Place Instructions in Appropriate Orifice

Once I get home I collect my accumulated mail. There's an envelope from Transport Canada containing what would once have been my new licence, but is now a sticker for updating my licence booklet. The sticker is the shape and size of a credit card, and is identical to the licence information already printed on the second page of my booklet, except that it has an updated expiry date for my instrument rating, and a little Transport Canada airplane and maple leaf logo stamp on it. The sticker comes with instructions.

Label Insertion Instructions
To insert the label correctly please follow the instructions below:
Step 1: Open booklet to the appropriate page
Step 2: Determine a new position for the label (next open space on the applicable page).

For label on the left hand page:
Step 3: Peel off label from the label carrier.
Step 4: Carefully place the right short edge of the label within the alignment marks at the spine side of the booklet.
Step 5: Keep left side of the label away from the page.
Step 6: Smooth the label onto the page from the spine out toward the left edge of the page.
For label on the right hand page:
Step 3: Peel off label from the label carrier.
Step 4: Carefully place the left short edge of the label within the alignment marks at the spine side of the booklet.
Step 5: Keep right side of the label away from the page.
Step 6: Smooth the label onto the page from the spine out toward the right edge of the page.

That's right, there are detailed instructions on how to apply a sticker to a piece of paper without wrinkling it, a skill I think most Canadians my age mastered around grade two. The difference is that the licence is not scratch and sniff and has no bunnies on it. The thing that the instructions are vague about is where the appropriate place might be.

I open to the page that matches the sticker in content. Looks appropriate to me. Without the instructions, I might have placed the sticker over top of the original information that it replaces, but thanks to the instructions I put it in the next available spot, underneath. Then, after it has adhered to the page, I realize that I probably should have stuck it over top of the place where the examiner signed me off for the renewal. Yeah, it even says "Place next licence/permit label here" in faint writing. The place I put it is probably reserved for if I get another aviation licence: for a helicopter, balloon, glider or ornithopter. There are actually only four spaces in that area, but I suppose if you manage to collect all those licences, you can spill one over into the area for renewals. There are sixteen spots for renewals, but according to page one the whole booklet expires in 2014--I guess they figure my picture will be out of date by then--so I think I won't run out of spaces before then.

If I had a scratch 'n' sniff bunny sticker I would put it in my licence booklet. Except, what does a bunny smell like?

On the topic of bunnies, I think I'll keep this in my flight bag to help bring me or another crewmember down if we feel like throttling someone.