Fun with rocks and exchange rates

So my mother's pond now has rocks around it. My father and I went into town this morning. We stopped off at the bank to get travel health insurance and some American cash for me and a new banking card for him. I got a whole 71USD for my 100CND. Whoot!

We then proceeded to the rock place, where we purchased 600 pounds of 2 inch thick Wiarton Bruce limestone. It's very pretty, and has a nice Canadian pedigree, coming as it does from the Escarpment. Granite from the Shield would be a bit funkier, but it also wouldn't be 15 cents a pound.

Of course, since I'm going out tonight for Buffy, we had to unload it once we got home. Wandering over to south Kitchener with large amounts of rock didn't seem to be the wisest idea.

Like that.

In other coolness....

A very good friend of mine has decided to join the legions deserting the software industry. He wants to make furniture.

This is cool on a couple of levels. First, I think he'll really enjoy it, and I love to see people I care about doing what they love.

Second, once he's ready to take some commissions, I'll know where to go to get some of the pieces I want. :)

Must remember

To bring the book back to Arnora tonight so she isn't forced to come down to Florida in search of me to kick my butt..

Wow...

So I just got off the phone with an old friend of mine who lives in VA.

Her husband and I went to the University of Waterloo (kinda) together, and he was a roomate of mine and the ex's a few times. He moved to VA to marry her after their fiance visa experience.

He was laid off last fall. It never comes in ones, of course - she's due next month, their second child. I dropped by his website today, because I was thinking of them. It turns out that he just accepted a job at Microsoft. In Seattle. I phoned, and talked to her for half an hour. Turns out he just flew out today. She's staying behind to do those little things like, oh, sell the house and have the baby. Man, I would not want to be her.

However, at least she's not going to have to work for the last month of her pregnancy (she was a SAHM before he was laid off) and things are going to stabalize for them. She's not moving out to WA until after the baby is born, and MS is doing all the packing and moving.

I'm hoping I can find some way to go spend some time with her before the baby is born. I know it's a stretch, but I suspect she could use the help and companionship. We'll see.