SO... I just found out that U2 is coming to Charlottesville on October 1.
When I started to plan to move down to the States, one of the big perks that I realized was that I would be able to see more concerts than I can in big ole Edmonton. When U2 announced their tour, I thought maybe, just possibly, they MIGHT make a stop in Washington DC, which is 2 hours from C'ville. Never did I dream that they would come right into Charlottesville!!!
The next challenge is getting tickets. In my haste to buy them, I think I got totally ripped off. Watch out for GoTickets.com... they are total scalpers. Tickets don't go on sale until Friday...
EDIT: Cancelled the GoTickets.com order and got them through Ticketmaster. (Yes, it's before Friday... I signed up for U2.com to take advantage of the pre-sale!)
I bought 4 tickets. I've got 2 left if anyone wants to come visit October 1...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Is Capitalism Dying?
If you know me at all, you know that I'm pro-free market and pro-capitalism. I think capitalism works precisely because people ARE naturally selfish, and capitalism is kept in check by the knowledge that providing bad products or treating people unfairly will eventually lead to lower profits.
However, two things have lately been really irking me about capitalism and making me wonder if we may be in the process of an economic paradigm shift. First, the whole financial collapse. Right there was a whole system left alone by market forces, and look what happened. Rather than using greed as a method by which to keep goods and services at optimum levels, it was used to make extreme profits at the expense of the entire financial system.
Canadian banks, which were regulated far more closely than American ones, have fared amazingly well despite the financial collapse in the US and the overall global recession. Point for regulation...
The other thing that got me thinking about the whole capitalist system was a discussion about green technology over dinner last night. Right now, a lot of green technologies are far more expensive than their non-green alternatives. At what point does higher profit trump sustainability? If using a greener technology allows a company to still make a profit, but it is not as high, what incentive is there for management, whose compensation is typically linked to short-term profits, to go green?
Maybe it's not capitalism so much as the entire stock market phenomenon. Maybe "the corporation," as owned by thousands of individuals out to earn a buck, needs to be transformed into something owned by people who have a greater interest in the company. I've heard of employee-owned organizations, and co-ops (which are customer-owned), and perhaps these models deserve a second look?
Just some thoughts...
However, two things have lately been really irking me about capitalism and making me wonder if we may be in the process of an economic paradigm shift. First, the whole financial collapse. Right there was a whole system left alone by market forces, and look what happened. Rather than using greed as a method by which to keep goods and services at optimum levels, it was used to make extreme profits at the expense of the entire financial system.
Canadian banks, which were regulated far more closely than American ones, have fared amazingly well despite the financial collapse in the US and the overall global recession. Point for regulation...
The other thing that got me thinking about the whole capitalist system was a discussion about green technology over dinner last night. Right now, a lot of green technologies are far more expensive than their non-green alternatives. At what point does higher profit trump sustainability? If using a greener technology allows a company to still make a profit, but it is not as high, what incentive is there for management, whose compensation is typically linked to short-term profits, to go green?
Maybe it's not capitalism so much as the entire stock market phenomenon. Maybe "the corporation," as owned by thousands of individuals out to earn a buck, needs to be transformed into something owned by people who have a greater interest in the company. I've heard of employee-owned organizations, and co-ops (which are customer-owned), and perhaps these models deserve a second look?
Just some thoughts...
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friends
Friendships come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. This is something that has been well on my mind over the past few weeks as I ponder my upcoming move to Virginia.
One of the biggest revelations that I'm having about friendships is that geography becomes less important the older we get. (Or, maybe the other big change that has affected this is the Internet with it's skype, email and MSN Messenger!) When I was living in Winnipeg, my friends were the people on the same street as me. We would go "call on" them after school (after piano practicing was finished!) and then we would play games until our parents called us into bed. I had few friends who lived beyond the boundaries of that block, but this never seemed to be a deficiency.
Then we moved to the suburbs in Edmonton. One of the most startling discoveries of our new suburban neighbourhood was that there was no one close to my age on the street! At this point, friends changed to those in my class or at church. Sometimes we had to bike over to their houses, or wait until the weekend so our parents could drive us.
Now one of my best friends lives in China. My sister lives in Germany. Despite the distant, these are two of the closest relationships I have. It is so encouraging to me to have these close long-distance friendships as I begin to plan my move to far, far away.
There is a saying that we have friends for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. I'm so thankful that I do have some "lifetime" friends. There are also a lot of people that I know I will lose touch with, who will become a part of distant memories past. It's important to maintain these friendships while we have them. Being a friend is all about giving to someone when you are in their life. The nice thing is that you usually grow in return.
Hmmm... lots of babbling and no conclusions. Just something that's been on my mind as I consider how, relationally, to spend my last 4 months in Edmonton.
One of the biggest revelations that I'm having about friendships is that geography becomes less important the older we get. (Or, maybe the other big change that has affected this is the Internet with it's skype, email and MSN Messenger!) When I was living in Winnipeg, my friends were the people on the same street as me. We would go "call on" them after school (after piano practicing was finished!) and then we would play games until our parents called us into bed. I had few friends who lived beyond the boundaries of that block, but this never seemed to be a deficiency.
Then we moved to the suburbs in Edmonton. One of the most startling discoveries of our new suburban neighbourhood was that there was no one close to my age on the street! At this point, friends changed to those in my class or at church. Sometimes we had to bike over to their houses, or wait until the weekend so our parents could drive us.
Now one of my best friends lives in China. My sister lives in Germany. Despite the distant, these are two of the closest relationships I have. It is so encouraging to me to have these close long-distance friendships as I begin to plan my move to far, far away.
There is a saying that we have friends for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. I'm so thankful that I do have some "lifetime" friends. There are also a lot of people that I know I will lose touch with, who will become a part of distant memories past. It's important to maintain these friendships while we have them. Being a friend is all about giving to someone when you are in their life. The nice thing is that you usually grow in return.
Hmmm... lots of babbling and no conclusions. Just something that's been on my mind as I consider how, relationally, to spend my last 4 months in Edmonton.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Puddles Make Me Smile :-)
As I drove home from work this afternoon, there were tons and tons of puddles! It was SO gorgeous out today, a great relief after experience -30 degree weather on Tuesday.
My shoes, which have remained mostly lonely in my closet since October, will once again appear once all this snow melts away. Skirts and capris which have long gone undonned will shortly be replacing my boring work pants!
Instead of running around my living room with the Wii remote, waving at all my Mii friends, I can actually go outside for running and walking!
Well, soon, anyway... the puddles are all a sign of the warm weather that will be here shortly.
My shoes, which have remained mostly lonely in my closet since October, will once again appear once all this snow melts away. Skirts and capris which have long gone undonned will shortly be replacing my boring work pants!
Instead of running around my living room with the Wii remote, waving at all my Mii friends, I can actually go outside for running and walking!
Well, soon, anyway... the puddles are all a sign of the warm weather that will be here shortly.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Status Change
It's official.
The Darden Admissions office received my deposit and I got an email notification this evening that my status on the admissions website had changed. Now, instead of "Offer," it says, "Accepted Offer."
The only thing left on my pre-deposit checklist is uploading a digital photo of myself to the student portal.
The Darden Admissions office received my deposit and I got an email notification this evening that my status on the admissions website had changed. Now, instead of "Offer," it says, "Accepted Offer."
The only thing left on my pre-deposit checklist is uploading a digital photo of myself to the student portal.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Apartment!
This is probably exciting for only me, but I received confirmation of my apartment placement today. I now officially have an American address (though not a student visa yet...).
My apartment is on the side of the complex that is closer to the Darden grounds, and has two bedrooms, a den and a fireplace. I am really excited about getting the den, since I've become spoiled in my current house with having an office. Even more, it will be nice for Amy (my future roommate) and I to have separate study spaces if need be for exams. (Kitchen table/den)
In other B-school news, according to the Canada Post tracking website, they received my deposit today. I'm not sure if they confirm receiving it, but I'm kind of sad that they won't keep sending me cute little email videos attempting to convince me to come!
My apartment is on the side of the complex that is closer to the Darden grounds, and has two bedrooms, a den and a fireplace. I am really excited about getting the den, since I've become spoiled in my current house with having an office. Even more, it will be nice for Amy (my future roommate) and I to have separate study spaces if need be for exams. (Kitchen table/den)
In other B-school news, according to the Canada Post tracking website, they received my deposit today. I'm not sure if they confirm receiving it, but I'm kind of sad that they won't keep sending me cute little email videos attempting to convince me to come!
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Deposits
In the past week, I have sent off deposits for tuition and my apartment. It's crazy that this is all starting to shape up!
My roommate and I applied for a 2-bedroom plus den at an apartment complex a close walk from campus. (Er... "grounds" as they are called at University of Virginia) I have no idea what the timeline is for finding out which apartment we get, but it's nice to have that at least taken care of.
Anyway, the checklist of things that I still need to take care of is still quite long. The process of moving internationally is quite lengthy, even though my international move is just one border away.
My roommate and I applied for a 2-bedroom plus den at an apartment complex a close walk from campus. (Er... "grounds" as they are called at University of Virginia) I have no idea what the timeline is for finding out which apartment we get, but it's nice to have that at least taken care of.
Anyway, the checklist of things that I still need to take care of is still quite long. The process of moving internationally is quite lengthy, even though my international move is just one border away.
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