While it won’t be required for our upcoming trip to Playa del Carmen (Mexico only requires ID such as a Driver’s License from Canadians), we decided that we should be proactive and get passports as both Karin’s and mine expired years ago. Canadians are well aware that Canadian Passport offices have had huge line-ups for months and there have been major delays in receiving a passport; largely due to the United States initiating new rules that anyone flying into their country has to have a passport. This will be followed in the future with a passport requirement for those arriving by land.

We’ll certainly need passports when the land entry requirement starts, as it would be a little silly to live 2 miles from the border and not be able to cross it. Getting our passports now will also mean that we will be prepared should we suddenly need to fly into the US, or should our plane to Mexico make an unscheduled stop. It also will make things a lot more convenient for Karin, as being born in Brazil has meant having to have ready her birth certificate ( a fragile piece of legal sized paper that has already been ripped and taped), her Canadian Citizenship, and our marriage license showing her name change in case a border guard at the US or Mexico crossing decided her driver’s license was not sufficient.

So we decided to brave the process this weekend.

Filling out the forms online and then printing them on your own printer is fairly simple if you already have a Government of Canada epass. Getting the photos was also simple; we just stopped by Costco. On Monday morning, while on our way to New Westminster for a specialist appointment, we stopped by our doctor’s office and dropped off our pictures and forms for our doctor to sign. He is the only person that has known us both for at least two years and meets the criteria as a guarantor, though new rules coming out in October to help speed the process will allow any passport holder to be someone else’s guarantor.  We then picked the signed photos and paperwork up on the way home at about 2:30, and decided to try and submit our applications that afternoon despite the late time.

To help ease the line-ups, several government locations in outlying cities have trained their personnel to review and accept applications.  They then forward them on to the main passport offices.  In Abbotsford, the Service Canada Centre now accepts applications.  We arrived and were met by a guard whom had anyone that was coming in specifically for passports sign a login sheet.  I’m not sure why this was necessary, but some research on the net afterward indicates that they may be limiting the number of applications per day in order to allow them to still perform all the other functions the office covers, such as Old Age Pension, Employment Insurance and Social Insurance Numbers.  However, if we could arrive less than 90 minutes before closing and have no problem getting in on a Monday, I would say the initial rush is over.

The guard’s other job was to warn and deflect away those looking to get their passport in under 55 business days; those people still need to visit the Surrey or Vancouver passport offices.  A lady arrived at the same time as us with her and her husband’s applications in hand.  When told she would not have the passports back by her travel date in August if she applied in Abbotsford, she whined “But we’ve already bought the tickets to Hawaii.”  Her attitude made it obvious that she expected the guard to fix the situation for her, but she finally accepted the piece of paper with the Surrey address that the guard gave her.  Karin and I both shook our heads, not believing that someone would still expect that you could just get a passport on short notice with no effort.  It was after the door shut behind her that the guard muttered, “And you’ll need to arrive at 2:00am to get a spot in line.”  She didn’t deserve any more warning than that.

W e then checked in with the receptionist and sat down to wait our turn.  In less than 5 minutes, we were called up to a counter where a lady reviewed our applications, had us make a couple of minor corrections (note to the government; if certain fields on the form cannot be left blank, then design the submission form so that it will not allow the field to be left blank), checked our photos against a template, and took our application fees.  We had to surrender my birth certificate and Karin’s citizenship papers; but this should not be an issue as they are rarely used.  We came prepared with copies of our driver’s licenses and CareCards that had been signed as true copies by our doctor; but it turned out that the clerk could would have copied them and signed that she saw the originals if we had not provided those copies.

All told, we were at the office perhaps 30 minutes.  Our passports and identification will be sent to our home by registered mail, and we were told that the goal date is September 18.  Assuming we have our passports on that date, I will not be able to complain about any part of the process.

My most hated store probably just became my favorite.

Ever since WalMart built a modern store here in Abbotsford and closed the old, converted Woolco; I have dreaded having to go near the store.  I go because I must, it would be unreasonable of me to spend more elsewhere for the same item I can get for a great price at Sam’s little store; but the Abbotsford store is the worst I have seen for line ups at the registers.  The number of registers open will vary, but it is always kept at the not-quite-enough level.  We tend to either do our shopping on Mondays or I will stop on the way home from work, just to avoid the crowds; but this did not make a difference at WalMart, you were guaranteed to spend at least 10 minutes in a queue.  I’ve been to old stores and modern ones, and stores in Canada, the US and Mexico; and none were as bad as our Abbotsford location.

As usual, we avoided going today; but when Karin could not find any suitable hair conditioner at Costco, she declared we would have to stop at WalMart.  Since were already doomed to the long line ups, we did grab some other items that we had been delaying until a WalMart run was forced on us, and then headed to the checkout lines at the front.  As we settled into the first line, I scanned to see what other lanes had the light on to see if even a quarter of them were open.  That’s when I spotted something new at the far end, and headed off with Karin in tow.  She protested as we went, figuring I was going to make this even longer than it needed to be.

Her mood suddenly changed when we arrived at what I had spotted; several rows of check out lanes had been removed and had been replaced with self-serve checkouts.  Now I realize that to an American reader, this might not be anything special; but I have not seen self-serve checkouts in Canada before (though Matthew tells me that they now have them at the Home Depot he works at, right next door to WalMart).

In just a couple of minutes I had scanned all of our items, dropped them into a bag, swiped my credit card, scrawled my name on the electronic signature pad, and we were out the door.  My source of hatred for this retail outlet has been relegated to the past.  Combining the lowest prices with the quickest exit possible will mean that I will now stop at WalMart before anywhere else.  I’ll also be looking forward to being able to make a quick stop on the way home from work, so that my weekends can be better spent.

After appetizers downtown at the SIP a few weeks ago, Karin and I headed towards Vancouver General Hospital to find a full meal before her 6:30 appointment for an MRI. We wanted to park nearby and walk if possible to the hospital, and so I pulled into the parking lot of the former Chevy’s restaurant on Broadway at Oak. Chevy’s used to be one of my favorite spots in Vancouver, but when I had attempted to take Karin there previously we had found it had closed. A new establishment has opened in it’s place and we decided to try them.

Upon entering the Rugby Beach Club Grille, I was greeted with a familiar room. The restaurant has been renovated to give it an oceanside feel, but the layout has not been changed, largely I believe because it has always been comfortable and works well. Formerly TVs hung from the ceiling throughout the room so that every table would have a view of the sporting event; these have been removed and the ceiling is now covered with large large bamboo stalks. The large TV covering one wall of the lounge remains, and many people were sitting in the bar area awaiting the Canucks game. The built in tables remained as before, as well as the bar and open kitchen kitchen; with everything having been refinished.

The decor did have me worried a bit, as there was a nautical theme and we are not big fish fans; but we did not have to worry as the menu was extensive. In addition to numerous salads, the appetizer menu had nine seafood items, but then had eight non-seafood items. We started with an appetizer of Ribs, Ribs, Ribs. As the name and picture implies, there is three flavours of ribs in this starter; Mesquite Rye BBQ, Caramelized oy and demerarra sugar, and Cajun dry rub. I think we might have been cheating a bit on Karin’s diet, as vinegar is something she must avoid right now; but a little shouldn’t hurt too much. Each of the ribs was meaty and flavourful, and we gladly licked our fingers afterward. I would definitely try this again, which could be a problem as there were many other tasty items from which to choose.

Looking at the main menu, it seemed that everything was extremely reasonably priced, even priced too low to believe. It took a little to realize the reason; all items on the menu come unaccompanied. If you order a steak, that is all you get on your plate. Vegetables and carbs are ordered separately, and the portions for these sides are enough for two people. As Karin and I are both watching the number of calories we stuff down our gullet, eating out has been a nemesis as almost any plate is almost half carbohydrates. Too top it off, we have had even more trouble eating out as of late due to Karin’s need to avoid the foods to which she is allergic. We had stumbled upon the perfect restaurant for us completely by luck!

Just like the appetizer menu, there were numerous choices when we choose our main course. In addition to the seafood section of the menu, there was a separate sections for shell (shellfish are fine by us, and I think I’ll try the prawns next time), chicken, vegetarian, turf (lamb), steak, ribs and surf & turf. Within each section there is numerous choices. I suspect that the separation of the sides from has allowed a much more extensive range of choices, as the chef did not then feel the need to have a unique starch and vegetable combination with each choice. With such a wide range of choices, you would think we would have had different things, but we were both attracted to the filet mignon, though I had mine with blue cheese topper. Without the sides, each filet cost $11.95! When was the last time you had filet mignon for that price?

Skipping the carbs, we had roasted asparagus with balsamic drizzle. Again, this was a bit of a cheat for Karin due to the vinegar. We had not been steered wrong, there was definitely enough vegetable for the both of us. The portions were just right, but had we not stopped at SIP earlier in the afternoon for an appetizer, we might have had two vegetables dishes, thereby having a filling meal without the starches and still at a very reasonable price.

While the ability to make your own main and side dish choices did fit our dietary needs perfectly, I also liked the idea purely from the point of view of being able to pick what you enjoy eating. Many a time I have been out and have seen something that seemed quite tasty, only to realize that the accompaniments were not something that I would enjoy at all. The Rugby Beach Club would also be the perfect place to go when some have a limited diet and others do not.

As we left, the crowd watching the Canucks game was just beginning to get into the game, and it was only Karin’s appointment that kept me from proposing we stay a while. This will definitely be a stop again in the near future. Overall, I’ll give the Rugby Beach Club Grille a 7.5 out of 10.

For more pictures, click on any of the above and explore the others on our Flickr site.

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Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Last Monday Karin and I went into Vancouver for my second visit to the dental laboratory. The lab is making the crowns that will be mounted on the dental implants that were placed in my mouth last fall. My first trip to the lab had been for the colour matching, and this appointment was officially a “stain appointment”.

When I arrived, the technician had all six teeth sitting in front of her. Each looked like a pulled tooth without a root and was hollow inside. She used tweezers to hold each one up to my mouth to check the final colour, and had a palette of liquid paints in front of her to touch up the tooth. I had mentioned that they were surprised how white my teeth were last time, thanks to my diligent bleaching and avoidance of staining foods; and this time there were even more surprised that my teeth were now whiter. As a result, the technician had to use an even whiter shade as the final touch up. After painting each one, she put them in little oven to dry the paint; though I have no idea if it was heat, infrared, ultraviolet, or yet another option that dried the paint. I suspect it was just heat from the look of the device.

Just as the previous appointment had been rescheduled to give the lab more time, so had this appointment. I had been told on the phone that it was because of the need to make custom abutments; apparently the original delay had been while they waited for a part to make two custom abutments, but when they had called me last week to re-schedule they had already ended up making four custom abutments and needed an extra few days to make a fifth. I was naturally curious and asked exactly what was an dental abutment. The technicians were quite happy to have someone express an interest in their work, and the woman who was doing the colour matching was joined for the explanation by the technician next to her, who had done a lot of the work on my teeth.

I was shown the mold of my upper arch that had the gums removed and replaced with a pink waxy material. Since my last visit, hollow titaniuml tubes had been added in each tooth’s spot. It was explained to me that these were the abutments, which will be attached to the implants and then have the crown slide over top. Each abutment is shaved to narrow it at the end, almost making a sharp circle at the end. Of the six abutments, they had only been able to use one that was pre-machined, as my bite has my bottom teeth sliding behind my front teeth. Pre-machined abutments that stick straight out would hit my bottom teeth before the crowns were even placed over top, and they therefore had to make abutments that will allow my bottom teeth to slide behind them and the crowns over top without touching. This will be something new for me, as my bottom teeth have always hit my flipper, and my original childhood dentist had gone as far as to shave the top off of one lower canine. I will now have nothing hit when I close my mouth. They assured me when I asked that the custom abutments did not mean that they will be weaker in any way.

Both technicians were surprised when they looked in my mouth at the amount of gum growth as compared to the molds, and so I explained that it appears that I heal too good. Apparently a couple of abutments were very difficult to spot. They also warned me that with this many implants at once and the changes in my mouth both due to time and the pressure of the flipper while I was healing, there is a chance that all the crowns and/or abutments might not fit and I might have to come back again for them to redo some of them.

This afternoon I have an appointment at the 7Oaks Laser Dental Centre here in Abbotsford for Dr. Ajar to attach the crowns. It will be the first time since I was about 10 years old that I will be able to have a full toothed smile without a dental flipper. I guess I’d better go shave so that I can take some before and after pictures.