I have been searching for an ‘affordable’ and decent place to live for a month or so now, although admittedly, it feels more like 3 months at least!  Gee, you think I might be just a little frustrated with this process?

I can tell you from first hand experience, it is amazing out there! There are some excellent deals to be had, however, they are in large part reserved for ‘Students’, ESL, ‘short-term’, those aged 22-30, and preferably of the male persuasion.

By the way, when I say ‘excellent deals’, I don’t mean all the SCAMS out there from the low life that get their thrills giving people the run around – like really, just HOW LOW can you Scammers go?

Heaven forbid if you are female, own a cat, happen to smoke cigarettes (only), and are over 30. I am dead serious – some ads suggest you aren’t even allowed to have a fish or turtle, LOL! Many have no problem asking for specific sexual orientation, age and cultures, etc., which is outright discrimination, and against the rules of most advertising site policies, such as Craigslist, Kijiji, etc.

No my friends, ads may as well say ‘musn’t have a life to live here’, ANY bad habits, no smoking, no friends, not 1 cold one on a hot day, after a hard day at work, no pets whatsoever, and to top it all off, you don’t get to do your laundry either. Oh no, you have to walk or drive for that luxury! Say what?? How much is the rent again, no utilities included, AND no laundry on-site?

Mind you, a good percentage of the places I have been looking at myself happen to be basement suites, that’s the ‘affordable part’, so I can understand the smoking issue there for sure. On the other hand, that can be dealt with easily by either going outside, or opening up all the windows – which I do automatically anyway.

Ah, but wait a minute, many places will not allow ANY smoking on the grounds, or even anywhere remotely close to the property – makes a smoker feel ‘real special’.

Actually in defence of those of us that are totally addicted to the disgusting cigarettes, (thank you government for selling them to us), I don’t believe that we should have to freeze in miserable weather, or stand on street corners like the happy hooker, just to have a few puffs. After all, we DO have rights as human beings as well, don’t we? Last time I checked….

Seriously, I can appreciate that non-smokers don’t want to be around those that smoke, especially in ‘close’ quarters, and that’s cool, and understandable.

But, when I am helping you pay your mortgage and taxes in the privacy of ‘my home’, as in an apartment particularly, as long as I am paying my rent on time, keeping the place clean, and take care of it with pride, don’t bash in any windows, or act like a complete idiot, then my cat sitting on my lap sleeping, or me having a cigarette is really not hurting anyone except myself. So, let’s get real! Smokers are people too, and deserve the same respect and dignity as everyone else.

Being subtle has never really been my forte, so I have to speak out against the obvious ‘ageism’ that is going on with property owners and landlords everywhere.

Why would you not want to have ‘mature adults’ renting from you? One would think that those of us that have journeyed to 40, may just have a more practical, logical, and mature approach to budgets, handling finances, being responsible, and treating your properties with the respect they deserve. Not only that, it is also likely that we would be ‘longer-term’ tenants, saving you both time and money. Try putting yourselves in the applicant’s shoes for once, and see how you guys feel.

Perhaps ‘students’ are in demand because their expectations are considerably lower than those of mature adults that are use to having a nice place to live, and we ‘know the rules’ …hmmm – perhaps indeed. Exploitation……

The striking parallel between job searching and apartment hunting ‘over 40′ is most disconcerting!

In both scenarios, ’pride’ has to go out the window in order to survive, as we continue the fight against ageism, and all the prejudices that are prevalent in our societies today. Not whining,  just facing the facts folks….well okay, that’s my ‘rant’ for today.

Cheers!

The marriage bill, which definitely had an uncertain fate, was not passed until just moments before the vote was approved, the end results of which were a slim win of 4 votes; 33 to 29.

This article has been modified prior to posting on RiteSiteUp – Live, Love, Laugh! 

Source, Full article & Videos: The New York Times

After all, consider the fact that the Canucks made it to the Playoffs, not exactly an easy task, or an accomplishment to take lightly. Certainly, Vancouverites should be proud of this fact, so I say, get a damn grip to the hooligans that started this whole premeditated horror show!

I am disappointed with the game results too, but I am still proud of our beautiful city, and the Canucks that worked so hard to make it to this stage in the first place.

The Boston team and their families and friends certainly won’t feel too comfortable if they are anywhere even remotely close to our downtown core, which makes the City of Vancouver look very bad on the ‘international’ stage, particularly when compared to our 2010 Olympics.

http://www.news/video/video-looting-and-violence-in-vancouver/article2063021/

Visitors currently in our gorgeous city must be wondering why they came here in the first place, after witnessing the disgusting destruction that still goes on as I write this post.

It all began with stupid fights, porta potties being turned over, then several cars, including three police cars, were overturned and/or set on fire, some of them wearing the Canucks Jersey, several fires set to garbage, the BMO bank was really hit hard, and next was the historic Hudson’s Bay, and then London Drugs, both of which are being looted as I write, as they continue on their route to destroy as many stores as possible.

It’s a sad night for many, and I am having a hard time wrapping my head around why a small group of young men, and possibly a few young women, think they have the right, or self-righteous twisted obligation, to purposely destroy so much property, and in effect, speak for all Vancouverites, and harm innocent people blocked in by the crowd of thousands, unable to escape, even if they really wanted to.  

They just set a BMW on fire, and one idiot tried to jump the length of the car, fell into the fire, and came running out with his arms outstretched, searching for cameras to make sure he was ‘seen’. No worries – there is about 1000 or so ‘spectators’ in the crowd watching this debacle, all with cameras and recorders of one kind or another! LOL!

I hope the small group of people who started this riot are all arrested, and sufficient charges are laid against them, they deserve it. There have been numerous pictures and videos shot, so the police should have an easy job when it comes to arrests.

While the charges are being filed, they can all have their Canucks Jersey’s confiscated, never to be worn by any of them again – in OR out of jail! Perhaps the Jersey’s that aren’t totally ruined can be donated to people who would actually appreciate and respect their meaning and value.

What a disgusting and despicable shame for our people and this beautiful city….what comes around goes around – they will be held accountable!

At any rate, I digress, so will get to the point of this juicy little article that unfortunately, is not quite as palatable as most of my articles on this particular site. I do prefer to write about the ‘lighter side’ of life here, but this news just hit me in an ‘OMG’ kind of way.

Rest assured, I will return to my ‘normal style of writing’ in my next posting.

First of all, a wee preface:

• Calgary is a very expensive city, other than rental accommodations;
• Yes, there are all the usual taxes as in BC here; they are just ‘hidden’ for our ‘protection?’
• Overall, ‘Beef’ prices here are absolutely outrageous, although you really cannot top ‘Alberta’ beef;
• Cigarettes are more expensive, but alcohol is cheaper than BC, and ‘plentiful’, as there are LCB’s everywhere you look, open till 2am; and
• Cable company competition is incredulously competitive here!

Stay with me, here is the crux of my story:

• You may have heard that Shaw Cable has very recently laid off 500 staff across Western Canada– these begin at the top with Vice President’s, Call Centre staff etc., due to the  fierce competition from TELUS. (Ironically, I was told there were excellent career opportunities at Shaw from an employee just a day or two ‘before’ this happened), and;
• Just last Friday, XL Beef and XL Meats announced that operations will come to a grinding halt next month – 500 Calgary workers have about 4 weeks to find suitable employment, most of whom have families to feed! Contract negotiations with employees are underway in Brooks, Alberta, and, for added measure, they will have to close XL Four Star Beef, a processing plant out of Idaho.

So, ‘where’s the Beef’, and how much money will we need to get it, IF we can?’

I extend my very Best Wishes to all recently laid-off employees – Good Luck to You All!

Just to give you an idea, it was -35 with the wind chill when I arrived, two hours late on our WestJet flight – due to weather conditions in Vancouver! LOL! A wee bit of snow and everyone freaks right out…

The cab finally pulls up to my ‘new’ building in Calgary, and it instantly reminds me of something one would find in the ‘east end’ of Vancouver, or any major city! I am praying to God that it is better than it looks on the outside, but alas, the suite I rented is nothing like what was posted on the Net, and overall, the place is dumpy!

During the course of a very important job interview yesterday, I learned that I am living on ‘crack corner!’  The Mac’s around the corner is called Crack Mac’s, and this is a ‘party’ building! LOL! How totally bizarre for someone like me.

But it gets even better folks! Imagine that you have rented what you think is a really nice suite, only to arrive and find that:

• You are only allowed to ‘flush’ once per day, as long as it’s before 9am, and no, they did not appreciate my hysterical laughter,as they were dead serious! A pipe or two burst, and they are down a boiler!
• There is NO heat to speak of! It is -35 outside with the wind chill, and you have a pet that is sneezing her little head off!
• One of the building manager’s is a power tripper who acts like she’s the owner, or whatever, and has a bad attitude to go with it – just what every business wants representing their firm!
• Don’t dare ask why things don’t work – little things like the ‘stove’, ‘smoke detector’, ‘elevator’, ‘water’, etc! NO water from 9am to 5pm for several days! Hey, that makes it so much easier to shower, style your hair, & get dressed for your job interviews, which is why you’re here in the first place!
• If you stand in the hallway on my floor – and likely several others, you can get ‘high’ from the fumes of skunk weed, ‘or whatever it is’ wafting through the halls – perhaps this is to ‘enhance’ your living experience here…and, for added pleasure,
• You get to see drunks & drug addicts in your foyer at night, as well as the occasional matinée, and some of these people want to ‘confront’ you,  and it just gets better and better… LOL! T&T!

In a word – it has been a ‘nightmare’ all the way live! Hopefully all my efforts to make this major move will pay off with a great career opportunity, based on the positive feedback I’ve received so far in my interviews and business discussions. I must say though that I am not impressed with my ‘Welcome’ to Calgary at this point, LOL!

The moral of this story – do not rent a place over the Internet unless you actually have first hand knowledge of the building itself, the management company, and the surrounding area!

Oh well, at least I can laugh about it! As a matter of fact, it’s snowing out now and I’m laughing – with the space heater on of course! First day of ‘Spring’ tomorrow….

Aside from all that, life is just peachy! It’s great to be back writing, and I have missed my great audience! I am sorry it’s taken a while to post, but a provincial move is huge, and was an absolute ton of work in so many respects. 

Chow for now..I will be back soon!

• ROCKET MAN – Elton John and his husband, David Furnish are proud parents of baby boy Zachery, born Christmas Day. Apparently Elton is the biological father. I guess this is why he basically came out of semi-retirement with a new album, so they can keep up with all the added expenses.

• IN THE SHELL - A female turtle was run over by a lawn mower in Tele Aviv and rescued by a Vet that put the pedal to the metal and replaced her damaged hind legs with wheels! She is the only turtle in the world that has ‘rear wheel drive’.

• MEDIKATE - This is the name of the new medicinal marijuana dispensary recently opened in South Vancouver for those suffering with HIV/AIDS, Cancer, and Multiple Sclerosis. For the first time, the marijuana is monitored by an in-house doctor, and provided to the centre from licensed growers. As long as medical proof is provided, the doctor will take care of those coming into the ‘sixth’ dispensary of its kind in Vancouver proper. More are likely to open in the not too distant future.

• BLACK JACK CITY- Did you know Casino’s are eligible for subsidies? Licensees of Casino’s receive roughly 5% of their gross wins in commissions from the BC Lottery Corp. Can you believe that taxpayers are on the hook for capital expenditures for these facilities in BC? Paragon Gaming, a Vegas based firm, wants to build a $450M Hotel & Casino beside BC Place Stadium – this may look like moving the Edgewater to this proposed new location.

• FRIED BEHIND BARS - Canadian prisons are battling with contraband items such as pot, heroin, crack cocaine that the sniffer dogs and scanners did not catch, and physical searches obviously never uncovered. The biggest threat to workers is the use of ‘cellphones’ which pose serious dangers to institutional security. It isn’t only the inmates that are coming up with ingenious ways to conceal things like a weapon or drugs, but the biggest problem is with the visitors – very scary!

• BATTLE OF THE ‘BANDS’ - Adding further costs to generate even more competition between our available ISP’s, is a real bummer! Having a cap on bandwidth or bit is going to make a huge difference, and really hurt a lot of users – especially the unemployed, not to mention internet marketers that offer various programs for download. Experts in the field say that if you upload far less music & videos that will help to substantially reduce costs.

• GUINNESS RECORD – BONE CHILLING - In China earlier this month, a man, only in his boxers, sat in a container full of ice in an endurance competition for – get this! – 120 Minutes! He was determined to set the world record for the longest time in direct body contact with ice. Good on him!

• STONING IN IRAN -  A woman charged with adultery in Iran has been sentenced to death by stoning. This is 2011 remember! The Federal Government is not in favour of this kind of punishment and asks that ‘human rights’ obligations should be respected.

• CHEF RAMSAY TEMPTS FATE - Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay could not stand by as Costa Rican gangsters slaughtered thousands of sharks for their fins, which Gordon checked out for himself during a taping of his ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ show. He paid dearly for stepping in, as he was doused in gasoline, and held at gunpoint! For his sake and safety, local police told him to flee the country – uh, yeah, no kidding!



• DAVID FOSTER RINGS IN 2011 -  David Foster got engaged to Dutch Model, Yolanda Hadid, offering up a 14-carat Katz sparkler earlier this month. He has been married 3 times already and has 5 daughters. He is also a 15 time Grammy Award Winner. It makes me proud just knowing that he is also from British Columbia. Definitely someone I have a great deal of respect for, and have always wanted to meet. Congratulations Mr. Foster!

• REHAB FOR THE RICH - It seems like all the stars are getting into the Rehab Dance lately – now it’s David Arquette, and Courtenay Cox has extended her love and support, although we all know they are definitely ‘over’.  Apparently their breakup in Oct. is one of the reasons he is in recovery for depression. If  the ‘average Joe’ goes into Rehab, it’s embarrassing, a ‘Star’ goes in, and it’s all over the news, they can’t lose – even bad publicity is better than ‘no’ publicity!

• CHUCK’S 84 & STILL KICKIN’ IT – It’s amazing – Chuck Berry has recently suffered from exhaustion during one of his latest ‘shows’ in Chicago where he fainted. Fortunately, he is fine and taking a well deserved ‘rest’ for a while. God Bless him to still be kickin’ it at 84 years of age!

• NO, THAT’S NOT CLEAVAGE!- Can you believe Lady Gaga? How desperate do you have to be to post you ‘butt’ on Twitter? Not that any other social networking site would be appropriate, LOL! Fans may be waiting for her new album, but give me a break, too tacky & tasteless for me.

• NO ’24′ FOR YOU!- Unfortunately, it looks like we won’t be enjoying Kiefer Sutherland on ’24′ on the ‘big screen’ anytime soon as the latest script was rejected. There still may be hope down the road as it looks like they’re taking another look at a simple re-write with Kiefer. I hope it all works out!

• DR. PHIL – JUST NOSEY, NICE OR WISE? – Why couldn’t he just leave the new million dollar, ’golden voice’ of Ted Williams alone? So he had a fight with his daughter – who doesn’t? He’s only got ’9′  children to argue with! Not many details were provided on that, but Ted definitely didn’t want to take Dr. Phil up on his offer of a ’direct’ ride to Rehab! Is Dr. Phil coming from the ‘right place’ or perhaps looking for some extra publicity? I would hope he was sincere, and Ted seriously deals with his business, and returns to the spotlight soon!

• TAX THAT JOINT – Revenue Canada wants to tax the sale of medical marijuana in BC – think that will happen? There are roughly 6,000 registered members of the BC Compassion Club diagnosed with everything from arthritis to HIV that use marijuana for medicinal use. The Club went to federal court in defense of the suppliers. Now it seems that a deal has been worked out IF the club can convince 30+ growers to come forward to declare their income..Hmmm.

To begin my Tidbits, I have a BIG one I want to get off my chest, and I am totally confident in the knowledge that everyone that reads this will be in agreement with me….

• ‘NO FUN’ VANCOUVER - Did we just experience the most boring, quiet and mundane New Year’s Eve ever, or what?! Other than a few annoyed citizens that did their own thing down at English Bay & Jericho, the City of Vancouver did NOTHING to celebrate a hopeful New Year! Although, they did manage to give themselves a nice pay increment of around 10%! My appreciation to those folks that at least tried to provide a wee bit of a ‘bang’ for the New Year with a bit of fireworks, thank you! Although many were not able to see your efforts, at least they were heard. I am literally embarrassed for this City, and do not buy any ‘excuses’ for this total lack of celebration within the Lower Mainland. Our Mayor said he wanted to see much more ‘street parties’ in Vancouver – really?

• BC MEDICAL PREMIUM INCREASES - Are you impressed with the MSP Premium increase that came into effect Jan 1st? If you are not aware, you will soon notice it on your paycheques, along with higher CPP premiums etc. Meanwhile, our politicians are sidestepping the Master Agreement with the BCMA, which will impact our healthcare system substantially throughout British Columbia.

• BONO WANTS NO PART - While Bono apparently ‘respectfully declined’ Oprah’s offer to be on a show on her new network – OWN – the Internet & newspapers tell a different story. His loss I guess.

• VICTORIA – CORONER INTERFERENCE- A recent resignation in the Chief Coroner’s office makes it a little less safe here in BC – reduction in oversight of police, this in a province that has the highest per capita rate of police deaths in Canada.

• BARNEY MILLER- Just a few days before Christmas, we loss a very talented and wonderful man in Steve Landesberg, who was 65 and battling cancer. He was apparently a joy to work with and will be terribly missed.

• BC THE TOPS - Some great news for BC is our level of cancer survival rates, the results of which have recently been published in the prestigious Medial Journal, The Lancet.

• GATOR SENT PACKING – No, he won’t be someone’s new shoes, he’s off to the Zoo after leaving his Langley home, since his owner is moving to Asia. Can you imagine having a 15 yr. old, 300-pound alligator for a ‘pet’?

• SHARE YOUR CAR - TransLink has cars at Seabus and Skytrain stations from $3 an hour. They have also spent a small fortune on billboard advertising regarding their partnership with ZipCar and Car Co-op. Excellent idea, and much help for those in the burbs that don’t have a vehicle.

• ‘SIMON’ SAYS ‘FIX’ IT – This is one man I would love to meet! For Christmas he gave his team of judges on the X-Factor each a gift certificate for $4,500 worth of ‘Botox’ treatments – now, doesn’t that just say it all!

• CALENDARS OF HOPE - In Vancouver, it is common to come across someone selling the Hope in Shadows calendars, which are usually well done, with pictures taken by competing residents of the Downtown East Side. It’s interesting to learn that the group of sellers purchase these calendars for $10, and sell them for $20, and many have been selling for years, and have developed good sales skills in the process.

Speaking of Calendars, you may want to mark yours for the Dine out Vancouver experience which is happening between January 24th to February 6th, 2011. You will be able to experience Vancouver’s fabulous food and wine - indulge yourself and friends! Three course meals will be $18, $28, and $38 per person. Discounted hotel rates will also be available. Get all the details at Tourism Vancouver.

I believe we will all be grateful to see the end of 2010, and welcome in the impending New Year with open minds, open arms, and hopeful hearts.

May all the injustices that continue today, and occurred throughout 2010 stay far behind us all!

I pray for peace, resolutions to our global problems, including climate change, the eradication of all kinds of discrimination, successful careers found in substantially improved global job markets, and wish my fellow bloggers and designers much success as well!

May 2011 be a year that lightens our hearts, and brings jobs for the unemployed, shelter for the homeless people and abandoned animals, food for the hungry and poor, compassion and integrity, truth, shared respect and accountability, and a true and united sense of ‘global unity’.

Celebrate with Abandon!

• SEE THE SIGHTS FOR FREE - I think it’s fantastic that many Airlines are allowing ‘free stopovers’ on International flights,  and returning to this old standard benefit not offered for quite some time. All Airlines need to get the seats filled, and they all offer something different, such as 1 night versus 2 night stopovers, discounted hotel accommodations, etc. Definitely worth checking out if you can afford to be travelling these days! I suggest checking out a site like smartertravel to get the details.

  

• SOCKS IN THE CITY- It’s fantastic that Vancouver Coastal Health, City of Vancouver, London Drugs, et al, are all contributing to ensure the Eastside homeless have nice warm socks for the winter. Very cool indeed! London donated 1000 pairs and put prices down to $1.99 a pair for shoppers to donate when they’re shopping. If you have ‘nearly new’ socks to give away, you can also contribute by dropping them into the big red bins at all Vancouver London Drugs locations or City Hall.

 

•  CAT POO COFFEE? - Exotic? OMG! It costs $30 per CUP! Some of you may know what I’m referring to, as it was previously called ‘Doi Chaang Wild Thai Civet’. This is actually from the Southeast Asian ‘Mongoose’ that eats the coffee berries, which then pass through the digestive tract and are ’excreted’. If you want to try out this ‘delicacy’ you can check it out at Bean Brothers Cafe in Kerrisdale - take a few friends to share the taste experience and the expense. Bon Appetit!

• FREE BOOZE FOR HOMELESS ALCOHOLICS? - Okay, it’s official, BC has gone stark raving mad! First we have clinics so drug addicts can ‘shoot up’ safely, now Victoria’s Centre for Addictions Research at UVIC  wants to give alcohol to serious homeless alcoholics in an effort to stop them from consuming ‘dangerous products’ like rubbing alcohol, etc. The Centre also plans to approach government re raising the price of inexpensive wines, ciders, etc., so the rest of us get to pay more! Is it just me, or is this absurd?!

• GOODBYE ‘MASTER’ KING - After 25 long years on CNN, Larry King has bid farewell, and at 77 I don’t blame him. Apparently the Press has spent more time tickling their keyboards to write about his replacement, former judge Piers Morgan from America’s Got Talent, then they have about the legendary King. I think people need to remember that Larry King was around on cable before MSNBC & Fox even existed! I say God Bless, and enjoy your well-deserved freedom Larry!

• TIL WE MEET AGAIN – HAPPY HOLIDAYS! - Speaking of ‘goodbye’s, I won’t be posting now until next year! So my dear followers and visitors, I appreciate you big time, and wish you all a happy, healthy, wonderful, loving, and prosperous New Year! I will be posting on January4, 2011 and hope to share some good news and funny stories. Have a blast, and enjoy your holidays everyone!