Life outside of the box

I haven’t been able to think of a very specific thing to talk about so I’ll just write about what I’ve done and anything cool I’ll do or about to do so hello world, I’m back!!!

So

As promised here are some tips that I have for live auctions:

1. Go to the previews
   By going to the preview you get the opportunity to see what is for sale and the condition of the item.  This also gives you the opportunity to create a list of what you want to buy and verify if you can take them home after the auction.  If the items on the list are to large to take home then ask if they offer delivery or arrange for someone to be available to take back with you any large items.
2. Stick to the list !!!
   By sticking to what you want to buy you’ll have a greater chance of not spending  a lot of your budget.  If the items on your list are of greater value like a pair of dressers you should limit what you want to buy.  
3. Budget
   It’s a word I don’t like but I didn’t want to spend a lot on the pair of dressers that I got.  I had set a limit of $250 per dresser before the item was auctioned off.  If the bidding price went over $250 I would either stop bidding or adjust my budget for other items in my list.
4. Patience
   Often Auctioneers will start the bid price high and then decrease the bid price to attract any bidders.  For the dressers that I got I waited until the price was about $150 per dresser. Others will want to bid higher on the dressers.  I was able to be patient and bought the dressers for $240 each and stick to my budget.
5. Be careful
   You have to be careful as to what you do and say.  By raising your hand that tells the auctioneer that you’re interested in bidding.  I was caught off-guard when I answered a question by saying “yes”, that to tells the auctioneer that you’re interested in bidding.
6. Have Fun
   With this being my first Auction Experience you learn a lot and have a lot of fun as well.

Went to my first auction today and it was a learning experience. We got some nice pieces of furniture for our place and I’ll share some tips in my next blog entry.

So, my girlfriend and I have made the decision to buy a home.  The thing is that we haven’t done something like this before and are going to need alot of help.  The first thing we thought of is to shop around and find a reputable lender and then find someone with knowledge of the local real estate and go from there.

More to follow!

First off, I’d like to say that I’m not the greatest car mechanic or have the ability to fix my car.

About a month ago when I went to work,  I started my car as usual and then when I applied the gas I could feel this rough vibration that seemed odd.  It would only last for five minutes and then everything would be okay. A few days later it would happen again and the next day and the following day and so on.  I had taken my car in to see if they could find the problem and they couldn’t, it was when I cam back from Tobermory that the problem had gotten worse so I took it in and left it over-night, when they started the car the following day they finally noticed the problem and went to work.

About a week later and I had my car back, what had happened was engine coolant had somehow leaked into one of the cylinders and that would occur when the engine wasn’t running.  Because of that the spark plug would not fire and that would cause the car to run roughly after pressing down on the accelerator (I know it’s an old word but I had to use it)

That story brings me to my topic du jour, sometimes warranty can be both good and bad.  Some people refer to it as a cash grab while others consider it as additional protection.  When making an purchase like a car or an ipod you’re always asked if you want to purchase extra warranty.  If you know how to take care of the item you’re purchasing then you can probably do without it.  But I don’t know how to take care of my car, and when I was told that it could have cost me $1,500 dollers to fix my car I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

My only advise is if you don’t know how to take care of the item you bought (car, computer, mp3 player, other electronics, appliances, etc.) then a warranty might be something you want to consider, and give you that peace of mind because it did when I bought my car.

And that’s what I’m thinking … outside of the box

Greetings to everyone

I had a great time in Tobermory seeing old faces and went back to old places and some new spots as well.  Life in Little Tub Harbour is still the same; the food was always the best, the shops have new stuff and the Sweet Shop and more candy to buy. I’ve posted pics of my trip on facebook, I’ll work on posting pics here on my blog as well (for those who don’t have a facebook account)

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=89339&id=506009856

Enjoy!

Brian

I leave for Tobermory tomorrow morning; away from work, internet and this blog.  I’m looking forward to this as it helps me unwind and just have fun.  Once in a while we need to get away from life and stop and smell the roses.

I’ll write about it upon my return..

Happy trails

If you were a celebrity this week, you had to make sure that black cats didn’t cross your path.  Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and now Michael Jackson all passing away in a 72 hour span.  These people were great at what they did in life; a side kick, an actress and a musician.  A lot of people looked up to these people in life and were glad that they did so. 

These people will be remembered for what they did and most of us will not get that chance to say thank you for all they have done.

Note: I wrote the first two paragraphs last week and now pitchman Billy Mays pased away.  Wow, this has been one crazy week.

Yes, I’m well aware that it has been a while since my last post.  I’ve been busy with my Scouting tasks with the Newsletter and the advertising for the fall registration. 

My birthday in a few days, I can’t wait for that.  I’ve asked for stuff to help me when I move out with my girlfriend.  I can’t wait to move in with Stix (My girlfriend’s nick name), we’ve been together for over a year and a half and life couldn’t be any better.

Speaking of birthday, my family is getting together this weekend for the annual family BBQ.  Last year Stix was the newest member of the family to join us, this year it will be my Uncle’s Fiance who everyone will be wanting to meet.

I know that this entry won’t provide a different perspective but I’d thought that I’d get something up for everyone to enjoy.

And that’s what I’m thinking … outside of the box!  Well, not really but I had to put that in.

This past week, I found a few web sites that support the Phoenix Coyotes staying where they are and they do have some points that we should take in.  Yes I’m aware that Jim Balsillie is breaking the rules by not getting approval of the league to move the re-locate the team to Southern Ontario but the problem is that Jerry Moyes their current owner owes a lot of money to creditors and Jim’s offer to buy the team will definately help Jerry Moyes pay off his debts to the creditors.  Also, I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage all of the current Coyotes fans to go to a Toronto Maple Leafs game, There is a considerable difference between going to a leafs game and going to a Coyotes game.  And once you do, you’ll feel like the rest of us who want another team in Southern Ontario.

Something else to add, I have a theory regarding Gary Bettman sticking it to Jim Balsillie.  My theory is that Gary Bettman can stick a NHL team anywhere in Canada and that team would be successful.  Gary want’s to be able to stick a team in any American market and be successful, by “propping” the Coyotes to stay put just proves my theory.

And that’s what I’m thinking … outside of the box!