Hurdling our way to San Francisco

Now that the “big stuff” has been taken care of, I am taking a moment to update my blog.

Move: Our move is scheduled on April 27^th. More packing for us. Our one way flight will be on April 30^th.

Immigration: Not much on that front. We have an appointment with our lawyer next week to discuss the interview process.

Apartment in SF: We rented a one bedroom apartment in Russian Hill, a dreamy location downtown San Francisco (picture).It’s not stainless steal fancy, but it’s very charming and has lots of character (think Carrie’s apartment in Sex in the City).

Condo: As most people know, we just moved into our brand new condo. Our contract with the builder stipulates that we are not allowed to “advertise”, “offer to sale”, or “sale” our unit until they have sold all of their units up to a maximum of year after our closing. We were aware of that when we purchased our place. But between July 2005 and now, some called "life" happened. As of now, they have three units left for sale. We attempted, unsuccessfully, to negotiate our way out of this clause. The builder did not grant us permission but we did get something. Instead of allowing us to sell in February 2008 only, we can sell as of October 2007.

We were faced with the dilemma of leaving the condo empty for five months (and pay for it) or rent it out. We were concerned about renting it out for a couple of reasons. First, there are several tax implications (especially as non-residents). After studying the Canadian Tax Act thoroughly (oh the pain), it appears that renting it makes sense financially. We were also worried about the material damage a tenant could potentially cause.

After much consideration, we decided to rent. We advertised and signed a 5-month lease within 24 hrs. We believe that we have found the perfect tenant: 40ish, divorced, lobbyist. I still can't think of myself as a "landlord".

We’re still planning to sell privately as soon as we are legally allowed. Flying twenty times (round trips) between Ottawa and San Francisco is still cheaper than giving 5% away to a realtor. It’s going to be exhausting, but worth it in the end.

Car: Note to self, selling an Audi is not an easy thing. We had two very interested buyers. The first deal fell through because the idiot didn’t know that he had to pay PST, duh. He basically wanted the car with the PST included in the price we agreed on. Right. The second buyer had much more realistic expectations. We closed the deal this morning. Whee.

Job: Since I can’t work until my work permit is processed, I found a great place to volunteer at. I am starting as soon as we arrived. Keeping busy is the key otherwise I am gonna go to the dark side.

I think we’re all set!

Oh Belinda

I am really trying hard to like that woman, but it’s not working.

The world needs more successful women in business and politics. No doubt. The double standard she experienced during her short political career was despicable. She stood up to Harper for what she believes in and that’s admirable (although I presume that a dangling cabinet position influenced her decision a little. Just a little, of course.)

I still don’t like her. She reminds me of Paris Hilton.

Annoyance #1: She dropped out of university in her first year. Too much effort, Belinda? You mean you can’t buy yourself a university degree???

Annoyance #2: How many twenty-two years old with a high school diploma become member of a twenty billion dollar company’s board of directors? Without family connections, my guess is none. As Warren Buffet would say, she is part of the Lucky Sperm Club.

Let’s put it that way, I have a lot more respect for successful Average Sperm Club members than successful Lucky Sperm Club members. Maybe she is exceptional at what she does, who knows? The fact is that there are millions of intelligent, hard-working people who excel at what they do. It takes them years to climb the corporate ladder while Belinda Stronach rode the private elevator next to it.

Four myths about travelling

1. I don’t have money

It’s a matter of priority. People don’t realize that the little things they spend money on add up. We have no personal cell phones. We have no TV so no cable/satellite bills. We have one car. We have a small condo rather than a house so our gas bills/maintenance cost are low.

We assess the necessity of every potential purchase. It is one of the reasons why we don’t own a TV (beside the fact that is useless and ugly). There are a million places I would like to visit more than owning a TV. The average cost of a wedding is 22K. Now that's many trips!

2. It’s expensive

Think outside the box. Typical North American destinations (e.g. all-inclusive resorts, cruises, Walt Disney World, etc) are extremely expensive compared to less popular destinations. Our two-week trip to Peru a few years ago was much cheaper than a week at Sandals. Asia is super cheap. A meal is $3-5. Local transportation is very inexpensive (12 hrs overnight train =$16). The most expensive part is to get there, but once you're there it's dirt cheap.

Take advantage of your credit card. We get a couple of free flights per year with our CIBC Aeroplan.

Generally, company loyalty pays off (airline, hotel, car rental, etc). You accumulate points that you can redeem for free flights, nights, etc.

Travel off-season. If I did not hate Christmas so much, we would always travel in the Fall.

3. I don’t have time

Think red-eyes. Why waste your whole day flying when you can fly at night? Not the best sleep, but the best use of 24 hours.

Plan (itinerary, restaurants, hotels, etc) and book ahead.

Use a tour company.

4. It’s dangerous

It’s usually not unless we’re talking about Afghanistan or Iraq. Do your research.

My Easter Weekend

I can’t say that I despise Easter as much as Christmas. It is, however, at the top of my list of most hated holidays. What is the most logical explanation to the disappearance of Jesus’ body? Resurrection, of course. And someone please explain what’s the link with the Easter Bunny again?

We drove down to Toronto on Friday to meet with friends we won’t have a chance to see again soon. We stayed at the Hilton and had a kick ass view on the CN tower. Friday night, we had dinner on Queen St. with a friend we met in South Africa in September 2005. His girlfriend is studying to become an osteopath. She explained that if an osteopath can release the scar tissue around the "c-section" I had last year, I may just get my abs back. I am sure going to give this a try when we are settled in SF. I kept an eye open for Foxy all night, but alas no renard for me!

We spent Saturday/Sunday with a couple extraordinaire. We met them on our South East Asia trip last December. P is a seventy-five years old man. He is the former CEO of a company owned by a large multinational corporation. Not that I hang out with CEOs on a regular basis, but I can totally understand how he became one. Beyond his intelligence and passion for his field, he is incredibly charismatic. Why is it that some people, no matter what they say, are interesting to listen to? We talked about his career, his travels, his family, and everything under the sun. Of course, we did get a couple of free career advices for ourselves!

Two steps forward, one step back

There is so much going on right now, I really don't know where to start. My life is a real estate/tax/immigration/HR chaos. We've had many major, life altering decisions to make in the past few weeks. I am stressed out and exhausted, but I have to say that it has been an empowering experience.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most responsive to change" (Darwin) has never been more true.

More details to come...