Expanding horizons
One nerdy thing that I enjoy are libraries. I love to go to the library to check out fiction books and then wander the aisles of non-fiction and glance at all the topics I can read about, and sign out random books on random topics. There is so much to know about, so much available on any topic. My past two trips to the library I have checked out books on photography: techniques, photography as art, and essays on photos. Now I'm going to curl up in my chair by the window, which is filtered in dappled sunlight and leaf through these wonderful books. That is a good Saturday afternoon.
Labels: books, random
More blood sucking
The one [very small] perk from donating blood the other day was that I got a letter in the mail today that told me my
blood type. I've never had blood drawn before for any reason, so this was an exciting first! My blood type is A negative, which apparently is a type shared by only 6% of Canadians.
Now, this means that in 60 years when I'm lying on my death bed, I can only take A- or O- blood (which makes up a whopping 13% of Canadians)! SAVE ME.
Labels: random
Creamed ice?
I had high expectations for the Blizzard of the Month which was Turtle Oreo, and I'm sad to say it didn't live up to them. I'm a big Oreo Blizzard fan and the Turtle-y addition consisted mostly of pecans, which I don't even like. I'm not really a nut person in general (although I love peanut butter), so it was a bit of a bummer for me. Note to self: do not branch out from the tried and true goodness of the Oreo!!
I'm an ice cream addict. I will fully admit this. I'm pretty picky about the ice cream that I eat, which makes me kind of a boring ice cream addict. My favourite ice cream is probably just good old fashioned vanilla. Seriously. Or else cookies and cream. I really like a vanilla ice cream base, so all those really chocolatey ones that are triple fudge with chocolate bits and fudge ribbons and fudgefudgefudge I just don't go crazy for. Which is a little insane since I'm a big chocolate fan...
...Okay, way too much ice cream talk.
Labels: food
Hello alphabet soup
I like to plan out my life and think about the future. This is not a secret. But I've never actually thought about the day that I'll be 60 or when I'm going to be retiring and needing money to support myself. I've always been like RRSP-what?? I've never thought that I really needed to worry about all that kind of stuff because I'm young and I'll worry about it when I'm older.
However, living solely on my own now and paying increased rent along with more bills has made me realise I really need to budget. It's also made me more money-conscious and I'm starting to think about saving for the long term. Which is why tonight I attended a financial education workshop for women. Tonight is the first of 3 classes (which are free) wherein I'm learning about RRSPs, GICs, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, the new Tax Free Savings Account, along with a million other things. And at the end of it all, I'm going to be investing and building an RRSP and likely more.
AND, because I never realised how important this all was, I want to pass on the message to everyone to gain knowledge and then INVEST. It's so important!! I have to pass on the cases of Early Elaine and Late Larry, which were outlined tonight because I think this makes it so
clear. Early Elaine invested $4000/year into her RRSP, starting at the age of 25. (And come on, $4000 a year? That's about $300/month, which is peanuts. Here is the motto of the evening: pay yourself first.) Okay, so this Early Elaine chick puts away $4000/year for 12 years until she's 36. Then she doesn't contribute another penny. By the time she's 71, she will have made over A MILLION DOLLARS after only contributing a total of $48,000.
On the other hand - if you suck and wait until you're 37 to do something about your future, like Late Larry who invests $4000/year starting when he's 37 - if he keeps investing that same $4000 every year until he's 71, he'll have only made around $700,000. Not even close! AND, he had to contribute a total of $140,000.
MY POINT IS: start contributing to an RRSP early! The younger you are, the better. Wow that turned into a giant rant and I hope I sound like I marginally know what I'm talking about.
INVEST!
Labels: money
Things that are making me happy lately:
- paying bills (okay, spending money on hydro and cell phone and Visa doesn't exactly make me
happy, but getting them paid is a good feeling)
- organizing claims to be mailed into extended health (which I'd been putting off for almost a year)
- staying home and watching Gossip Girl tonight
- another sunny day today
- going out for breakfast
- sushi
Labels: random
I am such a freakin' sap! I just finished watching the new Gossip Girl episode and at the end when Chuck comes out of the elevator holding some beautiful flowers for Blair and tells her he's so sorry and he's fucked up and needs her... I just started bawling. How sweet and adorable is Chuck, come on now.
I shed tears way too easily. I can be watching a movie, or a commercial and all of a sudden I'm crying, no matter if something is sad or something is cute or touching... I just become a faucet!
This makes me concerned for when I have important touching milestones in my life and how I will deal with them. I can just see myself up there on the altar on my wedding day and I'm just bawling and my tears are running my mascara and my nose is drooling and people are snapping photos and I'm just a blubbering fool. Or seeing my baby for the first time? Hello tears. And so many other moments that are only remotely touching or remotely sad... I need to know some tear prevention strategies!!
Labels: random, TV
Pondering Bread Slicing Methods
What does the way you slice your bread say about you?
Last night I was watching my mom make a sandwich, and after she was finished, she sliced the bread horizontally across. She always used to slice my sandwiches this way when I was a kid and I always hated it. To me, the horizontal slice was so ugly, and sandwiches looked so much more pretty and grown up when they were sliced diagonally so the bread formed two perfect triangles. To this day when I make my own sandwiches, I always slice the bread diagonally. It just tastes better that way.
Labels: food, random
Sunday Dirtyness
The dirty & romantic fridge poetry is making another Sunday appearance...
Labels: fridge poetry
Mind the construction as I re-work the layout. Won't be finished until tomorrow likely.
Let me suuuuck your blooood
Today a group of us girls from work decided to give blood. This was not my idea - I fully got roped into it against my will. I was maybe just a little nervous. But I figured it was a good way to start off 2009, by conquering a fear (at least that's what I told myself so I wouldn't back out at the last second).
Seven of us showed up to the clinic this morning and after going through a quick iron check, waiting, extensive health and sex questions, more waiting, I was finally seated on the donor chairs. Four out of seven of us were deemed unqualified to give blood (because of travel or health conditions), so it was up to me and two other girls.
The nurse had to check which arm had bigger veins to draw from, and they decided that both were tiny but the left was slightly better. So I was seated in the chair, my heart pounding, looking away at the blank walls (why did they not have pictures or something to distract you?!) while the nurse swabbed my arm with iodine and then jammed me with a needle.
Okay, it wasn't that bad. It only hurt a tiny bit. That is, until it still hurt when it shouldn't, which meant the needle wasn't in the right position, which lead to another nurse coming over and both of them jamming it around to make it fit better. Meanwhile, they had given me a glove filled with warm water to squeeze to help the blood come out of my arm better. Because my veins were so small, this was supposed to help, though they told me it would still take about 15 mins for me to fill the bag (average is 8-10 mins).
I don't know if it was because the needle wasn't really in the right spot, or because my vein was so tiny, but my blood flow was just a trickle and then it stopped altogether. So with both nurses still on me, still fiddling with the needle, they decided I wasn't fit to give blood. I won't lie that I was a little relieved. One of the other two girls felt faint after giving half a bag and had to stop giving blood, have a blanket put over her, be given juice and a sugar pill and cookies. So only one of the seven of us gave a full bag of blood!! Insane! I wonder if the odds for the general population are so bad...
A good experience, but I'm not sure I'll be giving blood again... I think my body wants to hold onto it!!
Labels: random, work
2009
Already 2009 feels different to me. Today has a feeling of opportunities, of fresh beginnings. As I was driving home from last night's party this morning, I felt contemplative and optimistic (as well as feeling so hung over). I think 2009 is going to be a year of new people and new places.
And last night I started 2009 off exactly like that. Marja (from work, who is now on mat leave) invited me to a party at her house, and I knew precisely 3 people there: the hosts and a guy I briefly dated who never called me back. Hah, potentially awkward situation, but whatevs. So I got to know probably 20 new people already at the very bang start of 2009! Lots of drinking and fun with plungers and toilet paper rolls took place... haha, awesome. I got pretttty hammered. Crashed at Mar's place for the night, woke up, felt shitty, drove home, got the ultimate hangover cure (aka Micky Ds), crashed for another 2 hours. Today is a write off and I don't care!
Labels: life, parties
