Saturday, March 19, 2005

Uh, welcome to my life ...

So I’m sitting in my room looking at a small pile of boxes that I never bothered to unpack (I only moved in last September; practically last week!). Decide to open one for kicks. It’s filled with books that I had in my old office in Toronto. Some law textbooks, a text on cyber-forensics, a few binders of materials collected from seminars and conferences, and so on. Plus, uh, a cheque from my (former) insurance company for just over $300 for some prescriptions I had filled shortly before leaving for Southeast Asia. Dated June 17, 2004. D’oh. I vaguely remember being somewhere in Japan or Thailand in July wondering whether I had actually remembered to tie up all the loose ends financially before leaving. This includes a vague memory of a $300 cheque. But I figured it must be okay, and the thought was promptly gone. This is a sign, I think, that it is high time I get more organized around here (story of my life). Can’t remember what the timeline on depositing cheques is : a year or six months? So Tuesday I will have to go to my bank (Monday I’m in Montreal for work) and see what can be done about this.

I have normally been very good about this sort of thing. Recently there has been a spate of gaffes, however. Last month it was discovered by the good financial-forces-that-be at my workplace that I had not submitted for my relocation allowance. Oops. My supervisor straightened that out, and I received it (a substantial chunk of change, I might add, that has now in turn been diverted toward my student loans). More recently, a rent cheque that went astray (I still maintain that wasn’t my fault). I discovered a number of unused travelers’ cheques (from aforementioned Southeast Asia trip) sitting in a desk drawer - that was a nice discovery as they are now part of my next “travel fund” (likely destination : Amsterdam and/or Paris). Oh, and on the non-financial side of things, I have been carrying around for four days now a package that needs to go to the post office in order to be mailed to my sister-in-law. Her birthday present, over a month late. (Sorry, Agnes!) I’m sure there’s more that I have conveniently forgotten about.

In other late-breaking news, tomorrow we are going to a cabane à sucre party. One of my dad’s cousins who lives in Ottawa has invited us. It is at her cabane in Cantley, in the Gatineaus, which are mountains (OK, not according to BC standards, but give Central/Eastern Canada a break here!) about 25 minutes north of the city. Should be fun. I have never been to a cabane à sucre party (sorry - I’m obviously not a French Canadian with a proper upbringing). Will post back to advise how it is and whether it is indeed possible to overdose on maple syrup. I think we’re bringing the dog, which will be wild...

(On a side note, my language icon in my task bar seems to have disappeared completely. The Gremlins really are on a rampage against me these days! ...I also keep trying to use my mouse, but it’s currently unplugged, so that’s at least a perfectly rational explanation.)

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