Mr. Snider Goes to Washington Church
Posted on January 5, 2009
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As I mentioned in my earlier post about my personal goals for 2009, I am going to be exploring my spirituality more this year. In particular, I said that I would be attending a Unitarian Universalist church to see what that was all about.
On Sunday, Sara and I attended the Unitarian Church of Edmonton for the first time, and I have to say that I quite enjoyed it.
For perhaps the first time in my life, I actually felt comfortable in a church, and I’m looking forward to going again next Sunday.
It’s hard to really explain why I liked it. I guess it was just a chance to explore my spirituality in a community setting. And, then there is the idea of community. It would be nice to get to know people there and chat with them after church.
Of course, it would be nicer if there were people my own age. If there are twentysomething members of the congregation, they weren’t in attendance on Sunday. With the exception of the young boy who was in charge of handing out and collecting the hymn books, Sara and I were the youngest people in attendance.
But, I think that’s a fairly minor inconvenience. I mean, you can drink coffee in the sanctuary. What other church lets you do that?
Personal Goals for 2009
Posted on December 31, 2008
Filed Under Personal | 1 Comment
Well, the New Year has almost begun. As I write this, it’s just under 10 hours until 2009.
Most bloggers will be writing about New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve never been one to make resolutions. I try to grow as a person at all times (whether I succeed or not is up for debate), so promising to change things at a somewhat arbitrary date seems silly.
Plus, I’ve never been great at goal setting.
This year, is going to be a bit different. I’m not making New Year’s Resolutions, per se, but I am setting goals for 2009.
Mostly, I want 2009 to be a year of personal development. I turned 25 in 2008, and that means that, barring any accidents or unexpected illness, my life is either 1/4 or 1/3 over, depending on how long I’m lucky enough to live.
Given that a pretty large portion of my life is over, I think it’s time to really work at coming into my own as a person. I’ve got a pretty good idea of who I am, but now is the time to really start laying the foundation for the future.
While the goals I’m going to write about here are kind of vague, they’re a start. I’ll be thinking them through a bit more over the coming days, and making a plan to clarify them and make them happen.
For now, though, here are some of my goals for 2009.
Financial Goals
A few bad choices during my university years, and the fact that I was never really taught how to save money have resulted in my financial situation being less than ideal. It’s hardly terrible, but I have debts that I’d rather not have. I’ve been whittling away at these debts slowly, but this year, I plan to take real action to reduce my debts. I’ll have to sacrifice some things, in order to put more money toward debt, but it’ll be worth it.
My financial goals for 2009 are:
- to be debt free;
- to have at least $1000 in savings.
I know $1000 is a pretty paltry amount to have saved up, but it’s a goal that I can achieve in 12 months while still paying off my debts. Hopefully, I’ll be able to save more than that, but $1000 is my minimum goal.
Spiritual Goals
I’m not a religious person. I never have been. I do have an innate season of spirituality, though. I tend to swing back and forth between atheism and hopefully agnosticism. I want to believe in a capital-G God, but I find it very difficult. My rational brain won’t allow it, especially if I try to delve into the specifics of religion (as opposed to simple faith in something undefined).
I have always believed in something that, for lack of a better word, could be called god (small-g), but it’s not what most people think of when they think of God. It’s more of an internal force, that thing that makes us human, whatever that is. Maybe it’s just chemicals in my brain tricking me into believing in something, but I still believe in it (whatever it is).
I’ve always been interested in reading about religion and spirituality, but there’s only so much you can learn on your own.
When Sara mentioned to me that she was curious about checking out the Unitarian Church of Edmonton (UCE), I hesitated only briefly (a big deal when it comes to my relationship with organized religion). I’d heard about Unitarian Universalism (UU) before, and thought it was kind of interesting, but didn’t delve very deep into it.
After Sara suggested we check out the church (which we will likely do very soon), I started reading a lot about UU, and several sermons on the UCE website. I think this thing could be for me—a place to explore my spiritual side, and engage in discussion and debate about these topics with like-minded people.
I definitely want to go to the church at least a few times and see what it’s all about. Maybe it will be for me, or maybe it won’t. If it’s not, maybe I’ll also check out the Westwood Unitarian Congregation (although, based on their website, they seem less about spirituality and more about social activism, which isn’t quite what I’m looking for).
That’s my main spiritual goal for the year (and beyond), but I’ll of course continue to develop my spirituality privately, through poetry, as I’ve always done.
Personal Goals
There are a lot of things I could talk about in this area, but I’ll focus on just a few that I want to work on in 2009.
There are a few points, as I said, but I suppose they could be boiled down to one thing: be more gentlemanly.
What does this mean?
Well, basically, it means being more respectful of people in general, and of those who are close to me in particular. I tend to come off as quite abrasive and rude at times. While this is rarely my intention, the fact remains that it creates the impression that I do not respect the people who are on the receiving end of my more abrasive moments.
With that in mind, I intend to be more conscious of the way that I speak to people, and to be more polite and more respectful.
It also means being appreciative of the things that people do for me: writing thank-you notes to people who give me gifts, for example.
Essentially, I want to be less of an asshole and more of a gentleman. It’ll be tough. I’ve come to realize that I’ve picked up some bad habits over the years. I won’t go into details in public, but if you ask me in private I might tell you what I’m talking about.
The point is, I have bad habits and don’t always treat people the way they deserve to be treated. I am going to work on changing this behaviour in 2009. Some of these habits are pretty deeply ingrained, so it’s going to be tough. But, at the very least, I think the people affected will see that I’m making progress.
Other goals…
Of course, I have other goals, but most of them are smaller goals that don’t warrant mentioning here. I will work on them, and I will acheive some and fail at others. Hell, I may even fail at the big goals I’ve mentioned above. The important thing is that I’m taking action and trying to improve myself as a person.
My Life in Review, 2008 Edition
Posted on December 29, 2008
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It’s almost the end of another year, and that means that it’s time to be a bit introspective, and look at what I’ve accomplished this year. 2008 has been a pretty good year for me, despite the fact that I didn’t achieve some of the goals I had set for myself.
I don’t usually make New Year’s Resolutions, per se, but I usually have some goals in mind for the year.
This year, one of my main goals was to be debt free. I didn’t succeed in that, but I am slowly but surely working toward it. Will I be debt free by the end of 2009? I’m sure. I hope so. I think I can make that a reality.
But, I don’t want to focus on what I didn’t achieve this year. Instead, here are some of the highlights of my year (not all of which are achievements in the truest sense of the word, but humour me, OK?).
- I met Sara - I know this isn’t an acheivement, per se, but it’s a big thing. It gets the number one spot both because it happened very early in the year (our first date was on January 15) and because it is the best thing that happened to me all year. When I told Sara, after a few too many drinks and not quite enough dates, that I had been waiting to meet a woman like her my whole life, I wasn’t kidding. I meant it then, and I still mean it now. I love her, and I can’t imagine that changing.
- I built a network - I’ve always wondered how successful people manage to build their networks of associates and friends. Maybe it’s because I’m naturally introverted, but I’ve always had a bit of a problem doing this. I mean, I have friends, to be sure, but most of them are from the relatively small world of Edmonton’s literary arts scene. They’re a great bunch of people, but I wanted to expand my network to include people in other areas of life: tech people, marketing people, people from outside of the Edmonton, and so on. Thanks largely to Twitter, I’ve been able to do that this year. I’ve developed a pretty powerful network of associates, and also managed to make some genuine friendships with people (some of whom I’ll probably never actually get to meet in person, unfortunately).
- I improved as a writer - While I didn’t publish anything this year (because, quite shamefully, I didn’t submit anything to anyone), I really feel like I’ve grown as a writer. While it might not show through on this haphazardly written blog, I’m becoming more adept at my craft. I’m certainly no master, but my words are stronger than they used to be, and I’m very happy with my progress.
- I eliminated a tie to the past - While we would be wise not to forget our pasts, sometimes holding on to things from the past can impede our futures. For reasons I’m not altogether sure of, I had been holding onto the engagement ring from my, well, engagement. Selling it off was one of the best things I did all year (even if I did lose a crap load of money on the deal). Even though I was over the relationship, getting rid of the ring was a big step. Getting rid of it also helped strengthen my relationship with Sara. As you can imagine, its presence in my home created a bit of a psychological barrier that prevented us from moving ahead in our relationship. It’s gone now and my life is the better for it.
- I began saving for the future - While my savings are pretty paltry at the moment, for the first time even I’ve begun to put money aside for the future. This money will most likely be used for a down payment on a mortgage, once I have enough saved up to put a decent chunk down (at least 10%, preferably higher). I’m not putting a huge amount of money into saving at the moment, because I’m focusing on eliminating my debts, but it’s a start.
There were, of course, a numbe rof other achievements and successes in my life this year, but these are the big ones that I feel are worth highlllighting publicly.
What did you accomplish in 2008?
Dear Canada Post, Oops! I Think it was My Mistake
Posted on December 23, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Yesterday, I went on a bit of a minor rant about Canada Post’s rather shitty package tracking system. While I stand by the central thesis of that post, i.e., that the tracking system seems buggy, it turns out that the error may have been my own.
I went home after work yesterday and grabbed my mail. Stuck in the mail was a delivery notice, saying that my package would be ready at the local post office “tomorrow after 1300.”
Now, since I got this notice yesterday, I assumed that meant that the package would be ready today after 1300 (that’s 1pm, for those not comfortable with 24 hour time). Well, you know what they say about assuming.
I brought the notice with me this morning, so that I can stop by the post office on the way home, instead of having to go home, grab the notice, and then go back out. As I got into the office, I noticed that the delivery date reads: 12/19.
At first, I thought that this was impossible. How could delivery been attempted on the 19th? I didn’t get a phone call, and this wasn’t in the mail on the 19th…was it?
I’m wondering now if, maybe, I forgot to check the mail on Friday. I’m wondering if, maybe, a delivery attempt really was made on the 19th.
If that’s the case, I guess my package has been sitting in the post office all weekend, waiting for me to pick it up.
If that’s the case, I guess I owe Canada Post a bit of an apology for my earlier rant.
Oops! I think it was my mistake! Sorry!
Dear Canada Post, I Think You’re Lying to Me
Posted on December 22, 2008
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I ordered something for someone from somewhere. Those of you who use this website will likely recognize it from the screenshot below. Those of you who don’t, well, it’s not really relevant to the story and I’d like to keep it “secret” for now in case a certain person reads this post.
Anyway, this thing is supposed to arrive no later than Christmas Eve. In fact, it’s arrival before Wednesday night is guaranteed.
To the best of my knowledge, it has no yet arrived. Although, the “Arrival scan” line on the screenshot below may indicate that it will be waiting in my mailbox when I get home tonight.
Even if that’s not the case, I’m not going to start panicking just yet. It’s not Christmas Eve quite yet, so it’s all good.
The thing that bothers me a bit is the line saying that a delivery attempt was made on December 18.
Why does this bother me? Mainly, because it isn’t true.
If a delivery attempt was made, the package would either be in my mailbox or, if it’s too big to fit, the postal worker would have attempted to buzz my apartment so that I could accept the package.
While I wouldn’t have been home to receive it, I would have at least received a call on my phone (my buzzer is connected to my cell phone). If I missed the call, I’d still have seen the missed call message. None of these things happened.
Furthermore, the last time I looked at my order status, on Friday, December 19, there were only 3 lines in the list. Those items where the first three (from the bottom up) in the screenshot below except the line about a delivery attempt.
(Click on the image to see a larger version.)
Presumably, then, this means that Canada Post when back in time to attempt to deliver the package before it was even on a truck and in transit within Edmonton. I was unaware that Canada Post had mastered time travel.
As long as I get my package, I don’t really care about the rest of this. I just find that Canada Post’s order tracking does weird things like this quite often. It will list a few lines of information, and then a day or two later, it will suddenly list information from days past that was not there earlier. It makes no sense, and it makes trying to figure out where your package actually is very confusing.
Sorry for the aimless and rather weak rant. I just needed to get that off my chest.
Signs You’re Becoming an Old Man at a Young Age
Posted on December 12, 2008
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I recently turned 25.
I feel both older and younger than my actual age. My level of maturity depends more on the situation (and my blood alcohol level) than on my physical age. This is true for most people, I imagine.
While 25 is hardly old, I sometimes feel like a very old man. I often think that I’ll be old before my time. Here are some of the signs that have led me to believe this.
- I have gray hair. Seriously, I do. You might not noticed it, because I keep my hair cut pretty short, but it’s there. Sara enjoys pointing this out to me. She also enjoys mentioning, from time to time, that the number of gray’s has increased from the last time she reminded me of their existence.
- I don’t understand the fashion choices of kids these days. Yes, I am criticizing the way that kids dress. This is the quintessential sign that I have become old.
- I drink scotch. While I don’t actually think this makes me an old man, I have been told by a few different people (all of whom have been women, interestingly enough) that drinking scotch is something that old men do. I think it’s BS, but if that’s the way the world perceives it, then it’s as good as true.
- I smoke cigars. See above. Related to this: I also smoke a pipe.
- I’m perpetually grumpy. This ties into the grumpy old man stereotype. I’m a grump most of the time. I’m not unhappy, and I actually generally enjoy my life, but I like to complain about things. It won’t be long before I’m telling those damn kids to get the hell off of my lawn.
- I am forgetful. I have a tendency to be forgetful. I often forget what I was about to say to a person, and sometimes can’t remember why I entered a room. I used to joke that I’m going to be senile by the time I turn 30. I’m not so sure it’s a joke, anymore.
I’m sure my friends will point out other old-mannish things that I do, but these are the ones that I can think of off the top of my head. If you exhibit any of these circumstances, despite being under the age of 65, you may also be turning into an old man at a young age.
Giving the Gift of Love
Posted on December 11, 2008
Filed Under Personal | 1 Comment
I had a great headline in mind for this article when I woke up this morning, but I didn’t think to write it down, and so I forgot it long before I had my first cup of coffee. Alas, “Giving the Gift of Love” will have to do, even though it’s not really accurate.
What’s this all about, then?
It’s about my sappy self talking about feeling a different kind of love than I’ve ever felt for someone, and how that has affected my Christmas shopping.
In the past, whenever I was required to buy Christmas gifts for a girlfriend, it was pretty much that: a requirement.
It wasn’t something I particularly wanted to do, and shopping felt like a chore. On top of that, if we set a limit on how much money we were going to spend on one another, I would not spend a single penny more than that limit.
I’m not sure why this was, other than that maybe I didn’t love those women as much as I thought I did at the time.
This Christmas, though, with Sara, I feel quite different.
I wish I had an infinite amount of money so that I could get her all of the gifts that I feel like she deserves. I’m putting a great deal more thought into what I’m buying her and I’ve spent more money on her gifts than on anyone else before her (not that this is a measure of devotion).
Now, I think I’ve done good with the gifts I’ve picked out for her. I think each one is something that she will really enjoy, and that also shows that I know her as well as I think I do (that’s something else that’s different about my relationship with Sara: I actually know her, unlike most of the women I’ve dated in the past). This makes me feel very happy.
And, yet, for some reason, I feel like it’s not enough. I feel like there is so much more I could get her.
I know our relationship is not about money. I know it’s not about constantly giving each other gifts. I would actually be very unhappy if that were the case. Still, I wish I could give her the world.
More important than material gifts, though, is the experience of Christmas that I hope I can share with her. She won’t be going home to Newfoundland for Christmas this year. This will be the first time she isn’t home for Christmas, and that’s a big deal.
She’s coming to my parents’ house for Christmas, and celebrating the holidays with my family. Hopefully, we can make up for at least some of the homesickness she’ll probably be feeling.
And, because I’m sure she’ll read this post: eggnog and rum, babe. That’s the secret to a good Christmas. That, and coffee with Baileys.
Disconnected
Posted on December 4, 2008
Filed Under Personal | 5 Comments
I feel disconnected from the world, right now. I feel off. I feel as though I’m floating through life, waiting for something to begin. On top of this, I have a cold, and all I want to do is curl up on the couch, drink soup, and watch Arrested Development DVDs.
Depression and a cold at the same time. Oh, it’s going to be a great weekend.
Stephen Harper: Machiavellian Genuis?
Posted on December 3, 2008
Filed Under Politics | 7 Comments
Is Stephen Harper a Machiavellian genius? Depending on who you talk to, he just may be. Despite the man’s many apparent flaws, he is incredibly astute in the game of politics. He is, in many ways, a political mastermind.
Just how much of a mastermind is he? Well, according to an interesting comment over on Idealistic Pragmatist, he may be the most brilliant Machiavellian politician to ever grace Canada’s political stage.
I’ve finally got this thing figured out. Harper has not made a single mistake in this whole episode. It’s going exactly as he planned. Harper is orchestrating this whole thing like the second coming of Machiavelli. The suckers leading the other parties are taking the hook and jamming it down their own throats. Harper, the consummate control freak, has foreseen the opposition reaction and the public reaction to every move he’s made. He’s set it up so he can paint all the other parties as power-hungry losers, when that label fits his party equally well. He can’t lose. Either the coalition takes over and takes the blame for the coming economic crisis, or there’s an election that no average citizen wants that he can blame on all the other parties in the hope that he will finally get the majority he wants. He will then be able to govern through the bad times and (he hopes) back into the good with his hands firmly grasping the levers of power, allowing him to implement all the policies that will reward his corporate backers, and in the process further impoverish the already poverty-stricken and destroy the environment.
You don’t believe me? Think about it. First he draws them in with the bait of cutting the $1.95 per vote subsidy, knowing they can’t accept it but must come up with a better excuse for a non-confidence motion. And they do - the very weak argument of failing to respond to the economic crisis with a “stimulus” when clearly that can’t be rushed while the US is dithering under a lame duck and our economies are intertwined. (The ban of civil service strikes was just extra bait for the NDP.) Then he withdraws those original bait items, knowing the opposition can’t back down without looking like the fools they seem to be. Then he delays the vote to give the opposition time to hang itself and him time to rally his supporters with distortions, half-truths and complete lies that we can clearly see now are working like a charm.
The man’s a political genius. Too bad he’s an evil genius.
I can almost believe this one. I know it sounds pretty far-fetched, and I’m not generally one for conspiracy theories, but I can almost believe this. Is Harper this ingenious? Is he this “evil?”
10 Things on My Mind
Posted on December 2, 2008
Filed Under Personal, Politics | 8 Comments
In an effort to give you something to read, and to get some things off of my chest, I’ve decided to write a list of 10 things that are on my mind at right now. This may even become a regular feature here on Ink Slinger. In no particular order, here are 10 things I’ve been thinking about lately.
- All music should be released on vinyl, and should include a free mp3 download with the purchase of said vinyl. Some artists and labels have been doing this for a while, but it has yet to become mainstream. Admittedly, vinyl will likely never become mainstream again, but including a free digital copy of the album with the purchase of a vinyl copy should be standard industry practice.
- Shots are not my friend. I remember this lesson with painful results this weekend. I don’t care if it’s my birthday, I should just not ever do shots.
- It takes a lot to make me feel unsafe in my own neighbourhood. There was a homicide just a stone’s throw from my apartment this weekend.* This should probably make me feel unsafe, but it doesn’t.
- I have an awesome girlfriend. I really do. Just wanted to say that.
- I have great friends and family, too. I put them through some rough crap on occasion, and they put up with me better than I might if I was in their shoes. I appreciate that to no end.
- Augusten Burroughs is a wonderful writer, but for reasons I’m not quite sure of, I find his memoirs very difficult to believe. I like his writing style, but I can’t help but feel I’m reading a work of fiction as I read through A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of my Father.
- I need to get some kind of simple, elegant stationary for writing thank-you notes. Writing them on the back of business cards doesn’t really cut it.
- I’m not entirely sure what to think of this whole Liberal-NDP coalition business. On the one hand, I think I would prefer this coalition to the current Conservative government. On the other hand, having the coalition in power would leave Alberta severely under-represented. Then again, maybe that’s the price we have to pay for this province’s political hegemony.
- Telling people that supporting (or not supporting) the proposed coalition means that they “don’t care about Canada” is incredibly insulting, and sounds far too much like the “real America” rhetoric that was thrown around in US politics for the past 8 years. Please, please don’t bring that kind of junk politics to Canada. Believe what you want, but respect the beliefs of others.
- Raising your kids to have similar values and beliefs as you is fine—it’s normal—but trying to raise them to vote exactly as you do, instead of as they feel they should, is not cool. Tell you kids, “This is what we believe in.” Don’t tell them, “In this house, we vote _______,” especially not if you can’t provide a good reason when they ask why.
*At the time of writing this post, the police has not yet confirmed that the death was a homicide, but it seems very likely that it was.
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