biggish data

QUOTE (Danu @ Jan 30 2009, 01:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I really need to get this off my chest so here goes.

So my parents know of the plans (obviously) for Wes and I to get married. I come home last night and my mom goes "so why didn't you go with a work visa instead of a fiance visa?" I HATE having to try to explain myself and I wish she could just stop asking me questions. If I could have gone there for a bit to just be with him first I would have, but I couldnt (its like she assumes I have looked into NOTHING) but heres a crazy idea too. I chose a Fiance visa because...uhm...I love him?????? What a wierd concept. I talked to my dad at one point because this isnt the first time she's been llike this. She toggles back and forth between super helpful and then this...and it makes me feel really torn. My dad told me its just that they are both concerned for me as Wes and I haven't been in the same physical space for very long (after his visit we will have been together in person just over a month). But what they seem to forget is any waking moment that we aren't at work we are talking to each other.

Seriously, Wes works PST night shifts, and I work EST day shifts. Our days go I get up to goto work as hes coming home to goto bed. I get home from work when he gets up, we talk till he goes to work, at which point I goto bed. We do this EVERY day. So even though we aren't in the same actual room, its like we are in the same space. We talk about anything and everything. We know about everything each other wants, from pets to kids, to future plans for jobs/educations, we talk about money, we both know about exactly how much the other one owes and have an idea of what is in each others bank accounts right now. Its not like we just decided upon this without thinking about anything.

My dad's response at one point made me sad too. He said "just remember if things don't work out, there is always divorce." I know there is. I don't really want to think about that though thanks. Wes and I were both previously in 3+ year relationships where we did everything we could to try to keep it together, so we are fighters, we will fight through any issues we may have. Neither of us is opposed to councilling either should we need it, but we both doubt that we will as we have become very good at communicating (go figure lol) and we love each other very much.

What really perturbs me as well is the fact that my parents did something very similar, at almost the exact age I am now. They only were together 6 months before they got engaged, yet somehow they think because they lived together for a longer period before engagement than Wes and I have seen each other, that they had more "quality time" or some BS. My dad was in the military so part of this time he was away on excercise too and not actually there. Wes and I have been talking for almost 2 years, every day.

UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ok I'm done...sorry about the long post but this had me in tears last night and I'm not sure how to talk to my mom about how its making me feel because its not like I want to leave them, but I love Wes....and when I bring up my feelings to her she tends to get defensive.

My family was similar. They told me things such as, "talking on the phone isn't the same as being with them" or they said, "you two haven't lived everyday life together." Yes, I know that. However, we've talked far more than most couples. Lack of communication is one of the primary areas in which relationships fail. So it seems to me that basing your decision on the knowledge you've gained through talking is a better way to choose a spouse than how most people do.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2009-01-30 16:21:00

QUOTE (thetreble @ Jan 30 2009, 05:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Okay so remember a few weeks ago I told you guys about the wedding saga with my future bridezilla sister in law? Well I have even more of a rant here about her so here it goes. Sorry for this guys, I have to get it out!

She writes this 25 Random Things about her on Facebook and one of the 25 things is "I can't wait for marriage and my new job.."

She doesn't even work, is still in school and is not yet looking for a job. She is the onyl person I've ever met in my life that talks about a job like she already has it.

Example: She said that she wanted to have a summer wedding because she had to spend most of August planning her classroom. She doesn't have a teacher's job, has not applied for one yet AND is not even 100% qualified to be a teacher until May.

It sounds like she's living in some sort of fantasy world where marriage and a job will make life perfect. All I have to say to that is: "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2009-01-30 12:56:00

My wife thinks I was crazy for purchasing Sennheiser HD590 headphones in 2001 for $250 or so.

I don't think it was nuts at all! These headphones have superior audio quality and are pretty damn tough. In addition, when looking at the cost/year ratio, I've had these headphones for around eight years. That means I've spent $31.25 per year. Considering it's in perfect condition and sound the same as it did when it was brand new, I'd say that was a good investment. It beats buying crappy headphones every year or so.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2009-01-29 21:20:00

QUOTE (thetreble @ Jan 27 2009, 03:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What does your wife think about your dad?

Unless she can avoid it, I don't think she does.

QUOTE (Kathryn41 @ Jan 27 2009, 03:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, sometimes there isn't anything else you can do in those circumstances. He isn't going to change, but it is still tough all around.

You are more than welcome to use my US immigration process as a example to compare to yours. We started our visa journey in June 2003 and I am still not as far along in my US immigration as you are in your Canadian immigration process. So what is it, like 6 months vs going on 6 years to get to the same stage - permission to live permanently in the respective country. And no, we have had no problems or issues or RFEs or anything - it is just the complexity and the ludicrous processing times for the US immigration system at work.

Hang in there - you'll be on your way home soon.

The sad part is if I told him that, he'd claim you -- and everyone else online -- are lying and are attempting to trick me. Yeah, that sounds paranoid. To be fair, he doesn't know any of you. I imagine he thinks most people online are "kids with too much time on their hands." Sometimes that's true, but I'd like to think I have a better handle on everyone here than he does.

QUOTE (Emancipation @ Jan 27 2009, 07:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Deadpool.. are you SURE you only want to move to Canada.. I'm sure on days like you are describing it's not quite far enough away from him..

The moon or Mars were my first choices, but Canada's far enough away to work.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2009-01-29 05:49:00

Dual Citizenship?

QUOTE (AntandD @ Nov 28 2008, 05:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Everyone,

Lol....if Ontario and New York are so close to each other, then why is there something called a "border" and an "immigration process" that one has to go through to move from one place to the other that's not too far apart? Gee...all the extra hassle, money, time, etc. that I had to go through just to move 300km/150miles!...Oh, the things one does for love.....

QUOTE (DeadPoolX @ Nov 28 2008, 07:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ontario reminds me a lot of New York -- a remarkable degree of self-importance with an ego so large that it believes it's the center of the universe. I wonder if it's any coincidence that New York and Ontario are so near each other.

That's not really the point. Yeah, there's a border and it's enforced, but all I was getting at was Ontario and New York seem similar in attitudes and perception. In some ways, Texas and Alberta seem similar too. They don't share a border. It's all about how the majority tends to think.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-01 23:59:00

Dual Citizenship?

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-11-28 19:46:00

Dual Citizenship?

I'm thinking of getting Canadian citizenship simply so I'll never have to deal with the government again in that capacity. Of course, when that time comes around, I'll have to be extra careful that the government spells my name right. Apparently, they can't be bothered to correct it.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-11-27 18:44:00

I like charts and graphs. Well, except scatterplots. I hate those.

Anyway... my wife and I were playing F.E.A.R. in multiplayer the other night and since she's rarely played games online (the exceptions being Neverwinter Nights and Guild Wars, both of which are RPGs), I think I may have been unnecessarily cruel towards her. You see, I've been online since about 1991 and been involved in First-Person Shooters since Wolfenstein 3D or as far as multiplayer goes, DOOM and Duke Nukem 3D. Yes, in the early 1990s, game developers were obsessed with adding "3D" to the end of their titles.

So we're playing against each other -- something my wife already dislikes as she vastly prefers cooperative play -- and I kicked her butt. I wouldn't have been so hard on her, but the last time we played against each other (which was on my PS2 in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation), she figured out I was letting her win. She naturally became irate and told me to "play for real." So I did and once again, kicked her butt. She was then annoyed at me.

While playing F.E.A.R. (and First-Person Shooters in general) I switch from being my general "nice guy fun-loving self" (I can imagine Len choking on whatever she's drinking right after she reads that...) into... well... let's just say it's not pretty. First thing I did was lay down proximity mines on staircases and then stuck triggered explosives to the walls nearby. I then hopped up onto a ledge outside the building and hidden by a tree's foliage.

As my wife comes looking for me, she triggers my trap. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. After my wife's extra-crispy body stopped writhing and she respawned, she made the dangerous mistake of passing by sights in which I got off a perfect headshot. By the end of the next few rounds, she was becoming less and less amused. I wasn't quite sure why. I think she takes dying too personally. In games like those, you need to expect to die a few thousand times. It doesn't mean anything.

Oh well.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-05-08 13:07:00

QUOTE (IR5FORMUMSIE @ May 5 2008, 08:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (~Laura and Nick~ @ May 5 2008, 07:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

CUCUMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The show with the moose and the beaver, never heard of it.

Moose and beaver?

I don't know what the laws are in Canada, but that has to be illegal in most states.

Oh and speaking of "beavers," here's something interesting to note. My wife is looking at living in Oregon one day and from what she's told me, quite a few Canadians (especially those living in BC) tend to like that state. Well, if you pay special attention to the reverse side of the Oregon state flag, I think you'll see why...

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-05-06 06:17:00

None of those women were in the same room for that shoot. You can practically see the halo around some of them and where they were "cut and paste" out of their original photographs. You can also tell the lightsource is wrong -- especially with the second woman from the left. It's a very, very sloppy Photoshop job.

Edited by DeadPoolX, 30 April 2008 - 03:36 PM.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-04-30 15:33:00

QUOTE (IR5FORMUMSIE @ Apr 26 2008, 01:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (DeadPoolX @ Apr 26 2008, 12:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (Krikit @ Apr 26 2008, 10:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (trailmix @ Apr 26 2008, 10:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (Krikit @ Apr 26 2008, 08:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So we went to visit our bank manager yesterday. There had been some very strange things happening to our accounts and we wanted to find out why. Apparently they had a bunch of hillbillies working for them and they didn't know what the hell they were doing. We were supposed to have the super-duper deluxe accounts with no fees and a shiny new safety-deposit box, but they had given us the no frills version and had been charging us through the nose. So now we're all straightened out, we both have shiny new keys, and...... ta daaaaaah...... I got offered a job!

I'm thinking I may look into it.

Hey that's nice, even if you aren't interested, still nice to have the offer!!

Thanks for the coffee flames, Canadian Cafe in Moarovia, CA, maybe I will open up a Canadian Cafe here!

I will be your first customer!

Yep, it was nice to receive the offer. But I think I may have gotten ripped off on my account. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to receive a free shotgun with each new account opened.

Pfft. Shotguns are lousy. Sure, they looked cool in T2, but they're really not all that good. Unless you're very close to your target, shotguns are incredibly inaccurate and half the reason to have a firearm in the first place is so you won't need to be close.

True, but they are a bit more convenient than an ICBM.

They are and they're much less expensive; however, they're nowhere near as fun to use. On that note... who wants to play "Global Thermonuclear War with W.O.P.R./Joshua" today?

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-04-26 16:37:00

QUOTE (Krikit @ Apr 26 2008, 10:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (trailmix @ Apr 26 2008, 10:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (Krikit @ Apr 26 2008, 08:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm thinking I may look into it.

Hey that's nice, even if you aren't interested, still nice to have the offer!!

Thanks for the coffee flames, Canadian Cafe in Moarovia, CA, maybe I will open up a Canadian Cafe here!

Pfft. Shotguns are lousy. Sure, they looked cool in T2, but they're really not all that good. Unless you're very close to your target, shotguns are incredibly inaccurate and half the reason to have a firearm in the first place is so you won't need to be close.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-04-26 12:22:00

Coffee, hmm?

Okay, it's time -- once again -- for me to cause trouble™

Attention all Canadians, I have a message for you!

"Starbucks is vastly superior to both Second Cup and Tim Horton's!"

That looks good. Let's see what happens now.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-04-19 10:16:00

QUOTE (flames9 @ Apr 15 2008, 12:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It was just funny that she went on and on that these meds were fake, she had been ripped off,and it was all based on that the units were metric!! I replied back correcting her, but for some strange reason, she never replied back,lol

You wouldn't happen to have a link, would you? I'd love to see this.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-04-15 13:48:00

QUOTE (flames9 @ Apr 15 2008, 11:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Kind of funny!! I order my pets flea meds and heartworm pills form an Australia company (much cheaper) and guess what? Australia using the metric system as well. So on a pet forum i visit, this lady complains that she bought the same flea meds from the same company that i use and she states they are FAKE!!! Why? because the dosage units are metric units!! lol

Heh. That seems silly. I'm American and I know that the sciences in the United States (including medicine) use the metric system. Apparently, she doesn't know what she's talking about.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-04-15 12:45:00

Krikit, I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I just read about it now. I've been busy in real life and acting like a jerk over in the OT Forum.

As for the coffee mug... my wife once suggested we get my Dad a "genuine Canadian coffee cup." What does this entail? Oh, something very classy -- a mug with a plastic moose hanging onto the side, wearing a maple leaf shirt.

My wife actually does have much better taste than that, but she thought it would be a funny joke for my Dad. Especially since the last time he'd been to Canada was in the 1960s. His idea of the country was a little dated. When he was there, they didn't even use loonies and I don't think the Metric system was in use either.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-04-15 11:19:00

QUOTE (IR5FORMUMSIE @ Apr 10 2008, 04:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why thank you, it says "EX-LAX," is that a new type of Hershey bar?

If I could find Ex-Lax in dark chocolate, my father would definitely be receiving a new (and fun!) dessert item!

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-04-11 14:09:00

QUOTE (Krikit @ Apr 9 2008, 07:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mmmmm. Turkish coffee. My friend used to make that for me. It was deelish.

Carla, that's a beeeeautiful cake!

Trailmix, they don't stop for pedestrians in Toronto, either. Though I am surprised that they don't stop in a small town in Nebraska. Maybe they all moved there from the city?

However, you'll be happy to know that they stop for them all the time here in FLA.

When my wife has visited me in Houston, she's been amazed by the fact that the drivers have such little regard for pedestrians. I keep telling her that Houston is very much a "driver's city." Considering the vast amount of area Houston takes up (Toronto could easily fit within it and you'd still have plenty of room left over) and the number of people (it's the fourth largest city in the United States), having a vehicle is mandatory if you want to get anywhere.

Because of this lifestyle, people rarely give much -- if any -- consideration to pedestrians. It's not a dramatization to say almost everyone has a car. Houston might be bearable if it had a passable public transportation system, but it doesn't. Unfortunately, the reason behind this is more of a Catch-22. Metro doesn't bother much with the buses since it knows 99.9% of all people have and use cars, but 99.9% of all people use cars since Metro has such a craptastic bus system.

As a side-note, my wife and I visited Austin recently and they have the single greatest public transportation system I have ever seen. For one, they have a service called "The 'Dillo" (most likely short for Armadillo) which travels all over downtown and is FREE. Next, the bus system's NORMAL FARE is only 50 CENTS EACH WAY. A Day Pass (unlimited rides for 24 hours) is only ONE DOLLAR and an Adult Pass (for unlimited rides all month) is just TEN DOLLARS. If you work for the state government or you're a student/employed by the University of Texas, the buses are FREE too.

That is the way to get people to take public transportation. Make it much more affordable and easy to use. Americans aren't going to skip out on using their cars easily; we have something of a "love affair" with them, but if the price is right, we might make a change.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-04-09 08:13:00

QUOTE (trailmix @ Mar 7 2008, 11:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (Crikey! @ Mar 7 2008, 10:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My fitness-nut co-worker used to say "When you win a donut.... do you really win?"

She sounds like fun

There's this health club I know about that's right next to a Chinese buffet. I like that.

I'm not sure which happens first, though. Do people go stuff themselves and then work out or do they work out and then chow down?

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-03-07 15:22:00

QUOTE (Crikey! @ Mar 5 2008, 10:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (trailmix @ Mar 5 2008, 11:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well that's good that you like it! So the weather is not a huge issue for you, you are a 'snow gal' a 'frozen precipitation person' a 'white christmas aficionado'.

??

I hate the cold. But I love the snow. But, really.... it hasn't been that cold here yet, so I still have warm fuzzies for the place. I guess when you've experienced one of the coldest winters in history in Edmonton, everywhere else is pretty much balmy.

(P.S. I would NEVER live in Edmonton.)

The only province I could live in would be British Columbia. It's not that I have anything against the others, but they just get too damn cold! Vancouver and Victoria at least has survivable winters. I've been to Edmonton in November and Calgary in December and there's absolutely no way I could ever live there.

Of course, my wife thinks I'm a "wimp" when it comes to the cold. I'm from Houston, Texas. If you've never been to Houston, allow me to enlighten you -- in January (which is usually our coldest month), the average high is 17C and the average low is 7C; it's been as warm as 29C at time time of the year too, although it did once get down to -15C in 1940. The last time it snowed was Christmas Eve in 2004, which was highly unusual, although we do have some snow every decade or so. The summer is a bit warmer, when the average high is 34C and the average low is 23C; it sometimes spikes up to 43C as well, while the coldest it'll get in summer is around 17C. Oh and Houston has extremely high humidity too, so we'd consider 90% humidity to be on the "low" end of the scale.

So... maybe that's why I don't have a whole lot of tolerance for cold weather.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-03-06 20:52:00

I'm in Texas.

I remember sending pics of what it looked like down here in December and January (warm, sunny, no snow at all, and people were wearing short sleeves and jeans at the most!) to my then-fiancee (she's now my wife) and she couldn't get over it. Where she was, it was extremely cold, windy and lots of snow.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-03-01 12:05:00

Let's see... what's the weather report? Ah, here it is: At the moment it is 21C. The high for today will be 25C and the low will be 16C.

It's cloudy, there's a very small amount of wind (nothing to write home about) and the humidity is rather low at 76%.

Edited by DeadPoolX, 01 March 2008 - 11:33 AM.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-03-01 11:31:00

QUOTE (trailmix @ Oct 17 2007, 01:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (charlesandnessa @ Oct 17 2007, 11:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

do you by any chance have any programs that check both antivirus and spyware? it sounds like you might have a keylogger.

I did, apparently it may not have been very good (not sure if it was that but it crossed my mind) - so formatted the drive and reinstalled windows, got new antivirus software, very annoying.

A good program to use (although it does cost) is called ScanSpyware. It seems to catch everything that Ad-Aware and SpyBot tend to miss. I still use those two as well (I also run SpywareBlaster too), but I'd definitely recommend getting ScanSpyware, if nothing else.

Of course, make sure to run a firewall and a virus scanner. Two good ones that're easy to come by are ZoneAlarm and AVG Anti-Virus. There are others of course, but I really like those, since they don't hog system resources or mess up the OS (like McAfee and Norton usually do).

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2007-10-22 10:11:00

This is extremely fascinating. I have never seen anywhere in the U.S. that forces full services, but... I've never been to Oregon or New Jersey. I have been nearly everywhere else, so maybe that explains it. In Texas, most people prefer self-serve, but then again, it might just depend on the person. I've known some people who never pump their own gas, despite self-service being cheaper.

I know this isn't a "BC thing," I've seen some places here that only offer full service. I thought they were joking, but they weren't. Why would someone make a law -- in the U.S. or Canada -- that requires full service? It's not exactly rocket science.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-17 16:36:00

QUOTE (OBX @ Dec 16 2008, 05:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You guys are so entertaining!!

Reading these Canada threads relieves the stress from a 9 hour work day

For the record these are my small observations:

When I am in New Jersey I say soda - pop gets us no where.

Found out the hard way that iced tea doesn't always come sugared.

Why can't I pump my own gas?

Since when do I have the accent?

That reminds me of some instances in Canada.

I've always had unsweetened iced tea (I think the sugar in it tastes gross) since I was a little kid. My dad originally got me to drink it by saying that "iced tea always has free refills." This was before most places offered free refills on soda, so the idea made sense.

When in Canada, however, I've received some very strange looks from waitresses when I've asked, "Is the ice tea unsweetened?" One waitress even commented, "You must be from the States, right?"

In the U.S., I've always heard "sweet tea" to mean sweetened iced tea. The unsweetened version is simply called "iced tea." My wife and I now make our own unsweetened iced tea. If she wants sugar in it, she does so separately.

As for gas pumping... I've seen many more places that are self-serve in the U.S. over full service. Full service exists, of course, but I've never seen it forced upon anyone (and I've traveled all over the country). Believe it or not, I have seen places in Canada that only offer full service. This surprised both my wife and I. Interestingly enough, there's a hidden divide in BC that makes full service mandatory on one side and self-service available on the other.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-17 03:38:00

QUOTE (Rob and Mel @ Dec 15 2008, 11:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ahhh all these lovely coloquialisms. We call a "Toquue" a beanie here in los angeles. But for all the arguement, and my waiting for Treble to ask a waitor for a refill on her soda, I am genuinel intrigued by the different terms in each areas of the world for items. I am even more enthralled by peoples rejection and refusal to conform to the cultural norm.

However, we are who we are, and cannot ask, or expect anything more or less from anyone. Each person has grown up using different terms for things, and phrases for situations. If my lovely wife to be asks me for a "cherry pop" (though she hates carbonated drinks), I will indulge her and bring her a Welche's Cherry from the fridge, and not tell her that it is indeed a "Soda". If she walks out side and tells me that it is chilly out and that I should go grab my touque..... I will go grab my beanie

I'm not trying to end this discussion in anyway. I am in fact trying to broaden it to talk about the many differences in terminology that we have, and to point out that they are just terms......

I thought of something quite different after I read that...

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-16 03:15:00

QUOTE (Kathryn41 @ Dec 15 2008, 07:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I notice in the South - Georgia especially where coke was invented and Atlanta which is the headquarters for CocaCola - there is a lot of calling all pop 'coke'. Interesting map!

I didn't know that before my brother went to Emory University in Atlanta. Coca-Cola donates a large sum to Emory and you're highly unlikely to find any other brand of soft drink there. I think calling ever type of soda "coke" is a little vague. Coke may be extremely common, but what about Sprite? Root Beer? Cream Soda?

I once suggested to my brother that he wear a shirt that proclaims "Coke sucks! Pepsi Rocks!" around campus. I don't think he did that. He said he wanted to keep his head attached to his body.

As a side note, I refer to all soft drinks as "soda." My wife tends to say "pop," but she'll sometimes use "soda" as well.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-15 12:35:00

Husband and kids coming home

QUOTE (YuAndDan @ Dec 17 2008, 08:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is usually dealt with at the pre-clarence location in Canada.

http://www.cbp.gov/x...r_locations.xml

I really like that. Pre-clearance is great, especially when you're traveling to visit your SO (which no country seems to like). Back when my wife and I were doing the whole 'visitation" thing, I thought she had it much easier. If she got turned down at customs for some reason, she'd still be in her own country. If that happened to me when flying into Canada, I'd temporarily be in limbo and then need to grab the quickest flight out of there (which I'd need to pay for, as well).

QUOTE (Amy and Adrian @ Dec 17 2008, 08:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks everyone! Seems like something is working in our favor -FINALLY ! LOL I was afraid they'd make him fly to the most northern point in Canada and go to some remote outpost... hehe.. parts of this journey have been that ridiculous !

I've seen some very wacky flight plans before. One of them was from Edmonton to Toronto to Vancouver. The objective was to fly from Edmonton to Vancouver. That seems easy enough, right? So why would any airline (much less a passenger) choose to fly all the way to Toronto from Edmonton and then backtrack to Vancouver?

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-21 11:41:00

Canadian Cell Phone Contracts

QUOTE (Reba @ Dec 21 2008, 07:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, we have the Verizon unlimited long distance plan, which includes unlimited long distance for all of North America and Puerto Rico. We've had it for 5 or 6 years now.

I hate that with Verizon (and probably other US phone plans) you CANNOT buy a new phone unless you renew the 2 year contract. I never had that problem with Bell Mobility. When my phone died after my initial contract, I just went and got a new phone and continued my service month-to-month. We tried to get new phones last time here and they wouldn't let us without renewing the 2 year contract. So we did, but now those phones are about dead (convenient how batteries last about 2 years innit?

) but since we were thinking about moving we don't want to renew a contract and then find out after we move that our phones don't work or we'd get charged extra fees or something to move the plan out of state

So I could get a new phone with Telus Mobility without signing a new contract? That'd be neat. I have a Blackberry Pearl 8130, but I do like some of the newer ones, especially those with a QWERTY keyboard.

What type of cell phone did you purchase, Reba? Some are better than others. In general, I prefer the phones made by Motorola and LG. Of course, those companies have their low-end to high-end models, as well. I've seen the RAZR pretty much everywhere and to a somewhat lesser degree, the KRZR. The LG Chocolate is very good and my wife has one with Telus (these are also available with Verizon and other carriers).

I've had Verizon in the past and despite some of the fees and plan restrictions, I've found their network quality to be much better than Cingular/AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. Maybe that's just my experience. So far Telus seems really good, but I've never used Rogers.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-21 11:07:00

Canadian Cell Phone Contracts

QUOTE (Reba @ Dec 20 2008, 06:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And I think US phone companies nickle and dime you worse than Canadian companies. I mean really, why the heck do they need to charge you for IN-coming calls from some network other than the one you're on? Rediculous

They probably do it so they can get groups of people who know each other (i.e. friends, family coworkers, etc) to all purchase plans from the same provider. The incentive is calls won't cost or use up minutes that way.

As for charging for in-coming calls, I think that really depends on your plan and the provider itself. In Canada, I'm with Telus and they charge for in-coming calls (unless you're on a share plan in which the charge is waived for the other person only) before a certain time. If I call someone or someone calls me before 9PM every weekday, then I get charged. I believe weekends allow calling without charges, but I may be mistaken about that.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-20 11:44:00

Canadian Cell Phone Contracts

If you have a fair amount of time left on your contract, it might be worth it to "upgrade" your plan to allow international calls when in a foreign country. That might cost more, but you'll be able to use your phone in the U.S. and depending on how much time remains in your contract, it might cost less. If you have only a few months left, don't bother. But if you have a year or more, it might be a good idea (unless the price is astronomical).

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-20 08:02:00

Considering Abondoning it all

Brad, I'm sure you've considered this, but what about "couples therapy?" Considering the amount of work, time and effort (not to mention love) that's gone into the entire process, I'd strongly suggest looking into a psychologist -- for the both of you. Moving to another country and then going to "living together" from "visiting every so often" is a major change. Marriage can be difficult enough without the strain of immigration and adjusting to a new environment.

Husbands and wives argue and more often than they'd like. Usually (but not always) these conflicts are over relatively unimportant things. My wife and I tend to think alike in many ways, but there are some aspects in which we completely disagree. She's far more liberal than I am. While I would never call myself a Republican, I am very conservative on some issues (most notably in the area of finance). Couple this with the fact my wife can be quite sensitive and I'm not (hardly a surprise there, right?

), there's bound to be some misunderstanding and arguments.

I don't know the details of your marriage; however, I do know that over 60% of marriages fail due to communication issues. Maybe this isn't a problem for you and wife, but I'd seek outside help. Family and friends aren't objective and while we may mean well on here, we've only heard one side of the story and lack any other insight into your life.

If you absolutely feel that your marriage can't be saved, then yes, the best thing to do would be to leave the United States. However, I'd give this some serious thought. Once you leave and are gone beyond the limitations set by USCIS, you'll once again become a visitor (even if you and your wife do reconcile).

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-18 16:48:00

Countdown to Christmas Thread

QUOTE (MrsCat @ Dec 20 2008, 08:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I just turned on Christmas In Wonderland and its making me miss all those things I hated about back home like WEM.

I've been to West Edmonton Mall quite a few times and for a mall, I liked it. I get lost there, but then again, I do that in whatever mall I'm in. Interestingly enough, I didn't think WEM was all that large. Sure, it had some unusual things (like a theme park, water park and a crazy pirate ship with a seal performing tricks), but the overall mall didn't seem huge. I think that's because most of the stores were built on a large scale. That probably made the mall seem smaller.

My wife thinks WEM is overly cheesy and far too much of a tourist trap. She preferred the Houston Galleria (which is only the 5th largest mall in the United States, but still quite large in it's own right), because she felt it had more class.

As a side note, I also get lost in the Galleria. I've lived in Houston my entire life! But whenever I enter the Galleria, I become a directional moron. I don't know how, but my wife knew where everything was the first time she shopped there.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-22 04:36:00

QUOTE (Reba @ Dec 25 2008, 05:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I dunno Deadpool, I've never heard horror stories about dealing with rude foreign tourists here in the US other than the Japanese clogging up sidewalks while they all stand around taking photos. And perhaps the drunken snowbirds in Florida for spring break. What specifically are you refering to?

I don't need to refer to one group specifically. Nearly anyone who comes to the U.S. (on a temporary basis or not) expects and often demands that the U.S. cater to them, instead of the other way around.

But... if you want examples of other "loud and unruly" tourists in general, there's the British (just like Americans, they want everything as they know it in foreign countries and are often quite rude), the Greeks, Italians and Indian (all of whom can be extremely loud when together). There's also plenty of rude Canadians, as well (despite what many here want to believe).

No, I'm not judging the above without any knowledge. When my wife was studying in England, she often found the above to true (more often than not, anyway). Was everyone like that? Of course not. But she also said she met quite a few nice people, including those from all the countries I mentioned above and those from the United States. Yes, I said nice and very considerate Americans. Imagine that -- the stereotype isn't set in stone.

The point is that anyone who says the people from their country can't be rude, obnoxious and loud is living a lie. A very pretty and self-serving lie, perhaps, but a lie nonetheless. Anyone, regardless of their country of origin, can be a lousy tourist. It really has very little to do with where they're from, but how they choose to act in the presence of others and in specific situations.

I think we'd all be better off if we judged each scenario as they happened, instead of relying on stereotypes. Hopefully this message will get across and make some here realize that simply because a few may act a certain way (and those actions get publicized), that doesn't account for everyone from any group.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-25 13:44:00

QUOTE (Reba @ Dec 24 2008, 04:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So Americans are encouraged by the government to be loud and unruly when they visit foreign nations?

In a sense, yes, they do. I say this because the U.S. educational system teaches virtually nothing about other cultures and societies between grades 1 to 12. Once a student reaches college, they can take classes on such material, but it's usually optional.

That's not the entire point of my comment, however. I don't understand why it's okay for "anyone else but an American" to act out when in the U.S., but a major ordeal if an American does the same in a foreign nation. Why the double standard?

Edited by DeadPoolX, 24 December 2008 - 07:35 AM.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-24 07:33:00

QUOTE (Reba @ Dec 22 2008, 04:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Peter Jennings was an international reporter for how many years for a US network? He NEVER travelled on his US passport. He always used his Canadian passport when out on assignment, and for personal travel.

Peter Jennings didn't become a naturalized U.S. citizen until 2003 and he died in 2005. So I don't think he had much of a chance to use his U.S. passport.

QUOTE (trailmix @ Dec 22 2008, 07:02 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Deadpool, I think you are off the mark on this one. I sincerely doubt that the passport application process in Canada has any basis in the immigration process - I am unsure how you can even make that connection?

I might be completely off. I don't know. I just can't figure out why gaining a passport in Canada is generally so much more difficult than in the United States. There's no logic to it. Of course... it's within the hands of the government, so maybe logic isn't allowed.

QUOTE (Krikit @ Dec 22 2008, 09:09 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

While I am in agreement with the gist of what Reba has said and can honestly say that, in my travels, I have experienced similar incidents, I really do want to give my thoughts on this. We have all married Americans so we're in agreement that they're not all bad.

The thing which bothers me about generalizations is that some groups and countries and/or their peoples will interact, or hear about an interaction, with a less-than-appealing type of individual who happened to be from the US, and conclude that all Americans are such-and-such. In addition, the US plays a dominant role on the world stage and, as such, is involved in a lot of armed conflict. (As unpopular as war is, you can guarantee that it has been discussed with the other members of the United Nations prior to, and during, the invasion or peace-keeping of any country.) As a result, Americans are not looked upon too kindly and are treated as such. I say this to say that the American people are not only a victim of generalizations, but they are also a victim of their own governmental policies. Stories like Reba's tend to get relayed again and again. But stories of generous and helpful and really really nice Americans aren't heard. It just won't make the "news". And "news" is what sells.

Absolutely true. Every country in the world is viewed and generalized by how their government acts. That's a shame, since the "average person" in any country probably has little to do with their government's policies.

QUOTE (thetreble @ Dec 23 2008, 05:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So much of it is the people of our world who do not agree with American foreign policies and then attribute it to the American people. But part of it, and I must say this, is how I have seen American tourists act when overseas. I remember going to see the Tower of London with a friend many years ago. And there were these Southerners, with massive cameras around their necks and fanny packs around their wastes talking to each other like they wanted the whole world to hear them. Every one was starring at them but yet they didn't quiet down or were not embarrassed. I guess in Europe there is a refinement that doesn't hit all places in the United States (or Canada for that matter...)

We all have a different view to Americans because we live here and we married one. We know that many Americans are intelligent and mannerly people. It's unfortunate that the government has really spoiled their image.

One thing I've never understood is why Americans are sometimes seen unfavorably for acting as their culture dictates? Perhaps visiting Americans should make a better effort to adapt to the country they're visiting, but the reverse is true as well. So many visitors (and illegals) come to the United States on a regular basis and have absolutely no intention of changing their habits or cultural way of behaving. In fact, it's often seen as somewhat xenophobic if Americans don't fully embrace the culture and behavior of any foreigner.

I know many of you have made a concerted effort to live in the U.S., so none of the above is directed at anyone here. It just annoys me when there's poor commentary about American tourists for behaving as they know how and is encouraged in their country, but nothing said about visitors from other nations.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-24 05:08:00

QUOTE (Krikit @ Dec 21 2008, 10:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

She's probably referring to the number of times we hear about terrorists kidnapping Americans (or worse) based solely on the fact that they're holding American passports.

Good point. I suppose the incidence of that depends where you go. Some countries are more hostile to Americans than others. Of course, many people from other nations -- especially non-western ones -- can't tell an American from a Canadian.

QUOTE (flames9 @ Dec 21 2008, 11:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Who knows, probably depends where u go in the world. I have traveled a lot with the Cdn Armed Forces and always received very well. A few times they thought I was American, but once I informed them I was a Canuck, the service was better. I recall 1 time port visit in Indonesia, lot of American sailors wanted Cdn flag pins, so they would get better deals,lol.

That's interesting. I know that (traditionally speaking) Americans have been preferred customers in restaurants when traveling abroad. It's not because Americans are necessarily any nicer or meaner than others, but due to Americans normally handing out higher tips. I wonder how true that is today, with the economy having problems.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-21 18:48:00

QUOTE (*Marilyn* @ Dec 20 2008, 10:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I always find it odd how relatively simple it is for US citizens to get passports .. they just fill out a form, go to the post office get their picture taken and voila, a few weeks later they have their passport which is good for 10 years

I've thought about that a lot.

Not only is the process easier to get a U.S. passport, but they last longer. I got mine in 2005 and it's good until 2015. As far I know, Canadian passports are only good for five years (which seems like a rip-off to me).

I think, however, the reason the Canadian passport process is more difficult is due to the relative ease in which someone can immigrate to Canada. In contrast, immigrating to the United States is far more difficult, but getting a passport is simple. Maybe it's also because there are so many more people in the U.S. than in Canada, the government had to streamline the process.

QUOTE (Reba @ Dec 21 2008, 07:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Once a Canadian, always a Canadian. And even if you get US citizenship thru naturalization, you should always still keep your Canadian passport current for when you travel home to Canada. And for international travel, a Canadian passport is still looked upon more favourably than an American one.

Well... that's opinion. You're entitled to it, of course. But I hardly think having a Canadian passport grants the owner any special privileges over an American one (unless you're planning on visiting Cuba or perhaps Iraq).

Edited by DeadPoolX, 21 December 2008 - 11:15 AM.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-21 11:13:00

Canada FAQ

Well, it doesn't matter to me if it's a Wiki or FAQ. Whatever works.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2008-12-22 16:08:00