A “Shanty Town” – Film set for “Continuum” filming on top of the parkade across the street from our place:
March 6th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: I know the reality of filming is much different than the outsider’s view, but to me, it is interesting and exciting to see the different filming in Gastown.
For those of you who know my husband well – you already know that he is cheap in some things, and spendy in others. For all the dollars he saves on no-name peanut butter another dollar is spent on audio visual, technical or photography needs.
The path from identification of need to the actual purchase is long and filled with hours of research, tedious conversations (depending on your perspective, I guess) and endless nerd reviews.
We start off with “I’m thinking of buying X” which leads me to know that he has been thinking about it for a couple of months. For example, he has talked about replacing our server about 3 or 4 times, meaning it has been processing in his brain for probably 6 months. Now that we’re both employed again, I am certain I will pick-up his laptop soon and find 16 open Internet Explorer tabs with consumer reviews and technical specifications on servers. One day he’ll mention a budget, soon we’ll discuss income that could be generated from the server we already have. And then, once all the specifications are decided, the comparison shopping will start.
It’s long. And it is almost completely opposite to me. I want. I see. I buy. Or sometimes: I see. I want. I buy.
Emile painfully sold his TV when we left Ontario. He suffered from what all of us do when selling your used items – you remember how much you paid for it, how you got it, the good times and it always feels like they should be paying more. He stroked it goodbye and sadly turned and walked away.
So, here we are in Vancouver with no ability to watch TV on a big screen. This was much more of a concern to Emile than it was to me – I’m happy watching on a laptop, seeing a movie or even going outside. Emile recognised the need to expedite his process and had already moved into the research phase of TV pruchase. He let me know about a large budget. I cringed – sure spend that next year, but this year when all of our funds seem to be going to into IKEA shares? Hmmm.
I must have approached him in a weak moment, because when I suggested buying a cheaper TV for now, he sounded almost interested. When I mentioned searching for a used TV, he didn’t sneer.
To demonstrate the potential market I typed “Sony 50 TV” into Craig’s List only to find a local guy selling a mint condition Sony 55″ TV for less than 40% of a new one.
Emile was silent.
He was still.
Then he firmed his shoulders, gritted his teeth.
And then he said “Send an email to see if it is still available.”
October 27th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary: A “new” TV sits in our apartment and $1500 remains in our bank account. No research or process. Just buying – and that I can relate to.
I loved the show “The West Wing”, but somewhere around the 3rd or 4th season stopped watching for some reason. After I read “Stories I only tell my friends” by Rob Lowe (enjoyable book by the way), it reminded me about The West Wing and never did see the end of it. So, I decided, it was time start again add watch CJ, Josh, Sam, Toby, Leo, Charlie and POTUS do their fast-talking-while-fast-walking routines. I have to start at the beginning so I remember what happened. After all, the show started, well, it must have been at least 5 years ago.
According to IMBD, it was 1999. Wait, is that right? 1999? How could that be? It was only a couple of years ago – not 13.
What is happening to me? If I find a book that published in 2003, for example, I still think it is quite recent – god help me if it is about the internet or cell phones or something. I still think I graduated from high school relatively recently – forgetting that I missed my 20th high school reunion a while ago. And somehow it is already May 16th – my brain didn’t notice my fingers typing one digit higher each day in this blog.
It’s a strange thing, time. Our brains seem incapable to of keeping accurate track of it – it’s always speeding up or slowing down. Things that happened 10 years ago seem at recent as things that happened 5 years ago. And if I go home to my childhood house, the past seems even closer yet.
May 16th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary: Enjoying the reruns of The West Wing because it was a good show (who doesn’t want Jed Bartlet running the country?) even if I can’t remember when it was on TV.
Maintenance May Day 16:
Volunteered for Saturday registration at Spin The Lakes Bike Race. (soul, thankfully not body)
The Daily EO 