I'm sick of the CBC

I'm about to say something that most conservatives have been saying for years. I'm sick of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and their obvious bias. For the most part when I don't like something I just avoid it hoping that if others do the same it won't survive. You know the whole voting with your dollars thing. This works for private broadcasters. People don't watch, companies don't buy advertising, broadcaster either changes programing or goes broke. Not so much with our national public broadcaster.

I'm alright with supporting Canadian programming. That aspect of the CBC doesn't bother me. What bothers me is the obvious political stance of the programming. Particularly This Hour has 22 minutes which hasn't been funny in quite sometime anyway. But again I normally avoid it. The problem right now is that CBC is currently carrying parts of the Stanley Cup playoffs so when I forget to change the channel to another before I shut off my TV I'm subjected to a regular attack on my political beliefs. Now I know that the writers of the show are just presenting their own beliefs but why are MY tax dollars going to support them?

I am about to propose the most ridiculous thing ever

I don't remember if you guys have heard my rant about strollers on public transit. The essence of the rant is that I don't think people should be allowed strollers on the bus. But I deal with the fact that some people just need to use public transit. I try to do this mostly by assuming that these people actually own a car but it's in the shop or something so they had to take the bus this one time. But today takes the cake, there was not one or two strollers on my bus home today but 4. Four freaking strollers, which means 10 people were unable to sit to accommodate this contraptions.

I've had the stroller argument probably a half dozen times and my basic argument is that if you can't afford a car then you can't afford a baby. To which someone once pointed out that probably 90 percent of pregnancies are unplanned (hopefully this is a gross over estimation because if only 10 percent of children are actually born to parents who intended to have a child then there are some even more serious issues in this world. But here's the thing about unplanned pregnancy, there are options. Now I don't generally agree with the big option, but the fact is that abortion is legal in this country and maybe more people should be using this option. Or you know stepping up their birth control.

Now to my really crazy idea. Remembering that I say this somewhat if not completely tongue in cheek, there should be an economic cutoff for parent hood. If your household income falls below a certain level you should be forced to at least give up for child for adoption. It's for the child's own benefit you just can't provide everything that a child needs. Sorry a kid can't be raised on love it actually costs money. Clearly there should be other considerations for who should be allowed to be a parent, just because you're loaded isn't going to make you a good parent.

I'm kind of getting off topic here and clearly this idea is in the controversial pile. If my blog were more popular I'm sure I'd get all sorts of comments about how elitist this post is. Let me state for the record that I don't come from money, we were amazingly middle-class. I had student loans just like everyone else (still paying them off as a matter of fact). I think I've said it enough times but just in case it comes back to bite me as some point I feel that I need to point out again that this post is just something to think about and does not even receive my own full support. I'm just putting it out there. I also realize that such a policy could and should (probably) never actually be put in place in Canada. It probably violates a number of human rights laws, but I'm not a lawyer so I don't have to worry about that stuff.

I'd rather not know

I've discovered something about myself recently. This story is going to sound totally pathetic and it kind of is but at the same time totally revealing about some things in my life.

On Thursday night I was supposed to meet someone for dinner. I don't want to exactly call her a friend. We used to be friendly but then we both got busy and sort of fell apart. This was supposed to be our second meeting since the Facebook reconnect. I hadn't been feeling well all week and came close to cancelling a few times but didn't. Anyway I showed up to the Olive Garden where we were supposed to meet and an hour and two drinks and two bowls of soup later she still hadn't.

So what's one to make of this situation? My first thought was "well she must have got stuck in traffic". That lasted for about 15 minutes. After half an hour I figured I must have gotten the day wrong, but I was almost certain I hadn't because I double checked before I left. After an hour I figured she must have had some kind of emergency and there would be a call or an e-mail waiting for me when I got home. It's 4 days later and still no call or e-mail. So I sent her a Facebook message and tried really hard not to sound too pissed off.

Here's the thing though, at this point I'd rather not know what happened. At least if I don't know there is a chance that it was an emergency and she didn't just forget about me. I'll feel pretty bad if it was that she just didn't remember that we had plans and went ahead and did her own thing.

I also realized that there are other things that I don't want to know. For example ,I still harbor my office crush. Even though I haven't been at work for nearly a year and therefore haven't seen him I have attached certain events to him. So when I think about those things I think of him. Anyway I've decided that I'd rather not know if he likes me, than find out that he doesn't. Or if I would get accepted to my choice of graduate schools, right now I have the hope that I would, if I apply and don't get in I'd be upset.

Is there anything you'd rather not know for certain?

I must look like I need saving

Okay I don't often discuss religion but I'm going there today. I am an atheist. There have just been things in my life that some people would call "challenges" that have lead me to be a non-believer. But I certainly don't discourage other people from believing. I know a lot of people for whom their relationship with God has been a great strength and I am extremely happy for them. I just don't like people pushing it on me.

If I want to hear about your beliefs I'll go to church or temple or whatever with you. But for some reason I seem to be approached by those spreading the word of God more often than the average person and frankly it makes me a little bit angry.

Cabin Fever

It seems to me that everytime I ask someone what they're doing this weekend the answer is "going to the cabin". So I started thinking about it a little bit on my way home.

I guess I don't really understand the allure of the cabin. Perhaps this is because until I was 18, I lived less than 10 minutes from a lake. Sure I thought I was pretty but I never had a desire to own a piece of it. Additionally I'm not the most outdoorsy person, so sure the cabin is better than say camping but still, no electricity, no running water. Nope not for me.

Then I thought about it some more and I realized just exactly how far I've come. You see the other people at work who are my age have family cabins, that is cabins that actually belong to their parents. I realize that not all cabins are created equally but I can't help but think that perhaps some of these people come from money and got where they are because mommy and daddy helped them. I had to earn it.

I can't help but think now about the cabin people who came in to my town in the summer and referred to us as "townies"meaning it entirely derogatory, as if somehow we weren't as good as them. But you know what? I think I've just proved that I AM better than them.

Thing I take for granted

I've never much thought about it before but I really need to thank my mom for all of the things I learned to do as a kid.

There are things that are just so second nature to me now that I don't even think about it. Recently SA posted on her blog about making her first grilled cheese sandwich. Although her second attempt looked pretty good. I don't know when I made my first grilled cheese sandwich but I'm going to guess I was probably about 11. One of the joys of growing up with boys is that you learn to cook.

Another of my friends told me that she didn't learn to do her laundry until she moved away from home for school in her early 20's. Again this is something I've been doing for so long that I don't remember when I started.

Just the other day I was complaining about having to clean the oven when I moved out of my old apartment to a woman in her late 20s who recently purchased a home but didn't know how to clean an oven.

I never really thought of myself as independent. My family is really close and we certainly help each other out a lot, but having to move away from home at 18 to go to school does lead to a certain amount of Independence I suppose. I even did my own taxes this year.

I know my Mom won't read this since she barely uses the Internet but thank you anyway Mom teaching me how to take care of myself and thank you for taking care of me even though I could do it myself.

Misery

I hope it's just a seriously bad case of the winter blues and that it's not a sign of something else, but I can't help but be unhappy these days. I don't really think it's just the weather. Since people who have just returned from vacation are equally miserable.

It's funny I was always told that there is always someone worse off than you and that you should be happy with the things that you have and not worry about what everyone else has. It seems like the only way to stop being miserable about what everyone else has and get the same things is to go against my better judgement and do all the things that would make me miserable.

I have a constant struggle with myself to reconcile the way that the world is with the way that the world should be. I don't think that people should get ahead in this world because they know someone who can help them get ahead. I have trouble understanding a world where 25 year olds are still living at home with their parents. I don't believe it is the place of management to determine whether you should be offered other positions in your company. I don't think that any of these beliefs are entirely out of line and yet they are all contrary to what happens in the world.

The saying goes life isn't fair, but beyond that life is morally bankrupt (in so much as an inanimate object or idea can have morals).

Uh-huh

So a co-worker of mine was talking about watching the story of stuff. So she sent it to me to watch. Here's the thing, none of this stuff is hidden from the general public. They're right though it really is all about that golden consumption arrow. But not because the government or the TV says so, it's because people are stupid!

Look if you see something you want to buy then buy it. Do you need a new car every year? hells no. Buy a car and be done with it. I still drive a car that was built in 1995. Do you need to buy a Wii just because it exists? well no. But if you want a gaming system and it's available then go for it.

I don't know about this pollution stuff. There is a law in science that says energy can be neither created nor destroyed which always leads me to question how polluting pollution really is. Really we're just changing something that already exists in to something else.

Sometimes I wonder

I'm starting to wonder about the symbiotic relationship I have with some other people. It's funny to me, I'm in the middle of a mini-breakdown and the some of people that I consider my friends are all too busy with their own stuff to help me out.

Do I just have very bad judgement when it comes to people? Do I satisfy myself with just dealing with whoever is around at the time? Never really building up true friendships but only casual acquaintances?

It's not that all of my friends are bad people, but the constant reminders about how they have other stuff they should be doing but their spending time with me. Or changing the subject when they know that what we're talking about is important to me. I admit that I can get a little annoying sometimes when I dwell on things and a little goofy about other things on occasion.

But then again some people surprise you with their willingness to discuss your issues and help you through a problem. People that you don't expect. And to those people I am grateful.

Warning: Political Content Ahead

I'm amused. I love elections because they provide a reason for people to talk about the way that they view the world. It doesn't really matter which side of the political spectrum you're on, your opinions are important. Informed opinions are even better.

I just checked out the Liberal Green Shift calculator . It's kind of fun. Seems strange to me though that I would get an extra $150 for living in a rural area, when that really means that I'm going to have drive EVERYWHERE and there isn't a hope in hell of reducing carbon emissions by say taking public transit for example (which I do in the city). As it turns out the GreenShift would give me an extra $362 per year. Or less than $1 per day. Wait a second isn't that what it costs to feed a starving child in Africa? My favorite part is under the "how much will it cost me" tab. It will increase "some" energy costs. Right so I'm paying more for gas, hydro, and heating, but I shouldn't worry because $362 should be enough to cover it. HA!

I also can't help but enjoy this little bit of geeki-ness. Sure I hate math, but I enjoy mathematical theory, which may just be why I studied economics in the first place.

Here's some more food for thought, if the Conservatives lose this election (which based on the most recent polls isn't a complete impossibility), Stephen Harper will likely (read: definitely) be turfed as Conservative leader and then who will the Liberals and NDP accuse of eating babies? I wasn't a party member during the last leadership convention (nor am I one now for that matter), so I can't remember who was up against Harper but if they chose someone with a slightly more moderate image, likely from the PC side of the party it might not be long before we see another Conservative government. One that's likely to keep things interesting for a long time.

My love hate relationship with amateur sport

I'm a little bit ticked off after my day at work so I thought I'd go on a little rant to release at least some of my pent up anger.

Every couple of years motivated by the fact the Canada isn't winning so many medals at the Olympics people get the big idea that we should throw more money into amateur sports because we aren't winning enough medals. It's not that I don't support amateur athletics. I do truly love the Olympics. I also appreciate how hard these athletes work to be at the top of their sports. You hear stories about athletes who can't train as hard because they don't have the funding or some like David Ford even pay their own way to compete after they lose their funding. Sure we hear about things like Team Visa and RONA who pay to help a few athletes pay for their training but most don't really get that kind of help.

The thing is that as soon as someone says something like "we'd do better at the Olympics if we spent more money on amateur sport", I start thinking I already pay 1/3 of my annual salary to the government to pay for things like health care, the military, subsidized tuition and low income housing. All things that I feel are just a little bit more important that seeing someone with a medal hanging around their necks. The thing about spending tax money on anything thing is that the money has to come from somewhere, either something has to be cut or the citizens need to be taxed more.

I've also found that high performance athletes do actually receive a whole lot of extra little bonuses that the average person doesn't get either. Even if these are not professional athletes getting the big bucks for what most of them are able to receive at least some scholarship funding for college. Many of the large American schools even offer full scholarships for athletes (though granted most of these are for sports in which you can turn professional. But I came out of university with a piece of paper, a couple of letters to put behind my name and a whole lot of debt. Scholarship athletes could come out with the same things and a whole lot less debt.

I guess what I'm trying to say is not that these athletes shouldn't be rewarded for their dedication to their sport and their desire to compete for their country but I shouldn't be expected to foot the bill. Do I feel a tiny sense of pride when I see a Canadian up there on the podium? Sure I do. But I also work hard for my money and if I want to donate to sport of my own free will then I will but I'm not so sure it should be mandatory as part of my citizenship.

One more thing before I end my little rant. I realize that the Federal government as well as the Provincial government in BC have been and will continue to throw a whole lot of money into the Vancouver 2010 games and I'm not entirely sure I agree with that either but at least that is leading to changes such as improved infrastructure which will still be around (if done properly of course) long after all of the athletes that compete in 2010 are retired.

And end rant.

Stupid People Make Me Angry

I need to start this by apologizing to KEG for being a horrible lunching partner today. I will try very very hard to be a better lunching partner tomorrow.

Now I will commence the bitching. Anyone who has ever even considered grad school is aware that unless you're planning to continue in the field in which you have your undergraduate degree (or degrees) you're going to have to take at least one pre-masters year to catch up on all of the courses that you didn't take in the first place. I had someone try to tell me that they were going to study in an Animal Science field when their first degree was in Agribusiness. Having taken some 3rd and 4th year animal science courses myself and considering either graduate work or a second degree in genetic research I was told in no uncertain terms that I would not qualify immediately for consideration for a Animal Sci masters and I would have to do at least one year of pre-masters work including Bio-Chemistry. The ensuing argument about the possibility of jumping from one field to another was kind of ridiculous.

Sure there are some graduate programs that you can sneak into with an agribusiness degree. An M.A. in Economics, yes. A MSc. in Business probably. But an MSc. in an actual science field pretty doubtful. Even for someone who has the first year Chemistry (which is not a requirement of an a BSc. in Agribusiness). Would have a hard time getting in without taking further Science courses as pre-requisites.

Oh right and complaining about a late shift when it's part of the job description for the position to which you applied plus the $45,000 starting wage does not endear you to anyone. Everyone has to take their turn on the late shift. That's just the way it is.

I apologize to anyone reading this who thinks it's about them. It probably isn't.

The greed of my generation.

Excuse me while I get up on my soap box for a minute. If you don't want to be offended then perhaps you'd best not read this particular entry but I think it needs to be said.

First of all I'd like to say that while it's going to seem hypocritical of me to say the things I'm about to say but more than anything it's actually an observation about the things that I need to change in my life. Alright here we go.

Yesterday I was talking to one of my co-workers who is considering going back to school. She has both financial and time constraints to completing here education. She tells me she can't afford it right now but she wants to be done her education by the time she's 30. This prompted me to think about the way all of the people of my generation are living.

I once read an article that said the the average Canadian is spending $1.25 for every $1.00 that they earn. When I first read this I was in University and quickly justified this by saying I'm in debt right now I'm spending $10,000 a year and earning about $7,000 a year at best, every other student in the country is in the same situation. Now that I'm out in the "real world" I realize that this is not just a problem for students.

Having watched my brother struggle with debt, I swore up and down that I would not live paycheck to paycheck once I got a job. However now that my roommate had moved out and I'm paying all of my expenses myself I realize that perhaps I'm living beyond my means. It's not that I don't have enough money to pay for my basic needs I can easily pay rent and grocery bills but it's all of the other little things.

My first thought was "where is all my money going? What can I live without?" For example do I really need high speed Internet at home? Yes. Do I need to have the largest range of channel packages on TV? Also yes. Do I need to buy Starbucks coffee every morning? probably not.

While this is not an extensive list of all of the money that I spend in a month. It made me think about all of the things that I have and all of the things that I want that are strictly for my own enjoyment or convenience. But when did it become nearly impossible to live on a salary of $40,000? Hell I lived on a fraction of that while I was in school and some of that went to pay tuition.

Another thing I've noticed at my company is the length of time that people stay here. Recently some of my co-workers have celebrated 30 or more years at my company. While it's listed as one of the top companies in the province very few people of my generation intend to stay here for any length of time. So what's the difference. Some would call it ambition, the desire to move up to a better job even if it means changing companies. The problem with this is that the ambition is less the desire to move to a better job and more to move to a better paying job. No longer is it desirable to be the "company man".

I really do have more to say on this topic, things like the idea that it is the "right" of young people to attain higher levels of eduction. But I think I've been up here long enough. Time to get down from the soap box before I fall off.