ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
CanadaThe Vent - Part 2
QUOTE (Udella&Wiz @ Apr 2 2009, 08:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Take it to the principal girl, although meet first with the teacher to find out why she is offended, perhaps there is something more to it. Stay calm and gather the facts.

Whip out the American idea of free speech, everyone has a right to their opinion when expressed in an approriate way which doesn't hurt anyone


That's what I think, too, Sprailenes. You are his only advocate. It is probably fairest--and most effective--to discuss your concerns with the teacher directly first, and then move up the chain if that does not help.



SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2009-04-02 10:27:00
CanadaThe Vent - Part 2
Oh great. Our 25-year high school reunion is being planned on Facebook. I don't really want to register on Facebook just to see it but I kind of do want to go.

And I am desparately craving a chocolate chip cookie right now.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2009-04-01 14:46:00
CanadaThe Vent - Part 2
QUOTE (Sentinel @ Apr 1 2009, 01:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (thetreble @ Apr 1 2009, 11:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
We always pick up our dog poop. It would be silly and gross not to. However, I can't always see it in the dark so I sometimes pick it up the next morning.

For some incredibly odd reason, when I first read that, I finished it with "... at the store." unsure.gif


I'm not making this up: in a gardening store in Oregon, I saw POOPITS for sale. What, you ask, is a poopit? It is a rabbit, sculpted from an organic compound which includes some animal's poop (don't recall which animal), that you are to put in your garden. It looks purty, but will decompose over time to provide a sort of compost. It was mixed in enough that it did not smell or look like animal poop, however.


SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2009-04-01 14:10:00
CanadaWeird Things Americans Have Said To/Asked Me
QUOTE (Carlawarla @ Mar 27 2009, 06:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
It's not pronounced toke...it's toooooooooooooooooook laughing.gif


It's pronounced like tuque not toque?

Darn. It was funnier the other way (and yes, I am easily amused). "Tuke" doesn't mean anything else then.

My husband lived nearly his entire life in Canada, but was actually born in England, so some of the Brit expressions he picked up from his parents are REALLY colorful. On one of his last visits down here before we got his visa, it was really freaking ridiculously cold and he had no hat---no toque!!---or earmuffs so I gave him my YMCA card so he could go use the treadmill there while I was at work. He came back to my office to get me for lunch and told me "They gave me the bum's rush." There are two or three others, but that's the only one that comes to mind at the moment.

One of my best friends is married to an Australian, and THEIR expressions are REALLY strange. Arvo for afternoon? How do you get arvo from afternoon?!?!?!? Sunnies and cozzie and pissup make sense (if you are even slightly familiar with Aussie slang) but arvo boggles the mind.

Then again, Bostonians say "wicked" as an adverb. It's wicked cold out.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2009-03-27 11:03:00
CanadaWeird Things Americans Have Said To/Asked Me
Hey, I used to live in So Cal. The grass there is really only green about 3 or 4 months out of the year.

Here there are actually different types of grass. Some stay green year round and others turn brown in winter. So some of the yards in my neighborhood look really weird.

MrsCat, I did the same kind of ####### when my husband said something about a toque to me. I think it actually does have a more specific meaning than just saying "winter hat." It has to be a wool one, right? Would my fleece hat be considered a "toque"? But yeah, that is probably simpler.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2009-03-26 17:42:00
CanadaWeird Things Americans Have Said To/Asked Me
See, down here, "toke" means something altogether different.....

I'd just call it a winter hat.




SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2009-03-26 17:30:00
CanadaOff Topic Part Trois
QUOTE (Carlawarla @ Aug 12 2009, 06:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Good morning! Gene and I are going to another Cardinals game tonight against the Reds. Looks like it will be another good evening as well with the humidity not being bad at all. I think the Cardinals ordered up this weather just for me!


Ooh, have a great time! I hope you get a really great game---with the Cardinals winning! Tonight is a good night for it.


SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2009-08-12 14:22:00
CanadaIs this too much to ask?
You know, it is hard for me to think of any valid reason they could have, but maybe they do have legitimate concerns you can put to rest for them. For example, maybe it is a case of not wanting to shop for gifts for your mom, whom they don't know well and don't usually have at their gatherings. In that case, just assuring them she won't really care and just wants to spend the time with you might be enough. Or maybe, if your fiance's family is large, they don't want to have a precedent of inviting all of the in-laws to Christmas because it would just be unmanageable. In that case, emphasizing that it really is just because she is in town might alleviate whatever concern they have. That is really giving them the benefit of the doubt, but it might be worth trying to figure out what their malfunction is.

Otherwise, I think in your position, I would tell them that mom visiting from out of town takes precedence. Surely they have to accept that you can't just leave your mom home alone on a holiday while she is visiting (and yes, I know it is not actually Christmas day, but still). Let them know you will spend the holiday with them next year, but your mom is visiting and if she is not welcome to join you, you'll have to decline their invitation. Well, that's what i would say. But that is without knowing these people, and like I said, I'd try to figure out what their problem is first.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2009-08-18 15:37:00
CanadaIs this too much to ask?
I think that is absolutely shocking that they cannot invite your mom---and, as mentioned, NOT very Christian at all.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2009-08-18 15:27:00
CanadaCanadian VJers Commentary on Winter Olympics 2010...

I mean, who thought that two guys in spandex lying on top of each other on a little sled and sliding down a chute of ice would be a great idea for an event?


:rofl:
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-02-19 16:38:00
CanadaCanadian VJers Commentary on Winter Olympics 2010...

Sorry...I couldn't help but notice that...while watching the olympic games...
Some of the atheletes have multiple citizenships.....
They "pick and choose"....I suppose...
Some choose their former country, some choose their current country....

Which country would you choose to be an olympic team member of???...Hmmm.....

Ant


I think most athletes in that position go with whichever country they are more likely to make the Olympic team (which is usually the one where there is less competition). One of the Blues players is a dual citizen of Canada and (I think) Sweden. He isn't in the Olympics, but has played for Sweden in the past in international events.

I saw a cool story yesterday about one of the guys from the real 1988 Jamaican bobsled team. He is now a dual citizen of Canada and Jamaica and competes for Canada. The Jamaican team has not qualified for the Olympics since Lillehammer. Cool Runnings is fictional aside from the bit about the team walking its sled down the course after crashing, but I still love that movie and especially love the scene where they land at Calgary's airport and are shocked by the cold when they try to leave the building. Haha, that was me visiting my husband in Edmonton!!

Definatly a highlight watching him do this. I didn't know what to expect from the 2nd run at all. I also really liked the Finish guys run as well. I actually thought he would have got higher in his second run, but still glad he got the silver at least.

I also knew nothing about snowboarding before these olympics and now I find it really fun to watch...


Yeah, me too. I did not expect to like the snowboarding, but wow, how impressive.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-02-19 16:07:00
CanadaNBC Report
I'm going to take a wild guess and assume I really do NOT want to click on that link!! :jest:
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-04 12:17:00
CanadaMy Apologies

I can't speak for Vancouver because I wasn't there but I see nothing wrong with Canadians being proud or a "sea of red". But some disagreed, yes even Canadians. What is your point?


I did not go to Vancouver, but it is practically in my parents' backyard, and I know plenty of people who did go from both sides of the border (most actually just went to hang around and soak up the atmosphere because tickets were a bit on the expensive side; a few others went to curling preliminary games). No one had any complaints.

I was going to say more (not about your post, Sprailenes, about the 1936 thing) but I think I'm just not. The arguing on the internet picture comes to mind.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-04 17:20:00
CanadaMy Apologies
Okay, so in other words typical internet trolling/button-pushing invades VJ Canadian branch. Good to know I didn't miss anything earth shattering, then. Thanks, Brad!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-04 12:55:00
CanadaMy Apologies
Okay, can someone give me a cliff notes kind of synopsis of what I've missed?

Seriously, I love Canada, I love the US. I love Vancouver. I love hockey, I love baseball. Most of all, I LOVE my Canadian-British husband and my Canadian and American families. No, make that the Canadian and American SIDES of my family. Don't understand what 1936 has to do with it, but one of my all time favorite stories about the Olympics EVER is the German track and field star who went out of his way to be photographed with Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics. I say that as a friend of a former Olympic medallist and the friend of the dad of a very likely future Olympian.

But what gives here?
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-04 12:44:00
CanadaCalling Len
I haven't been on much, but Len was always a great poster to brighten up the day with her humor. Whatever is going on in real life that's keeping her away, I hope things work out well.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-05 13:56:00
Canadatodays youngins / govt etc.

Yes, it's really the same old thing with teens.

As for being a feminist - well I surely am. I do think a common misconception is that feminism is about militant women storming the boardrooms in their grey suits - it's not. Feminism is about having the opportunity to do what you would like to do. Whether that means being a CEO or being at home with your children (men or women), both are equally important to the individual and both are equally important in feminism.


Well said, Trailmix. You beat me too it, and it's good that you did because you said it far better than I ever could.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-07 16:12:00
CanadaQuestions for my fellow Canadians :-)
#######, my office door is open. I had to bite my lip very hard not to laugh.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-08 11:40:00
CanadaQuestions for my fellow Canadians :-)
Just to clarify one point: when you send in your AOS package, you may also apply for an EAD and AP. The EAD (no idea what that stands for) allows you to work and the AP (advance parole) allows you to leave and re-enter the country. Unless this has changed, you pay one fee that covers all three. At the time my husband applied for AOS, most people got approved for their AP and EAD in about 60 to 80 days while it took anywhere from a little over three months to 7 months for AOS (most people more in the 4-6 range). A few people actually did get approved for AOS before they got their EAD and AP, but for most, the EAD came at least a few weeks ahead of the AOS approval and green card.

So if you are asking whether you can apply for EAD that will be valid upon entry, as others have said, the answer is no. However, if you are asking whether you can get an EAD prior to AOS approval, the answer is yes, although how much earlier you will have it is anyone's guess. And, as mentioned, you cannot apply for it until you apply for AOS.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-08 11:30:00
CanadaApproved
Congratulations, Lona!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-09 14:58:00
CanadaK1 Approved
Congratulations and happy reunion!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-10 10:37:00
CanadaGot my Passport Back!

Yeah... Pacific Highway Crossing is closer, but I have a feeling they would have less experience dealing with these sorts of visas. I might be wrong though, since it IS a commercial crossing, and that's where the NEXUS office is.

I'm also wondering if I should go through the NEXUS lane and tell THAT guard what I'm doing, or if I should just get in the regular line. I'm inclined toward the latter. Hmm...


Oh that I'm not sure of. I just assumed Peace Arch was more convenient. I'm kind of used to the Pacific Highway being where people go to avoid the lines.

You might want to check reviews of POE to see what people have to say about both crossings. I would tend to think they'd have more experience with it at the Peace Arch too, but that is a total guess.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-09 17:07:00
CanadaGot my Passport Back!
If you get there that early, you should be fine using the Peace Arch.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-09 16:49:00
CanadaGot my Passport Back!
Congratulations and welcome. Remind your mom that it's only a few hours away by plane, you haven't moved to New Zealand. And have a safe---and maybe even fun---trip!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-09 14:54:00
CanadaWhy Canada Sucks....

Ooohhh, real-life Frogger! :)


I LOVED that game when I was in college! They subsequently made the graphics more advanced and it lost its charm.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-10 17:41:00
CanadaWhy Canada Sucks....
You people are making me soooooooooo glad I live in a small city that does not have intersections like that!

Or: Why big scary intersections suck.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-10 17:28:00
CanadaWhy Canada Sucks....

Maybe I'm just still adjusting, and since our situation has been ####### since I moved, that's swaying my opinion as well. But, if given the option, and knowing I had a place to live and maybe a job to move back to Canada for, I'd do so in a heartbeat.


Living in California and being unemployed is difficult for anyone, Ashen. I feel for you on that one, and have no suggestions. (That is true of anyplace really, but California happens to be very expensive.)

Other than that, yes, you are also still adjusting. My husband's experience---which, from what I have read on here, is pretty typical---was that it took a good 6 months to feel really at home here. A few people have said that part of what makes the adjustment so hard is the US and Canada SEEM so similar when all you do is visit the other one, and then when you make the move you find that a lot of little things are very different that you didn't expect or even think of. It does get better, though.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-05 16:44:00
CanadaWhy Canada Sucks....
My sister needs to drive to another county to buy any kind of alcohol. Her county is dry. What's funny is my sister teaches theatre at a college and it is a college town. I'm used to college towns being where all the bars are (that's actually the disadvantage of where we live because the kids toss their empties in our ivy most when they walk home past our house most summer weekends).
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-05 15:14:00
CanadaWhy Canada Sucks....
Heh, good point, Mrs Cat!

I've just been on another forum responding to a thread asking (seriously, as far as I can tell) whether breast-feeding is gross or beautiful and madonna-like. Not good for the baby and completely natural, but beautiful and madonna-like. I wish I were making that up. By comparison this thread seems perfectly reasonable. Suckiosity exists in Canada as it does the world over, it just doesn't make Canada suck.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-05 14:30:00
CanadaWhy Canada Sucks....
A lot of the things you are comparing vary from region to region. Seattle and Vancouver are pretty similar. However, Whitehorse and Toronto are quite different, as are New Orleans and St Paul. Consumer goods are more expensive in Canada largely because there is a larger area to transport them with 1/10 the population to sell them to (so more shipping costs) and because many businesses don't seem to be willing to change their prices to reflect that fact that the Canadian dollar is no longer worth only 62 cents US. We weighed the pros and cons of which one of us would make the move. Aside from health insurance and the plausibility of having my parents immigrate to Canada too if and when the time comes that they really need to live near us, it really had more to do with him having more equity in his house and a comparison of the cities we lived in. In general, there are advantages and disadvantages to either country, and I don't think either sucks.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-05 14:23:00
CanadaURGENT Tax question for newly wed.s
Here you go: Tax Thread.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-10 17:47:00
CanadaURGENT Tax question for newly wed.s
He can't file as single because he is married. Probably your only choice is married filing separately. I'm not sure what to tell you about the blanks for things you do not have. There is another thread for posting any questions related to taxes (right now you should find if you scroll down this page). Others who have been in your same situation or Zyggy who is knowlegeable about cross-border tax issues should be able to help.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-10 17:45:00
Canadahealth insurance
Here you go: Seven Corners
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-09 14:51:00
Canadahealth insurance
My husband got something called "inbound immigrant insurance" from a company called Seven Corners to cover the gap between crossing the border and getting married. You can basically sign up on line and be covered instantly. How exactly it would work if you need to make a claim, I'm not sure (he did not---as I said, it was a gap-filler), but they are very good at answering whatever questions you might have.

Give me a few minutes to google it and I will provide a link.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-09 14:46:00
CanadaThe Vent - Part Trois
My mom's dog, Jesse, was like that. My dog isn't exactly dumb as a box of rocks, but she is not the brightest star in the doggie constellation either. My greatest fear is that she will get out of the yard and either be hit by a car, get skunked (again), or kill one of the neighborhood cats.

I am not going to say anything about the vet bill unless she asks. My boss said she offered to pay her neighbor's vet bill when her dog attacked her neighbor's dog (the neighbor's dog got into my boss's yard) and the neighbor wouldn't take it. I won't be that noble, but I won't ask for it either. I'm really relieved that I do not have to put any ointment on her and then try to keep her from licking it.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-09 17:32:00
CanadaThe Vent - Part Trois
Our neighbor's two dogs managed to open the gate to their yard last night. It happened while we were walking our dog past their house. So they came charging out barking at our dog, who barked back, and then one of them bit her. In a way it is karmic retribution---the family who tried to adopt Dallas from the shelter before we did had to return her because she bit their other dog---but it was scary.

It seemed okay last night, but this morning when a big chunk of Dallas's fur was HARD, I realized she must have been bleeding and found what looked like a small puncture wound. I took her to the vet, and they shaved her fur and cleaned it off. It was a bit nastier than I thought it would be but not too horrible.

Now I have a bit of a dilemma. The vet bill was $92 (mostly for antibiotics) and I know that is actually harder for my neighbor than for us. I certainly don't want her to have to go through her homeowners insurance and have them refuse to cover Ruby anymore or have a record of her as a "viscious" dog. Those dogs are like our dog---adopted from a shelter without a complete history. Our neighbor is going to put a combination lock on her gate to make sure the dogs can't open it again. On the other hand, it really should be her responsibility. We know our dog can't be trusted with other dogs and if she ever hurt someone's dog we would be the ones paying the bill. We do not let her out in the yard unsupervised at all, either, just on the remote chance she could jump the fence to chase a neighbor's cat (or get skunked....again).

Meh.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-09 12:08:00
CanadaThe Vent - Part Trois
Hope your doggie is doing better, Misty.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-03-04 12:50:00
CanadaHolier then thou attitude

In Toronto this past weekend, my cab driver yelled and sucked his teeth at me because I didn't know what address it was I was going, but I knew the general area... and I asked him to stop at a Timmies and he refused!

If someone did something like that here, I think I probably would say something like: "Gah! Only in Jersey, stupid jerk!" because it's an easy scape goat. Not: "Wow maybe that dude has been brought up in an abrasive home" or "Wow maybe he's got some problems at home" or "Maybe he's just really unhappy and needs a hug" :P


I've driven in Toronto---the stress of having to drive there would be enough to make me kind of grumpy and impatient! Then again, there is a good reason I do NOT drive a cab in a large urban area....

But you're absolutely right--general attitudes vary a lot more from place to place WITHIN the US and Canada. And of course, even then, individual people are still quite different. You really can't compare the US and Canada without breaking it down by region. Places are just too different.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-10-19 15:44:00
CanadaHolier then thou attitude
I hear a lot more of that kind of my-country-is-best attitude on line than in person. And it isn't just Americans and Canadians; everyone else seems to do it too. My husband's family immigrated to Canada from England and my grandparents and great grandparents all immigrated to the US from various different places, so maybe our families are not representative samples, but if anyone else we know has those opinions, they seem to be able to keep it to themselves.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-10-19 13:55:00
Canadaanyone in my situation......???
This was two years ago, but my husband's AOS was transferred to CSC right after his biometrics appointment, which was only about a month after we filed. EAD and AP took 71 days for approval, but a little bit longer for the EAD card to actually come in the mail. On average, AP and EAD take somewhere between 60 to 90 days, usually closer to 90, so you are still in the window for that.

The advantage in being transferred is you will not have an interview and for most people, that means your AOS will be processed faster (however, some local offices are actually faster than CSC, so it is not the case for all). In rare cases, they can look at your file and decide you should have an interview and transfer you back to the local office, but that's not likely.

You might want to call about your biometrics appointment. You really should have gotten that letter by now.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2010-12-14 15:49:00