Cool new fridge

Remember the Kitchen Aid fridge I was talking about. Well, it was due to arrive at All Temp last week, so I called to find out just when and then drove down to check it out. It was 4-5 years old, white, not dented and downright beautiful...for a fridge. Just look at the difference!

It was a very rare find and at only $600, which is less than half price (new) and better quality than some of the new ones in that $500-600 range, I couldn't pass it up. I decided to buy it right then and there and arranged to have it delivered Friday afternoon.

I cleared out some of the stuff I had kicking around, but I didn't expect to fit all my refrigerables in the door! I adorned the shelves with a few items so it actually looked like I had food when I opened the door.

The freezer is the best because I can fit more stuff in it. And it has a light! Now I don't have to cave in and buy a rinky-dink deep freeze, but I do have to do something about the super bright lights -- I practically blind myself whenever I open the door.

Update: Evin's freezer shelf

Add Facebook to the list of networks I'm in

I've recently joined Facebook and have to say I am pretty pleased. Apparently it is a lot like myspace, but I can't say for sure as I somehow managed to sleep through the myspace wave.

Facebook is great for looking up long lost friends. This is especially cool for me since I grew up and went to high school back east. It is the cyberspace version of walking through the main streets of your home town.

I've yet to connect with those from highschool, because the friends I did have then I still know or aren't on Facebook. Everyone else that I recognize are more like acquaintances.

I did connect with a girl I used to babysit though. She is 18+ (and her brother almost 17) which makes me an old fart. Her family was great to me -- even after they moved several km's away, they would pick me up and drive me home after babysitting. They would also take me skiing with them. We stayed in touch for a few years and I visited them the two times I went back. But, contact slowly whithered away...before email took off and blogs were invented.

The downside to Facebook? It is a bit of a popularity contest. I got invites from folks I barely know because they were on my MSN list way back when. Sorry, but I refuse to join anyone's harem...except Mikey because it isn't a virtual harem but rather the real kind that includes Sunday coffee, cat jokes, and Survivor nights. Also includes a concert or two. Woo hoo...The Hip rocked!

Leaving the ACD nest

Well, I accepted a job with the Government ("the guv") and bade farewell to ACD. My last day at ACD will be May 11th, and my first day at the guv will be May 22nd. That is right, one week off between jobs to rest!

I'll be cutting my contract a bit short, but things have slowed down so it shouldn't be so bad.

I'll miss ACD. I learned a lot here over the past 5+ years. I was given many opportunities, and sought out many more. I went from a little green QA tester to a PM managing our flagship software. I'll be leaving with tons of friends and many fond memories. I hope I will be able to say the same after being in the guv for a few years.

I am still green by PM standards, which is why I have chosen to take a QA/BA position with the guv. I will take a cut in responsibility, but not in pay. This position will give me a chance to learn the government ropes before I get thrown to the 'Project wolves' as a PM.

According to facts like this one:

45% of managers and 35% of bargaining unit employees in the BC Public Service
will be retired by 2015. (buried deep on this site -- http://www.gov.bc.ca/bvprd/bc/home.do)

...I stand a great chance of moving up the ranks before I know it. I was pretty up front about using the QA/BA position as a stepping stone, and my new boss is completely on board and supportive. Besides, it isn't like I will be switching jobs any time soon -- I have a lot to learn, including taking BA courses.

I'll be celebrating my departure by having lunch with Janet (my boss and uber-mentor) and then I'll probably close the week with a night out. One last ACD party (sniff).

Things I'll miss:

• the people (you know who you are)
• 24-hour relay (especially the volleyball)
• my nice green office with a window, fancy chairs, and a door!
• walking the halls and knowing everyone by name
• MSN during the day (something tells me taxpayers don't want to pay me to msn friends during work hours)

Things I won't miss:

• the 17 km drive (I'll be down to 2.5 km's! w00t)
• the predictable food at The Roost
• the roadmap (or lack thereof)
• the people not included in the above 'list'

Things I am looking forward to:

• 2.5 km drive (not on bus route, and lots of hills, so it will be a while before I bike it)
• opportunity
• 9 - 5 baby!
• Pension (the bennies are about the same, but don't kick in until Nov)

Sign that you need to plan an intervention

So, my friends and I meet every Sunday for coffee and a stroll along Dallas Road and then through Beacon Hill park.

I've often thought it would be cool if Evin could go on walks. I think it would be fun to bring him along so he can get some fresh air and meet people. After all, he is very social. But, then I remember he is a cat. He would probably run away or get hit by a car. Sounds like what I need is a canine version of Evin.

Well, Evin's world just might open up thanks to the cat stroller!



I'm kidding. I wouldn't be caught dead pushing one of those. So, if you hear me talking about buying one (and I seem serious), plan an intervention!

Shopping for Appliances 101

To celebrate my winfall 2 months ago, I thought I might buy a new stove and fridge. I broke the glass window in my oven, and my fridge just isn't performing that well (warm or frozen milk, nothing in between). So, it is not exactly an impulse buy.

I've been to three places recently: Trail Appliances, Sears, and a second hand place called All-Temp on Craigflower. My specs include: coil elements, self-clean, white, no ice-makers, and nothing uber-fancy.

Trail is having a sale but they don't have much to choose from. They steered me towards Whirlpool stoves because the door insulation is on the oven opening. He made this sound like an obvious place, but didn't explain why insulation on the door was worse. I left with a few model numbers, but didn't plan to go back on Friday when the sale starts.

Sears is also having a sale. They have a huge selection of appliances, but the sales guy should have quit his day job and applied to be a high school drama teacher; he was just way too animated for me. Kenmore doesn't actually make appliances. They contract it out to Frigidaire adn Whirlpool. He said Kenmore (by Frigidaire -- KF for short) are for old people and Kenmore (by Whirlpool -- KW for short) are for young people. This is because, according to him, Frigidaire has spent more time on oven/stove technology while Whirlpool has focused more time on looks. So, I settled on a KF coil element with self clean for $500+. We then took a look at fridges. There were many on sale and on clearance and I picked a KW one that had no handles on the front. Nothing fancy, but it did have glass shelves and clear drawers. With delivery, hinge switching for the fridge doors, and old appliance removal, the entire package came to $1500. Gulp. I decided to sleep on it.

Today I stopped by All-Temp because I was in the neighborhood. This place carries new and used. The new machines are clearance items from department stores, and the used machines are only top performers. These guys turned my world upside down. To my surprise, Frigidaire sucks. The computer/panel thingamagigs on their stoves are notorious for breaking and cost $400 to replace. Whirlpool is not known for their looks (vs performance) so they said. But they aren't really known for anything else. The star of the day was GE. They consistently outperform all others and oftentimes include high-end features in their mid-range models. Despite this, I almost walked home with a barely used Fridge-on-top Kenmore (by Whirlpool). The door even opened the right way but the freezer door would have to open 180 degrees in order for the drawer thingy to pull out. This is impossible in my kitchen, so I passed it by. In the next few days, they are expecting a used side-by-side Kitchen Aid fridge. I don't know the price yet, and I am not hung up on side-by-side, but it doesn't have an ice maker (which uses up half the freezer) so I am interested. Surely Kitchen Aid is good for resale!

I trust All-Temp because they are on the receiving end of good and bad appliances. They see the insides and know which models are build to last. They also have a current Consumer Report on hand. Mr Joe Sears-I-should-have-been-a-drama-teacher could care less about return rates and even less about repairing them. It is no surprise he is going to plug the models that need to move off the floor.

This just in -- Home Depot carries GE. I think I'll whip over there now!

Update: Home Depot didn't have much selection so I went to the Brick. Once I got the sales person talking and admitted to her that Mr Sears was trying to sell me a Frigidaire, she finally let her opinion show through and she agreed with A-T that Frigidaire sucks. She told me the insulation thing for the door is best on the oven itself if a self cleaning oven. The GE model she showed me had it on the door and it was barely attached. I left with the Whirlpool I saw at Trail. I got a great deal because it is an older model (newer versions have lower quality panels so score for me) and it has a dent in the drawer (which I can probably fix myself). But, it has a ceramic top which will be good for resale even though I am not a huge fan.

Check it out:
http://www.whirlpoolappliances.ca/en/Products/WERP4110SQ.html

Silly Cats

I've packed away my duvet and in its place is a lovely new quilt. It has proven to be a bit premature, but the warm weather will be here soon enough.

It must be laced with catnip because Cleo has gone absolutely nuts the last two nights. As I settle into bed, Cleo has taken to lunging at my feet and trying to bite or claw them to death. Any sudden or repetitive movement (like foot twitching which is pretty common) and out come 10 shards of glass and countless piercing daggers . These antics are very unusual for her and risky for me -- the quilt is quite thin so teeth/claws are no match.

Last night, Evin climbed under the covers and Cleo, who hates closed spaces, went in after him. I feared for my life. OK, not for my life, but definitely for my legs. There is no telling the carnage they could do to my legs!

I survived, but it didn't stop them from running around like village idiots for a few minutes.

From the Mouths of Babes

My nephew Kaleb is pretty funnny. He picks up things all over the place. And his recall for momentary happenings is amazing. He remembered there was a horse buried at the petting zoo and that the pig would have babies in the summer. These were but 2 of many 'facts' he picked up that day at the park.

The other day his mom was helping him clean up after a wee accident. During the clean up, he asked his mom "when will this nightmare end?".

After recovering from a bout of laughter, his mom asked him where he learned that. To her surprise, he didn't learn it from me. Rather, he learned it from an equally cool source -- Scooby Doo. I still laugh when I think of that story. I don't know what I would have done had I been there myself.

I have taught him sayings such as "slobber chops", "fall down go boom", "goofball", and the latest addition to his vocabulary -- "shishkabob". I'm saving "smell you later" for later.

Still Here

I'm still here. Just a little busy with work and feeling a bit of writers block I guess.

So, on the work front. Still looking for a job, but have had a bunch of interviews and a bunch more lined up. In the meantime, my contract at ACD was extended until June 1.

I am leaning towards working in the Government -- it is more stable these days and I seem to be craving that.

Once I am settled into my next full time job, I don't think I will wait too long to get the kitchen done. I'd like to get my condo complete so that if I notice condo prices going down (new condos are going up at record speed), I can get out and into something a bit more competitive.