My World

URL: http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1788161

Rob pointed me at this earlier.. dead funny - it’s how 24 would be if it was made in the 90s! Check out what’s on Nina’s screen, as well as a bunch of other obscure geeky references to a bygone era..

Proof that it doesn’t rain ALL the time in Vancouver.. although that said, it has been pretty shitty this week. A quick update cos I haven’t blogged in ages.. been a manic week so I figure a quick update here then off to do some work, leaving me free to have a nice chilled evening..

Food Discoveries: Went to a place in White Rock last weekend, called Charlie Don’t Surf. Had an awesome chicken curry with penne, nice ambience, cool location - I’m a fan! Looking online, it’s got really mixed reviews, but I’d definitely go again. In home cooking news, who knew Costco had decent lasagna for one? Cook two of ‘em and you’ve got a decent enough quick’n'easy dinner for two - sorted!

Xbox 360 Love: I bought an Xbox 360 on Friday. While I wouldn’t necessarily categorize myself as “a games player”, I do enjoy the games in Xbox Live Arcade.. currently vying for top position are Puzzle Fighter HD and Lumines Live, both of which I purchased the full versions of after playing the demo versions. If you’ve got an Xbox and fancy playing against me sometime, drop me a line - I’m not bad at Lumines but still seem to get my ass kicked pretty well on Puzzle Fighter.

Halloween: Came and went and I hardly batted an eyelid.. Went out on Wednesday night for a couple of beers with David and Natasha, saw a bunch of people in costume.. always impresses me when people really make the effort.. people at work got right into it, mainly in the call centre and marketing - the “fun” departments.. in technology, the only person who really did anything was Pam.. fair play to her though - she did it well!

Home Buying: I’m not quite there yet.. but I did go to this seminar at Langara College on Thursday to learn about mortgage brokers, realtors, and the importance of a good home inspection. I’m better informed and have some food for thought. I’ve been in my current place 6.5 years and definitely wouldn’t mind a change.. especially after comments made by my landlady on the phone today with regards to paying for the mirror that fell off the wall in my bathroom (see my previous blog entry for the history). Apparently these things don’t “just happen” so someone must have broken it. Uh.. well, they didn’t - it did just break.. 10 year old adhesive that lost its holding power over time perhaps? So I’m meant to replace it? Not sure I fancy the like-for-like option that runs $350 to $400ish.. she made a comment about “paying too much for appliances”.. what, because you had to replace the dishwasher that was leaking and it came to $650 with delivery, installation, and taking the old one away? Considering the only other thing that’s been paid for in the past 6 years was $120 for a replacement thermostat, and that I did all the leg work with getting a replacement dishwasher, I think it’s been a pretty easy ride with a low maintenance tenant thus far..

Oops.. apparently that turned in to a bit of a rant.. It just bugs me that given the general low maintenance nature of my tenancy, we’re going to split hairs over $350 worth of what I’d call “fixtures and fittings”. And to say that it couldn’t have just happened, someone must have done it.. uh.. yeah, right - that’s why the pictures clearly show the adhesive still on the wall - if I’d done it deliberately you’d have thought all of that would have been wrenched off and/or the plasterboard damaged? When renting a property out, there’s this little thing called “upkeep” - maintaining the value of your investment property. Could be as simple as replacing a basic fixture, could be as involved as ripping out the manky old carpet and putting nice value-boosting hardwood flooring in. Oh well - do it once I’ve moved out.. and no doubt haggle with me over my damage deposit in the process.. Moving swiftly on then..

Humour: James sent this to me on MSN today. It’s funnier if you’re from Jersey and get the “in” jokes, but even if you’re not, hopefully it makes you laugh too. The accent is a thick Jersey accent - it makes me want to talk in one all day, just for shits and giggles. Let me know what you think!