A Moment of Insanity

While perusing the CBC website yesterday I came across an article about income splitting. Has the [Conservative] government actually made a suggestion I'd be happy to see put into action?

I have always been told that there are tax benefits for married people - that's a big, fat lie. Now I certainly didn't marry for tax purposes, and I certainly didn't see any advantages when Colin and I filed jointly this year. In fact, the bloody government is asking me to payback the my GST rebates I earned in my final year before marriage.

How's that request going: They're the Canadian government, I'm part Scottish - they'll bug me to death till they get their $140; over my dead body they'll see that $140...

Yesterday's news made me think (for a split second), hey Harper and the Conservatives aren't so bad... then I read Rick Mercer's blog today...

Thanks Rick for bringing me back to reality. How quickly we forget Harper's priministerial acceptance speech: "God bless Canada" (no, he's not Bush's puppet); or the one promise he actually broke - he screwed the income trusts - I still haven't check my RSPs...

I'm all over income splitting, but I'm more over a Liberal majority. Actually I long for the day the progressive conservatives stage their coup d'etat and reclaim their identity (and party) yanked away by that wolf in sheep's clothing: the Reform/Alliance party...

...Later that Night

Ok, back to Friday night. What a strange, serendipitous night it was.

I met with Vicky at Benny's Bagels at 9:30 PM. It was great catching up - we talked about everything under the sun, which tends to happen when you haven't spent much one-on-one time with a good friend in four or five years.

Neither of us could remember the last time we hung out together. Sure we've seen each other at parties, alumnae events, and my wedding (as a bridesmaid). So, like I said, we had a lot of catching up to do.

In June Vicky received her ND (Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine), and is looking to establish her own practice. She is looking to get her foot in the door by leasing space from an already established ND, but this is turning into an arduous task. She's frustrated - she has this degree and can't get started.

Welcome to adult puberty: I was 25-26 when I entered it: moved away from home, for the second time (this time for good); completely finished with school (at least for now); couldn't find a marketing job (then I did, but that's a whole other kettle of fish)... I thought the world owed me something. I always managed to accomplish things if I put my mind to it - so why is the real world such a tough opponent? It isn't. You just have to learn how to get on its good side.

Lesson #1
The only person out there that owes you anything, is you. Yes, your family and friends can offer support, guidance, ideas, but only you can make things happen.

Lesson #2
Keep on setting goals. When I was in high school my goal in life was to graduate (check); go to university and get a degree (check); get another degree/diploma (check); start a career (check); get married (check). By the age of 27 I had accomplished my life goals. With nothing to focus on I became lost, felt like I wasn't accomplishing anything. Either this was the end of the line or time to make new life goals. I opted for the latter (both big and small): learn to knit; publish my short stories; take up Polynesian dancing; obtain my MFA in Creative Writing...

Lesson #3
The world is your oyster. As you enter adult puberty, you will no doubt go through a period of cynicism, when you realize that life really does suck and things don't seem to be rolling out as you planned. You become jaded, pissed off, confused. But then you realize that you possess the power to make changes - so that's what you do. Big changes, small changes, it doesn't matter. As you make these changes, you begin to return to a state of peace and optimism. You realize that life doesn't have to suck, it's just what you make of it.

Lesson #4
Roll with the punches. No matter how good you try to make things, there are always outside factors that you can't necessarily control. Take them as they come. No matter how bad things get, you will walk away from it a stronger, more knowledgeable person.

...this is essentially what I told Vicky, in a nutshell. I then offered to help her with a business and marketing plan to get her started. We spent the next couple of hours brainstorming, coming up with all sorts of ideas... then Maria Foster walked in.

Maria is also a sorority sister who pledged (sorry joined - damned political correctness) DPhiE in the 1980's. She volunteered as an advisor during my collegiate years. Neither Vicky or I have seen her in about three of four years. What are the odds...

If you've ever been to Benny's you will know that the servers will bring your food out to you and shout your name to find you. You will also know that they are perpetually stoned. Anyways, the server comes over to our area and yells "Siobhan." I was sure I didn't order anything; the woman sitting on the couch across from us, however said "right here." I had to ask...

"Excuse, is your name Siobhan?"
"Yes."
"Spelt S-i-o-b-h-a-n?"
"Yes."

It's always strange when I meet another Siobhan. We talked for a couple minutes, mostly about the mispronunciations and misspellings of our name.

Vicky and I chatted for a little while longer, until 1 AM.

You Know You've Celebrated too Much When...

...you break the bloody Grey Cup! Yup, much celebrating was going on yesterday as the BC Lions won another Grey Cup championship. But, perhaps, the Lions themselves partied a bit too hard - they managed to break the cup portion of the Grey Cup from the base...

Christmas Shopping - Day 1

I can't believe I actually went Christmas shopping today, and got the majority of it done too! I'm not one to leave it to the last minute, I usually venture out in early December, but something possessed me this year to go now.

I started my day at Costco. For some reason there were no carts left, even though it wasn't that busy. I spent the first ten minutes running around the parking lot, in the pissing rain. I asked one of the workers if there were any carts anywhere - they suggested following someone back to their car - so I assumed the role of crazy shopping cart stalker. I found an old, Asian man heading back to his car, but on the way I found a free cart and headed to the entrance. Let me tell you, it takes skill to wield a shopping cart and umbrella.

I was only in Costco for about 15, maybe 20 minutes. I knew what I wanted and where it was. And the lineups for the cashier were short. Before I knew it, I was back outside, wielding the cart and umbrella, trying to get back to my car as quickly as possible as all the presents were getting wet!

I drove along the flooding streets to my next (and final) destination - Richmond Centre. I was there maybe an hour. Got more shopping done, grabbed some lunch, then headed home.

Still in the (Christmas) mood, I wrapped most of the gifts I bought today, and wrote all of my Christmas cards.

All in all I've had a very productive day: started the morning at Curves; went on a tear with my Christmas shopping; cleaned the apartment and cooked dinner; even relaxed a little too.

But the day isn't over yet - I'm heading out with Vicky in a couple of hours. I can't remember the last time we hung out. We have a lot of catching up to do...

Ooops...

A word to the wise - midnight is not the time to fiddle around with your blog's settings. Yesterday I switched over to Blogger Beta and decided to check out some new templates, not heeding the warning that if I selected a new template, I could loose my current layout.

This is exactly what happened. Now I have redo all my links, etc.

Wired

I am completely wide awake right now, which is very frustrating since I need to be up at 6:45 AM in the morning.

For the first time in ages I actually managed to sleep in this weekend. I was up earliesh Saturday morning (around 8:30 am) to go shopping with my mum. But slept in to 10:30 am both yesterday and today. Plus, I didn't get any exercise this weekend: I've been quite sick the last few days, and really shouldn't have gone to dance class Thursday, because that just made me feel even more sick. So I though it best not to go to Curves on Friday or today, or dance class on Sunday.

Of course, I don't think the venti eggnog latte I had four hours ago is helping much either...

Blogging resolution

I was looking back today at some of my past blog entries, and realized that a) I don't write about the same things that I used to write about, i.e. my day to day life, and b) I don't write nearly as often. Maybe I shouldn't have started a blog the year I was planning my wedding, because that made it way too easy to write and write and write. Now that seems to have dried up. Of course there are other things in my life (i.e. work) that have contributed to not writing as often I as I should or want to. But I'm not going down that road right now, soon, but not now.

I love when my friends update their blogs, so I am going to be completely egotistical here, and assume they also look forward to my new entries, regardless of what I am rambling on about, like right now. I really have no set ideas or direction for this entry - just maniacal ramblings.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my past, namely high school. Why? Well, with a ten-year reunion right around the corner that's what people tend to do. I have been looking back at the self I was in high school, and in some ways I am completely the same; and in ways I am totally different. I believe when you are a teenager you are the groundwork for who you will become as an adult, but you don't truly become who you are until you can leave the superficialities of high school (and to some extent university) behind; by the time you hit 28 it really no longer matters if you were cool or not; a jock or a nerd; you all end up in the same boat (more or less) with bills to pay, mouths to feed, work/school stress and so on.

Many of my friends have recently attended their 10-year reunions, and they have all shared the same opinions with me. It really wasn't that bad; everyone had matured; everyone was genuinely interested in what everyone else was doing.

On that note, I am looking forward to my reunion; yes I have stayed in touch with my closest friends from Crofton, but that doesn't mean just because I haven't talked to someone in ten years and wasn't that close to them in high school, that I don't care where they are and what they're up to - quite the contrary. And I hope the same is true for my former classmates.