Hair Cut... and more.

Firstly, what do y'all think of the chandelier ? I HEART it, so much, I really hope we can incorporate it into our future place, cause its amazing, and its on sale at my FAV store (Chintz & Co., already linked it in a previous post, and too lazy to do it again). Speaking of home: The condo is another piece of major news... we are having second thoughts on the place. The seller has been very hard to deal with (damned guy is from Eastern Europe, shoulda known he'd be trouble :P), and its a little overpriced for the area... so we are in the midst of possibly walking away, we shall see. Alas, if we do, it will be the right decision. I'll keep ya'll updated.

Well, we gave the dog a haircut yesterday, and by 'we', I mean Cody did, and I provided moral support, as well as helping hold the pooch a bit towards the end.

He is very thin now, hehe, and sporting a very summery look. Its a little shorter than I like for him, but his coat will grow, and this way it lasts a little longer too !

We have been finalizing the insurance thing on the car, and hopefully we will go back tomorrow to sign all the documents and have it all set-up. Its kinda weird cause I have a new car, but we are just storing it at the dealership until we are ready to drive back home, so its sorta anti-climatic... but I will certainly get to know it well on the 5 day drive home !!

I start work at CIBC tomorrow, they were a little sad to find out that they will only have me for 4 weeks, at the most, but they took FOREVER in getting all the paperwork done and background check finalized, so its their own damned fault, haha. Although, I must say, I am not exstatic about having to work, sigh... the things Cody makes me do, like go and 'work', sigh.

And, umm... besides that huge amount of news, not TOO much else, have a big assignment that I still have to complete for Thursday, but besides that we are pretty much good.

OH, and its my birthday on this Saturday coming up next weekend ! Send me lotsa presents !

(or better yet, cash...)

Torture.

I turn on the TV to watch Fashion TV before starting my day... all the runway shows are for spring/summer, everything is warm prints and sunny-weather outfits. Then, I look outside, and there is still snow on the ground and its -1.

I read my latest issue of GQ, or Details, and there are tons of Ads for everything that I need for the upcoming summer, the latest colognes, bags, polos, and cool shirts... but then I have to get up to turn up the heat in here cause its cold.

The most depressing thing, is when I go onto Facebook and look at all the photos that other people have put up, some of them frolicking on green grass and sunny weather, in green parks, driving with sunroofs open... But, I am interupted from this envious viewing by a small, lone snowflake falling outside the window... watching as it slowly drifts towards the pile of millions of its bretheren that are stacked on my patio, making it impossible still to open the door.

Its a wee bit warmer outside, hovering around zero celcius, but WHEN WILL THIS TORTURE END ?!

Why I am a Classical Economist...

I have a lot to say about the recent issues in the US, but I will try and keep this short.

Lol, I am very opinionated about this because as much as I see the damages to the US economy, this is a fear response for the most part.

Lets review, there has been no damage to capacity to produce in the US, no shock to domestic demand or supply, no large shock to world economies REALLY... all this is is a paper-effect. People see their paper-wealth diminish and thus start to think of themselves as 'poorer' than they were, they then spend less. Some people, who took out risky loans and were idiots (banking they could just refinance them in the future) have to default on them. Yes, there are sob-stories, and yes its a terrible situation, but you signed on the dotted line, and you should have been diligent about your own finances and realised that this was very risky. But, back to my point, there has been shocks to credit markets and to consumer spending, and to housing prices, yes... but there is no long-run effect on the economy here. This is ALL short-term. Yes, there will be a recession, and YES it will hurt, but ultimately even the recession is just a result of Wall Street's over-reaction to what it deems to be a 'crisis'.

However, this does point to a systemic issue in the American economy. America is the consumer of the world's goods. And they do it by spending more than they earn (almost 50% of Americans spend more than they earn, and their government runs huge deficits each year, funded by Chinese banks and worldwide consumers), and by ringing up huge credit card debts (over $1 trillion in total for the USA now). This is the REAL fuel behind the US economy... and sadly, the worldwide one as well.

Its interesting because its been proven that Canadians are much more risk-adverse than our American neighbours. This is a good part of the reason why we also have less inventions-per-capita than the US, its also why we have dramatically lower consumer debt per household, and we have a tiny fraction of the government debt that the US has. Canada is lucky in the sense that we are resource-rich. We have the last great source of oil outside Saudi (the tarsands in Alberta), we have uranium, huge forestry sector, gold, silver and metals mining and a lot of fresh water and huge amounts of grain crops. In fact, there are only two nations in the world that could be self-sufficient if all borders were closed: Canada and Australia.

Despite all this though, we, like the rest of the world, have the USA as the consumer of 80% of our exports. If the US for whatever reason eventually decided to actually start paying off its debt, and cut back on spending, it would create a worldwide recession. Basically, the worldwide economy is banked on the idea that the US will keep on spending like a 13 year-old who just got her first credit card.

If, and when, the US grows up and actually gets the idea in her head to start paying off some of the debt and spending responsibly, thats when we really have to worry... cause there will be a HUGE worldwide recession. And you can quote me on this.

However, after the dust cleared and the economies of the world re-adjust to a less spending-happy US, the health of these economies and the US will finally be stable and solid.

AND, my personal belief is that this is all a result of Keynesian economics... and this is why I am a classical economist. But I will spare you all from describing why....

Me Birthday !

Happy Birthday to me ! (in 10 days...)

Cody gave me my birthday present early this year, its a new SUV ! Its my first car, well, if you don't count my mom's old car that I bought from her and used for 3 years (1991 Honda Accord).

This SUV is FAVULOUS ! I love it, hehe... we are having some issues insuring it, cause we are in Quebec, and we need to either insure it here temporarily to drive home, or insure it as BC... but then there are issues cause BC requires inspections (even on new vehicles, basically a money-grab, argh). Anyhow, here it is !

Its a 2005 BMW X3 :D

Home, Sweet Home

Well, after almost 4 days of negotiations, and bartering back and forth on price, terms, and dates... Cody and I finally own our first home together !

Its a cute condo, in a nice building called King's Court in Surrey, BC. The guy that currently lives in it has maintained it nicely, and done some little upgrades, but we have big plans, especially for the fabulous patio !

I quite love it, its perfect because we like it the way it is, but also have great plans for upgrading the unit and making it ours. I am totally excited !

We move-in May 1st ! Cody and I are going to re-paint it a nicer golden-yellow colour, and probably something of an olive green or such in the bedrooms... Cody also wants to tear out the cabinet door outside, and put in nicer solid-wood ones. Eventually we have bigger plans, but its good for now, its just nice to actually own something for once, and finally stop renting !

New Places

So, we didn't get the place, which is entirely because no one reads this blog anymore, and no one prayed for it to happen, DAMN YOU ALL !

Hehe, but also, we are looking into another unit in the same building that is also really nice...

I re-did the blog yesterday, although I am not sure how much I like it, I love the top banner with Taco, our baby... but something about the colouring just doesn't work for me... I dunno.

Anyways, fingers crossed we find a home soon, and hopefully I figure out what I don't like about the blog, haha.

French Soap Operas

... are rather interesting to watch.

Though, they are in French, and therefore I can only understand about 57% of what they say... they always revolve around the espresso bar (which everyone has in their own kitchen, LOVE IT), or at the office, which is gorgeous and always involves a scantitly-dressed secretary.

Bescides that they are mostly just like the English variety, except harder for me to understand...


Also, I have spent a lot of today looking at Chintz & Company's website... and admiring this cool paint colour-selector thing on Behr's website. I also love looking at kitchen cabinets and appliances online. Sigh.

Cody needs to make more money so we can drop a crap of money on renos to our new place ! hehe.

New Home...

So, Cody and I signed the paperwork, and we are faxing our first offer on a condo together to our Realtor tomorrow morning.

I'm totally excited, I love the building, the area is sweet, and its south-west facing, lots of light, and me likes !

I would share more, and I would put up pics.... but I'm superstitious. I don't want to jinx it, so I won't be telling any more until its solid.

However, I'm totally excited, wee ! Fingers crossed ;)

French Snow

Its March 15th,

And its snowing outside.

Two days ago it snowed,

And the day before that too.

Oh snow,

Please Die.

I miss green plants,

And driving without death-scares.


I want to go home.

hrrmmmff. pfft.

Ugh.

Its snowing again.

I am so F$%king sick of this weather.

I could REALLY go for some Global Warming right about now.

Wide Open Spaces

I just tonight stumbled upon this song in my iTunes library that I haven't listened to in forever. Its leftover from my big country music period. I still love most country, I don't know why, I don't think I listen to is as much anymore cause Cody hates country, lol.

Anyways, this song just kinda spoke to me regarding our current situation... buying our first place together, and how much work its been to try and find a place, and how hard it is to do from so far-away. And, how sick I am of Eastern Canada, I am most definately a Western boy, and shall remain so.

I miss home.



Who doesn't know what I'm talking about
Who's never left home, who's never struck out
To find a dream and a life of their own
A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone

Many precede and many will follow
A young girl's dream no longer hollow
It takes the shape of a place out west
But what it holds for her, she hasn't yet guessed

She needs wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes

She traveled this road as a child
Wide eyed and grinning, she never tired
But now she won't be coming back with the rest
If these are life's lessons, she'll take this test

She knows the high stakes

As her folks drive away, her dad yells, "Check the oil!"
Mom stares out the window and says, "I'm leaving my girl"
She said, "It didn't seem like that long ago"
When she stood there and let her own folks know

She knows the highest stakes

Best Cat Photo EVER !

So, I read a blog called Cute with Chris every morning for a quick second, he always has the funniest photos of cats and dogs... and he has a show on youtube called 'Cute with Chris' and its amazingly hilarious.

So, today I checked, and he had a new photo from a viewer, and I just have to share it. I have laughed SO hard at this one !

The 'attack' cat's name is "Buddy", and it was sent by Mike and Heidi, OHIO. The poor cat on the lower left corner ! :)

Something to Ponder

Well, despite the fact that a whole TWO! people commented that they still read my blog (and Cody doesn't really count), I am going to keep using it as an online journal of sorts.

I had an interview this morning with CIBC Wood Gundy. They are an investment brokerage firm in Canada, and the interview was for a cold-caller position that would be part-time, working with a team of two Investment Adivsors and their secretary (I think her name was Isabella, something like that...). Its interesting because its an intense sales role in the sense that my job would entirely be just cold calling prospective clients, trying to get appointments booked with the Advisors to help drum-up business as well as the other means at their disposal.

Its interesting in the sense that I have always wanted to be an IA myself, but its a hard job to get started in. You can start with most brokerage firms as one, and they train you and send you out, but the success rate is only like 10-30%... as its salaried in the beginning, but you need to develop a base on which to make a good commission. Normally, beginner IAs need to bring in about $500,000 to a $million/month, or so, in order to make it in their first year. Sp, doing this calling for these guys would be a good way for me to test myself and see if I am ready to try and do this on my own myself.

Because, though that is the more risky route for the job, its also the faster-rewarding. The other option is the one I was aiming for, which is starting as an Account Manager at the bank side of things, not the brokerage, and slowly working to develop myself and a client base... and then eventually in 4-5 years moving over into an IA role once I have the clients already established and my experience in place.

Although the second is more realistic, and more sensible: I am not a patient person, lol! And so, this is kinda my test.

Its a contract position, to work while I am in school for a while here in Montreal, then I will probably have to make a decisions as to which line to follow when I go back to Vancouver (if not beforehand).

Yeeaaa... so thats that. Something for me to ponder.

Now I have to go do a Literature Review for my project for a class... argh, I HATE lit reviews. Sigh, I just wanna be done school already !

The Value of Security.

I've been thinking about this all morning... Cody is making good money, but he is working at a contract job where they can lay him off at any time, and we are both living on his income. Its been getting really slow at work and Cody is increasingly wary that if they choose to tighten their workforce he is the first on the chopping block. This adds to our general feeling of instability, as we are also renting a furnished place here, meaning that 90% of the stuff isn't ours, and to be honest, its a bunch of crap. Clearly the people who live here are a bunch of 'hippies' that do all their shopping at Thrift Stores, and haven't ever heard of bleach and cleaner. I have cleaned the place substantially since our arrival, its much better now ! This just creates our overall environment of movement, exciting change, but also insecurity.

Meanwhile, I am in the process of securing a job back in BC for when we move to Vancouver... as an Account Manager with RBC, but this isn't secured yet either.

Though its an exciting time for us, cause I am beginning my post-degree carreer and Cody and I are establishing our lives together, I cannot help but notice the value of security. There is a vastly underestimated value of knowing that your employment is secure, your housing is owned by you and also secure, and you have some financial solidity.

A sense of community is also missing right now, I feel. Though we are still in Canada, Quebec is most certainly not REALLY a part of Canada. The language is different here, personalities, attitudes and laws are all foreign to us. I cannot wait until we are back in English Canada, and have established a sense of community by living in one area for a while and developed roots.

To these ends, we both agree its vital that we buy a place when we move back, to get over this whole renting thing, and develop that security. Also, so we can establish a sense of community and grounding. Even if we only live there for a year or two until we can afford something bigger, it will serve as an anchor for us.

Basically, I am enjoying my studies, and taking in Quebec... but I miss 'home', and cannot wait until May-June when we move back !

Takashi Marakami !

I LOVE the new Mika music video... its to a song that I have listened to for a while, since he debut album... but he has never had an official music video to it, now we know why: He had something up his sleeve !

Silly Mika !

The animation of the movie was done by the infamous Japanese animator Takasshi Marakami, who is best known for his animations, but also for his sculpture artwork, and his wonderful creative designs, many of which are in art museums.

He even recently teamed up with Louis Vuitton (whom anyone who knows me, knows I'm a little obsessed with...) and they did a series of fabulous LV bags with his characteristic colourful cartoon prints. They showcased them in an art gallery show in New York (I seem to recall, although it might have been somewhere else...), and I think the works are all limited time. Sadly, I am sure they are all sold... I will have to buy one and become a crazed collector once I can afford to !



The last one was being sold on eLuxury.com, at as an 'affordable' way to buy into the historic collection. The shoulder-clutch-little-thing was $690 US, and sold-out in less than 24 hours !

Dammit, Cody make more money !

Now, lets all watch the FABULOUS new Mika music video, which was the original point of this posting, before I got distracted by pretty bags !