Brave new world.

This sight may be somewhat familiar to some of you. 

For my non-Canadian readers,  it’s the log-out page to something called “Service Canada”.   This is different from “Service Ontario” by the way,  and it seems I may very well be dealing with them both off and on for the rest of my days.  *sigh*

I’m beginning to see the merits of being a hermit.  Life is all about the bureaucracy. Gah!

See,  Travelling Companion (and you know,  I really need to come up with a new pseudonym for her,  as she has more or less sworn off travelling) has been nagging me to get my “Record of Employment”.  I was snatched from the jaws of employment as a result of leaving the country,  so there’s this idea that maybe now I should be out there looking for a job? 

Again, *sigh*.  Or maybe more accurately, *Gah*

I do realise that I have dutifully paid into what I still call “Unemployment Insurance”  for some 40 odd years,  and maybe just maybe I might like to get a couple bucks of it back, but I’m not so sure it’s really worth all the hassle.

Just in order to *see* my Record of Employment,   I have to sign in to Service Canada and create a profile.  Well,  I supposed I’d have to do that eventually to get things like CPP or such (Canada Pension Plan,  another one of those schemes where, “I wants my money”) .  I’m just a wee bit young for that one though. 

No really.  Just a young’un in the pension scheme of things.

Back in the dark ages,  when I had employees that I had to hire and (sometimes) fire,  the whole affair was a paper trail.  You filled out a “record of employment” and either handed it to the person when they came in for their last pay,  or mailed it to their last known address.   You know, you’d put in a code for just how they left your employ?  I remember nobody liked to see a “K” on their form.  Somehow I seem to recall that one meant they were fired.

There was none of this “on the line” business.   Maybe I’ll need a bar code on my forehead eventually?

 

On a slightly different employment front,  I could very well just take on a few jobs now and again to butter my bread.

Case in point:

So you’re looking at that and thinking, “What the hell is he talking about?”   Well no, I’m not talking about getting a job as a “Mouse Guard”,  and I don’t even know what that is.  All I know is,  I was approached by a collector to build a frame for this little gem.  Again, I have no clue what it’s worth.   What I do have though,  is some woodworking equipment and a half decent idea when it came to how he wanted it displayed.   I think I prefer that kind of a “job”,  truth be told.  No bureaucracy, no filling in blanks on line.  Just cash.  Thanks.

 

Still waiting to hear back from the dealership on the Merc.  We’re not in that big of a rush,  and since we’re doing the whole financing thing, I suppose they need to sniff us out.  Maybe there will be a note from them tonight?   That’s another thing.  After the initial visit and test drive,  there’s been no need to go back there.  It’s all done by email.  Print out this form, fill it out, scan it.  Scan this, scan that.  Of course,  our scanner is in a box somewhere on its way here (or to a warehouse first to then clear Customs I suppose) so it’s a bloody good thing son-in-law has a scanner,  and that there’s one available for T.C. in her office, or that whole program would come to a grinding halt.  Do people still fax things?   I *had* a fax machine once.  Not sure I ever used it.

 

Since I’m usually looking for something to go on about,  tomorrow I’ll fill in the blanks on the driver’s license end of things.  We’re “taking our time” on that too, it seems.

 

Until then,  or until I have something to say, keep those oars in the water.

 

Thanks for lookin’.

 

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