we buy a car

We bought a car!

I am 44 years old and this is the first car I've ever owned. I bet that sounds pretty bizarre; it certainly is unusual for an American. I learned to drive at the minimum age, but as a teenager I shared a car with my mom, then I went to college in Philadelphia, where having a car was a toy, not a necessity. Once I settled in New York, there was no reason to own a car. Keeping a car in New York City is either a great expense or a great headache, or both. We rented dozens of cars over the years, but daily life was lived on foot or on public transportation.

But now we're suburban folks, and I'm excited about having our own set of wheels.

We chose a Chevrolet Optra Wagon, a Canadian-only model, the GM equivalent of the Ford Focus. There was a 2005 available, we got a good price, and we went for it. We're hoping to get insured on Monday morning and "take delivery," as they say, on Monday afternoon.

Our friendly Car Dealer Guy and the Final Pricing Guy were both very interested in why we (Americans) are here (in Canada). They asked enough questions that we got into the actual reasons, not my shorthand "we like Canada better than the US" answer. Once again, I see how much more mainstream our views are here. I suppose I'll be seeing this over and over, and I don't think I'll ever tire of it - considering it's the bottom-line justification of why we moved.

Interestingly, both men asked us about Fahrenheit 9/11. In the US media, the words "Michael Moore" are a buzzword for a ranting extremist. At a Chevy dealership in Mississauga, he's a man who made an eye-opening movie.

* * * *

We're taking the day off today, a much-needed breather from shopping and setting up and figuring things out. I know we both want to catch up on our blog-reading in the morning, then there's the very important baseball game in the afternoon, and the music festival in Port Credit to check out at night.

more advice

People email me all the time about emigration. About a year ago, I tried to gather together some advice. At that point in our process, most of what I had to offer could be summarized in two sentences: fill out forms carefully, and be patient. Now that we're here, my advice can be more concrete.

Here are some pointers I can pass along about the move itself.

1. Save more money. Calculate the amount of money you think you're going to need, double it, and make that your new goal. Even if you don't reach it, you'll be better off for having tried. Moving is always full of unexpected expenses, and with a move of this magnitude, the expenses increase accordingly.

2. Bring a big wad of cash with you. While you can withdraw Canadian currency using your US ATM card, getting the contents of your US bank account transferred to a Canadian bank account is not simple and doesn't happen instantly. We didn't do this and I wish we had. It wasn't awful to fix, but it created a few more steps, and no one needs more work at this time.

3. Apply for an Social Insurance Number right away. You can print and fill out the form in advance, then take your passport and your confirmation of landing to a local Human Resource Centre. It isn't hard to do, and you'll want to get that number as soon as possible. Unless you're self-employed or have guaranteed employment, you'll need this number in order to work.

4. You don't need an SIN to open a bank account.

5. After emigrating, you will have no credit. Zero. No matter what you've done in the US, your credit history is wiped clean and you'll be starting all over. Keep this in mind if you're thinking of applying for a mortgage, car loan, or anything like that. Your US credit record is not accessible to Canadian banks and businesses, although you can get a copy of your credit record before you leave. As soon as you have your SIN, you can apply for a Canadian credit card to begin amassing a fledgling credit history.

6. Before you leave, get a copy of your driving record. For US citizens, this is called an "abstract", and you get it from your state's Department of Motor Vehicles. You'll need it to get auto insurance, but Canadian insurance companies cannot access it. I would have missed this entirely, but for a helpful Canadian insurance agent who I was emailing with before we left. We ended up at Motor Vehicles on our last day in New York. Put this on your advance things-to-do list.

7. You'll have to clear customs at the border. Make a list of everything you're bringing with you, assign an approximate (Canadian) dollar value to each item, and total it. You don't have to itemize every single thing, but everything must be accounted for - for example, "clothing," "stereo equipment," "living room furniture". The list should be divided into two sections: what you're physically bringing with you, and what is arriving at a later date. Print out two copies and have it with your passport and other documents when you arrive.

We were fortunate to find out about this and do it in advance. While I was breezing through customs, I saw a woman struggling to fill out the form while her three little kids squirmed and squabbled. I felt so sorry for her - and it wasn't her fault, this information is not easily found.

8. Which brings me to my last point. On that wonderful day when you receive your acceptance notice - "Your processing for Permanent Residence in Canada is complete..." - the envelope will include a little green postcard. On the postcard is a website: Direction Canada. This is the place to go - it's full of essential information for your move. However, it's just a postcard thrown in your envelope. Your papers don't say, "Visit this website for essential information." There's no checklist or list of "what you should know before your move". Bookmark this site and read, read, read.

That's it for now. To Nick and Mason, Daniel and Alan, the woman in Virginia who is studying French, the witchy couple in California, and all the good people who've emailed me about their hopes and plans, I wish you all the best of luck. I wish you the kind of landing we're having.

blog of note

I find wmtc in the coolest places. Check out David Parsons's This Space For Rent, which he writes on his own blog program. A very interesting guy, with an excellent blog.

"we've got canadian flags flying everywhere"

ALPF and Redsock both sent me this story. ALPF found it at Reuters' AlertNet, and Allan saw it on Yahoo News Canada. Thanks (as always) for doing my work for me, guys.

Canadians beat U.S. Army to New Orleans suburb

A Canadian search-and-rescue team reached a flooded New Orleans suburb to help save trapped residents five days before the U.S. military, a Louisiana state senator said on Wednesday.

The Canadians beat both the Army and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. disaster response department, to St. Bernard Parish east of New Orleans, where flood waters are still 8 feet (2.4 metres) deep in places, Sen. Walter Boasso said.

"Fabulous, fabulous guys," Boasso said. "They started rolling with us and got in boats to save people."

"We've got Canadian flags flying everywhere."

The stricken parish of 68,000 people was largely ignored by U.S. authorities who scrambled to get aid to New Orleans, a few miles (km) away. Boasso said residents of the outlying parishes had to mount their own rescue and relief efforts when Hurricane Katrina roared ashore on Aug. 29.

The U.S. government response to the disaster has been widely criticized. Politicians and editorial writers have called for the resignation of top Bush administration officials.

Boasso said U.S. authorities began airdropping relief supplies to St. Bernard last Wednesday, the same day the Canadian rescue team of about 50 members arrived from Vancouver, nearly 2,200 miles (3,540 km) away.

"They chartered a plane and flew down," he said.

Two FEMA officials reached the parish on Sunday and the U.S. Army arrived on Monday, he said.

"Why does it take them seven days to get the Army in?" Boasso asked.

He speculated that the smaller parishes suffered because the focus was on New Orleans, the famous home of jazz and Mardi Gras.

As for the Canadians, Boasso gave thanks for their quick work.

"They were so glad to be here," he said. "They're still here. They are actually going door-to-door looking in the attics" for people to rescue, he said.

ALPF notes:

I was able to find this story on several Canadian sites, European sites and Asian sites...not one American site however. Last night on CNN they talked about all the International help (right down to some generators that South Africa was providing) with not one mention of Canada?

What's up with that?

border crossing

We drove over the border and back today, our first time "on US soil" - as the wingnuts love to say - since our landing.

It was uneventful, on the outside - the fewest number of questions we've ever been asked, in both directions. But it felt momentous to me. We zipped over to the Buffalo airport and dealt with the rental car exchange. Then we drove home. To Canada.

later

We're off to Buffalo to return the minivan and pick up a smaller rental car for another week. After that, more unpacking and setting up. Our new couch is being delivered today, and we have to make some room for it! I'll check in with you all later.

invitation from cindy sheehan

In an email from United for Peace and Justice, Cindy Sheehan writes:

Sept. 7, 2005

Dear Friends and Supporters of Peace,

On August 31st, we closed down Camp Casey on the outskirts of President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. In the three and a half weeks that we were in Crawford, thousands of people passed through - some for just a few hours and some for days or weeks. Throughout the country, hundreds of thousands of people responded to my vigil, calling on the President to meet with me and, just as importantly, adding their voices to the growing cry for an end to the war in Iraq.

The horrific events that have unfolded in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, in the wake of the deadly hurricane Katrina are stark reminders of just how lop-sided our nation's priorities are. Resources that could have been used to save lives are instead tied up in a war that continues to kill Iraqis and U.S. servicepeople. Our nation is at a crossroads: will we continue to squander resources and take lives in a war that never should have happened, or will we commit ourselves to the re-building of the Gulf Coast and the lives torn asunder by Katrina? It is clear that both cannot happen at the same time, and in this context our urgent call to end the war in Iraq must be as clear and strong as ever.

The same day Camp Casey closed two important initiatives were launched. Gold Star Families for Peace kicked off a campaign to hold Congress accountable for taking us into war, and also for ending this war. I sent a letter to every member of Congress - all 435 representatives and 100 senators - asking the same questions I've been asking President Bush. At the same time, three buses left Camp Casey to head North, East and South carrying members of Gold Star Families for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace to dozens of cities. The buses will converge on Washington, DC September 21, just days before the national anti-war protest being organized for the weekend of September 24-26. In addition to community forums and other events, on the road we will visit members of Congress asking for a meeting and answers to my questions. You can join this campaign as the buses pass through your community, or become a part of a delegation being organized in your Congressional district.

In case you have not already made plans to be there, I want to encourage you to join me in Washington, DC that weekend. I'll be marching on Saturday, September 24 with United for Peace and Justice, and later that same day will be speaking at the "Operation Ceasefire" free concert at the Washington Monument.

You know as well as I do that the majority of the people of this country oppose the war. As we talk to people from every part of the country, it is clear that the time is right for this demonstration in the nation's capital. You do not want to miss this crucial event - it's looking like the September 24-26 weekend will be the largest gathering so far of the movement to end the war in Iraq. It will also be the first opportunity since Katrina hit our shores to raise our voices in a call for new priorities.

Most importantly, I urge you to come to Washington on September 24, to tell President Bush and Congress in the strongest possible way that it's time to bring the troops home. But don't come alone - bring your friends and family, bring your co-workers, your classmates, your neighbors. Visit the United for Peace and Justice website for details about the day's events, and for information about the interfaith service, grassroots lobby day, and nonviolent civil disobedience action at the White House being planned for September 25 and 26.

And your help is needed in another way. To reach the potential of what will be a history-making event, United for Peace and Justice needs your financial support. Please take a moment right now to make the largest donation possible. I know that many of you have given and will continue to give to Katrina relief efforts, and it's important that we each do what we can to help out. But hopefully you also understand how important it is to lend your financial support to the Sept. 24-26 Mobilization.

I want to thank all of you who gave so much to support my efforts while I was in Texas. Now, as we all move into the next phase of our efforts to end the war in Iraq, I look forward to seeing you in Washington, DC on September 24.

Your friend,
Cindy Sheehan

This will be the first major march on Washington that I'm unable to attend in a long time. It already feels strange not to be part of the organizing efforts, even in some small way.

We can all support the peace movement by donating any small amount to United for Peace and Justice. And of course by continuing to keep the war up front in our thoughts and in our blogs.

observation

This is something I've noticed throughout my Canadian odyssey, from our earliest trips to Toronto to today. I've waited a long time to mention it, to make sure I wasn't drawing a hasty generalization.

Canadians seem very careful with money. Frugal. Cheap.

Of course no generalization is absolute. But on the whole, people here seem very concerned with how much things cost, and with saving money. I'm not talking about people who simply can't afford things. I've been poor. I know what it is when your basic expenses outstrip your income, how wearing that is, the stress it puts you under. So we'll leave that aside.

I'm talking about an attitude. A concern with spending the least amount of money possible, about avoiding or reducing costs if at all possible. An unwillingness to part with money. Phone bills. Parking. Cable TV. The garbage tags I blogged about yesterday. In the US, charging an extra dollar for garbage tags would not create an incentive to put out less garbage. People would just buy more tags. Here, our neighbour says no one ever buys extra tags.

To some of you, this may seem a clear virtue. Others may take offense. I mean it only as an observation.

I have a very specific reaction to this, because of my own background. In a family dominated by Control Freak Father who was also the World's Cheapest Man, the goal in life was not to spend money. Any money spent had to be justified a million times over. Endless amounts of time and energy were spent searching for The Holy Grail called The Best Deal. (No matter that this becomes counterproductive. It had to be done.) And Control Freak Father used money as a way of controlling our lives.

As adults, my siblings and I all became very generous. We are check-grabbers. We are excellent tippers. For my own part, I don't care about the Best Deal. I don't buy foolishly - I don't pay more for the exact same product based on packaging or a faddish brand name - but I decided long ago that my time is worth more than my money. I often pay more for convenience. I will hire someone to do something for me, in order to make my life a bit easier, and I will pay them as generously as I can. If I need, for example, a new vitamin supplement, I don't check the price in four places before I buy it. I just buy it. I feel Allan and I both work hard for our income, and we can spend it without justification. I haven't seen how getting The Best Deal improves anyone's life. I haven't seen how my life is diminished by spending a little more and worrying about money a little less.

I've been very surprised by how often Canadians mention the cost of long-distance phone bills, or the price of cable TV, or high-speed internet access, or parking, or the countless things I would put under the category of regular life expenses. To me, the price of these regular life expenses are not even worth mentioning. It costs money to live. Period. Again, I'm not talking about people who are truly struggling financially. I'm talking about people with decent jobs and decent incomes, for whom frugality is just a part of life.

Your thoughts?

reaction

At the bank when we opened our chequeing account, at the corner store where we made copies of our driver's licenses, on our driveway chatting with our neighbours, people want to know, "What brings you here from the US?" They often say, "Are you here for a change of employment?"

To the first question, I'll answer, "We didn't want to live in the US anymore. We like Canada better." To the second, I'll say, "No, actually, a change of life. We wanted to live in Canada."

Generally the person expresses some amount of surprise, in a pleased and friendly way. The young guy at the store said, "Yeah? Wow, good stuff, I love it." The bank officer - also young, but trying to be professional - said, "Oh interesting..." and looked like he was dying to ask more. The neighbour pressed a tiny bit further. I said, "Yes, we've emigrated, we're here for political reasons". He seemed fascinated.

The woman next door is American by birth, now a dual citizen, married to a Canadian man. She emigrated ten years ago. When the other neighbour asked why we moved, she volunteered, "Thanks, George! We're getting all kinds of good people because of him."

I would categorize these reactions as polite surprise, with a desire to know more, in conflict with too much courtesy to ask.

* * * *

Buster update. Before we moved, I mentioned that we were beginning to transition him to regular food and lower dosages of medications. It didn't work.

He reacted to the new food almost immediately. We knew we couldn't take a chance on Buster being sick during the actual drive north - that would be a disaster - so we quickly put him back on his boiled chicken and rice diet. Dr S advised us to keep the meds at the same levels, to give him maximum support during the added stress of the move.

If Buster experienced any stress over the move, he certainly didn't show it. He has seemed perfectly happy and relaxed the whole time. He's come such a long way from when we first found him! On our first trip upstate, he howled and cried and screamed for hours, absolutely freaked out at being in a strange place. It was heartbreaking. I can only think he feared we were abandoning him. Each summer his reaction was a little less, until it disappeared altogether. Now, if he's with us, he's happy.

So. A few days after the move, I was unable to reach Dr S, and the Prednisone dosage was driving me insane. We couldn't leave the house for more than two hours at a time, plus we had to take B out in the middle of the night. Since he's doing well otherwise - and since the transition to regular food may be a long process of trial and error - I decided we'd reduce the Prednisone on our own, according to the schedule Dr S had already given us.

On the slightly lower dose, Buster started sleeping through the night. Whew. Allan does a late last walk, and I wake up very early for morning walk, but we both get to sleep all night. A big improvement.

Dr S called yesterday. She thought the Pred reduction was fine, but recommended we not reduce it further until we find a food B can tolerate. Next up: Special Food #5. (The fifth prescription diet we've tried.)

While I was organizing everything for our move, I made sure we had a good supply of all our meds (mine, Allan's and Buster's) and a lot of dog food, so we wouldn't have to scramble around right after we moved. Ha! We ended up having to find new food immediately before moving, and now again. Organization is all well and good, but you can only plan so much.

shiny happy people

People are so friendly here. It's insane.

First stop, our local Second Cup, which holds a fond place in Allan and Laura History: it's where we discovered there were rentals we could afford in Port Credit. Second Cup Counter Person was happier and friendlier than any counter person should be.

Next stop, bank. We had to get a cash advance from our Visa and deposit it in our new chequeing account in order to avoid bouncing cheques to our esteemed landlord, the hydro people and such. Bank teller was happy, friendly and efficient.

We are amazed. Suffice to say this is not the case at our old bank in New York.

Third and most important stop: Human Services Centre. Applying for our SINs took about 10 minutes. Easy and efficient. Plus, there was no "lite" music blaring, and no advertising zipper flashing, as there was in the Motor Vehicles office on our last day in New York.

On the way home, we stopped at a grocery store. Upon checking out, Allan noticed this sign on a closed register:

Another cashier will be only too pleased to help you.

In New York, that sign reads:

CLOSED

* * * *

I've just learned that my next book assignment begins this Monday. This is my last week of total freedom, so we want to make the most of it. Not surprisingly, that will mean many trips to Ikea.

Allan can't start work until his SIN card arrives, so he has at least three weeks of freedom left. Although I plan on putting him to work big time.

* * * *

Two personal notes. My dear friend NN and her husband saved our butts this morning by depositing their own cash into our New York checking account. An errand and a loan combined: that's true friendship. We thank them profusely!

And Alan With One L: there is a loon on the back of the twenty dollar bill.

"mission incompetence"

Tomorrow is one week since we made The Move. It already feels so long ago, so much has happened since we left.

It's been a while since I've been able to focus on anyone else's blog, or anyone else's life, for that matter. At dinner tonight - sitting on chairs! at a table! - Allan and I talked about New Orleans, and W, and the godawful mess, and I could feel each of us venturing out of the We Move To Canada Cocoon.

So tonight, I visited a few of my favorite bloggers, and was immediately knocked out by this amazing post from G the Library Bitch. G really summed up the whole vile situation. Please go read it now.

* * * *

Sleepybomb, long-time friend of wmtc, is from Metarie ("Metry" to him). He and S.A. have a daughter and a grandchild there, and their whole family, and a ton of friends and loved ones. You might want to hear about it first hand, or stop by to lend some support. He is here at the wreckroom.

new york run by the swiss

Remember back aways we were talking about Peter Ustinov's description of Toronto: New York run by the Swiss? There was some discussion about whether it was a compliment or an insult, although most people agreed it was meant as praise.

I think we've gotten our first taste of that. Both our landlord and next-door neighbour filled us in on the recycling laws for the Peel region of Ontario. This is efficiency New York could only dream of. Or scoff at, as the case may be.

[Canadian readers, I'm sure you'll want to go off and do your laundry now.]

All waste is picked up once a week. Recycling is separated, similar to how it's done in New York. But there's a limit on how much non-recycling trash you can leave out: three bags per household. Certain days are unlimited trash days. Those seem to be after most major holidays, including tomorrow, post-Labour Day, so we've moved in at a good time, trash-wise.

Except for those unlimited days, if you leave more than the three-bag limit, you have to buy tags from the city. And apparently, no one ever buys them. The tags cost $1.00 each, and it seems to be anathema to buy more tags. Our neighbour told us that if someone on the block has an extra bag of garbage, they ask around to see if anyone has only two bags, then put their trash in front of that driveway.

This is a huge difference I've long noticed between New Yorkers and Canadians, which I'll get into soon, but not now. For now I'll just say that in New York, if it cost $1.00 to put an extra bag of trash out, people would buy dozens of tags and use them all the time. Counterfeit tags would go for $0.50 on the street corner. Wealthy neighborhoods wouldn't use tags at all, while folks in low-income communities would be rounded up for Tag Violations. Eventually there'd be a revolt, with the populace calling for an end to the draconian Tag Laws.

Now, for all I know there are black-market tags in Mississauga, too, but the way our landlord and neighbour made it sound, if we buy extra tags, we will be branded as freaks.

On the other hand, recycling in New York is a disgrace. NYC was the last major US city to recycle, and it was done in the least logical and most haphazard method possible. When Mayor Bloomberg took office, he suspended the recycling program, claiming it was losing money. (This may have been true, who can say.) Later, public pressure forced him to reinstate it, and it took months for the public to get back to speed.

Huge sections of New York City do not recycle. All the recycling rules can fit on a small poster or pamphlet. US readers, check out these guidelines (and that's just one link). Can you imagine these rules existing in New York? There would be a revolt. The Mayor would be lynched, the City Council run out of town.

Meanwhile, back in Port Credit, we have a lot to learn. Allan has been reading up on how to dispose of the mountain of cardboard boxes, bubble wrap and packing tape we accumulated, not to mention all the disgusting crap we wrenched out of this house. I'm sure we're going to miss a few tricks this time around, and something tells me our next-door neighbour will be over to educate us.

We thought this was amusing. From the Mississauga Collection Day Checklist:

Clear the way for your collection truck. Don't leave hockey nets and basketball posts in the street on your waste collection day.

I'll let you know how it goes. Or maybe this is too boring, and I won't.

found in the house

Label reads:
WARD'S DRUG STORE
Stop 8 Lakeshore Rd. Lakeview
Phone PORT CREDIT 2655
[handwritten on prescription label] Rose W__l




Label reads:
Jergen's Lotion
2 Effective Ingredients
[back label in French & English]
Helps Soften, Smooth the Skin
No Stickiness
Furnishes beautifying, softening moisture. Contains 2 effective ingredients many doctors use. Helps overcome roughness, chapping. Regular use helps prevent chapping.
Made in Canada
The Andrew Jergens Co. Ltd.
Perth, Ontario

labour day

With my kitchen in working order, I'm poking my head out of The Tunnel Of Moving and sniffing out The World Beyond My Life. We have a big week ahead of us, so who knows, I might quickly duck back in the hole.

So I don't lose touch with two of my favorite New Yorkers, I'm bringing you the only reasons to ever read the New York Times.

Paul Krugman reminds us that the US federal government's catastrophic failure regarding Katrina was not just stupidity. It was a product of philosophy, the end result of a series of choices.

Each day since Katrina brings more evidence of the lethal ineptitude of federal officials. I'm not letting state and local officials off the hook, but federal officials had access to resources that could have made all the difference, but were never mobilized.

Here's one of many examples: The Chicago Tribune reports that the U.S.S. Bataan, equipped with six operating rooms, hundreds of hospital beds and the ability to produce 100,000 gallons of fresh water a day, has been sitting off the Gulf Coast since last Monday - without patients.

. . .

But the federal government's lethal ineptitude wasn't just a consequence of Mr. Bush's personal inadequacy; it was a consequence of ideological hostility to the very idea of using government to serve the public good. For 25 years the right has been denigrating the public sector, telling us that government is always the problem, not the solution. Why should we be surprised that when we needed a government solution, it wasn't forthcoming?

Does anyone remember the fight over federalizing airport security? Even after 9/11, the administration and conservative members of Congress tried to keep airport security in the hands of private companies. They were more worried about adding federal employees than about closing a deadly hole in national security.

Of course, the attempt to keep airport security private wasn't just about philosophy; it was also an attempt to protect private interests. But that's not really a contradiction. Ideological cynicism about government easily morphs into a readiness to treat government spending as a way to reward your friends. After all, if you don't believe government can do any good, why not?

And in case you need more evidence, Bob Herbert details what a dolt Moron is.

Mr. Bush flew south on Friday and proved (as if more proof were needed) that he didn't get it. Instead of urgently focusing on the people who were stranded, hungry, sick and dying, he engaged in small talk, reminiscing at one point about the days when he used to party in New Orleans, and mentioning that Trent Lott had lost one of his houses but that it would be replaced with "a fantastic house - and I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch."

Mr. Bush's performance last week will rank as one of the worst ever by a president during a dire national emergency. What we witnessed, as clearly as the overwhelming agony of the city of New Orleans, was the dangerous incompetence and the staggering indifference to human suffering of the president and his administration.

And it is this incompetence and indifference to suffering (yes, the carnage continues to mount in Iraq) that makes it so hard to be optimistic about the prospects for the United States over the next few years. At a time when effective, innovative leadership is desperately needed to cope with matters of war and peace, terrorism and domestic security, the economic imperatives of globalization and the rising competition for oil, the United States is being led by a man who seems oblivious to the reality of his awesome responsibilities.

Krugman column here, Herbert column here.

The media critic Todd Gitlin wrote about reaction to Bush's failure in yesterday's Guardian.

Bush at bay

From Baghdad to Biloxi, the President has never been so assailed by such vitriolic criticism

Apres le deluge, quoi? The gales that blew across the Gulf of Mexico last week also engulfed President George W Bush as he strained to cope with catastrophe - the hurricane and subsequent inundation and social breakdown that vast numbers of Americans understood as not only natural but political.

August was already Bush's cruelest month. This President eagerly seizes his annual chance to evacuate the discomfiting city of Washington for the west Texas ranch where, his spokesman recently admitted, he grazes 'four or five cattle'. But exigencies have a way of streaming into the bubble.

On 6 August 2001, the CIA told Bush: 'Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US.' On 6 August 2005, Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a Californian soldier killed in Iraq, camped out near his west Texas ranch demanding to meet him to ask why her son had died. Sheehan filled the news vacuum and became, for a while, Everywoman, while Bush was caught off-balance, especially as constitutional talks in Iraq proved unimpressive. The President sounded hapless when he answered a reporter's question as to why he could find time for his bicycle but not Sheehan.

This is a long piece, but well worth your time, as Gitlin pulls together the whole rotten picture.

* * * *

Today I'm putting my office in order, and I don't want to leave the house except for lakeside dog-walks and afternoon tea in the backyard. (Boy do I love the sound of that.)

In our NYC apartment, Allan set up shop in the dining room - laptop and piles of paper only - and the second bedroom we used as my office doubled as a storage room. Now, with more storage space, Allan's office will be in the basement, and my office will be mine, all mine [insert maniacal cackling laughter here].

Last night we worked on the kitchen, hanging up all the organizer doo-dads I bought yesterday, and putting together some great hanging-basket shelving from Ikea. I have to return a bunch of crap to Home Outfitters, because it was, well, crap. But things are beginning to take shape. Boxes are being emptied, and shelves are filling up with baskets and organizer thingys, which means it's beginning to look like My Home. A few of you reading this know I am an organization freak. Hand me a bunch of plastic baskets and I'm in my glory.

new game plan

I went to Linen N Things, Home Outfitters and Ikea. (In case you forgot: I love Ikea!) I purchased many things. We need so many more.

We were going to shop for a car this week, thinking we should give up this expensive rented minivan as soon as possible. But car shopping is time consuming, and our money may be stuck in transit. I'm growing anxious to finish setting up the house, including quite a bit of shopping at Ikea and Home Depot. This coming week may be my last completely free week before I resume writing.

So we're going back to the original plan, which we had mapped out for months before we got it in our head that we should buy a car immediately. This week, we'll shop, unpack and get the house in order. Next week, we'll buy a car.

Allan thinks we can save a lot of money by taking an intermediate step of renting an ordinary car locally for a week. It could be half the price. He'll look into that on Tuesday. Perhaps we'll pick up a less expensive rental, return the minivan to Buffalo, and apply for our SIN cards. After that, we can focus on the house for almost a full week. (I'm sure I'll be fixing up the house forever, but I want to get the basics done pronto.)

* * * *

People who've been reading wmtc for a while know that I've been looking forward to trading in my urban, car-free life for the ease of suburbia. Although I'll miss many things about life in New York, doing errands on foot and schlepping packages home on the subway will not be among them.

When we used to go to Ikea, we would borrow my mom's car or rent a car for the day. This sounds incredibly trivial, but I can't tell you how much I enjoyed driving to Ikea today, putting my packages in the car, and driving home. It was lovely.

Yesterday, I walked around the corner to an old-fashioned "variety store" (a guy who carries one of everything), picked up a few things, and walked home. I loved that, too. I feel like Port Credit may be the best of both.

question

Does anyone know how to unstick cabinets and windows that are painted shut?

them

Redsock writes:

While waiting at the checkout at Loblaws this morning, I run over to grab a copy of the Toronto Star. Not knowing exactly what day it is, I grab a copy of Saturday's paper and hand it to the woman behind the register.

Her (holding paper out and reading the huge headline): "What Took You?" What does that mean? It sounds like something is missing.

Me: Probably "What took you so long?" ... Considering all the other horror stories from down there. [Thinking of Bush's refusal of aid from Canada.]

Her: Right! Of course. That's it. ... You'd think so much more could be done, but maybe we don't know all of the logistics.

Me: Well, it's not like they didn't know the storm was coming.

Her (shaking head): We think of them as such a powerful country, but ...

Me (surprised, then consciously avoiding pronouns): It wasn't a big concern. It's just a lot of misplaced priorities.

Walking out, I'm amazed at her use of that one word. Them. Not us. Not we. Them.

The US is now one of those other countries that exist outside our borders. Powerful and important, of course, but definitely Not Us.

Thanks for the guest post, especially because I can't concentrate on anything right now.

vague and menacing

Ahhh. Sitting on a chair, typing at a desk, drinking out of a real mug, after having slept in a real bed. Much more human today.

I've been reading through the information the ASP left for us, which includes a copy of new Ontario law banning pit bulls or any dog that anyone might ever think might be even partly a pit bull.

I blogged about the law while it was being debated, before it passed. And there's great information on breed-specific legislation, from a Canadian perspective, here at dogwatch.net.

Here are some choice excerpts from Dog Owners' Liability Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter D.15:

4. (1) A proceeding may be commenced in the Ontario Court of Justice against an owner of a dog if it is alleged that,

(a) the dog has bitten or attacked a person or domestic animal;

(b) the dog has behaved in a manner that poses a menace to the safety of persons or domestic animals; or

(c) the owner did not exercise reasonable precautions to prevent the dog from,

(i) biting or attacking a person or domestic animal, or

(ii) behaving in a manner that poses a menace to the safety of persons or domestic animals.

"Behaving in a manner that poses a menace"? This is an extraordinarily vague term. As ASP said at our door the other day, a person who doesn't understand dogs can walk by a fenced yard, see a dog barking at a fence, and feel threatened and menaced - although the dog is just being a dog, safe behind its fence, and doing no harm. Here's more:

Onus of proof, pit bulls
(10) If it is alleged in any proceeding under this section that a dog is a pit bull, the onus of proving the that dog is not a pit bull lies on the owner of the dog.

So some asshole neighbor alleges my dog is a pit bull, and I have to prove he is not. How does one go about proving a mutt is a mutt?

Under this law, it is illegal to take in a stray dog that you think might be a pit bull. So when I saw Buster on that cold and rainy December night in 1999, covered in wounds and sores, frightened and cold, I would have had to call Animal Services and have him killed, rather than take him into my home and make him part of my family. Very humane. Indeed, the Humane Society of Canada opposes all breed specific legislation, and strenuously opposes the Ontario ban.

Read more here, and if you want to debate breed-specific legislation, please do it on your own blog. Sympathy and support are welcome, alternative perspectives can take a hike.

Also, in case you are very new to wmtc, Buster is not a pit bull. He's a mutt I found on the street. He reacts aggressively to other dogs (except his sister Cody). Solution: we keep him well away from other dogs.

a bad man dies

Here's one person I won't mourn.

Resident Moron is going to fill two Supreme Court vacancies, just as we expected and feared. A terrible prospect.

question

You guys have already answered this for me, but I can't find the post. What is the Canadian equivalent of Bed Bath and Beyond?