Saturday, June 16, 2007
Leeeeeeeeeavin' on a jet plane....
Tomorrow I'm off to Halifax for 2 weeks of... well... work... lot's of it. The first of my last 2 trips with this job! Yay! I can't wait to come home and I haven't even left! Blogging may be a little slow over the next little while, but I'll get back to it soon. Oh and pictures coming too!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Under pressure...
OK, now that I've put a song in your head to distract you, I wanna tell you about a great way to make money for your retirement. Listen up! For a minimal upfront investment and a 1/2 hour of your time I can tell you how to put serious money in your pocket. How much money upfront you ask? 10 bucks. Ten measly bucks! But how, you ask? Here's how!
Follow these 9 easy steps:
1. Go to your local autoparts store (shop local!) or Walmart... sigh.
2. Go the the tire section.
3. Buy a digital tire gauge.
4. Return to the parking lot. Check your tire pressure (all 5. ).
5. Reel in horror at how out of whack your tires are.
6. Go the mom and pop gas station down the road (support local business!) Ignore the gauge on the air pump.
7. Balance the tires at their maximum recommended pressure (take the time to use the gauge properly).
8. Now, take the money you save in gas and direct it to the investment of your choice.
9. Repeat steps 4-8 every 2 weeks.
Follow these 9 easy steps:
1. Go to your local autoparts store (shop local!) or Walmart... sigh.
2. Go the the tire section.
3. Buy a digital tire gauge.
4. Return to the parking lot. Check your tire pressure (all 5. ).
5. Reel in horror at how out of whack your tires are.
6. Go the mom and pop gas station down the road (support local business!) Ignore the gauge on the air pump.
7. Balance the tires at their maximum recommended pressure (take the time to use the gauge properly).
8. Now, take the money you save in gas and direct it to the investment of your choice.
9. Repeat steps 4-8 every 2 weeks.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Changed work dynamic...
It's funny how one thing can affect the other...
So with no water at home, one can't have a shower, and in this heat, going without is out of the question, or at least my co-workers think so... that and I find it really hard to face the day without that little wake up. Luckily, I work at a military building and there's a shower/changeroon on my floor. Unfortunately, the military's not big on things like oh... privacy! Now that's not really a big deal for me, at least I thought not. See the shower area is right off the the only bathroom on that floor, and the door that separates the two is jammed open all the time. Usually when I (and I assume everone else) use the head, I automatically avert the eyes. It's just ingrained! You can have a conversation with your best friend at the urinal, but you never stop looking at the tile 6" from your face. Eyes on the tile... never leaving the tile... hmmm.... not a bad grout job... don't care for the color, but even and smooth... anyway, so there I am, ready to climb in the shower, hanging up my towel and I notice a curtain that separates one section from the rest. So I think, I should close this before... as I look up, one of my collegues walks in the bathroom... too late. Now I'm not shy, and if it's buddies in the shower after the gym, or camping or whatever, no problem... just keep those eyes above the neck. Strangers... whatever. But geez that's gonna make meetings awkward from now on. I mean, how do you talk across the table about Exchange Server routing groups and not wonder if the guy's thinking about your packets. Sheesh... I hope the water truck gets to my place soon!
So with no water at home, one can't have a shower, and in this heat, going without is out of the question, or at least my co-workers think so... that and I find it really hard to face the day without that little wake up. Luckily, I work at a military building and there's a shower/changeroon on my floor. Unfortunately, the military's not big on things like oh... privacy! Now that's not really a big deal for me, at least I thought not. See the shower area is right off the the only bathroom on that floor, and the door that separates the two is jammed open all the time. Usually when I (and I assume everone else) use the head, I automatically avert the eyes. It's just ingrained! You can have a conversation with your best friend at the urinal, but you never stop looking at the tile 6" from your face. Eyes on the tile... never leaving the tile... hmmm.... not a bad grout job... don't care for the color, but even and smooth... anyway, so there I am, ready to climb in the shower, hanging up my towel and I notice a curtain that separates one section from the rest. So I think, I should close this before... as I look up, one of my collegues walks in the bathroom... too late. Now I'm not shy, and if it's buddies in the shower after the gym, or camping or whatever, no problem... just keep those eyes above the neck. Strangers... whatever. But geez that's gonna make meetings awkward from now on. I mean, how do you talk across the table about Exchange Server routing groups and not wonder if the guy's thinking about your packets. Sheesh... I hope the water truck gets to my place soon!
Monday, June 11, 2007
Well... Well... Well...
Actually this post should read Motherf***ing#^$%^$#%$#!$#^$& well!
Sigh. Living in the country is not without it's challenges. Most people in this country take for granted turning on the tap and having water come out. Living outside of almost any urban centre means you have a well. Now, here's where growing up in the country (as a kid/teenager) and living in the country divert down very different paths. Rarely did things like the well running dry really have much impact on my life (short showers maybe, but that's it), since it was never my responsibly to have to do anything about it (besides, we had an Artesian well growing up, so even if the pump lost it's prime, within 20 mins things were back up and running. Now however, there's a family behind me who can't drink, shower or flush the damn toilet! (do you smell something?). This segues nicely into a favourite topic of mine... conservation. Now, this is not the first time we've run into a problem here, so I've got some insight into the subject, however this time I was caught off guard. The first summer we moved to this house was blazingly hot and there was a period through July/August where it didn't rain for almost 6 weeks. We never really thought much about the well all summer, as we always had water and though we didn't waste it, we really didn't look out for it much either. Then, when I was away and my darling wife was at home alone, poof, the well went dry. I also learned that our well wasn't very deep either, I had thought it drilled (this is what the real estate info had said), but lo and behold, the well was dug and only 27ft deep. Of course, there are pros and cons to both, types of wells, just as there are about 1/2 a dozen other options for a potable water source for the home, but I digress (for now). Suffice to say, despite the fact that we are careful about the water we use, and are always after the kids to not waste any (my daughter loves to leave the blasted tap running all the time) and we've replaced the washing machine and dishwasher this year with models that conserve water (the washer had the lowest water consumption of all other models on the market) and the fact that it has rained a lot this year, and I checked the damn well only a few weeks ago and we had plenty of water we still ran out. So where'd it all go? Good fraking question. OK, end of rant... for now, suffice to say, water will be a hot topic of a future blog, to be sure, as I want a better system for ensuring the tap doesn't run dry, with global warming, and unpredictable weather, one can't be too prepared...
Sigh. Living in the country is not without it's challenges. Most people in this country take for granted turning on the tap and having water come out. Living outside of almost any urban centre means you have a well. Now, here's where growing up in the country (as a kid/teenager) and living in the country divert down very different paths. Rarely did things like the well running dry really have much impact on my life (short showers maybe, but that's it), since it was never my responsibly to have to do anything about it (besides, we had an Artesian well growing up, so even if the pump lost it's prime, within 20 mins things were back up and running. Now however, there's a family behind me who can't drink, shower or flush the damn toilet! (do you smell something?). This segues nicely into a favourite topic of mine... conservation. Now, this is not the first time we've run into a problem here, so I've got some insight into the subject, however this time I was caught off guard. The first summer we moved to this house was blazingly hot and there was a period through July/August where it didn't rain for almost 6 weeks. We never really thought much about the well all summer, as we always had water and though we didn't waste it, we really didn't look out for it much either. Then, when I was away and my darling wife was at home alone, poof, the well went dry. I also learned that our well wasn't very deep either, I had thought it drilled (this is what the real estate info had said), but lo and behold, the well was dug and only 27ft deep. Of course, there are pros and cons to both, types of wells, just as there are about 1/2 a dozen other options for a potable water source for the home, but I digress (for now). Suffice to say, despite the fact that we are careful about the water we use, and are always after the kids to not waste any (my daughter loves to leave the blasted tap running all the time) and we've replaced the washing machine and dishwasher this year with models that conserve water (the washer had the lowest water consumption of all other models on the market) and the fact that it has rained a lot this year, and I checked the damn well only a few weeks ago and we had plenty of water we still ran out. So where'd it all go? Good fraking question. OK, end of rant... for now, suffice to say, water will be a hot topic of a future blog, to be sure, as I want a better system for ensuring the tap doesn't run dry, with global warming, and unpredictable weather, one can't be too prepared...
Thursday, June 7, 2007
I've got a woody...
Ok, well not really, but what invigorates me after a day sitting on my arse at a computer all day is cording wood. Or maybe that's not true either... how about... it needs to get done and the stupid pile is in the way? Sigh...
Judge a Blog by it's title...
Ok, so the last post didn't really backtrack that much... plus I hit something and gagged this entry (farking laptop keyboard and my clunky fingers..) so try again.
I grew up in suburbia with my grandparents... but not the one people think of today... the torrid 80's affair, with wide streets, BIG trees, large lots, fences that all the neighboorhood kids climbed over moving between yards, gardens, italian neighbours with chickens, park close by and you rode your bike everywhere kind of place. However, I spent a lot of time in the wilderness, family cottage and especially in my teens my mom's farm. The country is in my blood, for better or worse I can't get it out. 2 years ago, we bought 5 1/2 acres and a house outside of the "town" of Renfrew. This property basically amounts to waaay too much useless grass to cut, and the rest bush. Still, it's a really nice place, but the house has been one nighmare DIY repair after another to the point that even though we've fixed most of it, we can't stand to live there anymore. I've always longed for a fresh start and the chance to build a home for my family with my bare hands so we purchased 120 empty acres this spring to start over with.
A good chunk of this blog will be dedicated to the trials (oh so many) and tribulations of building from scratch, a barn (we have horses and right now no place get them out of the weather other than the really expensive board I'm paying), garage/equipment shed and a house. That and possibilities of modern homesteading in the 21st century as I would love to wrap up a 15 year career in the IT industry for something more backbreaking and less stressful (still to be determined if the less stress thing will work out). So that's where we are right now... bare land, little money and less time... stay tuned!
I grew up in suburbia with my grandparents... but not the one people think of today... the torrid 80's affair, with wide streets, BIG trees, large lots, fences that all the neighboorhood kids climbed over moving between yards, gardens, italian neighbours with chickens, park close by and you rode your bike everywhere kind of place. However, I spent a lot of time in the wilderness, family cottage and especially in my teens my mom's farm. The country is in my blood, for better or worse I can't get it out. 2 years ago, we bought 5 1/2 acres and a house outside of the "town" of Renfrew. This property basically amounts to waaay too much useless grass to cut, and the rest bush. Still, it's a really nice place, but the house has been one nighmare DIY repair after another to the point that even though we've fixed most of it, we can't stand to live there anymore. I've always longed for a fresh start and the chance to build a home for my family with my bare hands so we purchased 120 empty acres this spring to start over with.
A good chunk of this blog will be dedicated to the trials (oh so many) and tribulations of building from scratch, a barn (we have horses and right now no place get them out of the weather other than the really expensive board I'm paying), garage/equipment shed and a house. That and possibilities of modern homesteading in the 21st century as I would love to wrap up a 15 year career in the IT industry for something more backbreaking and less stressful (still to be determined if the less stress thing will work out). So that's where we are right now... bare land, little money and less time... stay tuned!
Populating the back...field.
Which incidentally has absolutely nothing to do with the farming references that will be scattered all over this blog. No, this is more like my backtracking a bit to bring those up to speed who might be reading (like I'm expecting a large audience). I've basically started this for a couple of reasons:
1. I've always wanted to.
B. This should help keep my few close friends up to speed on what's going on in my tumultuous life....
and three. As I've gotten older and busier, I've found that moments go by and then tend to get forgotten, as such, I'd like to keep them down somewhere. Of course this assumes I'll actually remember to keep this up to date or actually have the time...
1. I've always wanted to.
B. This should help keep my few close friends up to speed on what's going on in my tumultuous life....
and three. As I've gotten older and busier, I've found that moments go by and then tend to get forgotten, as such, I'd like to keep them down somewhere. Of course this assumes I'll actually remember to keep this up to date or actually have the time...
Friday, June 1, 2007
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