Where to Live? Thoughts on Home Ownership from the point of view of everyday people

Where to Live? Thoughts on Home Ownership from the point of view of everyday people

RBC released a statement today citing the recent spur in the housing market as a result of affordability. This ‘affordability’ is not a reflection of just the costs of properties – but more the cut in interest rates. The banks are getting people to focus on the monthly payments as a reflection of affordability. It reminds me of paying the minimum payment of a credit card – but of course the two types of debt are quite different in more ways than they are similar. What I would have loved to hear, is that there has been a greater gain in family income overall – but that hasn’t happened. People are losing their jobs, the yr over yr bankruptcies are up and Equifax recently reported a sharp increase in payment delinquencies (90 days or more). Here are the recent employment stats according to the CREA website:

City Workers on Strike

I don’t have time to provide a long sordid commentary – but I find it interesting that altough Toronto city workers went on strike, and my daughter’s gymnastics facility felt no need to contact me to notify me that her classes were suspended…SOMEBODY made their way to the bank and cashed the 220.00 cheque that day. How come they weren’t on strike then ? I wish they were.

lol

Denise

The Cranberry Resort Skip-rope Rhyme

Cranberries? Or Sour Grapes

They call it the Cranberry Resort.

The Devil is a liar.

and now for today’s skip rope rhyme.

Craa-a-a-anberry

So-ur grapes

on our anniversary

we got a taste

the phone rang loudly

back in January

the Cranberry resort

was inviting my hubby

up to Collingwood

to experience the luxury

at a very special price

we could get this itinerary

I hate to retort

on this two bit ‘resort’

where they put us in the basement

in a musty encasement

the room had two beds

and sliding doors

the walls were paper thin

and so were the floors

they put us by the arcade

down from the laundromat

told us about a ‘meeting’

and that was that

Me n my hubby

Avoiding the tub-by

We wanted to relax but

the curtain was yucky

They said it was a deal

but we skipped on the meal

They would have served venison

and called it veal

(by this time the kids would be out of breath from skipping – so there’s a switch)

Skip, skip, skip, skip…

at two in morning

there was a banging

someone was locked out

and wouldn’t stop yelling

the box springs were bare

no room service here!

and the open side door

gave us a quite a scare

So early the next day

we packed right away

Skipped that meeting

and were on our way

Craa-a-a-anberry

So-ur grapes

on our anniversary

we got a taste

Giving Gossip a bad name

Giving Gossip a bad name

I’m a woman. I’m also a girl. That means I’m vocal, I’m observant, I’m intuitive, sensitive?, inquisitive, and always – ALWAYS trying to figure something out. Well … someone that is. Not that all women are this way. There are those of us who are above discussing others (as long as they haven’t pissed us off of course) and believe that all complaints coming out of the female mouth are reflective of our futile existence and low moral. I don’t care. I didn’t get the golden pass to heaven so I have to work for it. I’m open and I’m passionate, I’m honest. This is how I live with myself. Sue me.

I think that discussing people helps me understand who they are – and I need to understand the people I have in my life. I won’t have a need to discuss you if I understand what the hell you are up to. I would like to think most of my comments, if the subject were to be on the receiving end would not always be pleased, but seldom surprised at what I have to say. Which brings me to my latest qualm. Speaking about someone when they aren’t around is not a crime. However, making things up is not okay. What the hell? How do you just contact random people and spew complete nonsense? If I’m going to be called a gossip girl – let me embrace the title so that I may have the power that comes with it.   The power to tell you how to get it right.

My husband has given me the best advice about people,

The worse thing you can do, my husband says – is make assumptions about someone’s intentions. Maybe so sweetie, but psychologists say women are more intuitive about that sort of thing. We tend to be able to decipher the meaning behind what people say and claim to feel by looking at their actions, body language and history of behaviour. 

There are just too many people that want to be right and nice all the time- so much that you can never tell when they are being honest. We don’t know if THEY know what the truth is!

So what I’m getting at is this …. The story goes that man and woman get together have a great time and then things fall apart. Woman dumps man. Man is embraced by all. Woman gets mad. Woman starts to gossip – but not about man – about the people who embrace man and vice versa. That’s right. Woman makes PUBLIC assumptions about the actions of the people supportive of the man, claiming them to be (GASP) spilling her secrets – and gossiping. Proof? Logic? Consistency? Motive? Absolutely none!

Now these women make us look bad. Word to the daft – If you piss someone off by breaking their heart chances are if anyone has anything to say about your relationship – it won’t be people you speak to 6 times a year. It would likely be the person you were sleeping with for half a decade. And if you should otherwise be informed, check your source’s intentions.

It really is a ‘duh’ moment for me, when someone can get something so wrong. Try not to insult the people who might actually be holding back on your behalf. But when you’re two salads short of a picnic what does one expect? Foolish gossip.

A foolish gossip can be used like bait (by smarter associates)so they know where the bigger fish are. You dig?

Get it right…

But you didn’t hear that from me.

(giggle) Dee

The Art of Snubbing

The Art of Snubbing

Anyone who paid attention in high school knew the rules to snubbing and to whom they do and do not apply, but the people who know how best to snub, are those who at some point have been on the receiving end of the snub.

Make no mistake, like war, there are no winners in snubbing but there are certain etiquette and protocol that should be adhered to if one is using this method to administer a dose of scorn to a certain other person.

My mother used to say ‘there is a time and place for everything’, which brings us to the first question ‘When to snub?’

Coming Soon!

Testing out my new email to blog function.

Upcoming posts

- How to survive summer classes

- Where/When does obligation end?

- The nagging wife – and other sure ways to make life miserable

- Growing up and getting on

- How to be Canadian

- How televison made the life of first gen. Canadian children miserable

- Why I’m planning Christmas early

Miss officer – did you really have to call ‘back-up’? Really?

Now I know people are getting pretty hot under the collar now that spring has made a full turn ’round the bend - because  good weather is almost synonymous with increased violent crime.  I can also acknowledge that my community (for its size) appears to have a high violent crime rate. Whether they want to call it domestic affairs, gang wars or drug related crime activity is irrelevant to me. All I need to know is that people are getting hurt and having their lives taken for reasons which never seem good enough to put us at ease ( people do tell themselves its a result of natural selection – the ‘bad people’ are killing each another).  Well ‘right-on’ to you too. I prefer not to swim in naive waters, but I digress. 

My point is , I understand and encourage the increased ’security’ in Malton. We have a police station at the local ‘mall’ (I can’t call it that without those quotes…I just CAN’T) and neighbourhood police patrols that seem to begin and end on MY street. I almost feel like i’ve bought into a gated high security neighbourhood at a steal. So thanks!

What I don’t appreciate however, is you tailing me all the way home at 7 in the morning – or following me to drop my daughter off at school. Thats right folks. Miss Officer, who everyone seems to recognize but to whom noone is familiar, followed me down my street and tailed me 2 streets over before pulling me over a stop sign away from my daughter’s school. At 8:30 in the morning. REALLY? See I was driving my mom’s car, which she was gracious enough to loan me after my car had been involved in an accident. Coincedentally, in order to allow me access to the vehicle, my mother who is injured from a separate car accident had to retrieve her car from the body shop so that I could drive it. Although the car had been there for months – technicians thought it was funny to leave my mother’s front licence plate on the dash.

Where it had fallen off – so although the officer saw that I had plates on the back of the car, she still pulled me over. By this time, I had picked up the plate and placed in on the dashboard. She got out of her car, and I left my window up and looked straight ahead while she inspected the ‘98 Camry before tapping on my window. “I stopped you because your licence plate was missing from the front of the vehicle’. I explained my dilemma while my daughter sat in the back quietly. After my story – she asked for my documents. Thats right. THEN she called for back up.

At this point I was tempted to tell my daughter to walk to school – but hey – why make a bad thing worse? So I reached over into my purse – grabbed my ‘Cognition’ textbook and started reading. About ten minutes later she returned and caught me eye-over-spectacle fully entranced into my book. She looked utterly confused. I let her stand there a while before looking over with a look of annoyance, “Yes?’ I asked.

Miss Officer handed me my documents and mumbled something about putting the plates on as soon as possible. She and her equally daft colleague conversated some more, about what I would only assume involved a plan to avoid doing any more work whatsoever.  Maybe she should patrol the area around her office – the mall – where people have used weapons in broad daylight as of recently – but hey what do I know ? ;p

Cheers,

Denise

5 Types of Men Women avoid

5 Types of Men Women avoid

Before I start this list – I must note that I find it astonishing that men can almost ALWAYS find someone regardless of what category they may align with. Women…Yeah not so much. That being said – here is what I was able to come up with.

5 Types of Women that Men Avoid

5 Types of Women that Men Avoid

 

1 ) Women that actually expect men to approach them. Evolutionary psychology states that it is a cross cultural tendency for the person with the higher status to approach a prospective mate. Ignoring the idea that ‘status’ is synonymous with value, I am comfortable suggesting that for the most part, men usually have initiated contact with the opposite sex over the years. Recently, it appears (from observation and interviews) women have become the ‘seekers’.

Does this mean there has been some type of cultural role reversal? Or have men, being outnumbered, become lazy since they don’t have to work very hard to find a mate? Nevertheless, for the traditional woman this does not bode well.

My advice? Hit the border. You know why.

Ahhh – Church.

Church

So I went to church. On a Sunday. Again. After swearing off my home SDA church back in August of last year I have only attended three times since – all by invitation. Ironically, two of these visits were to a church other than my primary denomination.

So I realize kind of church I like – and which ones scare the hell out of me. ( I know – the irony!). I prefer a church that is small. ..a congregation of less than 50. I would like a church that does not last more than 3 hours (including Sabbath school)- and does so consistently unless there is a special occasion. Church should be a place where what I wear matters less than my presence- and I would like to NOT feel that I am attending a town hall meeting like the ones at work. My bed is quite comfortable at home – I don’t want to spend good resting time on the sturdy, unforgiving pews – so all I ask is that I am engaged – not frightened. I prefer not to be shouted at (because saying it loud doesn’t make it right) – but to be confronted with reason.

Here are my top 10 things I dislike about going to church: