The Canadian Dollar

Here's my little rant for the month: if our Canadian dollar is now worth the same as the American dollar, why are we still paying $1.39 for our value menu at McDonald's? The Americans pay $1 for the same items! Some people could say that it is due to importing fees, transporting fees, etc but I happen to know that McDonald's sources it's food locally, so as to keep costs down.

We should start a group on Facebook protesting inflated prices for Canadians!

The Bathroom is Finished!

I've been mostly finished for a while now, but just finished the small touches and can now post pics. I'm still searching for a few decorations, but this is pretty much the final product (see older
post below for before photos)

Getting There

I'm getting really tired of doing the bathroom. There have been a few setbacks, nothing too major, but between cankles and grout, I really could use a vacation - from my alien body and renovations.

Thankfully I have a great group of supporters out there who have stepped up and volunteered to help me with the last few things that need to be done. I'll then have enough time before the baby comes to get thoroughly addicted to both the Sims and whichever soap opera I choose.

Out With the Old

Here are some pics of our bathroom pre-demolition. The previous owners did some really creative stuff with the tub surround, as you will see. I'm still tiling, etc. on the new bathroom, but things are coming along really nicely.

Thank goodness we ripped this out!

The Tub is in!

After much effort and selflessness, my family has demolished my old bathroom and put in my new tub! The plumbing was tweaked this morning and I had my first bath this afternoon. There is still much to do, but at least I don't have to bathe out of my sink anymore, or bug my neighbours to use their shower (like we did yesterday).

Bathroom Woes

Last Saturday was to be bathroom demolition day, a day I have been looking forward to with ever increasing excitement, especially since my new bathtub has been sitting in my living room for almost a month now.

Unfortunately, it was not to be.

For some reason, the knob that shuts the water off in our house would not budge! Despite Jason's best efforts, that thing was not moving, and eventually ripped right off! Stupid knob! Since this is the knob that's on the water line before the water company's meter, I thought it was theirs. But according to them, anything in my house is mine. (Does that mean I can throw the meter out?)

Next plan of attack: condo board. No luck there either. It seems that we are really going to have to pay for this thing. Now, replacing a valve is a simple procedure that Jason and/or my dad could do in no time, but since we live in a townhouse, if the water were to be shut off at the street, we would cut off water to the whole complex, and that doesn't seem very possible. So....pay a plumber to come in and freeze the pipes, replace the valve. We now owe about $250 for one $20 valve to be installed. BAH!

Now that it's done, it's time to really start on the bathroom, tomorrow. For today, I'm going to finish prepping and build the cabinet that we bought for it. I'm crossing my fingers, though!

Offense

I have been thinking a lot lately about freedom. Some people say that we should be free to do whatever we want, and if other people are offended, then it is their problem. Some feel so strongly the need to please others that they can't ever do anything they want. Is there a happy medium?

It seems that this is one of those eternally unanswered questions because it is so subjective. There is no one way that we can tell people to live that will apply to every situation that will please everyone. Since that isn't possible, what should our true goal be? To be ourselves unashamedly? To be considerate of those around us?

The brilliance of life is that we can choose. We can choose to value ourselves or others, or to mix the two. Either way, I don't think that we have the right to tell others not to be offended, just as we don't have the right to tell others what to do. We have the right to control our own emotions, and to desire change, accepting that change is something we must agree upon, not dictate.

This is where conversation comes in. The more I talk with people, my husband, and friends openly about how I feel and see things, and about how they feel and see things, the easier it is to get along and not be offended. And that is SO worth the effort!