Eight Days from Possession

Been away for a while. Sorry about that.

Well, we're 8 days from possession in Thompson and we've got a busy week ahead. Transfer party tonight, sign papers for the home here on Tuesday, pack Thursday, load Friday, hit the road North on Saturday.

In the little bits of space in between, we're cleaning out any crap that needs to find the dump, emptying gas-powered tools, disassembling stuff that needs to be disassembled, cleaning up around the yard and trying to make sure both lawyers, the bank, the CRSP and the RC are all on the same page. It's a tad stressful, but we'll get through.

Last I wrote, I think I was trying to change my address and services with all of the utilities and such. Without going into great detail, it was a trying experience. But in the end it was accomplished.

With MTS, I was looking for 12 months of high-speed internet access at $19.99/month because it had been offered by telemarketers who had erroneously promised me high speed at this house, when it was not available - on three separate occasions. After arguing with the customer service rep for half an hour or so, and after being refused the chance to talk to a supervisor, I called the customer relations department. Kelly listened to my story, was surprised my request for a supervisor was refused and then granted me the deal I was after. She was very pleasant and reasonable. It was nice. Too bad I had to go through the Customer Service Rep prior to speaking with her. But it all worked out.

Bell Television worked out eventually as well. But I had to speak to Dominic, who had a severe French-Canadian accent, for an hour before he finally agreed to let me speak to his supervisor. And, after wasting an hour of my life, I solved the problem with Alan in about 45 seconds. Alan understood what I was saying. Dominic did not.

Both of the stories above could have been separate, lengthy blog entries. I did actually keep notes. But I just didn't feel like rehashing them again.

In any case, we're in move mode now. We've been through the list of non-admissable items and are doing our best to use them up. For supper last night, we had pickles, washed down with olive and canola oil - - no liquids may be transported. For breakfast this morning, I think it will be frozen waffles, covered in syrup, worcesteshire sauce, honey and vodka. Waste not, want not.

I hope to keep up the writing throughout the move, but I can't promise. Busy, busy days ahead. If I can't keep up, then we'll see you in Thompson, once we get settled and that high-speed internet gets hooked up. Woohoo!

Disconnected

Okay, house is sold, another house is purchased. We're on our way.

And now begins what I am discovering, and what I expected, will be one of the most annoying phases of the moving game . . . disconnecting and reconnecting my services.

Take the good folks at MTS . . . please. That, for those living outside of Manitoba, is the Manitoba Telecommunications Service - my phone, my cell phone and my internet "service."

I began my quest to change addresses at the handy and convenient MTS website. Where, to my surprise and pleasure, I found the MTS Moving Wizard, a program designed to make my move happen for Phone, Internet and Mobile service, all in one easy, convenient step. Oh joy!

Now before I go on, I should point out that I have dial-up internet service, because the MTS monopoly has not made high-speed available in my neck of the woods. In spite of this, over the years, I have received several phone calls from MTS telemarketers telling me that "high speed internet is now available in your area," and asking me if I wanted to sign up. Each time I have said, "Yes, thank goodness. It's about time. Sign me up, I want it, I want it, I want it!"

And each time, I have called back two or three weeks later only to have a helpful MTS representative tell me, that, no, it is not available. Never, ever, ever did they call ME to let me know. I had to call in spite of the fact that they made the offer and I accepted. At one time, MTS even cancelled my dial-up service in anticipation of my high-speed service and, again, didn't bother to tell me when they discovered high-speed wasn't available at my home. Nor did they re-connect my dial-up service until I called them to complain.

And so, with my blazing dial-up service, I set up an on-line account so that I could take advantage of the wonder that is the Moving Wizard. That took about 15 minutes. But half an hour into trying to use the Wizard, I gave up. The dial-up is just too freakin' slow and, with two toddlers running around, I don't have a few hours to sit at the computer waiting for the next screen. Nor can I tie up the phone line for several hours as I am often waiting for calls from the bank, the lawyer, the real estate agent or the Contracted Relocation Service Provider (CRSP).

And so, this morning, I called MTS to speak to one of the live Wizards and make the change. I went through all of the "For service in English, press 1 . . . for phones, press 1, for Internet press 2 . . . please enter your seven-digit phone number so that we may serve you better . . . please spell out antidisestablishmentarianism using the touchpad on your phone . . ."

When the recorded voice finally said I would be connected with the next available service representative, I got two rings and then a recorded message saying that the office was now closed, followed by the office hours.

Could that vital bit of information not have been imparted prior to the game of 20 questions??

We'll get back to them later.

So on to the satellite people. We have used StarChoice (now Shaw) ever since we started using satellite television. I checked their website for an easy-move option, but again, with dial-up, it takes forever. So I dug around to find a phone number and then gave them a call.

During the HHT, I did notice that there was a dish on the roof of the house in Thompson, but it was too high up to see who owned it, Bell or StarChoice.

"It's not ours," I was told by my friendly StarChoice representative, but that's no problem, we have plenty of time before the move (3 weeks and counting) to have the StarChoice system installed and ready to go. (Remember that as you read on. . . no problem to have a new system installed and ready for action in three weeks). And so, we went through it all: my current address, my future address, name, address, phone number, shoe size, favourite liqueur . . . and then it happened.

I'm sorry, Thompson is a self-install area. We don't do installations there. We can send you the dish, converter and so on, and all you have to do is get the cable, climb on to the roof of your two-storey house, run the cables through the walls to where you want them . . . blah, blah, blah. I had stopped listening.

I explained that I had enough on my plate with the transfer without having to figure out how to do a major installation on move-in day.

"I guess it must be a Bell dish and it will just be easier to go with them," I said.

The kindly representative expressed her grief in my decision, sorry to lose a customer and all that, and then offered to connect me to the customer service people in order to kill my account. But, she warned me, cancellation requires one month's notice. One month's notice?? So to install a new system requires three week's notice, but to cancel the account requires four?? Come on people, do you really wonder why you're hated? Why we feel like we're being screwed over every time we turn around?? Why we're sick and freakin' tired of your "friendly customer service representatives??" Roses and sunshine while we're taking your money, but try to leave after paying for the service for 8 years and we're gonna just grab a little more of your cash before you go.

Anyway, that's my rant for the day. As I continue trying to change my address with all of my service providers, I am sure there will be more to come.

Big smile, big smile.

HHT is Over

Just a quick note this morning.

We're going to cut the HHT short by one day as we seem to have everything in order. Last night we had the home inspected. Everything looks okay, and I'll get the final report this morning.

Awoke this morning, June 5, to snow. Plan is to get breakfast, get the home inspection report and then hit the road, hoping to make it back by 6 p.m. Not looking forward to the drive, but it's part of the package.

In exactly one month, July 5, we will load up the Dodge party wagon one more time for the final trip north. And then it will be three years in Thompson. Mixed feelings here, I'll admit. This city is different than any other I've lived in. Very different. The homeless crowd is disturbing. I'm not sure what is being done, if anything can be done, for them. They wander to the bars and beer stores in the morning, apparently drink all day, and then stumble back to where they sleep throughout the day. It's sad and it's depressing.

Sonwun will start school in Thompson and I hope it is a positive experience for him. Sontoo will start school in the next city or town we move to. It's a strange, interesting, at times stressful and at times exciting kind of life.

Anyway, must get the kids ready, the van loaded and the attitude adjusted for the long drive home.

Offer's In

Good morning and welcome to Day 3 of the HHT.

Last night we submitted an offer on the what we consider to be the best of the worst. It's like so many of the homes here in that it doesn't have it all by any stretch of the imagination. But it has some of the things we think are most important. It is still wildly overpriced - but they all are.

What struck me most this morning, as I drove up the road to Tim Hortons, is that many of the houses we looked at over the last two days had alarm systems. Strange that we're leaving a place where, for the most part, we didn't bother to lock our doors. Here, they're not only locked, they're dead-bolted and the alarms are activated. Sad but true.

Anyway, the offer expires at 4 p.m. today. In the meantime, at 9:30 this morning, we will be taking a second look at one of the other potential properties. If the deal on this first house doesn't happen, we move on, check out some more and make another offer. After all, including today, there are only 3 days left in the HHT. Too much pressure for such an important decision, I think.

As for Thompson, it's a little smaller than I thought it would be. Population, they tell me, is about 15,000. But everyone is squeezed in to a tight bit of real estate here. Going from one end of town to the other takes a little less than five minutes. Packed into that space, though, is a Walmart, Canadian Tire, Safeway, Staples, Tim Hortons, Boston Pizza, KFC and a fair number of other restaurants, bars, beer stores and assorted businesses.

Last night we took Sonwun and Sontoo to a playground at one of the local schools. There were a lot of kids there, which is nice to see. Sonwun had an absolute blast playing with the other kids, climbing things, running around like a maniac, falling off things . . . everything he's been denied for the last few days. He's been strapped into that damn car seat since Sunday, going from house to house, not being allowed to touch, not being allowed to run. He was a bomb waiting to go off. I think we'll be going back there at some time today.

Anyway, the boys are up and it's time to get the day under way. Wish us luck.

HHT Day 2

Good morning and welcome to Day 2 of the HHT. Yesterday we looked at about a dozen overpriced houses. The list is shorter today.

I must admit I'm a little shell-shocked. These places we looked at, which have an average price of about $245,000, are old (built, on average, in 1965), in need of work and, in some cases, downright ugly. We found one house that seems to be in move-in condition, but the taxes are ridiculous ($258/month), it has no garage and is in a questionable neighbourhood. And by questionable, I mean it is surrounded by low-income housing which, I'm told, is home to many of the many gang members in Thompson.

I guess it's probably true of any house-hunting trip. You find one house in your price range with a nice upstairs, another with a nice rec room in the basement, another with a beautiful garage and another with a well-landscaped yard. But you just can't find one that puts it all together . . . unless of course you have a good chunk more than a quarter of a million dollars to spend on a house. We don't.

We're not looking for the Taj Mahal here. Just a decent house on a decent street at a decent price with a reasonable amount of space for a family of four. And I'm beginning to believe that, in Thompson, we might as well be looking for the Taj Mahal.

Before I go any further, I should point out that, after 8.5 hours of driving on Sunday, I got about six hours sleep. After a day of house-hunting with two children in tow, I got about 4.5 hours. So if I spell something wrong, or miss a word or sentence entirely, forgive me. But I digress.

The plan today is to look at a few more houses. Two of them we ignored yesterday because they only had two bedrooms on the main floor. We'd prefer three so that we're closer to Sonwun and Sontoo. The third house we plan to see today is . . . you know what? To describe the house for you, I just checked the real estate sheet. There's not a snowball's chance in hell we can afford it. So, maybe we'll only look at two today.

One of the two-bedroom homes we planned to look at today was built in 1969 (40 years old). It's on a 54' X 100' lot and it is 1008 sq ft. Gross taxes in 2008 were $2,919.93. It has oak cabinets in the kitchen, two bedrooms upstairs and one down, two bathrooms and a "fully fenced and landscaped yard." And forgive me for being pessimistic, but I saw several "fully fenced and landscaped yards" yesterday that were, well, mostly fenced and somewhat landscaped. So we'll just have to wait and see. Asking price, by the way, is $249,900.

We'll also be looking at a newer, two-bedroom home today, in a decent neighbourhood. It looks nice on line, but so many of them have. This one was built in 1990, is on a 60 X 120 lot and boasts 1190 sq feet of living space. There are actually 3 bathrooms, including the ensuite, it has a concrete foundations, 2X6 wall construction . . . blah, blah, blah. Asking $259,900. Oh, yeah, and gross taxes of $3444.60 per year.

Anyway, that's what's happening here in the Hub of the North. Stay tuned . . .

HHT Begins

Well, we made it to Thompson.

Took about 8.5 hours from home, including an hour for a crappy breakfast and a couple of roadside stops to keep the kids sane. Stopped at Pisew Falls for a quick look - beautiful. Ice bridge at the base of the falls, similar to Niagara, only on a much smaller scale.

First impressions of Thompson are not great, I must say. There are a lot of apartment buildings, many in less-than-impressive shape. To be fair, we only got a brief tour on our way to the hotel. We're staying at the Country Inn and Suites and I can't complain about it. Pretty clean, nice suite with separate bedroom so the kids can go to sleep in a quiet area.

We had dinner last night at one of the "fine dining" establishments in town: Grapes. Food was okay, but steady stream of less-than-sobre individuals making their way in and out of the "lounge area," took a little out of the experience.

Today we head out on the first house-hunting expedition. After only about 6 hours sleep, I'm a tad tuckered, but breakfast should remedy that.

Anyway, will write more later as time allows. Also hope to post some pictures for your amusement.

One sold, One to Buy

The HHT is on. After a rather stressful week waiting for the deal to close on this house, we're ready to take on the stress of another deal. Wooohooo!

Yes, at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, one hour before the conditional offer on this house was to expire, I got the call. All conditions removed, papers signed, house is sold. I actually got goosebumps.

Well, with that event complete, we are now planning and completing paperwork for the HHT. RCMP form 4064 has been completed and signed. We have booked a hotel room, contacted a real estate agent, searched on line for homes in Thompson, made lists, scratched things off lists and we should be ready to hit the road Sunday.

The HHT (House Hunting Trip) is described in the IRP (Integrated Relocation Plan) as a five-day, six-night event in the new detachment destination. We have been allotted two days for travelling each way, although we have been told there are not many hotels between here and Thompson that you would want to stay at with two small children. So we will most likely make the 750-kilometre journey in one day.

I was surprised to learn that flying to Thompson was an option under the IRP. But we have decided a road trip just makes more sense for us. Flying would mean driving in to Winnipeg, leaving a vehicle, travelling by someone else's schedule, getting a rental car in Thompson and so on. In addition, while the wife's flight and my flight would come from the "Core Envelope," the kids' flights would have to come from the "Custom Envelope," and we may need those funds down the road for other things.

I guess I should try to explain, as briefly as possible, the funding envelopes. They are they way we get reimbursed for all of the expenses associated with the sale of our house, the HHT, the purchase of a new house and the move. There are three envelopes - core, custom and personal. The core covers all of the big, unavoidable expenditures; real estate commissions, movers, lawyers, hotel rooms, travel costs and so on. The custom envelope is limited and covers "extras" such as having your kids join you on the HHT, upgrading from a compact rental to a minivan, getting an extra hotel room if needed, extending an HHT if required - that kind of thing. The personal envelope kicks in when all the money is gone from the custom envelope. But, and here's the exciting part, we get to keep all money left over in the personal envelope at the end of the game. So the goal is to avoid using any money from the personal envelope. Any money left in the other two envelopes stays in the RCMP coffers. Fair enough.

In any case, as I said, we've opted to drive, leaving Sunday morning and arriving in Thompson Sunday night. We'll look at houses for a few days, choose a couple and make an offer. Wait for the offer to be accepted or rejected or written back, and so on. We'll return next Saturday. We are trying (desperately) to look upon this as a little vacation, knowing that there will still be a fair bit of work and stress involved. But we're trying.

Anyway, I'm taking the computer on the road, so I should be able to keep you all updated as we go. Wish us luck!

Waiting Sucks

Well that didn't take long. Those first folks who came by to see the house have put in an offer. And we've accepted it.

You know, I thought that would be a relief, but it's not. As with every real estate offer, there are a few conditions to be met before the deal closes. With this deal, the purchaser (that's what they call them - we're the vendor) wants to secure financing, have a home inspector look the place over, and do a test of the well water. Fair enough. I don't have any real concerns with any of those conditions.

Still . . .

This is the excruciating part. We have a deal in the works. We're thinking about the next step - the HHT (House Hunting Trip). But is there something that could go wrong? Of course. That's why Murphy wrote his laws.

We'd like the deal to close ASAP so we can get on with this process. But we must wait 10 days for these conditions to be met. I know that on the grand scheme of things, 10 days is nothing. But try waiting them out. It's driving me a little nuts.

--

Okay, one day left now. It's Monday and the deal expires tomorrow. This is killing me. Yesterday, we heard that the home inspector had "some concerns" with the septic bed. I don't know, specifically what those concerns are and that, too, is driving me nuts. Actually, it's pissing me off a little. We have never had any problems with the septic bed itself. We had one problem with the septic tank in our six years here. The pipe came off the tank two years ago. We had professionals come in, dig up the pipe, cut it back to solid pipe and replace it with new pipe. And all has been well. I don't understand the concern with the septic field. And now I have to wait to find out. I just hope that the inspector has a solid understanding of septic systems. Our real estate agent suggested that some inspectors, who are less familiar with septic systems, will "express concern" in order to cover their asses should something go wrong. I really, really hope that's not the case here.

We are also still waiting to hear the results of the well water test. Again, no concerns there. We have never consumed the well water, but we use it to wash our dishes, wash our hands, bathe, shower and cook. We had the well tested when we moved in and all was well then. No need to believe otherwise now. Still, you worry and you wonder.

Anyway, the deal expires at 3 p.m. tomorrow. The good news is that, should this deal fall through, I know of at least three others who are interested in the property. But it would be nice to get on with the process. The waiting sucks.

Take lots of Pictures

So we've had our first prospective buyers through. They came yesterday at 4 p.m. and spent a good 45 minutes. Promising? Hard to say.

But with the weather having been so freakin' nasty, it was difficult for them to have a good look at the Back 40, or, more accurately, the back 120. So the wife and I went through the old pictures to see if we had a few we could leave out for people looking through the house. Little trip down memory lane.

We've had some really good times here. Baseball parties, RCMP parties, the birth of our two boys, family visits . . . all captured in photos. It's wonderful to have them.

The photos that really hit home for me are of a week spent with most of my family here at Rancho Robinson. My brothers and sisters, their kids, my parents; all sitting around the campfire, playing paintball, swimming in Lake Winnipeg, eating, laughing and running all over the Back 120. That was probably my favourite family get-together of our adult lives. Not that the others weren't great. Father's wedding, mother's wedding, birthday bashes . . . all great times.

But that year here in Manitoba, the nieces and nephews were young enough to enjoy the week-long party with their wacky uncles, aunts and grandparents. And, watching those kids with my brothers and sisters triggered the wife's biological clock. After that wonderful week, when everyone left, the house seemed very, very empty. She decided we needed to fill it. And we have.

As for my brothers and sisters, we're fairly spread out in North America these days, so the times that most of us can get together are precious, few and far between. I have a sister in Kansas, a sister in B.C., a brother in the Niagara area and another in New York. The one in New York is graduating this weekend with his Masters Degree in nursing. I'm proud of him and wish I could be there. But with all that's going on right now, it just ain't happening. And, with the impending move to Thompson, I'm afraid I'll be missing a few more of the get-togethers. What used to be a plane ride and a rental car will become two plane rides and a rental car and two hotel stays. Gets a little expensive with two kids.

But a few of the sibs have promised to visit Thompson next year. It's a ways away, but I'm really looking forward to it. In the meantime, there is plenty to do and, eventually, a new town to explore.

Chin up, move on and take lots of pictures.

House for Sale

Well, the house is on the market. And the waiting game begins.

Last night, the wife and I stayed up to the wee hours putting on the finishing touches. Today, we were to meet with the CRSP at 10 a.m. to discuss the move, the appraiser at 1 p.m. to discuss the property value and the realtor at 1 p.m. to list the house.

At 9 a.m., the appraiser called. It was raining. He didn't feel like coming out. What's more, he had decided he really didn't want to do the appraisal for the money being offered by the IRP. This, in spite of the fact that a week ago, he had agreed to do it for the price. And this, in spite of the fact that we had cancelled another appraiser as a result of that agreement. I was a tad pissed and let him know it.

At 10:10 a.m., the CRSP called. She wasn't coming either. The "meeting" could be handled over the phone and it was. Basically, it was a rehash of the IRP and where we were in the process. Nothing earth-shattering.

The realtor did come to the house and we had a relatively pleasant meeting. With one little glitch. Turns out there aren't as many square feet in the house as we had been told when we bought it. An accurate measure by our honest (damn it) real estate agent showed about 90 square feet less than what we believed. Oh well, we didn't notice while we lived here, so what difference does it really make. But, on the other hand, I can't help feeling just a little screwed here. Somebody lied to me. I hate that.

But, the bottom line is that the house is now on the market and we're ready. The challenge before me is to keep the kids from messing up the house, so it is ready to show at a moment's notice. No easy task, but the dog cage is looking like a great potential playpen these days. We even have one inside and one outside for those nice, sunny days.

As for today, kitchen is clean, laundry is being done, kids are locked in the basement and there's five inches of new freakin' snow on the front lawn. It's the middle of freakin' May. What the heck??

They say moving is one of the bigger stressors in life. It's true. And I don't need the rain and snow messing with what is already a trying time. But, as I am not God, I don't get to fly that plane either. Must keep smiling. Must endure. But I must admit that, when the light at the end of the tunnel is Thompson, Manitoba, there are days when optimism is a challenge.

Mike Zero

Well, it would appear there are no more swimmers in the pool is. Where I was Classic Mike a year ago, and Mike Light two months ago, I am now apparently Diet Mike, or Mike Zero. All the fun without all the sperm.

Yes, I passed my test. Got the news this morning. The vasectomy worked, I won't have to do that again. Halle-freaking-lujah. Oh, and here's a little tidbit for you regular readers. You remember my fun run to the Winnipeg lab a couple months back? Well, turns out they do the same test at the hospital right here in town. You think maybe someone would have mentioned that. It's a whole lot easier to make a 10-minute run in under an hour, versus the 75-minute run (obeying the speed limit) in 60. And I mean, why wouldn't they do the test. They have the microscope and I'm quite sure they can count to one.

Wish I had a more exciting story about this, like the last one, but it all went off without a hitch. So that's it.

In the slightly more depressing news category, it would appear our dog, Sabra, has contracted an immune-mediated, focal, inflammatory myopathy that preferentially affects the muscles of mastication. Yeah, I know you understand that, but for the simpler readers, I'll explain.

About three weeks ago we noticed swelling above Sabra's right eye. We took her to the vet, who checked her eye, gave us some drops and sent us on our way. We, and the vet, figured she'd either caught one of the cat's claws or a low branch in the back yard. Wrong.

With the drops, the swelling appeared to go down and drain to below her right eye. Then that disappeared, as did the muscle on her skull, just above the right eye. Back to the vet who discovered the dog can only open her mouth about an inch from gum to gum. You can't even force it open any more than that.

The disease is called Masicatory Muscle Myositis (MMM) and it can be fatal. Sabra is on some potent medication right now and we're hoping it works. If it does not, her jaw will eventually lock shut and she will not be able to eat, meaning she will have to be put down before she starves to death. I am not optimistic, but I am hopeful.

What concerns me most is that, if she dies, I will have to find a way to explain this to 3-year-old Sonwun. He loves playing outside with Sabra. Loves playing inside with Sabra. Sontoo just loves using Sabra as a big, warm pillow. He is only one, so this will not likely have as big an impact on his little world. But how do I tell Sonwun?

I asked my fellow SAHDs (Stay-at-home-Dads) on the Dadstayshome.com website what they thought about it. I wanted to know if anyone had gone through this with a child of similar age. The guys, while sympathetic, could not offer too much sage advice on this one. One says to tell the child the dog has been put to sleep. Another says no, if you tell him that, he'll be afraid to go to sleep himself. Another suggests the old, "dog ran away" story. That is countered by an article one of the guys offered which suggested that the child will wonder what is wrong with him that caused the dog to abandon him. Of course that same article suggests that I be completely open and honest and, if Sonwun wants to be in the room for the euthanasia, let him. Um, no.

But I guess the underlying truism in all of this is be honest. Tell him the dog is dead. The dog is not coming back. That will not be easy, but the prevailing opinion is that he will get over it and he will trust me to tell the truth in the future -- which means I can really play with his head when he gets a little older.

Anyway, that's the news today. Will keep you updated on the dog as I find out more. In the meantime, it's more paint, baseboard and trim. Must get back to it.

Control Issues

I hate flying in airplanes. And the simple reason is, I'm not the one driving. And therefore, if something goes wrong, there's not a damn thing I can do about it.

When I worked in newspapers, I had the chance to fly in a number of stunt planes on media days leading up to the annual Friendship Festival in Fort Erie. I found I was most comfortable in the open-cockpit biplane. Pretty sure it was a Stearman, but it was a long time ago. Anyway, there were two reasons I was comforted as we did barrel rolls, hammerheads and loops. One, I had a parachute on my back and two, I could undo the seatbelt and get off this ride if necessary, "in the event of an unfortunate incident," I think is how the pilot put it. Not sure if this makes me a control freak or not, but it's just the way I am. The bottom line is that I had some control over my destiny that is not afforded in a 747.

(My pilot in the biplane that day, by the way, died in a head-on collision with a fellow stunt pilot a few years after I flew with him. No parachute would have helped that day.)

So why am I going on about this? Well, it's the IRP and the CRSP; the HHT and the HHE. Yes, I pointed out in a previous post that it appears the RCMP takes care of its people. Still believe it. But I am having some trouble trusting the system. Mostly because I don't trust most "systems" designed to "help me out."

Call it a control thing.

Yes, there are monetary benefits in the IRP, but there is, at the very least, a feeling that I've lost some control over the sale of my home. And that's difficult to take. Before I can even list our home, I must submit to two appraisals by folks out of Winnipeg. My wife and I must sign several waivers and permissions. And then, when we list our home, we were told, it would be "in our best interest" to list it close to what the Winnipeg appraisers say it's worth.

I'm not sure why it would be "in our best interest" to do so. I wasn't on the phone at the time, so I didn't get the chance to ask. But it would seem to me that what is in my best interest is to get as much as I possibly can for my home. Call me crazy. I also have some concerns regarding a Winnipeg appraiser's ability to accurately assess the value of a home in the Gimli market. And believe me, with the housing prices in Thompson, we need to get every penny out of this house.

So as I was hyperventilating and venting these concerns yesterday, my wife told me to chill out. The RCMP has moved a lot of people. We haven't heard too many complaints. They know what they're doing: relax control freak. Sit back in your seat, keep the tray in an upright position and enjoy the flight.

So that's what I'm trying my level best to do. There are still at least three months to go in this process and I don't need the acid in my stomach to eat right through before it's all over.

I realize I can't fly this plane. But between the CRSP, the Relocation Reviewer (don't know why she didn't get an acronym), my wife, the real estate agent, the lawyer and the RCMP, I fear I may become a passenger on this 747 headed north. That is my concern. If I can't fly the plane, I would at least like to be co-pilot, or navigator or something. And, if I can't be any of those people, I want a parachute and a seat by the door.

Looks Good on Paper

Well, I've had my first read through the 100-page IRP (Integrated Relocation Program) manual. And at first blush, I gotta say it looks like the RCMP takes care of its people when they are forced to move.

It would appear that every expence is covered and members are compensated for the massive inconvenience of moving their families hundreds of kilometres to new and distant locales. That being said, it would also appear that there will be a fair bit of paperwork, a few meetings and a whole lot of receipt keeping. Fair enough.

As soon as we meet with the CRSP (Contracted Relocation Service Provider), we can put the house on the market. When it sells, we are entitled to a fully funded HHT (House Hunting Trip) to Thompson. Gas is covered, hotels are covered and food is covered. Still, it's an 8-hour drive with two kids under 4. Can't really say I'm looking forward to it.

Also fully covered is the moving van, when the time comes. A night or two at the hotel here in town after Packing Day, depending on when our HHE (Household Effects) will arrive in Thompson; a night or two in a hotel at the other end, depending on how long it takes to unload and organize the house, and food for the entire duration. It's all part of the IAM & MRA (Interim Accommodations & Miscellaneous Relocation Allowance).

Told you there were a lot of acronyms.

One of the many stated goals of the IRP is to make the move as easy as possible for the RCMP members and their families. And while no move is easy, it really seems like they've done what they can to help. Even babysitters are covered, when necessary, to make packing and unpacking that much easier.

On paper, so far, it all looks good. I'll let you know how reality meshes with theory as we move along.

The Big Quit

Having to take a hard look at our family financial picture, the wife and I have come to the same inescapable conclusion. We can not afford to smoke any longer.

Now, before you all go getting preachy and annoying, let me state a few things:

1. We KNOW we could never afford to smoke. No one can.

2. Smoking bad, yeah, got it.

3. We have NOT smoked in the house since two years before our children were born.

4. Yeah, smoking bad, got it.

5. We know it's a good thing to quit.

6. We know it will save us money.

7. We know quitting is the healthy thing to do.

I think I covered most of what we know. In any case, April 1 is the big quitting day and no, this is not an April Fool's prank. We are quitting.

The wife is looking into the laser therapy thing. Yes, my eyes are rolling . . . but whatever works. I just can't buy into something that works by, and I quote: "applying a low level or cold laser to your body's natural energy flow points to stimulate the release of endorphins into the body."

I roll my eyes, but I know that no matter which crutch you choose, it's all about your will and desire to quit. And we both have that in spades right now.

I plan to either go it cold turkey (was successful for 6 months using this once before) and, if it gets ugly, I'll go with those fake cigarette things that do the same job as the nicotine gum or patch. But you get the joy of holding a cigarette-like thingy and sucking on it when necessary.

I have also checked the Health Canada quit smoking website and it offered a few tips as well. For example, it's apparently good to write down your plan and reasons for quitting. It's also a good idea to share the plan with friends, family and strangers on the Internet (okay, made that last one up). So this blog entry will kill two birds with one stone.

The HC website also promises that I will breathe easier within 8 days, food will taste better soon thereafter and so on and so forth. I look forward to all of these things, as well as the chance to keep up with the always active Sonwun and Sontoo. And I guess that's really what it's all about. I want and need to be an active participant in their lives.

So that's the plan. The countdown is on and I begin today by cutting down on the number of cigarettes I have per day. Twelve days and I quit.

Well, Sonwun has just crawled out of bed so my day begins. It's 6:11 a.m. Game on.

A little breathing room

Well, we have some solid deadlines to work with now. The move to Thompson will take place in the Fall.

Got word last week and the wife will head to Ottawa in August for the 40-day training program, after which we will head north for the three-year apprenticeship program in Thompson.

It's nice to have dates. It makes it so much easier to plan the sale of the house, the minor renovations for sale, the house-hunting trip and so on.

I gotta tell you, I was in a bit of a panic mode last week. The powers that be were trying to get the wife into Ottawa for the April 20 course. That would have meant a three-week assessment in Winnipeg for the wife, starting almost immediately, followed almost immediately again by the trip to Ottawa. And that, my friends, would have left me with the two kids and a house to spruce up and sell, as well as a trip to Thompson to buy another. Lots of work and stress for a 10-week period.

So now, at least, we can take a little time to digest the change and make it happen. And while that seems like good news, the downside is that we must now make the move to Thompson at the beginning of winter. It's a little more treacherous on the driving front and a little less pleasant setting up house.

In any case, today I will head to Winnipeg to begin the process of severing the house and 20 acres from the rest of my property. The real estate agent told me I will get more for the properties separately than as a single unit. So that's the plan. It's also Playgroup day, and I will just have to miss that. The wife has a day off and she will take Sonwun and Sontoo while I do the running around. Good deal.

In the next few weeks, the wife and I will pick one of about a dozen little projects we have to do, each time she has a few days off. That should put the house in proper order in time for sale. I think I've said it before, but there's much to do and, even with the reprieve, not much time to do it.

Have a great day!

Thompson Research

Let's start with the poker update today. I won! There it is. Couldn't contain my excitement. Last night, with the last dime of my $5 gift from PokerStars, I entered what I thought would be my final real-money tournament.

There were 360 players entered and I finished 13th. I won 40 cents! Wahooo! That means I can now enter at least four more tournaments and go for the big prize of $8.50. I will wait a bit before calling the Porsche dealer.

So the move to Thompson. I've been spending a little time on the ol' internet trying to find out what I can about this Hub of the North. I know real estate prices are high right now. So rather than focus on that, I've been researching more fun and interesting things. For instance, while I was enjoying a balmy 0 degrees Celsius today, Thompson was enjoying -20C. It's a little strange to think that I have been living in a community where the first snow falls in October, doesn't melt until April, the temperature regularly sinks below -30 and windchills hit -50. And now I'm going somewhere that I feel will be cold. But, hey, they have an indoor community swimming pool.

Thompson has a Royal Bank of Canada branch. That's where I do my banking. The town I live in now does not. There is, however, one conveniently located 45 minutes up the road.

Thompson has a population of about 15,000. That's considered a city in Manitoba (and a "hub" apparently if you go far enough north).

Thompson is a apparently similar to northern Ontario. Smaller lakes, boreal forest, Canadian Shield rock. It's like Ontario's cottage country if you will; the place I used to go to recharge my batteries. It looks like a truly beautiful place. Only Thompson's summer is not quite as long and Parry Sound is only a few hours from Toronto.

Thompson has a KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut and A&W. All of that is currently 45 minutes away. It lists Grapes Bar and Grill under "Fine Dining." Something to think about there. I've been to a Grapes back when I lived in Ontario. I liked Grapes. I don't consider it Fine Dining.

There's a Canadian Tire, a Bootlegger, a Mark's Work Wearhouse. There's a Home Hardware, a Wal-mart and a Safeway.

In the summer, there's fishing, boating, camping and all the fun stuff that I enjoyed north of Toronto. In the winter: snowmobiling, ice fishing, a winter festival, curling, hockey and even skiing, snowboarding and tubing at Mystery Mountain Winter Park. And Mystery Mountain, my friends, boasts Manitoba's longest snowboarding half-pipe. Don't imagine they had too much competition there.

Anyway, still much to research, much to explore and much to do. Stay tuned.