Remember that Canadian 5-dollar bill you kept because you thought it was funny that they put hockey players on their money? At today's exchange rate, that Canadian 5-dollar bill is worth 67,000 US dollars. Find that thing.
It's funny because it's (almost) true.
♠ In renewed planning for my globe trotting I've found I'm pretty shit outta luck. I no longer qualify for youth discounts, and the US dollar has dropped 30% in the last year against the Euro. Even if I stay at the crappiest hostels, never eat out, and forego commercial museums entirely, it'll still cost me about $50/day to trek through Europe.
So even though I've met my original savings goal, it's only about 70% of what I need. And yes I can forego Europe entirely, but that's the primary reason for the trip. I've always wanted to go, I even learned Italian in high school with the hopes I would eventually spend some time in Italy. And I know it's not going anywhere, but I also know the situation isn't going to get any better.
♠ My mother called today to tell me she finally got a job, after 2 months of searching and being laid off from her previous job of 20 years. She now makes almost half what she was making before. She also checked her 401k and found that she lost $13,000 in the last quarter alone due to failing stocks.
♠ My sister arrives today, she's planning on moving here for the next 4-5 months. Don't ask me why, I'm not quite sure, though this e-card pretty well explains it.
She surprisingly found a job already, or rather she simply transferred from the one she already had. Which is probably good for her. I recommended she check out Starbucks, since there's one on every corner here and they offer health insurance to even their part time workers. Except I just read they're shuttering 600 stores and laying off 12,000 employees. If that isn't a dead canary in the mine, I don't know what is.
Edit: My sister has been a Portland resident for less than 24 hours and she's already found a place to live in a really nice neighborhood for a ridiculously small amount of money. Never underestimate the power of being a 20 year old girl.
