1) I want to be at home, playing ‘Fable’ on the Xbox right now.
2) For those of you following the drama of the “lost document” saga – IT REMAINS LOST. After an extensive search through the house and my backpack, no love. I am purposefully not mentioning what the document is because the person(s) who are supposed to benefit from its existence read this journal and I don’t want them to freak out. So don’t mention it directly in the comments, please.
3) I still need to:
– return my MP3 player’s bum battery to Creative
– resubmit JVL’s med claims to my slothful insurance agency
– talk to/pay off my stupid condo corp and their stupid old fee
– pay my York University library fine (damn it, Alastair!)
– call San Diego and tell those fools at the hotel that I REFUSE to pay my Visa charge when I CANCELLED THE ROOMS
4) My 28th birthday is coming up in two months. It started me thinking, “what do I want to give myself as a reward for staying alive for another whole year?” The real answer to that question is, as always, time. Time to pursue creative endeavors. Time to travel. Time to sit on my ass and not be at work. Time to exist somewhere that is not a cubicle. So, I started planning for the best gift ever.
The government has a “self-funded leave” program that lets you essentially *buy yourself time*. You can have up to 33% of your paycheque shaved off and stuck in an insured savings account for the purpose of paying your salary (or something close to it) while you are on a leave of absence. Your job is guaranteed until you return, and you can take up to 12 months off, every five years.
Since I’ll have paid my dues in terms of service by the time I turn thirty, I thought I would plan ahead and start saving now. So, as of my December 1st, 2005 paycheque, 20% of my pay will be held in trust (with interest paid to me on the 31st of December every year), until I take my six months off. I have applied in triplicate to my Manager, Director and Deputy Minister to be not at work from Thursday, August 2nd, 2007 until Friday, February 2nd, 2008.
That gives me the lovely autumn months, Hallowe’en, my birthday, Christmas and New Years with no work to bother me, and plenty of time to go to Tibet, Istanbul, Egypt, Japan, Morocco, Mother Russia, Alaska, or wherever else my little heart desires. It also allows me some nice meditation time to deal with the fact of entering my fourth decade of existence.
Now all I need to do is figure out how to save money for travel when I’ll be living off only 80% of my paycheque. With two mortgages. Hrm.
If you’re considering selling something, now might be a good time to do so… interest rates are starting to creep up again, which will (theoretically) bring condo prices creeping back down. Might want to consider at least making time to talk to an expert (like‘s dad!) about where it looks like it’s all heading…
And NOW you tell me EXACTLY why I should have been trying to get a gov’t job all these years.
You might think about dealing cocaine. I hear there’s a market for it.
😉
In related news, I saw Joe Wilson last night at a Gardens Faithful rehearsal. You may be aware that he’s now teaching math & science at a Toronto high school. He mentioned that one of his colleagues’ students stuck up his hand and asked, in all seriousness: “Sir, why do I need to know math? I’m going to be a career criminal.”
The teacher responded, with equal seriousness: “Son, you can’t be a good cocaine dealer unless you know math.”