between 2.4% and 5% after 5 years of no raises. I feel it is fair. This change will be effective May 1st.

Just filed my taxes on D's computer just to get it out of the way even though I wanted to have the file on my own laptop. The status of its repair is saying they are waiting for a part now to arrive sometime in the next 2 weeks... :( I've sent an email detailing how I am none too happy about it. Maybe they'll send me a new computer...not holding my breath...

I have other things that are demanding my attention such as outdoor garden spring clean up (Have I ever mentioned I happen to enjoy raking?), reading (The Host is out in paperback now and I'm getting a copy) and more neighbourhood bike riding.

Cottage opening is slated for this weekend. D is gearing up for his 5th attempt at getting the water started (we run on a well up there). Historically it has been the plumbers who do it for us but each year we hope that we'll get the gist of it and save the $200. The closing part has been successful. As we haven't been up since Oct of last year, we hope it is still standing!

Everyday Living

My hair is starting to drive me crazy. Because I forgot to bring a measuring tape with me last year when I had the big cut, 12 inches ended up being taken off instead of 8 so this year, it is taking longer to grow the 8 inches required for donation. I'm at 6 1/2 inches right now. Was hoping to have short hair for the summer...

I've decide to put in a concerted effort in the next 2 1/2 weeks to learn some more German. I'm going to depend on Living Language's All Audio German to help me out. I've used this series before (Italian) to good success. We'll see what I can do with it this time.

D and I went on our first bike ride in over 2 years -- not since we moved. The bikes and helmets have been patiently waiting. It was fun seeing our neighbourhood from a different perspective.

We live in a very mature neighbourhood now compared to where we come from (6 yrs old) so you really notice the shade provided by the old trees, how much more the homes are set back and the narrower roads.

D is already dreaming of a new bike. His is 14 yrs old and was one of the first hybrids out there and for the time, quite costly. Mine, on the other hand is 4 yrs old, has a lot of suspension, thicker tires and is very comfortable. D wants 2 bikes -- road and a mountain one.

There is nothing material I really want right now (outside of my laptop to return fixed asap) -- that is unless you count plane tickets. I know someone who is still driving their well running vehicle with 428K on it so that has gotten me determined to see my car through a while further.

Tying up Loose Ends

We will be covered under D's old health care plan for another couple of weeks and then we will not have any extended health care benefits.

There are couple of loose ends to tie up, such as getting a new Epipen (I can get ridiculous reactions to bug bites and to some foods -- never had to use it but it is nice to know it is there) and my 6 month dental check up before time's up.

I've never had extended health coverage until I became covered under D's plan so it will be back to what I knew before.

Got an email newsletter from our ski resort yesterday talking about the upcoming HST combo tax that is hitting the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia this July. What it will mean for some products or services is a increase of 7% tax.

We are starting to see a lot of early buy/lock in incentives including this one, for our annual ski season passes. I calculated that it would save $47 or so each should be buy now. Plus they are selling it to us at last year's prices. I think we will go for it.

Time vs Money

The numbers are in and my extra income for March was what I had expected -- $1790.94 -- more than enough for D to pay for his laptop with his half. I'm banking mine for when the next seat sale comes my way! (Hot off the press -- I purchased my next flight! My half of the money has been used!)

This is a great time to be buying the Euro. With the upheaval in the European markets, the currency has dropped to levels I've not seen since its conception. I'm heading to the bank shortly to get some for our upcoming trip.

I had a thought the other day that seemed to make sense to me regarding work. Because I have an idea of how much income I make a year, when I make more during the year, wouldn't it make sense to then take more time off later on the year in order to even things out?

Confused? What I am trying to say is -- Assuming I wish to stay in the same income band, then I can afford to work less if I found myself already ahead of the game? Rather than end up making more by the end of the year, I would be choosing time over income. Of course this assumed the rest of the year clips by similarly.

Control

I drove to work for the first time this year due to the hail, lightning and torrential rain. It felt weird not shifting. Made driving feel almost too passive for the first couple of minutes.

Haven't filed my taxes yet, even though I've paid for the online tax service. I was hoping to use my own computer for it.

We are eagerly anticipating D's first pay cheque at the end of the month. It will confirm whether our tax and other deduction estimates are accurate. His severance from the last job is supposed to roll in around the same time. It will be a nice windfall.

Of course every penny of both have been "spent", mostly on savings and extra mortgage prepayments -- amazing how easily it all disappears.

In all honesty, D thinks I'm neurotic and that I ought to "loosen up a little and keep a bit aside for some fun" but little does he know, it is done to save me from myself. Plus I think I get plenty of fun.

Having been a pretty big spender in the past (we didn't know each other then), he hasn't really seen me "in action". The closest he has got in recent times was when he watched me at the car dealership last year and I almost said yes to buying the EVO. It apparently scared and excited him...

I bought the cottage a few months after we met (almost 7 yrs ago) and that only took 1 1/2 hr of negotiating, done while he was at work. I still remember he thought I was joking when I called him up and said "Guess what I just bought?" :)

More Everyday Stuff

I just finished reading "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova. Scared the living daylights out of me, not in a gory way but a mental way. You'd have to read it to see for yourself. Highly recommend it.

Had another morning office meeting at a nicer 10 am time on a non work day. Much better than the 7:30 am a few Saturdays ago!

My laptop got to where it needed to go and they have an estimated delivery date next Monday. Don't know if I'll get it or if they will be done with it by then -- probably the latter. Either way it ought to be here next week -- Yay!

Today is bookkeeping day. As crazy as it sounds, I rather enjoy it most of the time because it is for the most part just data entry. Why pay someone to do it when Quicken isn't that difficult to use?

Now that we are solidly into spring, the dampness in the air makes the house feel cooler than the thermostat is saying. I actually switched on the heat today to dry up the air a bit. Strange!

I'm relying on D to come through on the language front on our next trip. I am not one ounce motivated to continue with German. Perhaps the stress of last month had a bigger impact on me than I thought.

There is serious water main replacement happening down the street from where we live. That has meant heavy equipment going up and down, mud, dust and early morning machine noise.

I think they will be working on it for another month. So no open windows for too long right now. No problem today as we are getting hail and lightning and thunderstorms.

Everyday Stuff

Our neighbourhood is starting a community gardening plot. We got our papers yesterday and for our $35 fee, we will get group lectures on planting and cultivating prized produce.

D is super excited about this. We haven't started any seedlings over the winter so that will mean we may be buying some if we want tomatoes etc. on time. We are hoping this year's growing campaign will exceed last year's.

I braved up and called my insurer about the increase in our home insurance rates with this year's renewal (I dread being on hold...). We got the notice early March and with all the excitement around D's job, I hadn't got around calling yet.

Didn't really get a clear explanation about the rate increase other than the usual cost of living adjustment and cost of home rebuilds going up -- replacement value of our home has gone up to 705K.

Turns out we have a couple of optional coverages that can be dropped. I'm going sleep overnight on it and decide tomorrow. Dropping them will mean around a $15 decrease per month.

I had read somewhere you get a pretty significant discount on home insurance if you are mortgage free -- anywhere from 15 - 20%. We own the cottage outright so I asked. The discount only applies to your primary home. Something to remember when the time comes.

I know a few bloggers who will be eligible for this discount in the not too distant near future... :)

D is going to scout out day parking rates around his work today. As he is going to need to be at a particular office once a week, it won't make sense to keep paying for a monthly parking pass.

Is it my imagination or have you found food companies actually making more individually package products than ever? How is that environmentally friendly? Is it so hard to offer even larger packages so that one can divide it up using reusable containers to save on garbage?

My laptop has been finally sent off to get looked at. D helped me off load all my stuff and it has been sitting in its shipping box since last week. I was (not so) patiently waiting for the UPS shipping label to come.

Turns out the system had changed and I was suppose to contact UPS and they email the label now. I had to call HP back to find that out -- not impressed. Someone forgot to give me the number. Anyways, it is off now and with any luck, should get it back in 1 1/2 weeks or so. It's amazing how quickly you get used to your machine.

Budgeting Time & Money

It's a good thing I didn't end up buying my plane ticket a week ago. D gave me some revised household numbers last night that has changed our cash flow for this month. Even though my ticket has nothing to do with household budget, I like to have everything accounted for before I do anything extra.

I wasn't thrilled to find out that we were off $328 -- how could that have happened anyways?! I think he is using some creative accounting techniques I haven't learned yet... :) Being that I use a zero-sum budgeting system, any changes from his spreadsheet affects my spreadsheet lines ie. more work for me.

I will also find out this week if the extra income I predicted for March will come through. There have been times where I find out about account write offs for the month which can heavily impact on the bottom line. Hope this isn't the month for something like that as D's new computer is supposed to be covered by it -- Yup, we took a small risk here as the sale was coming to an end.

In the last few weeks, I've had a number of seminars/workshops/meetings that have landed on my off days. This week is no exception. It makes the week feel longer as I have come to count on my off days to regenerate. I'm hoping this trend slow down or ends soon.

Sell?

I am considering calling the realtor who held the listing for the cottage for a market evaluation of the property. The results of it may sway me in the direction of selling it. For some time, I've had a desire to liquidate it and just hold it as cash in preparation for our next move, whatever it may be.

D feels it is because I am impatient and in a few years I will have an increase in cash flow by virtue of not having mortgage payments. Perhaps he is right. Mentally I know I would feel freer with more money in the bank now, rather than a building.

Deep down, I know I bought the cottage at a time in my life when I wanted a place to escape to. As my life has gotten more balanced and less hectic, I have felt a lesser need to run away and more of a wish to explore other places.

My change of heart may be a good sign. Has the use of the cottage run its course of usefulness for me? Perhaps another family can enjoy it for many years to come?

It hasn't got old for D so I struggle with the timing of this. There isn't a real financial reason why it has to be sold now. I just think that with interest rates so low, there may be people out there who are in the market to lock things up before things rise.

Selling a home, especially one 4 hrs away also takes a lot of energy -- Not entirely sure I want to open the can of worms, just somewhat sure.

Driving Fast

Our four day getaway itself was pretty economical. We stayed in a hotel suite and prepared some of our meals. Originally we were going to fly there and decided last minute to make it into a road trip. So, we have a couple of travel credits to be used later on.

The purpose of the trip? For me to learn how to drive standard better in preparation for a rally driving course. This was the not so economical part. My instructor was a semi professional rally driver and man, can he control the car. I did a lot of drills and patterns over the last 3 days and it was nerve wrecking and tiring.

I did stall and shifted in the wrong gear once but seem to have a knack for hill starts. He was nice enough to tell me I was performing ahead of the pack but I still felt very deficient. This experience has helped me decide not to take more than a 2 day rally course at a time because mentally I think I would lag or shut down.

Other than to participate in the sport, I did not develop the affinity for stick shift in daily driving -- to D's dismay -- I think he was hoping we'd be heading over to the nearest Subaru or JDM dealership after my classes.

For me, it is a lot of work when you cannot drive fast. I think I will stick with an automatic vehicle for everyday and practice the other weekly to keep my skills up.

Changes

I went to book the flight I had on hold last night and it turned out I misunderstood when the hold expired. I thought I still had 3 hrs to go when it had expired 2 hrs earlier (Europe time vs North American time).

So the flight is now more expensive as the seat sale is over...My gut is telling me there will be another opportunity so I'll be patient and wait. Why a Canadian site would use Europe time is beyond me as I have never had this happen before.

Today will be the last day of the first week of D's new job. He has been out of town for 3 days -- the norm each week. I'm not sure I love his commute. I'm a worry wort that way. And I tend to think of decisions with respect to how it impacts health and lifestyle. It is going to take a couple of months for us to flow with the new scheduling.

He is happy with the new challenges and is still sorting out the "Do we still need the parking pass?" issue as he is finding out that perhaps he will not be able to work remote as much as he was led to believe.

I guess this is part and parcel of contract work and the sacrifices you make for extra money. D is getting paid 60% more than he was at his last job and in 6 months, will know if he will be offered a permanent position or continue as contract or if he will be job hunting again.

Being I am not motivated by money much (at least that is what I tell myself) -- if I was, I'd be working a lot more -- plus I don't work in a corporate world, with computers nor carry a Blackberry -- and wouldn't relish the thought of being called at all hours -- I'm having a harder go at adjusting to it and being woken up earlier than he is.

Reminds me just how much freedom and control I do have with my work -- despite those occassional rough days -- time to be grateful!

Like most people, we have a 4 day long weekend coming up. We'll be taking a road trip out of town for the duration. Have a Super Easter Everyone!