DVD Storage, Redux

After writing my last post, I began to think think obsess about my DVD storage. I knew almost from the start that my current system wouldn't work that well for me, but I thought I'd adapt. Truth? It hasn't worked at all. It just feels like so much work to open a door, find the right box, pull the box off the shelf, locate the correct DVD, put the box away, and then repeat to put the DVD away. I've ended up not watching many of my DVDs this year and the ones I have seen I haven't always bothered to put away. Hence why I thought the binder method might work better for me. I own the deluxe set of M*A*S*H, all the episodes in one package that opens like a book, and I love having to pull only one thing off a shelf to access the DVDs.

That said, I spent part of the afternoon researching DVD storage in binders and I came to the conclusion that it's not a good long term solution because of potential warping of the disks. On a forum, someone posted an image of another idea and I went BINGO! I'd finally found what would work for me. A quick trip to Walmart later and I was home with this:



This is a hard-sided case that's about the same size as an Ikea box that holds 20 or so DVDS... but which holds 200 disks.

These cases are available in larger denominations, like 500, that were appealing, but I decided that several smaller cases would be easier to move and store. I'll need another couple of the cases, but decided to start small.

Throwing out all the packaging gives me a bit of the willies, so I'm considering saving the DVD covers in a binder. It'll still be less to move than my current setup. Of course, I have to get over my lack of desire to recycle the 'sleeves' of box sets. Geeze, it's just paper.

Several hours later...

I figured the best way to get over my willies was to dive in, and I did. I put seven Ikea boxes worth of DVDs into the case... and I still have room for about 100 titles! I've put away all my movies and the complete series of 'MacGyver.' It'll be so much easier now to pull out my favourite episodes.

I've decided that I do want to keep the DVD covers for reference purposes and figure that sticky photo album pages are the way to go. I still think it'll amount to a lot less 'stuff' to move... but I am a bit disturbed by how much I've spent in the last year on organizing systems for DVDs. This had better be it!

In order to find my only loosely alphabetized disks, I've entered information on each one into a DVD organizing application with a reference as to which case and sleeve I can find a particular movie or episode.

Filing, Redux

Perhaps it's the historian in me, but I've always had a hard time getting rid of paper. For years, I moved dozens of boxes of paper, some organized, some not, from one home to another. Eventually, I got the 'important' stuff into a two drawer filing cabinet, then, when I got room for one, I acquired an additional four drawer cabinet. Finally, for the first time in over five years, I went through my dozens of boxes and organized them.

Time passed and I began my purging journey and I started to go through all that paper that had once seemed so vitally important. Dozens of boxes became six and then three; two stored in a filing cabinet, one consisting of 'archives.'.

Today, I took the final plunge. Could I get my files down to one box? Could I give up my filing cabinet?

At Wal-mart on Friday, they happened to have the RubberMaid file totes on sale for a good discount. I picked one up.

This morning, I migrated my files from the filing cabinet to the box. Needless to say, I had way too many for the space. I was down to the crunch; what was I keeping just because I had room for it? The first obvious answer was tax records. Did I really want to die like my dad, having dragged forty years worth of tax records (no joke) through dozens of moves? Erm, no. So, I counted back seven years (not counting 2008) and shredded my 2000 and past records. I also shredded all my pay slips for the current years. Then, I went through my instruction manual/warranty folders and got rid of the paperwork for things I don't have any more and/or for which warranties have expired. I filled my shredder bucket twice today.

I'm not quite done yet as I still have some files to create, but I'm calling this project a success.



The box is full, you say? Nope, there's still a full quarter of a box left!

The next project that I am contemplating is moving my DVDs to a binder system. I'm not sure I'll want to invest in that at this time. Right now, they're well organized in the Ikea boxes, so the binder project will probably wait until I have a better idea of how much/little space I'll have in my RV.

Being Mindful

I have successfully completed my second week on my weight-loss plan. I feeling so amazing.

A big part of the reason for doing this was spiritual. I felt that I was out of touch with what I was eating, that I was not thankful for all the food available to me, and that I was forgetting to treat my body as a vessel for the gods.

Two weeks in, I feel that I'm in touch with the gods again in this aspect of my life. I give thanks before every meal and savour every mouthful. Because I am consciously counting every calorie, I am very careful in selecting what I ingest. Quality becomes very important.

I haven't really cut anything out of my diet, at least nothing that I miss at this point (like butter on potatoes--turns out cottage cheese and herbs are more satisfying!). I analyze my cravings and see if I can satisfy them in a more healthful way.

But I don't deny my cravings entirely. For the past three weeks, I have been wanting pizza. Tonight, I decided it was time to indulge. I got a single slice from my favourite place instead of two (or a whole pie!) and had a huge salad instead of a beer with it. It was sooooo satisfying.

Earlier this week, I needed chocolate and I bought a high quality one that I ate over the course of a few days. Every mouthful was nirvana, the chocolate so delicious and creamy with no doubt that it was made from good cocoa. Who needs a waxy Mars bar after that? I think that's one of our society's problem; that we go for cheap things instead of high quality ones and it takes more to satisfy us.

I'm cooking so much more now than I have in years and I'm eating more fresh fruits and veggies. My grocery budget has skyrocketed, but my restaurant budget has plummeted and I am finding that everything I make tastes sooooooooooooo good. Fruit is sweet, vegetables are bursting with flavour, plain brown rice is tastes pleasantly nutty, and the best snack is a handful of fresh pecans. I make simple meals and have been experimenting with herbs and citrus juices for flavour instead of fat.

It feels like spring has sprung in my soul and my body is reaping the benefits.

Who Lives, Who Dies

Last week, I read Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzalez, a fantastic and fascinating study of the psychological, emotional, and physiological reasons that some people survive a dire situation while others die.

He did a case study of the World Trade Center and discussed how some people had started to head down the stairs but were pushed back by 'officials' who told them there was no danger and to stay put. Those who stayed put died and those who pushed past the official lived.

Today, I was given pretty good evidence that I would be a survivor in a similar situation.

Upon discovering the electrical panel on our elevator to be engulfed in flames four witnesses reacted in four different ways:

1) decided to run to her phone across the floor to call for help;
2) decided to run for the emergency phone around the corner;
3) decided to run for the fire extinguisher;
4) decided to follow person number 2 to the red phone in order to pull the fire alarm

Person number 2 gave person number 4 heck for pulling the fire alarm since the fire was extinguished and said there was no way he was hiking down eleven flights without advice from the fire marshals. This person was also one of the 'safety' officers for the floor. He instructed people to stay put until he got word from the fire marshal.

Person number 4 ignored him and headed downstairs. By the time the call came to evacuate the tower, she was four floors above ground level while he was still on the eleventh floor... where the fire had broken out again and smoke had filled the up-until-then smoke-free staircase. There were thirteen floors above him.

I live 10 minutes from work on foot and could hear the police and fire sirens for a full forty-five minutes after I'd pulled the alarm and left the building.

I won't be surprised if work is canceled tomorrow.

Bird on a Mission

I'm currently more overfat than I am comfortable being, so I've made it my goal for the next few months to lose what needs to be lost.

To kick start the program, I went on a very restrictive, low-calorie diet for four days, then moved on to a much more sustainable, long-term approach.

My normal diet isn't really that bad; the problem is portion control/moderation and over-indulgence. I've set a range of calories to aim for and am using two wonderful tools to keep me in line with that goal: Fit Day and Calorie Count.

Fit Day is a fantastic FREE online journal and tool box for getting fit. You can track your diet, exercise, weight goals, etc. I use it as a meal planning tool to project my calorie intake for the day so that I can know ahead of time if I can indulge in x, y, or z. I use Calorie Count to get nutritional data for foods that Fit Day doesn't have in its data base, like a lot of fast food and prepared foods.

Long-term meal planning has never worked for me, but so far the day-to-day projections are working out just fine. Nine days in, I'm right on track with my weight/fat loss, I feel amazing (my sleep requirements have shot right down!), my energy is through the roof, and I don't feel guilty about the insane amount of money I'm spending on groceries since 90% of the bill is for fresh fruits and veggies (romaine lettuce ain't cheap, folks, and a bird goes through a lot of it eating two salads a day)!

Best of all, I am a lot more conscious of what I eat and everything tastes soooooooooo good. This afternoon's snack of fresh pineapple was quite possibly the best thing I've ever eaten. That's a bonus result of this exercise--I've cut way back on sugar (only have a bit in my coffee, plus the odd piece of good quality chocolate); so fruit is really, really, really satisfying. I know a 'diet' is working when an apple qualifies as dessert.

I'll finish off this post with a bonus 'recipe' because lunch was so delicious.

Raven's Mini Grilled Tomato and Cheese Sandwiches

Cut eight thin slices from a baguette (loaf of 'French-style' bread, the long and thin kind).

Layer the following on four slices (base yourself on the baguette surface area to determine quantities):

-a thin slice of a small tomato;
-a sprinkle of salt;
-a small slice of tomato and basil Havarti;
-a basil leaf

Gently place in a non-stick pan and toast for about a minute on each side until the bread is golden and the cheese starts to melt.

Makes four. Serve with a great big salad.

To Market, To Market

One of my favourite weekend activities when it's nice out is to walk the four kilometres or so to the Byward Market. I bring a canvas bag and load up on breads, fruits, veggies, and cheeses at specialized stores. Sometimes, I'll pop into the Natural Food Pantry for vegetarian and organic options and/or La Bottega for premium Italian imports of biscotti, cheese, and pasta. I like to wander the artisan kiosks, smell the flowers, occasionally adopt a couple of pots of herbs, and listen to the buskers. When I've had my fill, I bus home. It's a splendid way to spend a couple of hours.

Today, I also had a mission. For the past ten years, I have had to walk or bike to work or school. Every time it rains, I curse the weather because I'm going to ruin my shoes and get my feet wet. For some reason I can't fathom, this bird who is willing to spend the money that needs to be spent on proper winter boots has been too cheap to buy galoshes. This week, I snapped. I decided that while I was on my veggie expedition at in the Market this weekend, I would pick up these beauties:



Now, I just need to find a navy blue rain slicker to complement them. Yup, I don't have a raincoat, either. *rolls eyes*

When I move to Winnipeg, I won't have to give up my favourite nice weather weekend activity since that city has The Forks!

Makin' Squash

Last night I cooked the peppery acorn squash mostly according to the recipe I found. The results had potential, but needed further tweaking since peppery acorn squash is really bland.

Apple-Nut Acorn Squash

Ingredients

1 acorn squash
1 small apple
lemon juice to taste
1 tbsp (or so) of chopped pecans
cinnamon to taste (my addition)
1 tsp brown sugar
salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Slice the squash in half lengthwise and put cut side down in an oven-proof dish. Add about a half inch of water. Bake for about 20 minutes until just tender.

Meanwhile, chop the apple into itty bitty pieces and toss with the lemon juice, pecans, and cinnamon.

Pour the water from the squash dish and turn the squash over. Rub the flesh with salt and then fill with the apple mixture. Sprinkle brown sugar over top.

Bake another 10-15 minutes until the sugar starts to caramelize and the apples are soft.

One portion is a whole squash. Serve with a salad.

Next time I make this, I will rub the flesh with salted butter and some nutmeg. Otherwise, this is really, really yummy! I'm a sucker for apples cooked up with brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans!

The Perils of Bilingualism

At the grocery store this evening, I looked for an acorn squash for a recipe I'll be making later this week. I found three kinds of squash: butternut, spaghetti, and peppery. I came home squash-less and prepared to return to the store after doing some internet research... which made me go DOH!

This is what the pepper squash looks like:



Yup, that's an acorn squash en anglais. But, en français, it's a courge poivrée. As in peppery squash.

Silly me. I was looking for a courge with the word 'gland', or something related to the word gland, in the name.

I think I'll stop trying to expand my culinary horizons with English recipes... or at least ask the Office de la langue française to translate new ingredients. Or else, go shop in an English province (a hop, skip, and a jump across the river, conveniently enough).

One of the little 'annoyances' I will miss when I move to Manitoba....

To Buy One or Two, That Is the Question

I went to Stokes this morning to buy a tea infuser. They offered me two choices:

a) one tea infuser with a handle for 2.98$
b) two tea infusers (different sizes) without handles for 2.99$

What, praytell, would I do with two tea infusers, I wondered and reached for the single package. Then, I realised that, doh, I was going to need one for work, too.

I've fallen in love with spearmint tea and haven't found it in tea bags, so I bought some last night from the tea house where my writing group meets. They only sell it in loose leaves, hence the need to purchase a new toy.

Anything that can get my mind off coffee is 2.99$ well spent in my book. :-)

Nice While It Lasted...

Yesterday, the temps dropped to the single digits and then went to below freezing overnight. It was 0 when I woke up this morning.

I guess that our brief summery spell right dab in the middle of April was just a treat from the gods for surviving such a nasty winter and that we'd better get used to 'normal' weather progression again.

Tomorrow is (already) May 1st, so the temps can just climb. It's just that for several weeks my house has been steadily 20 degrees and it dropped to 16 overnight. BRR. I pulled out my flannel jammies again!

Ecclesiastes 1:4

My Bible has a different translation for this passage, but for George R. Stewart it states: Men come and go, but Earth abides.

Hence the title of his classic book Earth Abides. Published in 1949, it is considered one of the finest examples of post-apocalypse literature.

I read it breathlessly, staying up past midnight last night, even, to finish the last hundred fifty pages.

It is a book that struck a profound chord within me. I could see myself in the main character, Ish. It's rare to find a protagonist in this sort of story who is like me, an observer, an over-thinker, and someone marginal. I was also struck by how it reinforced my belief that, in the grand scheme of the universe, our lives are pointless.

The story is obviously a Biblical metaphor. At first, Ish is Adam and his wife is Eve, and they live in the Garden of Eden. But, soon, they take on the roles of Abraham and Sarah, becoming parents to 'The Tribe' from which a new civilization will come as the Tribe is fruitful and multiplies.

I like that it sticks to one perspective, that of Ish, and that all we know about the fate of mankind is what he gleans from the limited information available to him. We know very little about the great plague that decimated our civilization, but very much about what he will miss of that civilization, as well as the bitter realisation that very little knowledge once thought vitally crucial needs be shared with the new generation. Again, our lives are meaningless.

Surprisingly, the book doesn't feel all that dated and it reads well. I could have done with a bit more description and a bit less moaning about the fate of humanity lying the in the hands of stupid people, but it remains brilliant nonetheless. Just think of the premise--a student leaves the world for a bit to get some research done and when he comes out again, he finds that the world has ended.

A haunting, thought provoking read.

Not a Good Position to Be In

At four this afternoon, I began to feel unwell. I experienced hot flashes and then started to shake. I recognized the symptoms to mean that I'd just had a serious drop in my blood sugar levels and I needed food immediately.

So, I went to my cabinet and pulled out my trusty jar of peanut butter, only to find it unpalatable! It turns out that I'd actually managed to pass the point of expiration for peanut butter! I'm obviously eating a lot more at home now.

Since it was the end of the day, I gathered my things and stumbled downstairs to a convenience store where I bought a Snickers bar that righted things quickly. Yup, I had to pay full price for a chocolate bar because I haven't been monitoring my store levels at work. Bad Raven, no cracker!

I got home and signed up at fitday.com so that I could get an idea of the number of calories I had eaten up to my energy drop. I'd eaten 700-800 calories.

Many months ago, I worked with a nutritionist to determine the number of calories I should aim for in a day. 1,200 to 1,400 when trying to lose weight, 1,400 to 1,800 when trying to maintain weight (depending on how active I am), and 1,800 to 2,000 when I'm doing some serious training for a race (which I should be doing right now, but that's neither here nor there). Today, I should have been aiming for about 1,400, meaning that by four I'd only eaten half my calories for the day.

The moral of the story is to have a much bigger breakfast than I've been having (which I thought was calorific enough), keep on aiming for the kind of lunch I had today, and have a snack mid-afternoon even if I have to buy one because I left my oh-so-delicious royal gala apple on the counter that morning.

Moving Mountains

Mountains of books, that is.

I'm so weary of it.

At least, after so many years of moving the same books, I've finally a) gotten a good grasp of what's worth keeping; b) lost any sentimentality in regards to keeping a book I enjoyed, but will never read again; and c) accepted that a book I've told myself I'll read 'someday' will obviously not get read.

I got rid of four more bags (big ones) of books today.

My library is growing sparse, but very special, holding mostly books that I have read over and over again, tomes I have given myself permission to mark up and mutilate by breaking the spine or bending corners. This serves to remind me that the value of a book is in the words within it, not its physical condition.

The more books that leave my house, the more books I feel comfortable bringing in to replace them, perhaps one really special book for every twenty that goes out. If a book does not inspire me to mark it up as I read, then I know I won't be referring to it again, so out it goes. It's nice to email a friend to offer her a book you enjoyed and which you're certain she'll enjoy (and even better to learn that it was on her reading list).

I used to be a Reader. I don't consider myself to be one any more since I only read in fits and spurts. This week I read three books, and started two others, but I can go for weeks without reading anything other than reference tomes on Wicca or ancient Egypt. The more I declutter my library, however, letting go of books that no longer reflect who I am, the more I want to read again, and voraciously so. No longer encumbered by the weight of books belonging to an old life, I feel free to devour piles of tomes that will open new horizons.

This past year, my focus was very heavily on my religious studies, but I've given myself permission to move on to other topics. A few days ago, I was reading a frothy novel by Sophie Kinsella while today I am deep into a post-apocalyptic novel (more about that one to come). Yesterday, I read the memoir of an American in Afghanistan. I am beginning to rediscover the me who was a true Reader.

I've decided that I will be limiting myself to five boxes (of the printer paper variety) of books on this move. It's a frighteningly small number and I will not consider myself an abject failure at purging if I go over this number. But I will listen to that little voice in my head reminding me that soon I will need to fit my library on a bus. The massive dictionaries I no longer consult thanks to good online reference sources will need to go next. That will lighten the load of the move considerably!

Much as I love the idea of acquiring technology like the Amazon Kindle, there is something to be said for the weight of a book in your hand. I love the different textures of paper, but prefer heavy scratchy pages. There is also that heady smell of ink mixed with dust that never ceases to remind me that I am about to embark on an adventure. Marking a striking passage with a pen and/or highlighter is another thing that cannot be done quite so dramatically with pixels. Those messy little lines and symbols tell me that I have been possessed by the material, that I have truly grasped it. Writing in books used to horrify me, but now I can't imagine not doing it. They are my proof that I read the book and that what the author had to say mattered to me.

Reading

Monasticism fascinates me. It is something that is contrary to Wicca as I understand my religion and, yet, I find it very appealing. Renouncing the world in order to serve the gods would be very freeing.

This fascination led me to Mark Salzman's book Lying Awake, the story of a cloistered nun in modern-day Los Angeles who faces a crisis of faith.

I cannot offer any opinion of the book as a study of monastic life for Carmelite nuns. But, as a study of faith, I can say that the author knows something about the subject. Even though the nun's faith wasn't expressed in a way I find personally valid, the questioning was no different from mine.

A tiny sample of the passages I highlighted:

But what is my dream? Is it really to know God, or is it to know personal happiness? Didn't Teresa also warn that the price of following a dream includes painful setbacks, even having to start all over again? Sometimes it means facing things that we can't face, to learn the depth of God's mystery and our need for faith. My God, I feel as if I am being torn apart.

You [God] was here all along.

God made me as I am. Each of us is given a unique cross to bear, each situation in life a personal call to become holy. He would not have taken me on this journey for nothing.

How blessed I am to know that God is real. What a gift, to know that God's love never fails.

Faith is faith, no matter its expression.

A Lesson

I got online very early in the history of the net. At the time, I used my real name. As search engines became more powerful, I began to realise that this was a mistake. I'm the only person in the universe with my name, so anyone who searched for me would find things that I didn't necessarily want associated with my name (ah, the follies of youth). I learned very quickly (but not quickly enough, judging by Google results of my name *g*) that I needed to protect my identity online. I stopped doing things I'd be shocked for the 'real' world to know, but realised that just because I wasn't doing anything embarrassing didn't mean everyone I knew needed to know what I was up to online.

So, I came up with a couple of different identities (and accompanying email addresses) to compartmentalize my life. Sometimes, the identities overlap. They're all me; I'm genuine in whatever area I'm engaged in, but my being a Witch isn't relevant to the forum of a game I play nor is the fact that I play that game relevant to those on the forum of a show I enjoy discussing.

Any detective worth their salt could piece together my online identities and link them back to my legal name, so I still try to limit how much information I give in an open setting. I do have a 'private' journal that only a small handful people can read, where I rant about my job in great detail, use my real name, and paint a non-compartmentalized portrait of my life.

Someone I know wasn't so cautious. She kept a public journal where she used her real name, discussed her controversial hobby, mentioned her employer and colleagues by name, and shared truly personal information figuring that she had nothing to hide and who would be interested in her anyway? A copy of her journal wound up in the last place she would have expected and the fallout could be shattering. I hope for her sake that everything blows over with no major repercussions.

When Did It Happen?

This change of priorities that has come over me, I mean?

I've journaled my entire life, so I can understand the gradual little shifts and assume they must be 'maturity.' But how does one go from wanting land and a house filled with stuff to realising that land and a house filled with stuff is to trade your idea of freedom for that imposed by society?

I do want a home filled with lovely things, to wake up surrounded by nothing but prairie, to make my living from the earth. I've always wanted this. I'll always want this. But it's time to let it go. How foolish I feel, looking back on past entries in this blog. One idiot's tale indeed.

My goal for the time I would spend in this house has been met, only not in the way I envisioned. In finding myself, I have lost myself, too. As I take my first steps into yet another new life, I mourn and rejoice.

In the past, when I'd reach a moment like this, I would wipe the slate clean by starting a new journal. Not this time. I like this blog; it is the clearest and most honest record of my path.

And, so, the journey continues, if not as before, at least as it seems it is meant to.

Making Quiche

(Ooh, I do so love productive days like this!)

This evening, I am attending a pot-luck dinner for Passover for which I was asked to bring a main dish that could feed six. I immediately thought 'quiche.'

I absolutely cannot stomach the taste of eggs, so quiche is a hit-or-miss type of dish for me and not something I'll order in a restaurant. But my quiche? Ooh, now that's good eatin'! I only use two eggs and rely on super savoury cheese and mountains of sautéd onions to mask any potential egginess. The result is rich, but oh-so-satisying.

Raven's Onion Quiche

Ingredients:

-one prepared pie crust (I favour the 'No Name' kind as it is made of 100% vegetable oil and comes out a lot flakier and less greasy than the lard-based 'Tenderflake' brand);

-2 eggs;

-about a half cup of milk, cream, or soy milk;

-one cup of grated cheese (the stinkier, the better, but I usually go with the oldest cheddar I can find);

-about four onions (depending on the size), quartered and sliced;

-basil (fresh or dried) to taste;

-salt;

-pepper

Method:

-Sauté the onions in vegetable oil until soft and translucent, about 20 minutes. I know they're ready when the ones at the bottom of the pot start to brown. The onions need to release their sugar, so a longer cooking time is much better than a shorter one.

-Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the liquid and add salt, pepper, and basil to taste. Mix in the cheese.

-Add in the hot onions and stir to coat them well with the egg and cheese mixture.

-Pour into the pie crust.



-Bake about 35 minutes, until the crust is brown and crispy, the eggs are set, and the top is golden brown.



This dish is wonderful at any temperature; hot, cold, and warm (making it particularly useful for a potluck if you don't know if you'll have access to a fridge or an oven). It freezes well, but is a bit soggy upon thawing, so I recommend heating it in the oven.

Since the pie crust comes two to a package, I tend to make two quiches at once by doubling the ingredients. Cooking time will be a bit longer, then.

In my family, this dish is traditionally served with a green vegetable (usually green beans, my favourites) and potatoes.

Probably a Bit Premature, But...

I've succumbed to the idea that spring has truly sprung.

Yesterday, I went to work in sandals (no tights!) and a sleeveless top since we were promised 23 degrees by the afternoon. I conceded that it was 'just 9' when I left in the morning by adding a light shawl to my ensemble.

When I got home, I finally clued int to the fact that even though I've had the thermostat at 16.5 the past week, my house has consistently been 18+. This morning, it was TWENTY-ONE degrees inside, and this with no help from the furnace. I turned off the furnace. I'll have one more big gas bill and then it's freeeeeedom.

Then, I stripped my bed of my winter (flannel) sheets and made them up again in my summer (crisp cotton) sheets.

Finally, the first thing I did when I arrived in the kitchen this morning? Throw open the back door to let in fresh air and sunlight all day. My cats are in heaven.

Last night, I wiped off my clothesline and put out a load to dry outside, then I went for a long walk. Oh, it feels so good to not be trapped indoors anymore!

I Hate Shopping at Walmart

As I headed out for a first aid meeting this evening, I noticed just how gross my (rental) property looks because of garbage strewn across the parking surface, along the fences, and the flower beds in front. It's definitely spring! I decided to corral all of that stuff upon my return since it just so happened to be garbage night.

On the way home, I remembered that, hey, I'm all out of garbage bags. I had this thought just as I came up to the exit for Walmart. It was 8:30 and the store closes at 9. I figured I could grab the garbage bags, stock up on my favourite pizza that was on mega sale this week, and also buy some TP, tissues, and cat litter. I was in line at precisely 8:40. Said line stood still. The cashier was a typical Walmart cashier who has no sense of time. It took her 20 minutes to get to me (there were two people with five articles between them ahead of me) and almost 5 minutes to ring me up. My debit card wouldn't scan and she was no help at all, just staring vapidly into space instead of offering me a plastic bag or other tip. I finally gave up and used my credit card instead. Then, her printer fluffed up and the paper got jammed and wrinkled, but the receipt was readable. She started to fiddle with the machine and I told her that the receipt was fine. She asked me if I was in a hurry. I am proud to say that I was very calm and polite when I told her I'd been waiting almost a half hour for her to ring up a grand total of 13 items and I just wanted to go home. GRR.

I'll probably be known in my neighbourhood as the crazy chick in the skirt who picks up garbage at 10PM. There was plenty of light from the office tower across the street to illuminate the yards. I picked up almost a full bag of trash!!! I won't be embarrassed to live here tomorrow. :-) I caught my neighbours looking at me through their living room window as I worked, but won't call them lazy for not picking up trash themselves since he did more than his share of shoveling this past winter.

Spring Seems To Have Sprung

Wow. Just wow. We hit 22 degrees this afternoon! I enjoyed my lunch outside, picnic-style, and then went for a walk along the river while wearing only a tee-shirt on top (and wishing I could ditch my tights and shoes!).

It was most amusing to see people in shorts, sandals, and tank tops navigating their way around the remnants of this winter's massive snowbanks.

We had a brutal winter this year and I'm hoping that I can safely pack away boots and coats now... even though we usually get just one last big storm at the end of April or beginning of May. :-)

Cake Verdict

The cake is ludicrously delicious. The icing, not so much. Together, they're decadent.

Maybe I'm getting the hang of baker's chemistry?!

The cake looks shiny in this picture because the icing is melting. I wanted to try the cake both hot and cold. Cold is better!

Baking a Cake

To celebrate the fact that the streets are now walkable again with no risk to life, meaning that I can go home for lunch for the first time in months (WOOHOO), I decided to make myself a chocolate cake, with icing, for dessert this week.

For the cake, I threw together whatever baking supplies I had in what seemed like roughly the correct proportions and order. The batter tasted great (no eggs, so no salmonella risk *g*), so I'm optimistic.

For the icing, something I've never actually made (!), I figured that I'd need creamed butter, powdered sugar, and some sort of flavouring. I don't keep powdered sugar in the house. So, what did this inventive lass do? She dumped granulated sugar in the coffee grinder. The result was coffee-flavoured powdered sugar to which she added cocoa to make a decent-enough mocha icing (bit too buttery).

Can't wait to see how the cake turns out. :-)

Ikea Seems to Hold Its Value

I bought three bookcases last year for 75$ and just resold them for 75$. *blinks*

Getting a Good Deal on a Last Minute Flight

Winnipeg is a three day drive from where I live so I had to take a flight out for my Friday interview. I didn't have much time to research flights and I had to be in Winnipeg for a certain date and time. Add to that that flights within Canada are generally much more expensive than flights outside the country. I expected to disburse at least 500$. With some savvy, I came in at 370$, a genuine bargain.

Here are some of the factors that enabled me to get this awesome deal.

1) Knowing My Resources

The first place I check when looking for flights is expedia.ca. Expedia sums up nicely exactly who is flying to my destination from my city. It claims that it finds the best deal, but I find that's rarely the case. So, now that I know which carriers provide service, on to step 2.

2) Going Directly to the Airlines

I often get a bit of a look from people when I say that I buy directly from the airlines. Yet, I have have never found as good a deal on 'discount' sites as I have by going directly to the airlines. It could have something to do with the type of travel I do or the destinations I'm going to. For example, I doubt I would book a flight to Cuba directly from a carrier since I'm certain I could get a better 'all inclusive' deal from a sun-vacation specialist. Once I'm on the airline websites, I search for my dates and go on to step three.

3) Keeping An Open Mind

I didn't want to take a lot more time off work, so I hoped to fly out after work on Thursday and then fly home mid-afternoon Friday. Both Air Canada and WestJet offered flights ranging from 134$ to more than $1,000. I focused on Thursday first. According to Air Canada, I had two options:

a) leave my home airport at 6:20AM (meaning be at the airport for 4AM!) and fly directly to Winnipeg for 134$;
or
b) leave my home airport later in the day and pay $500 for a mid-morning departure or $700 for a later day departure that would take me through Toronto, extending the length of the journey from two and a half flight hours (plus airport time) to seven flight hours (plus airport time). There was also the 'executive' class flights that were in the +$1,000 range.

Westjet, had very similar prices and options, but offered a 2:10PM 'seat sale' on a direct flight to Winnipeg for 134$. It would involve taking an extra day off work, but this was a pretty sweet deal.

Then, I looked at my Friday options. Air Canada's prices for mid to late Friday were comparable to Thursday's, but they did have a direct flight leaving at 8:45PM for $134. Westjet, on the other hand, offered flights that were only in the $500+ range. Which brings me to the final step.

4) Not Hesitating

I weighed all my options and decided to take an extra day off work, fly out at 2:10PM Thursday on Westjet and fly home Friday at 8:45PM on Air Canada, for a total cost between the two of about $370. I bought the tickets immediately knowing that 'sleeping on it' would result in flights filling up and cheap seats no longer being available. I knew that the price was excellent and that I couldn't hope for anything much better than that.

Interestingly enough, the base cost of the flight was the same for both, but Westjet wound up costing me $10 less. I could have saved $5 with Air Canada by stating that my luggage was carry on only, but would have then had to shell out $50 if something in my luggage was deemed inappropriate for carry on. With the way regulations are now, I decided not to take a chance and ponied up the $5.

This was my first time buying one way tickets so that I could fly on separate airlines, but it worked out great. My Friday flight was a half hour late departing, so I got home insanely early Saturday morning, but at least it was Saturday morning and not Sunday.

The timing of my flights also meant that I was able to enjoy Thursday evening in Winnipeg and a full day on Friday.

This was my first time flying Westjet and I was very impressed. There's a wee bit more legroom and they actually serve a snack with the drinks. So does Air Canada, but you have to pay for the snack. :-)

Now that I know that a deal for Winnipeg can be found, I'm not so nervous about needing to return for other interviews or, best of all, a home hunting expedition!

Cats again

1001 Petals requested a picture of my furbabies. I put up a picture of them back in November.

I've debated whether or not to share their names because He has an unusual one that would be an immediate identifier of me, then I decided, bah, I've given away more info than that.

So, here are two more that actually show their adorable little faces:



This is my girl, Tabitha, who turned ten, or will be turning ten, this year.



And this is my boy, Neelix, who will be eight later this month.

The joys of living in an older home

The house I live in is at least 100 years old. It creaks and groans mightily. The best part of it is the funky wiring my landlords didn't fix that means that there is no switch downstairs for upstairs. At night, unless you want to come back down to the kitchen to close its light, you have to climb a set over very narrow and steep steps in pitch black darkness until you reach the upstairs light.

Last night, I did that, but didn't bother turning on the light since I was going to bed. I crossed the whole dark upstairs, got to my bedroom, and went to bed without ever turning on a light.

Moments later, I heard a weird noise that I had never heard before. It was a muffled falling sound.

My first thought? "Oh, cripes, I hope it's not the shower rod." As it turns out, it was (must remember not to hang a sopping wet towel from it.

The point of all this being that while I might have ghosts on the brain this week, I don't get creeped out or think GHOST when I hear a bizarre noise in a non-haunted house, so I haven't lost leave of my five other senses. :-)

My sister was actually surprised when I told her I haven't been 'seeing things' in my 'creepy old house' since I got back. Why should I? Just because it's old and has dark corners and my dad has shown up once or twice doesn't make it haunted. Waitaminute. Maybe that last bit does. :-)

Kitties

Back to more mundane topics. :-)

My cats have been insanely cuddly since I got home on Saturday. My catsitter says that she did not see my girl at all when she came over. Soon as I was through the door, though, said girl was in my arms. Obviously, my cat recognizes me. She pines when I'm gone. She's very affectionate (more so than usual) in the days after I return from an extended absence. And, still, people say that I could give her to someone else and my cat would never know the difference. Yeah.

My boy has also been behaving strangely since I got back, jumping into my lap (something he's only done a couple of times since I got him last July) and talking to me (he's normally the strong silent type).

It's nice to be loved and it feels extra special to know that not many people can see that love.

Veeeery Interesting

My skeptic friend just emailed to say that he looked at the picture again and said that he can definitely see a man looking to the right.

He still doesn't know that he's been the control group in an experiment. I've now got three people who believe in ghosts who see the face, plus myself. Now, a total skeptic is seeing the same thing.

I can't wait to tell him that he just saw a person in an empty room of a supposedly haunted house. It'll be interesting to hear his explanation for what he's seeing. I'll continue to reserve judgment about this picture until I get this information.

More weirdness

I sent the picture to a friend who is a truly skeptic. I didn't say anything to him about the context of the picture, just asked him what he saw. He says that he doesn't see anything, but he did provide a contrast enhanced version that doesn't make me feel any less weird about this picture.



You can still very clearly see the features of the face... and a second face. Can't see it? Look again.

Okay, That's Weird

My ghost tour guide advised me to take a good look at any pictures I took on my trip to see if I captured anything paranormal. My best bet were pictures of the Mercer-Williams house. I did notice some weird things in the window of most of the pics, but was able to dismiss them as the reflection of trees or other objects. Except for this picture. That's clearly a person looking straight at me.

The room was definitely empty when I took this picture. Photos of the interior of the Mercer house aren't exactly permitted, so I discreetly took some shots from the outside using the zoom function of my camera.

Home Again

Whew. What a week it's been. 4000+KM in 8 days. I'm beat!

I had to cut my trip short because I got an email informing me that I've been selected for an interview in Winnipeg this coming Friday. Flights won't be cheap, so I chomped two days off my trip. That said, I save a ton of money in an unexpected category while on this trip: gas. In my city, gas averages out to about 1.15$/L these days, making a full tank cost about 46CDN (OUCH). In the US, I was encountering gas prices that averaged out to 3.15$/G, making a full tank cost about 33$CDN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every time I tanked up, I had an extra 13$ to do something fun. I haven't finished crunching the numbers yet, but it looks like my gas expenses came in close to 200$ UNDER budget. Wow!

The main reason of my trip was to spend a day in Savannah, Georgia.

I'm glad I booked just one day, with a second spent exploring the environs (Bonaventure Cemetery, Fort Pulaski, Tybee Island). One day in Savannah was plenty. Maybe even too much. The following will make it seem like I had an awful trip, regret my holiday, had no business going to Savannah, etc., but that's not true!

Savannah is touted as being the US's most beautiful city. My eyebrows continue to raise at that. Its historic district is quite beautiful, but, overall, Savannah is no more beautiful than San Francisco or Chicago. So, right off the bat, I didn't succumb to this city's façade.

There was something else going on, though, something that not very many people understand. Those who know me well take this as being a fact about me, an integral part of me the same as my having grey eyes and a love for grilled cheese sandwiches cut into triangles--I am very 'psychic.' Not in the sense that I see the future (although I do have the odd premonition dream), but that I can feel 'vibes' around me, and, yes, I sometimes see dead people.

Savannah's vibes were really bad. I knew from the second I set foot in the historic district that this was a place where horrible things had happened, where the current beauty had come at a price paid with innocent suffering.

My last night in the city, I took a ghost tour. I'm not so gullible as to say that I took everything I was told at face value. But the guide did explain a lot of things to me about Savannah's history, things I've been able to corroborate with other sources, and the vibes the city gives off make a lot more sense now.

During my full day in the city, I noticed a house that bothered me. 432 Abercorn if you want to Google it. This house turned out to be the last stop on the ghost tour. The guide had stories about this house that completely freaked me out, but I'm pretty sure these stories were 99.9999% fiction. That said, there is still something horribly wrong with that house. Perhaps the problem lies with the ground the house is built on.

Edinburgh, Scotland, is another city with bad vibes (so bad, in fact, that I cut a four day stay there down to a day and a half!). I think that it's important for me to show respect when I go to this sort of city. I need to understand the history and pay my respects to those souls that have stayed behind, but once I understand what I'm feeling, I need to move on. It would simply be disrespectful to have a merry time in a place that is begging me to notice its suffering.

I'm glad I went to Savannah, but I'm not convinced that I'd go back.

My favourite part of the trip was definitely the excursion to Tybee Island on Wednesday. The day was gorgeous, temps in the high 20s (C!), the ocean plenty warm enough to swim. I couldn't believe that I was a mere three days driving time from winter. My skin was shocked by this sudden exposure to the sun and burned right through my two layers of sunblock, with my back being the worst, but I can't regret to decision to spend the day out in the full sun in skimpy clothes because it charged my thoroughly depleted batteries. It was the kind of afternoon that defines 'vacation.'

What this trip did best, though, was prove to me that the bus idea is a very good one. I could have stayed on the road forever, but would have been much happier to be able to sleep in my own bed at night with my cats.

Tired of Packing...

I love to travel. I hate to pack and unpack. It feels that I've spent most of my life packing or unpacking a suitcase.

My parents separated when I was young, so I went back and forth between them. I left a lot of items at my dad's, but not clothes. I'd pack Friday evening, unpack Friday evening, repack on Sunday and unpack again Sunday. Twice a month.

Through high school and cégep, I packed and unpacked to go to dad's, to work (where I often would spend the weekend), to travel.

In university and college, I'd pack and unpack to visit my folks and my friends. Same thing since I started to work full-time.

Then I started to travel again.

Pack. Unpack. Repack. Reunpack.

I always check my packing list, but it's a crutch. I don't need one, just reminders of unusual items I need to bring.

It will be so nice to have a house on wheels, to be at home wherever I go, to put away the suitcase and bags for a while, to spend more time seeing and doing than sitting on a suitcase filled with all the stuff I might or might not need for the traveling I'm doing while praying that it'll zip shut without bursting.

Tired of packing, but oh-so-not tired of traveling.

Must Be Something In the Air

Moments ago, I stepped out to return an empty 12-pack of beer. No less than four of my neighbours stepped out the door at the same time to do the same thing. The dépanneur clerk was a bit dazed.

When my turn came, I handed over the 12-pack and a snack cake and got back 50 cents. Drinking beer might not actually save me money, but it supports my brownie habit since I'd drink beer even if I didn't eat the brownies, but I wouldn't pay for the brownies. Works out well. :-)

Gift On My Organizing Site

I'm offering a free password organizing template on my site organizing-ideas.com.

Please visit the page for instructions on how to get this file.

First Dinner, Then a Rice Tip

I was in the mood for shrimp tonight and had fresh ginger on hand, so I googled 'shrimp soy sauce fresh ginger' (or something to that effect) and found a recipe called Spring Peas and Shrimp Stir-Fry with Ginger-Soy Glaze that sounded good.

I didn't have any rice vinegar or sesame oil on hand, so I knew that I wouldn't get the full effect of the glaze, but decided that the ginger alone would give me a bit of a tastebud shocker. Instead of peas, I used frozen veggies I had on hand. Frankly, I think my medley was more inspiring than just the peas. I like peas, but I also think that you can't have a soy sauce dish without red peppers!

Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written, which is rare for me. I had so many little bowls of sauces and ingredients on the counters it made me look like a food network chef! I should have taken a picture of that. I actually filled up the dishwasher with this meal alone!

The end result was very good! It was a tad salty (my fault: too much soy sauce and should have nixed the veggie broth), but since I served the shrimp and veggies over very bland rice, the flavour evened out. I'd make this again, but would make it a point to get the rice vinegar to add a bit more sweetness.

Of course, I have a picture. :-) My shrimp look darker than the ones in the picture on the recipe site because I only had regular soy sauce, not light.



And, now, for a rice tip. I got this tip from my grand-mother who also lives alone. I can't believe I never thought to do this and have been eating a lot more rice since I have. We make a big batch of rice (one cup uncooked), eat a portion with our meal for that evening, then freeze the rest in small bowls (I use glass ones and she uses ramekins):



Each one of my bowls has a plastic lid for an airtight seal.

When I want rice, I just dump it out onto my plate and nuke it for 2 minutes. It comes out fluffy and fresh.

Why I've Been So Quiet

I've been building a business.

My financial adviser finally drilled it into my head that I need to focus on making more money, not saving more money. So, I bit the bullet and spent the money for a SBI! site.

A couple of weeks in, I can already tell that, if I keep on following their hand-holding process, I'll be making my money back, and maybe even more.

I've had a lot of ideas for making money with a website and/or blog for some time now, but no notion of how to go about it. SBI! does all the techie stuff for you. It truly works with mathematical precision.

Of course, I did a lot of research on this system before buying into the hype.

I know that organizing is too broad a niche for me to corner the market and retire on the proceeds of a website. But it's a topic that interests me and for which there is a lot to write about. I wanted to cut my proverbial teeth with SBI! on a subject that I knew would give me back my initial investment if I put time and energy into it. Once I've mastered the basics and manage to actually monetize this site, I'll reinvest the proceeds into a tighter niche.

Another reason that I picked organizing is that I've had an idea for an e-book and had absolutely no idea how to market it. I knew this blog would give me only minimal opportunity. The SBI! site is going to provide me with the perfect vehicle.

I'm ultra focussed on this project because I want to start monetizing the website by June so that I can know by the end of the summer if I can count on any revenue from it for my fall projects. I'm in a time crunch to put together my motorhome plan, but this actually works in my favour. The more rushed I am, the more focussed I am. I do wish I'd begun months ago since postponing the move isn't an option. At any rate, I'll see how it goes.

Reading Labels

I've had a craving for grilled cheese sandwiches for days now. Must be the (insane) weather. Yeah, that's it.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are a treat since they're made with ingredients that have almost no redeeming nutritional value--real butter, commercial sliced white bread (CSWB) and fake cheese slices (FCS).

Tonight, I decided it was time to indulge, so I headed to GT. They had the CSWB I favour (Weston), but not the FCW. I usually buy Kraft 'real cheddar' slices. I don't care what anyone says, processed cheese is processed cheese, but these slices have a less 'plastic' feel to them. GT offered two options, both containing 24 slices. The first was by Black Diamond (maker of the some of the best sharp cheddar in the whole world) for 4.99$. The second was a brand I'd never heard of, for 88 cents.

I looked at the ingredient labels for each. Black Diamond's first ingredient was cheese. The other had oil and starch as its first ingredients and didn't even have the words 'cheese' or 'milk' anywhere in them. You can guess what I bought.

The resulting sandwiches were very, very good. :-) I've got lots of FCS and CSWB left, so I can have a few more sandwiches over the next week until I'm all grilled cheesed out, and then I'll be good for several months.

Financial Advice

I met with my financial planner yesterday. It was our first meeting in six months. I just wanted to reevaluate where things stood and discuss a few options I'm looking at. When I pulled out my hairbrained idea and asked him what he thought of it, he shrugged and said "Why not?"

He then continued with words that just about gobsmacked me:

"You have no dependents and your financial future is assured. Why, then, would it matter if you piss away everything else you make doing things or buying things that make you happy?"

He brought up the following points:

-there's no point in depriving myself today so that I can live super well tomorrow. Instead, I should be puting money aside to live well tomorrow so that I can live well today;
-I don't realise it, but I'm one of his best off clients. Yes, my portfolio is worth very little today, but I'm starting at a young age, understand the magic of compound interest, and already know how to pay myself first and then live within my means with whatever's left over.

The only reason he said that I should be tracking every penny is to ensure that I have a good balance in my life between consumables (food, clothes) and durables (life experience like trips and entertainment). He's the only other person besides me I've ever seen sort expenses that way.

I am under strict orders to reach a certain salary level within the next five years. My eyes must have bugged out when he told me the figure and he smiled. "It'll be easier than you think now that you know you're free to take the necessary risks."

I've never had such amazing financial advice that is perfectly tailored to my lifestyle, values, dreams, and goals. Last night confirmed that he is the perfect financial planner for me at this time of my life and he assured me that he'll be there as I take the first steps into my new and very unpredictable life, providing me with at least one measure of security and stability.

Little Things That Irk Me

(very little)

1) Unexplained Mini-Windfalls

There was a small deposit made into my chequing account two days ago. It's described as a 'branch deposit.' I wasn't expecting anything payments for anything, so I have no idea where this money comes from or even if the deposit was made in error. The bank was of no help ("According to our files, ma'am, that entry was a branch deposit." (Ma'am?!)) How long am I expected to leave that money in my account before I can do something with it, like move it to my high interest savings account? Money appearing from nowhere might sound great in theory, but it's annoying for someone who tracks such matters. I won't get into what happened the last time this happened, other than to say that the bank (not the bank I'm currently with) charged me interest for a five figure deposit they accidentally made into my account....

2) Changed Packaging

Like many eaters of tofu, I have a favourite brand because one curdled soy bean is not the same as another. I've been eating this brand for about fifteen years. I can't even tell you the name of it!!! I just grab the beige package for a full-sized brick, or the pink box for half a brick. Well, now they put their flavoured varieties (YUCK) in the same-colour packaging!!!!!!!!!! It wasn't until I'd ripped open the pink box today that I realised that I was holding herb-flavoured tofu that is normally sold in yellow packaging! Thankfully, this wasn't dramatic for the meal I was preparing and worked out fine, but what if I hadn't been planning to make something savoury with it (thyme tofu uncheese cake anyone)? Very, very annoying. If a gal can't count on her tofu, what, if anything, in the universe can she count on? There was also an announcement on the box for new 'feta-flavoured' tofu. Oh, brother. Let me guess, they're going to jack up the price, too?

*takes a deep breath*

I love my life!!! I mean, these (and having a hard time getting out of my parking spot because of the snow) are the most annoying things that happen in it!!!!

Jim Karter Contest

Jim Karter is having a contest whereby you can win 500$ by subscribing to his feed and/or blogging about the contest. Pretty sweet!

Beautiful, Unique, and Functional

I try to bring into my life things that are beautiful, unique, and functional and I pay attention to detail. Whenever I have my own home again, I'd like to have a 100% personalized house, down to the toilet flusher (cue in laughter). One thing I never considered was mailboxes.

My first thought when I came to this site was to roll my eyes as I thought "Yay, more junk for the rich crowd." But, I still gave the site a perusal and decided that I like the offerings. Seattleluxe.com sells a wide variety of mailboxes for both residential and commercial uses. Custom, anti-theft, multiple unit and unique mailboxes are a few of the thousands of varieties of mailboxes that Seattleluxe.com sells. The right mailboxes can both beautify your home and protect your identity from mail theft.

Seattle Luxe sells a variety of other products ranging from butcher blocks to mirrors, and just about everything is beautiful, unique, and functional. It's definitely one to bookmark if only for inspiration in outfitting a home.

Did Some More Research...

And discovered that my new Matt and Nat bag is considered eco and vegan friendly and the profits go to a local company in Montreal.

There's a really nice message in the bag:

chose life choose positivity chose the golden rule choose to be at peace with yourself choose salvation scegliete di fare una differenza choose to make a difference choisissez de faire une différence choose to be different choose to be a rebel choose to be funky choose to be yourself choose to create a fashion statement

Feeling Extremely Sheepish

One shopping tip I find very useful is to make a list of things you need and/or want with dimensions, reasons, and other info. It's wonderful for those situations where you're at a flea market or garage sale and something catches your eye, but you're sure if that something would be of benefit to you.

The most important thing is to carry the list with you.

Had I been carrying my list on Tuesday I would have realised that the wonderful purse actually fits the description of an item on my 'needed and/or wanted' list. I've been looking for a large purse to use as a day bag while traveling. It would have to be large enough to carry a wallet, guide book, notebook, lunch, snacks, water bottle, camera, and a change of clothes and toiletries when just popping into a motel for one night while on the road, but not be so big that I would be tempted to stuff the kitchen sink into it. I also wouldn't want it to look like a travel bag.

So, two days later, after obsessing over the darn thing, I went back to the store, looked the wonderful purse over, checked off all the requirements, and bought the darn thing!

And the Winner Is...

Angela! Congrats! I hope they do help you organize your baby's DVDs!

Contest Results

Dum, da dum, dum.

I have used the Random Number Generator to select the winner of the Kassett Box Contest. The winner has been alerted by email and will be announced upon reply to my email.

Ikea 'Kassett' Box Contest

***this is a static post, please scroll down for the latest news***



Get all the details here.

The short of it is:

-Ikea 'Kassett' boxes are great for organizing DVDs;
-My blog's first anniversary is February 28th, 2008;
-I have a set of two 'Kassett' boxes available and they're up for grabs to commemorate this illustrious event;
-I will ship anywhere, so this contest is open to all;
-Get an entry by posting a comment to either this post or the original post;
-Get one extra entry for each of the following:
*blogging about this contest
*subscribing to my feed (points to Bloglines icon at the top left)

Musing, Dreaming, Scheming, and Planning

My big move is coming up in about seven months and I keep on imagining potential scenarios and numbers to go with those scenarios. There are just so many 'whatifs' when you're planning a cross-country move with no guarantee of finding a job before you go. Ah, I do so love adventures!

At any rate, I finished my taxes yesterday and am doing some research today and finally, finally am beginning to really understand the retirement plan my financial adviser came up with. It all has to do with the power of an RRSP.

One tidbit of financial advice I'd held onto since starting my career as a civil servant is that RRSPs are not the best savings vehicle for us since we have an amazing pension plan. That changes, though, when you're a civil servant who wants to retire before her 30 years are up.

So, my planner had me take all my money out of my emergency fund and put it into an RRSP. I balked, but ponied up the money. Then, I did my tax return. Where I discovered that my RRSP contribution meant a refund of just about the same amount. Waitaminute. I put money in an RRSP and the government pays me for it? Okay, the catch is that I have to pay taxes at withdrawal but until that day, the government is giving me money for my retirement.

Yes, that's probably a bit oversimplified, but it's not insignificant. The obvious thing to do with my refund is add it to my RRSP for next year. And so on. Until I reach the one million dollar mark my adviser says is realistically within my reach in the timeframe I'm looking at and which I'll be able to combine with my partial pension to have enough to live without working full time.

I'm going back to my move, hold your horses.

So, I finally understand why savvy people move heaven and earth to max out their RRSP contributions every year.

Okay, how can I do that myself?

I've come to the conclusion that housing is the expense I need to drastically reduce for a few years. Sure, I could buy a house cheaply in Manitoba, but when I factor in repairs and whatnot, owning a house is not cheap. I can't wait to own a house again, but I'm beginning to accept that doing so at this stage of my life would be a mistake for more than just financial reasons.

You see, I haven't been 'free' in ten years. I've been encumbered with a household and debt and studies and work and whatnot since the end of my teens. I never had/took the chance to do something cool like travel around the world for a year. Wouldn't it be nice for just a few years to be in a position to 'just go' whenever I want?

So, why not take this move as an opportunity for a fairly radical, but temporary, downsize?

My cats make some potential scenarios tricky and unlikely, but I am exploring all options. One that I really like for its whimsy is to rent a room with kitchen privileges for the winter months and then tent-camp all summer. I'm sure my cats would have a blast. :-)

But the more serious idea I'm entertaining is to move this fall to a room with kitchen privileges so that I can research two purchases in the spring: a small piece of land on which I could later build my dream home and a gently used motorhome (both paid for with cash).

My expenses when 'at home' would be land taxes and propane (or whatever I use to heat and power the RV). I have yet to explore the centre and north western halves of this continent and could do so in my own home with my own cats at my leisure.

I'm learning that I can have everything I want, but not at the same time, and not if I order them incorrectly.

Curbing Impulse Spending With Standards

Today, I found an amazing purse. It was love at first sight. I have a weakness for unique handbags, but I rarely do anything stupid and I'm not one of those gals who accumulates purses. I try to buy them inexpensively so I can rotate them out of my closet within a year.

Today, I came very, very close to being stupid, however.

The purse was 70$, marked down from 140$. For that price, I assumed that it was leather and, thus, worth buying. I'd made a decision a while back to not buy vinyl/PVC purses any more unless they're practically being given away since they simply don't last.

I grabbed the purse, but slowed down enough to thoroughly search it for confirmation that it was indeed leather. Instead, I found a label that said '100% PVC.' Obviously, the price tag was for the designer name, another pet peeve of mine. Back on the shelf it went. Phew.

But now I want that same purse. In leather. Oh, what a beauty.

Did I mention that it's orange?

In Need of a Bigger Freezer

Whew, I sure did a lot of cooking in the past few days. There isn't a smidgen of space left in the freezer!

Thursday last, I made a bizarrely edible concoction vaguely reminiscent of shepherd's pie. I mixed Ethiopian spiced lentils with veggies and half a can of cream of celery soup. I topped that with rice mixed with the other half of the soup, and then sprinkled cheese over the top. I know it sounds revolting, but it was a culinary experiment that worked. It's not gourmet, but it's definitely good. I put two portions in the freezer.

On Saturday, I made a huge batch of baked farfelle with tomato sauce and cheese and froze one portion. I then made pancakes in the evening so I wouldn't have to in the morning.

Today, I made a big pot of caramelized leek and Yukon gold potato soup and froze three portions. I made a beer bread to go with it.

Add to the freezer a loaf of commercial bread, tons of trout (on sale this week for half price!), shrimp, frozen pizzas (3$ each), and several bags of fruits and veggies as well as more Ethiopian spiced lentils and I can barely close the freezer door!

A full larder is most definitely a Good Thing. :-)

Question

How can you know if what you think god wants for you is what god wants for you and not what you hope god wants for you because it's what you want?

Brr

I'm sitting here looking at my almost 170$ gas bill for the past month which I received this morning (and promptly paid in full, thank you kindly).

The bill is 50$ more than last month. We've had a proper winter with lots of deep colds.

I decided this year that I wasn't going to cheap out on heat. I've had it with that. I vowed that I would never again go through winter having to wear a coat and mitts indoors.

While the upper floor of the house remains positively chilly and uninviting, I've managed to be comfortable on the main floor, provided I wear thick socks and a warm sweater, all of which is quite reasonable. I've been cranking the heat up to 19 or even 20 some evenings. It's still chilly in here, though, and I have to hike the temp up even higher when I have guests, as well as run a space heater upstairs. So I'm guessing that I'm not being completely unreasonable.

The furnace has a programmable thermostat, so at least I'm only heating when I'm home, and that only when I'm awake. I've also programmed it to go up a few degrees before I get home or rise in the morning so that I don't end up cranking it up from 15 or 16 degrees straight to 20. At night, the temperature goes down to 17, which is just perfect for my outfit of flannel pjs with thick socks and a bed dressed with flannel sheets, a thick blanket, and a down comforter. I tried 16 for a while and that didn't work; I'd wake up in the middle of the night because I was too cold to sleep. It's amazing the difference a degree makes.

So far for the year, my heating bills average out to 50$ per month if I were to spread them out over 12 equal payments. Add to that the 50$ hydro is costing me thanks to the price hike and energy costs for this house average out to about 100$ per month. That's fifty dollars less per month than I was paying at my old house and could explain why I've been positively non-frugal about using electricity and gas here. Run the dishwasher? Sure! Have a fifteen minute boiling hot shower? Why not!

Eventually, I will return to more frugal and energy-wise ways, but that won't be for a while yet since I still associate those things with poverty. I can't wait to associate them with a new, energy-efficient, off-the-grid house of my very own. :-)

THAT Time of Year is Here Again

Tax time, that is.

My accountant has left the province, so I decided that this year, I would do my taxes myself once again. Picked a good year for it, too, she adds sarcastically, as I have to deal with investments and RRSPs for the first time. The latter are particularly confusecating.

When I do my own taxes, I like to start early and then add information as the T-slips and other paperwork comes trickling in. Whenever I get discouraged, I look at US tax filing information to remind myself that Canadians have it pretty easy when it comes to tax time (except for the amount of money we have to shell out, of course).

Next year should be another interesting year for filing since I'll have to do a federal return and a Quebec return, as well as figure out the Manitoban system. I'll probably get professional help, like I did when I lived in Ontario, but filed in Quebec. That was fun, especially the audit. CRA flagged me for living in Ontario, going to school in Ontario, filing in Quebec, and working in the US, Quebec, and Ontario. It was really nice to confuse them for once, but it all got sorted out. Then, the MRQ (Minister of Revenue for Quebec) got their nose into everything and started to recrunch numbers only to find out that they owed me several hundred dollars. Ha, ha, ha!!!

I've always received a refund and I imagine that this is going to be my last year of getting one since I've paid off my student loan. At least, I'll no longer be living in Quebec when the perks of being indebted run out.

Anyone (from any country) have any scary tax stories to share?

Meme

Tagged for a meme (!)

1. Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

1001 Petals

2. Share five random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.

-I think grilled cheese sandwiches taste best when cut into triangles;

-My favourite type of coffee is Sumatra;

-I like to do things that scare me so that I never have to do them again (like rappelling, falling in love, rafting over a waterfall, and eating raw clam);

-The magnetic stripe on my bank card has begun to fail, but I don't want to change the card because I know its number by heart, have had it for about fifteen years, and have used it in a kazillion places between Los Angeles and northern Scotland. Bonus factoid: I get sentimental about the silliest things;

-My favourite word of all the languages I've ever been exposed to is 'quincaillerie.'

3. Share the five top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list.

Life is too short and the world too vast to go someplace twice, much as I'd love to return to Scotland and Colorado some day, so...

-Abydos, Egypt;
-the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro;
-Siberia;
-the Canadian north;
-Fiji

4. Tag a minimum of five random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog.

Eeeeeeeeep, I don't 'virtually know' anyone well enough to do this part! If someone other than 1001 Petals is reading, consider yourself tagged!

Lunch!

I went out for lunch with my colleagues today. Now that I hardly eat out beyond getting something at the foodcourt, I find that I'm a lot pickier and that I come out much more satisfied. Today was no exception!

We went to an Italian restaurant I'd suggested called Pacini. I hadn't been there in years, but remembered that it was really good and reasonably priced. I'm pleased to say that my memory still held!

The 12.95$ lunch special got me:

-unlimited grilled bread at the bread bar;
-a fantastic cream of vegetable soup (I would have been thrilled with just the soup and bread for lunch, they were that good!);
-haddock en croute (coated with asiago cheese, sundried tomatoes, and basil then grilled) served over garlicky (and slightly too oily, but still delicious) linguini with napoletana (tomato) sauce;
-unlimited coffee (since I don't drink soft drinks).

The haddock was soooooo good; sweet, firm, and flaky. I'd wanted shrimp, but the shrimp offering for the lunch special didn't inspire me, so I made an excellent alternate choice. I loved the warmed, but not cooked, halved cherry tomatoes swimming around in that lovely garlicky goodness!

I added a 3.95$ 'mochaccino terrine' which was essentially mocha-flavoured mousse; very light and the perfect complement to my lunch.

Total cost, including tip: 21$

I know that for some frugal people, eating out means cutting corners on costs by not having desserts or drinks, etc., but I now eat out so little that when I do, I want the full out treat!

Routines

I'm not good at sticking to routines, but I've got a Sunday one that's been going on since after the holidays and which is working out great for me.

Sunday morning, I take an hour and make a double batch of pancakes while listening to the Sunday morning oldies show. These pancakes are super healthy and filling. A double batch gives me enough breakfasts for the week. I've been having these pancakes every single morning for four weeks and am not tired of them. I think I might have found my miracle breakfast food. I eat them as is after nuking them for about a minute; the raisins providing more than enough sweetness.

Mid-afternoon, I cook up a huge batch of something and prepare my lunch for the next day. I've noticed that if my Monday lunch is prepared ahead of time (whether I eat it at home or at work), I tend to be more on track for the rest of the week as to having a good lunch. I then pack the freezer with the leftovers. This way, I've accumulated the following in the freezer in one-meal portions: Ethiopian spiced lentils, chili, and pasta with tomato sauce and cheese.

If I don't eat dinner at home or am too lazy to make something with leftovers or what I'm making isn't suited to creating leftovers (eg. fish/seafood), I can pull one of these meals out of the freezer for my lunch the next day.

Before I go to bed, I make sure my lunch is packed, take out a portion of pancakes, and prepare my coffee (my coffeemaker has a timer).

Mondays are so much more pleasant now. I've never really had to rush in the mornings, but it's nice to not have to think about breakfast or what I'll be bringing for lunch.

This Week's Deals

My uncouth neighbours were playing music too loudly for my taste today, so I decided to escape and do something rather unfrugal--recreational shopping.

I headed to two Value Villages to see what they had in stock. The pickings were slim today, thankfully. All I brought home were a puzzle by my favourite puzzle artist Charles Wysocki (1.99$), and two stainless steel bowls. I've been wanting to buy my cats stainless steel water and food bowls for years, but resented the prices for new ones. At VV, I found a large food bowl for 1.99$ and a smaller water bowl for .99$. Yay!

I also perused the skirts and found two skirts I own (!). One was marked 14.99$ and the other 19.99$. I bought them new for 1.99$ and 9.99$ respectively. Proof, that it's not always worth it to buy used.... Also, VV sure isn't the 'value' it used to be.

Yesterday, I went to GT to get some groceries and got some decent frozen pizzas for 2.98$ each. I'd bought them before and found the crust and cheese awesome, but the sauce bland. So, when I cooked one for dinner tonight, I sprinkled some dried basil and oregano on top and it made all the difference. YUM! I can't believe I used to buy an individual slice of pizza for 3$ when I can have a whole one for that price!

Some People Just Don't Get It...

I'm very close to two of my colleagues, so I told them about my new car. One replied: "Wow, you must be rich!" and the other "You make no sense. You won't buy a 10$ top or a 1$ coffee, but you'll buy a new car."

The first gal doesn't realise that being debt free really increases your buying power. I asked my dealership what the price of the car would be if I paid cash vs. financing it and was told it was the same thing. Whether I paid cash today or gave them 60 equal payments at 0%, I would not save one penny. Why not finance and keep my cash in my investments where it's making money? Since I have no debt, getting approval for financing wasn't an issue. I'm not rich, but I have financial flexibility.

The other gal doesn't get that little purchases add up, that by not buying the top or the coffee I'm keeping my monthly spending at a low enough limit to live within my means and afford luxury items like cars.

But that wasn't my favourite bit of financial cluelessness for the day.

I treated myself to lunch on Friday as I normally do and decided to splurge since there was a lot of really nice fresh fruit being offered. My total was 7.10$. I gave the teller 20.10$. She gave me back 17.00$ I told her she'd made a mistake and was about to hand her back the money when she said, and I quote: "I don't make mistakes, the cash [register] tells me what to give back." Then, seeing that I was about to protest, "I'm too busy to deal with this, go see the manager if we owe you anything."

Yeah....

New Wheels

I bought a new car today.

The decision was made at 7:30 last night although it had been hemmed and hawed at for months. I went in at 3 today for a test drive and by 4 the whole thing was buttoned up. Had I decided to not be picky about colour this time around, I could have literally driven home with my new car.

I'm not going to get into all the details, but will only say that it made perfect financial sense and except for the fact that I quadrupled my current debt (something that sounds scarier than it is in reality) this transaction was definitely in my financial favour.

I bought the current year model of my old car and got the deal of a lifetime. I could not have bought a used car, not even for cash, and gotten all the financial advantages that this new car is giving me.

One of the things that helped was my excellent relationship with and loyalty to my dealership. They gave me more for my current car than I could have had anywhere else. My car is not even four years old but it has the mileage of a car that is about six. I've maintained it perfectly and the cosmetic shape is good. The dealership knew that they could give me a bit more for it to motivate me to trade up. Makes sense.

I went in today with all my numbers crunched and I came up with the absolute lowest figure that I could hope to pay for this car, as well as a more realistic figure to talk the dealership down to. Well, the dealership crunched its own numbers... and arrived at the same low number I did. Then, as I sat there stonefaced (jumping up and down in my head) they asked me what goodies they could add to sweeten the pot....

The way I see it is this: I've been an excellent customer for 4 years, but they know I'm savvy and always looking elsewhere for a better deal; I never take anything they say at face value. They want my continued business, so it's in their best interest to just straight up tell me what's the best deal they can give me. No haggling, no condescension, no gypping, no bs. It's refreshing.

I can't wait for my road trip next month. :-)

There Are No Words

This is a new PC (Loblaws) product for children touted as an alternative to chicken nuggets: fried mac & cheese nuggets... which they're claiming are a healthy choice.

I think I've now seen it all.

Dreaming of Home

I've always thrown myself headlong into my projects and plans, deciding that I'd figure it out as I went along. That's probably why my life does not yet resemble what I envision it should be.

So, when I decided to uproot myself again and stake a claim on the prairies, I vowed that I would be smart about it. I would take at least a year to plan it all out, to declutter my living space and in doing so my soul, and to clearly identify what I would not compromise on this time and what I had to let go.

I've done all that. I'm ready. I'm beyond ready. I can't wait to own my own home again now that I know exactly what that home should look like (hint: there would be a Chambers 1930's gas range in the kitchen and land as far as the eye can see from the window above the sink). I can't wait to get involved with a community again, to fall into habits again, to befriend people. I'm ready to retry my hand at putting down roots.

Fall can't come soon enough.

A Full Year...

Whew.

I've survived a full year without my father. I miss him terribly.

Now that all the 'firsts' are done, I hope that life without him will continue to become easier.

I know that he is in a good place and that we will see each other again before he is reborn, hopefully into a happier life. This brings me great comfort.

Frugal, Not Poor

I really tightened the purse strings in January and this will continue through to April.

I haven't given up on the 'pantry method' of shopping, but am combining it with another technique. Now, I'm stocking up the pantry and not doing a 'big' grocery until it's completely empty. Until then, I'm stocking up on a few items that will encourage me to finish what I have at home. For example, last week I went out and bought some cheese and a package of chili spices to make chili, using up tomatoes and beans from the pantry. I know that all these 'systems' I'm trying out seem silly, that this shouldn't be a big deal. But I've never wrapped my brain around it. Perhaps one day I'll make my peace with grocery shopping. :-S

Yesterday, I went to visit a friend and passed a grocery store that I otherwise would not go to. I happened to have a 5$ gift certificate for that store. So, I went in and decided to stretch that 9$, plus another 4$ I had in change, as far is they could go. I will be eating out with my colleagues once this month and probably going to visit my family, so I want to tighten the grocery budget at least as much as I did in January. Therefore, my 9$ had to go for 'necessities', not treats.

Problem was, that grocery store is insanely expensive.

What I got for my 9$:

-2 oranges;
-1 loaf of good bread;
-2 lbs sugar;
-1 can tomato soup
-1 package pasta

I desperately wanted to get some fish, but I could not justify spending 6$+ on one meal when I got things that would give me several meals. The can of tomato soup might sound silly, but combined with the pasta and the cheese I have at home I can make three to four meals out of it!

The whole time I was shopping and trying to figure out how to combine what I had in my basket with what I had at home, I had to keep reminding myself "Raven, you're not poor. You're frugal. You can buy anything in the store but you choose not to."

Looking back on almost a year's worth of posts, I'm proud of the changes I've made, of going from poor and barely frugal to comfortable and more frugal, but I see how much further I need to go.

Sunday Confessionals

The following would have been overheard at my house this weekend:

1) *mutter, mutter, rummage, mutter, rummage, rummage, mutter* How can I call myself organized when I'm always looking for these darn pants! (The (snow) pants in question were exactly where I thought they were supposed to be, but I missed them the first three times I looked there!)

2) Oh. That brown stuff was dirt?! (I wipe down my sink every day with cleanser and it's always had a sheen of brown around the drain. Today, I decided to scrub with Comet... and the brown sheen lifted. I've ascertained that it's from coffee... and I'm completely grossed out and embarrassed.