Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe even if it is a tree which stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do even if it is a long way from here.
Hold on to life even when it is easier letting go.
Hold on to my hand even when I have gone away from you.
- Pueblo Blessing

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Saturday, Feb. 28, 2004 - 1:31 a.m.

Hullo there!

Well, this started out as a not bad day, then got rather annoying and now is ok again.

Before I put up a page of photos that go with my recounting of my visit to San Fran last Thurs and Friday, I will put a few images from here in Montreal lately to give you an idea.

doggies eating in front of Cafe Toast Th�, copyright 2004 Wench77

Here is my doggy eating her breakfast in front of the cafe where I eat my croissant d�jeuner and my allong� 3/4 avec cr�me chaude. This time I had put a towel down for her on the sidewalk which is rather chilly to lie on. Mostly she just ignores it and lies beside it, so I have given up. I give her her food in this container. People say "poor doggy poor doggy" and pet her. Like she is less of a "poor doggy" lying at home alone! LOL!

Lovely "snow" in Montreal, copyright 2004 Wench77

I'd prefer she lie on clean snow at the side of the sidewalk, to insulate her from the cold (people always go "oh, she must be cold on the snow, put her on the sidewalk!" have they never sat on a pile of snow, or on a cold sidewalk, to see how insulating and comfy the snow is? People who don't live in the country are just dumb. or rather clueless). At any rate, this is what the "snow" at the side of the sidewalk looks like now. It is carexhaust imbibed salt-covered ice. urk. Now you know why I am happy when we get clean fluffy white snow.

salty dirty Montreal street, copyright 2004 Wench77

Here you can see how everything is dirty and covered with a layer of salt.. the asphalt is white, the sides of the cars are white, the buildings are white and dusty with salt. Even the bags of chips inside the grocery store are covered with white salt dust from the road salt they put on the street to melt the ice. Glll. It is good for vehicular rustproofing companies, and bad for my doggy's feet. Not only that.. this is the type of thing I pull out of the soles of my boots. glll again!

my house in the snow, copyright 2004 Wench77

Here is my house in the late afternoon, thus the huge shadows. But you can see I have white fluffy snow. My doggy lies on the pile in the front yard and eats her pig ears. Doggies aren't vegetarian.

So there, that's the preamble to going to San Fran... what our streets look like. Not ice. Salt and dirt and salt and car exhaust oily shit.

As for my day, it was going well... I picked up my San Fran photos, and walked with my doggy to the bank for my 4pm appointment to put $$ into my registered retirement savings plan. I actually had an appointment for Wednesday, but I entirely forgot, with so much to do returning from San Fran Tues night. Oops!! After walking home, I tried calling the Fonds Action de Travailleurs Quebecois... it is another place where you buy stocks, as a Registered Retirement savings plan, and you get lots of money off your income tax. I do this every year at this time of year... last minute, since I get large lump sums from the publishers who are obliged to pay me for the previous year's royalties before the end of Feb. Ie I get checks on Feb 27, and then have to rush to put them into a tax-deductable savings plan before March 1. Urk.

Well, I ended up on three different lines, on hold "please hold, all our agents are busy, keep your calling priority" blah blah. While I waited, I tried to find out their closing time on their website. All I could find was info about "buy your savings stocks before May 31 2004" what the heck.

Finally I gave up with the phone thing, after 45 minutes, and took a taxi down, to see if they were open... it is a long horrid walk along a salty dusty (you get the pic now) 5 lane highway. I asked the taxi to wait... AAAGH!! Not only were they exceptionally closed at 5pm this year (usually they are open the last week before March 1 until 7 or 9pm, I couldnt remember which, thus the phone calls), but the guy who unlocked the door said they are done selling this year since Feb 19th... apparently the govt capped the # of bonds they could sell this year.

I said it wouldve been helpful to have that on their phone message, or on their website, as well as having their opening hours on those two places as well, cuz I'd been 45 minutes "on hold" on the phone from 5:15 to 6pm, AND looked at their website.

This is when things get REALLY annoying... he tells me that their phone message says they are closed, starting at 5pm. HAHAHAHA... why would I be on hold for 45 minutes (I hung up twice, trying their 1-800 #, and then their regular # each time I waited like 15 minutes) if I had gotten a "sorry we're closed" message. THEN he said "you want to know the opening times, someone else wants to know something else, and we cannot please everyone by putting messages for EVERYTHING". Geezus. You'd think that their opening hours, or the hours they staff their phones would be #1 important thing... not putting people on hold to "hold their calling priority" when they are 1) not open til Monday morning, and 2) they aren't even selling any more bonds this year anyways! Stupid asses.

And THEN he said the info is on the website. I looked when I came home, and it specifically says "hurry buy your bonds BEFORE MAY 31 as the govt has limited their #"... NOT "WE HAVE NO MORE BONDS TO SELL SINCE FEB 19, DONT BUG US"

Stupid Asses again. Now I will have to call my bank back and HOPE I can get another short appointment to put the rest of my savings $ into THEIR registered retirement plans, or I will lose it all to taxes, since it wont be tax deductable. shit shit shit.

So that was the reason I had a bad middle of the day. I spent $13 for a taxi to find out I cannot place my $ in a tax shelter, AND get told i am lying about the phone message, and the website, and unreasonable to want to know their opening hours. Duh. grr.

Now I am eating guacamole and chips with a corona and life is fine. yeah.

Forward and onward to next San Fran photo entry! tah!

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previous meanderings - future past

Goodbye Michael. May your next life be kinder to you. - Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Taking Care of Your Cows - Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Saint Joseph robs the cradle and eats spaghetti - Sunday, Jun. 14, 2009
sticky notes and broken irises - Friday, Jun. 12, 2009
The FOODCOMMANDER - Monday, Jun. 08, 2009

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