Well hoi polloi, wowza and the like, I walked a lot today. This is a good thing that has resulted from smooshing my car all up. From squishing it down into scrap metal. From destroying its very soul.
Yup, I walk more. Walked to the library, to the bus, from the bus, from Cambie and Broadway home (about, hmmm, I don’t know, several kilometres) and out again to a restaurant. Walked, walked, walked.
I also spent way too much money today for an unemployed person. Well, Gail and Rosie!! (remember, baby Rosie) and I went to Book Warehouse and you know where that leads. That’s right, the next thing I know I’m buying a book that I already have on hold at the library just because it comforts me to know I can read it tonight. I know, I know!!!!! You are so right, Gail should have so stopped me by pulling it out of my hands and tasering me as necessary. This is nothing she hasn’t done before.
Then, I went out for dinner tonight with H. who is in town for several days from Japan. Poor dear has to go all the way to Windsor, Ontario and then when going back to Japan does it on some kind of epic long journey that fills my mouth with too much spit just thinking about it. She buses, planes, trains, trains, buses and etc. I cannot imagine. I find sitting on an airplane for 11 hours about the most amount of that kind of torture that I can stand. And no peanuts! Imagine. H. and I used to work together but she escaped, left, she left! two years ago to go work in Japan. She was my semi-boss for awhile. We chortled, I had a taco salad in the fabulous edible bowl. An edible bowl!
On the way home I stopped at Safeway to get margarine. I know, I know, don’t buy margarine! Buy butter! Hmmm, old habits die hard. Besides, margarine is comforting. I was NOT going to buy the People magazine with stories of the year. NO I WAS NOT. I’d even left a message on Gail’s voice mail to say, “I’ve walked a massive amount and I’m not going to buy the People magazine with stories of the year so that semi-balances out my book buy that you did not taser me and thus stop me from doing.” But somehow, when I buy People in Safeway, it makes it okay. Now Safeway sometimes carries Soap Opera Digest but not as regularly as it should. Sometimes I’ll think it is a Soap Opera Digest but it is actually an Archie Digest. Disappointing let me tell you. And then I saw these apple turnovers and had a craving. DO NOT BUY THOSE APPLE TURNOVERS WHEN YOU ARE NOT WORKING, I said to myself. But again, when it’s at Safeway, it is okay.
Starting Jan. 1, 2012, I must curtail all unnecessary spending. No excuses, no drama, no spending!!!!! After all, I am only living off of my savings now. If I think about that too much, I kinda freak out and have to go and buy a Soap Opera Digest. I’m applying for EI again, but that can take months to sort out, particularly since the feds have seen fit to lay off a whole bunch of workers. Apparently when you call the 1800-206-7218 number to say, hey, how’s my claim doing, there won’t be enough workers to answer the phone. Tis true. I’ve been testing this out and the message is always the same (worded slightly differently) – ‘You have called at a busy time. Our call volume is high. No point in calling back, because we have one worker here and he is busy. Often he calls in sick because the stress of answering 4,287 calls an hour is too much. When he eventually quits (and thus he won’t be eligible for EI) he will not be replaced.”
Uh, yeah. Normally it takes the feds four weeks to figure out a claim. Who knows how long it will take now. And and and it is only based on what I’ve worked this year (2011) so I won’t get much anyway. Had I simply stayed laid off earlier this year rather than working, I would have had 34 weeks of EI. But, no, I worked. No reward for that one and that claim ends Dec. 24. Sigh. And yes, I know, I know.
So, yeah, luckily I’ve been a fairly good saver over the years and for about five years of my most recent job, I was making a pretty darned good wage. Of course, I didn’t realize then that the good financial times weren’t going to last so I spent money on going to Turkey and such. Nonetheless, I’m good for a few months at any rate.
Worrisome times people, worrisome times.
In good news, I had 62 views in 24 hours! An all time high!
jobsearchinginvancouver 
put the People magazine in the time capsule!
this is a rather good idea.
I really like edible bowls, too. For taco salads and also for soups. Have you ever tried the soup or stew served in an sourdough loaf? We will reward ourselves when we both have jobs again with that!