Last weekend was pretty busy. I went to Bushwakker's with the boys on Friday night, and we finished up the night at the casino, though I didn't stay long (or up very late, for that matter). Sofi and I went shopping on Saturday morning and my parents came over for Spanish class that afternoon. I went to Blockbuster and picked up the first few discs of the second season of 24, and we watched a few episodes before I went to hockey. Tyler and I joined a few of our teammates at the Crown & Hand afterwards (I can't recommend that place aside from their prices) before we ourselves were joined by Mike, Jenn, and Sofi. The five of us capped off the (very late) night with coffee and pizza at the Regent Pub. On Sunday afternoon, Sofi and I went to the Rider game. It wasn't so much a game as it was the worst display of "football" I've possibly ever seen. If they would have played as hard as we were cheering, they would have won by a large margin, but apparently most of the current roster (and coaching staff!) really doesn't give a shit whether they win or lose. It's funny that Sofi's only lived here for 5 months and she's already learned to say "there's always next year!" :(
It was a pretty quiet week otherwise. We had one more week of basketball but it's going to get too cold any day now. I'm hoping to find an indoor sport to play once a week this winter besides hockey, but I haven't had much luck yet getting either of my current basketball/soccer groups to make the transition. I had to postpone my exam on Thursday due to a conflict at work, so instead I'll be writing in next Monday.
Props to Steff for passing the trailer for Just Friends my way. In case you didn't know, the movie was shot in Regina last year and will be in theatres soon. I wasn't around but apparently there was a big house full of Christmas lights?
Also, Sulu is gay. Wow.
Last Tuesday I went to my first ever LOSURS meeting, and it was about what I expected. There were about a dozen of us in a room speaking binary for a couple hours, which for geeks like me is a good time, I guess. I was pretty disappointed that the planned talk on MythTV didn't happen, since I'm thinking about building just such a system, but I still learned a lot and have signed up to be a regular member.
The next morning I took my car to work and drove down to our head office to enjoy a fantastic breakfast filled with French cuisine in support of our office's United Way campaign. Mmmm....
That Thursday we played what was probably our last game of outdoor soccer for the season. I am hoping we get a regular indoor game of some type going, because team sports sure beats other forms of exercise.
On Friday I played hockey and noticed a marked improvement in my play. I feel like I'm back to the point where I can actually play instead of just skating around. That afternoon I went to the Broken Rack for a pool night organized by CSSS and CIPS Regina. I had a good time playing some pool and meeting some people, but then me and my buddy Mark from work decided it was time to relocate. We made our way to the Freehouse for a few hours and then capped the night off at O'Hanlon's. I spent WAY too much money and drank WAY too much, but had a fantastic time otherwise - or rather, because of it :)
Saturday was recovery mode, but it was also a pretty good day. I slept in and then filled the rest of my day with sports. I watched the Riders lose, watched some of the Habs game, Sofi and I went to the Pats game, and then I played hockey that night. Pretty much the perfect day :)
On Sunday I got up early to watch Napoleon Dynamite, and honestly, I was disappointed. It was more of a "quirky" movie than a funny one. I had heard so many good things I guess I just expected too much :( I spent the rest of my day punishing myself for my behaviour over the weekend by cleaning the house and catching up on work.
This week was a pretty busy one. I had a conference call pretty late on Monday and later watched RAW, which was pretty good except for the ridiculous quality of the announcing - anybody interested in watching the PPV in a few weeks? On Tuesday I went to a CIPS luncheon and then played basketball before my (brief, and in the parking lot because nobody had any keys) union meeting that night. I had even more CIPS stuff to do on Wednesday but I got lunch paid for so that made it all right :)
This weekend I am planning on laying low. I've got some studying to do for an upcoming exam. I am playing hockey on Friday and Saturday. I am also going to the last Rider game of the season on Sunday. That's enough for me, I think :)
Why is having money important? It is important because in our wonderful free society, you know how to spend it best. The more money you have, the better it will get spent, right? Just imagine what you could accomplish if you had control of more than your own personal finances ... the end of world hunger and war, massages for all ... you could make it happen!
With that being said, here are a lot of people out there who are worried about their personal financial futures, or don't realize those futures are in trouble because they do not have even the slightest grasp of basic economics. I would like to take this opportunity to provide some advice to those who might seek it. I am not rich, but I am not poor and don't ever plan to be. Here are a few simple steps you can follow to ensure your financial security:
Start NOW
The sooner you start, the easier it will be to secure your financial future. You must harness the power that is compounding! For a well-written explanation, see Ben Stein's recent article on the subject.
Save 10% of your gross income.
This one is very simple - save 10 cents out of every dollar you make and you will never have any financial problems. It's really that easy. If you feel silly and insist on donating 10% to your church or similar institution, don't do it at the expense of your own savings - God will understand. Use all those fun techniques like pay yourself first or whatever it takes to do this, because it's absolutely essential.
Invest your money in the stock market.
The stock market on average returns about 10% per year to investors. Over time, this is more than inflation or any time-value effects on money. At the very least you will break even, which is important, because many people do not realize that leaving your money in the bank is the same as throwing it out the window - you will lose money over time. Even unions and the like (who some would say make their living by reducing growth and investment) keep their pension money in the stock market, because it provides the best return out there. When corporations make money (and they always do), you make money. One downside to this is that your blood pressure will go up. You will become enraged when idiot hippies who don't understand they are talking about your livelihood and future suggest that corporations are evil and should be penalized. It's hard for them to understand that corporations are not empty abstract entities; the people that own them are the people. Corporations are owned by the people and for the people. On the other hand, you can laugh at the hippies all the way to the bank, so that might be worth the increased health risk!
RRSPs are for idiots - be wary.
Do you honestly think taxes will be less when you retire? Do you enjoy having your hard-earned income taxed twice at the full rate? Capital gains taxes are much, much lower than regular income tax, so while you might come out with less money by skipping your RRSP contributions, at least when all is said and done, the money will actually be yours. If your employer matches (or exceeds, like mine) your contributions, go for it, but don't go crazy maxing out your contributions to save some tax money now - put it in the stock market instead. In case you believe none of the above, think about this for a moment: do you honestly believe the government would actively promote a program that would see the citizens of this country pay less taxes? Food for thought!
Do not borrow money for depreciating assets.
Do not borrow money for anything that depreciates in value or does not positively affect your net worth. This means getting a mortgage and buying a house is good; borrowing cash to buy a brand-new SUV is not only bad for the environment, it's bad for your financial health. Pretty much everything you can buy on a credit card depreciates, so don't use them. Learn to recognize what you need to survive and what you don't.
Diversify your portfolio.
This is a fancy way of saying don't put all your eggs in one basket. As the saying goes, shit happens, so make sure you are protected in the event of a catastrophe. Natural disasters and otherwise happen all the time (just turn on the TV if you don't believe me), so make sure you're protected.
Actively discourage waste.
TANSTAAFL. Your actions and the actions of those around you affect the world you live in. Pick up after yourselves and then no one else will have to. This goes for the environment, too. We only have one planet so do your part to make sure we don't fuck it up. The only limit on your money-making abilities is the capacity of the Earth itself. If there is no Earth, you've got more problems than worrying about money!
Here are a few other free tips:
- Don't get some bullshit university degree that anybody else could get in their sleep. If you aren't smart enough and are forced to drop out of programs that will lead to actual vocations, do us all a favour and quit school because I don't want to pay for both your school and your student loans. "A liberal arts education is a valuable step on the path to enlightenment!" you say? If you are smart enough to recognize that, you should be smart enough to use a library - I pay for that, too, but at least you won't be the only one getting some use out of it.
- Remember that money can't buy love, but it can buy power. If the good Lord has decided that you must live life miserable and alone, money can be useful for other things.
- WATCH MORE TV
A final thought: if you think you don't need money to be happy, then you obviously don't have any of the things that would make you happy without it. Search your feelings; you know it to be true.
I did get a chance to watch RAW last Monday and I'm glad I did. It was a great show with some fantastic matches. Today's show wasn't that great but I still appreciate having the ability to watch it, even if it is on in the background while I'm doing work :)
I'm not sure how much longer I'll get to play soccer since the weather is turning cold and apparently most everyone on our team thinks anything less than 5C is too cold to play. Since it was cancelled on Tuesday due to the "inclement" weather, I got to play basketball instead. Basketball is also an outdoor sport, so its days are numbered as well :(
On Wednesday I had a CIPS Exec. meeting after work, and then I went home to watch the first games of the NHL season. I wasn't really into hockey before the strike but now I've decided to pick it up again for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most important reason is that now with the salary cap I'm not the only one who doesn't know what team everybody plays for. Prior to the lockout, my team rosters were stuck in circa 1992, so I was often at a disadvantage when talking about or watching hockey. Now, everything is so messed up that I've caught up to everyone in terms of league roster knowledge :)
On Thursday I watched U2's appearance on Conan O'Brien, which was hit and miss but mostly hit. Great show + great band = good television.
I made my triumphant return to hockey on Friday. I hadn't played organized hockey in nine years and it had been a few years since I had even skated, and it showed big time. Still, I had a lot of fun. Each Friday at noon a whole bunch of guys from work rent some ice out at twins and play a pickup game of shinny, so I'm going to have lots of fun each week this winter embarrassing myself on skates!
Friday afternoon my parents picked up Sofi and I and we headed out to the cabin for the Thanksgiving weekend. We had a great weekend filled with lots of food and lots of relaxation. My buddy Igor came down from Calgary on Saturday morning to hang out with us for the weekend, which was cool. Food, family, and friends left us thankful for a lot of things :)
Me and Igor exploring the wilderness
Sofi's Thanksgiving Paella
We made it back to the city around suppertime today without incident. We were lucky to have a hockey game on the radio on the drive out and on the drive back!
This week I've got lots of fun things planned. Tomorrow night I'm headed to the LOSURS meeting because the topic for the evening is MythTV, which is the software I'm thinking about using to build my own PVR. On Friday afternoon there is a pool night organized by CIPS in conjunction with the CSSS so I have to check that out for a few hours. On Saturday, me and my dad are going to the Pats game. I also have a lot of non-fun things planned for this week :(
Does footage on the news depicting the violent confrontations between Israel and Palestine disturb you?
Would it disturb you even more to learn that footage depicting the "Palestinian struggle" is routinely faked? How about learning that this footage is represented to you on the news as actual events?
The documentary Pallywood is an 18-minute exposition that illustrates Palestinian media-whoring at its best. Here's a few highlights:
(from The Big Picture)
- A supposed corpse, dropped by pallbearers, gets up and walks back onto the board they were carrying him on.
- A youth throws a rock, then (all in one continuous shot), plays the part of a victim who needs to be carried to help -- without anything wounding him in the meantime.
- Civilians direct soldiers on what to do for the camera.
- A doctor who has just delivered a baby coaches the father on what to say to a reporter when pretending that he'd been prevented from reaching the hospital and had to deliver the baby himself.
- A man claims his hospital was hit by 12 tank rockets -- yet there is no damage to the hospital.
- A supposed casualty lying in the road makes a cell phone call.
- The NY Times falls for it.
- 60 Minutes falls for it.
My beef is not with the Palestinians (I'm not touching that with a ten-foot pole), but, as usual, with the press.
Do you think even a single "journalist" bothered to do even a second of research? Why would they, when they are the same people that pushed their way in front of firefighters and police when the World Trade Center went down. This time, however, blood is directly on their hands - many have died because of the images they pass off as facts.
Take some time today to turn off the news, close your browser, and think for yourself.
From U2log.com:
U2 will appear on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on NBC this Thursday, October 6, and on your preferred p2p client soon after. The band will be on the full hour (12:35-1:35 am) and will perform multiple songs.
It is the first time Conan has devoted an entire show to one guest. Sorry, four guests.
D’ya think they’ll open and end with Vertigo?
Sofi turned another year older on the 21st, so she and I went to Luiggi's and had a great meal. Afterwards, we went to my parents' house where they treated us to some birthday cake from DQ. We were planning on going to a movie but I wasn't feeling well so we called it a night.
I didn't feel so hot the next day but my condition improved and I was well enough to go to our union meeting that night.
Hali was in town for a conference that Friday so that night we celebrated Sofi's birthday again, this time with the help of the whole family. We went to a fantastic restaurant called "Teppanyaki Japanese Steak House" with serves food of the same name. I've had teppanyaki several times before and was surprised to learn that not only does Regina have such a restaurant, but we asked and they've been in business for over 11 years! The food was fantastic and reasonably priced - I highly recommend it! After supper we went back to my parents' place to finish off the birthday cake and watch the rest of the Rider game. Sofi got the Desperate Housewives Season 1 DVD box set from Hali and she's still smiling about that :)
The family out for Sofi's birthday supper
I had planned to head to the Rams game on the Saturday but couldn't round up enough support to do so so I didn't go - which is a shame because apparently it was a great game even though they lost. I actually felt under the weather again, so I didn't end up doing a whole lot that day other than go to bed early.
That Sunday I had to get up early to work, and then afterwards Sofi and I walked down to the Leg to watch the annual Police Memorial. It was a windy and cold day but a nice service and parade. Afterwards we had a snack in the Rotunda before heading home. I spent the rest of my day doing work and enjoying some fine television programming.
The Police Memorial 2005
Monday night me and Sofi met up with Zab, Zab's buddy Simon, Tyler, Blair, and Kyla for some brews and wings at Brewster's North. It was nice to finally be able to respond to one of Tyler's invitations in a positive manner :)
Wednesday was a great day. That night we met up with my mom and her friend Helena (among other faces old and new) at the Casino Show Lounge for Mike MacDonald's show. Not only was it great, but it was a fantastic value, since the opener (Lori Ferguson) was funny and Mike performed for well over an hour - not bad for $20! It was also my first visit to the Show Lounge and I was very impressed - it's a nice place to see a show!
Wednesday also marked the day that Sofi and I finished watching Season 1 of 24. We managed to watch 24 episodes in just over a month, and we had a great time doing so. It's a great show and I look forward to seeing the rest of the seasons. Props to Nick for lending it to us! As much as I advocate watching as much television as possible, there are only three shows that I really watch - Family Guy, American Dad!, and (during the summer) Big Brother. I also try to watch SNL and WWE programming if I can, but that's about it. I think I am going to add 24 to the list - if you've seen the show you know what I'm talking about!
Thursday it was back to Brewster's North for me at least, and I met up with Tyler, Brad, Blair, Jerrod, and Zab. It was good times and we somehow got away with drinking very little, which was very nice on the ol' wallet!
I had the day off on Friday so I spent most of it traveling around town picking up various things. I bought a programmable thermostat for a sweet deal thanks to Chris at Canadian Tire. It was super easy to install and I'm hopeful it will translate into some savings this winter since the price of natural gas is going up approximately 10000% this winter. That night Sofi and I went out to the Watering Hole (at Maxwell's Amusements) for a retirement steak night and dance my union put on for the many folks who have retired this year at the company. It was nice to visit with people away from work for a change and the food was decent, albeit slow! We didn't stay too late, however, and packed it in relatively early.
Yesterday I spent my morning shopping for hockey equipment. Yes, I am finally getting back into hockey after a multi-year absence! We have a pickup game with the guys at work every Friday at lunch so this winter rather than taking my EDOs every other week I'm going to be playing hockey at lunch on Fridays and then taking the afternoon off. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to lacing up the skates again!
That afternoon it was time for my new Spanish class! This time, my lovely wife is teaching me and my parents. The instructor is hot so I'll be sticking with this class for as long as it takes ;)
Spanish lessons!
Last night at Brad's house, while the ladies enjoyed some kind of gift-buying party in the house, the boys gathered in the garage to watch the Riders destroy B.C. and play some poker. I did alright for a change, sticking it out until close to the end, but the game still went on for hours too long even though we tried to take measures to keep it shorter. It was hard to keep it short when we had 10 guys playing, I guess! I had a good time and enjoyed some fine brews so I can't much complain!
Today I haven't left the house. I've been catching up on work and other related activities in addition to my Sunday Family Guy / American Dad! ritual. I wish the weekend wasn't over, because it's my last non-holiday long weekend until probably the spring!
If you are at all interested, this Monday's RAW will be a three-hour "homecoming" extravaganza in honour of their return to the USA Network. I haven't had the opportunity to watch in a long time, so hopefully I'll have one tomorrow night!
This week I have a pretty full plate and then we are leaving for the cabin on Friday afternoon for the long weekend. My buddy Igor is probably driving down from Calgary to visit us there so the weekend will be a good time!