The Vent

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

I am so fed up with my current situation. I just want to pack up and move back to Canada. Sigh.

What's wrong?

The poor man has been waiting a while for the AOS to come through - it must be freaking annoying I can imagine.

That's sad

[Krikit 1,164]

This is more of a whine than a vent. I was up until 2:30am baking Christmas cookies. My husband came home from work last night and at about 7:00pm mentioned that today would be his last staff meeting before Christmas and he would like to bring in some treats. I said I would make him some and sent him off to the store with a list of ingredients while I cleaned up after supper. Three stores, five phonecalls, and 2.5 hours later he came home with only some of the goodies. Apparently Canada's the only place where ground almonds or walnuts or pecans are available. (I don't have a Quisinart to grind my own.) So I modified my choice of cookies to the ingredients which were available and got started. Back up at 5:30am to fix breakfast for my husband and arrange said cookies into a nice presentation. So I am operating on 3 hours sleep but cannot go back to bed because I have a landscape designer coming over to draw up plans for the back yard as a Christmas present to myself. So I'm happy about that but grumpy because I've had no sleep.

[Carlawarla 1]

This is more of a whine than a vent. I was up until 2:30am baking Christmas cookies. My husband came home from work last night and at about 7:00pm mentioned that today would be his last staff meeting before Christmas and he would like to bring in some treats. I said I would make him some and sent him off to the store with a list of ingredients while I cleaned up after supper. Three stores, five phonecalls, and 2.5 hours later he came home with only some of the goodies. Apparently Canada's the only place where ground almonds or walnuts or pecans are available. (I don't have a Quisinart to grind my own.) So I modified my choice of cookies to the ingredients which were available and got started. Back up at 5:30am to fix breakfast for my husband and arrange said cookies into a nice presentation. So I am operating on 3 hours sleep but cannot go back to bed because I have a landscape designer coming over to draw up plans for the back yard as a Christmas present to myself. So I'm happy about that but grumpy because I've had no sleep.

I couldn't find ground walnuts or pecans here as well to make thumbprint cookies. So I just put them in a plastic zip bag (the pieces), and let all the air out of them...

and pounded the sh*t out of them!

It worked!

Carla

[Krikit 1,164]

I couldn't find ground walnuts or pecans here as well to make thumbprint cookies. So I just put them in a plastic zip bag (the pieces), and let all the air out of them...

and pounded the sh*t out of them!

It worked!

Carla

Apparently Canada holds the entire North American market on ground nuts then. But I made thumbprints last night too! In fact, I just had one for breffrus. I don't make mine with ground walnuts..... just crushed walnuts. Or "finely diced" as they like to call them here. It did cross my mind to "pound the sh*t out of them" but I SO did not feel like doing that at 10 o'clock at night.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

hehehe - our coffee grinder is used more often grinding nuts and spices than it is for grinding coffee!

[Krikit 1,164]

hehehe - our coffee grinder is used more often grinding nuts and spices than it is for grinding coffee!

Hmmm. Never thought of the coffee grinder. Though I keep meaning to buy another one for spices. Wonder what coffee-flavoured almond (or walnut or pecan) crescents would taste like? lol

[SpiritAlight 1]

I am so fed up with my current situation. I just want to pack up and move back to Canada. Sigh.

What's wrong?

The poor man has been waiting a while for the AOS to come through - it must be freaking annoying I can imagine.

That's sad

Sorry to read this Bradcanuck.

Here is much energetic love and support from your VJ peops to help see you through.

[Sprailenes 47]

I am so fed up with my current situation. I just want to pack up and move back to Canada. Sigh.

The entire process does test ones patience doesn't it. But things will be okay. You'll be okay. We're all here for you.

[Carlawarla 1]

hehehe - our coffee grinder is used more often grinding nuts and spices than it is for grinding coffee!

Hmmm. Never thought of the coffee grinder. Though I keep meaning to buy another one for spices. Wonder what coffee-flavoured almond (or walnut or pecan) crescents would taste like? lol

Excellent idea Kathryn41!! You need one dedicated to grinding nuts though. They're so inexpensive though, it's well worth it!

Carla

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

I am so fed up with my current situation. I just want to pack up and move back to Canada. Sigh.

What's wrong?

The poor man has been waiting a while for the AOS to come through - it must be freaking annoying I can imagine.

That's sad

Sorry to read this Bradcanuck.

Here is much energetic love and support from your VJ peops to help see you through.

We're here for you Brad it's only a few days more, it's coming.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

This is more of a whine than a vent. I was up until 2:30am baking Christmas cookies. My husband came home from work last night and at about 7:00pm mentioned that today would be his last staff meeting before Christmas and he would like to bring in some treats. I said I would make him some and sent him off to the store with a list of ingredients while I cleaned up after supper. Three stores, five phonecalls, and 2.5 hours later he came home with only some of the goodies. Apparently Canada's the only place where ground almonds or walnuts or pecans are available. (I don't have a Quisinart to grind my own.) So I modified my choice of cookies to the ingredients which were available and got started. Back up at 5:30am to fix breakfast for my husband and arrange said cookies into a nice presentation. So I am operating on 3 hours sleep but cannot go back to bed because I have a landscape designer coming over to draw up plans for the back yard as a Christmas present to myself. So I'm happy about that but grumpy because I've had no sleep.

I couldn't find ground walnuts or pecans here as well to make thumbprint cookies. So I just put them in a plastic zip bag (the pieces), and let all the air out of them...

and pounded the sh*t out of them!

It worked!

Carla

This might explain why I woke up in a plastic bag, feeling like someone had hit me with a hammer.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

hehehe - our coffee grinder is used more often grinding nuts and spices than it is for grinding coffee!

Mom used to whip out the old Braun coffee grinder and grind almonds (for things like marzipan). Did that for years. A bit easier than a mortar and pestle (old skool but still excellent) or a smooth stone (from the garden or a riverbank) and a wooden board (really old skool, but also quite good though more labour intensive).

[trailmix 77]

I was thinking this morning about U.S. immigration (yes, off topic - no hang on....). Anyway, I was thinking of Canadian immigration vs U.S. and how much nicer we are (although Delicia might not agree - sorry Delicia!).

Then I was wondering what effect this long drawn out U.S. immigration process has on immigrants, at least some. So what if you get stuck in AP for a year or more and they lose your paperwork and etc etc. Then you immigrate and it takes weeks to get a SSN, if they even acknowledge you exist and employers aren't willing to hire you based on your visa alone (and those are IR people, K3 people go through much more once they arrive, as we all know).

How does this taint the new immigrants view of the U.S.. How can that be good for a country? Don't you want your new immigrants to love your country and have respect for your government and laws and blah blah blah.

As to how this relates to Canadian immigration, i'm sure in some quarters we appear soft, but whatever, we let married couples live together and a host of other things and that has to be good for Canada as a whole.

Anyway, just something I was thinking.

Edited December 18, 2007 by trailmix

[Krikit 1,164]

How does this taint the new immigrants view of the U.S.. How can that be good for a country? Don't you want your new immigrants to love your country and have respect for your government and laws and blah blah blah.

Even though I love the US and its people, I definitely have a love-hate relationship due to the ####### that I've been put through. Not only with immigration, but with the regular day-to-day aspects of life as well. Since I've lived an entire adult life knowing and learning one set of rules, I thought I had it down pat. But nothing they do here is anything like they do in Canada, so it just gets so darn frustrating. *sigh*

[SpiritAlight 1]

I was thinking this morning about U.S. immigration (yes, off topic - no hang on....). Anyway, I was thinking of Canadian immigration vs U.S. and how much nicer we are (although Delicia might not agree - sorry Delicia!).

Then I was wondering what effect this long drawn out U.S. immigration process has on immigrants, at least some. So what if you get stuck in AP for a year or more and they lose your paperwork and etc etc. Then you immigrate and it takes weeks to get a SSN, if they even acknowledge you exist and employers aren't willing to hire you based on your visa alone (and those are IR people, K3 people go through much more once they arrive, as we all know).

How does this taint the new immigrants view of the U.S.. How can that be good for a country? Don't you want your new immigrants to love your country and have respect for your government and laws and blah blah blah.

As to how this relates to Canadian immigration, i'm sure in some quarters we appear soft, but whatever, we let married couples live together and a host of other things and that has to be good for Canada as a whole.

Anyway, just something I was thinking.

I have one word for you:

XENOPHOBIA