take it where it comes

I have been battling a mild depression for the past week. It's part culture shock, part limbo phase doldrums, and part being bent over and raped by the Canadian Register of Imported Vehicles.

My beloved black ten year old Ford pickup (formerly know as "back-n-black", currently renamed "the outlaw") cannot pass both provincial and federal inspections due to lack of air bags. It was originally equipped with airbags but a previous owner wrecked it and I bought it as is. Hey, I got a good deal.

But after $700 of trying to make this truck legal, I learned of this dead-end air bag fate. After pleading and begging for mercy to the federal outfit in charge to no avail, I have resolved to sell the outlaw back in the good ole US...where safety standards are second fiddle to getting a good deal.

The RIV wouldn't accept my request to refund the $200 inspection form fee. So it goes. I am not a victim. Time to cut my losses and move forward.

Mental note Canada: there's a Texas hornet nest in your midst.

But on a positive note: this morning we not only got a positive inspection report on the house we are buying, but we somehow managed to jump all 49 hoops and get our Sask driver's license. It's much more difficult to get a driver's license or anything related to driving in Canada than it is to receive health care or govt insurance number.

This was a huge positive note. I'll take all the encouragement I can get these days. Thank you creator.