Oy Vey !!! NASA is showing teeth

Ted Andkilde Wrote:
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> welcome to
> Canada...

You know, it's funny. About a year ago, when I was doing some research on moving to Europe, permanently, I was getting frustrated with all the schemes in the UK, the cost of living in London, and all the wonderful ways EU countries have to make sure a citizen gets the good job before any wank from across the pond. (Ironic.)

At that time, people left and right were telling me, "Forget Europe! Move to Canada!" Or, "I moved to Canada two years ago and I can tell you blah, blah, blah!" Now I'm starting to wonder. I mean, there's that whole Bryan Adams thing and I don't know what it means to Canadians when I say "Football," but maybe it's something to consider.

I just don't know about the cold. A bit extreme, doncha think? Phoenix to Canukistan? Iunno.

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Brian Driggs | KG7KCA | PHX, AZ | 89 Pajero
alterius non sit qui suus esse potest

> I just don't know about the cold. A bit extreme,
> doncha think? Phoenix to Canukistan? Iunno.


Well, cold is relative, I live just South of Detroit, it's pretty temperate, get's to 90 for most of july and August, winter is a bit of a joke, two or three six-inch snowfalls per season and I can't remeber the last time it was ever any colder than 20 degrees or so.

Vancouver is in some sort of weird micro-climate, they get snow once a decade and it's 75-80 all summer and 65-70 all winter.

Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray are the "hapenning" part of Canada at the moment, lots of jobs, big money if you've got some oil-field skills or even heavy equipment operator experience, plus all the associated trades. There it can occasionally get Phoenix hot in the summer and brutally, gut wrenchingly, cold in the winter.

OTOH, I've only ever been to the airport in Phoenix, I recall walking outside for about 30 seconds, realizing that the desert sun was sucking the life out of me as though I'd stepped through the airlock in a sci-fi thriller and decided to head back to the bar, probably wasn't much more than 110 or so -- not my thing.

Cheers, Ted

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Pure mathematics is the enemy of every truly creative man -- Sir Alec

Ted Andkilde Wrote:
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> There
> it can occasionally get Phoenix hot in the summer
> and brutally, gut wrenchingly, cold in the
> winter.
>
But it's a dry cold.

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Ted Andkilde Wrote:
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> Well, cold is relative, I live just South of
> Detroit, it's pretty temperate, get's to 90 for
> most of july and August, winter is a bit of a
> joke, two or three six-inch snowfalls per season
> and I can't remeber the last time it was ever any
> colder than 20 degrees or so.

BEHOLD! EL NINO! LOL

Heat is relative too. You will find, walking out of a bar at 2AM, here, and pausing to take note of just how fabulous it feels outside. Then you look over at the bank sign, typically while covering one eye so you can read it, and see that it's still 96* outside. Haha.

When I lived in Wichita (moved here from there five years ago), we'd get a nice morning, freezing rain by noon, snow by afternoon, more snow through the night, and then sunshine a couple days after that. The global climate is changing and it's all because of the acid in the batteries used in all these damn electric vehicles! They just don't know it yet!

Oh yeah, and I lived in Dearborn for a few months when I was growing up. Don't remember much about it, save a draw bridge with a see-through metal road surface.

Ted Andkilde Wrote:
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> Vancouver is in some sort of weird micro-climate,
> they get snow once a decade and it's 75-80 all
> summer and 65-70 all winter.

Ummm... Me goes to find Vancouver on a map. How hard is it for an American citizen to get a job up there and stay long term?

Ted Andkilde Wrote:
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> Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray are the
> "hapenning" part of Canada at the moment, lots of
> jobs, big money if you've got some oil-field
> skills or even heavy equipment operator
> experience, plus all the associated trades. There
> it can occasionally get Phoenix hot in the summer
> and brutally, gut wrenchingly, cold in the
> winter.

Work for Shell! Training in Houston! Meet the Edmonton Oilers! Then off to Dirkadirkastan for some dormitory life! Nah. I think I would pass on anything oil-related. (Unless I could finagle some free gas outta the deal, then I might be inclined to apply.)

Ted Andkilde Wrote:
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> OTOH, I've only ever been to the airport in
> Phoenix, I recall walking outside for about 30
> seconds, realizing that the desert sun was sucking
> the life out of me as though I'd stepped through
> the airlock in a sci-fi thriller and decided to
> head back to the bar, probably wasn't much more
> than 110 or so -- not my thing.

I was in Phoenix a week before I had to go back to Wichita for a meeting. I stepped out the airport door and it was as like walking into a sauna. Nasty.

If I were to leave Arizona, I would be hard-pressed to find someplace I liked, I think. The aridness of the region spoils you big time. I can live with walking across a 120* parking lot to get in a 150* car after work when the humidity is below 10%, but I don't ever want to experience mid-90s with anything more than about 40% humidity. That's miserable. Avoiding the humidity is really hard.

I've always loved the PNW, New England has always seemed rich in history and thus, somewhat interesting, and there's something about the midwest that keeps calling me to come "home," but the midwest is plagued with both the humidity and vast expanses of absolutely jack shit. If I left Phoenix, the first place I would look would be Portland/Vancouver, followed by Denver, and then maybe San Anotonio. Dunno.

I'm a 13 month lease, starting this Friday, so barring a supremely lucrative job offer elsewhere, I'll be in Phoenix for another year or so. Fine with me. There's a good lot of rally people out this way and that's what's really got me wanting to stick around at this point.

Ted Andkilde Wrote:
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> Cheers, Ted

Latz, B

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Brian Driggs | KG7KCA | PHX, AZ | 89 Pajero
alterius non sit qui suus esse potest

>
> If I were to leave Arizona, I would be
> hard-pressed to find someplace I liked, I think.
> The aridness of the region spoils you big time. I
> can live with walking across a 120* parking lot to
> get in a 150* car after work when the humidity is
> below 10%, but I don't ever want to experience
> mid-90s with anything more than about 40%
> humidity. That's miserable. Avoiding the
> humidity is really hard.

FWIW, Edmonton is pretty arid, good friend of mine has been restoring a 64 Cooper S -- it's been sitting media blasted to bare steel in his garage for 7 years with nary a brown speckle -- it's disgusting how rust free the cars are out there.


As for actually moving here? I'm not an immigration expert but AFAIK it's pretty lax coming in this direction -- my wife's parents are US born ex-pats, came with no skills and no dough as draft dodger and dodgeress(?), and I know plenty of other US citizens who've made the journey. Taxes can be a wee bit higher here (easily remedied through self-employment) but I have a buddy with two kids in Royal Oak Michigan who pays $863.00 a month for medical insurance which I would argue is a pretty hefty tax penalty for you'se guys.

Maybe you could hook up with a Canadian chick on the internet

Cheers, Ted

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Pure mathematics is the enemy of every truly creative man -- Sir Alec