These crazy dogs can usually be found around the Ottawa markets, they are so cute.

but this…

Apparently this bad boy is a House Centipede, and tonight we caught one creeping across our floor, I say creeping, this thing was like a streak of lightning flying across the ground and a pesky little bugger to catch in the small glass in the photo, which happened to be the only thing available to hand to contain this beast. Our blurry photos didn’t really do it justice so after a quick google I bring you the image on the right, clearly highlighting the true horror of what we had to deal with this evening. Let’s hope we don’t see any more of these!

So here I am, finally in Canada! After what felt like the longest journey ever. Actually it wasn’t that bad really, despite the 4 hour connection in London, which would have been torturous without the old iPod to save me, but in the end both flights were on time and I actually landed in Canada early, so it was all good.

Then came customs! I was quite lucky that for once I actually got off the plane quite quickly and looking back at the crowd behind me, decided to suppress my urge to go to the bathroom in order to get a good spot near the front of the queue. Despite me having to go to the kiosk with the meanest looking customs officer, getting through customs seemed surprisingly smooth, or at least so I thought, until I was pointed to the small immigration office to the side, and if I thought the customs officer looked mean, I hadn’t seen anything yet. It’s at this point, as I join the immigration queue that I actually start to remember all the small print on my application paperwork, like needing proof of funds and being able to state the purpose of my visit, and it didn’t help my nerves that by this stage I was now desperate to pee.

When I finally got to the front of the immigration queue and my interrogation began, I quickly realized that not knowing my Canadian address off by heart posed quite a problem, but luckily I remembered that I had a text document on my laptop with all the details in it. So, while I uncomfortably shuffled from side to side trying not to wet myself, I pulled out the laptop and started what seemed like the longest boot up of a computer ever, giving the immigration official ample time to question me on the contents of my laptop, casually asking if I have any illegal pornography or hate propaganda on there! Glancing back at the now snaking queue behind me, I realized that with all my laptop shenanigans I had become the immigration queue equivalent of that guy at the supermarket checkout paying with pennies. Eventually though I found the document and was able to provide an address and telephone number, finally satisfying their criteria.

Next up, the dreaded baggage carousel but my bags miraculously came around within seconds of me approaching, and before I knew it I was through the final gate and there was Crystal there to meet me. It really all did feel like it was meant to be and boy was it all worth the wait.

…and fit it into 2 22KG bags (the weight restriction imposed on my Air Canada flight to Ottawa). I’d imagined this to be so easy, travel light I thought, but to actually achieve this feat proved to be much more of a challange than I anticipated. Fitting both my snowboarding gear AND a smart suit for job interviews into my luggage proved to be the difficult thing. Will I even need a suit? Will I even go snowboarding? Well I suppose it is better to have the gear with me rather than have to buy new or get it shipped over. It’s all packed now though and well underweight too.

So Canada here I come!

So this Blog never really got off the ground eh? Well, the whole point of it was to have a place to post my photos and to write up some music reviews. Hence the name Photo Phono, it seemed like a sweet little combination of words and covered the two things I was interested in Blogging. So roll on 1 year later, considering that I first joined Blogger in February 2005 and I have managed the mighty total of 3 oh yes count ‘em THREE posts, I decided it was time to start over with a whole new attitude to my Blog. So as of today I am using my Blog as an online journal, as well as hopfully blogging photos and music like I originally planned sometime. I’ll keep the name, I still like it.

Oh and I got my Work Authorisation Letter, it’s official, CANADA here I come!

So on with the show…