Horsies!

"Horsies!!" screams my two-and-two thirds year old daughter from the back seat of the Odyssey as we scream down the steep hill that leads away from our house.

I look over as we pass row upon row of grapes, getting lusher and lusher until they're harvested for this year's vintage.

And there they are by the side of the road - four magnificent brown animals, gazing at the road with intelligent unconcerned eyes.

My daughter laughs and yells "Kelowna horsies! Yayyyy!"

I look over at Rue and smile. She smiles back.

This is less than a minute from our driveway...

---

Since we moved from Mississauga, Ontario:

• My allergies are gone


• My sense of smell's come back (the kitchen smells MUCH more appetizing!)


• My eyes no longer burn at the end of the day from the haze of ever-present Toronto smog


• I can see stars...sorry, no, that needs emphasis. I can see STARS!

I'd forgotten how beautiful the Okanagan Valley is. Funny that it took last year's fires to put the idea into our heads to move here.

Now all I need is a job.

Here

My last couple of days...

Drive
Drive
Drive
Drive
Drive
Drive
Deal with extortionist movers
Unload Uhaul
Collapse in heap in corner...

More writing later.

First Stage, tomorrow

From Mississauga, Ontario, to the lovely town of Owen Sound, where big brother Kraut lives...

Going?

Soon Rogers is going to pull the plug on my connection so I'm gonna be quick.

The van's ready, the trailers packed and there's just a little bit left to do (not going to hand over a dirty house...well yes I am going to hand over a dirty house, but it's not going to be obviously dirty...)

I'm so tired from the allnighter that Rue and I pulled that I'm looking at the same things three or four times and still asking her very dumb questions that she's putting up with - that's my baby!

I've been assured by my moving company that someone will be out here, before 12pm to disassemble and then move our leather sofa - the last thing keeping me here in Ontario, land of the Humidex and Dalton McGuinty - dunno which makes me sweat more...

Bye Ontarians!!!

Going...

The truck came and loaded up all our stuff today...

After six months of selling the place, the pruning of the useless items accumulated in the daily droning of life and a last minute, no holds barred, throw the fucking thing in a box and tape the bastard, and we are now ready to move...aside from the fact that the couch can't fit thru the goddamn door without a professional tech from the manufacturer taking it apart first. We close tomorrow and supposedly the guy's coming before the house closes tomorrow.

A blood-curdling scream is brimming to the top of mind right now.

Kill, Kill you all...

So Rue's totally calm and unflustered about the sheer amount of crap that's still undone...

Well I'm not.

If anyone gets in my way today...ANYONE I'll punch holes in the wall.

I mean it.

Question

Do you tip restaurants for takeout?

I'm not talking about McDonald's or Wendy's here - I'm talking about a nice, sit-down restaurant that has a take out menu.

I phoned.
I placed the order.
I went to go get the order when it was ready.

I got handed the credit card slip when I paid for my meal and the "tip" and "total" boxes were unfilled. The subtotal above "tip" was the cost of the meal and taxes. I filled out "-" for the tip and just carried the subtotal down to the total box and then signed my name.

And waited to see the reaction: a momentary glance and eyes full of judgement. If I didn't already have my food in boxes, I'm sure the hostess would've spit in it.

Why do I have to tip for takeout. Eating in is different, I'm being served, and the wait staff can determine how enjoyable my meal is going to be. The delivery guy also deserves a couple of bucks if he's bringing food to my door. What did the restaurant do for me that I have to tip when I pick up food?

Am I totally out of line here? Comments people, comments!

Paranoia

...will destroy ya!

I've been striving very hard to be organized in setting up the move to Kelowna. I've made lists. I've checked stuff off on those lists.

A good friend of ours (Thanks Chris!) has brokered a deal on a place for us in Kelowna so we have a place to hang our hats once we hit town. We don't even have to blow any cash on a hotel upon arrival like I thought we would have to...

I even voted early to make sure that I got myself counted (not like another 18 days is going to change my mind about the upcoming election.)

And yet, I keep thinking I've missed something blatantly obvious, something big. Because of this, I've even stopped having that stupid dream about screwing up my final project for "Politics in Business" and that I'm actually 3 credits short and really don't have my degree - a regular rotating feature of my sleepy-time nightmare theatre...

Of course I've thought of everything, right? RIGHT???

Excluded

the mall

I'm returning with my one-year old daughter to meet my wife and two-and-a-half year old daughter who are at the Chanel counter. Usually my beautiful older daughter has a warm greeting for me when I reappear from these little independent shopping tasks that I carry out to speed our shopping trips.

My daughter looks up, spots me and her sister approaching...

Missing You Already

Because none of you have asked and I'm dying to tell you.

The number one thing that I will miss when the Kraut Caravan pulls out onto highway 10 headed north, then west: