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April 29, 2006
Daydreaming
So I seemed to have picked up a bug out of nowhere - came home last night from work and crashed from about 4pm to 10pm, up for an hour and then back to bed at 11pm with some help from Ambien. It was with great effort that I got up this morning and made it out of the house at Noon for some breakfast with my honey and a quick trip to the Tattered Cover before I got back home and took a four-hour nap - ugh. Anyway, while in the Tattered Cover I was pursuing the Canadian Section, as has become habit (OK, it's really the travel section, but it's my only outlet) when I found a book I hadn't noticed before:
It's not bad, but it's mostly written from a British viewpoint of moving to Canada. Mason and I have noticed that the books we have gotten about relocating to the Great White North are mostly for European or Non-North-American readers. There doesn't seem to be a decent book about moving to Canada from the United States. Which got Mason thinking about writing one, but no offence to my beloved husband, but he can't read a book for more then five-minutes much less write one. It is a good idea though, as I have recently discovered more and more Americans (mostly gay ones) taking the plunge and applying for permanent residency to our neighbour to the North.
So as usual my mind got to thinking about the future, and what life would look like once Mason and I finally got established in Toronto and settled in the city. I've thought a while about the fact that I'd like to finish my education and get my Ph.D. before I hit 40. Although the mere thought of school right now sends shivers down my spine...in 3-5 years I might feel differently and I'd still be 35-37 years old. So I started researching schools In Toronto and discovered that the University of Toronto and Wilfrid Laurier University both offer Doctorates’ in Social Work...the only problem with Laurier is that it's about 65 miles away from Toronto. I have also thought about moving out of social work, as much as I love my field I feel at times it can be limiting. I will always consider myself a social worker, but I have been toying with the idea of getting a Psy.D. or a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology, the only down side is that the closest Canadian University to offer a degree is McGill University in Montréal.
Who knows, it's too far in the future to worry about, but it is definitely exciting to daydream about.
Posted by Nikolas at 05:26 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBackApril 25, 2006
Long Goodbyes
-MASON ENTRY-
I've been pretty emotional lately - especially here at work. So much of my business is advance planning and as I begin working on projects that are going into July, August and September it becomes so intensely real about the move to Canada. I am (and always will be) a loyal and dedicated worker giving all my best up to the minute I leave my job and that doesn't concern me as much as the fact that I will be leaving people that are not only my colleagues, but very close friends and in many ways, my family.
I've only told about three or four people around here the very latest on Canada including two of my coordinators (Katie and Tim) and my boss. Every now and then they'll catch me getting teary-eyed as we do some long-range planning, etc.
So - imagine how I was today when Katie came in and told me to listen to a song because she heard it driving home yesterday and immediately thought of Nick and me when she heard the words. She walked into my office, plugged her iPod into my speakers and proceeded to play:
Any minute now my ship is coming in
I'll keep checking the horizon
And I'll stand on the bow
And feel the waves come crashing
Come crashing down, down, down on me
And you said,"Be still, my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in"
Don't you understand?
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin
When I awoke today suddenly nothing happened
But in my dreams I slew the dragon
And down this beaten path
And up this cobbled lane
I'm walking in my own footsteps once again
And you say,"Just be here now
Forget about the past
Your mask is wearing thin"
Let me throw one more dice
I know that I can win
I'm waiting for my real life to begin
Any minute now my ship is coming in
I'll keep checking the horizon
And I'll check my machine
There's sure to be that call
It's gonna happen soon, soon, oh so very soon
It's just that times are lean
And you say,"Be still, my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in"
Don't you understand?
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin
Hey heyeyeyeyey
Hey yeeeeeee
Hey heyeyeyeyey
Eeh eeh eeh eeh eh x5
On a clear day
I can see, see for a long way
On a clear day
I can see, see a very long way
Long goodbyes are going to suck - really, really suck.
Posted by Mason at 04:40 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBackApril 24, 2006
Dear Mr. President
I meant to post about this on Friday, but the weekend got away from me and I noticed a few other bloggers have talked about it already.
I did my home visits to Colorado Springs on Friday - I thoroughly despise visiting that city because of its arch-conservative nature and being the home base for Focus on The Family, but in all fairness it is a geographically stunning area and beautiful setting. So to make myself feel better each time I am down there I buy something from a local bookstore/music store/etc. that is ultra-liberal just to fuck with their inventory and remind people that their are other trains of thought and ways to look at things. So on Friday, I picked up P!nk's new album - I was already impressed with her single "Stupid Girls" but it was her fifth song ito the CD that struck me profoundly and I have not been able to get it out of my mind. Listen to it, see what you think...
Posted by Nikolas at 05:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBackApril 22, 2006
Coincidence??
MASON ENTRY
So, Nick and I have been floored by all of the little things that have been happening to us around the move to Canada. It seems that just when it gets overwhelming or discouraging, something happens to give us a sign that it's all going to be good and we're making the right decision.
* Canadian flags appear in the oddest places.
* We'll see a car with a Canadian license plate - including one parked outside the Villa we stayed at in Puerto Vallarta!
* We'll run into someone here who's from Canada
* Something that we're working with or buy turns out to be "Made in Canada."
Maybe all this is just coincidence or we're just hyper-sensitive to it all. But get this one. My sister wants to buy a german shepherd for her future son-in-law. She asked me if I knew who the breeder is that we got Athena and Cian from here in Colorado. I didn't have the information, so I "Googled" the following:
German Shepherd Colorado Susan Casey
Do me a favor and Google it yourself - you tell me if it's coincidence??!!
Posted by Mason at 05:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBackApril 21, 2006
Reason #267 Why I Love Canada...
Thanks Genet for the link!
Posted by Nikolas at 06:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackApril 20, 2006
Priceless
Immigration Photographs for various reasons:$60.24
Medical Exams for two: $840.00
Canadian Immigration Fees (Total): $2740.00
Realizing that your dream will come true in less then six months: Priceless
Mason's fingerprints came in today and as soon as I made a copy of them I rushed down to the Post Office with our little packet and overnighted the whole thing to Seattle. They should get it tomorrow...now we wait again.
Timeline so far:
Application Submitted: 02-14-2005
Application placed in queue: 03-21-2005
Transferred to Seattle Consulate: 02-09-2006
Initial Assessment Complete/Request for Additional Info: 03-07-2006
Medical Examinations: 03-13-2006
FBI Clearances Received: 04-07-2006/04-20-2006
Second Round of Documents to CIC-Seattle: 04-20-2006
Now we do the Dance of Joy!
Posted by Nikolas at 05:06 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBackApril 13, 2006
My "Little" Right-Wing, Red-State Sister I Love
WARNING - LONG ENTRY FROM MASON.
My friend and "little" sister Char came over last night (I say little because she's eight years older than me, but I've always been the "Big" brother - it was the night to tell her officially about our pending move to Canada. She took the news well - wishing us only the best with all her heart. I know it pains her, but she understands and loves both Nick and me.
What's always been interesting about Char is her die-hard conservativism. Granted, she has been wonderfully, honestly supportive of Nick and me and many liberal causes, but her Catholic and Republican upbringing usually never faulters. She mentioned that night that she thought for sure that my father would be going ape-shit about me being gay, but we just didn't know for sure. Political and social discussions with her are always fun - spirited debates and discussions are good for our souls. We touched a bit on the whole immigration situation here in the US as well.
Tonight, I got a lovely thank you email for inviting her over last night - she mentioned that she hasn't laughed that much in ages which is something the two of us have always been good at: having fun and laughing until we cry.
But, in typical "Char" fashion, she had to send a playful jab by forwarding one of her conservative emails that she always gets - this one on immigration. It's a "letter" to the President from someone going to Mexico to visit:
-----------------------------------
MR. PRESIDENT, I'M HEADED TO MEXICO
David M. Bresnahan
April 1, 2006
NewsWithViews.com
Dear President Bush:
I'm about to plan a little trip with my family and extended family, and I would like to ask you to assist me. I'm going to walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and I need to make a few arrangements. I know you can help with this.
I plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here.
So, would you mind telling your buddy, President Vicente Fox, that I'm on my way over? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:
1. Free medical care for my entire family.
2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.
3. All government forms need to be printed in English.
4. I want my kids to be taught by English-speaking teachers.
5. Schools need to include classes on American culture and history.
6. I want my kids to see the American flag flying on the top of the flag pole at their school with the Mexican flag flying lower down.
7. Please plan to feed my kids at school for both breakfast and lunch.
8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.
9. I do not plan to have any car insurance, and I won't make any effort to learn local traffic laws.
10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from Pres. Fox! to leave me alone, please be sure that all police officers speak English.
11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my house top, put flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.
12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, and don't enforce any labor laws or tax laws.
13. Please tell all the people in the country to be extremely nice and never say a critical word about me, or about the strain I might place on the economy.
I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all the people who come to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that Pres. Fox won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.
However, if he gives you any trouble, just invite him to go quail hunting with your V.P.
Thank you so much for your kind help.
Sincerely,
David M. Bresnahan
Of course, I had to send back what would have been my response to the letter writer!
Dear M. Bresnahan:
I really hope you enjoy your visit to Mexico. What a wonderful country rich in heritage and culture. The food is wonderful and the people are warm and welcoming and I hope you experience all the wonders that is our neighboring country to the South. I also hope that you’re choosing to visit the country without the sterility and exclusiveness of an “all-inclusive” resort. Unfortunately vacationing behind tall brick walls and on man-made beaches doesn’t let you truly experience the country you’re visiting. I realize you don’t have to deal with those pesky beach vendors and witness poverty in the streets, but you sure miss out on the entire experience of visiting a foreign country.
As you visit Mexico, I wonder if you’ll feel the same anticipation that your ancestors felt when they came to America from the county of Kerry in the southern parts of Ireland. Of course, back then, they weren’t just visiting, they were looking for a better life. As the ship they came here on passed in front of the beautiful statue of Liberty, I hope they were able to see the inscription at her base as it reads: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
My ancestors as well came from Ireland – no doubt tired, poor and looking for a better life – one that included low wages doing menial jobs – anything they could to support their family, both with them and abroad. Back then, the United States was a country embracing it’s diversity and it’s richness and ability to accept those who wanted to come here for a better life – even if it meant scrubbing toilets, toiling in the farm fields of the Midwest or the dangerous depths of mines.
So when you return to this beautiful country of the United States of America after your vacation, I’m sure you will be relaxed and maybe feel more at home with freshly paved streets, strong sturdy buildings, fresh produce and clean facilities – all made possible by immigrants who’ve come here looking for a richer and better life – whether they came here over a hundred years ago or just yesterday.
Enjoy your vacation Mr. Bresnahan and best wishes to you always
Mason Lewis Byrne
I love my sister Char - I'm going to miss being close to her once we move to Canada.
April 10, 2006
Absence
Sorry for the break in posts and in responding to other blogs, but Mason and I went on vacation for the past few weeks and were away from any computers, cell phones or telegraphs. We decided to take one more big vacation before the move to Canada since we don't know when we will be stable enough financially/logistically to do this again - so we spent a beautiful sunny vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!
It was a great time, and we have both returned this weekend with a relaxed look and nice tans...and our livers are thankful to have a break from the tequila :-) We really needed the break, and now that we are back we are going full-throttle with getting ready for the move to Canada.
My FBI fingerprints came back while we were gone, now all we need is Mason's and we can send in the final part of our applications. If everything goes well we hope to get the final letter asking for our passports sometime in May!
There is so much to do over the next five months! We have to sell the house, pack up our belongings, get rid of our crap, give notice to our jobs, figure out how to move our stuff to Toronto, fly out to Toronto and secure a place to live in sometime in July or August, get the puppies ready, get health insurance coverage for that weird three months we won't have OHIP, need copies of our credit reports, driving histories, and that's just the stuff I can remember off the top of my head. Needless to say that over the next few months LWB will be buzzing with activity.
Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and I will try to catch up on blogs this week.
Posted by Nikolas at 10:44 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
