The George W. Bush Sewage Plant

Sign the petition!

Ok, consider me a brat, but anyone coming across news of such poetry can hardly ignore it. Perhaps, if we were lucky, no honorary distinction would ever be given this evil man. Not likely, right?

Sign the petition!

A shame that groups aren't forming all across the nation to propose the naming of similarly appropriate structures after this notorious, destructive disappointment of a President/leader/citizen/man/human. For every aircraft carrier, park, boulevard or other prominent structure being "honored" with his name, let's find another more fitting example. How about a landfill? Let your imagination run wild. Naming a sewage plant after "W" is indeed poetry. I invite everyone in San Francisco reading this to be a brat and make a statement.

Sign the Petition!

Toronto Travel Plans 6/29 - 7/6

Eric and I made our travel plans to Toronto the other day. Now that our LMO has been issued we can go get our work permits, find a place to live, open bank accounts, etc. Very exciting.

We'll be there a week, arriving Sunday evening, June 29th and leaving on Monday July 7th. We got a great price on a room at the Intercontinental in Yorkville, which is centrally located and very comfortable. The details of the trip have come together splendidly. Another bonus - Tuesday, July 1st is "Canada Day". On that note, I just had my Microsoft Outlook add Canadian Holidays to my Calendar on my laptop. I need to keep track of them now, don't I? (Eh?) It's a nice little detail that makes this adventure all the more real. OK, you can stop laughing at me now. No, really. Stop.

We will fly into Buffalo, which was several hundred dollars per person less expensive than flying directly to Toronto. I've been told the drive from Buffalo to Toronto is bleak and I shouldn't let it discourage me. Two unrelated people have told me that. Interesting. In any case, we would have rented a car in Toronto anyway and I don't at all mind the opportunity to see more of the surrounding area. We are also looking forward to experiencing Niagara Falls, which surprisingly, I haven't done despite living in Ithaca, NY for almost ten years in the '80's and early '90's. On the more practical side, we can collect our work permits from Canadian Immigration when we cross the border.

And then on to Toronto!

America's Berlin Wall

Anyone interested in renouncing their U.S. citizenship? Tired of that U.S. passport and ready to give it up? Here is a link to a very interesting and, at least for me, unexpected article in The Economist magazine regarding a proposed law to heavily tax expats on their net worth of US$ 2 million or more, if they surrender their passports and renounce their U.S. citizenship. Reading this article would have had little impact on me before my move to Canada. I don't, however, have this kind of wealth (yet?), Canada and the U.S. currently have a taxation agreement, and I will always keep my U.S. citizenship.

Labor Market Opinion Issued!

Eric's Labor Market Opinion finally came back positive! Yippee! HRSDC would only issue a two year LMO instead of the requested three. Apparently the labor market is too uncertain and three year LMOs are rare. Whatev...I called OHIP to confirm I would still be eligible for Provincial health care coverage and was reassured that the determining factor is the employer's intent to hire for three plus years not the length of the LMO or the Temporary Work Permit. The customer representative was incredibly polite and helpful, too. Time to plan our trip to Buffalo/Toronto to have the work permits issued, rent a house or apartment and start setting up our lives north of the border.

Hail the bureaucracy!

Apparently it is going to be approximately one more work week before HRSDC completes the LMO. As exciting as it would have been to receive an official decision today, this could be welcome news as it gives us additional time to plan our departure. Caesar the cat doesn't seem concerned.

**update** I remember checking the definition of "hail" and "hale" when I wrote this post and my "wonderful" (laughing) partner Eric has not so subtly let me know I picked the wrong word -gasp! This actually horrifies me to no end. It has now been corrected. I can now sleep soundly.