Back in the blogospher

Hello Everyone,

I have figured out, I think, why updates to the blog weren't being sent out. If that is in fact the case, I should be back to regular posts. As such, I have a three part post with some reflections on different parts of my trip. Enjoy.

wes

Part I

When I was travelling, I wrote a few times about my struggles paying my cell phone bill. The struggle stemmed not because I lacked money, but because one of the largest telecommunications company in the world couldn’t handle a Canadian credit card. And I don’t mean some obscure Canadian company that provides credit services. I mean a MasterCard.

When I got home, I thought I had put all that ridiculousness behind me. Two of the most intertwined, advanced economies of the world not being able to coordinate payments for a common service is just dumb. But that was in the past.

Until I went to get a new battery for my phone. Like most phones batteries, mine has degraded over the past year. Unlike most people’s though, I believe I damaged mine by getting it too hot while I was in the desert. It has degraded a lot more than one would expect after a year. Even the guy at the repair shop thought it was bad. And, just before the one year warranty was up, I figured I would get it replaced.

Problem was, it’s an American phone. It reminds me of that every time it gets loud and obnoxious, watches NASCAR, and boasts about having won WWII. Point is, I bought it in Texas. And apparently, Samsung, who makes more phones than any other company in the world, I think, sells different models in the US than in Canada, and won’t cover the warranty if your phone isn’t in its home and native land.

The Canadian models are apparently much more polite and quietly smug about it, but that’s an aside.

Photos 

To really overplay the Canadian identity card, here a couple of very Canuck heavy pictures. 

The first is a mitten designed to fit a can of beer, which I'm not sure I've loved a piece of clothing more in my life. 

The second is the hole I cut in the ice at the cottage to do some ice fishing. It was very deep. Mitten for scale. 

The last is of Emilie and Arthur snuggling on the love seat at the cottage.