I've been on a cleaning frenzy for the last two days. Normally cleaning is foreign to me. I've always been bad at it but even more so since Mama Park (aka my cleaning lady) moved in a few years ago. So I'm not sure why these sudden urges to clean and organize. Yesterday I cleaned out the kitchen cupboards. Today I cleaned out the coat/shoe closet, re-organized all my gift bags, gift wrap and plastic bags and afterwards I cleaned out the freezer. So I'm not sure why my room is still such a dump. I've come to the conclusion it's very hard to keep my room clean because I have too much stuff in my small room. It doesn't help that everyday this week I've been shopping and buying Christmas gifts so now it looks like a department store after a crazy midnight madness sale. Tomorrow I may tackle the laundry/linen closet. I guess this is the kind of stuff you occupy yourself with when you have no work, hence the reason why Mama Park cleans so frequently. My life is starting to mimic that of a retiree. Or maybe I should stop drinking coffee at night, a habit I've formed since I have no reason to sleep early and nothing to get up for in the morning except lunch.
Today was the Dole Club's first transborder meeting aka road trip to the States. The purpose was to buy food for our catering gig and do some christmas shopping. As per our usual M.O., we disappeared into the abyss known as Kohls, lingered for too long and emerged much poorer than when we entered. Then we hit the Old Country Buffet. It's no Le Croc but you can't go wrong for $7.49. After that, Target for some more gifts and food items I did not need. Next, we hit Costco for dairy and meat and finally, our beloved Trader Joe's, a co-op store with an impressive array of specialty foods for a really good price. We picked up some cheeses and other party essentials, along with quite a few non-essential items that tempted us as we perused the enticing aisles. I don't know what it is about Trader Joe's but I find it so fascinating. All the items are so intriguing you just want to throw everything in your grocery cart. For all that perusing, I actually only spent $5 on myself. Perhaps it's because I was having buyer's remorse after dropping $280 at the previous stores before we hit Trader Joe's. But then I consoled myself by telling myself I'm almost done my Christmas shopping for the year and I'm using free money because I'm getting that $300 visa card for switching my internet and cable to Telus. So all in all, a very successful first attempt at a transborder meeting for the Dole Club except when the U.S. border guard gave us a hard time about being unemployed, asking us if we should be looking for a job instead of shopping. Asshole. I shouldn't have said I was unemployed. Unfortunately it started a spiral and like dominos falling on top of each other, one by one we had to admit we were unemployed. We should have just said we belong to a Dole Club and so what of it. Next time, we just say we're employed at LifeScan. End of story...unless we get the same miserable border guard again.
Tomorrow I'm on the hunt for duck breast and those elusive ingredients to make gluten free pasta. With the high cost of duck and the difficulty finding a supplier, I'm beginning to think it was a bad choice to offer for the F&L Gift Exchange dinner. Oh well, too late to turn back now. We've already taken everyone's orders. It'll be an interesting trip to China town tomorrow. I haven't shopped at China town in years. I better google the Chinese word for duck lest my adventure becomes more humorous fodder for tomorrow's blog entry.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
DC meeting in the US of A
Thanks to LFS, the Dole Club was able to have another "meeting" down in the greatest country in the world, the US of A. Even though it was a weekday, there was still a minimal wait to cross the border, most likely due to Canadian shoppers looking for some deals. We were heading down to do some Christmas shopping, and to get some of the ingredients for our catering gig next for the F&L gift exchange. thanks to our recent unemployment we got grilled by the ahole US border guard, who wanted to know why we were shopping instead of looking for a job, even after I explained that 2/3 of us weren't on EI yet. I hate those border pigs. They are always trying to make you squirm, even though all we wanted to do was spend our hard earned severance keeping their sinking economy going.
Our first stop was Bellis Fair, where we made the same mistake we always do by spending too much time in Kohl's hemming and hawing over whether we should purchase the item or do some comparison shopping first. I ended up with some good deals but by the time we were done, over an hour had passed and it was time for lunch. When you're in a different locale, do as the locals do. And we all know the Americans love their buffet, so we headed over to a "slight;y dirty" buffet. We knew the food wouldn't be top quality, but there would be variety, it would be fast, we would be able to eat vast quantities, and best of all, it was $7.99.
40 minutes later, we all had stuffed ourselves to the gills with an assortment of fried chicken, meat that seemed a little too tender, salad bar, cottage cheese, pastas, and desserts and we rolled ourselves out to continue our quest. Next destination: Target. We had to be focused, so we concentrated on the toy area and found some good bargains, but I was pleased to see that the sale items I had bought at Kohl's was a better bargain. I alson ran into a manager with LFS, who was spending the weekend down in the US. We chatted briefly before we hit that awkward pause.
I spent most of my money in the food aisles due to a sale on their Cheetos. My mom loves this flavour that she says is only carried in the US so I spent $15 on cheetos! Merry Christmas Mom!
We finished up at Bellis Fair where we started by going back to Kohl's. Spark informed me that one of the toys I had bought in the morning was now an additional 15%! So of course in true cheap Chinese fashion, I returned the toys and re-bought them. The funny thing is that with the exchange on the Visa, I am sure I actually will not have saved very much money with thie transaction.
Looking at the clock, we knew we were running out of time and we still hadn't bought any food yet. We quickly rushed to Costco and successfully purchased the items we were able to and got out of there quite quickly. This then left our last stop - Trader Joe's. For such a small store, we sure spent some time in there. There are lots of great gluten-free items to comb through, so most of my purchases were for the hubby.
Last stop was for some gas and Starbucks and 3 satisfied, albeit slightly more broke girls crossed back into what is actually the greatest country in the world. Especially since we weren't charged any duty!
Only slight sting to the day was logging into FB in the evening and seeing some posts from a former colleague about the team building event they had today. Something Spark and I would have enjoyed - a cooking class. But Spark says it best...one day at Dirty Apron isn't going to make up for the years of torture ahead of all of those asswipes. Well-put indeed. So take your delicious looking macaroons and shove it...we don't want them. (Well maybe I would. I love macaroons).
Our first stop was Bellis Fair, where we made the same mistake we always do by spending too much time in Kohl's hemming and hawing over whether we should purchase the item or do some comparison shopping first. I ended up with some good deals but by the time we were done, over an hour had passed and it was time for lunch. When you're in a different locale, do as the locals do. And we all know the Americans love their buffet, so we headed over to a "slight;y dirty" buffet. We knew the food wouldn't be top quality, but there would be variety, it would be fast, we would be able to eat vast quantities, and best of all, it was $7.99.
40 minutes later, we all had stuffed ourselves to the gills with an assortment of fried chicken, meat that seemed a little too tender, salad bar, cottage cheese, pastas, and desserts and we rolled ourselves out to continue our quest. Next destination: Target. We had to be focused, so we concentrated on the toy area and found some good bargains, but I was pleased to see that the sale items I had bought at Kohl's was a better bargain. I alson ran into a manager with LFS, who was spending the weekend down in the US. We chatted briefly before we hit that awkward pause.
I spent most of my money in the food aisles due to a sale on their Cheetos. My mom loves this flavour that she says is only carried in the US so I spent $15 on cheetos! Merry Christmas Mom!
We finished up at Bellis Fair where we started by going back to Kohl's. Spark informed me that one of the toys I had bought in the morning was now an additional 15%! So of course in true cheap Chinese fashion, I returned the toys and re-bought them. The funny thing is that with the exchange on the Visa, I am sure I actually will not have saved very much money with thie transaction.
Looking at the clock, we knew we were running out of time and we still hadn't bought any food yet. We quickly rushed to Costco and successfully purchased the items we were able to and got out of there quite quickly. This then left our last stop - Trader Joe's. For such a small store, we sure spent some time in there. There are lots of great gluten-free items to comb through, so most of my purchases were for the hubby.
Last stop was for some gas and Starbucks and 3 satisfied, albeit slightly more broke girls crossed back into what is actually the greatest country in the world. Especially since we weren't charged any duty!
Only slight sting to the day was logging into FB in the evening and seeing some posts from a former colleague about the team building event they had today. Something Spark and I would have enjoyed - a cooking class. But Spark says it best...one day at Dirty Apron isn't going to make up for the years of torture ahead of all of those asswipes. Well-put indeed. So take your delicious looking macaroons and shove it...we don't want them. (Well maybe I would. I love macaroons).
Monday, December 3, 2012
G dawg: And let there be light!
I can understand why renovations can be such a stressful thing for couples. We barely got a taste of it last night with something as basic as putting up a chandelier and it almost ended in an explosion, and not from an incorrect installation.
So it must of been a record for us - we only bought the chandelier a week ago and we actually installed it yesterday afternoon. Normally it would sit in the box on our living room floor for about 10 months until it became a side table and blends into the environment so that no-one even notices it's out of place anymore. So while the kids were sleeping, I roped LP into the installation. Youtube videos made it seem like it was going to be fairly easy. Of course we had a few missteps requiring us to redo our work and start over from scratch. It also wasn't easy supporting the weight of the light perched on top of the dining room table while LP attached wires. After a few botched tries on what we were supposed to do, LP realized the time and that he needed to get ready for his track banquet and said we should finish tomorrow. Of course everything was everywhere and we wouldn't have a working light, so I was fustrated. I asked LP if he remembered how the original light was hanging when he detached it, as we would simply need to recreate it with the new light. I also texted our Chinese friend C to see if he had time to drop over and help me finish the job.
Sensing my fustration, LP came back to help me finish the light, and subsuquently was late for the banquet. He was fustrated with me for reaching out to C and that I was obviously mad at him when I barged into the bathroom to ask him to remember how the original fixture hung.
Anyway, our arguments are usually short-lived. The chandelier was hung properly, LP dashed off to the banquet and now we are finally rid of the 1970s chandelier that we have wanted to change ever since we moved here 5 years ago. Speaking of which, I posted the old chandelier to give away on craigslist for free and within an hour, I had about 10 people respond to it. However the lady that said she would pick it up by noon has not come yet to pick it up. I wonder if she had a better look at the picture of the light and figured that even hoarders have hard limits.
Today was a bit of a lazy day. Since LP came home really late from his outing last night, we had to start the day by picking up his car which he left on the street near Gilmore Station. We picked up the car and headed to Still Creek MacDonalds for some breaky. It felt strange being in the ex -work hood considering how long I have been commuting to Still Creek Drive. The funny thing was when LP asked where the closest MacD's was, I thought of Brentwood and then the Hastings Gamma location before I remembered the Still Creek location. Must be a protective brain measure to block out thinsg related to our former place of employment.
After breakfast, LP was so tired that he wanted to take a nap at 12:30. I guilted him out of it and told him if he's going to drink, then he needs to be able to stay up until the kids' naptime. However to his credit he didn't end up napping all day.
I attempted to get some Christmas gifts but it was a pseudo bust. I did pick up a few things here and there and returned that DVD to Walmart, which was crazy busy!! I vow not to return to any mall on the weekends and will have to try and get all my shopping done during work hours.
And lastly, we ended up booking a last minute trip to Vegas. I really wanted to go, but wasn't thrilled about it, considering my economic uncertainty and the fact that we are going to San Diego at the end of the year. However the flights and hotel are really cheap and I didn't want to miss out on the fun if LP was going down solo and meeting up with Josh, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and do it. Besides it has been over a year since we took a vacation just the two of us. I really wish you'd come though Spark but get that maybe it's not the best idea. Thank you though for making the trip possible by you having to watch the munchkins. I will lay a bet down for you. Roulette OK? tell me if you want red or black.
So it must of been a record for us - we only bought the chandelier a week ago and we actually installed it yesterday afternoon. Normally it would sit in the box on our living room floor for about 10 months until it became a side table and blends into the environment so that no-one even notices it's out of place anymore. So while the kids were sleeping, I roped LP into the installation. Youtube videos made it seem like it was going to be fairly easy. Of course we had a few missteps requiring us to redo our work and start over from scratch. It also wasn't easy supporting the weight of the light perched on top of the dining room table while LP attached wires. After a few botched tries on what we were supposed to do, LP realized the time and that he needed to get ready for his track banquet and said we should finish tomorrow. Of course everything was everywhere and we wouldn't have a working light, so I was fustrated. I asked LP if he remembered how the original light was hanging when he detached it, as we would simply need to recreate it with the new light. I also texted our Chinese friend C to see if he had time to drop over and help me finish the job.
Sensing my fustration, LP came back to help me finish the light, and subsuquently was late for the banquet. He was fustrated with me for reaching out to C and that I was obviously mad at him when I barged into the bathroom to ask him to remember how the original fixture hung.
Anyway, our arguments are usually short-lived. The chandelier was hung properly, LP dashed off to the banquet and now we are finally rid of the 1970s chandelier that we have wanted to change ever since we moved here 5 years ago. Speaking of which, I posted the old chandelier to give away on craigslist for free and within an hour, I had about 10 people respond to it. However the lady that said she would pick it up by noon has not come yet to pick it up. I wonder if she had a better look at the picture of the light and figured that even hoarders have hard limits.
Today was a bit of a lazy day. Since LP came home really late from his outing last night, we had to start the day by picking up his car which he left on the street near Gilmore Station. We picked up the car and headed to Still Creek MacDonalds for some breaky. It felt strange being in the ex -work hood considering how long I have been commuting to Still Creek Drive. The funny thing was when LP asked where the closest MacD's was, I thought of Brentwood and then the Hastings Gamma location before I remembered the Still Creek location. Must be a protective brain measure to block out thinsg related to our former place of employment.
After breakfast, LP was so tired that he wanted to take a nap at 12:30. I guilted him out of it and told him if he's going to drink, then he needs to be able to stay up until the kids' naptime. However to his credit he didn't end up napping all day.
I attempted to get some Christmas gifts but it was a pseudo bust. I did pick up a few things here and there and returned that DVD to Walmart, which was crazy busy!! I vow not to return to any mall on the weekends and will have to try and get all my shopping done during work hours.
And lastly, we ended up booking a last minute trip to Vegas. I really wanted to go, but wasn't thrilled about it, considering my economic uncertainty and the fact that we are going to San Diego at the end of the year. However the flights and hotel are really cheap and I didn't want to miss out on the fun if LP was going down solo and meeting up with Josh, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and do it. Besides it has been over a year since we took a vacation just the two of us. I really wish you'd come though Spark but get that maybe it's not the best idea. Thank you though for making the trip possible by you having to watch the munchkins. I will lay a bet down for you. Roulette OK? tell me if you want red or black.
Sparky's Journey - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of PVR
PVR can be a godsend and a curse both at the same time. Everyone says it's a time saver, fast-forwarding through commercials and watching your recorded programs on your own time but I now have so many more things to watch in the middle of the night. I find myself PVRing anything and everything. You name it, I'll record it. Plus with the promo offer of free movie channels for the next few months, every minute of every day could be spent watching something at least semi- interesting on the old boob tube. Thinking of ways to make and save money has now been put on the back burner for staring at the TV guide studiously trying to figure out what channels I have and watching old episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens, Fraser, NCIS, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist etc,. In fact, I'm watching an old episode of The Mentalist right now. Why am I so obsessive?
My other latest obsession, next to PVR, is coming up with the perfect recipe for gluten free homemade pasta. I even bought a $20 pasta maker this weekend. I've never found any gluten-free pasta that tastes like the real deal. I always thought the person who comes up a perfect gluten-free replica of flour pasta will become a billionaire. And why can't that be me? Dare to dream right? But why is it so hard to find garbanzo flava flour, cheap psyllium husk powder and millet flour? I suppose it's a lesson in fortitude (or some might say, reality) that I'm desperately in need of like all those sayings: "Nothing good comes easy." "There's no such thing as easy money." blah blah blah. I suppose all inventors and game changers had to overcome such road blocks before inventing their 'perfect pasta'. Unfortunately I suspect this ingredient challenge will be the easiest of my road blocks down this path. If this is anything like my past projects, it could end like most other things - bags of leftover product that go to waste and no finished item to speak of but this time I have one thing on my side that I haven't had in the past and that's time, time to invent the perfect gluten-free pasta or whatever else I choose to dabble in. Maybe this isn't the final path I'm meant to take but as long as all roads lead to finding that path then I'm okay with a little dabbling, some failures and hopefully at the end, a lot of success.
Tomorrow we go to Edible Canada, a specialty food store like Meinhart's, in Granville Island to look for some Christmas gifts. Maybe I can successfully knock off road block #1 by finding the ingredients for the gluten-free pasta recipe. Se Dio Vuole (that's 'God willing' in Italian, according to google).
My other latest obsession, next to PVR, is coming up with the perfect recipe for gluten free homemade pasta. I even bought a $20 pasta maker this weekend. I've never found any gluten-free pasta that tastes like the real deal. I always thought the person who comes up a perfect gluten-free replica of flour pasta will become a billionaire. And why can't that be me? Dare to dream right? But why is it so hard to find garbanzo flava flour, cheap psyllium husk powder and millet flour? I suppose it's a lesson in fortitude (or some might say, reality) that I'm desperately in need of like all those sayings: "Nothing good comes easy." "There's no such thing as easy money." blah blah blah. I suppose all inventors and game changers had to overcome such road blocks before inventing their 'perfect pasta'. Unfortunately I suspect this ingredient challenge will be the easiest of my road blocks down this path. If this is anything like my past projects, it could end like most other things - bags of leftover product that go to waste and no finished item to speak of but this time I have one thing on my side that I haven't had in the past and that's time, time to invent the perfect gluten-free pasta or whatever else I choose to dabble in. Maybe this isn't the final path I'm meant to take but as long as all roads lead to finding that path then I'm okay with a little dabbling, some failures and hopefully at the end, a lot of success.
Tomorrow we go to Edible Canada, a specialty food store like Meinhart's, in Granville Island to look for some Christmas gifts. Maybe I can successfully knock off road block #1 by finding the ingredients for the gluten-free pasta recipe. Se Dio Vuole (that's 'God willing' in Italian, according to google).
Saturday, December 1, 2012
G Dawg's tooth gauging
I think I may have found a new career based soley on earning potential. Before the Dole Club photo shoot yesterday, I had an endodontist appointment to try and figure out what was going on with my root canal gone bad. In my initial consultation, he mentioned he wouldn't know until he went in to see why my tooth had not responded to the first root canal. It could either be a crack, in which case he would need to remove the tooth, or it could be salvageable. He asked me how motivated I was to save it - which meant whether I would be prepared to fork over $$$ so I could try and retain the tooth, which might not even respond to treatment. In my 1 hour appointment, he figured out that the anatomy of this tooth was a bit different, which is why my dentist couldn't get all the root out. He completed the root canal and removed the remaining tissue, and put some antibiotic into the tooth before putting a temporary seal on it before my next 45 min appt in the new year to complete the job. The cost? $1430...half of which was paid yesterday. That is roughly over $700 an hour, for something that seemed like a fairly easy case. The only upside is that I think some of it will be covered under my remaining benefits and LP's benefits, but I won't know until I try and submit a claim for this, which I can't do until the job is complete.
Sparky and I spent the day looking for some new eyeglass frames for her. She didn't end up making a purchase yet, mainly because there were so many choices and we were trying to find the best deal. We also met up for some juicy buns with some peeps from our ex-work. It was CK's last day before a month-long well deserved vacation and KC came too, who happened to be both our bosses at one point or another. It's nice to keep in touch with our friends from the office and it almost makes it seem like we're still all together. Except when we don't have to rush back to the office for a 1 pm meeting.
Afterwards Sparky and I hung out at the office, researching menu ideas and grocery deals for our upcoming F&L gift exchange, which we are "catering" and doing some general interwebbing. I also talked to a recruiter who a co-worker passed along my info to for a position with a canned seafood company. Not sure how I feel about it, but I figure this is a good opportunity to work on getting my resume updated and practice interviewing, if I get that far. However, not that enthused about the prospect of job hunting quite yet - especially if this company is hoping to get their interviews completed by Christmas.
If all else fails, Sparky and I talked about bringing back the barter system to obtain the goods we need. "Oh Mr. Telus Man, I can't really pay you for the cable service this month...but I can offer you something in return..."
Sparky and I spent the day looking for some new eyeglass frames for her. She didn't end up making a purchase yet, mainly because there were so many choices and we were trying to find the best deal. We also met up for some juicy buns with some peeps from our ex-work. It was CK's last day before a month-long well deserved vacation and KC came too, who happened to be both our bosses at one point or another. It's nice to keep in touch with our friends from the office and it almost makes it seem like we're still all together. Except when we don't have to rush back to the office for a 1 pm meeting.
Afterwards Sparky and I hung out at the office, researching menu ideas and grocery deals for our upcoming F&L gift exchange, which we are "catering" and doing some general interwebbing. I also talked to a recruiter who a co-worker passed along my info to for a position with a canned seafood company. Not sure how I feel about it, but I figure this is a good opportunity to work on getting my resume updated and practice interviewing, if I get that far. However, not that enthused about the prospect of job hunting quite yet - especially if this company is hoping to get their interviews completed by Christmas.
If all else fails, Sparky and I talked about bringing back the barter system to obtain the goods we need. "Oh Mr. Telus Man, I can't really pay you for the cable service this month...but I can offer you something in return..."
Friday, November 30, 2012
Sparky's Journey - The Dole Club goes Glam
Our friend M, the photographer, gifted us with Photos by M for our birthdays this year. Being laid off, we no longer had a suitable excuse when she suggested we do our photo shoots this week. We decided to make it a Dole Club photo shoot with me, G and C. I was stressed out because she asked us to bring a variety of wardrobes which to me meant casual t-shirt versus formal t-shirt. Also, my facial expressions and body movements are awkward at best so I was somewhat dreading being put in front of a camera with a long lens while being directed to put my hands, feet and eyes in all different directions and give my most natural smile all at the same time. I hate to say it but I have a new respect for models. It turned out to be fun and not stressful at all, especially since M said we didn't have to do any dress changes during the shoot. Thankfully I wore my formal t-shirt out of the house. I don't know why but it felt a little cathartic to get glammed up and do the photo shoot. Maybe getting laid off was actually the best thing for us. People tell us it is but I haven't believed it until I looked at these photos. We all look so happy and refreshed.
I think they turned out pretty well. M sure knows how to use photo shop. What do you think? Here are the first official photos of the Dole Club. With these photos in hand, there's nowhere to go but up right??
I think they turned out pretty well. M sure knows how to use photo shop. What do you think? Here are the first official photos of the Dole Club. With these photos in hand, there's nowhere to go but up right??
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Sparky's J - There is a God and Miracles Do Exist!
The last few days I have been consumed with ways to 'make' money to save my home and support an even longer existence sans work. I've put some of my gift cards out for bid. I've contemplated making crafts to sell. I even contacted an old friend who sells things at bake/craft fairs to ask her how she does things. I've bundled some of my utilities to get a cheaper deal. I changed my car insurance policy to save $12 a month and I even went to the bank to sell some leftover foreign currency from the days when I could afford to go on faraway trips. 10 British pounds and 45,000 korean won equals almost $50. Hey that's at least a few lunches and lattes. I've been impressed with my creativity and wonder how much money I could have saved doing some of these cost cutting measures sooner. I'm wondering if there's a shower at the dance studio so I can use their water after Zumba class!
Yesterday I had my appointment with the debt counsellor. It didn't go exactly as I wanted it to. On the bright side, the lady said the amount of debt I have isn't too bad. On the flip side, she confirmed I pay too much for housing and transportation and therefore can never get my debt down. She kept saying, 'if you don't want to lose your house...'. It really scared me. She suggested a few things that I determined were not viable options: share a room with my Mom and rent the other room to a student, park my car and take transit, or make Mama P pay for some things. Her best suggestion was for me to call all my creditors and tell them I'd been laid off and need to reduce my monthly payments for awhile. She didn't recommend asking them to reduce the total remaining balance because it goes against my credit rating and I need a decent credit rating to re-negotiate my mortgage next April. I thought she could wave a magic wand and fix all my problems. I should know better than to think life is that easy. They do have formal debt programs where they do all they legwork and make the calls for you but they cost money and seeing as how I'm trying to save a dollar here and there, I'm not going to pay someone to make a few phone calls for me, no matter how much I hate talking to the man. Needless to say, I was a little down yesterday but after a sweaty session of Zumba with G and another friend, R, I felt ready to tackle those calls the next day. P.S. G, I totally know the lady you're talking about and I think she's CHINESE not Korean. She definitely needs a lot of space with her huge dance gestures. She has no rhythm and makes me laugh but I commend her for dancing like nobody's watching. It's a rare thing in life.
So today I had planned to make those dreaded phone calls but ended up running errands instead. On my way out of the house, I ran into my aunt who was just coming over to have lunch with Mama P. As soon as she came in the door, she took an envelope out of her purse and handed to me, telling me to read it when I was at work to which I said that I didn't have any work to go to. She ignored me and started chatting with Mama P so I just left to run my errands. Later when I opened the envelope, there was a cheque and a note that said she wanted to help me with my mortgage! I called her later to say I could not accept the cheque. She said she had no idea that I had been laid off when she gave me the envelope and that she had just found out while having lunch with Mama P. She said I couldn't turn the money down because it was a sign from God. How could I argue with that? The money won't fix all my problems but it will keep me afloat for a couple more months. The money is an amazingly generous gesture but the real miracle is the gift of time that this money has afforded me, time to figure out exactly how I want to reinvent myself in my next life, without having to take a job I don't want to because I have to. I can't believe just as I was losing hope that I could be so blessed by this miracle. I will be paying God back for this one for a long time to come:)
After running my errands and with my small winfall in the back of my mind, I celebrated...just a bit by going to T&T and buying myself everything I felt like eating. I know it's not really a celebration but it's not often I throw caution to the wind and buy whatever I want without calculating in my head how much everything is going to cost. So it was a good feeling. And the celebration still goes on as I am sitting here typing and eating the bbq pork I bought.
Well, it's almost 2am and I have to get up 'early' (as in 10am) for my date with the PVR guy. So excited I don't know if I can sleep! By tomorrow night, I will have joined the 21st century! We are in the 21st century aren't we? I should google that. Night.
Yesterday I had my appointment with the debt counsellor. It didn't go exactly as I wanted it to. On the bright side, the lady said the amount of debt I have isn't too bad. On the flip side, she confirmed I pay too much for housing and transportation and therefore can never get my debt down. She kept saying, 'if you don't want to lose your house...'. It really scared me. She suggested a few things that I determined were not viable options: share a room with my Mom and rent the other room to a student, park my car and take transit, or make Mama P pay for some things. Her best suggestion was for me to call all my creditors and tell them I'd been laid off and need to reduce my monthly payments for awhile. She didn't recommend asking them to reduce the total remaining balance because it goes against my credit rating and I need a decent credit rating to re-negotiate my mortgage next April. I thought she could wave a magic wand and fix all my problems. I should know better than to think life is that easy. They do have formal debt programs where they do all they legwork and make the calls for you but they cost money and seeing as how I'm trying to save a dollar here and there, I'm not going to pay someone to make a few phone calls for me, no matter how much I hate talking to the man. Needless to say, I was a little down yesterday but after a sweaty session of Zumba with G and another friend, R, I felt ready to tackle those calls the next day. P.S. G, I totally know the lady you're talking about and I think she's CHINESE not Korean. She definitely needs a lot of space with her huge dance gestures. She has no rhythm and makes me laugh but I commend her for dancing like nobody's watching. It's a rare thing in life.
So today I had planned to make those dreaded phone calls but ended up running errands instead. On my way out of the house, I ran into my aunt who was just coming over to have lunch with Mama P. As soon as she came in the door, she took an envelope out of her purse and handed to me, telling me to read it when I was at work to which I said that I didn't have any work to go to. She ignored me and started chatting with Mama P so I just left to run my errands. Later when I opened the envelope, there was a cheque and a note that said she wanted to help me with my mortgage! I called her later to say I could not accept the cheque. She said she had no idea that I had been laid off when she gave me the envelope and that she had just found out while having lunch with Mama P. She said I couldn't turn the money down because it was a sign from God. How could I argue with that? The money won't fix all my problems but it will keep me afloat for a couple more months. The money is an amazingly generous gesture but the real miracle is the gift of time that this money has afforded me, time to figure out exactly how I want to reinvent myself in my next life, without having to take a job I don't want to because I have to. I can't believe just as I was losing hope that I could be so blessed by this miracle. I will be paying God back for this one for a long time to come:)
After running my errands and with my small winfall in the back of my mind, I celebrated...just a bit by going to T&T and buying myself everything I felt like eating. I know it's not really a celebration but it's not often I throw caution to the wind and buy whatever I want without calculating in my head how much everything is going to cost. So it was a good feeling. And the celebration still goes on as I am sitting here typing and eating the bbq pork I bought.
Well, it's almost 2am and I have to get up 'early' (as in 10am) for my date with the PVR guy. So excited I don't know if I can sleep! By tomorrow night, I will have joined the 21st century! We are in the 21st century aren't we? I should google that. Night.
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