The Prize was Won

So the radio sound contest was won at $17,000 - the correct guess was closing a folding chair. The next sound was won on the first try and the third sound took about 17 guesses. I just couldn't figure out the weird squeaky noise - turned out to be 'shucking an ear of corn'.  I think she won about $7,000

And so far I haven't got a clue on the latest sound.

It sure would be nice to win that cash wouldn't it? I have plans for about $100,000 worth of things! I need to win big to support all my dreams! LOL!

Dialing for Dollars

Since the beginning of September, Z95.3, a local radio station in Vancouver,  has been playing a sound for people to guess what it is. Every wrong answer and the prize money goes up $250. The pot is currently at $17,000 and I have spent the past week dialing and redialing trying to get through - once I made it to caller # 2 and once to caller # 7.

Now that the pot is getting big, everyone and their dog is calling in, but they haven't heard all the

guesses so there are many repeats (and obviously wrong answers).

Yesterday afternoon I spent between 4pm and 5pm just constantly redialing. Not how I prefer to spend an hour - but if I got through and if I won (at that time it was $14K)then the dividend would be pretty good don't you think?

I have an idea but I'm not too confident about it-but it hasn't been guessed yet. The idea that I was certain about has already been guessed so now on to plan B. go to the link, hear the sound- any guesses? If I win, I 'll split it with you

Oh boy it sure would be nice to win $17,000! I know what I'd do with it! I'd build a Tiny House or studio in my backyard - that's for sure! Plus I'd take a trip and give some money to family and to charity of course. Now wish me luck....I must start dialing and re-dialing on Monday morning.

London Olympics- I just want to say this

[Oh oh, here I go again. Okay, just so you know I have no interest in turning this into a political blog, nor do I have any desire to run for politics, but I just feel that I need to say this too, and then I promise I'll go back to my light and fluffy content.]

The 2010 Olympics were here in Vancouver and there were many stories that came to light related to the advertising and rules related to the Olympics. For example, a restaurant who, for many years, had used the name "Olympic" in front of some neon rings for signage was ordered they must change their name and log as they were not allowed to use the word or the coloured rings without the proper approval. And they were told they had to make this change immediately or face large fines. (a bit heavy handed don't you think?)

Who are these committee people that travel around the world every two years dictating and controlling advertising and business? That get wined and dined on tax-payers money while they 'think' about where the next best location may be. 

Did you know that two weeks prior to the Olympics there is a ban to prevent advertising containing athletes that are promoting products not officially approved by the Olympics? And now there is talk that you might not be allowed into an event if you're wearing branded clothing that is not an official sponsor?  You've paid hundreds of dollars to get into the event and then you're banned because you have a Pepsi t-shirt and Coca-Cola is the official sponsor? I understand the concept and see where they are coming from but I really think they are controlling waaayy too much, and worse yet - we're letting them!!!! 

Tickets for the Vancouver Winter Games were absolutely out of this world, and people raced the clock to buy up all that they could. Why? I don't understand. I guess I need to be a sports fan to understand that everything else much come in front of someone skiing down a hill. No, they didn't find the cure for cancer or vaccinate children from Polio - that doesn't make big business money, does it? 

Who do these people think they are? And why are we giving them so much power? It really concerns me that they can control so much, and that we just let them. Cities pay thousand of dollars just to bid, and big business thinks that when the Olympics come to their town it will yield millions in revenue for tourism and related trades. But they never seem to remember what it costs a city.Vancouver displaced hundred of low-income people because they were living in an area that someone  decided was going to be an Olympic Village.  In the Province of British Columbia, the Olympics was funded largely by making huge cuts to Education and Medicine. Sadly the people most affected by these cuts do not have big enough voices to stop the machine. 

Has the Olympics been to your city and how did it affect the average person? Do you think they're going to ban me from using the "O" word so many times without proper approval?

Edit - Friday night  was the opening ceremonies, but the 11:00 news show  I normally watch, couldn't show anything because it was illegal. That's even how the newscasters said it. 

The Blurry Line of Right and Wrong

Recently I was talking with a mom who took her kids to the movies for her son's birthday, when the movie they paid for was over they 'snuck' into a second theatre and watched another movie. Her justification was "well if I have to pay $13 per kid I'd better get my money's worth". And I know of another mom who sees nothing wrong with getting copies of bootlegged movies because she feels she doesn't have to pay for them - that the movie companies already make enough money and it's not wrong. Her son has tried to reason with her, he's tried to tell her that it's stealing, but she's better at arguing than he is and always finds a reason to justify it, much to her son's frustration.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not down on mothers and I understand how expensive it can be to pay for all the things kids do, but I am concerned with these issues. My father once told me about "Little Johnny" who was in trouble for stealing a pencil and the parent said "don't steal pencils Little Johnny, I'll bring you some home from work". I am concerned most about the examples that parents set. Again, I acknowledge that I am not perfect and have made errors in judgement just like other people but these parents weren't acknowledging an error they were expressing 'getting their money's worth'. Parents have been known to say their kids are younger than they are so they can get in for free, or pay the kid's fare and not the adult's fare and plenty of other examples .... so do you think this gives kids the wrong lesson or do they learn their lessons in other places so this isn't a big deal?

The (False) Economy of a Pet

Earlier this week I was cleaning out some old files and came across some receipts from my past dog, Jazz. as well as some other receipts. Before I could afford to live in a house, I rented apartments and ended up having a couple of pet rats. One year my girlfriend gave me  a rat for a birthday present - I have no idea why, I must have said I liked them, most likely trying to be polite about her pet rat - so I was stuck with a cute little beige and white striped rat called, Cindy Puddin' Pop - but here's where costs cannot be related to the value of pets.

Initial cost for a baby pet rat was $8. One day my boyfriend had let her out of her cage to run around the couch, he got up to get his food from the microwave and accidentally sat on her. Next thing I know she's dragging her back leg so I take  her to the vet  in a shoebox, which she didn't like. When I got to the vet she seemed fine, the vet figured she may have dislocated her leg but the struggle in the shoebox  probably popped it back into place. Cost of vet visit: $30.00

(Yes, all my friends [including said boyfriend] made fun of me because I could have bought 3 new ones for that price. )

Fast forward several years - I just came across the receipt for the euthanasia of my third rat - yes, thanks to my girlfriend, I ended up getting a set of sisters after Cindy Pudding Pop's battle with cancer - Baby Jane and Madelaine Oh besides paying for surgery from an injury, the cost to euthanize this pet rat (humanely and ethically) -$35.00. Yes, I know what you're thinking.

Fast forward a couple more years - Adoption fee for  Jazz  $100.70. Cost of treatment for severe noise phobia: several hundred of dollars. Cost of cancer treatment: oh goodness, never wanted to total it up and have since destroyed her file. A couple thousand dollars?

Other than animals bred for breeding, show or racing, pets are completely NOT a cost effective investment are they? No they are not an 'investment' at all. But they do provide countless laughs and good times, and my dogs have helped brighten the darkest days and for that they are PRICELESS!!!!!
Thank goodness they provide SO MUCH LOVE and non-judgement and unconditional love! Now, go hug your pet!

Money - a touchy subject

I know that people have very specific feelings about money and varying definitions of rich and poor. But I'm going to write about money anyway.  For example, when I'm broke, I don't spend money on anything other than the necessities, as in food and shelter. But other people have a very different definition of broke.

For example, one friend of mine complained about being short of money and having to drive an old car. It's only 7 years old (mine is 30 years old - not that we're in a competition or anything, but still). Second she still had a bottle of wine every night and a pack of smokes everyday - which must be around a  $20/day habit. And she seemed to always be shopping for new clothes. I guess finding bargains at Cotton Ginny is very different from shopping at Holt Renfrew but when I'm short on cash, the first thing I stop buying is clothes and alcohol.

And then there's a guy I know who's got 5 kids, including a 5-year old they adopted who has some issues they are dealing with - with is very admirable I agree. He was complaining about being short on cash and having to move to a neighbouring community due to their financial situation and I was thinking about 'angeling' his family at Christmas time with an anonymous gift of groceries or something - until I ran into him in STARBUCKS where he told me he his whole family just returned from a vacation in Las Vegas!

Ok! I'm done. Oh I know what you're thinking - who asked me to help in the first place? who asked me to feel sorry about them? Well, actually they did by complaining to me about being so broke. Why did they tell me about their woes unless they wanted me to commiserate, right?

So tell me, am I completely way off base on this one?