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It’s almost that time of the year and it can be especially difficult
to stay on budget during the holidays.  One of the things my wife and
I are doing this year is tracking our holiday expenses using
Pennyminder.

A Project at ChippedIn would have worked just as well, but
since we use Pennyminder to track our day to day family expenses,
that’s where we are using to track our holiday expenses too.

There are a few different ways we could have set things up, depending
on the level of detail we wanted. For us, one big category for
everything seems to be working okay.

It’s also possible to be a bit more detailed and have holiday related
categories for things like gifts, food or decorations. You could even
go so far as to have a separate category for each gift recipient.

Once the categories are set up and shared with the other members of
the family who might be buying things for the holidays, simply add the
expenses for the holiday purchases.

Pennyminder (or Chippped.In) will do the rest by keeping track of the
total.  It’s definitely helping us to stay on budget this holiday
season.

We didn’t have a TV when I was a kid, but I remember watching Sesame Street at my grandmother’s house.

This is just what it’s like to do “streeters”. They suck. Seriously. If a reporter asks you to help out with a streeter, be a nice chap and answer his stupid questions. He knows they’re stupid. Just do him a favour and help him to finish the worst part of his day.

I will also upload a sneaky bunny photo for your amusement.

1. Is there anybody you just wish would fall off the planet?
There are many people I could do without, but I wouldn’t wish any of them harm.

2. How do you flush the toilet in public?
With my foot.

3. Do you wear your seatbelt in the car?
Always!

4. Do you have a crush on someone?
I have an Internet crush. In the realosphere, no.

5. Name one thing you worry about running out of.
Coffee.

6. What famous person do you (or other people) think you resemble?
I’ve been told I resemble Charlize Theron, but I think I’m prettier. Haha.
I don’t think there is any particular celebrity I resemble.

7. What is your favourite pizza topping?
I like cheese, pepperoni and green pepper.

8. Do you crack your knuckles?
Rarely. But I am a crackly person by nature. My back and hips crack a lot.

9. What song do you hate the most?
Bobcaygeon by The Tragically Hip

10. Did just mentioning that song make it get stuck in your head?
No, thank gods!

11. What are your super powers?
I am clairsentient. I am also capable of feeling cold when everyone else in the room is melting.

12. Peppermint or spearmint?
Peppermint

13. Where are your car keys?
Somewhere in my room.

14. Last song you listened to?
Whatever song was on in my car - I’m listening to the I Am Sam soundtrack.

15. What’s your most annoying habit?
Correcting people’s grammar during conversations (especially since I’m really terrible at speaking)

16. Where did you last go on vacation?
It wasn’t a vacation, but I drove from the NWT to St. John’s and stopped in many places in between.

17. What is your best physical feature?
Most people would say my eyes, but estheticians would say my nailbeds.

18. What CD is closest to you right now?
KT Tunstall’s Acoustic Extravaganza

19. What 3 things can always be found in your refrigerator?
Soya sauce, sushi rice seasoning, teriyaki sauce

20. What superstition do you believe/practice?
There are many, but most were born out of my OCD rather than common superstitions.

21. What colour are your bed sheets?
Black

22. Would you rather be a fish or a bird?
Fish! But not a codfish.

23. Last thing you broke?
Probably someone’s heart. I’m shitty like that.

24. What are you having to eat tonight?
Fishsticks sound pretty delicious.

25. What colour shirt are you wearing?
Red (with black hoodie)

26. If you could be doing anything else today, what would you rather be doing?
Feeling well.

27. Do security cameras make you nervous?
Only when I’m robbing banks.

28. If you wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?
The Worst

29. Last time you went to a cemetery?
June 21.

30. Last concert you went to?
A few weeks ago at The Ship there was a band from Saskatchewan playing.

31. Favourite musician(s)/bands you’ve seen in concert?
Hey Rosetta!, The Chieftains

32. Next concert you’re planning to attend?
I’m not sure yet.

33. Do you talk to yourself?
More often I talk to inanimate objects such as my work computer.

34. Have you ever adopted or purchased a pet?
I bought one and adopted another. Both are adorable bunnies.

35. Have you ever been present when an animal is being born?
Yes. I woke up in a room where a German shepherd was giving birth to five puppies.

http://extortionletterinfo.com/boycott.htm

[excerpt]

By Matthew S. Chan, Last updated:  April 14, 2009

Because of my personal distaste and dismay of the Stock Photo industry which started with the Getty Images Extortion Demand Letter, I have taken steps to personally boycott the Stock Photo Industry and advocate not using stock photos altogether.  The stock photo industry seems to be rapidly consolidating into two companies:  Getty Images and Corbis, as they buy their way into near-monopoly status with them setting outrageous rules, policy, and pricing.

This article will not give you all the information necessary to entirely eliminate the need for stock photos in every situation.  However, this article will give you some ideas and strategies to wean yourself and perhaps altogether eliminate your need for stock photos.  I firmly believe that if you put your intentions behind the idea, you can make huge strides towards eliminating the need for stock photos altogether.

The very first thing you need to think about is whatever media project you are working on is, do you truly need a photo at all?  Chances are that you are working on a website, book, magazine, brochure, news story, banner, or some other media project.  Alternatives to photos might be diagrams, cartoons, illustrations, and drawings that you or a graphic artist you hire can create.  Can you take your own photo to fit the need?

If you hire a graphic artist to create your own artwork, do not hire anyone in China or India where there is very little respect for intellectual property.  They may be inexpensive but you can never be assured that their work is original.  There is little recourse for their bad behavior because they are so far away.  I recommend hiring graphic artists from the U.S. because as a professional community, they have a greater respect for intellectual property than their Chinese or Indian counterparts.  They will think twice before using pirated material. 

I would avoid hiring any company that outsources their work to graphic artist worker bees.  In other words, I always want to deal and negotiate with a graphic artist professional themselves, not some agent or agency that farms out graphics art work.

If you do want to use and take your own photos, I highly recommend investing in a good digital camera so that you can begin taking your own photos.  I also recommend getting to know amateur hobbyist photographers who have access to good cameras and enjoy taking photos.  Very often, amateur photographers with good cameras are trying to find a way to justify the costs of their hobby.  By hiring them inexpensively, you can get some great looking photos but also help the amateur photographer pay for his hobby.  Make sure they understand that you are they are working for hire and that you will have full ownership and rights to the photos.

Professional photographers can be expensive depending on what you want and who you use.  For these folks, I recommend bartering with them for exchange of services if you have talents in your profession.  I find many professional photographers finicky.  They will sometimes not give you full ownership or rights of the photo even though you paid them to take a photo.  They are quite protective and their thinking is aligned to many in the stock photo industry.  Admittedly, this is a broad generalization and based only on my experience.  I am simply not optimistic that you will get good value from a professional photographer but it certainly does not hurt to try and negotiate with them.

When we entered the restaurant at lunch time on Saturday we were the only ones in the place, but don’t be fooled. From Monday to Friday this restaurant is packed full at lunch times, so my best advice would be to call ahead or show up early.

One of the unique things about this restaurant is the ordering process. All items on the menu, which includes extensive Vietnamese foods and many Western foods, have numbers. So instead of ordering by name, you order by number.

My favorite is #77, but I’m not going to tell you what it is. Your task, if you choose to except is to find out what it is. Another notable feature about the Noodle House is the speed.  Your order, no matter how busy, is almost guaranteed to be served within 10 minutes, which for those in a hurry at lunch is a magnificent feature.

When it come to pricing, it is very comparable. For an average lunch meal you will be looking at around $13, which is decent. The food is unique, the atmosphere is unique and the place is definitely worth checking out. At least once.

Have you been there? Let everyone know what you thought?