Monthly Archives: May 2006

The Week in Review

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Good Saturday morning to you all!

I just got my first “The bank has requested that you retrieve the card from the card holder – it may be a lost or stolen card.” when I tried to put through a credit card charge for a customer I’ve had for awhile. I obviously don’t have the credit card in my hand because I do most of my business online, so there is nothing I can do except to let the customer know his charge didn’t go through.

Earlier this week I went to the club property with J., his dog, and Monty. The goal was to get Monty to learn how to swim. He loves the water but as much as he wanted to get the bumpers, he just wasn’t ready to let his feet leave the ground. I read in one of my retriever books that the proper way to teach him is to go out into the water myself and coax him to come to me (obviously with hip waders or something because it’s cold!!).

Bringing Monty out there isn’t a ton of fun for me yet. I spent so much time with Winger and Surf there. It was only the second time I’d been out there since I scattered each of their ashes there. It’s the special place where I hold so many memories with them, and it’s their graveyard all at the same time. I walked around the pond for the first time without them. It was very sad. I used to go out there after work with them all the time. They were never happier. I kept turning around and expected to see them chasing each other along side of me, and then diving back in to swim like they always did. Going out there makes me feel so close to them, and so close to the pain of losing them at the same time. Hopefully it will stop feeling quite so raw at some point so I can enjoy it out there with Monty more. And it probably won’t be a good thing to break out in tears when we start training with the club there. I hear at some point this heart ache is supposed to lessen and I won’t miss them so damn much.

Here are some pictures of Monty in the water, but not quite swimming yet:

Monty in the water

Monty in the water

Monty was so full of little burrs when we got home that I had to give him a bath and a comb through. He was so sleepy looking:

Monty after a bath

Monty after a bath

My day job went okay this week. I made a VB.NET breakthrough and got some pesky little things in my script working properly.. finally! Two of my old bosses have work they need me to do, but don’t have money. I think my chances of a full-time job there become slimmer every day. As does my desire for a full time job there.

I continue to ramp up things with my own business. While I dream of winning the PayDay lottery so I can replace my salary and start working at home full time didn’t come true this week, there is always next week. I did win another $5 on last night’s big Super 7 draw. Maybe one of my favourite friends or relatives won the big one and will shower me with kindness. :-) :-)

Let’s see, what else did this week have to offer. Gilmore Girls is wrapping up it’s season – season finale next Tuesday. Don’t miss it! J. cooked some fantastic steaks this week. Spending more money really gets you a much much much better hunk of meat. I can’t let myself buy anymore cheap steaks. Not now that I’ve tasted the good life.

Well I may add more later, but for now I need to go play with my whining puppy. Or convince him to go back to sleep so I can too ;-)

Minivan Shopping

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Sometime over the next year I expect I’ll be purchasing a used mini-van. They are at least $6,000 cheaper than a used SUV. They have way more room inside, and are better on gas. I guess it’s a no brainer.

I test drove a 2002 Chevy Venture on the weekend. It was priced at $11,995 and had 66,000 kms on it. (You can see it here: http://www.bitontimotors.com/details.html?ID=1103). It was an extended mini-van. I think that’s the only way to go. You get an extra 8 inches of cargo space.

I imagine I’ll go south when I’m ready to buy. I know of two mini-van wholesalers in Toronto who sell the same van I looked at for $8,999.

We didn’t go too far in it, but far enough to discover that it was a comfortable ride, nice seats, nice arms rests, powerful air conditioning, a separate A/C setting for the back (Monty land), removable seats (it had one back bench and the middle row had 2 captain chairs. It had a CD player, lots of cup holders, tinted rear windows, and a sliding door on each side. I’d probably remove all the seats , or at least the middle ones and put Monty’s crate there.

The Chevy Venture doesn’t get great reviews from people who have them on the Internet, but I think just about every vehicle I researched was the same way. Everyone complains. People rave about the Toyota and Honda mini-vans, but they are priced ridiculously high, even if they are several years old. The Pontiac Montana looks reasonably priced as well.

If I can make the payments be just $100-150 or so bi-weekly, I think I’ll be able to do it. I just want to pay down a few things first and see if I can trim my budget anywhere else.

Let me know if you spot a bargain! :-)