Quebec City Online, revisited

Since my first long-ago misguided journey on the intarwebs for the wonders of Quebec City, I can now say that it had been much further developed since back then. (In fact, it had been developed before to some extent but I couldn't find it as easily.)

One is the ever-popular notorious Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph. Back in 2005 (wow was it really that long?) it looked as wonderful as McGill's old web page did. Now it is a hotbed of sweet anglo community news online action with its stunning interactivity of blurbs like: someone is mad at a license plate; or the new publisher's plea to quebeckians online to do the newspaper's job.

To be completely almost completely serious for a moment, I know that it's not fun to watch an anglo community fall apart like a sweatshop chinese electronic device. I've lived among them - we're pulling ourselves together like some old granny underwear. But it's a comforting underwear, despite its holes and the discolourations, and... uh... well, you have to drop some stitches sometime.

So I'm holding out the thread. Hey, anyone who is interested and/or wants to contribute to the cultural/news life of Quebec City, just drop these guys a line, join them, or help out some old culture newsies in their new media format. The INTERNETs.

Awwww, freaking AWWWWW

I know that it's retarded to post only a link to another site, but this is just damn too cute for words; just retarded, stupid, human noises going AWWWWW.

la Verandrye

A few of you have already come to visit our house. Good for you! Then you will know that the intersection from our street that goes out to the larger road (la Verendrye) is a pain to turn left (westbound) on to return to the highway, or to go anywhere for that matter.

To the left when you turn, there is a downward curved slope (towards the left) and an annoying hedge, juuuuuust high enough to piss you off, that makes the west side hard to tell when cars are jetting up the road at 110 km/h in a 70 zone.

To the right is a large fence and hedge that is too high to see anything coming that way, and the inclined curved slope (towards the right) also keeps anyone wanting to turn onto the westbound lanes to take it easy and turn in a safe, sane manner.

The grocery stores, commercial buildings, and everything else is to the left. (In the previous post, I mentioned that the Rav4 is in the body shop - one of the repairs is to the left turn signal, which made this turn even worse over the last week.)

The city of Gatineau decided that this intersection - with its crazy curves and slopes and idiotic lack of street light or any signs - is too stupid to exist, and will instead continue the divider down la Verandrye so that:

1. drivers will be forced to turn right from our street


2. drivers will be forced to turn southbound on rue Main* (which will be the topic of another post)


3. drivers cannot go straight


4. drivers on the main road can continue to careen 110 km/h up or down the slope like morons.

This is bothersome because that intersection seemed to have been developed just for the purpose of pissing people off. I would have preferred a standard lights intersection with crossroad and signs indicating stop lights ahead. One of the things Jorgh had mentioned when he was convincing me to buy the house (without seeing it) is this intersection, where he hoped the same thing would happen.

However, the green sheet delivered to our front door last week from the city indicates otherwise. (It's a nice FY to welcome us to the city.) Today, the city delivered another sheet stating there would be a "consultation" next week at city hall, hoping to "answer our concerns" about the change.

Let's hope the answer to our concerns is "my bad, we dum."

There's a Monster on My Parking Lot

For reasons not yet divulged but hinted at on this blog, the Rav4 is in the body shop for 3-4 days. It was not easy finding a garage here that I could trust, considering the guys at the Kitchener one were so nice (and $_$ aside, it was actually quite trustworthy). But I think this one down the street rides the line between "kinda sketchy" and "just trying to make an honest living."

I picked this garage essentially because their estimate was less than everyone else. Why? They're using aftermarket parts. Before you start yelling at your monitor (and therefore indirectly at me), Jorghnassen's dad - who had given us this car - had no qualms either for aftermarket auto parts. The price difference was substantial enough. Also, the Toyota dealership didn't even have an appointment until November, which is completely retarded.

Some of you with more experience with cars and driving (which is probably four or five of my readership) would understand this next item.

I dropped off the Rav4 on Monday morning. Their courtesy car, in exchange for this light SUV, is a Ford Windstar. Not just any Ford Windstar, but the most frighteningly un-maneuverable shipping crate on wheels with messed up driver-side door locks. Jorghnassen, who accompanied me to the garage to exchange the cars, agreed it was scary even to be sitting in it. To top it off, the "Check Engine" light is on.

We immediately went to the grocery store, bought enough food for 5 days, and then went home. I've been house bound since then.

I miss my car. :(

How we moved out of Waterloo and into Gatineau

Ha ha ha! Whoever moves in next (Eugene ^_^) will be cursed with this terrible pot of crap from the market.

Said goodbye to these babies.

Got into this baby.

Drove for 10 hours or so in total, to arrive at the house in Gatineau. After a few days, it looked like this.

And then we discovered some unwelcome neighbours.

We fed ourselves this.

And this.

But finally after hard work (by everyone else), I could now see the floor.



Yay~!

BONUS PIC:

Goodbye little plateau condo. :(

House

There's finally news on the Ottawa front - Jorghnassen and I took possession of a house. That is, we did not overwhelm and tearfully bully an innocent bystander out of his or her domicile. We did, however, legitimately purchase a residence in Gatineau that is more likely to be permanent than the other places we've been living at in the last several years.

Before I get all mushy about the move (and divulge more details about it), let me show you my house. (*This is the realtor's photo.)
*
Right now there's nothing inside, as the previous owner had just moved out of the house yesterday and I finally stepped inside the thing for the first time ever. We drove from Montreal to Ottawa to arrive to find the ever-efficient and handy Mme Emond and Hector waiting outside for us, to report that the house was indeed empty and they were ready to start fixing up, cleaning and painting our house. Fantastic!

There are no real complaints about the house itself. It's got its quirks and such that Jorgh noticed after an empty house examination, such as curved walls, a completely lit basement with one switch, and cables running through every room from holes drilled through floors and walls:

I suppose it just means there's more places for TVs to be found in the house. Not that I'd want a TV in every room. Oh, by the way:

...walk-in closet. Or room-sized closet.

We hope our paint colour choices will not be distasteful. For instance, quick sloppy 'shop jobs (and not sure what the actual colours are anymore):


Boy, my 'shop skillz teh suXX0rs.

To be fair, I did drive 8 hours back to Waterloo after visiting, and I had to get a coffee to get through the last hour because we were both falling asleep. Which also explains such a late post.

Montreal-Bound

I'm ditching this hole for Montreal tomorrow for Kathy and M-C's wedding on that lucky day. I'll be staying at my sister's place, so don't nobody do nutin' until I get there. Yeah, I'm a narcissist.