Whew. My first weekend in Vancouver was uneventful, which is actually OK. My brain had a chance to relax, unwind and space out. Seems as if it could do with some more relaxing, unwinding and spacing out but, alas, it…
Canadians really like coins. Anything less than five dollars is a coin. A coin! So, two dollars is a coin. One dollar coin. Quarters, Nickels. Dimes. Pennies. Makes me think of a line from The Grinch: “All the noise! Noise!…
Apparently I haven’t adjusted to the time change yet. I woke up at 3am again today and, as pretty every Friday for the past three years, my first thought was “Yay! It’s Family Pizza Night!” Except I won’t be there.…
Dealing with courier companies is always a challenge. Despite RFID and advancements in tracking technology, there is still no substitute for human interaction and proper training. Any company, courier or otherwise, is only as good as its people. Only as…
Consider this a “forest for the trees” moment. There’s half a continent between now and what “used to be” which has brought some focus. I didn’t really notice something before, like my DIY tendencies because, at the time, it seemed…
On the way back from DC, my colleague was giving me some tips on what words to use in Canada. “Garbage” instead of “trash,” for example. Apparently saying “trash” immediately marks you as non-Canadian. The word is used to describe…
I’m waiting for the bus today, this second day of work and third day in Van, I guess. Yesterday was Irony Day. A year or so ago, I read a book called Escape from Cubicle Nation. Kindle version to be…
I’ve arrived safely in #vancouver! Long travel day. Started out in DC at 5am Eastern, and it is almost 3pm Pacific. Whew. It was a little hard passing through O’Hare instead of staying. Mom and I were a little teary…
Reality is sinking in today, manning the booth on the last day of #AALS12. Tomorrow morning, I will not be flying home to my own bed. I will merely be passing through my former home city of Chicago on my…
This move is fraught with challenges, which is part of what makes it exciting for me. The challenge of starting over, in nearly every sense. New location. New country. New set of tax laws and customs to learn. New people.…