Simple pleasures

This week at work, my computer has finally been set up properly to print!

Yep, that's it. For months I was going upstairs to a communal computer which I happened to know had the ability to print whenever I needed a hard copy of something. I now titter with glee whenever I try to print something and it works (okay, maybe I don't actually titter... but I'm pretty happy about it).

What is it about printing that is so difficult? I remember in undergrad, if I had something that I needed to print out to hand in, I would always have to give myself at least an hour to print it. Paper jams, out of service printers, bad network connections, people who decide to print out the unabridged encyclopedia Britannica... I'm sure I ran into each of these troubles more than once.

I've always managed to avoid actually having my own printer at home by either sponging off my roommates or bringing the files into work to print (from the known good computer, of course). For someone in my profession, I think I have a fairly strange attitude towards computers: if it ain't completely broke don't fix it! In general, I feel that any adjustments that I might make to my computer are tantamount to putting any functionality that I do currently have on the line for a chance to get added functionality. I guess I'm risk averse when it comes to my computer!

-Kevin "I hope writing this doesn't break my computer" Harris

Happy Mother's Day

If you are a mother, happy day to you.

I'll remember to give my own mother a call, as she won't read this... and Susanna's mom has been covered, as we're already at their house (and have wished her a happy Mother's Day).

-KDH

Investing

I've been doing some investigation into different types of investments, and sometimes I wonder how anyone can come up with a firm decision on how to procede. There is so much information out there that that is contradictory, it is difficult to sift through it all and make a decision.

Is there any benefit to managed mutual funds? Is the market so efficient that you can't really expect to beat it, so you should just buy index funds to reduce the cost of investing? Can one time the market?

And then there is the added complication that it is not as simple as the investment that will provide the highest return, you must also consider the tax implications to identify which will actually end up being the best result.

To avoid option paralysis, ignorance would be bliss.

-KDH

Long time, no post

This has been as long a hiatus as I have had since I started the blog, there is no particular reason for this other than I've run out of friends to add. I think I'll start putting in links for sites I often visit, mostly for my own ease of use.

I could blame my lack of posting on the tax deadline. I was helping my in-laws do their taxes (they were away until the middle of April, so the time frame was a bit squished) and I did end up spending some time in the past week learning about parts of the Canadian Tax Code about which I've never needed to know.

We met up with my parents for lunch a couple weekends ago, and they seemed to have really enjoyed their months in Europe. They didn't have any pictures for us to look at, but hopefully they will soon. My parents are actually homeless right now, as they have sold the cottage and bought a house in the same area, but they don't move in until close to the end of the month. So they are travelling around staying with their friends. Susanna and I will likely go up once they've moved in to see their new place (we've seen pictures only) and to see the pictures from their trip.

I've seen the Lew Family a couple of times in the past week, and it seems that they are quite lucky in that they've got a very well behaved baby (knock on wood). I know that this can change overnight, but for now they are lucky. After rehearsal on Monday, Karen and Dion came out to the pub with Adam, and he slept for the whole two and a half hours we were there. This brings up a question though: To get into the pub, you need to be of drinking age, but of course, a sleeping baby is a bit of an exception... so at what point can you not bring your child into the pub? Could an 18 year old get into the pub if they were there with their parents?

-KDH