What a Saturday

What a marathon day yesterday. We ended up staying at a hotel the night before meeting my guy with the tires to save the long morning drive. The driving time was saved but the experience at the hotel I think shortened D's life.

There was a family who took up 3 rooms across the way and they were going back and forth amongst the rooms while letting the doors slam. After 11 pm, their neighbour told them to quiet down while D went down to the front desk to see if we could switch rooms.

Unfortunately the hotel was full. They did quiet down but were at it again at around 3 am, then checked out aft 5 am. We did our best to understand that with multi-family outings, it can be loud.

However, travelling with the family requires some learning that when co-habiting with others, new habits need to be cultivated in public spaces. This applies to supermarkets too.

The purchase of my snow tires and rims went through. The front tires were more worn than the rears which is understandable but were more worn than I had expected. I was worned about that due to the weight of the vehicle. What I am planning to do is use them in the back this season.

D got his bike fitting and pick up done earlier than scheduled. We had planned to go for lunch before his appointment but they were ready for him so we pushed through instead. There was an impressive level of biomechanical checks in the fitting. I found it fascinating. We definitely felt we got more than our money's worth.

My travel cancellation refund arrived Friday! It has been safely deposited. One less thing to wonder about. I was worrying about what I would do if it got lost and how long I would have to wait before they would re-issue another cheque.

It has been an early and busy morning. D got confirmation of our refund and bonus from our apartment rental owner and has booked our new spot. He was very grateful we were able help out.

We toyed with the idea of cancelling the trip in light of both of our recent expenses and food allergy findings. I am usually the queen of that, first for D. He feels it is my influence. I wasn't against it as I have done my share of travelling this year. But D really is looking forward to it so full steam ahead.

Changes

It's perhaps a sign of the times. We got an email last night from the owner of the apartment rental in France asking us if we would consider finding a different spot because she has an opportunity to take on a long term rental contract.

As she may be losing her job and is expecting a baby, the extra security of the long term rental is needed at this time. She also offered us monetary compensation if we would be able to accommodate.

So D and I got out our laptops and started searching. We've had a good relationship with her over the years and if we could find another place in short notice, we would help out.

We haven't been able to find another waterfront spot at anywhere close to the price we are paying but there are 3 we like which will cost what we paid plus the compensation we would be getting as it is coming in close to double.

I've made inquiries into one of them while the others can be booked instantly online so I'll give it til the end of this weekend to decide as we are heading out of town anyways.

I hope this isn't going to mean the sale of the apartment sometime in the future. I am projecting my own feelings onto this scenario when I say it would be sad if it came to that. But I don't know if it was bought originally as just an investment or not.

Picture Time -- Sicily: Taormina & Messina

Food & Life

Am still waiting for my travel refund cheque. They tell me it is "in the mail"... I'm doing my best not to think of it. On the other hand, the roof over charge payment came back so that's great.

I'm anxious to get the travel cheque because I managed to have spent it all and some (knowing it was coming) in Turkey buying a tiny silk on silk carpet (2 ft x 2 ft) and a sheet of original Arabic writing (blessing from the Koran). I'll see if I can get some good pictures of them and post them up. I've paid for them already but it would be nice to replenish my dream account.

The appointment has been confirmed also for the purchase of my rims. As it is a private sale, I will be paying in cash. Total price $2150. D has made an appointment for me to get them on my car in Nov. He has also confirmed with the plumbers to close our cottage as well. Nice to have things falling into place.

The big news is my food allergy test results are back and they are even less pretty than D's. I too am reactive to dairy and eggs as well as peanuts, almonds, pineapple, kidney beans and clams. Like D, I have no symptoms when I eat those foods but my body is fighting them on the inside.

Considering my favourite dish in Italy is "Spaghetti alle vongole veraci" (spaghetti and clams) and I just ate some in Taormina as well as pineapple daily and eggs at breakfast...I'm not a milk drinker or cereal eater but will take cream in coffee/tea and eat it in the form of whipped cream and such in desserts.

And the kicker is we are leaving for France soon and it is the land of dairy! D has already decided he doesn't care and will eat anything he wants as he figured if he never got tested, he would have gone his whole life not knowing.

I'm still in aftershock but right now I think I'm going to try and work around it. Breakfast will be the most difficult because I love my croissants and pain au chocolat...

Wheels and Deals

I've been sourcing out rims and winter tires for my car. D worked on it while I was away. The best price for aftermarket rims and good tires are in the $3200 range new.

I found a couple of online ads yesterday for used OEM rims with really good condition tires for $2200 - $2700. We are hoping to make an appointment to see them this weekend. And hoping they don't sell before we get there. They are 3 hrs away but we will be heading that way on Sat.

D just made a fairly large purchase -- A road bike. That's what we will be picking up this weekend. He has friends who are heavily into long distance racing and D is hoping to join in for next season. Next thing you know he'll be doing triathlons. Guess my pack muling days aren't over just yet.

We tried our hand at making Turkish coffee last night using the Cezve and coffee I brought home. It was too watery compared to what I had so we'll need to keep at it. D is loving the Turkish delight (pomegranate and pistachio) as well as the roasted pistachio nuts.

I was a bit worried as to whether they would allow me to bring the snacks back to the country because on our customs declaration form, it did mention nuts but in the end I believe it meant raw nuts vs processed. I was all ready to eat them up right there if it wasn't allowed. The nuts cost 90 TL a kilo and I had 1/2 kilo in my possession!

Back to Regular Programming

Am back from another great trip. I was happy to get home. Flights were delayed due to weather and luckily not to an Air Canada strike. Me and 2 others ended up at seats where the entertainment units malfunctioned.

10 hrs is a long time to entertain oneself when I had been looking forward to seeing 4 movies. We did get a 5% off voucher for our suffering. Thank goodness for my tablet.

Due to jet lag, I've been up the past 5 hrs doing bookkeeping, returning emails and taking stock of phone messages. Less to do on Monday.

This trip had a lot of travel built into it so I didn't walk as much as I usually do. D still thought I loss weight so that was good to hear.

I'm concerned about Athen's future. It was absolute gridlock when I was there as the metro and buses were on strike. I had arranged for private transportation because I didn't want to trust my luck. Those who didn't depended on taxis and paid through their noses to get anywhere.

It took over 2 hrs to get from the port of Pireaus to the Acropolis. 45 min is the norm. On the way back, a truck deliberately blocked the entrance to the port (which was flooded from the torrential rain) so it took nearly 3 hrs before I was able to get off.

People seemed so sad. The weather didn't help. It was 11 degrees Celsius with lightning and thunder and pouring rain. The wind was crazy. Many umbrellas broke and I managed to bruise myself from having the handle of mine so tight against me.

There were a few injuries as well. The marble steps and walkways at the Acropolis got really slippery when wet. My shoes did their job and gripped.

Despite the weather and traffic challenges, I learned a lot and the view from the top was pretty awesome. No time to do a lot of shopping or eating in the Plaka this time around. Because it was so cool, I had been dreaming of Moussaka but I needed to back to get to Rhodes on time.

I am not keen on returning to Athens until they get things sorted out. The logistics and state of the city (garbage and city works dept on strike...) isn't going to help their tourism sector. I saw a lot of unhappy people who were trying to make their way to the port to check in to their luxury cruise liner (Seabourn) having flown into Athens.

Off I Go

Good news came today in the form of a notification that my travel cancellation claim for my Buenos Aires trip has been processed and I will be receiving a cheque for the entire amount!

It took 3 weeks which I feel is very reasonable. I thought it was going to take 4 - 6 weeks. D will keep the cheque safe for me until I return. I leave tonight.

Have a great couple of weeks everyone!

Travel Clothing Update

After a couple of months of use I have some feedback on the new travel clothes I bought. I wanted to see if there really was something to them and if it was possible to find clothing that didn't look like too stereotypical travel.

At a local hiking/camping store I found a couple of items on sale made by Kuhl. They happened to fit so I came home with their "Sierra" skirt and "Kuhl Jean". Both worked really well in Scandinavia. Really comfortable and looked urban enough to wear everyday and I have been.

I then ordered another jean and skirt (same style, different colours) online from Campmor for about the same sale price as my local store had no more stock.

I found them to pack well, light as anything and even water resistant. They looked a bit wrinkled at first after unpacking but once hung they straightened out. They also straightened out well when worn. Easy to wash.

My only issue was with the 2nd pant which fitted snugger than the first even though they were the same size. But I had lost weight after that trip so the first pair seemed a bit loose. After a few minutes in the dryer it shrunk just enough to be perfect.

There are many brands available. None of them I would call cheap. You can even get travel underwear which are supposed to dry in 3 -4 hrs after hand washing. Be prepared to shell out $25 - $35 a pair.

The main thing in common with all the pieces I saw was the strong feeling of durability. I think if you are in market, you'll probably only need a few key pieces and they will likely last you "forever".

Home Maintenance Update

Well the partial roof replacement has been done and we got the bill and it has been paid. There was a little glitch of being charged $60 more than invoiced but I believe it was just a slip of the hand when entering the amount. They are correcting it.

Yesterday we got a quote for our driveway replacement. The concrete company representative arrived first and we were pleasantly surprised at the $6400 quote. In our minds we thought it was going to over $10000.

He told us that people have this idea concrete is really really expensive when it turned out to be maybe about $1500 more than asphalt. That was his guess. The asphalt company hasn't provided their quote yet.

I just want an idea for budgeting purposes. Have not decided when to get it done. Outside of the main roof which we've already saved for, central air conditioning unit (to come someday), the driveway is the last of the big things on our house maintenance list.

Artsy Stuff

One of the things I am most looking forward to on this next voyage is seeing Arabic Calligraphy done (hopefully in person!). I love the different forms of script found all around the world.

When I was younger, I remember getting a new calligraphy kit each year and doing pages and pages of writing in all different ink colours. I would love to take a formal course on it.

Turns out there are calligraphy guilds all around the world. I'm considering contacting the nearest one to find out if there are workshops available.

A current TV commercial for Hyundai features Mozart's Sonata in B flat Major reminded me I haven't touched my piano in a very long time. I played that Sonata for my grade 10 piano exam 21 yrs ago...gosh I feel not so young... :)

Updates

My Naturopathic appointment has come and gone. Five vials of blood and $453 later, I'm set for now and waiting for results to come back in about about a month.

She recommended a more extensive blood test to me vs what D got because I've actually gotten hives from things (food and other) meaning I've had a history of quick reactions. I'm just glad we have some extended health coverage for such things.

I'm going to be gone soon for a couple of weeks so I am just going to enjoy myself and not worry about what I may or may not be allergic to.

I only need Euro and Turkish Lira on this next trip and got the Lira yesterday so I'm set. Just enough pocket money for small meals and stuff. Anything else will be on credit card. Euro, I usually have a stash of it at home so didn't need any more.

Housing Comparables

A new organic butcher has moved into our area and I'm looking forward to stopping by to see what they have. Since our last butcher moved we haven't had easy access to organic meat so we just cut back.

Now that it looks like we may have a good option again, we are hoping to go back to organic but continue at our lower consumption levels.

D and I really like real estate shows on TV. When I see couples our age or younger searching for housing in the $800K - 1.2 mil range I get fascinated at how they do it. Makes me feel like I am missing out on something.

So D went and calculated that an $800K mortgage paid bi-weekly over 25 yrs is not far from what we had been paying. So I guess if we really really wanted to, we too can afford to own something that expensive.

In reality, if I had to spend a million on real estate, I wouldn't do so on one property. I'd own a main house, a cottage/city bolt hole and an apartment in Nice/Amsterdam.

Based on what we already know of real estate costs in those places, it is very doable and would give us more joy than just one mansion. It helps to know our home when found in a city location would cost at least $700K and up.

Food and More Free Stuff

We went over our customary 2 week food budget by around $35 due to surprise meat sales and we wanted to stock up. Now that we don't eat much meat, this shop is expected to last quite a while.

It never fails to shock us just how much we can buy if you shop what is on sale vs what you are craving as well as real food vs processed food.

Continuing on the theme of getting stuff for free, we are a bit peeved that our blue Air Miles program no longer offers the 2 for 1 movie vouchers. Really, they are the only rewards we are interested in getting from them.

As they are not available anymore, we will opt for $20 grocery gift cards instead. I remind myself it is still free...

Free and Not so Free

We received our 3rd $50 gas card courtesy of Mastercard today. It's fun to get something free, especially when the card doesn't cost us anything. Pretty much anything we can charge on the credit card we do.

The partial roof replacement has finally been done and when it gets charged on our Visa, we will be getting yet another gas card. We have been driving around more lately so free gas is definitely welcomed.

Our eyes were opened when we were at our local bulk food store to buy gluten free flour. Three scoops came to over $9! I don't know how people who have to eat gluten free can afford all the pre-made foods.

Life and Taxes

D told me his potential yearly bonus to be paid in Jan 2012 will be taxed almost 50% if we choose to accept it straight up. Don't you love Canadian taxes?

He has the option of putting it into his RSP and with his tax bracket will receive a good portion back as a tax refund. We just won't get the money until he files his taxes and the return is processed meaning March. We will go this route.

The plan for the money is still the same. Whatever we get back will go as a lump sum payment to the new consolidated mortgage as if he was still paying for the car separately. Psychologically it helps us remember the true mortgage portion rather than looking at the whole number.

My next trip is approaching fast. Barring any airline and various country strikes I am expecting to arrive on time and have a fabulous time. When I was considering this getaway, I wasn't sure I could afford the time off. Now that it is coming up, I am thankful for it.

Mentally I've made another step forward. To a place where I am believing the pressure to bring in a certain amount of income is almost all gone. I did a fun calculation yesterday to prove to myself just that.

I figured out I need to work one day a month to cover my office expenses. Any more goes to savings and spending money. It was a relief to see it in black and white. On average I am now working between 6 - 8 days a month with 10 weeks off a year.

For the next phase of personal development I want to start taking Arts courses again at the university level. A friend of mine achieved his Bachelor of Arts a couple of years ago having plugged away at it part time for years while working full time in engineering. I was so inspired by his dedication.

Other than a French course I took a few years back, I haven't studied at that level since and am anxious to get back at it. Not sure if I want things too structured meaning the degree route as there are many subjects I'd like to take just for general interest. They may not all add up to a degree.

Allergies

D and I decided to make appointments with a Naturopath to find out ways to become healthier. We were wondering about any latent food allergies.

One way to find out is via a fairly pricey blood test which D took. I haven't had my appointment yet.

Well, the results came back and they are not pretty. Turns out our eating will be changing as it has been found that D is quite allergic to dairy and eggs, two of his favourite food groups.

Re-testing will take place in 6 months but in the meantime, it has been recommend he avoid those foods.

Now I'm nervous about my appointment and what I may be finding out. It is shocking to find out you have allergies to something when you don't have overt symptoms while eating those foods.

As you can imagine, D is not impressed. Meanwhile we are off learning about food substitutes.

Extreme Couponing

D and I saw our first episode of "Extreme Couponing". It was something! Foreign concept for us Canadians as we don't (or at least my area doesn't) get many coupons at all.

Once in a blue moon, we'll receive an envelope with some coupons in it for $1 off some product that costs $3.50 or buy one dinner get the 2nd at 1/2 price. And the dinner is in the $14 - 17 range.

When there are useful coupons, there is also a limit of 4 or 6. It is unheard of for us to buy things in the hundreds at a time or for stores to double a coupon or mark something down such that a coupon could cover the entire cost of an item.

Both D and I felt royally ripped off after watching that show.

I am not a hoarder but if I lived in an area that offered an opportunity to get something I use for free, I know I would take advantage of it. With some organization, you can get weekly/biweekly groceries for "free".

We don't eat a whole lot of processed food so that would cut out a lot of the things we saw people were buying on the show.

There is also no reason for me to want hundreds of hand soap or deodorant or shampoo. I'd just keep an eye for sales and coupons when I know I am getting down.

Pension Thoughts

I received confirmation of my part time status at work which will mean a refund cheque will be coming for the difference in my registration fees.

It will make a difference of around $550/yr just for reducing my work hours by one more hour. Had I been more diligent with finding out about this, I could have instated this change back in July. Oh well, it is done now.

We have also decided to use D's (hopefully) annual bonus towards our new consolidated mortgage until the principle amount of what the car represents is paid off. We are not sure how much that will be until Nov of each year.

We are also suppose to receive D's first pension statement then too. I'm extra excited about that. This may sound silly but I have strange fascination for defined benefit pension plans.

Partly because I know a number of people who work for the federal government and my Dad works for the municipal government so I grew up having access to great benefits.

It has also not escaped my eyes the differences I see between retired friends who have such a great pension and those who do not.

In my experience, the ones who have the great pensions ($75K/yr and up) don't appear to be as money savvy as the ones who don't. It could be they don't like sorting out money stuff or it could be they knew they didn't have to know because they were going to be provided for.

The younger people we know who have such pensions tend to be more cautious. They are questioning whether current and future government cut backs will change their pensions. They are going to save on the side just in case.

Until D and I got together, I had no benefits of any sort so I am able to appreciate just how much that can matter. I see it as a form of income. As for the pension part, I see it as getting paid twice for doing one job.

Doesn't really make sense from a business point of view but I'd love to have one. Especially when you do the calculations on how much you'd have to save in order to make your own never ending pension.

When I mention this to my older retired friends, you can tell they haven't considered this nor have done the calculations and realized just what that would have meant to their lifestyles had they needed to put away a significant part of their income along the way.

I can just imagine what I would be able to do in the living my dreams department if I could spend nearly all I made, knowing I'll be "paid" a great amount starting at age 55 or 60 or 65.

Unless I am willing to change careers (assuming I would even get hired) and work for even longer, I am satisfied with living vicariously through D.

D's Advice

D gave me great advice when he suggested I'd better buy my flight with AC. For the past few years we have been able to count on drastic fare reductions in the early fall, about 1 month before travel.

Nothing so far this month. In fact prices have risen a couple of hundred dollars since last week.

KLM just announced their late fall/winter sale prices and save a couple of places, all prices are in the 4 digits. Those fares aren't going to entice anyone. Have we reached the end of "cheap" travel?

I never thought I would hear myself say this but I am mentally feeling the effects of all the transatlantic flights I've taken this year. There are 4 more to go before the end of the year and I'm not actively searching for more.

In other news my TV is expected to arrive today. It will likely take D a bit of time to get it mounted and all the cords attached. It's our first LCD TV.

The back story behind the TV purchase had to do with me finding a used 22" CRT for sale ($25) on our local online classified ads.

D Absolutely Freaked Out at the thought of me going there and buying it and refused to help move or set it up if I did. I was going to offer them $20 if it looked/worked alright.

In my mind it was an upgrade since my current one was 19". And if it was in as excellent a condition as the owner said it was (they also lived in a nice part of town), it would do the job.

I was told to get with the times, get off my wallet, no one buys a tube TV anymore, he'd rather I buy nothing than to buy that, how embarrassing it would look, how ridiculously heavy they are, how much room they take up...did I get all of it D?

The irony of the whole thing? He accused me of acting like an old person. This coming from a dude who frequently makes references to sayings and events that I have no idea what he's talking about and more often than not, pre-dates my birth!

Back to AC

Because of my bonus new fall trip, I have decided to work an extra week to make up part of the time I will be away.

D & I have been talking about not going out west for Christmas this year and do 2 outings during the winter instead.

The benefits of doing that is much less travel volume as well as potentially lower flight costs and better ski conditions. I will miss the Christmas spirit of the place though so this experiment may be a one of.

A surprising turn of events where flights are concerned. I haven't flown Air Canada for a long time. Their prices, my losing a bunch of Aeroplan miles way back, didn't endear me to them.

All of a sudden I find myself with not just one but potentially 3 flights with AC in the next 5 months.

My next trip requires I connect in Rome early in the morning. My usual companies of Delta/KLM/Air France cannot get me there on time. Alitalia can but at the cost of my arm so I passed. But AC came through!

AC is also coming through on flights out west. Westjet, our normal carrier has changed their flight schedules such that coming home with them will involve a good amount of pain. D will be making the final decisions for this leg.

Pros & Cons of Cruising

Pros:

• unpacking once




• lots to eat




• sailing to places vs bus or train or plane is really relaxing




• cover a lot of distance in a relatively short time




• lots of cities were built by the water for transport/trade purposes so lends itself to this style of travel




• clean environment




• makes you realize just how little you need in terms of space and things




• hotel like service




• lots of places where you don't encounter even 5 people




• opportunity to dress up




• laundry services




• great overview of many countries




• ships are amazing feats of engineering




• lots of exercise classes to choose from




• efficient check in & out




• all age ranges




• travelling with so many people made me even more determined to avoid the tourist traps as they can get over runned




• forces you to really prepare for the ports because you don't have days to find your way around




• locations where you'd otherwise need a Visa, like St Petersburg or Turkey you are covered by the ship's Visa

Cons:

• lots of people around top deck where the pools are -- that's where the "action" is




• spa is pricey-- $95US for 1 hr massage




• certain ports do require you purchase excursions




• excursion cost add up




• announcements can be loud




• getting to and from the ship can be far and difficult to do on your own




• easy to over eat




• stateroom and dining attendants can be over attentive




• sea sickness if sailing over rough seas or if susceptible




• lots of people at meal times




• lots of examples of fellow passengers over indulging (food)




• your room key as your charge card can tempt one to spend more

Over all I found it a really neat way to travel. I am still happy to have seen so many harder to reach places for a fraction of time and cost of doing my own itinerary. I would consider taking a cruise again.

The cruise line I sailed with (Royal Caribbean) was I think considered middle of the road service and price wise. Some higher class lines offer pretty impressive 30 - 60 day itineraries that would be quite something to experience.

I'm not sure I would bother with a more expensive cruise line as I see this mode of travel as not much different than a place to sleep and eat. It just gets me to places I want to see in comfort.

There were a good number of people who would come back onto the ship for lunch or dinner (at late dept ports). I didn't get that. For me, what I look forward to on a trip is to try out the local food. Most of my spending money goes to those experiences.

World Climates

Not only is world weather seeming more and more extreme, so are its people, especially in Europe.

Today I read of the large scale union strike in Rome which disrupted many modes of transport as a reaction to proposed austerity measures. They follow in the footsteps of Greece, Spain and Portugal and others I haven't know about.

As a person who isn't the biggest fan of change, especially ones imposed by an outside source, I can understand the backlash. But I am also a realist. If I cannot afford something, I cannot afford something. No issue with voicing displeasure but I would also be planning for the worst at the same time.

And if something I've been able to enjoy (like education or health care in Canada, for example) can no longer be heavily or totally subsidized by government monies, then I would budget for it should I still wish it in my life.

A two tiered system already exists. In Canada, if I wanted to see a Naturopath, I have to pay out of pocket because my extended health insurance doesn't cover it 100%. Heck, if someone wanted to have an consultation with me, same thing.

If I wanted to eat organic food, I pay more. It's pretty much drilled into our psyches that most if not all new jobs nowadays just don't come with defined benefit pension plans anymore. And government held plans aren't totally to be relied upon.

So what do we do? Increase our self reliance. Our ability to cut costs and live on less when needed is a powerful trait. It cuts out the whining and complaining that come from the feeling of entitlement and the belief that the only direction is up.

I sent away my travel cancellation package today. Going through the process will be educational. If the current economic and politial climates continue in areas I intent to visit, I may need to call on such insurance policies in the future.

I Bought It

My new TV is on its way. There was a Labour Day online sale at Best Buy and the TV I had my eye on was part of this sale at $130 off what we saw yesterday, with free shipping.

A moderately long discussion ensued and I decided if I was serious about it, this is the best price we have seen this year. The other option is to continue to wait as eventually newer models come out and older ones go on sale.

That can be said of most if not all electronics. So I went for it. I paid $499 (+ 13% tax) for an LG 42" 1080p 120 Hz LCD TV.

I will need to buy a DVD player and a wall mount. That will likely happen tomorrow night after supper. My old TV (19" Toshiba CRT) will not be thrown out or given away. It will have another job.

In other news I finished putting together the package for the travel insurance company regarding my cancelled trip. I'm going to send it via trackable means so I can be sure it arrived. Fingers crossed my claim will be considered valid.

Back Packs

I'm not completely convinced with my new back pack. Like layout of houses, I prefer an "open concept" design vs a traditional many walls and many smaller rooms (unless room sizes are large enough without feeling closed in). Same with packs. There isn't one that is "perfect" for me.

A large central open space that can open almost completely, like the jaws of a shark makes placing once folded clothing in easy. I'm not a roll my clothes person. I find folding clothing just once helps to keep them pressed better especially when I may not have access to an iron.

I like a reasonable width to the pack as well. It means I can slide a pair of sandals (and umbrella) down the side close to the opening so when I am arriving at a warmer destination, I can quickly locate them and change my shoes on the plane before disembarking. I don't wear sandals on a long haul flight because I'm usually freezing and need socks.

There should be one or two smaller zipped pockets as well as a side pocket. The front zipped ones are great for tissues, snacks and the bag of liquids you need to show at x-ray time. The side pocket is where I put my eye mask and ear plugs for easy access.

On a styling note, I would prefer if my pack doesn't scream "camping". So finding one that looks more urban has been a challenge. I want to look as if I'm visiting for the weekend, not someone who has come from far away and have packed to match.

My new one is 33 L, an upgrade from my old one and the shoulder straps are much better designed with a chest strap for weight distribution should you wish. The colour is in a men's charcoal grey and pretty nondescript outside of the logo. In fact this is a guy's pack so the length is slightly longer than I would ideally like.

I might look around a bit more but this one hits the requirements the best and doesn't break the bank. I can now safely find another job for my 15 yr old Eddie Bauer back pack.

Fun Days

My new trip is a go. I will be leaving in about a month. Best deal yet!

Back to work next week also. I'm ready to get back into it.

I've been out casually searching for a couple of things this long weekend -- A TV and a travel backpack. Pretty sure my wrenched shoulder had something to do with my older less ergonomic style pack.

The TV is something I been looking at for a while. Just haven't been able to pull the trigger on it yet. It's getting closer though. 40" LED or LCD TVs with 1080p and 120 Hz are coming down in price.

We also took advantage of our bonus time at home to wander around local farmers' markets and picked up some end of season raspberries, strawberries and peaches. They were delicious!

I love diners so we've gone out for breakfast a couple of times too. Wouldn't want to eat like that everyday but once or twice in a while is a fun treat.

Re-Financing

Next week I will be signing some papers at my bank to combine the remaining portion of D's mortgage and car loan responsibilities to open up some investment (cash or real estate) options.

The LOC used for the car loan is at 3.5% and the mortgages are at 2.1% and 2.25%. The combined new rate is 2.3% with a 5 yr amortization (4 yr 6 mnth when paid bi-weekly) at no cost to us for the change.

I have to go and sign because all those loans are in my name. Total amortization for mortgage completion for 2 properties will be essentially less than 8.5 yrs because of the car loan thrown in.

Currently D pays around $1200 bi-weekly to service all three. By combining them, his payments drop to $800 bi-weekly with option to prepay up to 15% yearly.

He won't be doing that. The difference will get saved/invested.

I'm surprising good with this idea. This is as close to a "consolidation" as I've ever got and I can see why people do it now and how easy it is to get in trouble.

Take a $200000 mortgage with a 15 yr amortization and add on $80000 worth of debt and re-amortize it for 30 yrs and voila, monthly payments are easier. Do this a couple of times and you owe more than your house is worth but you have all the toys.

Keener

I know I've been suffering with some pain lately but my online MasterCard statement sent me right over yesterday in the worse way.

It has felt like I was not doing such a great job zeroing out purchases.

I'll admit some responsibility here.

When we do spend, I'll immediately pay for it out of some account or another, ofter before it even posts online. When it finally does, I've already accounted for it and I would consider it "zeroed".

What has been bugging me was something I didn't notice until my frustration boiled over and D took over and pointed out.

It takes a day or so before the overall numbers reflect the true balance. And because I was over diligent in my paying things off (so I wouldn't have to think about it), I was messing it all up and confusing myself.

It felt as if I wasn't getting ahead despite my throwing lots of payment money at it.

Yesterday the balance owing was around $300 more than I expected (zero) and that's when I lost it, gave myself a stomach ache, and assumed I forgot something somewhere.

So D saved the night by noticing that my last 2 payments wasn't reflected in the overall totals yet even though it said it did. It took him a while because in any given month our credit card statement contain about 50 plus line items.

And this morning? It reflected what I thought it should have been. All is well. I can't believe I managed to get myself crazy just for being a keen payment payer.

Have a great long weekend to my fellow Canadians & Americans!

My Turn

I knew the day would come and it did, on the day I visited Copenhagen. I found my first grey hair later that evening. As I am not the jump up and down freak out type of person, I just stood there stunned.

It's one of those things I wouldn't think anything of on someone else but on myself I was a bit shocked. Did managed to lose it even though I thought I put it in a secure enough spot in my wallet to take home.

It became real to me that time was ticking away and I was really aging. Sure I have laugh lines and I have notice the increased need to moisturize and exercise.

But the thought of someday wanting to dye my hair to hide the grey and the increased maintenance and expense didn't excite me.

Dying my hair a neat shade because I feel like it is one thing. I've been medium blond to burgundy in my younger years. But haven't changed my hair colour for over a decade.

Maybe when the time comes I will be OK with the natural change of my hair and not want to cover it up. I don't know right now.

I just got my hair cut and told my stylist about my finding and he told me he has been salt and pepper for many years now and he is currently 45 yrs old. He also told me I wasn't ready for hair colour yet.

Not sure if he meant mentally/emotionally (I would agree) or from the standpoint of grey or both.

For the following week after my first finding, I kept seeing imaginary grey hairs which ended up being light reflections. I haven't searched for over a week so it seems I have calmed down from the episode, for now.

Surprise!

I was surprised (in a not so good way) yesterday afternoon when I noticed our furnace fan wouldn't come on.

Normally I would turn the central fan on and most of the time the resultant air circulation is such that air conditioning isn't needed. But something was wrong.

I called D and we decided to contact the heating contractors who installed our furnace 3 years ago. We have a high efficiency Lennox furnace with a 10 yr warranty.

Good thing I called because I found out that that particular model and year has known issues with its control board.

They were able to send someone the same day as they were in between seasons and it literally took only 20 min to diagnose and replace and voila, we have a working unit again all covered under warranty.

I was nervous not knowing the extent of the problem and how much it was going to cost. Same kind of nervousness I get at the auto mechanics.

Deals and More Deals!

Those daily email deals can be really distracting and evil!

I've found they have appealed to the "wants" list in me. Things I've considered but put off due to price. Now that I am getting some of them at 40 - 50% off, all of a sudden I'm considering it, even though I haven't budgeted for them.

Occasionally we'll get one that is on our "needs" list. It can be a great deal then. We are also taking advantage of new restaurant deals as they price way under what we would normally spend on our monthly anniversary dinners.

I typed too soon yesterday when I said no trips planned until Nov. I have found one, and of course it is at the best price yet -- Just when I didn't think prices could be any lower...It is a continuation of the Greece and Turkey quick tour I did last year. This time including Istanbul and Athens.

I have till tomorrow to decide so I'll be busy today pricing out my own flights and transfers so I can have an overall price to work with. If you haven't already, check out this blog for some amazing inspiration!

We got an answer from D's HR regarding taking time off without pay. They cannot find in policy manuals anywhere that says no, so if it is OK with D's immediate boss, then it can be done. Basically as long as he takes the time off when no major projects need him, it's cool.

I have a feeling D will be using extra off to go skiing. He and I have very different uses of our respective "dream account" monies. He likes stuff ie. cars, specialized coffee makers, watches, foreign magazines etc. while I like to travel.

This is what was delivered to our home while I was away...I'm expecting this to come next.

Have to admit, you can already taste the difference. Apparently, when the next piece gets integrated we will be amazed. It's great to see him so enthusiastic. It's just like me with travel.

Slowly Recovering

I hate being sick and I hate being in pain and I hate feeling lethargic. Tell you something that is obvious, right?

Four more months til the end of another work year. Lot of changes already so far. Hoping for calmer times for the next little while.

No trips planned until Nov -- Our somewhat yearly return to France. Paris and Nice is like our second home. We can do that trip without much thinking or effort.

My shoulder rehab is coming along OK. I won't be going back to work for another week or so. Expecting to be mostly recovered by then. I can at least do 15 modified push ups now.

Having tracked the flights I was supposed to take I found out the 2nd flight (JFK - Santiago) was delayed likely due to the change in trajectory to avoid the hurricane. It means I would have missed my connection to Buenos Aires.

What an even longer day that would have been. First an eight hour layover (courtesy of all the flight changes), then a 11 hr flight. Wait 3 hrs until the next available flight (if there is room), another 2 hr flight, customs in BA and finally a 40 min cab ride to the apartment.

Pretty unfriendly itinerary. I shudder to think just how tired I would have been. Thankful that things happen for a reason.

Travel Insurance

I just found out there is a chance I may qualify for trip cancellation insurance benefits.

The last time I claimed anything from insurance policies was over a decade ago when my first laptop's power cord died prematurely.

My experience with the claims adjuster/adjudicator was really good. All I had to do was to prove my purchase and send them a copy of the note saying it cannot be repairable and they will reimburse me for the new one.

Part of my credit card benefits is travel cancellation/interruption. When it was suggested to me to find out, I called and spoke to a nice fellow who is sending me a package to fill out. Someone else will decide if I would be eligible for anything.

Though not related to my shoulder issue, the closing of JFK due to hurricane Irene may work in my favour too. It would be a neat bonus if I qualified to get some monies back.

In the meantime I am enjoying my staycation.

Buenos Aires Ousted Again

I was supposed to be on a plane today as the long awaited and mult timed postponed trips to Buenos Aires has finally come up.

Alas, I am not and I am now believing the universe does not wish me to venture south to the next continent. As a lot of you know, this is my 4th attempt.

The signs haven't been all bad. For example, the currency exchange I use was actually able to get me Argentine Pesos in small denominations. They have issues with fake $100 notes down there so small bills are the way to go, that is if you can find them.

The owners of the apartment I've tried to stay at the last 2 times and the owner before that have been super nice. I think even they are wondering what is going on.

Even the 8 - 8 1/2 hr layovers each way wasn't really going to stop me this time. My flight scheduling experience with LAN have been horrible. Six changes (last one 2 weeks ago) each one making the travelling experience worse. I would not have booked flights that had such long layovers.

I wanted to try the local national airline as I have had good experiences with KLM, Alitalia, Icelandair, Swiss Air etc.

But what has really stopped me is a wrenched shoulder 2 weeks ago. I had hoped it would have gotten better by now but it has stalled in the "still really bad" stage, even with drugs.

Work has been really tough because of it and getting treatment for it has hurt but it is a "good" hurt, if you know what I mean. Considering I've worked with broken ribs and wrist, this one has bugged me more.

I cannot imagine having to lug around a backpack, knapsack or purse for any period of time.

The thought had crossed my mind to just go anyways since I might as well be in pain in a new exciting place...that's the 26 yr old me speaking. The near 40 yr old is hunting for another trip...

Select Pics

Copenhagen

Bank in St Petersburg


Going under the Oresund Bridge at midnight

The Hermitage and the mighty Neva river

Tallin Estonia

Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood

pure gold

Helsinki

Stockholm

Scenic Nyhavn

Finally, Onto the Cities

At the rate I'm going, if I don't start now, I won't get to the actual ports before my next trip!

Had I ranked the places according to which I thought I would like the most, I would have been totally wrong.

Remember how disappointed I was when I cancelled my trip to Stockholm (with a return trip to Iceland) back in the spring? I was quite upset by it.

I was so sure I would love Stockholm and Copenhagen. When I got there, I liked them both but they didn't resonate with me as deeply as I thought they would. It's neither good or bad rather just is.

Helsinki was the city I thought I would like the least and it ended up being my favourite. It has a more lively vibe compared to the others. I liked how stylishly people were dressed. Loved how earthy the local market felt.

To me, it was a combination of how I see Amsterdam and Berlin. Had a wardrobe malfunction and found what I needed at Stockmann (great dept store). Fell in love with Passionata.

St Petersburg comes in second. Lots of history and ornately designed buildings. Contrasted with a lot of run down buildings. Some of which I thought should be condemned when it was still lived in.

The best buildings were ones where Italian architects were hired to design and build them. Otherwise I wouldn't rank over all build quality of regular buildings as great.

You can tell there is a wide gap between the rich and the far from rich. There are many women who are dressed in very utilitarian wear. Whereas others are in 4 inch heels and fashionable. There are sushi restaurants every other block.

Tallin is a close second. A medieval city, very beautiful and very popular. The new part is quite urban with all the high end shops you would know. Didn't expect that. Discovered yet another new brand this time shoes -- Hogl.

Travel Communications

My new Tablet worked just great on the trip. Read 5 books. Surfed the net when I could get wifi for free. Fit in my purse perfectly. Very happy I sprung for it.

One thing D and I found out was that it cost us nothing for him to call me on our world phone using Skype. But when I called him, the same length of phone call (2o min) cost our phone account $35. Next time I'll just call him when I can talk so he can call me right back.

I think D was a bit miffed with me because he was expecting to hear from me upon arrival when I had told him I'd be in touch once I got to London (meaning my hotel) which was at the end of the trip.

I didn't think there was an issue with arrival because he knew I got on the plane and he tracks my flight...anyways communication blunder! He knew I was alive when the credit card line items started coming in...

For those who are curious, wifi and internet was available on the cruise ship. For what I consider to be an astronomical amount of money.

It starts at $35/hr and goes up to the hundreds depending on the package. No thank you. I saw lots of people at the computer stations.

Global Entry

The reason why I thought I was going to miss my connection home from JFK was because I assumed that when you are connecting, you don't leave the secured area of an airport.

You may have to go to another terminal but until now, that has always involved a bus, airport tram or walking, not exiting a terminal and re-entering. I had a 2 1/2 hr layover and the thought of cutting it close never crossed my mind.

So, when the opportunity to ask a question relating to the Global Entry program came up, I took it. It was a 45 min wait to get through passport control at JFK. I knew from the Nexus site that Canadian members can use the Global Entry machines.

I just didn't know if that required another interview or application so I didn't risk losing my place in line to find out. No one used it while I waited so I couldn't see what was involved.

When I got up to the booth, I asked the fellow who also didn't know but lucky me, their office was in this terminal so I can stop by and find out.

It was like a scene out of the Sopranos. The 5 officers working out the office were joking around and had great sense of humour. It didn't bother them that I didn't have an appointment and the procedure was simple to add me to the Global Entry system since I already had Nexus.

All they had to do was type some stuff up, take another picture of me and get my thumb and finger prints again. If they match my Nexus ones, I was in. This barely took 30 min and I was very appreciative they were able to help me right away.

They thought the Nexus system was pretty neat because of the iris scan technology. The Global Entry system uses a passport scan and finger prints to get through.

The very best part? I will not have to fill out those blue US entry forms again! There was no cost associated with adding me on. Unfortunately there is if you are going about it the other way around. And finally, you do have to get this done at an American airport with a Global Entry office. We will need to remember this the next time for D.

Logistics 2

Getting from LHR to Harwich to catch the boat involved 2 transportation options.

The cheaper way is to go from Heathrow to Paddington station via Heathrow express. Then the tube or taxi to Liverpool St train station whereby you take a 1 1/2 hr train to Harwich.

Here's what they don't tell you.

I think in the end you may save yourself $35 vs the cruise ship transfer $104 US but I'm not convinced it is worth it because time wise it is very close -- 3 hrs.

There is a number of moving parts with the train option. You have to get ticket and lug luggage to the airport train. Then transfer to the tube during rush hour with regular commuters. Once you get to Liverpool station, you have to buy your ticket which is easy. But the train leaves once an hour.

It's complicated to try and calculate transport time. And if you were in line with me, there's 1 1/2 hr just to clear passport control. If you just missed the hourly train assuming everything else went easy, then you have time for another tea or coffee.

I took the bus transfer offered by the cruise company after researching the logistics. I had time but I didn't want all the moving parts after a long day and night of travel. So I slept on the bus.

I was tempted to take the train on the way back as I was staying in London until I read about the schedule tube works which was closing some key stations in the circle and district lines. My hotel was the South Kensington/Knightsbridge area. So again, I took the cruise line transfer, this time dropping me off at Victoria Bus Station.

Because I couldn't get to Paddington to take the Heathrow express, I took the longer Piccadilly line back to the airport. A pleasant ride at 6:30 am.

Solo Travel 2

I ended up sitting beside a somewhat strange guy in his late 40's on the way home from LHR.

My senses tell me he is an adult with attention deficit issues though not apparent at first because he was dressed quite business like and well. Nice shoes, watch, sweater, shirt.

Had all the tech equipment, ipod, noise cancelling headphones, blackberry. Was eating sushi. Didn't return a hello. I thought oh well, not everyone is friendly, no big deal.

Then the fidgeting started. Things were knocked over. Things were dropped. Being that he was in the window seat and tall, there weren't a lot of room to maneuver around when looking for that pencil.

Managed to unplug my headset and throw garbage on my side twice. He did apologize. I had to help him turn his reading light on because on this plane it was done using the touch screen and he was literally overturning everything looking for a button on the seat arm. He did thank me.

Wouldn't stop moving. Watched a movie and read the paper and did a sudoko puzzle all at once. Ate 2 chocolate bars and half a bag of gummy worms and the complementary meal and snacks in record time. No alcohol though I think it could have helped. :) I was just hoping his main meal didn't end up on my lap.

Wouldn't put tray table up during take off and landing. Wouldn't wear his seat belt. Wouldn't stop listening to his ipod during take off and landing. Almost left his blackberry in the seat pocket. Then took off like a bullet upon arrival.

My strangest plane encounter yet. I'm glad it was on the flight home because I wasn't trying to sleep. Instead I watched 3 1/2 movies.

Solo Travel

I've mentioned the benefits of solo travel before and this trip was no exception. I met some really neat people starting with the gal that sat beside me on the way to LHR.

She is a student at Boston College and was on her way to Oxford to attend a 4 week dramatic arts course specializing in Shakespeare. I don't think she has flown transatlantic many times before and it struck me just how exciting it was for her. I remember my first flight to Europe. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

Being a huge Shakespearean fan myself, we talked about the sonnet she had memorized for this course and her part as Helena in The Midsummer Night's Dream she just completed at the local theatre in Vermont.

The other times I've flown to LHR was with British Airways and you landed in nice terminals. My Delta flight landed me in terminal 4 and it wasn't very nice. The line up for passport control was ridiculous. It took well over an hour to get through.

The gregarious fellow behind me started chatting everyone up and was he ever interesting. I think he is an engineer by trade but he is a diver who manages teams all over the world and will fly to places post earthquake to rebuild damaged undersea break walls. He was in Korea doing just that not too long ago.

The 2 sets of people ahead of me were great. One was a mother daughter combo who were looking forward to their 10 days in London. The daughter is a nurse hoping to get into medical school to eventually do 3rd country community medicine. She just came back from working in Malawi.

The couple ahead of them were on their way to pick up their daughter who had just finished school and they were going to vacation in Paris and Rome afterwards. He is a part time travel medicine doctor and commented on how many more people he is seeing nowadays who are heading to Africa.

Once everyone got up to the front of the line, we all got separated without opportunity to say goodbye. Those glimpses into peoples' lives are such gems.

Port Logistics

I cannot comment about other cruises but on this cruise, because of the size of the ship and the port facilities of the respective cities, the ship did not always dock in a walkable area. This meant needing to purchase a bus transfer into the city. Not a big deal. The cost was usually around 6 euro each way and they ran quite frequently.

You wouldn't believe the number of times I heard people complaining about how "far" the ship was and how long the drive was (15 - 25 min)! Maybe they had the romantic idea that we were supposed to dock right in the middle of town within a few steps to the best restaurant or something?

I happen to like looking around at the different port facilities. For example in Gothenburg or Goteburg, they are a serious shipping port and I find it neat to see numerous large freighters and tugs and cranes at work. These port cities weren't created just for cruise ship travellers!

The 2 ports of Copenhagen and Tallin didn't require transfers as both were within a 30 min walk into town. The walk into Tallin wasn't as nice looking or intuitive as Copenhagen but was clean and safe.

The maps you get from the ship aren't very good. Not all the streets are labelled so you do have to figure things out on your own or better yet, bring your own maps for a less frustrating experience.

I do wonder if the maps are done that way to encourage the purchase of excursions and tours from the ship. There is big money to be made. At an average cost of $40 a person for each port for the most basic of tours right up to $180, a family of four taking all the excursions for each stop will cost a bundle.

Judging from the number of tour buses waiting to meet the ship each stop, I can just imagine how much money is made. And I haven't even started on the amount of alcohol that I saw people drinking on board.

Trip Report Part 1 of ?

My recent deal of a trip was in the form of a 12 night Scandinavian and Russia cruise on Royal Caribbean International. I stayed in London afterwards before coming home.

If you go on their site and look up the same cruise for next year for one person (this yr's sailings are all sold out), the going rate is $3722 for an inside room. I paid $1271 cruise only found on a 3 day sale, a fantastic offer considering that I usually pay a significant single supplement.

Add to it the flight for around $1000 and I was there. D is convinced I made it through because of a computer pricing error. I didn't care. They honoured my online booking.

For those who have never cruised before, I must say the cruise industry is quite something. They make it extremely easy for you to spend money. Your room card is also a charge card while you are onboard. They push the "once in a lifetime" idea to encourage everyone to splurge out on everything from photos to special restaurants to excursions.

I wanted to go because they were going to get me to many places I've always wanted to see covering a lot of ground with minimal travel hassle. Remember your food is included and you are staying in a nice environment. Life is easy on a cruise ship.

It started in Harwich England and went to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg (2 day stay), Tallin and Gothenburg. You get full days at each port which allowed me to get a good feel for the places and make decisions as to whether I'd want to return and stay longer.

There were a smattering of at sea days which I appreciated as we lost another 3 hrs (time change) by the 4th day of the trip. Remember I'm already coming from Canada.

Sailing through the North Sea both ways was a bit rough even for such a large ship with stability boosters. There were barf bags offered on all 12 decks. On the passage home, the captain changed course to hopefully make the experience more pleasant for everyone.

My dinner knife slid a foot and fell off the table! I have half decent sea legs and I still managed to walk run into a plant. Winds creating the swells hit a high of 62 mph. We were not allowed on the outside decks for both days.

It was neat to see the sea action from the vantage point of the 6 main elevators as that part of the ship was made of glass for all 12 decks. The engineering of these ships are amazing.

Practicalities

Some final thoughts on Venice before moving on to recent trip.

We took a taxi upon arrival because we were tired and wanted to just go. It cost 38 euro. On the way back we took the airport bus which was a good experience for 5 euro each. You can take a ferry (Alilaguna) to and from central Venice but it takes over a hour each way.

At the airport, you have to got through additional passport screening before you are able to proceed to the check in counter. Why? I have no idea. They used this small magnifying eye cup like jewellers use to look at the watermark on your passport. If they like what they see, you get a security sticker.

If you are a fan of churches, get a Chorus Pass for 10 euros which allows you in 16 churches. Single admission is 3 euro.

We really enjoyed wandering around the shopping streets. They are full of unique shops. I'm not into souvenirs but I appreciate things that are hand made and artistic.

D is a huge fan of Persol sunglasses and have been scouring stores looking for a cool replacement pair. He had no luck when we were in Rome earlier this year but lucked out in Venice.

Turns out this store was where Elton John bought his last pair of glasses from. There is a picture of him with the owner behind the counter. D's glasses are no where as flamboyant.

Back Home

I'm back and happy to have a few days to rest up before returning to work. Not being accustomed to summer european travel (I've only done it one other time), it was something to experience.

Normally I am a huge fan of airports and air travel but it was challenging this time around. I thought I was going to miss my flight at JFK as my connection was not showing on the screen so I didn't know which terminal I needed to go to nor did I realized I had to walk outside to find it after taking the airtrain making it necessary to go through (single line only!) security screening again...

Considering I was in more "out of the way" places than the standard "must do" countries the crowds surprised me. Had I not gotten such a great deal on this trip, I would not pay top dollar to travel at this time. Low season may not have the warmest weather but the lack of large groups makes up for it as does the lower costs.

One word-- Helsinki! My favourite place out of the group this time around. More trip notes coming up shortly.

Updates

Our home window got replaced yesterday and we were told the partial roof is coming up in rotation likely when I'll be gone so D will supervise the job. Nice to see things come together.

I forgot to comment on using our Nexus iris scans to get through customs coming home from our last trip. We need more practice centering our eyes but it was pretty fast when you don't have to answer verbal questions or line up.

One tip. If you are travelling as a couple or family, use separate machines. D waited for me to get done thinking he was using the same "program" since we have one family declaration card. The machine doesn't know that nor cares so we could have been done at the same time.

Now that I have my tablet, I've been considering getting a Boingo account for airport internet access as I'll be hitting 4 airports this next trip.

Upon further research, it is only reasonable in north america. European prices and global plans are much higher so not really worth it for my casual use. I'll just use wifi when I can get it free, like at Pearson.

I'll be leaving tomorrow for my next adventure. Back in 2 weeks.

Car Insurance

We just received our annual car insurance renewal and to our surprise, it went down!

There has been a change in the car insurance policy in our province whereby the base coverage has now gone down explaining the price decrease.

There are a handful of pages of charts explaining the base coverages of all the categories. What one must do now is decide whether the new lowered coverage is sufficient?

If not, you will need to call them to discuss increasing either back to where it was before or boosting it higher. As much as a $20 decrease a month is great, we need to make sure we are not under insured.

Well, the time has come for trip preparations once again. I've been printing out maps and scouring weather forecasts to get some idea of temperature ranges so I can pack properly without checking in luggage. This one is challenging me.

After "freezing" in Slovenia last month I'm not taking any chances this time. I don't want to be walking all over the place looking for an inexpensive pullover to buy when I have more than enough clothes at home.

New Addition

Well I bit the bullet and bought myself a tablet--A Motorola Xoom. So far so good, getting used to a touch screen. D has been busy loading all my stuff onto it. He is surprised at how easy and quick it was to do.

The purpose of it initially was for reading and emailing while away without having to lug around my laptop. Now that I've started at my new office, having a lighter computer helps immensely with keeping my briefcase weight under control. An issue I didn't expect to have to contend with before.

An extra bonus I hadn't thought of was using the tablet as a replacement for my chunky ipod (80 gig), reducing travel weight once again. And the sound is good!

It also has a gps map function that will locate where you are and give you travel directions ie bus, train, plane to where you want to go without you needing a data plan. Don't ask me how that works.

Since my recent trip research to Asia someday, D and I have started amassing better travelling clothing ie. lighter, quick drying, hand washable, nice looking (non safari, non travel looking...) so we wouldn't have to pack as much.

We were impressed with the selection available. Some of the materials are simply astonishing. Some of the prices were as well. I will get to try out a couple of new pieces on my next trip.

Frustrating People 2

Well my frustrating people experience took place at Best Buy. I'm inching closer to buying a tablet.

Basically I've down graded what I would like it to have. My last search was for something that runs Windows 7 and would be basically a laptop replacement. So I had my heart set on the Asus Eee 64 GB.

Now I've decided I don't need something even that big. I am willing to consider an Android running tablet like the Motorola 32GB Xoom. At half the price of the Asus, and I can buy some conversion app that will convert my excel spreadsheet into a usable form. I can read my books and send email using a WIFI connection.

For some reason I was caught up with having a specific and expensive browser/operating system when it isn't necessary.

D and I figured this on our own because the fellow who was the "expert" in the department couldn't help us at all other than offer to "look it up online" with us. I told him I could do that at home. The value with being here is to be shown how something works.

I don't understand what the value is in hiring someone who doesn't know the products? All he was able to contribute was for the $20 price difference, you can get an iPad 2 and it can do everything.

What does that mean? And when I asked him that, all he could say was it that it is the second generation iPad, so you know what you are getting...vs the Xoom and others which are first generation...

So I ask about my spreadsheets. He didn't know. He didn't know if it can be done on the Android tablets either. The way he said it, it felt like I was supposed to find his answer acceptable. Oh yeah, the spreadsheet app on an iPad is called "Numbers". OK.

Yes, I realized he was telling the truth of he didn't know. But I don't find that acceptable. I would not hire someone who cannot really help other than to say they don't know. Aren't they supposed to learn about the products? I'd like to get paid just for being there and not being helpful.

This isn't the first time I've run into issues with help at Best Buy. When I was looking to purchase my bluetooth headset, the guy then didn't know how the set up with my computer would be like because he owns a Mac.

That's really helpful, especially when the tone intimated at the superiority of Macs. I couldn't help rolling my eyes at D.

I have no issues with Apple. If they produce a product that will work for me, I'll happily buy it. Knowing the differences between the products, pros and cons is what I was after, in order to make a somewhat educated decision.

Isn't that true for most things? I just wasn't going to jump on any bandwagon just because someone tells me it is the best but cannot explain if it would be the best for me.

Frustrating People

D and I both had frustrating people moments yesterday. Here's D's first.

There is a colleague of D's who makes bitey comments about other peoples' "better" lives. And yesterday it was targeted at D, who didn't appreciate it.

She said things like "Oh, it must be nice not to have kids...", or "It must be nice to have all that money to travel..." or "I wish I could just take off somewhere like you can..." and various variations of the above in an accusatory tone.

Luckily for her, she wasn't speaking to me as I do not have as much patience as D and this is hardly the first time plus I do not do well with "victim mentalities" in the first place.

Background story: She has a deadbeat husband who she supports along with 2 kids. She isn't particularly good at what she does and is one of those people who has become complacent in the 20 plus years with the company.

Her husband is emotionally and mentally abusive and she likes to manipulate her in ways that ensure she cannot have a life outside of catering to him and the kids. He doesn't "allow" her to take a vacation. They do not live together but he certainly seems to control her. A decade's worth of counselling hasn't helped yet.

So D's replies to yesterday's bitter comments: "How much do you spend in daycare in a month? Now times that by 12. (holy crap)", "How many people work (one) and how many people are you supporting? (4)" and "Did you choose to get married and have kids or were you forced to? (by choice)".

"Well, our lifestyle was chosen by choice too. Vacations and vacation properties didn't just fall out of the sky onto our lap because we were lucky. We actively planned to make it happen. So until you have that figured out, don't make any more negative comments to others because you are frustrated with your choices and perceived lack of control."

Next post will be my experience.

The Heat

My new office air conditioning can get really cold. So much so I have left a permanent emergency layer there just in case. There is nothing worst than feeling like doing jumping jacks in the middle of summer because you are freezing.

At home we hover at the 74 - 75 degree F range. Not enough to make one freeze but enough to take the humidity out of the air. It is not on overnight. The house has done really well this season in light of our high high temperatures.

They are calling for 49 C humidex today and there is talk records may be broken.

Our city has asked people not to water lawns due to lowered water levels from lack of rain the past month. Our grass is showing dry patches now. They say it is just going dormant.

We have made an extra effort to close blinds during the day to help keep heat out. Our hydro and water bill came out to $108 last month. Not bad for us especially when actual usage is barely half of it.

Being on well and septic at the cottage has advantages here. Not having to pay for usage or the fees that cost well more. Makes for reasonable monthly running expenses.

Net Worth Accounting

I'm not completely accurate in my monthly net worth postings. The reason being there are certain account movements I don't bother to track due to the amount of work and there being no real need.

So I do not account for credit card balances because they are paid off with no penalties. I don't account for our checking accounts because monies sitting there is monthly/planned spending. Nor do I account for cash we keep in various currency for travel purposes. I don't even update at the same time each month.

The only things I track for net worth purposes are items that don't get much movement, large items that form most of our assets and liabilities. So that I can get a broad strokes idea of where we are.

I do not get involved with perennial arguments of whether primary residences and cars and personal property ought to be on a net worth statement. I have them on mine.

The one item we don't have any numbers for yet which will become significant with time is D's new pension. I'm assuming we are supposed to get some kind of statement regarding the value of it.

D has looked into it and he was told there is an annual statement that gets published. So we'll just have to look out for it this year sometime. Once we get our hands on it, I'll be able to do a once a year update.

I probably ought keep on top of things in the real estate valuation area. We are likely still undervalued for our main house and cottage. But our ski condo worth is likely higher than it ought to be as markets have fallen in the area. Factoring everything, I'm still expecting us to come out ahead overall.

Whereas in the automobile department, it tends to only goes down. That pricks a bit. I can only imagine how it would feel had we bought new instead of 50% off.

Looking Ahead Again

Time is just clicking away here. Now that work has slowed for me, I am noticing the rest of my life's pace as too quick. My mind is still racing when it attacks a new idea. It hasn't figured out I have more time now and no rushing is needed.

Now that I am looking around more, I told D I feel we are doing too much. He says it has gotten significantly less vs a month ago. So he feels we are on the right track. That's good to at least hear.

As I look at my travel plans for the remainder of the year, I feel rushed. There is a lot going on for me. Exciting things put in place at a time where my work days and amounts were different. Some of the holidays don't fall on the "right" times now but I'm not going to change it.

Even the Chilean volcanic ash news is looking up. A large part of that rushed feeling comes from my not picking "easy" places to go. I'm not a lie down on a beach and drink for a week type. Never have been. I like to challenge myself with different cultures and languages which takes effort and energy.

With the type of travel deals we've been seeing so far this year, we are planning on not really planning for 2012. Go forth on a "see what comes up" attitude instead. Still research and learn and save so that we will be ready to move on an opportunity should it pop up.

Looking Ahead

The result of our Turbo Hub this weekend was "OK" in the mornings and down the rest of the weekend. So "regular" summer weekend usage is still overwhelming the system.

So I just switched to reading books on my laptop instead. By the way, the final Harry Potter movie was very satisfying. I even splurged on popcorn!

Out where we live, we are in dire need of rain. It hasn't rained for weeks and we finally broke down over the weekend to water our trees and gardens. The high temperatures has stalled our outdoor painting and other work.

I'm starting to compose in my head a secondary maintenance list that will require capital savings. Things like repairing/replacing our septic tank at the cottage, re-surfacing our asphalt driveway at home.

Not really sure when the septic will need to be replaced. Any checks we've had has been great and being just the two of us, we do not constitute a high load for the system. It doesn't hurt to have some money set aside just in case, now that the account won't really be needed for a new roof for a while.

The driveway I can comment on. It does need some help and I have no idea how much things like that cost. One of these days I'll get around to requesting a quote. Nearby neighbours recently had theirs done in concrete. I want to get quoted for both just to know the difference.

Turbo Hub Update

D got us an answer about our terrible experience with the Turbo Hub a couple of weekends ago. There was a major outage due to overloading of the system.

Because our hub uses the cellular network and we are in cottage country, our tower (which is fairly new) has to be able to handle all the weekenders who are just coming for the weekend.

They have underestimated the volume of users. There is no issues during the business week but come 5 pm on a Fridays all matter of heck breaks loose.

A lot of cell phone plans entice you with free calls after 6 pm depending on your company. And with most families there are multiple phones. So the picture is easily formed.

Each family coming up either renting or owning or visiting brings with them phones that use data on top of what locals already use. Add to that the popularity of downloading photos for all to see, a data traffic jam is what can happen.

We are interested to see how this non long weekend stacks up now that summer vacation is here. Hopefully better!

Venice

Venice was very much like what I thought it would be and better. I wasn't prepared for how much I would love all the back alleyways, all the small bridges where you can experience total silence for a long time before seeing anyone.

It's not as confusing as you may think. We only got turned around once and we didn't have to use a map. Once you get out of the San Marco area you'll find the real neighbourhoods with local cafes and restaurants with their much more reasonable prices. It was refreshing not to hear the sound of lawn mowers and cars. We didn't realize how significant that would be until we came home.

Sure, we did the tourist trap thing and ate (not the best food) by the Rialto bridge and paid through our noses for the privilege. One of which is being entertained by the traffic chaos of multiple commuter ferries, gondolas, private boats all come within inches of each other, criss crossing the canal all over the place. There is no right of way, traffic lanes or no wake zones in Venice that we were able to see.

One time, we saw a fire boat tear down the middle of all that, creating such wake that the water splashed up on the sides of the restaurant seating. The gondoliers all hunkered down the best they could to avoid having themselves and their guests dumped on the water. You know you are in Italy. Imagine Rome traffic but on water! It was great fun. D and I were grinning ear to ear and shaking our heads.

Our first ferry ride was captained by a trainee whom I got quite impatient with because all he was concerned about doing was singing and dancing to tunes on the radio instead of watching for available docks. His trainer didn't seemed concerned.

Loading docks were on a first come first serve basis and we sat there in the water for almost 20 min watching other more assertive boats get the available spots as soon as another boat would back out. I wanted to go up there and take over! All our other rides were captained by seasoned fellows who just pushed their way into spots. I loved it!

Over all, there are surprisingly ample opportunities to get off the beaten path in Venice. The food wasn't as bad as some tour books would lead you to believe. And like most cities, you pay more in the areas where everyone goes. As this was our first immersion in the city, we paid more. The next time will cost less as we will be renting an apartment in one of our favourite districts.

I am so glad D and I got to experience this together. Incidentally, we haven't gotten a real answer to D's time off without pay question. They are still investigating. Guess this particular manager has never been asked that before. We are staying hopeful.

Learning Lots

Yes, I will be one of the adults pushing their way through the crowds of ankle biters at the opening of Harry Potter this weekend. I can't wait.

It's hard to believe but taking away my Friday shift (2 1/2 hrs) has made a difference in my frame of mind. The rest of the week is more relaxed. Last week I felt a bit hyper (withdrawal likely) from not needing to gear up anymore. This week nothing. Improvement I believe.

I've been learning so much about South East Asia the last couple of days. Enough to make me appreciate my national airline so much more. It isn't easy nor possible to fly with one airline between Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. I told D yesterday I need a computer like Tony Stark's to manage all my pages.

Am also getting used to the various currencies too. And what about flight passes, you ask? Crazy restrictive and confusing. I'm beginning to appreciate just how much work it takes to get good itineraries together.

Sometimes it just is easier to train it between certain destinations. Maybe those seemingly "expensive" prices are worth it after all?

National Geographic publishes the results of their top Adventure tour companies surveys online. It is a good place to start your research on what is out there and get familiar with companies and places you've always dreamed about.

One realizes quite quickly just how developed niche world travel is and just how many others have already tread the paths you are just starting to discover.

The Adriatic

Travel review posts continued...

D and I are liking the Adriatic side of things more and more. It is vastly different from the Mediterranean side. The wealth there is more hidden. There is much more space and vastness. Areas are pristine and tourist groups (if you even see any) are much smaller.

Whereas evidence of wealth is pretty much in your face in Monaco and Nice port. Loads of tour groups following hand raised signs everywhere. Not as bad as Venice (our high water mark now) but enough for you to wonder what is going on? Why are people reluctant to discover very safe places on their own?

As we are being changed by the new places we encounter, we are increasingly wondering if our "old favourites" will continue to hold favour still? We'll be returning to France in the fall, specifically Paris first then renting an apartment in Nice again.

We are also aching to get back to Germany and Holland again. But the lure of Belgium is enticing and everything is tempered by D's restrictive holiday allowance. He has officially asked if taking time off without pay would be acceptable. We are awaiting word.