GAH PAPERWORK

So a few months back, I applied to NEXUS. Its basically a cool little card that let's you skip longer lines at the airport/land crossings (and marine crossings, but I'm not familiar with that process). The initial application costs a few pretty pennies (~$50), and it takes 2-3 months for them to verify the initial application. After you've been verified, you have 30 days to schedule an interview.

Now, being from Toronto, the nearest interview center is at Pearson Int'l Airport. The wait list is abouuuut 3 months after your initial verification. I was able to schedule myself about 2 days after verification (I kept checking every minute for a cancellation and lucked out after 20 minutes).

Next began the gathering phase. As in, gather every piece of documentation that you need as proof. I arrived early (suited up, of course, but that proved to be unnecessary). I had 2 border agents (one Canadian, one U.S.) simultaneously ask questions or explain facts/procedures, but nothing stressful. Card should be in the mail soon.

After that and a coffee, I called up my car insurance agency to figure out something that's been causing me many headaches. My insurance broker had initially told me that I need new car insurance about a week after leave Canada and arrive in the states. BUT: assuming other companies have similar terms, then every other medical student I asked was breaking their policy contracts and lacked adequate car insurance.

So I called up a rival company, received a quote and asked the very same question. They told me I can easily spend a couple months in the states and still have adequate insurance. But they were also giving a much higher monthly quote than I'm currently paying. So I called up my current insurance brokerage company (On Saturday, when my regular broker isn't working) and asked another broker and someone in customer service.

It turns out, I can spend 6 months in the U.S. with my current insurance. Then, I need to come back to Toronto for a day and tell my insurance company I'm back. That's all it takes to leave for another 6 months with valid insurance.

So: is my regular insurance broker flat out wrong, or is their customer service + TD insurance wrong?

YOU DECIDE.

Actually, no. I decided. My regular broker is wrong.

Also, my apartment search has neared its end. But I'll write about that soon.

R&R

This last month has been nice and relaxing.

I recently started a diet to reduce some of that Step 1 15 (your weight and IQ go up by 15, it lasts about 15 weeks, and you spend $1500). Its been going well, with about 20 pounds lost as of today. I recall the day after my finals in university where I stepped on the scale and thought..."screw it, I'll deal with this another day." This is that day. Well....span of days....lasting many weeks.

During this diet, I went on a short vacation to New Orleans. The land of food and drink. My travelling companion, who I shall henceforth refer to as Luce, did her NOLA research on both cheap/fine dining, accommodations, sights and sounds. She had instructions on what time we should both arrive, and to leave the rest to her.

Of course, both are flights were delayed for hours. Take THAT, sensible planning. Oh, and I found out our accommodation was a couch in a random strangers house. But they proved to be two terrific people. Kind of. My only regret is that crawfish weren't in season.

That's a lie. My regret is that I didn't buy my plane tickets one day earlier than I originally planned, because the ICE STORM FROM HELL RAINED UPON TORONTO and knocked out all the electricity and internet. So much for buying airline tickets. Calling a travel agency a few days later (after figuring out how to maintain the house) also led me to the realization that travel agencies are not just mostly redundant, but also pretty terrible at doing their jobs: namely, finding flights that arrive/land at certain times in an efficient manner. Quoting me a flight that's $120 above the flight I've found, with the added benefit that it leaves at 4am in the morning and a 5 hour wait for a connecting flight does not win you customers. Though, this travel agency is still doing better than Ross Universities recommended travel agency did 2 years ago, when they suggesting a plan that had me on FOUR connecting flights (spanning nearly 24 hours) while I found a much cheaper arrangement with just one connecting flight.

So yeah.

Oh, in other fun news: actually, no, I'll wait a day before posting pictures. At the moment its just a bundle of electrical wires that looks more like an insurance broker's wet dream than a fun side project. But I did wire up one of these for a DIY sous vide cooker. Now all i need is steak to cook at low temperatures over an 8 hour period...in a water bath.

Speaking of the ice storm from hell, the last big project I have lined up is a way to hook up a generator to the house furnace. Apparently the one switch I need is sold out across Toronto, so I will master the waiting game until then.

Finally:  Ross scheduled me for my initial rotations. I apparently had to do a whole set of additional paperwork for my first rotation in Miami. Most of it was a breeze to fill out, but some is also completely inaccessible to me (as no organizations provide level 2 background checks in Canada). Additionally, one document requires a B1 visa number, which I won't receive until I cross the border. Hurray for beaurocracy.
I'm just doing some readings now to prep, as my clinical skills are a bit rusty.

What's going on in your lives, dear reader?