Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Departure date!!

Well, it's official. We are departing Edmonton on Thursday June 1 at 1:50 pm. Even though we have stayed here longer than we anticipated we didn't seem to have enough time to visit with friends and relatives. We were forunate to have visited Jasper and some of my friends in Calgary over the weekend. I extended our rental car by two days as we have to do some last minute running around. Latest issue is limiting the number of items to take overseas with us. Northwest/KLM airlines has strict baggage policies and don't allow more than two bags to be checked through. Their cargo departments don't allow household items to be shipped as freight. So I called a couple of shippers and was given a couple of quotes. A 75 pound box would cost about $219.00 Canadian. So we'll need to repack our stuff yet again - I have more items than Darcy.

My Dad found a buyer for my Chevelle while Darcy and I were in Jasper. I sold it for a lot less than it was worth but at least we don't have to worry about it anymore. Ironically the buyer lives near my Dad and the man restores old cars. So my Dad was invited to check on the progress of the car's restoration. Maybe I could buy back the car once we return home! I'm happy that the car has a new home and will be given lots of TLC.

Last bit of news is that the Oilers beat the Anaheim Might Ducks in five games to win the Western Conference Championship. It's unbelievable that my team is now in the Stanley Cup Finals after a 16 year drought! Unfortunately I will not be able to watch the game in Abu Dhabi (unless there is a sports bar that has a satellite). But I can check scores online. It's dinner time so I must go. We'll try and post one more entry before we leave Edmonton....

Thursday, May 18, 2006

no departure date from Edmonton yet...

On Tuesday night I decided to call the director of the Petroleum Institute to enquire about a departure date from Edmonton. He told me that the college's Human Resources Department had forgotten to have me fill out a form. So staff are determining what can be done before I can start work. Darcy and I will wait for an email towards the end of May about when to depart Edmonton.

Many difficulties that we encountered in late April have been resolved. My claim with Atlas Van Lines is finally being investigated, Darcy has her Alberta driver's licence and our deposited U.S. cheques were finally cleared by our banks. As well, I'm clear to invest our savings in bank sponsored GICs and I decided to rollover my American Automobile Association sponsored CD for two years. The interest rate was an impressive 4.8%.

Darcy's car passed Federal and Provincial car inspections which means that she can now sell it. She will sell the car to a friend on May 23 which is within the two week deadline for selling the car and getting it registered within Alberta. Darcy and I will rent a car from that date to when we depart for Abu Dhabi.

My Chevelle is still for sale and I'm having to reduce the price. I've had several people call about it but there have been no takers. Sadly, last week someone vandalized old Bessie by shooting out the driver's side door window. The window is intact but is shattered. Repair cost is about $400 because of the car's age and difficulty in finding parts. I'd rather not repair it and sell the car at a reduced cost. I'll call an auctioneer and consider reposting a classified ad at a reduced price. But this means that I can't move the car for fear of having the shattered glass spray the car's interior.

Darcy and I need to locate a few boxes that contain items that we want to take with us overseas. Yesterday I went on an invigorating bike ride with my mother through Edmonton's beautiful river vally. We biked about 8 miles along trails that I had never taken. I think that Edmonton has one of the most beautiful walking and biking trails of any city in North America. It is roughtly 21 times larger that New York City’s Central Park and is the largest stretch of urban parkland in North America. It cost me almost $200 CDN to get my bike fixed due to my lack of using it in Florida. Inactivity for a bike is not a good thing and bike repair staff told me that they can disassemble and pack in a box bikes for long term storage.

Weather in the City of Champions has been hot the last few days with today reaching almost 30 celcius (86 farenheit). However, the humidity was only 25%! Today in Ft. Lauderdale it was 80 farenheit but the humidity was 62%. To top it off the temp in Abu Dhabi today was 100 farenheit (close to 40 celcius) with 82% humidity!

Some exciting news is that the Edmonton Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks 2-0 tonight. The mighty Oil advance to the Conference finals for the first time since 1992. The teams is playing fantastic but will have a tough time playing their next opponent (Anaheim Mighty Ducks). So I've enjoyed watching the hockey and cheering on my team. I must admit that I'd be pretty disappointed being in Florida and not being able to watch my team play right now. The last bit of news is that Darcy got her hair cut tonight. It looks cute and she looks great! We continue to rotate with visiting parents, stepparents and inlaws and friends and enjoying the wonderful spring weather. That's all for now....

Friday, May 12, 2006

one month anniversary

We've now been in Edmonton for one month - how time flies! I've been happy watching the NHL playoffs and seeing Edmonton advance into the second round of playoffs. In hindsight I don't know how I coped with not watching hockey on the CBC and TSN for almost six years with living in Florida. Anyway Darcy and I were anticipating leaving Edmonton about this time but some things have delayed our departure. But we've made some progress in the last couple of weeks. Darcy and I met with an account from KPMG and we were told some important things. Since I am classified as a dual national (American and Canadian citizen) I wanted to know how I would be taxed.

First is that all U.S. citizens, regardless of the country they are living, must submit annual income tax forms. One must do this even if no income is earned. The 1040 form can be used in conjunction with a foreign earned income form (2555 I think). One loophole is that gross annual income (wages, interest from investments, etc.) under $80,000 USD will not be taxed by Uncle Sam. So I should be safe from paying U.S. taxes while working in the U.A.E.

The Canadian Government handles things a bit differently for non resident Canadian citizens. The Federal Government has tax treaties with nations so our accountant printed off the lengthy treaty between Canada and the UAE. It stipulates that the Canadian Government retain 10% from all income earned in Canada. This includes interest from savings accounts, GICs (Guaranteed Investment Certificates), CDs (Certificates of Deposit), etc. Darcy and I are planning to invest our meagre savings in Bank of Montreal GICs. We're thinking of staggering our money in a couple of GICs: a one year and another for three or five years. I also opened a U.S. dollar savings account at my bank. This will allow me to easily wire money from my new bank in Abu Dhabi (National Bank of Abu Dhabi). I will be paid in U.S. dollars. My mother has power of attorney for my Bank of Montreal accounts so this allows her to deposit, withdraw and invest money for me back in Canada. I will have to change my bank account address to my new address in Abu Dhabi. Then the bank will know to automatically give the government 10% of my investment interest. Luckily I won't have to file paperwork for the Canadian Government annually like I will have to for the American Government.

To make a long story short, Darcy is on track to receive her full Alberta Driver's Licence. She was able to get documentation from DMV in Florida that stated her five year driving record. So she will be able to get the International Driver's Permit in Abu Dhabi. Darcy also received her vacation and sick time payout from Broward County Libraries. We'd like to take that money with us overseas to help get us settled for the first month. However, all banks here now hold foreign cheques for up to one month. This is a fairly new policy and indicative of 9/11. However, Darcy has enough money in her account to cover cashing in the USD cheque so we'll have to be firm with the bank teller.

I booked log cabin for May 24 and 25 at Beckers Chalets. It's just outside Jasper and a bit south of Alpine Village where we spent our honeymoon. The latter was already booked for those dates so I called Beckers next. Beckers is a bit cheaper but it has no outdoor hot tub like Alpine village. So we'll visit Miette Hot Springs that is about 40 miles outside Jasper.

On Friday, May 26 we'll drive the scenic Banff Jasper Highway 93. It's about 180 miles and it connects Jasper National Park and Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. There are many sites to visit along the way before entering the town of Banff. Then we'll head east on the Trans-Canada Highway (longest highway in North America at almost 4,900 miles). Our destination that day will be the bustling city of Calgary where we'll visit friends. We'll depart for Edmonton on Sunday, May 28 and then fly out from Edmonton to Abu Dhabi a few days after that. That's assuming that my new employer can purchase plane tickets for us fairly quickly. More to come later....

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Sunny, cool Edmonton

At the moment Darcy and I are staying at my Mom's and Stepdad's condo. The weather has been very cool with snow showers one morning. Today got up to about 8 celcius or 48 farenheit. But it's sunny and I love it! Last weekend Darcy and I drove to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It's a five hour drive (330 miles) southeast from Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway. Darcy wanted to visit her cousins, aunt and uncle there. We had great weather and Saturday was a balmy 26 celcius or 77 farenheit. It's a picturesque little city that is reminescent of Edmonton in the 1960s and 70s. It's one of about three cities that we'd consider moving to when we decide to leave Abu Dhabi. The other two cities are Calgary and Denver.

I think I forgot to mention that the total number of miles that we drove from Florida to Edmonton was about 3,800. On the topic of transportation, Darcy will take her car to a mechanic next Monday to have modifications done to meet Canadian auto standards. Then it needs to be inspected before she can register and insure it in Alberta. Luckily there are still a couple of people who are interested in buying the car. I have posted a classified ad for my 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle in the local paper. It's currently parked in front of my Dad's house with a *For Sale* sign. You can also view the car's ad at Freecartrader.com . I hope to sell old Bessie by the end of May before we leave Edmonton. More to come later...