Saturday 26 May 2012

Aquastar Salmon travels more than I do

We love Salmon, and Spring salmon is one of our favorites because it is so moist and delicious!  I bought some at Thrifty's a couple weeks ago, for $3.99 per 100g.  Very expensive, 2 decent sized fillets cost $32.00.  But it was really good, for dinner and in my sandwich the next day.

In the Safeway flyer this week they advertised pink salmon for $8.00 so I took a look while I was there.

It was in the frozen section with the prawns, I wish I had taken a photo of the package.  The brand name was Aquastar, the label stated wild pink salmon, but looking at the back of the package, (like I promised I would after the warnings of food from china)

  • Harvested in Alaska
  • Product of China
  • packaged in Ontario
I didn't buy it, because I don't understand how it could be dead, then have travelled from Alaska to China  to Ontario, and now to Safeway in BC?  Why did it need to go to China?  With the cost of transportation, how could the price be so cheap?

(oops I am adding this note of correction, because pink salmon does not compare to spring salmon in taste or texture, it should be cheaper than spring, but I still question why it went to china)

Thursday 24 May 2012

Are you happy with the ICBC premiums you pay now?

I would like lower insurance premiums, wouldn't you?
Here is your chance to make a change!
Take a few minutes to do this survey, you do not need to agree with anything, you can just suggest a better option.  Make sure you write some comments!

For example, they suggest that one at fault accident could follow you for 15 years!  In my opinion that is way too long, especially if you only have one accident in all that time.  5 years seems more than fair.

I also like the American commercial that advertises, shrinking deductibles, so if you have a safe driving record, and you do have an accident, you won't have to pay a deductible. (just a suggestion and one ICBC does not mention)

Take the survey here

http://synosurvey.com/s/icbcinsurance/

Stop buying food made in China

I received another email today about products made in China, once again advising us all to look at labels and buy Canadian, or at the very least North American products.  I admit I don't often look at where something is made in the grocery store, I read the nutrition labels isn't that enough?

I promise myself I will start looking a little bit more, here are a few quotes from that email (I did not write this, and don't know the author so I have no proof that it is all true)

  • Simply look on the bottom of every product you buy. If it says 'Made in China ' or 'PRC' (Product of Republic of China) - and that now includes Hong Kong, simply choose another product; or none at all
  • ALL "HIGH LINER" AND MOST OTHER FROZEN FISH PRODUCTS COME FROM CHINA
    OR INDONESIA . THE PACKAGE MAY SAY "PACIFIC SALMON" ON THE FRONT, BUT
    LOOK FOR THE SMALL PRINT. MOST OF THESE PRODUCTS COME FROM FISH FARMS
    IN THE ORIENT AND THERE ARE NO REGULATIONS ON WHAT IS FED TO THESE FISH.
  • Buy only local honey, much honey is shipped in huge containers from
    China and re-packed here. 
  • Cold-FX is grown and packed in China and isFull of fecal bacteria. 
  • Watch out for packages which state "prepared for", "packed
    By" or "imported by". 

In Our house we do not buy a lot of canned food, and never need to buy frozen fish, but I swear by cold Fx....(yes apparently I may be the only one who thinks it works, but when I feel the first signs of a cold, I take some cold fx and I don't get a cold.)

I did a google search for info on Cold FX, there are alot of experts who say there is no proof that this stuff works, and this article below, that confirms the powder inside the capsules comes from china, and is sent to canada for packaging.  Yes, there has been some contamination in that factory.......Yuck!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/01/13/health-cold-fx.html

I guess I will stop wasting my money on cold FX.  :(

Now I am also wondering where that smelly bed I just bought was made?

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Buying a new bed

A couple weeks ago we decided we needed a new bed, the mattress was about 6 years old, maybe more?  Surely a mattress should last longer than that, they all have at least 10 year warranties don't they?  Ours was kind of sagging everywhere except the middle, and my spouse has been complaining of a sore back for a while now, so let's go shopping for a mattress.............

I know from previous experience, it is hard to choose a mattress you like, and even harder when 2 of you have to like it.  The short time you spend lying on a mattress in the store does not always indicate how it is going to feel when you get that bed in your home.  But the stores all seem to have a long test period so you can exchange the bed if it doesn't work for you.


  • Sleep country, gives you 2 months to try your mattress
  • The Brick, gives you 6 months to try your mattress
We started shopping at the Brick (not cause of that above mentioned 6 months, we learned that later) They had a big sale on Sealy Beds, all 50% off.  So we met a nice informative salesperson, he had us trying out all kinds of beds, told us to pick 2 we liked best and lie on each for 10 minutes.  

There are so many types of mattresses, and different foam, gel foam, coils, individually wrapped coils, .......can't we just have a simple mattress?  The short answer was no, all this new stuff has been proven to provide better back support.  (proven by who I wonder....)

We did end up spending a lot of time in the store, we tried,
  • Temperpedic beds, which were quite weird, very hard at first until you sink into your body shape, and then really hard to roll out of that hole.  Apparently people who have these beds, love them (after they get used to them) and they last 20 years.  $3000.00 (Now I am thinking about when I was helping my parents move, My sister and I dropped my parents mattress on the floor, and this cloud of dust rose up, eww.....later I asked my Mom how old that bed was....."probably 30 years" she said....eewww, the bed did go to the dump by the way)  So do I want a bed to get 20 years old....Not really
  • 3 types of Sealy crown jewel mattress, in varying thicknesses, the biggest had to be 18- 20" thick (so you would need custom made bedding.....no thanks)
  • A really comfy Trump bed, but it was $3000.00 and apparently never goes on sale....too pricey

We finally settled on a Sealy Crown Jewel Wellington Square, $1649.00 + tax, and we negotiated free delivery.  It was firm and plush, but not the firmest or the plushest (that one was the really thick one, too soft for me and I needed a ladder to get on it.......really stupid if you ask me) The one we picked was 4" thicker than our old mattress, and that is more than I wanted.

So we had our bed delivered a week ago, 
  • it is not at all plush or the least bit soft anywhere,
  • it has a weird smell, like stinky foam?  I don't like the smell but maybe it's a new mattress thing, and it will go away in a few days.......nope still stinks!  
  • in 7 days it feels a tiny bit softer, but not at all like the one we tried in the show room.  
  • my back aches every morning, and I do not look forward to going to bed at night.  
  • our bed is now so high, we will have to raise up our head board, and the duvet cover is too small, 
  • the sheets just fit, so there.... I found one positive!

So back to The Brick we go, we lied on the showroom model again, it really was much softer and more comfortable than the one we have at home.  
  • We double checked the model with the salesman, yes we have the right one.  
  • He advises us that we need to give it more time, it will soften up with time, the one in the show room is 6 weeks old.  
  • He will have a Sealy representative contact us about the weird smell, he says that no one else has complained about that.
  • He convinced us to give the mattress another week, (even though I don't want to) and promised "they would make everything right"  told us several stories of other customers who were very happy after they gave their mattress more time.

I don't remember having to get used to a new mattress like this ever before, I am again wondering who proved all this new foam, gel foam, wrapped coil stuff is better than what we used to have.




Tuesday 22 May 2012

Where does the time go?

Wow, I am not doing a very good job of keeping up with this blog am I?  Where does the time go, it is May 22nd already!

I was thinking today it would be interesting to know how many times in a week or a month do I ask myself, or someone else, "where does the time go?, what happened to the month of March?"
Am I asking this more because I am getting older? or did time pass this fast when I was a teenager too?  (wish I had a better memory, think that is disappearing with the time)

I am going to do a little research,
let me know how many times you notice yourself saying "where did the time go"  or is it just me?

Monday 7 May 2012

Risk and Oil Pipelines

I am sure you have heard of the pipeline proposal's for transporting oil through British Columbia, either in the North from Alberta to Kitmat, or the twining of the pipeline that ends in Burnaby.  There is also an ongoing controversy of tanker ships traveling up and down our coast line.

My immediate response to all of that was to ask why we have to ship our oil anywhere, why can't we just keep it for ourselves? lower gas prices would be nice!   I am also stuck with that "Not in my backyard" attitude.  I don't want to see tankers coming under the Lionsgate bridge, or even risk an oil spill near our beautiful Stanley Park, or anywhere on our beautiful BC coast line for that matter!

So I signed this petition,
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/700/743/331/help-stop-the-expansion-of-tanker-traffic-in-vancouver/


Then I read this article,
No oil, please. We're far too pretty for that


  • Did you know that the Port of Vancouver is our largest employer?
  • How do you think we get out oil now?  (It is ferried or shipped or Barged)
  • Could you live without oil? (are you willing to give up your car?)
  • Building our own refinery is prohibitively expensive (and think of the protests), and not necessary because the existing refineries in North America are running below capacity.
  • Oil has transited through Vancouver by pipeline and tanker since the 1950's (no oil spills in 72 years, pretty good record)
After reading that article, and a few others about the benefits of risk in our lives, I would like to take my name of that above mentioned petition.  

I am able to lead a very nice life, living off my investments, many of which are in shares of Energy producing companies.  I have chosen my risk, (I prefer the lowest one possible) in my investments and in my life.  I am not one to even think of bunging jumping, or hang gliding, never even tried zip lining, cause I don't like that kind of risk. (or maybe it's heights or falling?)  

What I am trying to say is that everything you do in a day has risks, getting in your car, walking across the street, writing a blog.....if you were to live life risk free what kind of life would it be.  I also understand how insurance works, if a risk is too high, it cannot be insured.  If the risk is low the cost of the insurance is low, and vice versa.

Yes oil spills are catastrophic, but I agree with Gregor Robertson, make sure all the risks are insured, so we don't have to shy away from growth, unless you are willing to give up your car and go back to horse and buggy times!

Thursday 3 May 2012

Timeline (mostly for my benefit)


So Let's recap:

  •  April 9th I started feeling sick in Mexico
  • April 10th we got Home
  • April 14th My spouse and I went to separate Medical clinics to get some tests done
  • April 19th my tests were all normal
  • April 20th  spouse's test show positive for Blastocystis Homins
  • April 21st, I go back to his clinic to be retested, given medication to take right away
  • April 23rd my family doctor says stop taking that medication, too dangerous, wait for test results
  • I did feel better for about 4 days even after stopping that medication, the runs and cramps were back by April 27th
  • April 26, 27,30th & May 1st, I made calls to the clinic for the test results, they had not been received?  Seemed strange......made an appointment to see my family Dr. For May 2nd.  Also tried returning a missed call on my phone, April 27th,  from a "Hilltop medical"  I had not been to a place with that name, and there was no message, but I was curious.  Turned out to be the office of the doctor I saw on April 21st at Peninsula Medical clinic, and low and behold, he has my test results.......but they can't give them to me.....they did agree to send them to my doctor....who I would be seeing tomorrow, so that will work.
  • A few hours later, I received another call from Hilltop medical advising that they had a prescription for me to pick up.  The girl I had talked to earlier had shown my results to a Dr. who advised that I if I was still having symptoms, to get this prescription filled for ciprofloxacin (antibiotic to kill bacteria, used for treatment of many things including travellers diarrhea)
  • I was very happy to get such good service for one thing (thinking that would not have happened at my Dr.'s office) and although it was not the same medication my spouse had, it was acknowledgement of something, I guess it is always possible we picked up a different bug?
  • I cancelled my Dr.'s appt for May 2nd.
  • To my surprise, the next morning my Dr.'s office called to say they had a prescription for me to pick up, they had just received my positive test results, I needed some ciprofloxacin......(Well I am sorry for thinking badly of them earlier)
  • Oh yeah on April 30th I got a letter in the mail from my family Dr's office advising my appointment with the GI specialist had been booked for March 13, 2013.     (How handy, only a year to wait)  I am really hoping to be either cured by this prescription I am on now, or to have solved all my digestive problems, long before Mar 13, 2013!
  • We really need more Specialist Doctors in B.C.!
  • I am a fairly healthy person normally, but so far I have had to wait 8 months for an MRI, 8 months to see a dermatologist, and now a year for a G.I.  I hope people who are really sick, with heart disease or cancer get better treatment!