I cancelled my cable TV subscription a month or two in advance of the launch of Netflix. At the time the decision was a combination of needing to trim all fat from my budget, and an urge to finally “cut the cord” and redirect my TV time to other things. I wouldn’t have even considered myself a big TV watcher, but no one ever does. We all say that we only follow a few shows, but honestly I think we’ve all found ourselves leaving the TV on at the end of one of those ‘few shows’, aimlessly flicking between channels before we settle on that re-run of CSI that we’ve already seen twice. You know you’ve been there.

So really, I didn’t want Netflix to replace my TV and movie watching. I was trying to evolve away from my screen dependancies (as little as I perceived them). Again, overall I think it’s been a success. Every once in a while I’ll find a show I really like and I’ll watch an episode every night until I’ve exhausted all the available seasons, but half an hour every night of commercial-free tube time compared to two hours or more of mindless surfing is definitely an improvement.

My parents have also recently made the decision to cut the cord and have signed up for Netflix as an alternative with much the same hopes that I did a year ago. That said, the transition is harder for them. You see, the Netflix system isn’t pefect, especially for generations other than my own. The first barrier to entry is accessibility.

Just to get Netflix to work you need one of the following:

• A computer or laptop, running Windows and the required (free) software, connected to the internet at acceptable speeds, and with enough horsepower to play the video stream.
• A modern game console (Wii, XBox360, or PS3), connected to the internet, with the required addons/apps/plugins. Note that if you want to watch Netflix through the XBox360 you also have to have an XBox live account – at an extra monthly cost which in my opinion is a totally unneccessary money grab.
• A boxee box or similar “media server” product, connected to the internet.

The first thing all of these options have is that they COST MONEY – like hundreds of dollars. The other key factor is the complexity of setting up the device and service. This is money and effort that most people my age have already expended – they already own a computer or a game console and have a decent high-speed internet connection. People like me find the adoption of Netflix very easy. Many people outside of my limited demographic, however, do not have the equipment or the know-how to set up a system that works for them.

Let’s look back at my parents as an example. I feel they reflect the average baby-boomer couple pretty accurately. Mom and dad have a pretty decent laptop, purchased in the last few years. They also have high-speed internet. Thus they have the equipment needed to watch TV and movies on Netflix. But they’re still not entirely satisfied. Why? Well duh, what couple wants to snuggle up to a laptop monitor to watch a show?!?! So the situation is this: for my parents, Netflix is now more uncomfortable to use than conventional TV or DVDs, exactly opposite the experience Netflix is trying to achieve.

I’m currently looking for ways to help my parents set up a system or method for watching Netflix on the TV that is as affordable and easy-to-use as possible. Not every Netflix user faced with a similar dissatifaction will have the resources to improve their experience.

Hell even I have my gripes with Netflix. At some point this summer our family PC (running Windows) and our TV and game consoles were all packed up to allow for renovations. For a month or two my daughter and I were left with just our netbooks and internet access for entertainment (spare me the comments about first-world problems). The problem is that our netbooks run Linux instead of Windows, and Netflix doesn’t work with a non-Windows operating sytem. I’m sure it’s a problem only .0001% of Netflix users will ever face, but that doesn’t make it any less of a hindrance to wider adoption.

And Netflix wants wider adoption. If you take a look at this article from the Globe and Mail you can see that despite having almost a million subscribers in Canada, Netflix has still lost about $10-million in the year it’s been offering service in Canada.

I think overall if Netflix wants to continue to grow their subscriber base in Canada it’s going to have to offer a service that isn’t just cheaper than a cable TV subscription, but also just as easy to use. And that’s just looking at the situation from a wide perspective. There are a lot of little improvements and tweaks that the geek in me can imagine for the Netflix service that would start making it a service that offered much more than cable TV could ever dream of.

In part two of this topic I’m going to talk about a few things I’m doing to make my personal Netflix experience better, and talk about some of the ideas that could really make Netflix the ultra-rich media provider it needs to be to get in the black here in Canada.

1. How far along are you? As of today I am at twenty one weeks. Ah, the blissful second trimester. I feel like a moon-worshipping sensual earth goddess. I’m trying to enjoy it as much as I can, because before long I will start feeling like a cross between Jabba the hut and Shamu the whale.

2. When are you due? The estimated due date is November 15th, but I’m really hoping for 11/11/11.

3. Is it a boy or a girl? Probably. Jon and I decided not to know the gender. We’ll know when he or she shows up.

4. Do you have a name picked out? We have a few ideas. Personally I like Lucy for a girl and James for a boy. Those were the first names of my paternal grandmother (Nana) and my maternal grandfather, both of whom I cared for very much. Lucien is another boy name being considered. At some point I’ll make up a list of all the names Jon and I like and after baby arrives we’ll pick the one that suits them best. I guess a lot of people have names decided on way before baby shows up, but that doesn’t make sense to me.

5. Is it yours? Alright no one has actually asked me this one yet, but it was funny right? I couldn’t really think of a fifth question I get asked a lot. If y’all can think of a question about my current condition or future plans go ahead and ask it in the comments.

Wait, that’s bull.

They sat there for almost five years because it has taken that long to finally finish the renos.

It was a big project that just kept getting bigger. There used to be a kitchen sink in my room, and two closets, and a chimney, and beige carpeting. All of that had to go. Then after stripping several layers of wallpaper to reveal crumbling plaster it was decided that the humane thing to do for the room would be to just pull all the plaster out. And if we’re pulling the walls down, why not the ceiling too? And why not upgrade the wiring and put in more plugs while the walls are down?

That is how this:

…turned into this:

Unfortunately from about 2008 until recently that’s pretty much how the room stayed. Every once in a while a piece of gyproc would be put up, but it turns out that I don’t really put the “warrior” into “weekend warrior” without a little motivation. That’s when Jon entered the scene. He was no stranger to reno projects, having conquered several of his own and having helped out with lots that various family members have done. Plus, he’s a go-getter. So it happened that one day I came home and found, well, let me share the tweet with y’all:

Yup, scaffolding in my bedroom. So in one weekend I went from this:

To this:

OMG WALLS AND A CEILING! SQUEE!

Now that the room project had forward momentum I found the drive to put in more and longer hours myself. I grew up around constant reno projects and was no stranger to drywall, which was good because crackfill was like Kryptonite to Jon. So he puzzled out what to do about the floor while I mudded and sanded.

Finally we reached the last weekend of February. Jon had told me when we started that I would be able to move into my room by the end of February and I had been skeptical. With four days left to go we still had a lot to do. It took a few late nights but we finished the crackfill and laid a sub-floor in the room Saturday. On Sunday everything was painted:

Then around seven in the evening we started installing the laminate floor I had purchased for this room five years ago:

…and I put the last piece into place three hours later:

Only one electrical outlet was hooked up, the light fixture was left unconnected, and there were still many small things to get done. Regardless, we dragged my mattresses and pillows and blankets upstairs and after waiting for so long I finally got to sleep in my new bedroom for the first time, and with one day to spare.

A – Age: 31 (and two-thirds)

B – Bed Size: Queen, for now.

C – Chore You Dislike: Dishes (handwashing).

D – Dogs: Tika, my beautiful redhead. She has recently decided that lying at the head of the bed with her butt in my face is the most preferable sleeping position.

E – Essential Start to Your Day: Eggs, which also starts with the letter E. I have three eggs every morning for breakfast. They are free-range, Omega3 eggs from happy chickens.

F – Favorite Color: Green, I think, but maybe I am just anxious for spring.

G – Gold or Silver: Both! I guess gold if I really have to choose. I used to think it looked tacky and gaudy, now I am fond of it.

H – Height: 5’10″

I – Instruments You Play(ed): None well. I used to tink away on dad’s piano, and he has tried to teach every one of three kids how to play – though none of us do. I have a ukulele I can play a few chords on, and a violin I can scrape out the scales on.

J – Job Title: Network Administrator

K – Kids: Have one, want more.

L – Live: Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada (eh?). It’s nice here. I can see myself moving for better work opportunities or for a lifestyle change, but I think I’ll stay in the Maritimes if at all possible.

M – Mom’s Name: Carole

N – Nicknames: Does mom/mummy/mother count? I guess at one time I was named “the turkey lady” for my fabulous turkey dinner, but that was a very specific crowd. Someone also calls me “Misty”, or more properly “Miss T”.

O – Overnight Hospital Stays: Lots. I had two major operations when I was a kid. First they took out one of my kidneys (never fully formed in the womb, became problematic later), then about a year later they did some more work on my plumbing. I also had an infection in my teens that had me hooked up to IV for a few days, and of course childbirth.

P – Pet Peeves: I get peeved at people who park poorly or illegally.

Q – Quote from a Movie: “Now I may not have much, but I have more determination then any man you’re ever likely to meet.” from Big Fish.

R – Righty or Lefty: Lefty!

S – Siblings: A younger brother (Warren) and sister (Becky).

T – Time You Wake Up: Six AM every weekday in the winter, which will probably change to five-thirty in the summer so I can take the dog out in the morning. I snooze until seven on Saturday, and Sunday varies but I usually can’t stay in bed later than eight.

U – Underwear: Yes I wear it, and in every style and color imaginable.

V – Veggies You Don’t Like: Turnip/Rutabaga.

W – What Makes You Run Late: Lack of tupperware when I pack my lunch, garbage day, an empty gas tank, the dog having to go out twice in the morning, and sometimes a complete lack of motivation to get out of bed.

X – X-Rays You’ve Had: Oh I’m sure I’ve had some for my operation(s), and possibly one other time when I may have broken something (I didn’t), but I can’t remember the details.

Y – Yummy Food You Make: Pretty much everything. My guacamole is always a hit, as are the various Chinese and Szechuan dishes I make. Sausage and peppers is always popular, and Jon frequently requests my “best chicken ever”. I also think I make the best turkey dinner in the world.

Z – Zoo Animal Favorites: Tigers! I think I spent two whole hours watching baby tigers at the Mirage in Las Vegas. I took some video:

How did this happen? Well here’s how it started…

I was well into the dating scene by now. After you’ve been on a particular dating site for a few months you’ve pretty much seen and been seen by most of your potential matches, so the frequency of new messages drops off. Imagine my delight, then, when I was notified of a new message.

Here’s a bit of insight into my internal processes when I’m opening a message from an unknown:

• Does he have a profile pic? +1 for yes.
• Is he relatively attractive? +1 for yes. (Go ahead, tell me I’m vain)
• Is the message subject interesting? +1 for yes.
• Quick-scan the message for length and obvious punctuation problems. +1 if it’s more than a few sentences. -20 if it’s “hi how r u”.

In the online dating world, THAT is a first impression. This message passed. It was only a few sentences long but they were well-formed. He had a pic and looked like he might be cute (it was hard to tell, so tiny). I wish I could remember the subject of the message but it’s lost now. What really killed me was the first line:

I joined this site and made a profile just so I could send you a message.

ALL STOP.

I think I made the Dreamworks smirk. Seriously, this face:

The expression that says “I’m amused by this, but in a skeptical kind of way.”

Then I did what any good geek girl would do; I started clicking around trying to find proof that would bust his claim wide open. I couldn’t find anything. After a day I conceded that I at least couldn’t prove that he was lying, so I sent him a brief reply:

I think you’re full of shit but I can’t prove it, so I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt.

Can’t you just feel the love?

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t like New Years resolutions so I didn’t make any last year. I will make many resolutions in 2011, but I will make them all year long.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thank goodness, no.

5. What countries/states did you visit?
I didn’t even leave New Brunswick this year. Ugh.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A bedroom.

7. What dates/events from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
So many, especially the last half of the year. November 21st was a very good day. <3

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Jasmin’s bedroom reno.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I failed to put as much money into savings as I had hoped/planned.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Always with the stomach problems, but I don’t seem to get sick otherwise.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I bought a piece of art in the spring I rather fancy, and a table for my hallway. They were both indulgent purchases.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My daughter for being giving and thoughtful, funny and brilliant. My friends for being there when my life rolls towards the dramatic. My coworkers for letting me show up for work ten minutes late almost every morning.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The administration at my workplace, for their apparent disregard of good employees and/or ignorance of their hard work. Also the Catholic church.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Just bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Airbender movie (disappointment).

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
And So It Goes – Billy Joel

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner
c) richer or poorer? About the same
TWO OUT OF THREE AIN’T BAD!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Dancing, swimming, hiking, camping.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Pouting, brooding, fretting.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Surrounded by my family and people I love. Oh and opening lots of pressies, I LOVE pressies!

21. Which internet people did you meet this year?
Too many Twitter people to count thanks to the Fredericton tweetups. Also some fellow bloggers.

22. Did you fall in love in 2010?
Twice.

23. How many one-night stands?
None. Ick.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
The Walking Dead

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I can think of one that I have no more time for, but hate is an awfully strong emotion.

26. What was the best book you read?
The Lions of Al Rassan – thanks Mister!

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Amy Annelle

28. What did you want and get?
A lot of things actually – I’m very blessed.

29. What did you want and not get?
A million dollars.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Probably Red, though the Expendables was also really good.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I don’t remember what I did. I turned 31.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Financial stability.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
I’ve spent a good part of 2010 defining my personal style actually, and I’m very happy with where it is going. I would describe it as “class” – both classy and classic.

34. What kept you sane?
Peter.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Jason Statham – and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The most? I’ve just spent twenty minutes brooding over this and can’t decide. Locally I was really fired up about the attempted sale of NB Power. Nationally I am disappointed in the decline of our Canadian identity abroad as well as the protection of our natural resources. Internationally I was moved by the natural disasters all over the world, and not just Haiti which seemed to get all of the attention.

37. Who did you miss?
Nana.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many excellent people this year. I think in many ways I’ve also rediscovered myself.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
The registration for your vehicle has an expiry DATE, not just a month. Don’t go by the stickers on your license plate, look for the date on your registration card. Also, fuck the police.

40.Do odd numbers make you uncomfortable?
Yes, very much so. Who makes a meme with 39 questions anyway?

Communication; it’s a two-way street. You readers that know me personally know that I’m a great listener, but only IF you can get me in that lane. Otherwise I will talk your ear off. You also know that I can get really animated and enthusiastic when I talk. What’s important is that I KNOW THIS about myself. If I’m talking with someone I try to stay aware of the conversation and put as much effort into listening as I do talking.

The whole two-way communication thing is especially important when you’re getting to know someone, and that brings me to a conversation I had a while ago with a…dudeguy. He seemed nice enough on the dating site, we passed a few messages back and forth and then decided to add each other to IM. It was soon after that he earned the nickname “caffeine guy”.

The guy talks, and talks, and talks…like a million miles a minute.

Seriously.

His chat messages.

Look like this.

Constantly.

All the time.

And he randomly changes topics.

Rainbow monkey lightbulb bathtub.

That in itself isn’t a deal breaker, but let me add that not only does he talk a lot, and fast – he also doesn’t pay attention to what the other person says.

Example anyone? Voila:

dudeguy: how were the movies the other day

amyt: ugh, well…I guess I showed up a bit too early. Like a whole week early. The film fest starts this Thursday.

dudeguy: nice

dudeguy: who showed up early?

dudeguy: your period ?

amyt: um, what?

dudeguy: you said guess who came a week early

dudeguy: usually that means your period

amyt: I think you need to slow down and read carefully.

dudeguy: let me see

dudeguy: oooh you came early

Awkward much?

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper. Gift bags are a shallow cop-out used by soulless people who have forgotten the joy of ripping open a carefully (or not) wrapped package.

2. Real tree or artificial?
Real, and I think I’m getting it today!

3. When do you put up the tree?
Whenever I have time. Usually the second or third weekend of December.

4. When do you take the tree down?
I tend to start disassembling the tree and decorations the day after boxing day, but I don’t do it that way for any superstitious reasons.

5. Do you like eggnog?
*Glug*

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
So many gifts of my youth were awesome. My cabbage patch dolls, popples, and science kits. *sigh* One of the most memorable was a purse my aunt sent me – it was made from a dried toad (basically just an empty dried toad with a zipper in the center of the belly).

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Dad.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
The kiddo! I can basically just buy all the awesome stuff that my inner child wants to have and give it to her!

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
No, but this made me think of my Nana and her over-the-top Christmas decorating. I miss her so much.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
I haven’t been in the habit of sending cards. I really should pull up my big girl panties and send some.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I love just about any gift I’ve ever received. I had an aunt that used to just tear pages out of magazines all year and wrap them up and give them for Christmas and I thought that was AWESOME. However a few years ago I received a gift from my significant other of four years. It…triggered something. It was so NOT me. Something that nobody that knew me would think I would like, but he thought I would love it. That’s when I knew I wasn’t understood, or that the person he saw me as was who he wanted me to be, and not who I really was. It was the beginning of the end.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Die Hard. It’s a tradition with me and Jas now to watch it every year on Christmas Eve.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Mentally in August, but the gifts never seem to actually get purchased until the last few weeks before Christmas.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Regifted? No.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
My mom’s tortiere.

16. Lights on the tree?
Uh, yes? I go with all-white on the main tree. Sometimes I do another tree in the porch with coloured lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Anything Tchaicovsky.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Both! I like to be in my own home with the kiddo on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but out and about the rest of the time. Not much traveling happening this year, just to Saint John for Boxing Day with the family I think.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen. Nailed it!

20. Angel on the tree-top or a star?
A star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
One present Christmas Eve, the rest on Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Parking at the mall. Sometimes I will take the bus or a taxi just to avoid the parking.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
My main tree is done in a theme of blue, silver, and white. Last year I bought a bunch of tiny white birds that clip onto the branches of the tree and I am really smitten with them.

24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner?
Traditional turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, etc.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Different things from different people. You’ll either have to ask me or surprise me.

I haven’t blogged about my Kiva lending for a while now, but with Christmas in the air I think it’s time to talk about giving again. It was several Christmases ago that I bought every member of my immediate family a Kiva loan coupon as their gift. They went unspent for a while because apparently the technology was a bit confusing, so I took back the coupons and started to manage the lending myself. Since then I’ve also been lucky enough to receive coupons as gifts myself (thanks Chris and Jill!). One of the things I love about Kiva is the fact that one $25 investment can be re-loaned again and again. This will be my third year as a lender, and I’ve re-loaned twelve times since I started. That blows my mind.

Anyway, I don’t want to make this just a sales pitch for Kiva. There are a lot of great causes out there. I just want you, dear reader, to consider finding the one that makes you happy and giving what you can. Charity Navigator is a good place to start.

So who is the man on the couch up there? That would be Azianfo Gnagblokou; a father supporting seven kids through furniture sales. I usually lend to women, mostly because I feel they are more likely to be the ones raising children on their own and lacking societal advantages that men might have, but I had to give props to this guy taking care of his brood LIKE A BOSS.

2. A dangerous situation is happening and you spot an animal trapped, probably too afraid to get to safety. It could be a raging flood or crumbling cliffs and the animal could be a dog or cat – or perhaps your own family pet. Would you make an attempt to save them?
Absolutely, without a second thought.

3. Even if you would or would not make an attempt, let’s say you somehow get to the poor animal but circumstances change and you can’t get back to safety. Maybe in the raging flood, you walked on something that finally broke free. Maybe the steps you used upon the crumbling cliffs had given way. Help has finally arrived in the form of a helicopter but they say they will only take you to safety and you must leave the animal behind. Would you or would you not?
I would fight and argue and beg and persuade until the very last second. I would do as much as humanly possible, but in the end I would have to keep myself safe.

4. There have been situations where people have tried to rescue dogs and cats but got stuck themselves. Do you think the rescue officials have the right to sue people who decided to help but ended up getting stuck themselves?
Tough call. I don’t think we should sue or charge people for trying to do the right thing but failing at it.

5. The questions were to make you think about the value of an animal’s life. Did it help you rethink a few things or did it just help you hash out what you already feel?
Nothing here surprised me, I’m pretty firm in my beliefs.