NORTH

One of my co-workers is going to one of our studios in Edmonton to look at some systems that might have use in our Vancouver studio. We have a problem we need to solve and hopefully the Edmonton dudes have already solved it. My co-worker left this evening and I remembered it was bitterly cold everywhere but basically Vancouver very recently. I checked the forecast and he kinda lucked out. There’s currently a freezing rain warning for Edmonton but the low for tomorrow is -3, which isn’t too bad for Edmonton. He’s only going to be there for two days and the low on his last day will be just -1. Had he gone next week, he would have experienced lows of -16.

If only our Orlando, Florida studio had made these new systems instead.

BLEH

I didn’t get enough sleep last night which led to a severe case of the Mondays.

I’m trying my best to sleep early tonight and I kinda already failed. Oh well.

OH SHEET

Last week a large rip formed in my bed sheets. I tend to use the same set of sheets over and over again. I wash them, put them back on, rinse and repeat, I guess literally. This particular set was due for a rip. The damage started out small but as I slept each night, my feet would make the rip larger and larger.

This weekend, I had a coupon for 20% off at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It seemed like a good place to get new sheets, as I had done before. I discovered an interesting thing there. Bed sheets with thread counts higher than 500 only come in queen or king sizes. I have a full (or double) bed, so I’m stuck at 500 thread count only. This seems to be only the case BB&B as a quick check of Amazon shows more options.

Anyways, I was in a hurry and I needed new sheets so I chose a new set at 500 thread count. It’s soft enough for me.

NEW CAFETERIA REPORT

It’s almost been two weeks since a new food service provider started operating the cafeteria at the studio. At this point, I have to say I’m disappointed and as for now, it hasn’t been an improvement over the previous company. For starters, I have a minor complaint for breakfast. They don’t offer “real” hash browns any more. I like the ones where it’s pressed into a patty and then fried. Instead, they offer pan fried nugget potatoes, like whole potatoes. That’s not hash browns at all!

Lunch is my biggest complaint. Before they had an option at the main station to select from two proteins and a vegetable side. It was really easy to get a high protein, low-carb lunch with veggies. Now, that is impossible at the main station. Every lunch option there has some sort of carb option and you’re not even guaranteed to have veggies with it. Last week, I had a tandoori chicken meal that had rice and a naan, with no vegetables. Sometimes the main lunch station closes down at 12:45pm and you’ll have missed out.

The salad bar is also a big letdown. They used to have taco salads, which I rarely choose, but were quite popular with other employees. Those are no longer offered. My usual choice of salad was a chef’s salad but that is no longer an option either.

The soups they offer are also odd. I had a chicken noodle soup last week that was tasteless. It appeared to have been made with no salt or spices whatsoever. It seemed like you’d have to purposely work hard to get to not taste like anything.

Another complaint that I have and I’ve heard as well is that you just don’t get a lot of value for your money. The prices have increased but the portion sizes have decreased. I honestly haven’t had a decent meal since the new year.

I know it’s only two weeks in and there’s time for adjustments but so far, I am not a fan.

UGH

I had insomnia last night and barely slept a wink. I’m thinking I was dehydrated possibly and that prevented me from falling asleep but who knows. The human body is a mystery sometimes. Anyways, that led to a pretty rough day at work.

I’m going to bed “early” tonight. Wish me luck.

LOST AND FOUND

About a year and a half ago, during the summer of 2016, I lost my wallet. It was a warm and pleasant Saturday. I had decided it was nice enough to walk to my local Walmart, rather than rely on motorized transportation. I initially thought the walk was uneventful but I realized this was not the case once I was about twenty feet inside of the store. I put my right hand into my pants pocket and to my dismay, my wallet was not there. I started to panic slightly. Where was my wallet? Did I just forget to bring it? That seemed unlikely, I have this ritual of checking for my wallet and keys before leaving my apartment, no matter what I’m doing. Did it drop out of my pocket somehow? That seemed like the more likely scenario.

Without a wallet, I had no business being in Walmart anymore. I had nothing to pay for things. I immediately turned around began re-tracing my steps. As I walked back the way I came, I began to wrack my brain. Along the way, when was the last time I could remember feeling my wallet? If I could remember that, then I knew the wallet must have been lost somewhere between there and inside the store. The problem was, I could not definitively remember when I last detected the presence of my wallet.

I re-traced my steps all the way back to my apartment without seeing my wallet on the ground. Once home, I searched through my place, just in case I indeed had just forgotten it at home. There was no wallet to be found. Resigned to the reality of a lost wallet, I began the process of cancelling all the cards that needed attention. I also began to monitor the cards for any sign of activity. I expected that if my wallet had been picked up by someone less than decent, my transit card would probably be the first thing to be used. Four hours after I lost my wallet, none of my cards showed any activity.

In the weeks that followed, I replaced everything in my wallet that I could. There were some things, I couldn’t though. For some reason, I always kept my old student ID from my grad school days in my wallet. It had the best picture I’ve ever taken for an ID. I also had my social insurance card in there. They don’t make SIN cards anymore as they just make people memorize it or write it down elsewhere.

So as weeks turned into months, I was always wary of my identity being stolen as a lot of very important info was in that wallet. Nothing indicated that something nefarious was happening though. I always kept wondering what happened to my wallet.

On Friday, this weekend, I received a random message on Facebook from a stranger. He said that he and his girlfriend were in possession of my wallet. His girlfriend worked at a restaurant on a very busy street, a street that I had walked along to get to the Walmart. Apparently, the wallet was in their lost and found, and had been since probably that evening I lost my wallet. I can only surmise that my wallet had popped out my pocket outside the restaurant and someone had thought it might have belonged to a patron and then gave it to the restaurant staff. I guess they assumed that if a restaurant guest had lost their wallet, that person would come looking for it, so they just waited… and waited. I was not a guest though.

I was also told that the restaurant had recently gone under some renovations, which probably spurred them to move things around, including perhaps the lost and found box, which contained my wallet. Seeing my wallet still there, they decided to take action, which led to the Facebook message.

On Saturday, I picked up my wallet from the restaurant and I spoke to the Facebook stranger’s girlfriend, who was a really nice lady. I wanted to give her $20 for her troubles but she wouldn’t accept my thanks. I told her instead that I’d come by again soon for a meal and I’d tip really well. The restaurant itself is extremely popular and has great reviews.

Once I got home with my reunited wallet, I went though the contents. Nothing was missing. Everything was still there. I had no cash in it originally but all my cards were present, including my SIN cards and old student ID. The other cards are useless now since they were cancelled and replaced a long time ago but it’s good to have closure.

A year and a half mystery has been solved!

WHAT’S IT WORTH TO YA 2018 EDITION

Right on schedule, I got my property assessment in the mail this week. My property increased in value by 15%, at least in the eyes of the province. The year before the value increased by 22%.

Through the provincial assessment web site I was also able to get sales data for 2017. Since my apartment layout is pretty much identical across other floors and across two neighbouring towers, I have a very accurate idea of what I could be selling my apartment for. The selling prices over the last twelve months are somewhere in the average of $450K, with one very close to half a million. It’s ridiculous that my apartment could be worth that much. It’s easily the best investment I’ve ever made, even if I haven’t realized any of the gains.

So while these numbers are impressive and all, there’s nothing I can do about this. If I sold my apartment, I’d still have to live in the greater Vancouver area. Buying a place would just eat up my profit. Renting an apartment isn’t ideal either as rents are high as well. My mortgage is several hundred dollars cheaper than what my apartment would rent for. I don’t want to throw my money away to that.

I’m happy to stay where I am because I honestly do enjoy where I live. I wonder what next year’s assessment will be?

A MORE HOPEFUL TIME

One decade ago, on this night, then Senator Barack Obama addressed his supporters in a rousing speech after winning the 2008 Iowa Democratic caucus. This was an important milestone in his march towards his nomination as the Democratic candidate for US president and eventually as the winner of the 2008 election. As you may fondly remember (especially given current circumstances), President Obama became the first African-American to hold the office and he did so for two terms.

It’s amazing how much hope people had ten years ago.