Greetings from Canada

How the hell is everyone!

I'm OK. How about you?

I'm in Toronto. I'm vegging out tonight before my class starts tomorrow.

I tried to take the class that was in Vancouver but they opted for Toronto instead.

So what I find is funny is $1 CAD = $1.12 US dollars. Everything seems to be priced about the same here as it would be back in the US, but by time time I pay the 14% tax..... :grr:

Don't mind me, I live in a state with no Sales Tax. But I see I can get some of the tax I paid refunded - so it's all good

It would have been nice to get together. We've had a spectacular fall. It's pouring today though. What kind of class?

I came up yesterday, rented a car and drove over to Niagara Falls (talk about a tourist trap, but the Falls were amazing). I did some of the Ontario wine country and the CN tower today. Now that I got all my touristy stuff out of the way, it's an IT class for problem management.

Someday I'll get over to that side of the country.

I've always wanted to go to Niagra and see the falls

...Back in college

I'm within a block of about 4 definately gay clubs. Geez, if Ramsey was here I'd drag her out to one with me. I swear that Gay Clubs are so much more fun than the straight ones

I love boats but I hate any kind of tour boat. I always feel kinda trapped and within an hour I want to get the hell off of the boat. It's one of my oddities. That and crowded elevators. I forced myself up the CN tower and fortunately they weren't packing in the elevators. I had paid for the Skypod (which is even further up from the main observation deck), but the line was so long and barely moving that I just skipped it. I figured I'd get really clausterphobic up there.

BTW, what is with your country not using Visa Check Cards (ie - debit cards). Fortunately I can get money pulled out of an ATM machine if it's associated with a bank. But those cash machines in the stores and even making purchases - can't be done. Before I discovered that the bank atm's would take my card, I was going to walk back over to Niagara on the USA side just so I could get some cash out of the bank. Next time I'll know to bring just a regular ATM card (which I have but rarely take out of the safe keeping spot)

We call regular ATM cards debit cards here. I don't think we have VISA cheque cards.

When I started coming to school here, I could deduct about 25% of all the prices from whatever the price tag said to figure out the US price. Things were really cheap. Now, as you say, with the taxes figured in, it's more than the States. It's sort of the first way the Bush admin's policies started to hit me personally (if you discount my two friends who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan).

As for the refund, don't bet on it. They're making it harder and harder to get.

What do you think about Toronto? Where are you taking the course?