This and that

It has been a busy couple of weeks for me and I am both sick and tired. The sick part I think is related to alergies that I get every spring. I am 33 years old and I just took an antihistamine for the first time ever and I feel a little better. The tired part comes from too many things on my plate demanding too much extroversion and not enough time to think, read, and reflect.

I hadn’t slept much in the last week and by the weekend, I was hurting. I drove to Arlington Beach and back on Saturday, worked Sunday, came home, did last minute Freehouse stuff, went to the Freehouse, went out after the Freehouse and came home Sunday night and slept like a baby. I woke up and didn’t log on for most of the day although I did watch some hockey. This morning I awoke on our couch. Apparently Wendy came home last night and tried to wake me up but I told her I was already in bed. I awoke to a slobbery stuffed goose and Maggi letting me know it was time to wake up and play with her now. How was the Freehouse? The first three we are doing this spring are to help us figure out what we want to do in the fall and there was some things I liked, some I did not and was frustrated with myself and some I don’t understand. Tomorrow we are talking them over.

Today was spent running around which is okay but I find I really want to get away and just read and listen and relax. That will come a little easier as the summer starts and I can enjoy the backyard. (speaking of backyards, Jonny Baker‘s garden renovation looks great) The plan is to start on my backyard bar and grill sometime next week.

Spring also means that work gets a little quieter as well. The shelter empties out with the warmer weather although we deal with more drunk and high people as it is easier to find your dealer when it is nicer. Despite the quietness, there is also stuff like this to deal with. She was around a lot and the circumstances of her going missing and dying make little sense right now, especially with her missing for so long. At work I have looked at her name on a Saskatoon Police business card for a couple of months so it never has left my mind.

A former co-worker asked me if I was cynical yet and joked that I was born cynical but as much as I hate to admit it, I am an idealist and I carry some of the conflict at work home with me. I do want to help and make a difference but the problem is a lot bigger than what I can do which grates on me too. It is such a complicated topic. Tonight I had a comment by a local real estate agent on my blog, Norm Fisher about a blog post I made a couple of weeks ago. Here is what he said,

Jordan, it’s amazing to me how much things have changed in such a short period of time. Believe it or not, small condos which could be purchased last December for $90,000 are now commanding prices of $160,000. It’s mind boggling to me but there seems to be no sign of relief.

A bunch of us have asked each other, “Could you afford your house now?” and the answer has been, “Not a chance”. While the real estate market has been hot, wages don’t seem to have caught up yet.

Of course the government guidelines for people on Social Assistance hasn’t increased which means people are getting forced out over rising rent. Of course raising funding levels means more people want to be on Social Assistance which is never good either. Some friends of mine have been hurt by rising rental prices. While their wages have not gone up that much, their rent has increased steadily. I drove through a couple of new neighborhoods and expected to find the usual collection of McMansions but instead I found a lot of Saskatchewan style row houses which I imagine are all being built for first time buyers but I was stunned at the asking prices for homes not a lot larger than my own. Of course high rent brings instability in housing which affects things like truancy and money available for food and groceries for the poor. If you want to find out more, here is some information .

Of course you factor in things like cuts to mental health leaves people without help, over crowded prisons sent people back on the streets without needed programming, illiteracy rates which may or may not be linked to drug use or FAS or just a lack of education because you couldn’t afford to pay your rent to the rant that Wendy has nightly when she picks me up at work of seeing kids playing on the streets at midnight who are younger than Mark and should be at home in bed. It isn’t an easy solution and I am not sure where to begin. The problem is a complex one and I am not sure where one begins.

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