My experiences at clothing swaps

First off, let me just say that I think that the concept of a clothing swap is amazing. In case you have never been to one, I'll briefly explain. You gather a big bag of your old clothes and bring them to an event called a "clothing swap". Once you are there, volunteers will take your clothes and put them out on tables with all of the other clothes. Or, sometimes you place your own clothes on the tables. Usually you have to pay a few dollars to attend.

One of my friends is huge into clothing swaps, sewing, upcycling, you name it! She has "mad crazy skills" when it comes to finding stuff! I was hopeful I would be as lucky. Sadly, I wasn't.

The first clothing swap I went to took place at someones house. She was kind to let strangers into her home. There were about ten of us. We all dumped our bags of clothes into the middle of the room, on the floor, and then proceeded to dig through the pile hoping to find stuff. This was not a very positive experience for me. Unfortunately, I was a bit heavier at the time and everything in the pile was rather tiny. So basically, there was hardly anything I could even take. I think I might have left with a couple of things that I parted with soon after.

I didn't go to another clothing swap for several years after that! Then last week I decided to give it another go! It was held at a place called "The Anti-Café". So basically, it was a large property downtown Montreal where the first floor is a "café", and the clothing swap took place upstairs in a large room.

The café idea is quite an interesting idea, actually. You pay for your time at the place (including the swap). I think it was $3 an hour. So you can go and participate in the swap, and then when you are done you can go and have a coffee. It was kind of like going into someones kitchen, rather than a restaurant. There was a large table in the middle of the room full of snacks you could help yourself to. There were also drinks, like iced tea. There was a person there who would make you a cup of fresh coffee - however you liked it (latté, cappuccino, etc.). So it was quite nice to sit down and enjoy refreshments after. Quite a bargain for $3.

I think I only managed to get about ten items of clothes, half of which I didn't end up wanting, which I then brought to another swap! You are probably starting to get the idea of how swapping works! I think these clothes are doing a lot of traveling!

Yesterday I went to my third swap, not my favourite one at all. I went with my boyfriend, who was very sweet to accompany me, given that he wasn't very interested in going! He said that he had no interest in digging through a large pile of used clothing trying to find something he likes that fits!

My clothing swap buddy was actually volunteering at this event, so she basically got first dibs on the good stuff. Consequently, she left with a huge bag of stuff. I left with three small tank tops. I arrived with three large bags full of stuff!

The place was held in some kind of building that looked a bit like a school. We walked down a long hallway and were greeted by a lady at a table who explained how things work. She said that the price was "a suggestible donation $3 each". So that meant that my boyfriend and I had to pay $6 total to even see the room full of clothes.

Once inside we quickly realized that we would probably not be staying long. It was super hot in there with little in the way of ventilation.

There were two rooms. One room had a large table full of mens clothes, and other tables full of books and toys, and baby clothes.

The other room had about six tables of women's clothes. One of the tables was pants (which I don't have the patience to sort through, given the fact that I hardly ever find pants that fit me new!) Another table was full of sweaters (which given the extreme summer heat was a turn off). That left about four tables to look through.

I was elbow to elbow with strangers as we sorted through the messy piles of clothes. Most of the stuff looked old. I mean, I know it's used, but it just looked very used indeed. It didn't take me long to go through the whole room. Most things turned me off quickly based on colour, style, or texture.

The men's table was the worst. It was a large table up against the wall so only about ten people at a time could look through the stuff. The clothes were all mixed up, and there was a cloud of dust hanging above the pile! I did finally manage to squeeze in and try to sort through the stuff, but my nose was getting itchy and there was just too much variety. As in, hardly any of it looked like what my boyfriend would want. He patiently sat on a bench by the door and waited for me. I didn't find anything for him.

So in the end, it hasn't really worked out to be particularly beneficial for me. At least in terms of what I have picked up and what I've spent. I think I have better luck at charity shops where the clothes are sorted properly, are hanging on racks and in slightly better condition!

Will I attend another clothing swap? Well, at this point I've now given away all of my old clothes, so I think it will be a while before I even have the option! Unless my friend gives me a bag of stuff to bring. Which is quite possible, since she goes all the time!

However, I feel that after three swaps and coming home with so little, that maybe it's not really my thing. I like my clothes to look at least slightly new. The clothes I saw looked like the worst stuff in my wardrobe, the stuff that I've worn for the last five years, that I might have bought second hand in the first place!

It also might be a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I guess if you have a lot of patience, and are willing to spend a couple of hours sorting through piles of (not necessarily clean) clothes, then you might be rewarded with some good stuff.

Good luck with that!

How to buy a new vacuum cleaner

I know this might seem like a bit of a weird topic, but the truth is, everyone needs a vacuum cleaner and there are so many on the market that it can be a very difficult decision to make!

The main things to consider are the following:

Upright or canister:

If your house is mostly carpeted then you will want to get an upright vacuum cleaner. These work best on carpets. They have very powerful motors and brush rolls that can easily penetrate the fibres in the carpet all the way through the pile.

If your house is mostly bare floor, then a canister is best. These are very easy to use, can get under furniture easier and are very user friendly, usually coming with a few attachments.

If you have a mix of carpets and bare floors then you have to think a bit harder about what kind of vacuum to get. Consider that when using an upright, they can spit bits of dirt out if you are vacuuming a hard floor. Also consider that if you use a canister vacuum on carpet you will mostly just remove small amounts of surface dirt, but that ultimately the carpets will not get vacuumed properly and it will be a lot of hard work!

Sometimes it's useful to look into machines that are very good at doing both!

For example, Miele, Sebo Electrolux and Dyson have canister machines that have removable heads so you can switch to a motorized head for carpets and suction only for floors. These tend to be a bit more expensive than your average vacuum. I know that the Sebo and Miele machines that do both cost about $800.

Bissell also make canister machines that have removable motorized heads, and they also tend to be much more affordable than other machines. However, they are not known to be the most reliable machines, so you should consider how important that is to you.



Bagged or Bagless:

This comes down to personal preference or needs. If you suffer from severe allergies, then it really is best to get a bagged vacuum. In my opinion, even if you buy the highest quality bagless vacuum cleaner that has the most amazing filters and is perfectly sealed so that no dust can escape the machine while you are vacuuming, there is still the issue of then having to empty the dust container! This can be a very dirty and messy process which often results in some dust escaping the garbage, and landing on the floor and in the air. I've read directions on vacuums describing how to empty the canisters, and they recommend going outside to do it! Well, I live in a northern location where temperatures drop below freezing for several months a year, so going outside to empty the vacuum dust cup is simply not an option! I think you are also supposed to empty them in to a fairly large garbage container to avoid making a mess.

If you are on a tight budget, not suffering from allergies and are not at all fussy about the quality of the vacuum, then buying a bagless machine will be easiest. Most machines on the market these days tend to be bagless. Going to places like Walmart, you will see that most of the vacuums sold there are bagless.

A lot of people argue that the best thing about bagless vacuums is that you don't have to worry about buying new bags all the time. There is the extra cost involved, and also the possible inconvenience of running out of bags and not having any on hand when you want to vacuum. However, one thing to consider about bagless vacuums, is that you will usually have to clean the filters regularly. Dyson have created a machine where you don't have to clean the filters anymore, so that could be an option for you. Just keep in mind, that you will be spending upwards of $600 for that privilege.

Bagged vacuum cleaners usually have less maintenance involved. The filters are replaced, once a year or so. There is no dust container to empty or clean. You just replace the bag when it's full. Believe it or not, this doesn't have to be done as often as you would think. Somehow, when all the dirt gets sucked into the bag it gets compacted inside so it holds many times more than what a bagless can hold. I used to empty my bagless machine every time I vacuumed. With my bagged machine I only change the bag every month or two and even then, the bag is only half full!!!

Running out of bags isn't a problem, you buy a box and when you see the box getting low, you buy a new box! Most boxes have at least 4 bags in them.

One thing that is nice about a bagless vacuum though, is that you get to see how much debris you have vacuumed. This can be very satisfying! Also, if you accidentally vacuum up something valuable, like jewellery, you can just open the canister and retrieve it. Where as with a bagged vacuum, you might end up having to destroy the bag to get something out of it.

I used bagless machines for years, and they served me well. But one of the reasons I used them was because I thought I was being friendlier to the environment by using them. In reality, I usually emptied the dust cups into plastic bags to avoid a big mess. I was having to empty the vacuum every week, which means that I was using about 52 plastic bags a year! With my bagged vacuum, I have used about 5 bags in almost a year.

Cost:

Apparently there is a "sweet spot" in terms of price vs quality, and it is in the $300-$600 range. Therefore, you can get a really great machine within that price range. When you spend more than that, you will still get a great machine (at least one would hope!!) but it's a bigger investment, so in terms of how satisfied you are vs how much money you spent, it isn't always the best choice. Machines less than $300 start to become less reliable and not as well built.

That is not to say that you won't find your dream vacuum cleaner for under $300! As I mentioned, bagless machines tend to be cheaper. I am not going to post all kinds of reviews on the different makes and models. There are just too many to name. But generally, the expensive well known machines tend to be Miele and Dyson and the cheaper machines tend to be Eureka and Shark. I've read hundreds of reviews on all kinds of machines, and believe me, there are plenty of people that absolutely love their cheap Shark, and there are plenty of people that despise their expensive Dyson!

What I'm trying to say is,  you really shouldn't buy a vacuum cleaner just because you like the name brand! Even within each name brand there are so many different models that it's really important to do the research! Dyson have upright, canister, cordless etc. Every machine does something a bit different. Yes, they all vacuum - that's true! But some are easier to use if you have pets, some are better for small spaces, and some are best for large houses with wall to wall carpeting!

At the end of the day, it's a bit like driving. Some people hate driving, have no money and just need a very basic car to get from point A to point B. They are probably not going to end up buying a Lexus! As with cars, I think that there are "luxury" vacuum cleaners!

Some machines are just very easy to use, are very easy to clean, are super quiet, have lot's of great attachments etc. For some people, none of that matters in the slightest!

For me, I like vacuuming! Or rather, I like having my house free from pet hair and dirt. Therefore, I tend to vacuum on a weekly basis. Therefore, I prefer to have a machine that isn't dreadful to use - otherwise I will not be likely to ever want to vacuum!

I have several vacuums! Ten years ago we bought a Bissell upright bagless. We had mostly carpets, and didn't know anything about vacuums, it was probably on sale and it just seemed like a good buy. It worked quite well, and in fact it still works! The problem is that we changed our floors to laminate. I found that the vacuum was spitting dirt everywhere and that it was not at all easy to get under furniture. It's also very heavy, so vacuuming stairs is a bit tiring. I have tiny bathrooms so getting that machine in it was not at all fun. I then bought a really cheap canister vacuum for about $80. It was great, it was so easy to use, very compact so it was easy to do stairs and furniture. But it was also very loud, and it was very hard to empty the dust cup. It got static in the dry months and the dirt and cat hair would cling to the dust cup, and dust would fly around making a big mess. It also stopped working as reliably, but that might have been my fault for not replacing the filters and having possibly vacuumed plaster dust!!!

After that I bought a Bissell canister vacuum with a detachable motorized head. I found it to be very heavy, very loud, a bit awkward to use due to it's size (it has two big wheels at the back and it gets stuck around corners!). It's also very hard to remove the floor attachments! So having to switch between carpets and floors is a real pain! Then there are all the filters that need cleaning all the time, which is a time consuming messy process. Plus the motorized head brush gets completely clogged with fur and string so I have to spend time pulling it all out with tweezers and scissors! Needless to say, it was not a very smart purchase considering it was $200.

My latest vacuum cleaner is the Sebo K2. It's a bagged, lightweight, fairly compact canister vacuum. I ended up choosing a bagged machine, because after almost ten years of using a bagless, I was tired of having to constantly empty the dust cup and clean all the mess that it caused, and was tired of washing all the filters! I did extensive research, and in the end, the Sebo K2 was the machine that most closely matched my needs. It was $399, but had great reviews and looked solid and well built. It uses special bags that actually work like an extra filter which keeps the machine extra clean. It's also a very quiet machine. It comes with three attachments, none of them motorized (so fairly basic). I would have loved to get the next model up that had the motorized head, but it was twice the cost. I couldn't really justify it, as I only have a couple of floor mats, and no large carpets. But all in all, for me it's a great machine and I love it! A year later and I still look forward to vacuuming!

Keep in mind, there is no perfect vacuum! There are pros and cons to every machine. You just have to decide which features are most important to you. Most of my friends own a Dyson, and they have all been extremely happy with them! I did not want a Dyson though, first of all because they were not within my budget, but most importantly, I wanted a bagged machine!

So try not to get too frustrated when searching for a vacuum cleaner. Check out Amazon.com for reviews, that can be very helpful. Particularly for well known machines. The more well known, the more reviews you'll find.

Cat warehousing?

I recently volunteered at a cat rescue shelter, and thought I'd offer my two cents on the issue of cat warehousing.

The shelter that I volunteered at houses close to 300 cats. That's a lot of cats, and it's not a very big place.

The place has been under investigation for possible hoarding of cats, and passive cruelty. There are people on both sides shouting their opinions, and there is a lot of anger.

I've done a lot of research on cat shelters, and I've read a lot of opinions on both sides of the debate, and I've volunteered at the shelter so I feel that I have a very valid opinion on the matter.

The place is run by volunteers - at least this is what we are told.  There are a LOT of volunteers, and everyone I met cared enormously about the cats. There were constantly people bringing in things for the cats. Things like bowls, blankets, beds, litter, paper towels. Basically any supplies that were needed - and supplies were always needed because there was very little money! At Christmas I believe they provided a dinner for the cats, and instead of presents the volunteers were told they should bring in supplies for the shelter instead. At all times you would see someone walking around carrying a cat, giving it love.

It's a no kill shelter, and this is where the main controversy comes in. The cats will not be euthanized, even if they are terminally ill. Now I believe that all cats deserve a chance. And this does include sick cats - up to a certain point. Just because a cat has FIV (feline HIV basically) or Feline Leukemia Virus DOES NOT mean that they should just be euthanized!!! These cats have a terminal auto immune disease which means that they are more susceptible to getting serious illnesses that could eventually kill them, but that if they are cared for properly, and given lots of love, with a bit of luck then they can live for several years without incidence. They deserve love just like any sick human does. We don't euthanize cancer or AIDS patients!

Animals can't decide to end their lives when they are sick, so we have to use our own judgment to determine whether an animal is enjoying any quality of life. In my opinion, if an animal is terminally ill and has been suffering for a long time with lots of sickness, and is clearly in pain, then it's important to make a decision based on what's best for the animal, not what is easiest for us.

I DID witness cats with terminal illnesses living their lives in a cage, and I can tell you, it broke my heart! They had zero quality of life.

The cats living at the shelter are all very well fed. There is no doubt about that. Their litter boxes are cleaned twice a day. They have plenty of places to climb, sleep or hide. They have toys. They have caring people coming in and giving them lot's of love.

When it comes to issues of animal cruelty, you look for things like abuse, lack of food and water, lack of comfort etc. It's hard to look at a place and find any evidence of cruelty when you don't see any of the above.

However, there is more to life than just having a litter box, some food and water, a scratching post and a bed. I have learned a lot about cats, by observing my own! They have a lot more subtle needs, crucial to their well being! They need to played with, talked to, have enrichment activities, toys, windows to look out of etc.

When you have a room full of 50 or 100 cats, they will survive - but they won't thrive.

I wish people would think about what is best for the cats instead of what is best for themselves. In a perfect world we could create animal sanctuaries out in the country where sick and elderly cats could live out their days in beautiful gardens. But in this society, we DON'T HAVE THE SPACE OR THE MONEY!

There are many kind, generous and loving people who are donating their time and money to help the shelter without realizing that a lot of the money is going towards paying the vet bills for sick and dying cats.

When you call yourself a no kill shelter, and you house about 300 cats, you end up at maximum capacity. You can no longer take in any new cats. This means that young and healthy, perfectly adoptable cats end up being sent to other shelters in the city. Shelters that DO euthanize. If an animal isn't adopted in a week or so at a shelter, they are euthanized. So in reality, you can call yourself a no kill shelter all you like, but you are still indirectly responsible for healthy cats being euthanized every week. It's a bit like buying products from the Body Shop. They claim that their products are not tested on animals. What they don't tell you is that many of the ingredients in their products have been tested on animals by other companies.

After spending six months volunteering at the shelter I felt a bit defensive and almost protective over the place. I am a huge animal lover, and every single person I met there was the same. It was only after being away from the place for a couple of years and reading all the stories about how this was a hoarding operation that my opinion finally began to change.

First of all, the purpose of an animal shelter is to safely keep animals off of the streets while working hard to find new homes for them. An animal hoarder can pose as a rescue operation and justify housing 300 cats in a small filthy facility under the premise that these cats were saved from a horrible life on the streets.

It is not actually very humane at all to keep 300 cats in a small facility where their quality of life is very low. While yes, they are less likely to die from being hit by a car, starvation, or the cold weather - they are however at risk from many many other dangers!!!

As the shelter was not funded by the government, it was relying on donations. There are a lot of costs involved in running a shelter. You have to pay rent, buy food, litter, cleaning supplies, pay for electricity, vet bills, etc. There is a very long list of expenses, and I can't pretend I even know about half of the things required to successively run a shelter.

As I mentioned, there were about 300 cats living at this shelter. Many of them had health problems, so a large amount of money went towards vet bills each month. That I know for certain. There was a lot of money coming into the shelter, from my understanding, but as there were 300 cats - there were big expenses.

Bottom line was, there was NEVER enough money. Never. Every single week we experienced shortages of things. There would be emergency e-mails begging people to bring in litter and cat food, or dish soap, or paper towels. It was never ending.

As there was just barely enough money to make sure that all of the cats received the proper vet treatment and were adequately nourished (they were really well fed, that was the first priority - above all else!!!) it meant that there wasn't enough money for other important things.

Fire Hazards: I am not an electrician, and have no knowledge of how any of it works. However, I did not feel that the place was safe. In the kitchen there was a plug for the ceiling lights, it was scary looking, with lot's of electrical tape all over it. I wouldn't touch it, some one else had to turn the lights off - not me! There was no light switch, you had to unplug the lights.

We were not trained in fire safety or told where the fire exits were. The windows were barred, and there was only one door into the place (that I was shown anyway). Therefore, I am fairly sure that if there was a fire it would be very hard for anyone to get out!

Sanitation: The place was dirty. I feel bad saying that, I really do. We tried, everyone did their best. But the truth is, it is a big shelter, with not enough volunteers per shift to really be able to scrape the surface of the cleaning required in order for it to be a sanitary facility. The floors were mopped every day with a bleach solution. But as I mentioned, there were always shortages of everything, and I'm not convinced that each and every time the floors were mopped that the correct ratio of bleach to water was used.

Dish soap was constantly running out. How can dishes be adequately cleaned without the right amount of soap?

There wasn't enough time to get all the cleaning products out and wash walls and surfaces. Therefore, everywhere you looked there were filthy doors, windows, and walls.

The cement floors were not sealed, they were roughly painted and porous. Therefore, dirt, faeces, litter, fur etc. would be embedded in all the small holes, and cracks on the floor. The floors were never vacuumed, only swept, then mopped. Therefore, I do not think it's possible that the floors were clean.

The facility was an open air plan, meaning that not all of the rooms were sealed. Some rooms had chicken wire walls, meaning that air born illnesses could have been spread quite easily.

All of the above only scrapes the surface of what I'm trying to say, which is that it's not enough to just take a homeless cat off the streets and give them food and shelter.

You have to provide an environment where the cat can thrive, but always have the intention to get them adopted as quickly as possible!

You have to keep the cats safe! The place has to have measures in place to protect the animals from fire hazards and to promote an environment that is safe and healthy. I am sorry to say, but this place did not provide that.

When you have 300 cats living in a small space, it will automatically create some stress in the animal. Many of the animals looked fine, happy and healthy. But many many more were sick, scared, shy and miserable. The fact was (is?) that most of those cats were not going to ever get adopted.

That is the difference between an authentic cat shelter, and a hoarding operation posing as a cat rescue.

The number one sign it's a hoarding operation, is that the cats don't get adopted. Number two is that there is an air of secrecy surrounding the place. We were not allowed to disclose the location of the place, and when I was there I hardly ever saw cats get adopted. There were less than 10 a month, and as quickly as cats went out, more came in. There were cats that had been there for years. I had a friend try to adopt a cat from there, and she couldn't get in touch with anyone to help!!! So she went somewhere else! I could have found her a super awesome cat from there! I knew many many beautiful wonderful souls who would have been thrilled to finally leave! But they were denied that chance!

I really loved those cats! I looked forward to my weekly visits, there were so many awesome cats that I got to know and my heart absolutely bleeds for them, thinking that they are trapped in there and might never leave.

I really hope that one day our government will have stronger animal protection laws. A shelter should not be overcrowded, it should be safe, clean, regularly inspected and then have follow ups to ensure that the correct procedures are being adhered to. The cats should be adopted in a timely manner. The facility should be accessible for the public.

If no one knows where they are, how can cats get adopted? How can people donate money if they don't even know that the place exists?

Learning German

I recently decided to try and learn German. I have always had an interest in the language, but only recently took action to actually try learning it!

I took a beginner Spanish course about 20 years ago, and really loved it. I found it to be a perfect combination of English and French, and ultimately a very easy and beautiful language to learn. Sadly, I never took any more courses and therefore I only have a very limited knowledge of the language.

I found a great website called Duolingo, and it has many languages that you can learn for free! It's super easy, and kind of fun! It it almost entirely sentence based, so you don't have actual lessons, really, you mostly just learn new words that are already in sentences. Regardless, it is definitely a good way to introduce yourself to a new language. I am at level 30 now (whatever that really means in the real world!) and know a lot of words! I would not be able to have a conversation with someone yet, but I would be able to throw a few sentences out there.

I have an easier time reading the language than listening to it, so it's hard to find other sources to diversify my learning experience.

One thing that learning German has taught me though, is how much there is to learn! If you imagine a long line of numbers, each number representing a stage of learning, then it really does take a heck of a long time to get to a hundred! I'm probably at 5. I also developed a whole new appreciation of my knowledge of French! I have had very low confidence in my French skills, mainly because I live in a city full of completely bilingual people (people who can actually switch back and forth between the two languages without even a pause). I realized that while I am not as bilingual as many people in this city, that I do in fact have quite an extensive knowledge of the language! I realized that I can easily have conversations that require practically no effort. Where as, in German I would struggle to say even simple things like to try and describe my self, or my interests. I can't really form sentences, and have a very limited vocabulary.

However, it's been fun trying something new! And now with my new found confidence in my French skills, I'm debating maybe actually taking some leisure courses that are only offered in French. See, by living in this city in only English, I end up cutting off about 70% of the opportunities for learning available. I might not be able to understand everything that a teacher will say, and will probably just hear noise if people start talking at the same time and using slang. But with any luck, I will learn a bit more French, and maybe have the chance to learn a new hobby that I would otherwise not have the opportunity to learn due to it not being offered in English. For example, I have researched cooking classes (I'm vegetarian) and there aren't any offered in English.

I do still need to learn Spanish though. I mean, realistically, there is much more of a chance of me being able to actually use it! Just taking a vacation to the Caribbean I could use Spanish. Where as, when would I ever be able to practice German?

Montreal is a French city

I have noticed over the last five years or so that Montreal has become more French than ever. Growing up in Montreal in the 80's, it was possible to feel like you lived in an English city. All three elementary schools that I attended were completely English. There weren't any French immersion programs, that I can remember.

You could live in the suburbs and feel completely separate from the French language. We had two English television channels (we didn't have cable) and there were several English radio stations. You could go shopping and never have to worry about whether you could speak French or not.

It's quite fascinating how language laws work in Quebec. If you are born in Quebec and both of your parents were born here and attended English schools, then you have the golden ticket to attend an English school. You are then in a situation where you might only learn a very limited amount of French beginning in grade 4. This is not a fact - don't quote me on this as I don't know many people with children in the English school system! But when I look back on my own education, I can honestly say that I don't have any recollection of French class until grade 4 (9 years old). I've been told that these days the majority of English kids are in French imersion at school. In fact, I don't know a single English kid that not enrolled in immersion.

I started speaking French when I was about three years old. I had a couple of French neighbours. I am sure I didn't understand what they said, but I think I picked up a few words! Then when I started daycare (or the Garderie as I called it) I believe the workers were French, and so were many of the children. However, we also watched The Finstones every day at twelve p.m, so it was a mixed bag.

I basically spent an hour a day learning French for eight years. Other than that hour a day, my entire life was spent in English. All of my friends and family were English, all of the t.v shows and movies I watched were in English, all of the music I listened to was in English. I only spoke French when I needed to, like maybe at the grocery store or something.

It's strange, but my life hasn't really changed all that much. All of the above still applies, minus the fact that I no longer spend an hour a day learning French! I have tried to watch t.v shows and movies in French, but find that I just can't understand it well enough for it hold my attention! I'm one of those rare people who speaks  French better than they understand it!

These days I find that Montreal really does seem more French. I can vaguely recall going to free outdoor concerts and maybe hearing some English now and again. That never happens these days. In stores you are greeted with a "bonjour/hi". Back in the 90's you were sometimes greeted with just "hi". That doesn't happen anymore.

Also, the western section of Montreal, known as the West Island, has always had a reputation of being predominantly English. Growing up in the 80's and 90's I felt that to be particularly true. These days I'm becoming more and more aware of changes. The shopping centre, Fairview, for example has changed a lot over the years. Back in the 90's you would hardly ever hear French being spoken. Today, you'll hear it much more.

I think what I find most striking about the cultural scene in Montreal, is that the really fun/happening places do tend to be French. When I was in my 20's, I must confess that I sadly ended up on Crescent Street most of the time. I guess knowing it had a reputation for being English was kind of attractive to me. Until I realized that the reason it was English was because of all the Americans coming up here to get drunk due to our young drinking age (18 instead of 21). And they weren't really heading to the bars for some dancing and friendly chit chat. They were there to get drunk and get laid, and Montreal girls had a reputation of being easy.

There are areas downtown where you will hear English spoken on the streets. Old Montreal is somewhere you will hear English being spoken, but that is mostly due to tourists. You will hear English being spoken in the western part of downtown near St. Catherine Street (Atwater to McGill) but that's because there are at least three English colleges there! Dawson College, McGill University, and Concordia University. Which explains why there are some pubs around Crescent Street.

But many of the happening places in Montreal tend to be around St. Denis, Plateau, St. Laurent Blvd. That's where you find really funky and cool local bars and cafés. And they tend to be completely French. Try speaking French when it's your second language with locals that speak Quebecois while listening to blaringly loud music. Not easy at all!

My mother claims that Montreal has always had divisions, some areas English, some areas French. She's been living here as an Anglophone since the early 1950's!!! Can you imagine seeing Montreal change that much in your lifetime? She claims that in the 50's Montreal was actually a fairly English city! She said that she worked at Eatons (a department store that closed down in the 90's) and wasn't even asked if she spoke French. She served customers in English and there was never any problem at all. She said that she didn't even think about whether Montreal was an English or French city. It was just a big city, where she lived. Speaking English (and some French).

Once Bill 101 came along, she said that things started changing. That was almost 40 years ago. This is how Bill 101 is explained by thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bill-101: "Introduced by Camille Laurin, Bill 101, Charte de la langue française (1977), made French the official language of government and of the courts in the province of Québec, as well as making it the normal and habitual language of the workplace, of instruction, of communications, of commerce and of business. Education in French became compulsory for immigrants, even those from other Canadian provinces, unless a "reciprocal agreement" existed between Québec and that province (the so-called Québec clause)."

When Bill 101 came along, many of the English people in Montreal left. A lot of them went to Toronto. They seemed to take a lot of the head offices away with them too! Montreal was officially a French city after that. In my opinion, it just keeps getting more and more French. English schools are still closing down while French ones keep getting built. Hospitals serving English communities have slowly been disappearing. There is one hospital for the West Island. There has even been talk about only receiving service in a hospital in French.

When the PQ government was elected a few years ago, things in Montreal started to get much worse again. The language police were out in full force, aiming to silence all the English in the city. They didn't want any bilingualism. They wanted people to be greeted by just "bonjour" in stores. No English. They tried to fine a restaurant for using the word "pasta" on their menu instead of the French word "pate". This became known as "Pastagate". Most people think that the laws are ridiculous, but the sad truth is that nobody is doing anything to change this.

I was in Paris a few years ago and was shocked by how much more English you see in the city compared to here. It's not an offensive language there. You see it everywhere. But no one seems to care.

Right now we have a Liberal government, but make no mistake, it's all run by French people. The separatists don't disappear just because a new government is elected. As we speak, there are still language police patrolling the streets looking for offensive English words on store fronts or being spoken in stores.

Just the other week a games store in Montreal was under attack because it sells some games that don't have a French version. They were told to remove all games from their shelves that don't have a French version. The store owner said that many games come from the United States and that there is a strong demand for them. To remove those games would basically force him to have to close his business.

Another story that happened recently, was that a man tried to buy a Daniel Tiger toy for his daughter at Toys R Us, but was told that he couldn't buy it because it wasn't supposed to be on the shelf due to the fact that it is an English toy. Apparently head office made a mistake and they were sending them all back. So he had to order it from Amazon instead. 

Another interesting change that I've seen over the last twenty years is how street names are pronounced. In the 90's we used to call St. Laurent Blvd "St. Lawrence", and Notre Dame was pronounced to rhyme with lame not lamb. Boulevard St. Jean was called Saint John's boulevard. Also, some names of streets have been changed, like Dorchester became Réne Lévesque. Recently they changed 20 Métro names to add the proper French syntaxes in front of them.

Another change that doesn't necessarily relate to Montreal, but to as Quebec as a whole is that if you call up RAMQ (healthcare) they will not serve you in English - or at least - they will test your language skills to determine if you really can't communicate in French at all. There is no "press 9 for English" in the menu, it only comes at very end after a half minute of silence! A similar thing happens if you call Hydro Quebec. All of the options are in French. Only when you get to the very end do you find out you can press "0" or whatever for English.

One thing that hasn't changed, and never will, is that bus and Metro workers are Francophone. They will not provide assistance to you in English. They will simply say "Je ne parle pas Anglais". In fact, a few years ago there was a joke going around that there would be signs in the metro saying that if you couldn't speak French you'd have to walk instead.

I'm a liberal, open minded individual, and I can appreciate that cultures want to hold onto their heritage and preserve their language. I can appreciate that it's difficult to be a small population of French right next door to the United States which is mostly English. Or being part of Canada which is also mostly English. But I have a huge problem with the way that they try to silence the English!

In Montreal there are neighbourhoods devoted to other ethnicities, like Greek, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Indian, Aboriginal, Polish, Jewish (Hebrew), etc. All of these places are allowed to put store signs outside in foreign languages. In China town all the stores have Chinese writing on them! And yet, it is illegal to have any English stores! There are immigrants here from the United Kingdom, where English is the prominently spoken language. A place rich with history and culture. And yet, in Quebec it is against the law to display it's native language in public. I find that disgusting. It's sad to say, but I don't think I'll be able to live in this place much longer. I prefer Vancouver where being English isn't considered an obscenity. Where I don't have to worry about feeling afraid to ask for help in a store because my French isn't good enough. Where if I have an accident and have to interact with a paramedic who refuses to speak English to me I could die because we aren't communicating properly. Where there aren't any free outdoor festivals where you will hear English spoken on the stage. Where you can't participate in contests because most won't deal with Quebec due to the language issues (it costs more money to run contests in Quebec).

It's very unfortunate, because it's a great city. I've been to many parties and meet up groups and everyone is from somewhere else. It's really beautiful how accepting people are. We are a warm group of people here, no matter what our language or colour. Ultimately, we all get along! We work together, we live together, we sleep together, we party together. I just wish the laws would relax a bit. We welcome in all kinds of different cultures, allow them to wear their traditional religious clothes, allow them to build religious buildings, and yet, when it comes to English, there is blatant discrimination! It's just not spoken about because the rest of Canada isn't like that. If a person has a problem with how things are here, they are told that they should just leave!  But when you were born here, and all of your family and friends are here, your house is here - your whole life is here, it's not so easy to just pack it all up and leave!

Dyson DC78 Review

I recently had the chance to try out a brand new Dyson DC78 and thought I'd share my thoughts on it in case anyone is shopping around for a new vacuum and likes to read reviews first!

When I first saw it, I thought it looked pretty cool. Very space age, or bling, I don't know but it looks fancy anyway.

I was cleaning for a friend and was a bit short on time, so I didn't spend time analyzing all the intricate details of the machine. I just wanted to start vacuuming and figured I'd find out about everything along the way!

So I plugged it in and got to work. The first thing I noticed was how cool the floor brush is. It swivels in a very efficient way so that you can really get into hard to reach places without having to switch to the crevice tool all the time. I liked the way the machine moves, it follows you around very easily and effortlessly. The pole is quite light, so it's also very easy to whip around quickly.

Once I'd vacuumed most of the floors I needed to switch to a tool to remove cat fur off of furniture. I reached for the lint brush tool initially because it was on the pole and seemed like the right choice. I did not like this tool at all. First of all, because the suction is so strong it was impossible to use without pulling the trigger thing to release some of the suction. I did not like having to hold this trigger the whole time, I found it tiring! The tool itself also seemed to leave little annoying lines all over the couch, due to upraised plastic bits on the tool.

I then discovered a little turbine head with little wheels in it. This was a fantastic little tool! I used it on a few chairs to get cat fur off, and it was awesome! It just glided along and sucked all of the fur off the chair completely effortlessly!

I did not like the crevice tool. I don't like the way that it is a combo tool with the brush attached. I kept accidentally bumping it or something and then the brush would come down and I'd have to fix it. I just found that to be annoying. Minor, I know, but worth mentioning.

I then attached the turbine head for the carpeted basement. I can't say I was hugely impressed with it. It did an adequate job, but as it isn't motorized I didn't really feel like it was penetrating the carpet. I also found it small and it took a long time to vacuum the  room. I would be very curious to go back over it with a heavy duty motorized upright vacuum cleaner to see what was left behind!

My favourite tool was the animal brush thing. Sorry, I don't know what it is called! It looks like my cat brush, but had holes to suck the fur into the machine. Wow, I used it on a cat tree and it was phenomenal! Absolutely amazing! I've struggled for years trying to find the best way to vaccum these annoying towers of fur and this tool does the trick nicely!

As for the noise, I found the machine to be fairly quiet. It got noiser when using the various attachments, but with just the floor tool it was not necessary to war ear protection.

Let's talk about suction! Well, Dyson like to boast about how great the suction is on their machines, and I have to say, this machine seriously sucks!!!! In a good way, obviously! It had such strong suction that when I placed it to my hand to test it, it almost hurt it was so strong! I've never felt such strong suction in a machine, honestly.

About the floor brush tool. After using it for several minutes it became apparent that it was "snow plowing" all the cat fur, which made for a very messy floor brush. I had to remove it and vacuum it about a dozen times during the cleaning of the house. And while the suction is fantastic, for some reason it just doesn't easily suck the fur right off of the bristles! So I had to manually remove them and then put them into the sucking hole. Time consuming and annoying.

As for emptying the canister, I did not enjoy this in the slightest! First of all, it wasn't super apparent right away how to actually remove the canister. I have used many canister vacuums, and I can usually figure this out quite quickly. Not so in this case. And as this is a brand new machine, and not mine, I did not want to risk damanging it in any way. So I grabbed the instruction manual to see how to do it. The manual is kind of ridiculous! It's full of all kinds of weird pictures and no descriptions! I figured out that I needed to push a button with a strange picture on it in order to release the canister from the main body.

Emptying the canister was not easy or fun. My friend has a small garbage can so the canister would not fit in it. I released the bottom to let the debris fall out and it spilled all over the garbage making a bit of a mess. I ended up having to get a plastic bag to put the canister in it in order to empty it without making a mess. There isn't actually a proper handle on top of the canister, just a small loop to grip. The canister is quite big, so I found it akward trying to hold it and empty it.

While the canister itself is quite large, there doesn't seem to be a large capacity in the machine. There is a giant filter or something that takes up three quarters of the space, leaving only a few inches of free space for dirt! The "max" line, is at the bottom of the canister! I had to empty the canister five times while cleaning the house (there are several cats) and the cat fur got caught inside the canister almost every time. So I had to stick my hand inside to get it out. Some of it was really stuck and my fingers couldn't reach inside to get it. I suspect my friend will have to use a knife or something to get all the way in, or take the canister apart. I would imagine the top part comes off. What a messy nightmare!!!

Conclusion: Overall, it's a great machine. It's fairly quiet. It's very easy to manoever and get into tight spots with. It has very strong suction. It has a fantastic selection of tools. But not all tools are great. The lint brush tool is rather useless. I don't like the combo brush/crevice tool. The brush tool kept falling down over the crevice tool and I had to re-adjust it several times. The extendable wand was rather short. I'm only 5,4 inches tall so it didn't affect me but I can't imagine using it if you are 5,10 or taller. You would have to bend over a bit, I would think. I hate the trigger thing you have to use on the handle for some of the tools that require less suction. It tired my hand out using it. Ok if you are young, but if you are older and arthritic, you really won't be able to use it for long.

The main issue, apart from the above complaints, is the price. If this was a $200 machine I'd probably get one, if only to have all those great attachments. But as it is an $800 machine after taxes I probably wouldn't get one.

Finally, I actually did buy a vacuum recently! I spent a month researching vacuum cleaners and finally decided upon the Sebo K2 canister vacuum. It's my first bagged vacuum cleaner, and so far I'm loving it! It was $399 before taxes, so a lot cheaper than Dyson. It's very quiet, and has a dial so I can reduce suction if needed. The lower the suction, the quieter the machine. Which is great if I have to vacuum at night, it's so quiet. It has a very long hose. Very long cord. Good suction. The floor head is great, it's flat on one side so the cat fur doesn't get caught up in all the bristles. It has a full length crevice tool which sits inside the machine. The lint tool is on the canister, out of the way. The brush tool sits on the wand. Emptying the dirty bag couldn't be easier! It just slides out, and it comes with little caps so I can seal the bag so no dust escapes at all. The bags are pretty cheap, about $3 a bag.

After spending the last 9 years using bagless vacuum cleaners, it's such a treat to have a bagged machine!!! I was constantly having a big mess to clean after emptying them, there was fur and dust flying out of it every time. I was always having to wash all the filters, or bang them to get the dust out. It was a filthy horrible chore that took a lot of time. With this machine, I'll have to replace the filters once a year and that's it. It also has a 10 year warranty on certain things.

At this point, especially after playing around with the Dyson yesterday, I feel that I would rather just pay the extra money for bags and filters rather than have to deal with that whole disgusting process of emptying the nasty canisters! I have cats and have to vacuum around the litter boxes. When I empty the canisters and have to pull debris out, I am actually physically touching the dusty litter particles! Plus all the dirt and dust. It's not hygenic to be touching it!

I treat my cats like felines, not babies

I get a lot of funny looks about the way that I treat my cats. I care about them as though they were my children. I have a huge heart when it comes to animals.

I do not, however treat them like human children. They eat on the floor out of cat dishes, not at the table or in a high chair. They do not wear bibs or onesies.

I do not wrap them in blankets and put them in baby strollers to walk around the block. Though I must confess, I'd love to stick them in a sled and go for a walk in winter! They love being outside, but it gets so cold on their paws that they don't want to go out.

They do not have their own rooms with furniture. Though we do have a spare room that I'd like to make cat friendly so they have somewhere to look out the window and sleep other than on our couches! We have friends with cat allergies so having fur covered furniture is less than ideal.

They eat cat food from cans. Though they do get premium quality, and I actually make chicken breast for them as a treat. However, I do this for health reasons, not because they are spoiled (which of coures, they are!) One of our cats had a urinary blockage two years ago and it basically "broke" him. Psychologically and physically, it was a very long road to recovery.  Cats don't drink enough water. I only feed our cats a wet diet now, as there are studies that show that a dry food only diet can contribute to urinary issues. I came up with the idea to boil chicken in a big pot of water with potatoes and carrots (to make a broth). Then when it's cooked, I chop the chicken into small pieces and put half a cup of chicken and half a cup of broth in to small bags and freeze them. Then I can take one out, and quickly provide extra water for my cats.

I'm sure that vets would disagree with me and suggest that I simply put them on a special urinary tract diet. But only one of our cats has the issue which means I'd have to feed the two cats different diets. Plus, the urinary diets that I've seen don't tend to have the higher quality ingredients that I've seen in other foods. So there you are, I give my cats chicken. Not many people understand that, so I don't share that info with friends and family as they already think I'm cat crazy as it is!

I walk my cats on leashes. Not because I wish they were dogs, but because I'm sensitive and can see how bored they get cooped up in the house all day! They are ANIMALS! Not children. A child could easily spend their life indoors. There are video games, t.v shows and movies, toys, books, board games, all kinds of games, friends, family. The list goes on. What does an indoor cat have to do all day?

Well, there are little toy mice, ping pong balls, scratching posts, windows to look out of and maybe other cats to play with. That might seem like a lot, but it isn't. Their instincts are to hunt. Animals hunt things that MOVE. Toys don't move. Therefore, cats get bored of their toys quickly. An animal in captivity that does not have anything to do goes crazy. A trip to the zoo will make that very evident very quickly. The animals are bored!

So I take the cats outside on their leashes to enrich their lives. I do not believe in just letting them roam outside on their own. I feel that it is irresponsible. There are too many dangers out there like cars, the pound (they drive around looking for cats wandering on their own and catch them and sell them to labs - at least they do in this city!), crazy people (it's not unusual for sick people to derive pleasure from torturing animals and I refuse to hand one of mine over so they can get their kicks!) among other threats like cat fights, poisons and diseases. Some people let their cats out and nothing ever happens for the cats entire life. But that's a chance I'm just not willing to take.

I play games with my cats. Not for long. A few minutes here and there. I hide food (they get dry food as a treat) and they have to find it. They absolutely love that game. I also throw food down the hall so they have to run after it. I try to encourage them to be active! I also try to get them to play with their toys, but honestly, they aren't that interested! I hear them chasing their toy mice at night, but rarely during the day or when I'm around.

We built an outdoor cat enclosure accessible from our living room window. That way in the warmer months they can be outside getting fresh air without me having to constantly walk them! Sadly, they don't really love it in there. It's not in an ideal place, due to where we live. It's all row houses, so I have neighbours on each side. Therefore we had to put it close to the house. So it's not as good as being right out in a yard surrounded by trees. But it's better than nothing! It comes in quite handy when we need to move things in and out of the house and have to leave the door open and don't want to worry about the cats escaping!

So basically, I'm really just a person who is incredibly sensitive to animals needs. I care about them like I would children, but I recognize that they are cats and that they have unique needs. It is my responsibility to ensure that their needs are being met. I brought them into my home. They didn't choose to live here. They don't have rights or health care. They don't even have access to really good quality food! What I give them is very good, but even the best cat food on the market is not as good as what they'd get if they lived natural lives, hunting mice! A mouse provides a cat with exactly what it needs to survive! Enough water to not get urinary issues, enough protein, plus the exercise and mental stimulation to catch it!

A cats life is not an easy life in the way that most people think! Most people actually just think of cats as animate objects. Cute fluffy creatures that don't mind being mauled and thrown around like a teddy bears. Or worse, completely ignored. A cat that has free access to the outdoors will live a happy independent life. There's no question about it. I've had outdoor cats, and they mostly do their own thing. They come inside to eat and sleep and that's it. It's very easy taking care of outdoor cats!

Indoor cats are a completely different story! It's not a natural existence and it's actually rather cruel to subject an animal to such a life! Think about it! Put yourself in their shoes. I mean, long term, as in 10 years. People think a cats life is easy, they just get to laze about all day doing nothing. A permanent vacation. I don't think that most people would like to be on a permanent vacation where they do nothing all day. Our idea of doing nothing and a cats idea of doing nothing are quite different!

We might say that we've done "nothing" all day, when in fact we read books, watch t.v, surf the internet, play video games, talk on the phone, pig out on snacks etc. No one just sits in a chair in front of the window for five hours not actually doing anything at all. Well, I can't imagine a "normal" person doing that anyway. If we were forced to live in a house where there weren't any activities at all, no interaction with other humans (while a cat might enjoy the company of another cat, it isn't going to change their lives to the point where nothing else needs to be done. What you end up with is TWO bored cats!!!) no books, games - nothing at all except furniture and windows. Meal times were twice a day, that's it. No snacks. Just water to drink. You are talking about a life very similar to a prisoner! One that is in solitary confinement I might add!

A nice relaxing break from work and responsibilities would be bliss for most people. I get that. Just lying on a couch staring out and watching the birds and trees is like a day at the spa! Meals provided for you, your house cleaned for you. A nice easy life. But how would you feel doing that for your entire life! No real enjoyable experiences, no fun, no adventure.

My cats still get bored. I can see it on their faces and in their body language. I see their whole being light up with delight when I do nice things for them. I'm not a crazy cat lady, just someone who respects life.