Planning ahead...
A few things:
So, my car insurance has dropped (finally!) from about $415/month to $225/month - so that's an extra $190/month I have to work with. In April I make my last car payment of about $560/month - so that'll be a total of about $750/month more in my bank account than I currently have! I'm planning on putting those savings toward debt payment, and if my calculations are correct, with diligence I'll be debt-free by Aug 2010 just by redirecting those payments to my line of credit. Debt-free at age 36 - could be a lot worse.
Speaking of insurance policies, there's a section on my new car insurance policy where I noticed it lists my marital status as "Sin" - I assume it's short for "single", but I was amused none-the-less!
I'm pondering another Beer Olympics party - this one without a "Beer Mile", and delaying the "strikeouts" until the night is winding down. Ciaphas is in town for American Thanksgiving, and that Saturday (Nov. 29) seems like a good time. Thinking of kicking it off at a showing of the Verdi opera "Don Carlo" - there's an HD recording of the play showing at a nearby theatre in the afternoon - and then having supper and starting into the beer! And crash space for all, of course.
Anyone available and interested? Obviously I only have so much room for guests, so I can't guarantee that everyone who's interested will be able to come (at least this time) - but it's short notice, so some people probably already have plans, and if you indicate your interest I might be able to accomodate!
Ash and I also talked a bit about New Year's - it's only a month and a half away, so it's not unreasonable to start thinking about it! We've decided that we're aiming to have "Traditional Québécois" as the theme for a get-together at our place. We'll prepare a big meal on Dec. 31st, with a pile of Québécois dishes like tortière (meat pie) - both Ash's Mom's recipe and my Mémère's (Grandma's) recipe - poutine (fries with gravy and cheese curds), oreilles de Christ (deep-fried smoked pork with maple syrup), pea soup, butter tarts, fruitcake (OK, that's British, but I'm making some) and plenty of Québécois beer (merci à Unibroue). At midnight we'll pull out some bubbly (possibly a sparkling apple cider from Quebec, if I can find one) and some appropriate cheeses and smoked meats. Breakfast will also be served, a good hearty deal featuring cretons (seasoned pork spread) as well as some more usual breakfast fare. Maybe I'll make French toast?
So yeah, if you're interested in THAT, let me know as well - same disclaimers as for the Beer Olympics! Want to figure out the guest list soon so that we can plan, and so that if we can't accomodate everyone who's interested, people still have plenty of time to make other plans.
The New Year's event at our place give me a nice, hard deadline for getting the house into great shape - just today I sketched out a two-wall mural for the living/dining room, to accentuate my new painting and china cabinet, and I think it is going to be FANTASTIC. Perhaps I will post a scan if the coloured version turns out well. I think tonight will also see me hanging some more art, too, and could possibly include a stroll through IKEA - since Ash and I need to go anyways - to scope out a new lighting fixture, and maybe some area rugs!
This has been an insane day at work. I went for lunch at 4:30. Fuck. This morning I was suddenly given a deadline to have a few things done by tomorrow afternoon. Fortunately, I think it's possible. Unfortunately, I will probably be staying late tomorrow, if I know how these sorts of things go. And with my boss' boss calling the shots, in his completely lacking-in-detail-or-explanation "just get it done" often-arbitrary fucking annoying manner, who the hell knows what might happen.
B.
So, my car insurance has dropped (finally!) from about $415/month to $225/month - so that's an extra $190/month I have to work with. In April I make my last car payment of about $560/month - so that'll be a total of about $750/month more in my bank account than I currently have! I'm planning on putting those savings toward debt payment, and if my calculations are correct, with diligence I'll be debt-free by Aug 2010 just by redirecting those payments to my line of credit. Debt-free at age 36 - could be a lot worse.
Speaking of insurance policies, there's a section on my new car insurance policy where I noticed it lists my marital status as "Sin" - I assume it's short for "single", but I was amused none-the-less!
I'm pondering another Beer Olympics party - this one without a "Beer Mile", and delaying the "strikeouts" until the night is winding down. Ciaphas is in town for American Thanksgiving, and that Saturday (Nov. 29) seems like a good time. Thinking of kicking it off at a showing of the Verdi opera "Don Carlo" - there's an HD recording of the play showing at a nearby theatre in the afternoon - and then having supper and starting into the beer! And crash space for all, of course.
Anyone available and interested? Obviously I only have so much room for guests, so I can't guarantee that everyone who's interested will be able to come (at least this time) - but it's short notice, so some people probably already have plans, and if you indicate your interest I might be able to accomodate!
Ash and I also talked a bit about New Year's - it's only a month and a half away, so it's not unreasonable to start thinking about it! We've decided that we're aiming to have "Traditional Québécois" as the theme for a get-together at our place. We'll prepare a big meal on Dec. 31st, with a pile of Québécois dishes like tortière (meat pie) - both Ash's Mom's recipe and my Mémère's (Grandma's) recipe - poutine (fries with gravy and cheese curds), oreilles de Christ (deep-fried smoked pork with maple syrup), pea soup, butter tarts, fruitcake (OK, that's British, but I'm making some) and plenty of Québécois beer (merci à Unibroue). At midnight we'll pull out some bubbly (possibly a sparkling apple cider from Quebec, if I can find one) and some appropriate cheeses and smoked meats. Breakfast will also be served, a good hearty deal featuring cretons (seasoned pork spread) as well as some more usual breakfast fare. Maybe I'll make French toast?
So yeah, if you're interested in THAT, let me know as well - same disclaimers as for the Beer Olympics! Want to figure out the guest list soon so that we can plan, and so that if we can't accomodate everyone who's interested, people still have plenty of time to make other plans.
The New Year's event at our place give me a nice, hard deadline for getting the house into great shape - just today I sketched out a two-wall mural for the living/dining room, to accentuate my new painting and china cabinet, and I think it is going to be FANTASTIC. Perhaps I will post a scan if the coloured version turns out well. I think tonight will also see me hanging some more art, too, and could possibly include a stroll through IKEA - since Ash and I need to go anyways - to scope out a new lighting fixture, and maybe some area rugs!
This has been an insane day at work. I went for lunch at 4:30. Fuck. This morning I was suddenly given a deadline to have a few things done by tomorrow afternoon. Fortunately, I think it's possible. Unfortunately, I will probably be staying late tomorrow, if I know how these sorts of things go. And with my boss' boss calling the shots, in his completely lacking-in-detail-or-explanation "just get it done" often-arbitrary fucking annoying manner, who the hell knows what might happen.
B.