I’m moved, and unpacked

Posted on December 2, 2013 by kdarcy21

The move is done. The unpacking, for the most part is done. I am done, with moving. I’ve just signed a 40 year lease. Well, not really… I tell ya, I do not want to move the washer again. Heavier than, well, anything I can think of.

I still need to unpack clothes. I need to wait to install closet bars before I can hang shirts, etc. those are bring installed today. Clothes will be unpacked tonight.

I’m working from home today. There is a blizzard warning in effect, I’m sure I could make it in to the office but since I am working on the “Q”, why bother. I did get permission.

Since my internet isn’t working properly at home as yet (I’m sure that’ll be another post), I am tethered to my Android. Gotta avoid unnecessary data transfer today. Actually, the internet is faster on my Nexus 5 than it was via a network cable before I moved. Insane.

So, stay warm and safe today, I will.

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The move…

Posted on December 1, 2013 by kdarcy21

As I have blogged over the last few days, I have moved.

I was off on Friday to prepare.  I did a majority of my packing and some cleaning.  It was a fairly relaxing day.  I was supposed to move my small stuff on Friday night, that didn’t happen for a couple of reasons.

Telus screwed up on my home internet installation.  The installer showed up right at 2pm which was awesome.  The guy that they sent was a joke.  From the second he got here until he rushed out (he had another appointment), he whined and complained about everything.  You might have thought that it was me doing the install.  🙂

He complained that he couldn’t get the line into the house.  He complained that he couldn’t drill through the outside wall.  He complained about not being able to run the cable through the ceiling…  It was something else.  I told him to run the cable along the ceiling, he complained that he didn’t have staples.  I told him to go to Home Depot or something and the guy who was installing the back door and dryer vent told him where one was.  Naturally, he complained about that too.

So, off he finally goes to get staples after the dryer / door guy offered to drill the hole for him and we figured he wouldn’t be back.  Well, 45 minutes later, he returned.  He took about 30 minutes outside doing something and finally made it inside to do his work.  The TV was activating and was going to, according to the display on the tv screen, was going to take 45 minutes.  Well, this was way too long for this guy, he complained about it and left.  He told me all would be well when it was done.

Ummmm, no, it wasn’t.  The TV is working, no issues there.  The internet?  Well, it is slower than dial-up.  By dial-up, I mean way back in the day of 2400bps internet – you know, the mid 90’s.

So, I call Telus and am on the phone for an hour – they discover that something has either gone wrong or been done wrong – I will pick that the installer did something wrong.  They claim it will be fixed by Saturday morning.

Well, after finishing my move, I test it – nope, not better.  I call again and speak with some French guy.  He wants to put me on hold for 10-15 minutes, I suggest he may want to call me back.  OK, he will.  25 minutes later, he calls indicating that it has been escalated.  Oh really…  Hopefully it will be fixed today.  They gave me a full months credit AND gave me my remote tuner for free – cool – that save me about $230…

So, I was at the new place until about 9pm trying to get Telus going.  That is reason number one why I didn’t move the small stuff on Friday night.

The second reason is that the guy who was supposed to help me was at the hospital with his wife – she needed emergency surgery.  That is a good reason…  I guess I will do the move on Saturday.

I asked three people to assist – two co-workers and one of the maintenance guys from my former property.  Saturday morning rolls around and the maintenance guy has to back out – his wife is in the hospital.  I can understand that, no problem at all.  at 7:50am one of my co-workers shows up and bang on 8am, my other co-worker arrives with a friend in hand to help.  Awesome.

We have a van, my SUV and a car – my one co-worker was unable to get his dad’s truck – oh well.  The maintenance guy was going to use his truck…

We start and the first load is loaded and ready to go by 8:18 – not bad at all.  Off we go.

Well, after a full morning and three trips, everything except the washer/dryer, my BBQ and bike have been moved.  The dogs are also at the old place, likely thinking that I am going to leave them there…

After a struggle, we get the washer/dryer moved and in place.  Wow, is a front-end loader ever freakin’ heavy – insane.  I have most of the kitchen setup, part of the bedroom and part of the office.  The living room is still a mess.  I will spend a lot of time today organizing.

I am really going to like it here – the place is awesome.

 

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More on moving…

Posted on November 27, 2013 by kdarcy21

I really don’t care for moving any longer.  My last move, which, by far was the longest move that I did, was actually one of the easier moves I have had to do.  The reason being, I sold most of my stuff before I moved.  I moved pretty light and unpacking, etc., was easy and quick.

Well, I have been in Alberta for 18 odd months and I have collected a lot of “stuff” again.  I have more clothes now, I had to buy stuff for work.  I have extra shoes and boots, and coats and other outerwear.  I have a couch, a chair, a computer desk, a TV, a bike, a washer and dryer.  I guess I am a collector.  The nice thing is that I can get rid of stuff that I have not used since I moved here – that will clear out some stuff for sure.

When my roommate “left” (yeah, that is what I will call it), he left all of his stuff and junk here.  Today, I got rid of a lot of it.  He had a big screen TV, bed frame and queen size bed – gone.  A neighbour needed all that stuff so I said if you take it out, it is yours.  There is still some junk that needs to be tossed.  That won’t be too hard at all.  That will officially close that chapter of my life.

Most of my stuff is ready to go.  I still have some packing to do.  I am doing another load of laundry.  Once it is done, A) I can pack those clothes and B) I can go to bed.  It has been a long day.

I get the keys for the new place at noon on Friday.  I need to be out of my current place on noon on Saturday.  So, I have to move everything and clean in 24 hours.  I am sure those will be a busy 24 hours.

I plan on moving my couch and bed on Friday night, along with my TV, computers and food and I will stay at the new place Friday night.  That will leave the big stuff for Saturday.  I plan on moving all of the small stuff on Friday as well to make the helpers that I have coming have an easier time.

Although I don’t like moving, I am REALLY looking forward to this one.

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T -3 Days ’till move in day…

Posted on November 26, 2013 by kdarcy21

I received the signed lease back from the landlord last evening – she was just dotting her T’s and crossing her I’s.  I won’t get my keys on Thursday evening, I get them Friday @ noon.  They are sending in a cleaner for the place on Friday morning (was supposed to be Thursday evening) but that is OK.  It will give me some more time to organize and pack seeing as I am taking advantage of my Doctorate in Procrastination seriously here.

Telus is scheduled to arrive around 2PM on Friday afternoon.  My internet will be disconnected in my current place early on Friday morning.  So, no internet or TV at my current place on Friday – how will I survive?  Also, since I am not planning on actually moving my bed, etc., until Saturday, no internet and TV for Friday night.  I suppose that I will be moving small stuff anyway so that will take up most of the night.  I guess I could move the bed and couch and stay at the new place one day early – will see on that.  I don’t think my SUV is large enough for either of those two items – I do have a friend with a truck though so it might be possible.

I am not canceling my parking spot downtown.  I am keeping it in my name and a co-worker is sub-leasing it from me for the same price that I am paying.  She is moving out of the downtown core and needs a parking spot and it is A) inexpensive and B) within walking distance of the office, actually, only a bit further than where she currently lives.

I plan on riding into the office often – as long as there isn’t snow on the ground, I should be good to go.  They do sell studded tires which I am told make winter riding pretty well the same as summer riding – well, except for the cold I guess.  I do have a balaclava and warm gear so I may just ride most of the winter.  If it is very cold or snowy, etc,. I can also take a quick bus ride to the office.

I have to still change my address with a few places.  Insurance, my license, health card to name a few.  I was surprised to find out that there is a charge to change the address on your license.  As far as I am aware, this does not apply in Ontario, but I could be wrong.  I will need to change registration information for the truck as well.

So much to do and not a heck of a lot of time to do it in.  I do like working under pressure, so this should be good.

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Packing, packing, packing…

Posted on November 24, 2013 by kdarcy21

I really need to pack.  I do.  What am I doing right now?  Other than writing a BLOG post of course.  Well, I am watching TV.  I had to zip out and buy cream for my coffee.  Can’t start the day without coffee, can I?  I need to do dishes.  I am REALLY looking forward to having a dishwasher in my new place.  I hate doing dishes.

So, I start my move on Friday the 29th.  That is 5 days from now.  I plan on moving all of the small stuff on Friday.  I need to pack all that “small” stuff.  You know, kitchen crap, bathroom crap, computers, AV stuff, knickknacks, paddywacks, give your dog a bone?

I am a procrastinator.  Actually, I think that I have a Doctorate in Procrastination.  I also have a Doctorate in Sarcasm.  Not too many people have a double degree like that, it was hard work but it paid off.

So, I am sure that I will get some of it done today.  I have done some stuff.  My dining room chairs have been disassembled and are ready to easily move.  I need some boxes though – got any?  I have packed clothes that I know I won’t be needing this week.  I haven’t packed the dogs yet – that will likely be a last minute item.

So, if you are bored, please let me know and feel free to drop by and help.  Or, if you are OK with it, I will watch TV and relax while you are packing for me.  Thanks in advance.

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Politics

Posted on November 23, 2013 by kdarcy21

I attended the formation meeting of the Forest Lawn Conservative Association this morning. I was re-elected to the Board of Directors.

I’ve found out that out of riding members are limited to 10% of the board. There are at least four of us. So, someone will need to step down.

Now, I’ve spoken to a few people in the know, I’m told that since I was elected while still living in Forest Lawn, I can stay as a board member until the next AGM. That’s cool.

Tonight, I met the President of Calgary Centre and he’s happy to have me join his board as well, their AGM will be in the Spring. Guess I’ll have to decide.

Tonight, I’m helping at the Signal Hill Meeting. Registration, ballot counting, who knows what else.

Going to do some more packing tonight and much more tomorrow.

Wish me luck on that…

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Holiday Party

Posted on November 22, 2013 by kdarcy21

Tonight is the holiday party for the office that I work out of.  I traditionally do not go to holiday type parties, but, tonight I am making an exception.

I am not exactly sure why I decided to go.  It should likely be a good time.  I get along with, or actually like most of my co-workers.  It is at a rather fancy hotel downtown, the Palliser.  Very fancy.  I am sure that the food will be good, but I am not a huge fan of REALLY fancy stuff.  It looks nice on the plate but rarely fills you up.  Guess I will see.

I needed to purchase something to wear.  I do have a suit, but is is very lightweight, not good for a late Fall in Calgary for sure.  It also has a couple of chew marks on it from an un-named Blonde coloured dog that I have been known to frequent with.

So, last week, I drop into Moore’s.  They have good stuff at generally good prices.

I decided on a sport jacket.  The sales guy was helpful for sure.  I looked at one that I REALLY liked.  Looked at the price tag – $499.  OK, well, that is a bit much (a lot of a bit) so I put it down.  The sales guy suggested checking to see if it was on sale – IT WAS.  Marked down to $119.  Nice.

I picked out two dress shirts – both an off-shoot of orange.  Buy one, get the second for 1/2 price.  I also grabbed two scarves, also buy one get one 1/2 off and two ties – same deal there.  In total, it was a little over $350 taxes in which was pretty good, considering that the original jacket price was $500.

So, I will be decked out pretty well I guess.  I mean, I am not wearing the orange tux from Dumb and Dumber, but I will be OK.

Orange Tux - Dumb and Dumber

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A busy few days…

Posted on November 21, 2013 by kdarcy21

My co-worker has been off this week and wow, has the office ever been busy.  I think people decide to report all of their IT issues when they know one of us is off.  It is a good insane for the most part, the days are zipping by.

I am sure it is not as bad as it was back in October after the IT Conference in Ontario.  As I am sure I have reported, we had a failure of our primary switch.  SH was back in the office two days after it happened, I was on vacation that day and the entire next week.  He has his hands full. Knock on wood, we have not had any failures, as yet…

Today and tomorrow morning, I am providing support for a Tax Preparers Conference in Calgary.  They want me there, for some reason, all morning both days.  I don’t think I am going to run into many issues, but I guess I will see.  If there is going to be an emergency in the office, it will be one of these two days.

It is in one of the downtown hotels, I am not exactly sure which one, I do have the address.  As I write this, I really should be in the shower getting ready to go, but, I have not finished my second coffee as yet.  🙂

Tonight, my little brother and I are heading to the Calgary Hitmen game.  Not sure who they are playing.  We are sitting in the second level, right on row 1 so that will be cool.  I am sure they will be great seats.  Many thanks to Calgary’s Big Brothers and Big Sisters and of course the donor of the tickets for them – it is much appreciated.

Tomorrow, breaking my tradition of not going to holiday type parties, I am off to the BDO Holiday Party.  It is formal attire, suit and tie type thing.  Well, I do have a suit, likely out of style by now, especially given the high standards of Calgary.  I dropped into Moore’s the other day and wanted a sport jacket.  I am a 48 regular, off the rack type of guy – it is nice, I don’t need any alterations.  Anyway, I was looking through and found a REALLY nice jacket – looked at the price tag and it was $499.  Ummmm, no.  Then I turned it over, it was on clearance for $119.  Wow, amazing deal.  Picked up two shirts, two ties and two scarves and it came out to $369 or so – still a $130 less than the original price of the jacket.  I am sure I will post of pic of me and my handsomeness in the next few days.

No plans for the weekend other than starting my packing for the move next weekend.  It will be here before I know it and I have a fair amount to do.  I am really looking forward to it.  I think I will take the dogs to the dog park, likely the new one near my new place – make sure they like it.  I am sure we will still visit the old park since it is so large and open.

Anyway, if I don’t get going, I am never going to be able to get my day going.  Hope yours is good.

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Calgary East becomes Calgary Forest Lawn

Posted on November 19, 2013 by kdarcy21

I am on the Board of Directors for the Calgary East Conservative Riding Association.  Tonight marks the end of that Association.  Effective Saturday, Calgary East becomes Calgary Forest Lawn.  Ridings across Canada are changing their boundaries to more closely reflect population growth and general change.

Not sure what is happening at the meeting tonight, but an email came out indicating that it was a very important meeting to attend.  I was planning on attending anyway.  I  have been invited to the first meeting of the new Association on Saturday and will be going there as well.

I did mention that I am moving out of the Calgary East / Forest Lawn, but I want to stay where I am.  I am starting to know my fellow Board members and don’t really feel like “starting over” with a new group.  I also like the MP for the Association, he is a good guy.

So, out in the frigid cold tonight for a meeting.  It isn’t far and I won’t be walking – that is for sure.

 

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Wow, it is cold…

Posted on November 19, 2013 by kdarcy21

This is the start of my second winter in Alberta.  An Alberta winter is different, WAY different than a Southern Ontario winter, that is for sure.  It is also a better winter, if there is such a creature.  Let me explain why.

I lived in Southern Ontario for 41+ years.  Winter doesn’t typically start until, well, winter time, you know, sometime after December 21 or so.  It doesn’t typically get all that cold, a -10C day would be considered REALLY cold.  It is a damp cold though which makes it feel much colder.  In the Niagara Peninsula where I lived (St. Catharines), we were protected from a lot of the snow dumps.  The winds generally came out of the West, St. Catharines was protected by the Escarpment.  To the North was Lake Ontario – unless we had Northern winds, no snow there.  It wasn’t too bad.  The temperature fluctuates a lot.  It would be -8 one day, then +5 and everything would melt and then re-freeze as the temps dropped or it would be a slushy mess for a week.  We would typically get an ice storm sometime in late March, and then that would mark the arrival of Spring.

In Alberta, Southern Alberta, Calgary to be specific, Winter starts MUCH earlier.  In my two years here, I would say it is around a week before Halloween.  We’d get our first dump of snow and some cold temperatures.  Cold, but dry – very dry.  So, when it is -17C, like it is this morning, it doesn’t actually feel that bad.  Mind you, there isn’t much of a wind, that is a good thing – wind chill can kill ya.

The snow tends to stay around after it falls, it doesn’t melt then freeze then melt then freeze.  People are WAY better about shoveling their sidewalks here as well – after the snow stops, or sometimes while it is still falling, the shovels come out.  Very nice for walking.  The city even keeps the various bike paths around the city clear.

Calgary also has chinooks.  Not sure what causes them but essentially it is warm winds that come from the West and warm us up in the middle of Winter.  It can raise the temperature by 20 degrees in a few hours.  Very nice when they arrive but I don’t think they are predictable.

The other odd difference here is how the city maintains streets during the Winter months.  In St. Catharines and Niagara in general, roads, primary roads anyway, are kept pretty well clear.  Here, there are plows but they don’t really come down side streets too often and then it is only to remove piled snow – they don’t clear to pavement at all.  Main roads into downtown are snow covered during the commute.  This can be bad because it would seem that no one in Alberta knows how to drive in Winter conditions.  They don’t tend to slow down a lot, there are a lot of accidents.  They tend to tailgate, this is a VERY bad habit when the roads are covered in snow and ice.  Thus far, I have not been hit and I have not hit anyone – let’s keep it that way.

Winter here lasts, well, pretty much 5 months (November – March) with parts of October and April thrown in, so 6 months in total.  We then have about 2 months of Spring, a month or two of Summer (with only a few days of humidity) and 2 months of Fall.  Still 4 seasons, just not what I am used to.  We had a day this past summer that hit 41C with the humidex – it felt exactly like a summer back in Ontario – I don’t miss those days, at all.

So, what do I prefer?  Well, in all honestly, Alberta weather beats Ontario’s, hands-down.  I will take colder over hotter any day of the week.  But, then again, I am a bit weird.

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