Don’t forget to turn off the lights!
Tonight at 8:30, people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – to take action on climate change. Switching off your lights is just one simple step you can take to help make a difference and send a message that you care about the planet.
The countdown is on for more than 2,100 cities across 82 countries who are committed to this global effort. Help make Earth Hour a successful and powerful event. Participating shows that you want to be a part of the solution:
Sign up for Earth Hour at http://www.worldwildlife.org/
Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to participate.
Download Earth Hour materials, such as web banners, toolkits, logos and posters to help spread the word in your community.
Make every hour Earth Hour. Consider what else can be done within your home and workplace to change behaviour and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
On Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 p.m. turn off your lights for one hour.

Here are a few links to some neat pictures from last year’s Earth Hour:
http://blog.enterpriseitplanet.com/green/blog/2008/04/canberra-takes-earth-hour-crown.html http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/index.php/2008/04/02/global-citizens-love-the-earth-for-an-hour/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Colosseum_Earth_Hour.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Earth_Hour_Sky_Tower_Auckland.jpg http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/photogalleries/earth-hour-before-after/index.html

If you don’t like cheese, don’t read this

It’s good to be angry, stressed, or upset sometimes. But then there are those moments when something crosses your mind and you can’t help but smile to yourself. For me, these things that do just that:

· Accidentally hearing someone say something nice about you
· Remembering the last time you laughed really hard and laughing at it all over again
· Having someone play with your hair
· Eskimo kisses
· Hugs from little kids
· Remembering Matt screaming on the rollercoaster in Vegas
· Thinking you did horribly on an assignment only to find out you got an A
· Summer thunderstorms at the lake
· Fast boat rides
· Laser cats
· Childhood vacations
· Discovering your latest favourite song
· Hot seatbelts in the summer
· Seeing kids at recess
· Having people laugh at your jokes (genuinely)
· Coming up with a really good idea (for anything)
· Finding a $20 in a jacket you haven’t worn since last spring
· Spring
· Hearing a song you love and haven’t heard since you were a kid (Thanks Matt!)
· A new outfit (and being able to afford it)
· Swings
· Frisbee
· Seeing one stranger being kind to another stranger
· Seeing a butterfly
· Original compliments (someone recently told me “Thank you for being you.”)
· Unexpectedly bumping into your boyfriend on the street
· This

The Big Move...Again

We finally got approved!

Matt and I have been looking for an apartment for ages now. I’ll spare you the monotonous details about what it took to get this place, but let’s just say by the end of it our new landlady already hates us.

Whenever I tell people I’m moving in with my boyfriend, they get all excited and let out their “Oooooooh!”s and the “Oh my God that’s such a huge step!”s and “Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”s. But honestly, it’s really not a big deal. Of course I love the guy and want to take this next step, but really, I’d love to be anywhere but where I’ve been for the last five years.

In 2004, it was my first year in university and luckily my 83 per cent average in high school landed me a room in residence. “Dry rez”, since I was only 17, but I was just glad to be there. I made some good friends that year – some lasting friendships for sure – but I hated my roommate. The first few months were all right, but after we all came back from Christmas break, things went way downhill. She had her boyfriend over every night (keep in mind the rooms are about 13” by 14”…aka a shoe box) and were not shy to express their love while I was sleeping 5 feet away. Let’s just say I hate Kraft Dinner now. She stole my clothes and my food. She kept me up all night, knowing I had class early the next morning. I tried to spend as little time in my room as possible, so when April finally came around I was relieved.

The next year, I lived with three girlfriends. While this was probably the best year of the five, one friendship was destroyed. Moving in with friends can be an invitation for disaster. It started even before we moved in together – “J” demanded one of the bigger rooms merely because she thought she had the most stuff (bullshit). I spent the majority of the first month cleaning, painting, and buying house supplies all by myself (and mom). Did I get a thanks? Hahaha, riiiiight. All three of them were smokers. So, when winter came around, who was stuck getting ganged up on when I insisted they smoke outside? Sorry girls, but you know you did that. Someone’s mayonnaise went missing and for some reason it was blamed on me. It was that petty argument that convinced me that if we all stayed living together, we would end up hating each other. So while they all went home for the summer, I moved in with….wait for it…. My dad. Oops.

I love you, Dad, but living with you again SUCKED. He didn’t do anything specific, but kids, it’s exactly what you would think being free for almost three years then moving back in with a parent would be like. Yes I came home late last night. No I didn’t clean my room. Yes I had a bagel. I’m sorry, I forgot to clean my bowl. Yes I got off work early – would it kill you and Kim to keep the loving to the bedroom when your daughter could be home any minute???

So when my friend Stew told me there was a free room available in his place, I jumped at the chance. In January of 2007 I moved to where I’m living now. Stew left last May and I was stuck with my weird, creepy roommate and two strangers. This is by far the worst of them all. Take the last three years and combine them. I painted the place from a disgusting royal blue and puke yellow to “Distant Mountain” and “Misty Morning”. Not one thank you. I spent hours cleaning it every week, only to have it all messed up two days later from one of their frequent parties. I was up all night whenever “K”’s boyfriend was over. Thin walls, people! This is a co-op! Food and milk went missing. Passive aggressive notes went up. Once the weird roommate even walked right into my room when I had the door shut, saw me, and said, “Oh – you’re home…” and just backed out of the room and shut the door. WTF??? I can go on and on but this post is getting a little long.

Every time I’ve moved I’ve been so excited to go to the next place, only to have it be , well, not so exciting. This time, though, I’ll be vigilant. I’ve spent enough time with Matt to have an idea what he’ll be like as a roommate, and I’m not scared to tell him to smarten up if necessary. You can always change a man, right?

Such skeptics!

If you have time, listen to this.

It’s somewhat interesting, but come on! It’s rants like this that makes assumptions about all PR practitioners.

Not all of us are spinners, buddy!

P.S. They need to lose the guy with the Southern “accent” (about 1/3 through)

Not another blog about how to save money...

…but in these economic times, you can never have too many. I was thinking the other day about ways to save my pocketbook a little abuse, and a few things came to mind that one might not normally think of (one thing you can count on me for). Here are some of them, along with the no-brainers mentioned all the time in articles and books on how to save money (but does anyone ever take heed to them?):

Make your own coffee

Don’t argue that you don’t have time. If you’ve got a coffee machine, use it. It probably takes less time to make a pot of coffee or boil a kettle than to stand in line and wait to order something.

Skip the cappuccino

If you absolutely have to grab a beverage from your favourite coffee shop, go for flavoured coffee or tea instead of cappuccinos, lattes, etc. It’s cheaper, and your craving for hot, frothy beverages should go away with coffee or tea.

Bake for the Office

Instead of buying a bagel or muffin to go with your coffee every day, why not agree with your coworkers to take turns baking muffins or bringing in bagels, toast, etc. for the office. Bulk is always cheaper. Come on – it costs about $6 to make 24 muffins, yet you’re paying $1.50 every day for one? Get that apron on!

Pick up the shift

Work a part-time job? Pick up any shift a colleague asks you to take. Ask your boss for more hours. Work overtime if you can. Deal with it: those student loans aren’t going to pay themselves.

Save your empties

Make sure you’re keeping your empty bottles and not throwing them away. It may seem like a dime-a-bottle isn’t enough to pay the rent, but it really does add up. A 24-pack of empties is enough to buy you breakfast!

The Tim Horton's Experiment

This is for you true penny-pinchers – If you’re aching for a muffin, coffee, bagel – anything you can find at your local Timmy’s or store of the same sort, go in when they’re about to close and order something that you know will be unavailable (like soup or a sandwich). When they tell you they’re sorry but they’re out, act disappointed and scold yourself for not realizing they were closing. Order a coffee or beverage, and just wait…they’re likely to offer you something for free because they’d have to throw it out anyway! (Note: I discovered this the other day when I walked into Tim’s and ordered chilli but was told they were closing. I got a free muffin out of the deal without asking, and it tasted just fine). Just make sure you don’t go into the same store every time.

Do work for your parents on the side

For you younger folks who aren’t afraid to go to mom or dad for a few bucks, why not offer your services to them in exchange for your adult allowance instead? Clean the garage, do some weeding, organize the basement, etc. That way you won’t feel so bad asking for money, and they won’t think of you as their freeloading child.

Get the card

Some places offer discount or points cards if you buy a certain amount of items over time. Take advantage of this if you already go to the place often enough. I got a Subway card a few months ago and have already gotten eight free lunches out of the deal (so far!). Just don’t commit to buying anything you normally wouldn’t, and if you have to pay a one-time fee for the card, only do it if the math works in the long run.

Volunteer at the gym

If you fancy working out at the gym but can’t afford a membership, look into their volunteer opportunities. Some gyms give volunteers free memberships. Some YMCAs, for example, require only a couple hours a week of cleaning gym equipment, making retention calls, and other simple things and offer a free membership in return.

Bring your own lunch

Here’s a no-brainer! You’ve probably heard this about a zillion times, so I’m going to make it a zillion and one. I can’t stress enough how much money I’ve spent by going out for lunch every day. No time? Really? It takes less than five minutes to make a sandwich, and less to throw in a couple pieces of fruit, or some sealed soup. Even better: ever hear of a thing called leftovers? And if you like to get out of the office during your lunch break, a little walk won’t kill you. Eat outside. Want to meet friends? Bring your own lunch and eat it before, then if you still have room, order something light at lunch like soup or a salad.

A little bruise never really hurt anybody

Why not opt for that dented can, discounted no-name brand, or bruised peach? The grocery store wouldn’t try to sell it if it was harmful to your health and/or not edible. This also goes for clothes: I got a 10% discount on a pair of shoes the other day (without even asking) because they had a little dust on them. If you can sew, buy the designer shirt with the missing button or barely-noticeable tear.

Read on

Broke bookworm? Dig out your library card, or borrow the book you’ve been dying to read from a friend. Buy it when it’s on sale.

Turn down the heat

If heat/hydro is another bill you’re trying to consolidate for every month, turn stuff off! If you’re not going to be home all day, you’re computer doesn’t need to be on. Turn down the heat or AC. Cold? Put on the newly sewn sweater you just bought. And don’t forget the lights!

Call your credit card company

My wonderful mother recently informed me that if you call your credit card company, you might be able to cut down your interest fees just by asking. If you’re credit is decent, you’re likely to get at least 5% cut off. The company doesn’t advertise this little-known fact for obvious reasons, so you need to make the move.

Carpool

Been meaning to get to know your work colleagues but never find the time during your busy work day? Try carpooling with them instead of driving in alone. You’ll save money, contribute to the environment, and maybe even make a friend. Shy? Look on the Internet for carpooling services. Some people are actually looking for just a carpool and nothing more. No small talk necessary!

Winners - you really should go

Need to add a little more to your wardrobe? If you’ve got time to hunt, shop in discount stores that sell designer clothes like Winners or Value Village. Some treasures are hidden there, and you can really add some zest to your wardrobe if you know how to pull it off.

Had enough? Me neither. There’s more to come as I continue to pinch my pennies and make new money-saving discoveries. Stay tuned!