Christmas always starts in Summer...

[orange]

Hopefully Mrs. Mellette gets hers very soon.

 

[fitz43]

The Canadian helpers have run into a small glitch. We'll be resourceful and the packages will be on their way soon.

 

[laatsch55]

Thanks Doug...

 

[orange]

I'll be at the post office shortly and have your final costs in by this evening, Lee.

I actually have to wear PANTS today, and I'm looking for longjohns this month.

Don't forget to set your clocks back November 1st and yes, Oregon is apparently going to let you drink for the extra hour at your favorite watering hole. Should be fun for the interim police chief here on his first day.

 

[laatsch55]

Hookay..

 

[orange]

I went to school with the chief who is retiring tomorrow, think I graduated ahead of him by a year or so, used to see him at the community college taking criminal justice classes and after 31 years on the force he's retiring...

At least HE had steady work for 31 years.

 

[fitz43]

Other than making a connection with 62vauxhall, the Canadian helpers work is complete. All other envelopes that weren't delivered went in the mail today.

Doug

 

[laatsch55]

Wasn't much of a glitch Lad....

 

[fitz43]

Wasn't much of a glitch Lad....

Incoming PM

 

[laatsch55]

Is that like having to go to the principaLS OFFICE??

 

[Elite-ist]

I must thank Doug, who handled all the mail-outs for our Canadian members. A couple of you had, or will have, your gifts dropped off, personally, by Doug. It was less expensive for Doug to mail out the packages from the U.S., rather than from Canada, so that necessitated another trip across the border for him. I appreciate your time, effort, and the fuel you burnt up ensuring no one was missed on the mailing list, Doug.

Nando.

 

[laatsch55]

It indeed was a major glitch, and as you Nando...Kudos to the Canadians!!

 

[fitz43]

I must thank Doug, who handled all the mail-outs for our Canadian members. A couple of you had, or will have, your gifts dropped off, personally, by Doug. It was less expensive for Doug to mail out the packages from the U.S., rather than from Canada, so that necessitated another trip across the border for him. I appreciate your time, effort, and the fuel you burnt up ensuring no one was missed on the mailing list, Doug.

Nando.

The border guard got that glazed look on his eyes as I was trying to explain to him why I was crossing again today...

I can't take all the credit for this, Nando was very much involved as well.

 

[Elite-ist]

You were probably driving the van, Doug. That would immediately draw suspicion - you can pack a lot of Phase Linear gear into the back. Thanks for the kudos.

Nando.

 

[fitz43]

You were probably driving the van, Doug. That would immediately draw suspicion - you can pack a lot of Phase Linear gear into the back. Thanks for the kudos.

Nando.

Ok, here's a Border story for you.

A month ago I was making an eBay purchase using Paypal and got ahead of myself. I clicked and got that sinking feeling.
I said that my payment should come from the US bank account tied to Paypal, but I wanted it to be charged to the US credit card attached to Paypal. I knew I didn't have sufficient funds in that bank account. I had to make a fast dash to my bank in Lynden to make a deposit. It was about10:00pm.

I roll up to the border agent's window.

"Is this your van?"
"Yes"
"Does anyone else drive it across the border"
"No"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes"

I'm handed an orange slip and told to go inside.

After waiting about 5 minutes standing at the counter while about 4 of them are having a discussion, one guy walks by looking at me and I can see he has my picture ID in his hand. He goes back to the area where the discussion is happening.
A few minutes later he approaches me at the counter and says "We have a problem"

"This van has crossed the border 39 times this year, but you say your the only one who drives it. Our records show that you've only crossed 13 times. We need you to explain how this could be."

Ahhhhh.... thoughts of Midnight Express run through my mind. I was at a loss for words. After a few minutes I remembered that I have an app loaded on my smart phone called "Canadian Snowbird Tracker" with which you mark the days you are in the US and it keeps track of your total number of days in the US for the calendar year or any 12 month rolling year. We're allowed 180 days. So I pulled out my phone and showed it to him. I had 38 crossings recorded in the app. (I guess I missed one). They went to have another conference over it. So in the end (after an hour) I believe having the app saved my bacon. Their database was screwed up.
I asked if I would have this difficulty again and was told it was because sometimes I used my Nexus card and other times my Enhanced Drivers license. They can get a person on the moon with 4k? of computing power, but can't figure out I'm crossing the border in my van with supercomputers.

I haven't had any trouble crossing since then.

 

[Elite-ist]

Doug: Whoa, that's surely a phone app worth having. It did save your behind, as how else could you have explained the discrepancy. Do I need to have a passport to cross the border, or will the Enhanced Drivers license be enough?

Nando.

 

[orange]

Gee Whiz, we must be ---holes or something! I know some of it had to do with keeping US college kids out of Canadian bars when they are underage here and coming back drunk...but I wonder how the heck Canadians or US citizens who have to work on either side deal with things like this.

And I guess we just learned something about Canada Post...now we know. Thank you for your diligence and for going out of the way for us. I guess it's better to just mail things to Canada straight off.

Sorry for the inconvenience and potential goony treatment from our government.

 

[laatsch55]

DUCKING BORDERS!!!!

 

[orange]

Bucking Forders...

 

[orange]

Any chance you were driving a GM van so it was a Chevy Chase?