2BR Suite at Pueblo Bonito Sunset

Yes it’s true, my wife and I have purchased two timeshares in Cabo San Lucas Mexico on e-Bay. Since a few people have been asking I thought I’d give the “Coles notes” version of what this process is like and what to expect if you want to do the same. First – some background. When people grow tired of their timeshare or they foreclose on it, the resorts that own the vacation “rental” (which is what a timeshare is).. buy the timeshare back from the owner. What then happens (in short form)

• Timeshare is sent to a timeshare-holdings company
• Holding company puts the timeshare up for sale on e-Bay
• People bid (usual e-Bay stuff happens here)
• Winner of the bid has won the rights to use the timeshare
• Once paperwork is signed (digitally at first, you must get final “deed” documents signed, notarized and faxed back to holdings company) you own the timeshare

My wife and I were married at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach on the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula. We couldn’t afford to stay at the resort but since some of our family had bought timeshares online we thought we’d watch e-Bay for a timeshare at Pueblo Bonito. After winning this auction (we paid $350 to win it) we paid our paperwork (transfer fees) and maintenance fees for 2010. What this means now is that we can stay in a luxury studio suite at the resort for 1 week every year for the next 25 years. We pay $495 for the entire week (7 days). This is actually what the resort charges PER NIGHT for the same room…

Last week, just for fun we bid on another resort, Cabo Villas on the Sea of Cortez side of the Baja Peninsula which was where my bachelor party was held (on the roof at the Baja Brewing Company.) We actually won this auction for $1. With the transfer fees, our costs were $300 US for a timeshare which if purchased through the resort would cost about $14,000 US.

Cabo Villas Beach Club

Essentially what you pay for is your right to book a week at the resort every year and pay a fraction of what it would cost to book the same accommodations through the hotel. We have had no problems dealing with either the timeshare closing companies (or escrow agencies) or the resorts once we have become owners.

There are tons of timeshares for sale on e-Bay and not just in Mexico but in the Bahamas, Tahiti, Hawaii, Fiji and even in Banff….The great part is that you can join RCI and trade up your timeshares to stay in resorts all over the world. I’ll blog some more about RCI in another post to explain how the banking and trading of timeshares works.

In response to a letter that Doug Riches posted on his blog about Earl’s restaurants only catering to a ‘majority’ demographic in the areas the restaurants are situated, there is one sentence that absolutely blows me away.

No matter which position we take, one group of customers is going to stop visiting us. There is no compromise; there is no way we can keep everyone happy.

This is bull-shit. Customer service is not limited to your rich business clients who come in from 11:30am to 1:30pm, drink stale Stella Artois in ridiculous beer ‘stem-ware’, order way-overpriced medallions of meat served in white Ikea dishes and tip $3.00 for a $65 meal.

Customer service is about catering to every demographic across all races, places and faces that happen to choose your establishment to spend their hard-earned money.

High-chairs (or lack thereof) is not the issue here. The issue is that Earl’s is shunning families due to the fact they believe there’s more value in choosing the business client (i.e.- they’ll bring in more cash….) In reality, a family of 3 or 4 is still going to generate a greater bill and probably return more often if the service and meal is good.

I really hope Earl’s pulls its head out of its proverbial ass and makes this right.

A few people have asked me to provide a transcript of what I read at my Mom’s memorial. Here it is in its entirety.

My mother was awesome – I will start with that.

I remember sitting in her old ’64 VW Beetle listening and singing along to Elton John, Paul Simon, Tina Turner and the Beatles from a very young age. My mom’s taste in music has stuck through even to today with her love for artists like John Mayer, B.B. King and Van Morrison. When I went through my rap and hip-hop phase in the early 80′s and 90′s I knew she didn’t appreciate it but there were a few songs I’d catch her dancing to in the kitchen if I had it on loud enough. When I called her on it she’d just say “I don’t like it but it’s got a good beat you can dance to!”

My mom always encouraged me to do better. I remember her yelling at me when I couldn’t do my math homework or my science homework because she knew I was capable of doing more. She had a lecture (more times than I cared to mention) about taking the right path in life or “playing at the waterfall.” She kept telling me this right up until the time I signed up for the Computer Systems Technology course at age 25. I remember telling myself when times got tough – I’ll show you who’s at the waterfall…. She was so proud the day I graduated but didn’t like the fact that I was Calgary bound. I think she knew Victoria was where the “waterfall” was…

My mom had an uncanny ability to know what was cool. She encouraged hockey, soccer, baseball and all the events and clothing styles to go with it. I clearly remember shopping with her for MC Hammer pants because I REALLY HAD TO HAVE THEM. If I showed up in the kitchen wearing a funny hat, tight-rolled jeans or even really bad, wavy (over-moussed) hair she’d let me know about it. In fact she had her own term for someone who looked/dressed silly and that was “Derwood” – as in “Jeremy, go brush your hair and put on a clean shirt – you look like a Derwood!!” I still, to this day don’t know what a Derwood is but I can tell you it’s not cool.

My mom really knew her sports. When I would play soccer she’d be yelling plays I should have done, or telling us what the other team was or wasn’t doing. At half-time she’d take me and whoever else would listen aside and give us inside information on how to beat the defense and how to correct our passing. In hockey games she’d be yelling at the top of her lungs – I never knew what but I can only assume that it was the same deep knowledge she had for other sports. I think if she’d written down the things she’d coached me about hockey she’d have given good ol’ Don Cherry a run for his money.

I know that she would have loved to have done the same for my kids. Correcting their homework, fixing their hair and calling them Derwoods. I know she would have been at every soccer, hockey (and even ballet?) practice yelling encouragement, coaching and doing what she does best. I’m sure she’s going to be there and I’m sure she’s going to have a huge impact on my kids because of the impact she’s had on me.

My mom was awesome and I will miss her very much. She was a force in my life and her voice will always echo through when it comes time for me to coach, mentor and guide my children through their lives. Thank-you mom.

For those interested in attending my mother’s memorial, it will be held at:

First Memorial 4725 Falaise Dr. Victoria, BC on Saturday March 13th, 2010 at 11:00am

In Theresa’s memory, donations can be made to Victoria Hospice Foundation, Stadacona Centre, 1510 Fort St. V8S-5J2 (250-952-5720). Flowers graciously declined.

They say that each of us is but a single drop of water in the great blue sea. But that some drops…sparkle.

–Camelot

My mother was an amazing woman with a strong will and kind heart. She battled cancer for the last 5 years and was surrounded at all times with words of encouragement, best-friends, love, sudoku puzzles, crosswords, her friends grandchildren, crock-pots of amazing food, baked treats and people I can never thank enough. She fought a hard fight and was able to spend quality time with us during our trip to Tofino in the summer of 2009. She passed March 3, 2010 in the presence of her immediate family and friends.

I love her with all my heart and will miss her laughs, her wisdom and her love for life.

Thank-you to all the friends and family who have given their time, strength, conversation, encouragement and faith during this time. For that I cannot thank you enough.

All I ask for are your prayers, condolences, kind words and help through this difficult time.

Jeremy.

Since the Vancouver 2010 Olympics came to a close and Canada finished with its best medal-count ever setting a record for the most medals received for a host country and most gold medals, there’s been a lot of talk about the “Own the Podium” (OTP) campaign. This was introduced in 2005 and provided transparency for the traditional providers as well as Corporate providers of funds to National Sports Development Associations into where their money was to be spent.

After the first week of competition, I was skeptical of the OTP as the results were nowhere near where they were predicted to be. But as the games closing drew nearer the Canadian athletes finished very strong and proved me and many other Canadians wrong about our ability to “own the podium”.

One concern I saw with this was the affiliation of Corporate funding to events. I would hate to hear something like: “This gold medal in Men’s downhill brought to you by Bell Canada….”. There should only be one logo affiliated with any result in the Olympics – Winter or Summer and it is that of our National Flag. Every brand I’ve worked with wants their logo splashed and tagline read with every success they accomplish and my worry is that this is where the Olympic Games are headed…. As many media reports pointed out – The Olympics are a big business.

Canada achieved a better result because of not-only the usual sponsors but because more people got involved with local and school-level sports development. There was more money for kids to learn how to ski, luge, skate and curl and many people got out of the proverbial armchair, rolled their sleeves up and helped develop the athletes that brought home Gold Medals in Vancouver.

This brings me to the (perhaps) crowning achievement of the Canadian team, the Men’s Hockey team winnning Gold. CBC published the credo that adorned their dressing-room wall and it’s a testament to the will and determination they showed in battling through each round to meet the US Men’s team again in the final game:

• LEAVE NO DOUBT
• That this is our game.
• That this is our time.
• That 14 days in February will be 2 weeks for the ages.
• That every day counts.
• That every meeting matters.
• That every practice makes a difference.
• That each one of us will rise to every occasion.
• That this isn’t about us, it’s about our country.
• That we know 33 million Canadians will attend every game.
• That home ice is an advantage.
• That nothing can distract us.
• That nothing will stop us.
• That our determination will define us.
• That we are built to win.
• That we are a team of character.
• That we are a team of destiny.
• So let the world be warned on February 28, 2010, we will …
• LEAVE NO DOUBT

Simplicity \Sim*plic”i*ty\, n. [F. simplicit['e], L. simplicitas.

The quality or state of being not complex, or of consisting of few parts; as, the simplicity of a machine. [1913 Webster]

Freedom from artificial ornament, pretentious style, or luxury; plainness; as, simplicity of dress, of style, or of language; simplicity of diet; simplicity of life. [1913 Webster]

I was tired of the same old theme on the site. Tired of people saying they couldn’t find stuff, tired of cropping/photoshopping header images. Here is the vanilla version of the site. Clean, clear concise and to the point. Old school tabs, Old School fonts…. Simplicity!

Enjoy.

Before leaving for Cabo San Lucas, Melody (my wife) had gathered a bunch of t-shirts from her school (Calgary Preparatory School) that they were no longer in need of. These t-shirts filled a suitcase which we checked and brought with us to take to the Captain’s Kid’s Daycare Center. This school in Cabo San Lucas, literally a 10 minute drive North of the resort areas that line downtown Cabo was a very eye-opening and humbling experience.

The school is situated in one of the “better off” areas according to the director giving us the tour. We could see that most of the neighbourhood citizens didn’t have running water, electricity or even walls or ceilings over their head. We saw a truck with a loud-speaker on the hood which the driver would read the daily news through as 90+% of the people living there could not read. This driver of the truck was also selling water to those who stopped him in the street – right outside the school.

The school facilities actually started as a simple palapa – or small grass hut – in the neighborhood. After years of donations and support the facility now has classrooms, a medical clinic, shelter, showers, running water, a kitchen and secure entry for all the children. Patricia Lozano, the director who showed us the school mentioned the need for security considering the poor conditions of the surrounding area. When we were there, the thrift shop that the school also operates out of the facility was closed due to the fact that no one has any money until people are paid on the 15th of the month.

During the visit we went through each of the classes with children in the age-range of 1-5 years old. Melody, being a pre-school teacher, taught the kids couple of songs and all I could do was snap pictures and sing along. Despite the tough conditions of the neighborhood and some of the heartbreaking stories about some of the kids attending the school, the children seemed so happy to have visitors and were constantly smiling and waving and craving attention.

We gave the t-shirts to Patricia and last week received the photo (above) of all the student population wearing their “Calgary Preparatory School” t-shirts and ball-caps that we’d donated to them.

Both Melody and I intend to visit the Captain’s Kids each year we go to Cabo and will donate whatever we can to such an excellent foundation for the children of Cabo San Lucas.

To see the slideshow on Flickr of all the photos taken that day at Captain’s Kids, click the photo above or click here!

This week I posted on Facebook the awful accusations that Pat Robertson made about Haiti making “a pact with the devil” to get out from under the “heel of the French” hence the earthquake was somehow deserved…. Here’s the video.

Today, after reading through my news feeds I found the best response to this garbage Pat Robertson dished out – written by none other than Satan himself….

Dear Pat Robertson,
I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I’m all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I’m no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth — glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven’t you seen “Crossroads”? Or “Damn Yankees”? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there’d be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox — that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it — I’m just saying: Not how I roll. You’re doing great work, Pat, and I don’t want to clip your wings — just, come on, you’re making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad.

Keep blaming God. That’s working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best, Satan

Merry Christmas! This morning the folks over at “1000 Awesome Things” have a post about the kid’s table. Our family dinners always had one down the end of the main dining room table where all the children would sit and slowly eat Turkey dinner. Some of the fondest memories I have about Christmas dinner were when I was at the kid’s table with a paper crown half-way down my face. From the article:

The Kids Table is where all the kids eat dinner at holiday family gatherings.

It’s generally a rickety card table from the basement pushed beside a yellow plastic one from the playroom that ends up turning Grandma’s hallway into an eat-in kitchen. Sometimes it’s two different heights, sometimes the chairs are broken, and usually the whole thing is covered in a plastic Christmas tablecloth freshly ripped from the dollar store cellophane.

No matter what though, The Kids Table a great place to find burps, laughs,and juice spills at a holiday meal. Everyone’s enjoying a warm evening with cousins decked out in their finest cableknit sweaters, rosy red cheeks, and massive bedhead.

So here’s to everyone who will be having Christmas dinner with family this year and remember those fortunate ones to be situated around the Table of Tables!!