as the year winds down...
This might take a while... I'm still getting used to a new keyboard. One that doesn't fight back when I try to use certain letters, and that has a distinctly different touch from the old one.
Of course, after seeing me through an entire master's degree, I'm not surprised that the old keyboard (and mouse) were at the end of their lives. They served well, and were buried with honours. ;)
Christmas came, and went. This is a good thing. I started a new tradition this year, thanks to a chance remark mom made a week or so ago: rather than bankrupt myself - or go crazy trying to think of gifts - I rented a whack of movies that she expressed interest in. Much success! She used to go to a lot of the "children's" movies with one of her friends, so I picked up Shrek the Third, Over the Hedge, and Ratatouille. As a bonus, Madagascar was on ABC Christmas Eve. Much giggling was had by all.
Christmas day was peculiar... moved by the spirit of I don't know what, she called her sister and brothers. We ended up with one of the brothers joining us for dinner (he'd been told by his daughter - who lives just up the street from me - that there would be "no outsiders"). After dinner her sister came over to join us for coffee. I think we probably had a better time than any of the other family groupings that took place.
And of course, there was great fun to be had in abusing the politicians. I picked up the local paper for the first time in I don't know how long, simply because there was a front page article on the gap between the cost of living and what people are actually trying to live on. (Average cost for rent here? $488/month. Average allowance for shelter AND food if you're on any type of disability? $466/month.) I was amused to see in that same paper that the provincial politicians have given themselves a raise of at least $7,000/year.
I don't think I'm alone in thinking my elected representative is a hypocrite to accept it.
The city officials aren't any better. A lot of fine talk about the amount of affordable housing that's been built (affordable, that is, if you have a room mate or three), and a lot of repetitive stress injuries while they pat themselves on the back, but not a lot of real value for what they're being paid (which, of course, isn't enough, and they deserve more to be on par with cities of a similar size). I'm sorry, but 13 years of study and debate, and four wildly unsuitable locations later, and we still don't have any plans to put up a new fire hall, which has been needed for 20 years or more.
In the real world, if you don't get paid what you're hired to do, you get fired.
On the whole, it's been a good break, but I'm ready to re-establish a routine again. If nothing else, I'll at least know what day of the week it is when I get up in the morning! At the same time, I like not having to leave the house unless I want to. *sigh* AND I got to hear from a couple of special people who don't write very often.
Now it's time to start figuring out what I want to rent for New Year's Eve... and then trim it down to a manageable list. ;)
Of course, after seeing me through an entire master's degree, I'm not surprised that the old keyboard (and mouse) were at the end of their lives. They served well, and were buried with honours. ;)
Christmas came, and went. This is a good thing. I started a new tradition this year, thanks to a chance remark mom made a week or so ago: rather than bankrupt myself - or go crazy trying to think of gifts - I rented a whack of movies that she expressed interest in. Much success! She used to go to a lot of the "children's" movies with one of her friends, so I picked up Shrek the Third, Over the Hedge, and Ratatouille. As a bonus, Madagascar was on ABC Christmas Eve. Much giggling was had by all.
Christmas day was peculiar... moved by the spirit of I don't know what, she called her sister and brothers. We ended up with one of the brothers joining us for dinner (he'd been told by his daughter - who lives just up the street from me - that there would be "no outsiders"). After dinner her sister came over to join us for coffee. I think we probably had a better time than any of the other family groupings that took place.
And of course, there was great fun to be had in abusing the politicians. I picked up the local paper for the first time in I don't know how long, simply because there was a front page article on the gap between the cost of living and what people are actually trying to live on. (Average cost for rent here? $488/month. Average allowance for shelter AND food if you're on any type of disability? $466/month.) I was amused to see in that same paper that the provincial politicians have given themselves a raise of at least $7,000/year.
I don't think I'm alone in thinking my elected representative is a hypocrite to accept it.
The city officials aren't any better. A lot of fine talk about the amount of affordable housing that's been built (affordable, that is, if you have a room mate or three), and a lot of repetitive stress injuries while they pat themselves on the back, but not a lot of real value for what they're being paid (which, of course, isn't enough, and they deserve more to be on par with cities of a similar size). I'm sorry, but 13 years of study and debate, and four wildly unsuitable locations later, and we still don't have any plans to put up a new fire hall, which has been needed for 20 years or more.
In the real world, if you don't get paid what you're hired to do, you get fired.
On the whole, it's been a good break, but I'm ready to re-establish a routine again. If nothing else, I'll at least know what day of the week it is when I get up in the morning! At the same time, I like not having to leave the house unless I want to. *sigh* AND I got to hear from a couple of special people who don't write very often.
Now it's time to start figuring out what I want to rent for New Year's Eve... and then trim it down to a manageable list. ;)