Growl!

This....has been a day of mixed fortunes......

We rented our house!!!! Yaaaay!!! But....oh!.....we haven't yet been paid. The tenants are escaping their flooded house round the corner (I am trying not to wonder HOW it was flooded!) and their insurance company (The Halifax) is picking up the tab. Sadly....the Halifax now owe us a few sheckles and the tab remains unpaid. Probably not a big deal but I enjoyed living in Chalfont Rd more than I am enjoying renting it.

However...."nil carborundum illegitimi" (look it up)....we fed the kids their tea and then took them off to the Pittsburgh Zoo where, as members, we were "invited" (along with about 3 million other members) to attend the grand opening of the new Polar Bear enclosure, complete with underwater viewing tunnel thingy. Typically, the bears spent the entire time hanging around at the back so it was a bit of a flop in a wildlife sense but it was a beautiful evening and great to be out and about with the good people of Pittsburgh. What strikes me most is how scally-free this environment is. The place was packed but everybody is laid back and civilized. It's good value for money ($1 hotdogs) and free to get in (with membership) and the zoo is top quality.

Groovy!

Here is a thought provoking idea. Rob has today become an investor in African enterprise. Not by buying a mutual fund or some obscure stock sold by a Nigerian gentlemen via spam email but rather through a company called Kiva. The idea is that Kiva (and its African counterpart...both non-profit organizations) will put investors in touch with the "working poor" to help fund entrepreneurial activities. The interest rate is 0% so don't expect to retire on the fruits of your hard working $$$ but it sounds like there are many happy points to be won. Well done Robbo!!!!

If you want to be amazed and inspired....watch the Kiva story here. Well worth it.