From Writing
Welcome to the beta of the new saila.com. Send in your bugs.
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Noticing differences
When asked about the differences I’ve seen with the U.S. and Canada, my response has not been about the money, the accents, or the milk containers, but rather it involves the level of cultural tolerance.
Leading the American news this morning was an accusation from a religious leader that a U.S. presidential candidate was distorting a key religious text. As a not-so closeted political junkie, I tried to recall a time in Canada’s political history when something remotely similar happened. In fact, Canadians fervently (if occasionally, wrongly) believe the words of one the country’s longest-serving leaders: “There’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation”
Now I have just read that Heinz has pulled an advertisement featuring two parents kissing as one of the two heads off to work. Apparently the 200 complaints received by Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority were enough for Heinz to pull the ad. My first thought was to wonder how many of the complainers actually saw the ad on television; this morning, afterall, I had received a spam from the American Family Association. The so-called “Action Alert” read in part:
We suggest you forward this to all your family and friends letting them know of the push for homosexual marriage by Heinz. This ad is currently running in England, but no doubt can be expected in the U.S. soon. It is the kind of ad which we can expect to see in California as they prepare to vote on homosexual marriage. Homosexual marriage is illegal in England. [Ed.: That last sentence, while legally accurate, is essentially false: since 2004, civil partnerships in the United Kingdom have given same-sex partners the same rights as a civil marriage does.]
The spam then urged me to take action by emailing or phoning Heinz, with the implicit message I should urge it be pulled from the air.
This week also happens to be Pride Week. In Toronto, the event and parade have become a city-wide party in which everyone is welcome to — and most often does — participate.
In Canada, I had almost forgotten why it was needed.
In the U.S., even in Seattle, I am constantly reminded.
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Arrived in Seattle FAQ
Three months today, we finally took occupancy of our new home in Seattle, and it’s finally time to answer some common question we’ve gotten since arriving.
(Sadly the updates to this site about our time in Seattle have been less frequent than planned, but that’s only because we’ve been spending exploring a lot of our time exploring the city.)
- How did the move go?
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Once our stuff finally cleared customs (it took a week longer than expected), it went very well. Unpacking seemingly took forever but we are all settled in now. Our place feels more like home than almost any of our past residences.
- How are you liking it?
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Seattle is definitely the best place we could have moved to here in the U.S. The climate is good (and when it is, the views are spectacular); the people are friendly intelligent, and politically akin to our fellow Torontonians. And the dog loves it here.
- Are you missing Toronto?
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Some days, extraordinarily, when Jason Collett and his band serenaded us with some songs from our old neighbourhood, and when we want nothing more than hang out with good friends at places like Sweaty Betty’s. But it does help that Toronto had near-record snow this winter.
- How has the weather been?
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Honestly, except for the end of March when it snowed just as a good friend from Toronto arrived for a visit, the weather has been more better than I expected. A few days ago it was 27°C and sunny. Typically, it’s been in the mid-teens, and the rain never really lasts. Compared to the Toronto weather patterns, Seattle’s are, to us, unpredictable and brief.
- What’s different?
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A lot, and not a lot. Biggest thing that has surprised us is how cheap it is. Everything, even with the dollar at par is cheaper than it is in Toronto: food, drinks, clothes, appliances, and transportation. That Seattle’s recycling program is horribly antiquated in comparison to Toronto (and Ontario).
- How is the commute?
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We live close enough to the Microsoft campus that my commute (on a company shuttle, with Wifi, no less) is about half-an-hour each way.
- Will you get a car?
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Probably not. But everyone in Seattle seems to love their cars. Which is strange, consider own environmentally friendly they seem.
- How is public transit then?
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Public transit as means of getting around town, though, is less than ideal. With the exception of very short streetcar line (dubbed the SLUT) and a dead-end monorail, it is all buses that mostly into downtown and back out. And the payment system…we still struggle with that on occasion. But, it is cheap.
- Hilary or Obama? …Or McCain?
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Can’t vote here yet (which has made living in the U.S.’s current political climate a bit strange).
- When are you coming back?
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To visit? This summer — in the first week of June. If you are in the city and would like to meet-up, let me know.
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T-5 Days
We’ve done the holiday tours, and the packers are here now, boxing up the last remnants of our stuff which will follow us into Seattle a few days after we land on January 2.
The past few post-party (and post Winter Storm #1) weeks have been a whirlwind of purging, waiting, searching, visiting, and more waiting. However, our house-hunting trip to Seattle was a success; but only after a cancelled flight, missed appointments, and a last minute visit arranged by the miracle tool that is an iPhone on an unlimited data plan.
Sidenote: extrapolating the 20Mb or so of data I used in our three days over an entire month of usage would mean, with a Canadian carrier I would need the most expensive plan offered, and therefore, would cost me an additional $50-a-month.
Sidenote to the sidenote: over the holidays I saw a “Win an iPod” contest on the Canadian Global television network. Having been offline for about ten days, I had figured maybe the Canadian iPhone had arrived. As far as I can tell, though, it hasn’t. Best guess: post-MacWorld in January.
Now, with most things packed, cancelled, and switched-off, we are in a state of limbo and have nothing really to do except catch-up on some sleep before ringing in what will be a very new year.
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T-1 month
Today marks the first day of our last month in Toronto, the first day we are not working, and the night of our Toronto send-off. It also happens to be snowing in Seattle and freezing in Toronto. At least the loonie’s fallen back to par with the greenback…
For those in the Toronto, one final reminder about the aforementioned send-off happening tonight to December 2nd at 201 Niagara St. Come, bring your friends, and enjoy 16 classic Canadian beers.
For those that can’t make it, I just want to thank you for all the good talks and drinks and times and we will see you all again.
For those in Seattle — enjoy the snow and we’ll see you in a little over a week.
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Pre-Seattle FAQ
So as the preparations for Seattle get underway, and we pack in the visits with friends, a few common questions are emerging. What better way to address the most common ones than a trusty old FAQ.
- Are you excited?
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Yes, no, maybe, depends. Definitely excited about the new job and opportunities is has; looking forward to the trip and discovering a new city; glad I’ll be able to better get to know a bunch of people I’ve known online for years. However, I’m really going to miss Toronto and the people here.
- When do you move?
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Around the end of the year.
- Yeah, but when
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Around end of the year. (We’ll know better when we get closer.)
- Are you going miss Toronto?
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Yes (see my answer to whether I’m excited), but most definitely not its winters (and on occasion, its summers).
- Are you getting a green card?
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Not yet, we’re planning on going down on a special visa.
- What are you going to be doing’exactly?
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I’ll be the Director of Site User Interface for MSNBC.com and its related properties to working with an amazing team and continue to enhancing its Web design (and user experience).
Lee will likely be taking up art again, but beyond we’ll see what happens.
- Where are you going to live?
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Dunno, but we hope to know before Christmas. Looking to be in Seattle proper (maybe in Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, or somewhere downtown) ideally, with a yard, a washer/dryer, and close to transit. We’re heading down in mid-December to look for a place.
- Are you going to get a car?
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That’s not the plan (see above).
- Is your dog coming?
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Yes…
<sarcasm type="mild">unless you want him</sarcasm>. (He’s a great little basset hound, BTW, name after a great little band.) - Can we get together before you go?
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As much as I would love to meet with friends individually, family has now taken priority. But, you’re most definitely invited to come to our send-off party on December 1st, in Toronto (more info at Pownce, Facebook, and here on the site).
- How will we get in touch with you when you’re gone?
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Same as before: the Toronto phone number stays the same, as does the email and the Web site. Only thing changing is the mailing address (but only a few of you ever used that) and the buzzer code.
- Are you ever coming back?
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To visit? Most definitely.
To live? We’ll be back before we retire…and likely the exact moment the Canadian dollar sinks to record lows again.
Anything I missed? Let me know.
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