chapter 5

That day,  the moment I came back into the office I called Subaru to inquire as to the why I did t get what had I requested !!!!?????!!! Obviously they did not do the integrity check. Upon further investigation I discovered that though they did do the safety and emission test they did not do the integrity check. Actually they don t even offer the integrity check.  I had assumed both where the one and the same since no mention of a second test of that nature was required, again on checklist. Further more when I requested it from the dealership he immediately corrected me by calling it a safety check (see flashback).  Once again, this turned into an interesting discussion with my Subaru dealership as to the question of what I had requested and what was actually done. Luckily for all parties I needed the safety check as well as the integrity check so their work was not wasted. Still I made it a point to remind them of what I had requested and that it might be prudent for their people to be aware of the proper terminology instead of changing the names to fit their offered service.

The next day I located a “designated” body shop where they could do the integrity check for my car as suggested by the licensing office. Located past Orleans they where kind enough to offer me a ride from the garage to the local bus terminus and where even opened on Saturdays. Made an appointment for the upcoming Saturday. Friday, at people s behalf I continued to shop around for a body shop or really anyone who could do it. The best recommended garage was very keen on doing the job no fuss and way cheaper only until I called back to confirm the appointment and double check it was for the integrity check and not safety. Seems not a great many places in this town offer this service… Yet everyone agrees to bluntly confuse them both as the one and the same until you take the time to check up on their actual work. Finally at lunch I found a place even closer than the all the previously contacted ones and 40$ cheaper. Set up an appointment for the following Wednesday for a Thursday pick up.

Chapter 4, The Following Week...

The following week,

I got my insurance paperwork in order by Wednesday afternoon. The broker was even kind enough to fax me a copy so that I might be able to take my vehicle on the road the same day. The next day, my Boss offered and took me to the licensing office near work during work hours mind you. Previously I had made sure all my paperwork was in order and even went through the Ontario Car Licensing checklist via their own website. After waiting in line for about 5 min I walk up to the clerk all smiles with my paperwork in hands.

“I m sorry sir but I m in training and I can t help you. Please go back in line and wait for the next qualified clerk.”

So I went back in line and waited another 5, 8 min while my boss was waiting in the parking lot in his own car. Finally my turn, I walk up to the so called qualified clerk, hands out my safety, emission and insurance paperwork. She then looks at me while holding on to my ownership paperwork and requested my integrity check paperwork.

 ------- Flash back to my Subaru Dealership Inspections and Qualifications ------

“touloulou touloulou touloulou touloulou”

“Afternoon, I would like to make an appointment for an integrity check and emission if you guys also offer it. I just moved from out of province and need to bring my car up to code your Ontario Car Legislations”

“No problem sir, we can do both the safety test & the emission test but this last one will have to be done off location.”

So you can do the integrity check or what you call the safety check by mid next week? Oh and while you are at it could you also take a look at my breaks and co. ? ….”

Of course sir, how does Thursday sound?

------ End Flash back ---------------------------------

Imagine my pleasant surprise when the clerk informed me it would cost a min of 500 dollars to get the integrity check done on my car and that until it was done I could not get my car registered in Ontario. Of course this verification was already done in Quebec years ago as is required for all rebuilt cars. I told her as much but she plainly refused to hear any of it claiming Ontario had different norms than Quebec when it came to licensing cars on the road. Ya cause across the river yonder we often still use horse drawn carriages to get to work and at church on time. Hence we are bound to have different norms, obviously!!  So after yet another heated verbal exchange where I requested the validity of charging me 500 dollars for something I already had I left slamming the door out of my way as I left. My Boss simple could t believe it but then remembered a similar situation where he had to replace a new tire in case it was damaged due to a bump on the related mechanics. A 800 dolard deal as I recall just to be up to code with Ontario norms.

chapter 3, April 20, 21st

April 20^th,

I Called TD Meloche car insurance to insure “la Bete”.

Spent 55 minutes with a rare incompetent individual trying to get a quote and ultimately a policy with them. La goutte qui a fait deborde le vase a 50 min dans la conversation et je cite; Can I please have your name sir” . Keep in mind that at that point he had all my contact information, my bank info, everything about my car he requested as well as my grandmother secret gravy recipe.

55 min in I bluntly told him I would have to finish this interview at a later time since I was assured in the first 5 min this would only take 20 to 30 min at most and 55 min in I was still no closer to getting anything done right. Did manage to squizz out of him an estimate for a policy, 1800 a year. Welcome to Ontario licensing people. Insurance rates are off the scale & plates are only 20 – 30 bucks. Wow ! … So innocent, “sight”

April 21st

The next day, I decided to call TD Meloche back and finish what I had started the previous night during my lunch break. The lady on the phone was very good and 30 min later I had my quote, policy number in hand and things where looking up until … I mentioned I had a re-built car. By which point “an over the top” sight was hear from her end of the line and I felt the grounds of my enterprise crumble to dust. True enough, it took her 5 sec to reject my application, another 5 to erase my policy and file and though I argued that the car had been through a safety and emission check at my local Subaru Dealership, passing with flying colors after a few repairs I was politely informed they would not, never, ever grant my car with an insurance policy. Somehow got the feeling I was standing at one end of a 10 foot pole with her at the other end weaving for me to scram.

Afterwards, I spend the better part of my afternoon between calls looking up other insurance companies in the vain hopes that I might get insured for the Easter Week-end and drive back to my folks. Desjardins was glad to oblige, only they requested an emission test, safety check, integrity check, motor history, letter from my previous insurer and a vehicle health what ever that might be. K, the emission and safety I had in hand and letter was easy enough to get. But the motor history… and health thingy. REALLY !???? Like my own Dealership Inspection was t good enough for the mighty Desjardins!

….“Haaa but I remember many years ago when my darlin motor was but 2 years of age, twas the year it burped after it was fed substandard gasoline” The poor lad”. Maybe I could also include it s first art project or when it had it s first wisdom casket removed! 3%^#$%T#$WTW$%!!!

The Cooporators where about to transfer me to their version of SVU (Special Vehicle Unit, lol) when I moved on to the next. Belaire was expensive to say the least. I even entertained the idea of CAA but had to be resuscitated after seeing the yearly 3 thousands dineroes to be part of the team. Finally my Boss suggested his own insurance broker. Sounded good so I called them. Of course being a stone throw on the wrong side of the river they could t help me but as it was they had recently opened an Ontario office. In fact it was so new, the phones line could t be transferred. I took the number down and gave them a call forthwith. At that point I had pretty much given up on any pretence of actually doing any work and people where to starting to conglomerate around my neck of the office to observe my “progress”. Took me a couple of minutes but got my basic info across and though I could t get a quote on the spot, computers where not even pluged in yet, I was promised I quote for the following mid week. Hence did not make it for Easter but progress!

chapter 2, April 7th

April: 7th

I called the Subaru Dealership in order to get a quote for the repairs, maintenance I estimated I might need for her after a winter spent under the white blanket.  I also requested an integrity check as well as emission test as required by the Ontario Gov for licensing vehicles in this province. Concerned about her general health I also requested special attention be brought to the brake pads, an overdue change of oil and battery & alternator verification for good measure. This was combined to a 20 point inspection with the brakes inspection and cleaning of the pads on the house, as part or the overall inspection.

The integrity check or rather the safety check as the Subaru representative was quick to correct me over the phone would be about 100.00$, the emission test another 49.99$ and the battery alternator test also 49.99$. Brought her in April 13^th early evening. At this point I must admit it nearly broke my heart to hear her scrape her way down the street to my local dealership. The tires where so low she felt like a wobbly partner. She sounded and screeched like a wounded and very heavy cat with troubled breathing. Kinda reminded me of how I felt when we got our sick kitten from the farm a few months back. The next day I got a full estimate from the Dealership, the 4 routers had to be replaced due to corrosion, one bearing also needed to be replaced, a seized donut shaped valve was frozen into place in the exhaust system, a support bracket for the exhaust was coming apart and the air filter was stuffed to a near chocking level. As I said, I had expected the worst thought the complete replacement of all 4 routers was a surprise. The bearing replacement I was strangely enough reassured with as I was beginning to imagine I was hearing noises no one else seemed to hear. I had also suspected something was wrong with the exhaust system or intake. What with the off key breathing she had begun making. Again no surprise where the air filter and exhaust were concerned.. As for the battery… well it was nearly dead and pretty much useless for all concerned and had to be changed. Oh well. I’ll spare you the total financial details but suffice to say I was glad my tax return came in early this year thought nothing could of prepared me for the upcoming expenditures and headaches that would soon follow in this seemingly simple enterprise.

chapter 1

The following tale of heartache and misfortune took place in the spring of 2011 and depicts our hero s quest at resurrecting his faithful Subaru steed nicknamed “la Bete” from a lengthy winter slumber while and seeking admittance for her to Ontario roads. It spans over several blog entries laid out here in chronological order.

Early April, 

Finally, I managed to secure the required funds to wake up “la Bete” from her winter slumber and take her for well-deserved tune up at my local Subaru Dealership. I knew my Quebec licenses where going to expire in little less than two months time so I decided to go all out and get her up to date with local norms. Figured it would be a charmed to get her licensed once the mechanical inspection was out of the way. Obviously I was oblivious to what was looming ahead.

it s here ...

Received it about two weeks ago. And to answer your question, yes it is pretty f_k awsome.

Update Printanier

Today est la première journée du printemps ! Et qui dit printemps dit également Hotdog chez Ikea. Bin quoi a 0.50$, quant t'a un creux c'est dure a battre LOL. Trouvé une ptite tablette pour 5$ dans la section "débara" pour le studio et mon coloc une étagère. Sinon la St Pat cette année fut passé dans une sobriété record. À savoir pas de pub ni parade. Plutôt investi mon capital sur la bête ainsi qu'un update pour mon téléphone. Pauvre char, il part même plus sans boost #$%@$#%?#$%?#$?#@ !! Question cellulaire, je reste avec un Samsung mais cette fois avec un GPS qui ne me place pas au Québec et en Ontario en même temps !! Sérieux j'étais physiquement au centre ville dla capitale et en même temps a Gatineau selon mon "faux GPS". Pratique quant tu veux te placé rapidement sur la map lors des déplacements. Heeee chu tu dans la Belle Province, en Ontario ou au USA là là ????? Pis dans quelle direction je me dirige criiiifffff !! Ça et j'en avais marre que mon browser me dise que la page était trop large pour être lut correctement ou pas assez de mémoire pour exécuté. Coté job nous battons des records de production, Yeeeaaaa !

walk walk walking home, gently on the ice... merrily merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream. ; P (March 8th on my way home with my current samsung phone)


P.S Fait des Burger dans ma poel en fonte ce soir avec la viande de Brian's Butcherie, simplement D e l i c i o u s !

Kobo is the Word

Kobo is the word.

Sérieux, ce ptit bijoux minimaliste quant ont tient compte de tous les E-Readers sur marché est vraiment bien.


Cela fait environ une semaine que j'use de ptit bijoux de simplicité pour la lecture de livre et jusqu'ici, mission accomplis. Non seulement aige réussi a contournée le problème posé par l'achat de livre seulement avec une carte de crédit... mais suite à une conversation avec un camarade dla vielle capital j'ai découvert un programme de conversion de fichier PDF et co. pour mon lecteur. Un peu slow surmon vieux OSX mais vraiment bin faite pour les E-Readers. Le ptit programme, "Calibre".

En terme d'options,le Kobo ne possède pas d'options tel que les autres lecteur, E-Readers, actuellement sur le marché. Théoriquement muni d'un dictionnaire intégré, pratiquement parlant cette option n'est point au point ci vous me suivez. Il est possible de lire des fichiers PDF mais ci les caractères sont trop petit vous ne pourrez alors que les grossir que par tranches pré-définis. L'échelle passe de 100 à 125 a 150% et ainsi de suite et n'est accessible que via le menu de configuration. En comparaison avec des fichiers .Epub ou les caractères peuvent être grossis ou réduis sur une échelle plus précise et ce via un simple clique de l'interface / bouton de navigation. Il est également possible de changer l'angle de visionnement du document lue en deux mode. Soit en mode standard, "portrait" ou encore en mode "Landscape". Ce dernier est vraiment pratique lorsque viens le temps de lire des documents PDF trop grand pour être lus tel un livre normal. L'option "landscape" vient également avec des flèches de navigation a même l'écran ce qui permet de "bouger" la page d'un sens comme de l'autre pour visionné des documents qui occupe de trop grande surfaces.


Les nouveaux Kobo viennent avec l'option Wi-Fi et un lien est bâti dans le lecteur même vers le site d'achat de livres Kobo aka Chapters Indigo. Bien entendu vos cartes cadeau Indigo et co ne sont point valide pour l'achat de livre bien que la compagnie est censé étudié une solution. "raclement de gorge". Oublier également PayPal, virement bancaire. La seul options d'achat demeure la carte de crédit. Ainsi j'ai travaillé le week-end dernier a trouvé une autre option que d'acheté des livres a crédit sous format digital. Le résultat, approximativement quelques millions de livre disponible et gratos à télécharger via le web.

D'ailleurs a ce sujet j'ai pris la peine d'ajouter dans ma liste de liens quelques suggestion pour vos futur "non achat de livres". Enjoy !




P.S. Électrocution option comes optional Lyddie. Though in your case & upon further investigation .... an "L class" weather proof case might be in order ! lol