Moving In and MOving On

Day 12:  Of Screen Doors and Banana Bread

The day started out slightly wet and dizzily.  Still happy to be away from the hot summer in LA, I’m content wearing my hoodie.  We went to our bank branch in New Westminster, a sweet 10-minute drive to uptown.  We parked across the street nod at the one homeless person and go in the bank.  Next we get in line for a teller.  A line?  It was almost strange to experience a line (queue) in New Westminster.  But we braved the situation and stood firm, waiting a good 5 minutes to get served. 

We deposited the cash we got yesterday from our trip to Blaine and did the dance of this money goes to this account and that money goes to that account.  Our Teller, Leticia, was very helpful and made sure we were served completely.  It was a wonderful experience. 

Then back to Lowe’s to repair the screen door that Mace broke.  Two days ago, he raced through the screen door to bark at something passing along our fence and completely bent the frame.  On his behalf, he is accustomed to a dog door that gave him easy access to the deck on our Condo.  But the screen door won and Mace bounced off it shaken but not hurt.  He is 90 lbs. of muscle and energy, but the door won.

Lowes has replacement frames so we decided to replace both the main house and bonus room screens, as both were rusty and difficult to operate. While at Lowes just down the street and across the bridge we get a fantastic employee to help us find what we needed.  We also found a metal screen protector for both doors. One: to help the dogs ‘see’ that the door is closed and two: to protect the screen from tears from excitable dog paws. 

Back home and doh!  Our doors are 2 different sizes.  The bonus room is 36 x 78; the house door is 30 x 78.  We bought two 36 x 78 doors.  Ah, measure twice cut once.  Or in our case, actually measure at all! Well, we replaced the bonus room successfully and chose to return the too big screen on Saturday.

Then I needed to go back to the bank and pay our gas bill.  The Gas Company does not accept any of the methods of payment I currently have.   Our checks from our checking account won’t arrive for another 10 working days.  That is not acceptable to the Gas Company.  Back we go to RBC in New West to do the paperwork for the bank to make the transfer of funds for the $463.01 bill. 

Nice, huh?  We have to pay a $450.00 security deposit, as we have no credit in Canada.  Yeah, this whole no credit in Canada is wearing thin.  At some point I’ll go through all the trouble we are having getting a credit card here.  Why get a credit card?  Well it’s the old you’re stuck in a box and there are no openings or cracks and the instructions to get out of the box are written on the outside routine.  AKA: You can’t get there from here.

Yeah, we just might decide to build credit the old fashioned way by paying our bills on time for a year and then they just might allow us a credit card. (BTW we always pay our bills on time.)

Anyway the weather cleared up and the sun poked out from the clouds and Jeff got busy working on securing the gate and taking steps to organize his garage.  I made banana bread and unpacked more boxes.

With the banana bread done and still slightly warm I packed up a few loaves and knocked on a few doors to say hello, introduce myself and give bread.  I met the older couple across the street in the Pepto Bismal pink house with the huge satellite dish in the back yard.  Elaine and Ed, a cute couple on their second marriage with 16 children and 25 grandchildren between them.  They were sweet and had seen me walking the dogs. They would have told me their entire life story but I begged off saying I needed to deliver more bread.

Then to the folks that we woke up last Saturday at 9AM with Robert’s moving van.  Ricky, Sean and Siam greeted me at the door and knew all about us, that I was a Massage Therapist, that Jeff worked in the movie business and that we just arrived from LA.  Wow, news travels fast here. 

As Jeff and I ate dinner I said we need a day off from moving.  We look pretty worn out.  Sunday is the day of peace and quiet.

Much love,

Brie

Day 14 a day off from dealing with bureaucracy. 

There is a price one pays emotionally in a big move/change.  It sneaks up on you and bang!  You are in the middle of a rage fest/crying jag/uncontrollable laughing fit.  As yet I have not experienced the laughing or the crying but the rage, ah, yes.  Bingo!

It’s not pretty.  All I can do is catch myself early enough to intervene and breathe.  I take deep breaths a lot these days.  I have been looking up yoga classes trying to find one in the New West area so I can give myself the gift of class.  Soon, I tell myself, soon.

Sprocket loves the backyard.  All the dogs do but Sprocket seems to take on a new dimension of running and racing in circles back there.  It is a pleasure to see her have so much fun.  That helps with the rage thing.  The dogs have helped in granting us humans compassion and understanding.  They are such a gift.

One of Jeff’s friends from Rhythm & Hues, Adam Ballantine, came over for dinner.  He relocated here year and a half ago and seems comfortable with the ins and outs of living in Vancouver.  We asked way too many questions.  He was gracious and answered as best he could.  Of course we plowed him with beer and lasagna as a bribe.  It was great to have a friend from ‘back home’ in our house.  BTW our back porch is fantastic.  It is a great space for conversations.

That’s all for today. 

Much love,

Brie

Day 15:  The DMV of Canada.

It’s remarkable that the DMV in Canada is similar to the DMV in California and if memory serves me the DMV in Minnesota. 

The differences in the Canadian DMV is the office we went to was:

 1. It was located in a mall and 2. The counter workers were very friendly and kind. 

But much of it had that familiar smell.  Like long lines, odd parts of humanity hanging around, the numbering system as in take a number please and wait to be called.  Complete with the red lighted blinking sign and the loud ‘DING’ calling out: A4301, G7931, K2205, Yes all that was the same. 

Once we got to the counter I was the lucky one.  My CA driver’s license had been renewed over 2 years ago therefore I was accepted and went through the process to convert (give up) my CA driver’s license to a Canadian license.  I had a lovely chat with the counter worker (Judy) as we went through some of the differences of Canadian driving laws, my eye test and took my photo for the license.  Meh.

Jeff wasn’t so lucky.  He renewed his California license this last January

(01-10-14) and did not meet the requirement of holding a current drivers license for more than 2 years.  (I know, right?)  He will need to contact the California DMV (I know, right?) for a copy of his driving record send either by fax to the Canadian DMV or sealed envelope to us and we unseal it in front of a worker at the Canadian DMV.  (I know, right?)  OMG.

That was the straw that broke poor Jeff’s spirit.  After a trip to Costco to replace the printer we ‘lost’ during the move we set up our PS3 and television finally and watched Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren in “Hitchcock”.  It is a fabulous, wonderful movie about Alfred Hitchcock and the 1960 filming of “Psycho”.  Full of the spirit and humor that Hitch was famous for.  Anthony Hopkins was amazing as Hitchcock.  I highly recommend it!

Thank you for reading this, it means a lot to me to be able to connect with you!

Much love,

Brie

Day 16: We got a renter in our Condo & Downtown in the Rain

Great news, we got a renter in our condo, a Mrs. Alexandra and her two daughters.  She wanted to rent our condo so much she wrote us a personal letter letting us know a little bit about herself and why she felt so strongly about living in our place.

Jeff and I breathed a big sigh of relief. 

BTW our team, Hunter Mason Reality, have been fabulous.  They have helped us through each step.

We signed the rental agreement and off we go!

Next back downtown on the sky train to sign the final documents with our bank to get a credit card so we can build our Canadian credit.  I’m suspicious that Americans before us have been rather shady in dealing with Canadian Banks, hence the hoops we must jump through to build our credit in Canada.  Once again I smile at the remarkable resemblance of RBC downtown has to Gringot’s Bank from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. 

We meandered around downtown and Gastown in the misty rain and strolled into a Brew Store.  It was a tiny shop with odd assorted bottles of beer, wine and spirits.  We had a lovely talk with the clerk and he was very helpful guiding Jeff to a selection of micro brews.  He got a Hound of the Barkersville brew and a Hoyne Wolf Vine.  We sampled the Barkersville last night and both were pleasantly surprised.  

Back home to pick up Jeff’s truck from it’s inspection so it can get license plates from BC.  There were a few hiccups.  The truck does not have day running lights (a requirement to drive on Canadian roads) so that kit needed to be installed and a question about the passenger side door lock.  But after rechecking the guidelines and a cool $400.00 later the truck passed.  My car will be inspected today.  Wish me luck!

And yes, car insurance is unbelievably high here.  With my good driving record and our multi vehicle plan through State Farm to insure my car and me was $1100.00 per year.  Here it will be $2000.00 and that is with the 40% discount as we go through all the inspections and get our drivers license from BC.  Expensive to live here?  Yeah I’d say so.

Much love,

Brie