Author Archives: lydias

The other day when I was filling out a government form I was reminded of the process I went through to become a permanent resident – and later a citizen – of Canada. Someone recently mentioned wanting a post from me about these experiences, so I thought today was a good time to talk about it.

It all started 11 years ago when I married my Canadian-born husband.

The first thing you need to know about the Canadian government is that they love forms. If you want to live here, expect to answer 3596 questions about your relationship, wedding, employment history, Hogwarts house*, previous address, past and current affiliations with any organization, and a thousand other questions whose answers should be neatly printed in blue or black ink. Just when you think you’ve answered the last of them, two more will wiggle out after it.

After you have the paperwork filled out, it’s time to start visiting medical, photography, and police offices that are always on the opposite sides of the city. No, you can’t condense your trips. No matter which one you pick first, your next stop will be at least an hour away from where you currently are and will need to have an appointment booked for an entirely different day.

Once they’ve determined that you’re not a criminal, do not have vampiric tendencies, and that you haven’t secretly carried any communicable diseases into a country you’re already living in, it’s time to send in your application and lots of money.

Don’t worry – the government did receive all of your paperwork, and everything is in perfect order.

While you’re waiting for this news, you also won’t be allowed to work, collect social assistance, go to school, or leave the country. If you are very lucky like I was, your family will be able to come visit you in Canada while you’re in limbo. Those visits will be like a cup of cold water on a hot day.

The government will slowly acknowledge that your application is in order months later. A year or more after that they will summon you to a small office where an official will have you sign some forms. He’ll stamp something and then tell you where the nearest Ontario Works office is in case you’re in need of it.

You are now allowed to get a job, go to school, or leave the country if you so wish. If you’re gone too long, though, your permanent residency will be revoked and you’ll have to start again from the beginning. Time spent away from Canada also won’t count towards the 1,460 days you’ll need to live here before applying for citizenship.

This part of the story won’t apply to every permanent resident or citizen. When I started signing up for stuff like my Ontario driver’s license, though, I noticed a difference between how I was treated and how people from other countries were treated. As an American, I was allowed to get a license without any tests other than a quick eye test to make sure I could see a basic number of things. People from many other countries had much more rigorous experiences. Some had to start at the beginning with driving classes, while others had to take tests to prove they were competent before they were given a license. There were several examples of this, and it bothered me for reasons I’ll explain in a little while.

Fast-forward about 1400 days: it is now time to apply for citizenship. The good news is that the application form for this one is much cheaper and simpler. They will basically want an updated picture of you, a small fee, and the assurance that you speak English or French. Oh, and there will be a test.

The funny thing about the test is that no one tells you how difficult it will be. You will study the Canadian history and government book they mail to you like you life depends on it, memorizing all kinds of dates, names, and events that will float up into your memory again years later.

None of this will be necessary. The test is written at a sixth grade level, and most of the questions are about as challenging as this one:

Q. What is the meaning of the Remembrance Day poppy?

A. Every remembrance day we remember how delicious poppies are in pies.

B. Our queen thinks they’re pretty.

C. To remember the sacrifice of Canadians who have served or died in war.

D.  They’re the only flower that no one in Canada is allergic to, so everyone wears them when we gather in large groups and want to do something as a team.

Once again, this next part won’t apply to every new Canadian citizen. Those of us who are fluent in English have very different experiences when we hand in our tests. The clerks overseeing the testing room are supposed to ask you a series of questions when you turn in your test to ensure that you’re fluent in at least one of the official languages of the land. My clerk asked me if the weather in Ohio (the state I spent most of my childhood in) was similar to Ontario. When I smiled and said they were basically identical, she waved me off with a friendly goodbye.

The woman talking to the clerk next to me, meanwhile, was being asking very specific questions about where she lived and who she lived with. When her husband tried to say something as she struggled to talk, the clerk threatened to send them off to a judge for the spoken language portion of the exam if he interfered again.

While I completely agree that it’s a good idea for new citizens to understand at least one of the languages of their soon-to-be adopted country, it was odd to be bumped ahead in the process while she was asked so many extra questions.

I understand wanting to screen people carefully, but the process did not feel fair to me. I was scrutinized far less than other applicants for reasons that were 100% out of anyone’s control. I never chose to be born in the U.S. or to have English-speaking parents. It was all a gigantic roll of the egg and sperm dice.

But I digress.

The citizenship ceremony a few months later will be short and sweet. Mine was full of young families. Some of the new citizens were toddlers, so their parents had to carry them across the room to pick up their certificate of citizenship when their names were called.

And then you become a Canadian. For the rest of your life, you will get to tease Americans about that time we burned down the White House in 1814. Fun fact: that was the only time in U.S. history when the White House was attacked. Other fun fact: Canadians are extremely proud of this.

*This really only matters if you’re a Slytherin. Everyone else shouldn’t worry too much. 😉

No, that title isn’t misspelled. You’ll see why as soon as you watch this short film.

My grandparents have had a large garden for decades. This is the time of year when their kitchen is filled with all kinds of vegetables that will soon be frozen, canned, sauced, juiced, or otherwise preserved for the long, cold months to come.

Preparing for winter isn’t only for people who have gardens, though. Now is the perfect time to start thinking ahead about all kinds of needs that you and your family will have over the next six months or so.

First, Start Making the Lists

Clothing. Is there anything you currently own that no longer fits and should be donated to charity? What would work perfectly well if you replaced a missing button or sewed up a torn seam ? What will you need definitely to replace before the season changes?

Transportation. If you own a car, does it need snow tires or routine maintenance? How long are you planning to ride your bike before switching to public transit when the snow piles up? Will your winter boots last another season?

Gifts. Who are you planning to buy holiday gifts?  Does this list need to be culled or expanded this year? What is your budget for all of these gifts?

Now jot down a few quick gift ideas for anyone who is easy to buy for. If you’re planning to make or buy anything that isn’t easy to find, think about how much time you need to spend on it as well.

Health. Do any of your vaccinations need to be updated? It’s good to find out early when and where to get any boosters you might need. The health department in Toronto starts giving out free flu shots in the autumn, for example, but the lines can be very long for people who put it off.

Go through your cabinets and look at the expiration dates for all of the medications and vitamins you find there as well. Make a note of any medications that are running low or expiring soon. Cold and flu season is around the corner. It’s nice to already have at least some of the remedies you’ll need to get through the day when you wake up feeling terrible in a few months.

Projects and Distractions. Longterm readers know how restless I get at the end of every winter. One of the ways I’m planning to combat cabin fever this year is to have a list of movies to watch, recipes to try, and other fun ideas to perk me up at the end of February when I feel like spring is never going to arrive.

Your list is probably going to look quite different from mine, but now is a wonderful time to start writing it if there are things you want to accomplish over the winter or if you get a little blue by the end of it.

Put It All Together

The nice thing about having all of these lists compiled is that you don’t have to run around and check off every entry on them right away. Most of the major gift-giving holidays are still several months away, and the season won’t start changing for at least another month as well.

I keep a short list of what I’ll need on my cellphone and start paying attention to sales well before I actually need to pick up that item. Shopping isn’t something I find relaxing or entertaining, so I try to do it in small bursts. I enjoy shopping a lot more if I can pick up one item on sale and then ignore the rest of my list until the next time I notice a good deal or feel like browsing a different store for 10 minutes.

There have been times when I came up with creative gift ideas simply by giving myself plenty of time to think about what that person would actually enjoy and happening to run across something that would suit them well. While some people seem to enjoy last-minute shopping, I think there’s something to be said for taking your time and not buying for a dozen different loved ones at once. It also makes for a better shopping experience because December is such a hectic month in the retail world. I’d much rather avoid all of that frenzied energy and return to my list in January when things calm down.

The other nice thing about this tactic is that it gives you a lot of time to think about whether you actually need item X. For example, I’ve been mulling over the idea of  buying walking sandals for several years. There are always a few hot days every summer when I wish I had a pair, but so far I haven’t wanted them enough to justify spending the money on something I’d only use a handful of times a year. (On the flip side, I am very grateful for my prescription sunglasses every time I put them on and get a break from the glare of the sun. They’re worth every penny, and then some!)

I hope this post has inspired you to start thinking about the shifting seasons to come. I’d love to know what your plan is for the winter. When do you start planning ahead for it?

Here is this week’s list of poems, short stories, and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

Sleepy Heads via Modquokka‬. If we all lived in the same neighbourhood, I’d invite everyone over to my house to eat homemade chocolate chip cookies while I read this aloud to you.

Mango Nightmares. This is one of the funniest and most baffling things I’ve read in a long time. Do any of my followers have nightmares if they eat mangos?

Eating Habits – Clean vs. Unclean via TakingtheNicki. What a healthy way of looking at food. I really love it.

Two Singles Mean a Lot via infinitewords14‬. This post was so vivid that I felt like I was standing alongside the author as he decided what to do when he noticed a stranger who needed help.

The Summer People. The perfect thing to read at the end of summer.

49 False Health Myths Debunked by Science. I believed quite a few of these when I was a kid. Did you used to believe any of them?

What have you been reading?

In as little as three decades, much of the Middle East and North Africa will be too hot for humans to survive, forcing people to flee in droves, according to stark climate predictions released last month.

From: Swathes of Middle East and North Africa Will be too Hot for Humans as Early as the 2040s.

This article has been weighing on my mind today.

August in Toronto is hot and humid. We’re currently in the middle of another heat advisory. When this happens, the city offers free air-conditioned places for people to cool off during the day. Our public pools are often kept open later in the evening as well.

Even with these precautions, about a hundred and twenty people die in Toronto every year from illnesses related to the heat. Most of them are homeless, elderly, or have underlying health problems. Millions more of us cope with the heat without any major issues, so it’s easy to sweep it under the rug and forget how dangerous hot weather can be.

There is a hard limit to how much the human body can take, though. We’re beginning to see what that limit is in the Middle East and North Africa.

The humanitarian and environmentalist in me is cringing at the thought of all of the suffering to come. First, people and animals are going to die terrible deaths through no fault of their own. Then entire cities that are going to be abandoned because of their harsh climates. The ecosystems in those areas will permanently change as well. I don’t expect every species to die out, but I think we’ll lose enough of them to disrupt the local food chains.

I wonder how far this uninhabitable zones will spread. While I don’t think climate change will cause humans to go extinct, I do think it will make life much more difficult for the generations to come. They’re going to live on a planet that is hotter, has more unpredictable weather, and has fewer species than it’s had in a very long time.

As a writer, I wonder what it would be like to be the last person to leave one of those communities. How long will it take before humans – or maybe another sentient species altogether – rediscovers them and pieces together the story of how they were created and why they had to be abandoned?

I don’t have any answers. None of this might occur after all. Maybe a team of scientists will invent something that scrubs all of the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reverses the effects of climate change. (Wouldn’t that be cool if it were possible!)

But it is something I think about a lot as I drink extra water and try to stay out of the sun.

I’m not annoyed by people who Instagram their food, but this video was still incredibly funny and well done.

The Alexxcast is a podcast by my Twitter friend, Alexx. I love the description of it he has on his blog, so I’ll repost part of it here for my readers:

I, and my rotating cast of guests, discuss forteana, books, mysticism, booze, metaphysics, spirituality, movies, writing and other random nonsense. 

Listening to the Alexxcast for me is like eavesdropping on someone else’s fascinating conversation without having to pretend that I can’t hear what they’re saying for the sake of politeness.

(Yes, I am an unrepentant eavesdropper, but I never repeat what I hear or mention it to the people who had that conversation again. Your secrets are safe with me. Ha!)

For those of you who aren’t yet intrigued, here are seven other reasons why you should give this podcast a try:

1. He is extremely active on social media. I don’t know about you, but I have a strong preference for online personalities who are closely connected to their audiences. If a podcaster, blogger, or Youtuber responds when I ask a question, I get excited. It’s cool to have that kind of friendly relationship with a web celebrity.
2. He is open to suggestions and audience questions. There have been times when he’s asked his followers what the topic should be for his next show. When people reply with ideas, he takes them seriously even if they’re not stuff he’d typically talk about. I really like that openness to new ideas and perspectives. It keeps a podcast fresh.
3. He is intelligent and well-read. While I definitely don’t agree with all of his ideas, it’s always thought-provoking to see how he’s come to his conclusions and why he thinks the way he does. Alexx makes me think about why I believe the things I do and stretches my mind.
4. He is skeptical.  If you told him the sky was blue and cloudless today, he’d go confirm it for himself before assuming it was true. I deeply respect people like that.
5. He is totally honest. If something is shitty, he won’t beat around the bush. He’ll tell you exactly why he thinks it horrible, when it devolved in something that deserved to be described as feces, and what should be done to fix it.
6. He knows how to follow a rabbit trail. Not everyone is capable of continuing to be funny and interesting when they wander away far from what they were supposed to be talking about, but Alexx is one of those people.
7. He can talk about anything. Someday I’m going to fully test this theory, but I have a strange feeling that he could make a podcast out of even the most loosely connected concepts. If I asked him to find the link between sharks and people who use Ouija boards to speak to the dead, he’d somehow be able to come up with a great story about how those two things are connected.

Here is this week’s list of tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

WunderGuy vs. the Brain Tumor via MuseInks‬. I found this post while scrolling through the #MondayBlogs hashtag on Twitter earlier this week. I don’t actually know the author or her family, but I’m still relieved that they were able to share an update with their followers.

Scratching Beneath the Surface of Motherhood Regret. This was something I noticed as a child, and it bothered me quite a bit. While it wasn’t my main reason for deciding never to have kids, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sway me heavily in that direction. Hopefully you and I both live to see the day when society realizes that this is a problem and takes real steps to change it.

The Mystery of Carl Miller. I absolutely love these kinds of family mysteries.

The Chapel in the Middle of Nowhere via bethjusino‬. There are so many story possibilities in the photos in this post. I loved letting my mind wander a while after I finished reading it.

Stop Worrying. This made me chuckle.

From Presumption of Guilt & the Question of Noncompliance via ShykiaBell:

Noncompliance isn’t always a result of disrespect or an attitude problem. I know this first-hand based on an experience my husband Max (my then-boyfriend/legal alien) and I had with police way back when he and I were dating.

What have you been reading?

This is a guest post from Steve Johnson.

While many treatments exist to help combat depression, some people struggle to gain control over their symptoms. This may be due to non-compliance, lack of access to appropriate healthcare, or complicated illnesses. People who are battling complicated mental illness or co-occurring conditions are at a much higher risk of attempting suicide. Similarly, suicide is more prevalent among adults who have alcohol or other substance abuse problems. Fortunately, there are several key concepts that are essential for long-term recovery and suicide prevention.

Education and Self-Advocacy 

“Knowledge is power,” is an often-used quote. First attributed to Francis Bacon in Meditationes Sacrae all the way back in 1597, this phrase has been quoted throughout history by the likes of Thomas Jefferson and many other highly influential people, and for good reason. In the world of depression, it couldn’t be truer: Understanding how your mental illness operates, and the mechanisms it uses to take over your thoughts and emotions, is step one in effectively battling your disease.

The University of Michigan’s Depression Center explains, “The first step is to educate yourself about your diagnosis, so that you understand your illness and how the symptoms you experience impact your daily life. Education also means understanding your treatment options.” When you’re armed with knowledge and a treatment program, you can then effectively self-advocate with your healthcare providers and others in your life.

Cultivate Supportive Relationships 

Even people who don’t suffer from depression need a support system to get through tough times, so it’s definitely critical to the well-being of those who are battling depression. Surrounding yourself with people who love and support you provides a lifeline when your symptoms start to take over or become too much.

Even if you’ve taken a leap of faith and moved to another state – or even another country – to give yourself a fresh start, technology makes it possible to stay close to your loved ones. From online chat groups to a simple phone call, it’s easier than ever to stay in touch with friends and loved ones no matter how geographically dispersed you are.

This support system can also serve as part of your crisis plan: Provide members of your support system with the names and numbers of your other supporters and their roles. Make sure these people are aware of warning signs that may indicate you’re entering a state of crisis, that way they can work together to intervene and facilitate treatment if needed. If necessary, you might want to appoint a trusted friend or relative with healthcare power of attorney so that they may make healthcare decisions on your behalf in a crisis.

Develop a Wellness Lifestyle 

Effective long-term depression management often entails developing a holistic wellness plan that tends to your body and mind. Finding the system, routines, and habits that keep you healthy is a highly individualized process.  You can rely on strategies that work for others as a stepping stone to developing your personal wellness lifestyle plan.

For instance, staying physically active can be effective for reducing the symptoms of depression. Likewise, some people find that pet therapy or pet ownership provides wellness benefits. You’ll also want to plan to spend adequate time outdoors when the sun is shining to soak up the Vitamin D, get plenty of rest, and commit to following a healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals that keep your body functioning at its best. When you feel well physically, it can affect you mentally and emotionally in positive ways.

Maintain Treatment Compliance and Hope for the Future

Treatment compliance is essential for successful long-term management of depression and, in severe cases, for reducing the risk of self-harm or suicide. An effective treatment regimen will leave you feeling like yourself again, and it’s for this reason that some patients feel as though they no longer need their medications or therapy. Discontinuing your treatments without the supervision of your healthcare provider can be detrimental to both short-term and long-term depression management.

Stick to your treatment program as directed by your doctor or psychiatrist. If you feel like you’ve fully recovered, never veer off of your recommended treatments unless first discussing it with your healthcare providers.

With depression, long-term management is the key to lasting success and overall wellness.

Steve Johnson has always been dedicated to promoting health and wellness in all aspects of life. Studying in the medical field has shown him how important it is for reputable health-related facts, figures, tips, and other guidance to be readily available to the public. He created PublicHealthLibrary.org with a fellow student to act as a resource for people’s overall health inquiries and as an accurate and extensive source of health information. When he isn’t hard at work in his studies, Steve enjoys playing tennis and listening to his vintage record collection.

Image via Pixabay by Jill111.

Don’t worry, this is a spoiler-free post. If you haven’t seen Star Trek: Beyond yet, I’d definitely recommend checking out.

I’ve been a fan of Tommy’s videos for a while now, and I have shared a few of them on this blog in the past.

I had a more positive impression of Star Trek: Beyond than he did. The writing struck a nice balance between introducing new fans to the franchise and making inside jokes that would appeal to casual (or serious) fans. The storytelling was handled nicely, and I thought the casting choices were great as well.

If you’ve seen this movie, what did you think of it?