Tamara Arishenkoff

Let me start by saying that I am not a huge Kid Rock fan, but “All Summer Long” is one of those tunes that gets into your head, more so I think because of the “Sweet Home Alabama” theme behind it. That is a song that can take you back to so many memories of the days of yore; really, Yore is a real period in time, trust me.

So I decide that I want this song for my workout playlist on my iPod, and head over to iTunes to download it. I mean, every artist is on iTunes, right? WRONG! Seems that Kid Rock wants folks to re-live the nostalgia that he felt as a young lad trotting off to the record store to pick up the latest album of his fave band. I have boxes of CD’s that I paid crazy money for back in the day, only to be disappointed like many to find there were only a couple of good songs. Well to this I said “nay nay”, and I used my trusty Torrent to get the song for free. Now, as a self-employed person, would you not rather have been paid something for your hard work versus getting a big, fat goose egg? If 1 million folks download that tune for .99cents, Kid would have made $80,000.00 in addition to all the dough from the full album sales. I think AC/DC should do the same thing, then maybe I wouldn’t have had to spend $250 on concert tickets or continue to find ways to nab the tunes from a shady place. I have no issue paying .99 cents for a song I really like, so I say hail to iTunes and to those that opt out, just remember how fast 8 cents can add up in the online world.

So yesterday I am heading to a meeting for my BC Children’s Hospital Foundation committee meeting at EA Sports (which I might add is the coolest place on earth!), and found myself at the perpetual muppet show that is the 4-way stop. Is this a concept that is missing from the driver’s ed programs these days? I have been driving for - gulp - 23 years now, and the situation never seems to improve no matter how much hope I hold out. Granted, the Lower Mainland is not renowned for its driving expertise, but it seems that normally good, intelligent drivers totally lose it when faced with the 4-way stop. Here is the fundamental rule to follow at a 4-way stop:

The first vehicle to arrive at a complete stop is the first vehicle allowed to leave the stop sign.

Much of the stress that is introduced into our driving day can be greatly reduced if we all get on the same page. Next time you find yourself panicking at a 4-way stop, take a deep breath and follow the simple rule.

Apple unveiled the new iPod Nano today, and I wonder if there is something disturbing about the fact that this news makes me tingle with glee. It has been two years since I purchased my totally pimp 17″ MacBook Pro, and did the unthinkable by running…ahem…Windows on it for most of that time. Before you call for the lynch mob to tar and feather me, let’s just be clear that I had to do so for my work. After dealing with Boot Camp and then running a VM (Virtual Machine), the typical Windows frustrations drove me to take regular swigs from the whiskey stash in my filing cabinet until I finally had enough. After a successful Windows exorcism, I am now happily living in a total MAC world (yes, I am runnning Office for MAC, but that is a necessary evil). I have everything I need (with one exception) and could not be happier.

People like me should not have access to the Apple Store or be given a credit card with which to make unnecessary purchases of Apple gadgets. Or are they unnecessary? I have a perfectly good iPod Nano (2nd generation) and don’t NEED a new one - BUT - I WANT a new one. Now is the time to be strong and look to my inner resolve and willpower and just say NO. I am the perfect example of the type of consumer the all-mighty Apple marketing machine is targeting. The one who thrives on the latest gadgets and gizmos and loves living in the world of total Geekdom where I reign as Queen.

The old sayings of ” Good things come to those who wait”, or “Patience is a virtue” used to drive me up a wall. Don’t get me wrong - I have been known to be a very patient person, unless it involves something that I want right this very minute (not to be confused with impatient). No, I have learned of late that patience, no matter how prudent it may seem at the time, or how painful it may be to endure, is indeed what inevitably wins out in the end. The most profound examples of patience, it seems, always involve matters of the heart. Patience with a parent who gets sick, a lover who experiences challenging times, a dream that is finally about to come true, or a child who has been searching for their way home.

At the very core of patience is a love and desire so deep and consuming that it tests our nature and our character to the very core. Sometimes you just have to say “screw patience” and go out and grab what it is that you want, but in most cases, playing the waiting game is what is necessary to get to the brass ring. It is kind of funny that yesterday I wrote about Change and now am writing about Patience and did not clue in to how these two are so intertwined until just this very moment. I’m waiting for the V8 guy to pop out from around the corner and smack me in the forehead. You learn along the way when to push the limits of patience and when to hang back, and to me its the most delicate dance we can perform. Once you learn the steps, the possibilities become endless.

Since Saturday I feel like I have been sucked into the vortex of the past, finding myself in some twisted world of the present with a high dose of the 80’s thrown into the mix. Maybe I’m listening to way too much Jack FM these days, or it could be the digital station I also have on right now (blasting out some Billy Joel “We Didn’t Start the Fire”). Whatever cosmic forces are at work here, they are taking me back in time at every corner. KISS “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” on the way home got it all started for me. What a great song.

The past is currently an ever-present part of my here and now and my future, and I have to say its pretty amazing. What’s even more amazing is what happens when those two worlds collide. The true sense of self that you get allows for a level of personal introspection that one may not otherwise enjoy. I’m dating my Grade 7 boyfriend…if it all works out the way it should, it could be an Oprah moment for sure!

Have I mentioned I have never seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show? I’m thinking I may have one of these nights at my house and have some of the crazies over for some crazy fun.

There comes a time in every woman’s life when the realization truly hits that all things must change. This is a concept that I have fought for years - was never very good at “change”, even though much of the change in my life has been initiated by me. I guess the real aversion was to change inflicted upon me by others that I always fought like Rocky vs. the Russian. Another big change is right around the corner for me with the launch of my new business and the transition to self-employment. I can accept that I will never be someone’s employee ever again (knock on wood), and that I have more control over the course of my life than I have ever had, or felt I had, before. I am having an easier time accepting the fact that I will be 40 in exactly 4 months than I did accepting turning 30 (God, has it really been 10 years??). I guess all the thoughts about change are prompted by the turning of the seasons, even though summer was ever-present here today.

Yep, change to me is slowly going from what I once thought was a 4-letter word to something that I want to embrace. Forty is going to be my year, I can feel it, and have never looked so forward to a birthday since I can’t remember when. Wow, that number sounds really, really big - wasn’t I just 16 a few minutes ago? Glad my twenties are over and my thirties was so full of life experiences and lessons that I am so thankful for. The only way to move forward is to change, that much I have figured out. I have a renewed goal to change myself even more over the next month - bump up my fitness goals and gear up for October 1st and a new chapter in my life. When I think about it, the book has been pretty interesting so far and I can hardly wait to see what’s next.

Today was an absolutely amazing day, the sun was shining and so many people were out and about. I spent the day with my dear friend “Squiggy” who is here in Vancouver for another week recovering from a pancreas transplant. I picked her up and we came back to my pad as she has never seen where I live in the 4 years that I have been here. Sad, but true. We headed to The Boat House in New West at the Quay and enjoyed some yummy seafood and sangria. The satellite radio station was pumping out old 80’s tunes and we had our own little dance party right there in the lounge. Created some amusing entertainment for the very bored staff as it was not overly busy there this afternoon. I laughed so hard that I’m pretty sure I managed to work in an awesome ab workout at the same time.

After lunch, we came back to my place and took the K-Man for a nice long walk down the Quay. Good thing I brought the portable doggy water dish and some Dasani as there were a few pooches in addition to mine that were panting away from the hot summer sun. Can I still say summer in September? Technically it still is I guess. The sun is now just setting and the sky looks so amazing tonight. Not a cloud anywhere to be seen which is a rare sight in these parts. While summer continues to hang on, I can’t help but look forward to Fall, my other favourite season. With the season change, so does change once again blow through my life and I am so ready to embrace it.

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that electing a 72 year-old man into the office of President of the United States is an absolutely ridiculous notion? My gal Hillary is out of the running this time around, so I am all aboard the Obama train. Let’s not forget his running mate Sarah Palin - these two are just so wrong on so many levels. I guess the bigger question is are the American people ready for a black man as President more so than a coffin-dodger and a female Vice-President? If McCain decides to take a dirt nap his first term in office (should he get in, of course) then she is next in line. At least with W. in office, we all knew that Cheney used him as his personal ventriloquist act, so no big surprises there if the Commander in Chief goes down to a rogue snack food clogging his windpipe.

The Obama-Biden ticket sounds a lot like an Osama prose gone horribly wrong as well, but at least there is a stack of charisma there and a hope that a Democratic leader will take back the White House that should have been Al Gore’s 8 years ago were it not for the B.S. that took place with the voting debacle. No, I think this is going to be very interesting indeed.

Okay, last time I checked we were not in grade school anymore. We are all grown adults and when we come down with a cold, flu, or other contagious disease, we should know better than to come into work and infect the rest of the population. I have spent the better part of this week fighting off a sickness that should never have come into the workplace to begin with. I work in technology, and this business above most typically provides the ability to work from anywhere, including a sick bed, when one is not feeling well enough to go to the office but can still remain relatively productive. Let’s just say I am pissed off. The world is a germy enough place (yes, its my word) as it is without adding coughing, sneezing, drippy eyes, etc. to the mix.

I beg of you all…if you are sick, please stay home. It is utterly selfish and unnecessary to bring down an entire office of people because you think you should be at work. Next time you are feeling sick, ask yourself one simple question - “Will anyone die if I don’t go into work today and take time to get better?” - if the answer is NO, then stay home and rest. Your co-workers will be most grateful.

I am going to give you the worst-ever justification for the obscene amount of money I dropped on a new Apple Cinema Display yesterday…I really need it.

Yes, in 4 weeks I will be “working from home” as I embark on my new journey of self-employment, and could easily have purchased an excellent monitor for about half the price of this thing. BUT…would it be nearly as cool and pimp as the one I have? I say “nay-nay”! I found my way to MacStation in Burnaby and purchased a 20″ display, which I do indeed need a secondary display for my work. Not cheap to say the least, coming in at $700 plus taxes, but wow it is so very sweet. I have justified this purchase by convincing myself that the dining room table will be a great office for a couple of months and that ergonomically correct, comfy desk chairs are overrated. I’m still young enough and fit enough to not worry about pesky back problems.

In addition to the display, I also purchased a swanky red hard cover for my MacBook Pro and a matching iomega backup drive so Time Machine is FINALLY RUNNING! I really wanted pink since its my fave colour, but apparently MacBook Pro people are too serious for frivolous colours such as pink. What a pile of hooey.

Hello, my name is Tamara, and I am a gadget-a-holic.