Why I Won’t Buy Another Volkswagen Again

Nearly 12 years ago, I bought my second Volkswagen; a then brand new 2004 Jetta TDI Diesel Sport Edition (TL:DR — it’s (supposedly) not one of the models caught up in diesel-gate; those are cars from 2006/7 onwards). My first VW was a used Rabbit I briefly owned and drove in Ontario in the late 1980s. I […]
Instagram Forgot Their Name

Recently, Facebook-owned Instagram changed how their timeline works, with no regard to how it’s product (that’s us, folks — we’re IG’s product) actually uses the service. They introduced a new “algorithm timeline” claiming to show you posts they assume you care most about. Reality is, it’s done 100% for advertisers to force more ads into […]
How to Save $1,650 on a Major Appliance in 5 Years

I’ll give you the TL:DR right now. You can save $1,650 (or way more) on major appliances by doing one thing: Do not buy an LG product. I’m talking specifically about the LG LDF7932ST Steam Direct Drive dishwasher, which is apparently a disposable product. Avoid it, and all LG appliances all costs. Why you should […]
Buying a New Car, Part 3
Gulp. Well, tomorrow is a big day (technically later today). I may have a new car under my butt by 3pm. That is, if the bank comes through. I bank with VanCity. I like them a lot. They’ve given my business a hefty line of credit, even when we started up the Inc. entity. Back […]
Buying a New Car, Part 2

This is a continuation of my car buying saga. Part One is here. So today was another round of test drives. First up was me looking at Civics one more time. I’ll say this about Civics. They are probably the best econobox on the road today. Reliable to the point of being bulletproof. Good (not great) speed. […]
Buying a New Car, Part 1
So for the last two weeks, I’ve been searching and researching the marketplace, thinking about a new car. It’s been a long time since I bought a new car, but it’s time. As you may know from my rants here, I really dislike big gas guzzling, poluting SUVs. They are the bane of our driving lifestyles […]
Coping with my Mum’s Passing
So it’s Sunday afternoon, and I’m almost through the “official” duties with regards to my Mom’s passing. I flew to Ottawa on Wednesday afternoon, about 32 hours after she passed (her passing time was at 1:20 am, Tuesday, March 9, 2004). I was able to make some final arrangements in Vancouver for my job and […]
Passing of a Very Special Person
Cathryn Anne Prince, loving mother to three sons, Mark, James and Michael, and loving friend and partner to Gary Prince, loving oldest sister to thirteen brothers and sisters by blood, more by marriage, passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer this evening. She touched on the lives of many, many people in her […]
Monsters of Excess
Yesterday, I was at a strip mall waiting for Jeanette to finish in a store. I was enjoying one of my increasingly rare Cuban cigars, just watching the world go by as I leaned against the back of our tiny SUV, a Geo Tracker. I was looking one way, and I started to hear this […]
Off to Ottawa One More Time
Well, I’m off to Ottawa again this Christmas holiday, to spend it with my Mom and family. I’m leaving earlier than planned, which has got me a bit loopy – I was expecting to get a variety of things done this week, but I got a call today from my Dad that said I should […]