The Voice Of Reason

As my cousin doesn't work Fridays at the moment, I've stayed home today and done some online training. I ran over to the corner store for milk and boy is it chold out there! Brrr!!! I've been feeling chilled since i got back so i think a hot cuppa is in order.

There was also a letter pushed under the door from the new property management company about that so called rebate on our rent we were supposed to get because we couldn't use the balconies a lot of last year. It implied our rent payments would revert back to the full amount but mine never did get any discounts. I got on the phone to them, found out that they just built up a credit on my account but also found out that they never got the January rent. Now, there was a change of companies and i do know i got letters about a change in the automatic bank withdrawals but i interpreted it as something anyone who hadn't set it up through online banking would have to do. Apparently the account the rent was going to is no longer in existence but the bank took it out of my account anyway and if it did reject, it didn't come back to me!

So as of today, i owe January's rent and February's but what i've done is contact the bank to find out what's going on. They're going to get January's rent money back i think, hopefully in about a week or so if i'm lucky. In the meantime i've set up my own monthly transaction for the rent to the new company and account starting in March, and i sent them February's rent as well. When i get back the January amount, I can send them that minus the credit amount i have built up. I did call the woman back at the property company but she didn't get back to me. I'll have to try again Monday to let her know what's going on. Anyway that's $120 i don't have to pay against January's rent. It's all good.

I think i've found the hotel for Quebec City. I get a weekly "deal" newsletter called Travelzoo and this week's had a really nice hotel in the old centre of Quebec for 109 a night with a free upgrade to a superior room. Not sure if breakfast is included but for that price it doesn't matter. It seems to be less than half price too. Sundays through Thursdays up to the end of May. Check. We're staying with friends for two nights but in a hotel for the other two. Right across the street is a big museum and they'll have an exhibition about Samurai when we're there which is Ace!!!! G. Loves Samurai and i think they're pretty cool too!


The next collection of books read: I've linked to the full review on Goodreads but there's a summary as well.

( 2012 books, 14 - 17 )

So yeah. My oh, so helpful cousin reminded me by text that 50 is the same as 600 months! I sent back a text "Bastard." but actually it made me laugh. Leave it to him. He turns 600 months in 5 days so i reminded him that it's breathing down his neck. I told him i only laughed because i couldn't smack him ;))) That will have to wait until Saturday. We're having a combined family birthday party then.

Laurie asked Dad for a sign that he was with us today and she found a shiny dime by the bus stop. I don't ask for signs but i know he's with me all the time anyway. I play a lot of word games like Upwords and also word twist and scramble on FB and the word "Dime" comes up a lot. Works for me.

Anyway
Yeah. it feels a bit surreal.

Going out to lunch with Mom and my Auntie today. Her bd is tomorrow. I think i'll buy myself that wide screen monitor i've had my eye on. Once i get it installed, Mom gets my old 17 inch flat panel one. Nothing really wrong with it, i just fancied a new bigger one. Got my income tax refund so Wahey! And yesterday i sent the whole thing over to Visa which means i am officially and completely debt free! I've already got all my money put aside for hotels and spending money for the trip so that won't put me in the hole either. It may not last long but it's a nice feeling while it lasts.

Further to Yesterday's post about the lottery tickets and scratch tickets, i cashed in my $14 total and got another ticket for Friday night and another scratch ticket. And won another $2.00! With little amounts like that, it's just as simple to get another ticket and see how long my luck runs. I have never gone past 3 tickets in a row counting the first paid one so i'm already one up, this being number 4.

Going to a meal tonight with my best friend J who's in town visiting for two days and then T and i are going to Moncton on the weekend to see her again there. We're leaving Friday night and coming back on Sunday and i've booked a lovely B&B, Archibald B&B. Off season rates of $65 for a room with private bathroom and breakfast, plus taxes. Pretty good. I was expecting about 100 a night.

Pay this week includes 8 days worth of a 3% raise, the other 2 days still being part of October and the raise takes effect on November 1. That's $26 net increase which might top out at about $30 net increase when there's a full 10 days' worth. *sniff* not much. But about what's expected. Next year there's a final 3% raise and then the contract is up again at the end of October 2008. Since it generally takes 6 - 12 months before they're ready to sign a new contract, if they don't strike, i guess that means it won't be settled until well into 2009.

I was thinking about a funny story Mom told me over the weekend about Dad and i remembered another chuckler... Dad's favourite ice cream was rum and raisin and Dad being Dad, he would joke about the ice cream, asking for a "double" shot when he would get a cone somewhere. We were in the Laura Secord store once when he did that and he was a bit taken aback when the woman obligingly gave him a double scoop! He didn't mind :) The other story had to do with his habit of getting up in the morning and tucking his socks into his back pocket. He'd put them on later but this one time apparently he forgot about them and put a clean pair on from the bureau. He came back from the grocery store, laughing. He discovered, not sure when but i think after he left the store, that he had left the socks in his pocket and had walked all around the grocery store with these long dark socks trailing down out of his back pocket!!! One of life's more embarrassing moments! I guess that's the equivalent of coming out of a public loo with toilet paper on your heel or tucking your skirt into the back of your panty hose. Hands up, who's ever done that one! I think i did but someone noticed before i left the ladies' room, thank heavens!

Dad's birthday is today.

Before he died, he asked me if i would buy a lottery ticket on his birthday each year. He loved to play the lottery and we would sometimes go splits on a ticket and he knew i bought a ticket sometimes. I told him i would as long as he made sure he sent down a little magic. Ok, Dad, a promise is a promise! I've got the ticket, now do your stuff :) Boom! A thousand dollars!

Actually the grand prize of the one i got that draws tomorrow night is $2000 every two weeks for 20 years. Nice. Or you can take a lump sum of $500,000 which would be equally sweet. It's a tough call. $52,000 a year tax free income makes life pretty comfortable and a nice little supplement to a salary or pension. On the other hand half a million up front is pretty convenient too! Which would you choose?

Did the rounds of the banks at noon today, looking to buy some more pounds sterling cash for my trip. The exchange rate is so low that i just have to take advantage of it while it is. Same thing happened as last time. The current rate is $2.05 ish Canadian for a pound and the banks always make you pay a few cents more than that. That's a given. My own bank, which seems to be one of the biggest banks in the country, charges more than the other banks. They wanted nearly 2.12. I walked down to Scotiabank and even though it was the main branch, and let me tell you that's a beautiful bank with high plastered ceilings, marble floors and fabulous old heavy light fixtures, but there was only ONE bank teller on duty. ONE. At noon! I was the only one in line behind the customer dealing with the teller and i waited and i waited. And i walked out, more out of spite than anything because really. Lunchtime in a bank should have more than one. Most banks don't have too many on duty in these days of bank machines and internet banking but this is ridiculous for a main branch.

But i digress.

I went up to CIBC where i have a credit card and got my money there, at $2.0966 thankyouverymuch. I won't get any more than i have now because i don't want to be carrying it around. I'll just hope the dollar stays strong.

One of my coworkers, who happens to be one of the office clowns (always making jokes and laughing), turned 40. Someone came in a papered his work station with "40" and "Old fart" paper and stuck black balloons all around the top. Lovely! lol

President's Choice Thai green curry shrimp (frozen microwave meal) is EXCELLENT! Got a little bit of heat to it but also very smooth and creamy taste. I think the rice might have been jasmine rice too but the box is in the garbage now. I have one at home for Indian Butter Chicken too i think and i'll be trying a few more from that line. They're a bit more expensive than the run of the mill frozen meals like Lean Cuisine or Michelina's but they sure make a nice tasty change :)

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