Short, Dark Days of Winter

Although it is still only October, we've already had our first snow of the season; it was just a little snow, but after having spent so much time in a place where snow only occurred once every two years or so, it is a bit of a shock! However, more than that is the difference in times for the sunrise.

The days here are already quite short, and so dark. I woke up at 5 a.m. today for the first time in weeks; I've been sleeping in because the world is still so dark. And in fact, even now at 7:10 a.m., it is not exactly bright yet.

I did a quick comparison of sunrise and sunset times for Japan and Montreal:

October 31st

Montreal - Sunrise: 7:32 a.m.; Sunset: 5:43 p.m.

Japan -Sunrise: 6:02 a.m.; Sunset: 4:47 p.m.

Okay, so Japan will see sunset a half hour before I do, but as a morning person, if I could choose, I would have the early sunrise over the early sunset.

In either case, I realize that I need to re-stock my Vitamin D tablets:)

Japan Motorcycle License not Transferable to Quebec

My re-patriation pains have been bearable so far - and, I was even able to get my Quebec license based on my Japanese license! I needed several things though -

A translation of the Japan license from the Consulate of Japan in Montreal
Six months worth of bill statements (preferably in French or English) showing proof of residency in Japan
A proof of address here in Quebec

Unfortunately - my motorcycle license, that I worked so hard for (and, um, paid so much for!) is not transferable. The Quebec Government is determined to get their piece of me - I'll have to actually take motorcycle courses here ($$$) and then pay for and maintain a license.

Just for those who do not know - Quebec is exorbitant. I paid $120 CAD for my driver's license alone last week; that is good until January, 2012, when I'll have to pay another $100 or so for yet another year...

Sigh.

Dexter, the Smoking Dog...

Dex is doing great. He is home from his hospitalization at the SPCA clinic, and is more energetic and cheerful every day.

Though I've had dogs before, he is my first shelter dog; and six months is the oldest I ever started with a dog. My little Brutus, for example - an immortal dog if ever there was one! - I took home when he was only a week old (long story - he was the runt, his mama tried to move him to let him die, so...there I was).

Dexter is not Brutus. He is not like our other dogs at all (Poochie, Chico, etc). He is an individual. And I really don't know what to do with an older puppy. And Dex really doesn't know what to do with us. I was reading about rescue dogs, and that it takes about four months for them to settle in. I think Dexter is doing better than that though...He already acts like a member of the family!

Refexions: A Brief Post

• Life is great!


• Life is even better when you choose to be where you are (as opposed to always thinking about where you are going to be...!)


• We always have choices, so, always - Choose Joy!


• Eat what you want - just make sure you really want it, and then savour it with relish.


• Never judge a person's spelling until you check whether maybe they've been educated under the British systme (HINT).

Dexter the Dog Update

Dexter's been with us for just over a week now, and he is really a smart, good dog.

He is, unfortunately, also a sick dog. His kennel cough has not improved, and had even worsened. Wanting to have him assessed by a vet anyway. Now - long ago, when I had a couple of small terriers, and before them an amazing pussy cat, I had a favourite vet - Dr. Jasmin. I loved that old guy - he was a straight shooter and cared as much for the people as the animals. Unfortunately, he passed away some time ago, so my search for a new vet was begun.

I took Dexter to a nearby animal hospital, where he was assessed and where he had to stay in overnight, and later X-rays showed some signs of pneumonia. For the record, my vet search will continue, as I really did not like this one. I felt it to be impersonal, and kept being told how busy they were. It made me feel like I was imposing, although I was a client.

I took Dexter home to continue his course of Doxycycline, but by Wednesday he was still really lethargic and had a poor appetite. I decided to take him to the SPCA clinic, since I was not satisfied with the vet and I did, after all, have a 30-day free health care guarantee.

Now - I think the SPCA provides a valuable service, and I know the people there have to work hard. However, I am very disappointed with the personnel there; they have been frequently rude, often unhelpful, resenting my very presence. I can and will go into detail at some point - but at least I am happy that I took him back to the clinic there.

The SPCA vet saw him, and said it's not very serious. But he suggested leaving Dex there for a few days, to be put on IV anti-biotics, which would get into his system and make him healthier faster. I hated to leave him yet again, but I knew it was for the best. I hope to go collect him in a few days!

Once he comes home, my vet search will start again!

About Dexter

Um - so I ranted in that last post, completely neglecting to say that Dexter is on IV anti-biotics to fight the severe kennel cough/mild pneumonia at the SPCA clinic, but his prognosis is very good!

And that is a very good thing, because, although he only came to us last week, the house feels sadly empty without him in it.

Spoiled by Good service

On the Japan Rider site, I posted about Dexter's pneumonia and hospitalization. I had to work hard not to let it become a rant against the new vet that I tried, or the SPCA.

I love the SPCA, but I find the personnel very unpleasant people. I also found the receptionist at the new vet I tried to be rather rude. And the vet staff kept saying how busy it was there....really people? Am I not paying a small fortune for a bunch of unnecessary tests??

As for the slap-in-the-face treatment at the SPCA - hello, but if you want people to want to adopt from the SPCA, you had better start treating us with a modicum of politeness!

And lest you think I'm just ranting about the animal care - actually, I've been finding so much unpleasantness and poor service  here. I went out for dinner with some family last night. Water was not brought to the table - we had to ask. When the waiter brought it, he haphazardly splashed the water into the glasses and slammed the pitcher down on the table. Um? Sorry for bothering you, WAITER! A few other things happened as well, and resulted in me not leaving much of a tip. I'm sorry - I know the waiter was tired and busy and doesn't make much. But I am not going to pay for that.

Now, in addition to the poor waitering, one of us ordered the chicken brochette, and actually, the chicken had gone off. It turns out at least three people had returned it in the past half hour, so not just our fussiness. Then, we ordered a dessert - but they were out of that one. Okay, we can be flexible - how about this one? Um, out of that too...Overall a disappointing dinner.

I have to think that it is a combination of a few things: 1) I haven't been going to the best places, and the service industry here is substandard in general; 2) French Montrealers are ignorant and rude; 3) I've been spoiled by exemplary service in Japan.

Can Schnauzers Ride?

Just a brief post! I dropped by my local SPCA on Monday, and I walked out with an unkempt but very well-behaved Schnauzer mix!

I had gone in thinking that I wanted to get a larger dog, a dog good to run with or skate with. But sometimes, things have a way of working out on their own, and along a different path.

While my little dog Dexter has a touch of kennel cough right now, and he's only a puppy still, so I can't really drag him along on my skates or my runs, I have hopes that he will be a great walking companion, and even eventually a slow jogging companion!

In any case - this is the most amazing little dog. Mostly house-broken already, very quiet but still playful, never bugs you at dinner time, I can't believe there was someone out there who did want him!

PS - A Rant:
I do not and will not buy animals from pet stores. Nor will I buy pet supplies from a pet store that sells animals. Ever. Those poor pups come from puppy mills, not reputable breeders, and buying from there just perpetuates the inhumane crime. Likewise, I won't buy puppies from newspaper ads. There are plenty (PLENTY!) of unwanted but perfectly adoptable dogs at shelters and rescue groups all over. And as you can see - you can get a pretty amazing mutt out of one of those sad places.

From Bikes to Skates...

I have now been out of Japan for almost three weeks. They have, for the most part, flown by. But I greatly miss many things - for example, riding. I miss riding my motorbike, and I miss my bicycle, too. My bicycle - the infamous orange Clockwork 29er,  is currently in a box, in a shipment, sitting in a 'ship jam' in Vancouver. As for the motorcycle - I sold that more than three months ago, along with my precious car. And while I will have my bicycle again in a few weeks (hopefully!), I am beginning to realize that getting my motorcycle license here is not going to be so easy, and am still having to jump through hoops just for the car license!

And so...How am I surviving?

Fairly well. I'm not attaching to things (such as the car and the bike and the bicycle!), and am instead finding new ways to stay healthy and active.

So, at least for a few months of the year, I will still be on wheels - sorta riding! - and will keep posting about Japan and Japan considerations. Oh, and I DO have another little web project in the works. Hopefully I can go live (beta) in a week or two!

A New Family Member: Dexter, an SPCA Rescue Dog

I've been very busy in both concrete ways as well as emotional ways re-settling in Canada. I don't know how permanent I will make my Montreal base, but I've been making new friends, and making an effort to improve my French (without which, I will never be able to work here!).

And though it may seem a rash decision, indeed it was a very very long time coming. I've always had an animal companion, but had to relinquish that during my life in Japan; this was due to apartment restrictions, lack of kennels or reliable friends, and basically being away more than not. However, now that I am back in Montreal, and my mother is retired, we agreed to welcome a dog into our lives again.

To that end, on Thanksgiving Monday, while I still had the rental car I used to get to my brother's place in Ottawa, we dropped in to the SPCA. Just to look, of course...

But then we saw Dexter - a small, scruffy mutt. Actually, it was the playful Labrador-mix puppy in the next cage that I initially enquired about, but realized he might not be a good match for our small home. Oh - I would have been very happy to invest the effort required for the over-active Lab, and,  in fact, he would have been very suited to my own personality - y'know, a bit high maintenance! No, seriously, the lab would have been great, but I did actually notice the scruffy mutt in the next cage first, and my mother, though not complaining, would not have been as happy with a dog that ate her sofa, her shoes, her carpets...we have been through all that before, and I would be cruel to subject her to it again.

So, when I mentioned instead the, and I quote the way I indicated the dog to the SPCA staffer working the adoption desk, the 'old, small, scruffy dog', we got the low-down on his history.

• He was not old, we were told, only 6 months old, in fact, despite his gray beard and calm demeanor.


• He was brought in by a family who had found him wandering their neighborhood, kept him for a week, then brought him in (the SPCA is actually suspicious - they said that maybe the dog belonged to that family and they were embarrassed about abandoning him)


• He was friendly, only barks sometimes when he sees strangers


• He was a Schnauzer mix


• His name was Bambi (gag~!)

We went into a little room, and 'Bambi' (who we would later rename!) was brought to meet us. We spent some time with him; he loved my mother instantly, was very calm and friendly, and a little bit stubborn! We loved him! And there was no way I could send him back to that cage, in that smelly room with all the barky dogs.

While waiting to complete the adoption procedures, we thought that his name, Bambi, did not suit him at all. And really, it was so saccharine that I think I would never have been able to say it! So I suggested Dharma (as in the teachings of Buddha). A few minutes later, my mother said, 'Oh, what did we name him? Did you say Dexter?' Hmmmm....nope, I had not said Dexter, but I quickly realized that it was a great name for this little Schnauzer mutt. So - meet Dexter! (Click images for larger view)

I've had him home for less than two days, and he so far is completely trouble free. Almost more like a cat - so calm and undemanding. We spent the afternoon together in the yard, where I did some work to make it usable again after not being maintained for about the last five years, and Dexter played a little on his own, occasionally getting underfoot when he wanted to see exactly what I was doing. He is chubby and scruffy, and needs a good bath. However, he has a touch of kennel cough; once his medicine is done and he has stopped coughing, I'll have him straight to the groomers!

PS - A Rant:
I do not and will not buy animals from pet stores. Nor will I buy pet supplies from a pet store that sells animals. Ever. Those poor pups come from puppy mills, not reputable breeders, and buying from there just perpetuates the inhumane crime. Likewise, I won't buy puppies from newspaper ads. There are plenty (PLENTY!) of unwanted but perfectly adoptable dogs at shelters and rescue groups all over. And as you can see - you can get a pretty amazing mutt out of one of those sad places.

Lots Going On!

Okay, I know I know I know. But since I'm actually conversing more with people who tune into my blog, I've become a tad bit lazy and need more focus.

And I HAVE had a lot going on (despite - yes, you know I'm going to say it - being unemployed!).

I've been working on bureaucracy and cutting through red tape, getting re-registered as a Canadian resident. My dealings so far with the Regie de L'Assurance Maladie du Quebec (Quebec Health care) went way too smoothly; my application for my drivers' license is still in progress, but it is making progress! I picked up my license translation from the Consulate of Japan just today, then spent some time shopping downtown before heading back here to well...I'll tell you in the next post other stuff that is keeping me busy!