The kid and her husband got back from what he was describing before they left as their 'last vacation'. I suspect that he sees a major change in their lifestyle with the imminent birth of their first child. Hey, it made me laugh...
The trip wasn't the best.
They went to the Dominican Republic and were extremely disappointed by it. Customer service levels were not what they've come to expect from their experiences in Cuba and St. Lucia, or even in Mexico. The food, especially the preparation of meats, left a lot to be desired. It rained far too much for K.'s comfort level. And they had one driver on an excursion that had to be told to slow down because K. was getting tossed around unmercifully in the back of the jeep they were in. D. was quite concerned that she, or the baby would be hurt, so used his size, subverting his normally gentle demeanor to intimidate the driver into slowing down and driving reasonably. The ironic part is that they were on their way to do a few hours worth of ATVing on a beach... the roads must have been pretty extreme for the ride to and back from the ATV site to have been rougher than than the actually activity!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Well, given the frequency with which I've been updated this blog lately, I figured it was about time to do something with it, anything... so at the tail end of a fine Family Day, I've just poured myself a glass of homemade wine (from a kit; none of that squish-the-grapes-yourself stuff...too much work!) and sat down to write something. The wine isn't too terrible... but still plonk-ish at best. Maybe it will get better with age? Well, at least it's saving money, right? This low quality wine would cost at least $10.00... I can make and bottle my own for about $3.00, plus my labour... And it is a wine that doesn't dry my mouth out completely... Normally I would drink scotch. I've found that scotch does not affect my dry mouth syndrome, strangely enough. But I'm just about out, I can't bring my self to venture into the -15 C, regardless of how sunny it is...
"It never rains, but it pours..." I'm sure where that quote comes from, originally, but it sure seems to be a valid truism. Just when I was beginning to question my effectiveness at work, all sorts of things have reared up to demand my attention! Things are so busy right now that our little team had to have a meeting to try to coordinate all the work, set priorities and generally attempt to get a handle on how we're going to get to the end of March without upsetting any of our clients. I was asked to shift a couple of process assessments to April so that I could take on an increased role for the special evaluation of a set of processes at Alberta Justice. I'm also working through the build of an instruction manual for a new assessment tool, but have had to hand a big chunk of it off to another consultant.... but I am expected to guide her through it. It appears that my approach to the design of the manual is a big hit with the gentleman in charge of the project. That's two items that are really good for my ego!
At the end of next week (Saturday) G. and I fly off to Las Vegas. I am attending an ITSM Conference... she is just coming along for the ride. Kinda cool is the ability to meet with some of the minds that we consult with on a fairly regular basis... team members from as far away as Halifax, Montreal and Toronto will be there... It should be very interesting. And entertaining... we still haven't decided which shows we will try to see this time.
And speaking of conferences, I've been shortlisted as a speaker for a major ITSM conference being held in Houston, TX during September of 2009. I have a phone interview tomorrow with the selection board... who will decide if I should be permitted to pursue the opportunity. Pursuit means that I have to actually sit down and write the presentation and submit it to them by the end of March... which isn't a big deal except that...
I have two white paper proposals that have been accepted as finalists in the corporate National 'Call for Papers' competition. The finished papers are due by March 20th... One paper is 'shared' with Zubair, and the other is mine and mine alone. Unfortunately, the competition is a wee bit high profile within the firm, so I can't back out of either paper... But on the upside, the winning paper gets $5000.00, with good money for a second or third place finish as well. Hell, even being an 'also ran' after this point is a good thing, so long as the final product is of reasonable quality.
And we're embarking on a new national training initiative. We have a team of four who are prepared to present ITIL V3 certification training under the corporate logo... at this time, I've got something like fourteen three day sessions, beginning with one the week of March 9th in Edmonton, that will take me to Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Halifax, all before December 2009. I'm seriously thinking of contacting the various cancer institutes along the way to offer to do some 'guest speaking' while I'm in town... if there is a need/desire. But if the response I've had from the Cross Cancer Institute is any indication, I won't be doing much...
I'm really looking forward to the training... it is something that I really enjoy. The challenge is whether or not my voice, tongue and throat are up to talking for three days straight. I certainly hope so!
"It never rains, but it pours..." I'm sure where that quote comes from, originally, but it sure seems to be a valid truism. Just when I was beginning to question my effectiveness at work, all sorts of things have reared up to demand my attention! Things are so busy right now that our little team had to have a meeting to try to coordinate all the work, set priorities and generally attempt to get a handle on how we're going to get to the end of March without upsetting any of our clients. I was asked to shift a couple of process assessments to April so that I could take on an increased role for the special evaluation of a set of processes at Alberta Justice. I'm also working through the build of an instruction manual for a new assessment tool, but have had to hand a big chunk of it off to another consultant.... but I am expected to guide her through it. It appears that my approach to the design of the manual is a big hit with the gentleman in charge of the project. That's two items that are really good for my ego!
At the end of next week (Saturday) G. and I fly off to Las Vegas. I am attending an ITSM Conference... she is just coming along for the ride. Kinda cool is the ability to meet with some of the minds that we consult with on a fairly regular basis... team members from as far away as Halifax, Montreal and Toronto will be there... It should be very interesting. And entertaining... we still haven't decided which shows we will try to see this time.
And speaking of conferences, I've been shortlisted as a speaker for a major ITSM conference being held in Houston, TX during September of 2009. I have a phone interview tomorrow with the selection board... who will decide if I should be permitted to pursue the opportunity. Pursuit means that I have to actually sit down and write the presentation and submit it to them by the end of March... which isn't a big deal except that...
I have two white paper proposals that have been accepted as finalists in the corporate National 'Call for Papers' competition. The finished papers are due by March 20th... One paper is 'shared' with Zubair, and the other is mine and mine alone. Unfortunately, the competition is a wee bit high profile within the firm, so I can't back out of either paper... But on the upside, the winning paper gets $5000.00, with good money for a second or third place finish as well. Hell, even being an 'also ran' after this point is a good thing, so long as the final product is of reasonable quality.
And we're embarking on a new national training initiative. We have a team of four who are prepared to present ITIL V3 certification training under the corporate logo... at this time, I've got something like fourteen three day sessions, beginning with one the week of March 9th in Edmonton, that will take me to Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Halifax, all before December 2009. I'm seriously thinking of contacting the various cancer institutes along the way to offer to do some 'guest speaking' while I'm in town... if there is a need/desire. But if the response I've had from the Cross Cancer Institute is any indication, I won't be doing much...
I'm really looking forward to the training... it is something that I really enjoy. The challenge is whether or not my voice, tongue and throat are up to talking for three days straight. I certainly hope so!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Ya, I know that I'm doing a terrible job of keeping this blog updated. I'd like to say that I'm horrendously busy... but that's not entirely true. What I am is intellectually beat at the end of each day, lately. There are other things swirling around me that are emotionally draining, even though they don't directly affect me. And after evaluating all that, I just don't feel that I have something to contribute, or it isn't something that I'm comfortable discussing online, or it shouldn't be added to the drivel found on the Internet...
Since I have discovered who some of the core readers of this blog are, I find myself censoring more and more... an awful lot of "oh, that might come across as hurtful to person X" or "person Y might take issue with that" and even a lot of "well, that's none of that person's business", and even some of "will that person use it against this other person?". I've become quite sensitized...
Topics for future exploration, exploitation, or avoidance:
Since I have discovered who some of the core readers of this blog are, I find myself censoring more and more... an awful lot of "oh, that might come across as hurtful to person X" or "person Y might take issue with that" and even a lot of "well, that's none of that person's business", and even some of "will that person use it against this other person?". I've become quite sensitized...
Topics for future exploration, exploitation, or avoidance:
- personal bankruptcies--why its happening to people I know
- family dramas made more severe by the recession
- getting ready for all day training sessions again--am I really up to it?
- why is the Cross Cancer Institute ignoring my offer?
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Monday, February 02, 2009
Thoughts on the Federal Budget
I’m still not sure that I can honestly say that I agree with the Federal budget that was tabled last week. I can’t even say that I disagree with it. Damn, but I hate being so undecided about stuff like this.
After 11 consecutive years of budget surpluses, we’re sliding into deficits again. Is it needed? I don’t know that its ‘needed’, but it is unavoidable. The deficit for the fiscal year ending March, 2009 will be in the $1.1 billion range. The next year is projected at $33.7 billion. How the heck does that happen?
The Government has decided to continue with its Corporate income tax reductions. But it is not speeding them up… simply maintaining the schedule that it set previously. Couple the loss of revenue (yes, taxes are revenue) because of tax reductions with the anticipated drop in revenues because of a drop in taxable Corporate income (blame the Recession!) and right off the bat we’re down $6.3 billion.
Some of those losses in Corporate income/revenues will also translate into capital losses for individuals to use on their tax returns by applying those losses against capital gains earned in previous years. I’m not sure how far back an individual can go to balance current losses against past gains… not something I have ever really understood. Regardless, if you start to take those tax reductions into account, with the effects of the Recession, the Government is actually projecting a tax revenue reduction from personal income taxes of $5.6 billion.
Right then, so we’re starting off $11.9 billion in the hole… and that total hole for the 2009-2010 fiscal year is estimated at that $33.6 billion that I mentioned before. That is a slightly different number than the ‘spending package’ number, which includes tax incentives, of $34.8 billion.
Once the Recession is over, a chunk of that lost $11+ billion in revenue will return. But the tax revenue contribution from the Corporate sector will not be part of the recovering revenue because, on the Corporate side, they are tax cuts and not a reduction in earnings caused by the Recession. Think about that… who’s going to end up paying down the deficit when this is all over? Who will be giving up the majority of the benefits of renewed growth?
Another part of the tax reduction scenario that hasn’t gotten a lot of media play is the change to the ‘tax brackets’ for personal income tax. Right now, your basic personal deduction amount will increase by $720, from the $9,600 we’ve become used to, to a $10,320. Okay, every little bit helps, right? But are you going to save it and use it to pay down your personal debt, or are you going to spend it?
At least the Government is recognizing that the next generation will be shouldering the cost of recovery. There is a new First-time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit, and a fund, although fairly modest, for the Canadian Youth Business Foundation to support young Canadians who are starting new businesses.
I must admit that I am really disappointed that the Government has not recognized the opportunity to advance the place of the Canadian tech sector in the world. We should be moving strongly into research and development; we should follow RIM's lead (Blackberry manufacturer) and dominate other areas. Hell, we've got the brains in this country. Let's exploit them! Unfortunately the budget has little or no change to the Scientific Research and Experimental Development measures, and there is no broad stimulus for innovation. Innovation! Like making a better vehicle, less expensively! (Notice that I didn't say 'car'. And what the heck is happening to our aviation/aerospace sector?) Like new, more efficient methods to process lumber. Like more effective mining techniques. Like better refining processes for petroleum and other basic chemical building blocks used by industry. Like more ‘Star Trek’ technology, now! Sure, on a broad basis, we are an economy that thrives on its ability to exploit natural resources. But is that enough moving forward? Competition with the rest of the world and the failures in the manufacturing sector with the resultant impact on day to day life in Canada point out that it’s not enough anymore to rely on our natural resources. Why not take advantage of the current international crisis and throw some serious weight behind finding the ‘next big’ thing, and being first to market? The budget assumes that we want to move back to the status quo in manufacturing, and , quite honestly, in every other industry segment, except for projects that fall under the ecoEnergy Technology Initiative (Natural Resources Canada). And is the slight bump in funding to the National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program enough?
After 11 consecutive years of budget surpluses, we’re sliding into deficits again. Is it needed? I don’t know that its ‘needed’, but it is unavoidable. The deficit for the fiscal year ending March, 2009 will be in the $1.1 billion range. The next year is projected at $33.7 billion. How the heck does that happen?
The Government has decided to continue with its Corporate income tax reductions. But it is not speeding them up… simply maintaining the schedule that it set previously. Couple the loss of revenue (yes, taxes are revenue) because of tax reductions with the anticipated drop in revenues because of a drop in taxable Corporate income (blame the Recession!) and right off the bat we’re down $6.3 billion.
Some of those losses in Corporate income/revenues will also translate into capital losses for individuals to use on their tax returns by applying those losses against capital gains earned in previous years. I’m not sure how far back an individual can go to balance current losses against past gains… not something I have ever really understood. Regardless, if you start to take those tax reductions into account, with the effects of the Recession, the Government is actually projecting a tax revenue reduction from personal income taxes of $5.6 billion.
Right then, so we’re starting off $11.9 billion in the hole… and that total hole for the 2009-2010 fiscal year is estimated at that $33.6 billion that I mentioned before. That is a slightly different number than the ‘spending package’ number, which includes tax incentives, of $34.8 billion.
Once the Recession is over, a chunk of that lost $11+ billion in revenue will return. But the tax revenue contribution from the Corporate sector will not be part of the recovering revenue because, on the Corporate side, they are tax cuts and not a reduction in earnings caused by the Recession. Think about that… who’s going to end up paying down the deficit when this is all over? Who will be giving up the majority of the benefits of renewed growth?
Another part of the tax reduction scenario that hasn’t gotten a lot of media play is the change to the ‘tax brackets’ for personal income tax. Right now, your basic personal deduction amount will increase by $720, from the $9,600 we’ve become used to, to a $10,320. Okay, every little bit helps, right? But are you going to save it and use it to pay down your personal debt, or are you going to spend it?
At least the Government is recognizing that the next generation will be shouldering the cost of recovery. There is a new First-time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit, and a fund, although fairly modest, for the Canadian Youth Business Foundation to support young Canadians who are starting new businesses.
I must admit that I am really disappointed that the Government has not recognized the opportunity to advance the place of the Canadian tech sector in the world. We should be moving strongly into research and development; we should follow RIM's lead (Blackberry manufacturer) and dominate other areas. Hell, we've got the brains in this country. Let's exploit them! Unfortunately the budget has little or no change to the Scientific Research and Experimental Development measures, and there is no broad stimulus for innovation. Innovation! Like making a better vehicle, less expensively! (Notice that I didn't say 'car'. And what the heck is happening to our aviation/aerospace sector?) Like new, more efficient methods to process lumber. Like more effective mining techniques. Like better refining processes for petroleum and other basic chemical building blocks used by industry. Like more ‘Star Trek’ technology, now! Sure, on a broad basis, we are an economy that thrives on its ability to exploit natural resources. But is that enough moving forward? Competition with the rest of the world and the failures in the manufacturing sector with the resultant impact on day to day life in Canada point out that it’s not enough anymore to rely on our natural resources. Why not take advantage of the current international crisis and throw some serious weight behind finding the ‘next big’ thing, and being first to market? The budget assumes that we want to move back to the status quo in manufacturing, and , quite honestly, in every other industry segment, except for projects that fall under the ecoEnergy Technology Initiative (Natural Resources Canada). And is the slight bump in funding to the National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program enough?
Superbowl Surprise!
Its not the end result of the Superbowl that I found surprising. The game was very good... some really exciting end-to-end drives, that amazing full field run, and that holding-on-by-his-toenails end zone reception! I was always a bit concerned about the Cardinals' bench strength..
It's not that surprising about who got the MVP, but I still think they got that wrong (shoulda been Fitzgerald!).
What really surprised me was how G. got so into the game! She was jumping up and down, and yelling at the TV, while occasionally asking me for clarification on the rules. It was kinda neat to see her so animated about North American football...
It's not that surprising about who got the MVP, but I still think they got that wrong (shoulda been Fitzgerald!).
What really surprised me was how G. got so into the game! She was jumping up and down, and yelling at the TV, while occasionally asking me for clarification on the rules. It was kinda neat to see her so animated about North American football...
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