Author: John

Moved

On the first of July Joanie and I moved into a new and bigger apartment. The new place has some great features: A working fireplace, a small yard/garden, and a garage, for not much more money. This was my first move within Quebec, which is quite an experience.

Moving day in Quebec is usually July 1. This has a rather long history, but in a sentance it has been law since Quebec was a colony that landlords could not evict their tenants before the snow had melted. When laws started to be written down all leases had to begin on June 1 and end on May 30. Then, in during the quiet revolution the law was changed. On Jan 1, 1974 a law was passed making all leases that were to end on May 30 last until June 30. This was to move moving day so that it was no longer during the school year. Since then, although it’s no longer required by law, most leases start on July 1 and end on June 30.

This means that here in Montreal, where about 70% of residents rent, things are crazy on July 1. On my old street there were no less than 5 households moving. Also, there is little to no time between when the old tenant moves out of an apartment and the new tenant moves in, (read: your new apartment is dirty). Finally, and truck rental companies make a killing. Prices for truck rentals rise by 300-500%, (tried to rent one).

For us we did pretty well. We had reserved a truck for the evening but found we were able to move everything with the minivan we had at our disposal so cancelled our truck. Luckily there were people waiting for trucks so we didn’t have to pay any type of a cancellation fee, (I was expecting to pay the full rental price, just not have to pay kilometers). We got everything moved in in just a few hours with lots of help from Joanie’s family.

Something else that happened this year was that July 1 was a Saturday, plus it is Canada day, so the next business day was July 4 – and that is when our phone was supposed to be hooked up, however, that didn’t happen. If you were trying to reach my by email during the beginning of July you will know that it took until the 14th to hook up my internet, (phone went in a week before that).

But, now it’s all done. Most of the cleaning and a lot of the painting is finished, and my tomatoes are going crazy in the garden. The office hasn’t been redecorated yet, and we’re still waiting for the old tenants to pick up some of their stuff from the garage, but we’re getting settled and are looking forward to making some memories here.

Stairs and Coffins

Well, only one coffin actually. I was out walking near the Old Port of Montréal this morning and fell upon an interesting scene. There was a group of people preparing to shoot a video of a guy riding down a flight of stairs in a coffin! Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me so I don’t have pictures, but if I find video somewhere of this fellow riding down the stairs I’ll post it.

Needess to say I stuck around to watch and saw the ride. A once in a lifetime experience.

Cork’d

One night you feel like a bottle of wine. You want something with a bold flavour, but not too spicy, and the name of that perfect wine you had last fall is escaping you. Enter Cork’d.

Cork’d is a freshly launched sort of social search or social networking site for wines. You can compare tasting notes, keep track of your wine cellar, keep a wishlist, and even find some drinking buddies, (hopefully some close by!). I just signed up – it’ll be fun. Check out my massive wine cellar.

From a technical and design point of view Cork’d has enough AJAX-y goodness to be really efficient, but not so much you have to learn to use the web all over again and great user interface. The colours are reminiscent of wine, cork, and comfort, all the things that wine stands for. All in all, well done.

All that remains now is for those who enjoy wine to head on over and join the community.

Amazingly Simple Home Remedies

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and these are meant to be funny. I recommend not trying any of them, but if you do and get hurt it’s not my fault.
  1. If you are choking on an ice cube, don’t panic. Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto. The blockage will be almost instantly removed.
  2. Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.
  3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.
  4. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.
  5. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
  6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you will be afraid to cough.
  7. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget about the toothache.
  8. Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are: You only need two tools: WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn’t move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn’t move and does, use the duct tape.

Remember

  • Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
  • Never pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom.
  • If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You get another chance.
  • And finally, be really nice to your family and friends; you never know when you might need them to empty your bedpan.