The Vince Files

I’ve mentioned before that this site is running in a VirtualPC environment.

VPC_W2K3

I’ve decided to switch to VMWare Server.  I’ll be bringing the server down so I can import my Virtual PC image into VMWare.

UPDATE: VMWare Server’s import tool failed to import my Virtual PC .vmc file.  Luckily they have a separate converter tool available available at http://www.vmware.com/download/converter/.

UPDATE: OK.  We’re back and the server is up and running.  It took me a while to get the networking figured out but everything seems to have worked out in the end.  Networking in Virtual PC seems much easier since the Virtual PC handles it all like it were a separate computer.  In VMWare, additional network adapters are added to the host.  Then you specify which adapter the guest OS connects to.

UPDATE: The hardware in my virtual machine has changed so much that Windows is asking to re-activate with Windows product activation.  After I established network connectivity, I just activated over the Internet and we’re officially, legitimately, back.

VMWARE_W2K3

If you are a Rogers Internet subscriber and you try to reach a non-existent URL (e.g. http://asdfzxcv.google.com), you will be redirected to a Rogers search page displaying ads. Read the rest of this entry »

The federal government has made changes to mortgages effective October 15.

Some key highlights:

• Maximum amortization of 35 years
• Minimum down payment 5%
• Maximum 45% debt service ratio (percentage of gross income for housing costs)

Good luck trying to buy the average home in Vancouver!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080709.wmortgages0709/BNStory/Business/

This is the closest I’ve come to winning the $4.40 180-player Sit-n-Go on PokerStars.  The final table lasted for quite a while.  Then the eventual winner started knocking players out.  I only knocked out one player at the final table.  By the time we got heads-up, he had a commanding chip lead over me.  I did manage to win an all-in moment and doubled up.  That brought us to about even in chips.  Then I made a mistake with a wrong read and the rest went downhill from there.  But 2nd place ain’t so bad from a field of 180.

On the weekend before Canada Day, we (me, Anna, Claire, and my cousin Liezl) went camping up at Tall Timbers Resort up at Watch Lake in BC’s South Cariboo region. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve lowered our listing price by $10,000 to try to entice an offer from a potential buyer.  We’ve been listed about a month with a couple of open houses, some private viewings and no offers yet.  This is how the market is these days; many listings are staying on the market longer and longer.

Our updated listing is now on MLXchange and our real estate agent will be following up with people who left their names in our previous open houses to let them know.  Hopefully something will come up soon.  We’re aiming to sell, and buy another place before our mortgage pre-approval expires.

Part of the BC government’s budget for 2008 is a $100 Climate Action Dividend to every person living in British Columbia.  Anna received $200 which includes Claire’s dividend.  This comes just in time for July 1 when the BC government will raise gas prices by around 2.5 cents per litre as part of their Carbon Tax.

So let’s see…what should I spend my $100 on?  Compact fluorescent lightbulbs?  Naaahhh..  Reusable shopping bags?  Naahhh.

Oh I know.  I think I’ll treat my car to a tank of gas!

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.  And believe me, luck plays a factor in Texas Holdem.  Because, if it weren’t for luck, I’d win every time!

In this hand, blinds are 125/250 with 25 ante.  I’m in middle position with 27 offsuit (considered the worst starting hand in Holdem) and decide to raise to 900 for kicks.  Everyone folds to the small blind who goes all in.  The big blind folds and I call.

27o_all-in

This past Tuesday, the Bank of Canada decided to keep their overnight rate unchanged at 3% despite analyst expectations of a 25-basis-point cut to help stimulate our economy.  It seems the BoC now has its sights set on fighting inflation.  How does this affect mortgage rates? Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s my latest victory.  It’s just a small Sit-N-Go tournament with $3.00 buy-in and $0.25 entry fee.  There were only 45 players and the top 7 get paid with first place getting $42.00.  This was a turbo tournament with blinds increasing every 5 minutes.  I like turbos; everyone plays really loose and tourneys don’t take forever.

tourney_win