August 20

I'm a day late for this announcement but I'm going to make the announcement nonetheless:

HAPPY 26th BIRTHDAY MATTHEW!

August 17

So much happened this week but I have no idea where to begin. It's also incredibly hot in Vancouver and the heat has melted my brain into a viscous pile of brain slime that is currently dripping out of my nose, making thinking and typing very difficult. However, I must persevere.

Ok, I guess I'll start at the part where I get the phone call from Studio B telling me I regretfully didn't get the reception position. I really wasn't surprised though, nor was I overly disappointed. Everyone in that office was ridiculously beautiful and stylish, I never would have fit it nor would I have wanted to try. Unfortunately though this means another week of unemployment.

Later that day I went to my crisis line training for Rape Relief but when I got there I found out that we'd be going to Simon Fraser University to hear Robert Jensen give a talk about violence against women in pornography. It was the most nauseating thing I had ever heard. The stats he had and the specific type of pornography that his research focused on was incredibly sad and shocking. Anyone who doesn't think there is anything wrong with the porn industry should do a little reading about ATM, then tell me that there's nothing demoralizing and degrading about the industry. Don't get me wrong, I love porn as much as the next person but anyone who finds this specific type of porn hot has some serious misconceptions about how women should be treated. In any case, his talk was really enlightening and it made me miss being at school so badly. I guess you could say that hearing a guy talk about porn made me dream of one day doing my Masters. Weird.

Ok. Moving on.

On Thursday I put on my favorite sun dress and a few bracelets and headed down to Main Street to hang out and do some window shopping. I did in fact have of a purpose for going down there but I recently had an epiphany about embracing my unemployment and start using all my free time doing fun things instead of spending it stressed out that I wasn't working.

I found the greatest little record store called Red Cat Records. It's an artist run shop and has a selection of records that really couldn't be more all encompassing. If I had a record player and still bought records I could easily see myself spending a lot of money there. Actually, when I think about it now, I did spend a lot of money there. I bought four tickets to see Mirah, which I am so excited about. I mean, half the reason why Matt and I moved to Vancouver was so we could go to shows we actually wanted to see, and I have wanted to see Mirah for a long time, she is by far one of my most favorite musicians. So, next Saturday evening I will be going to the Biltmore Cabaret with Cynthia, Erin and Erin's friend who will be visiting from Germany to see Mirah! Woot!

I also decided on Thursday that I would send out a few resumes to some restaurants and cafes just to find something that could tide me over for a little while. I sent a resume via email to a cafe called the Raging Bean Cafe and got a call a few minutes later from a woman named Alberta. She asked if I would like to come in a talk about the job with her so I set up an appointment with her for Friday morning.

To make a long story short I went and met with her and her mother, who owns and runs the cafe and I got hired. I really liked them both and the cafe is a really cute little cafe in Yaletown that makes the best latte I've had since being here in Vancouver. The cafe also projects films onto the wall all day, which I think is a really neat idea. I also talked them into paying me what I asked for (which is a lot more than minimum wage), plus tips. I will only be working part time for now but at least it gives me time for volunteering at Rape Relief and looking for the perfect job that is waiting for me somewhere in Vancouver. I've also wondered if I shouldn't use this opportunity to start thinking about seriously applying to do my Masters. It really is excellent, with lots of time to study for the GRE's and I could take up another volunteer position somewhere. Potentially I could be ready to apply next year. Anyway, that's an idea. We'll see what actually happens though.

So to celebrate my new job I went and bought an awesome T. Rex band shirt. I couldn't help it, it's this store downtown that is all cool shirts, all the time. It's also where I got my Texas Chainsaw Massacre shirt. I swear, it's impossible to leave that store empty handed and the cafe I work at is pretty damn close. I have a feeling I know where all my tip money will be going.

And now that brings us to this weekend.

I spent all day yesterday (9am - 5pm) volunteering for Rape Relief. We were doing what they call Tin-Can, which is a fund raising activity where they send out groups of two with some pamphlets and some tin cans and we ask people on the streets to make a donation to the crisis line and women's shelter. It was about thirty five degrees celsius yesterday and we were in the sun the whole time (don't worry I had lots of sunscreen). Beside the sweltering heat it was actually pretty fun. I got to talk to lots of people and take in Vancouver in a very different way. Most people were pretty nice and there were a few who weren't but that just made the day a little more interesting. I would definitely do it again.

When I got home I got ready for supper since we were all meeting up with Erin to go eat somewhere. We ended up at the Main, which is half Greek, half Italian. The food was good but the service was awful. It was so bad we decided to leave before dessert and headed down the street to Sweet Revenge, which ended up being amazing. It was such a neat place, with it's red vintage wall paper and intimate seating. We all indulged in some absurdly delicious desserts and the best coffee within a fifteen kilometer radius. I can't even describe this place appropriately but let's just say that anyone who comes to visit me in Vancouver will be brought to Sweet Revenge. Such a gem!

Alright, I guess that about sums up the week. Stay tuned because this week Shali and Steve come for a visit!!!

Loves and hugs and penguins for everyone!
xoxox

August 8

Things I am grateful for today:

• doing yoga and failing
• the kindness and generosity Matt and I have received from the few people we know in Vancouver
• Commercial Drive
  
• My walk through Yaletown with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (I've been listening to the song More News from Nowhere on repeat).
• the Skytrain
• My new and cheap The Texas Chainsaw Massacre t-shirt.
  

So those are the little sundries of my day that made me smile. There's really lots of other things that made me happy today when I think about it.

I'm trying to think about those things more.

In other news:

• I started training for the crisis line at the Vancouver Rape Relief Centre and Women's Shelter. It's pretty awesome. My first Tuesday was a giant spoonful of delicious feminist sugar. It made me really miss my ladies back in Halifax.
• I still haven't found a job. Poopy, yes. But I still haven't given up hope. I'm holding the recent turn in the Canadian economy responsible.
  
• Matt got a job. Woot! It's an audio-visual job. Basically, Matt gets to geek out all day about soldering, Plasma TV's and digital projectors.
  
• Tom took a shit on our walk today. There was a wrapper in his... ahem, discharged waste. I didn't get a good look at it but I'm pretty sure it was a granola bar wrapper.

I'm sorry. This was the best I could do for a blog. I'll have something a little more proper for you guys next time.

Special blog-o-loves for those who commented on the last entry and a HUGE blog-o-love to Shali and Steve who are getting married tomorrow. I don't normally get this excited about weddings but the idea of these two cats getting married makes all giggly and weird, like when I see a puppy.

Hugs and kisses for everyone!
xoxoxox

August 2

I had been conjuring up a great blog in my head for the past week but each time I tried to bring it to life it fell flat on its face like a baby learning to walk. So fuck it. It's been over a week since the last blog and I can't keep my adoring fans waiting, now can I?

So let me set the scene for you. It's Saturday afternoon and I haven't brushed my teeth yet. The sky is grey and leaning towards rain. I've got the Fleetwood Mac rockin' my headphones and a big mug of fresh coffee awaking the senses. For everyone else it's the weekend, for me it's just another day of being unemployed. Not that I'm complaining. I'm enjoying this time to myself as much as I possibly can because I'm aware that soon I will be robbed of all this free time and I will once again be a slave to the Man.

Despite being an unemployed bum I've actually accomplished a lot this week and I'm feeling pretty good about life in Vancouver. For instance, on Tuesday I went for my volunteer interview at the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter and I start training next week. After my training is finished I will be working a five hour shift once a week on the crisis line. I'm still not entirely sure of what that involves but I am very excited about getting involved with this organization and meeting some of the other women who are involved at the centre.

I also signed up at a job placement agency on Tuesday. I had to go in and do some typing tests, spelling and grammar tests and a Windows test. All of which I apparently did well on. I lend my success to the hours upon hours I spend geeking out on the computer. Never did I really think that being a reclusive computer geek would get me anywhere in life but it seemed to help. I also did a quick interview with one of the headhunters. The interview was pretty straight forward. They just wanted to know what kind of position I was looking for, what kind of salary I was interested in and what kind of person I am. I'm pretty sure I charmed the pants off them, as I usually do.

I also spoke with the Human Resources Director at Studio B Productions, which is an animation studio that is owned by the company I worked for in Halifax, DHX Media. I had sent her my resume when we first got here but they didn't have anything available for me at the time. However, when a position did open the Director was kind enough to email me and let me know that she was interested in meeting with me. So I wrote her back and told her that I was available anytime for an interview. She called me the next day and we had a quick, informal interview over the phone. To make a long story short, she asked me to come in next Tuesday for an interview! Wooooo!

I think I would really like this job. It's in a beautiful building in downtown Vancouver, which also means that it's about a ten minute Skytrain ride. I could also bike there in about 20 minutes on nice days. It's a receptionist position, which means little responsibility outside of office hours. That translates into time for volunteering and dance classes. The pay is nothing to complain about at $15/hour. In any case, I'm pretty stoked to have an interview and I hope everyone will send out good thoughts for me on Tuesday.

So on top of securing a volunteer position, signing with a job placement agency and scheduling a job interview, I've also put in three hours of yoga this week, which is unheard of for me. For anyone who hasn't tried out the Yoga Today website, I highly recommend it. It has a variety of skill levels, the instructions are easy to follow and the hour long videos move at a nice slow pace for the yoga retarded. I'm definitely feeling the three hours of yoga in my body today but despite the pain it also feels really great. I am suddenly aware of muscles in my body that I didn't even know I had. I'm also pretty sure I've grown an inch since I started doing my yoga regularly.

Oh! And I've finished two books this week and started on another, which I'm going to go read now.

I hope all of you are well. Also, I would like you to all do me a little favor. If you look just below this entry there's a little link that says comments, click it and leave me a comment, let me know how you're doing and who's reading this, ok?!

A million hugs and kisses to everyone!
xoxoxox

July 27

So much can happen in a week.

One minute I was hired and the next I was telling my new boss, I won't be coming to the office on Monday.

Yeah, not one of my prouder moments. I don't particularly like fucking people over like that. But I did and I would do it again if I had to. I got a gut feeling and I went with it.

It was Wednesday when I realized that I already hated the job and that I wasn't cut out to do the work. It was Thursday when I got a taste of what the job is really like. Friday, I quit. I think it's reasonable to say that, I not only set light to a bridge, but I firebombed it. I probably will never want to run into any of the people I met in that office ever again. I should just hope Vancouver is big enough.

See, I wasn't fully aware when I took the job of how much free, personal time I was going to have to sacrifice during my first summer in Vancouver. I tried to stay positive when the guy who was training me talked about how stressful and crazy the job can get. I mean, in the week and a half that I was with the company there were at least three instances when the agent was required to work beyond the designated office hours. Suddenly $31 000 doesn't sound like much when you're expected to be available for any possible movie crisis at any possible time.

And trust me, I know that sounds like a spoiled little girl thing to say but, the job just wasn't right for me. For instance, I'd have to use stern, authoritative voices when trying to convince people to take a backgound job when they'd really rather go wake boarding with their friends. I can't do that. I'm way more of a , ok, whatever kinda of girl.

Oh, and the office is in North Vancouver. So I would either have to spend two hours on a bus everyday or buy a car. Neither of which I particularly want to do.

Anyway, that's the story. So now I'm back to the drawing board. I'm going to give the temp/job placement agency a try this week. After the week I had I'd love to take a job photocopying documents for $17/hour. I want as little responsibility as possible so I can save my energy going to art galleries and volunteering at a women's shelter. I want to earn enough so I can take a dance class and actually have time to go. These are the things that are important to me.

On a completely different note my weekend was pretty rad.

Cynthia's friend, Melissa, was visiting from Halifax. I love meeting people who are as sick and twisted as I am. Only people I hang out with would consider making faux vomit noises (all weekend long) hilarious.

Melissa, Cynthia and I spent the weekend shopping. I know, that doesn't sound like something a girl who just quit her job should be doing, but I was really good. My Visa only took about three hits and they were all good investments. Oh! And the shopping was therapeutic. All so justifiable. Either way the shopping extravaganza is done for a while, a very long while.

The best part of the weekend was the Richmond Night Market, where a nice group of East coasters and one Vancouverite spent the night shoving delicious Asian food in their mouths. Can anyone say, takoyaki? How about, BBQ'd squid? Lychee bubble tea with pearls and coconut jelly? Everything was so good, it was ridiculous.

Unfortunately Melissa left for Nova Scotia just a few hours ago and now I'm in my pajama's, ready for bed. I think tomorrow, Cynthia and I are going to the Portebello Market, a fashion and art market here in Vancouver. Except, I'm not going to buy anything. Unless it's awesome and less than five bucks.

That reminds me, I accept donations. (I'm not to proud to ask for handouts.)

Love yous!
xoxox

July 19

Alright. I suppose since it's 1030pm on a Saturday night and I'm interneting all over myself anyway, I might as well write a real update.

So here's the story.

On Monday I decide I'm going to explore a new and different avenue of job searching. Fuck Service Canada's Job Bank, I tell myself, ten resumes and not one call. So I decide to give Craigslist a go.

I'm browsing the jobs and I come across a listing under film/television that says something like, "Booking Agent for Talent Agency Required." I click the link and read the specifics. Organized, previous experience in the film industry, administrative experience, etc. Hey! That's me they're describing! So, I send my cover letter and resume via email and about 20 minutes later I get a call asking me if I would be interested in an interview.

The next day I show up at this little office in North Vancouver and what should have been a quick little job interview turns into an hour long conversation about the military, SCUBA diving, doggles (goggles for dogs) and, of course, the film industry.

As it turns out, the agency is run by a decorated US Army Veteran who supplies the film industry with background and principal performers who are specially trained in firearms, automatic weapons, and emergency response among other things.

Anyway, about two hours later, I'm out walking Tom and the booking agent that had called me for the interview calls me again to see if I had anymore questions that I'd like to ask and I told him that I forgot to ask what the salary for the position would be. He told me he was unsure but would get the owner to give me a call back to let me know. And BAM! When the guy called back he offered me the job. So I asked him when I could start and he asked me when I would be available to start and I told him tomorrow. See you then, he told me and hung up the phone.

So to make a long story not really that short, I went to work on Wednesday and have been going back every day since then. From what I can tell, it's going to be a fun and challenging job. I'm responsible for the schedules and bookings of almost 100 performers. I also have to be ready for anything at anytime. And the best part, I get to work with some very handsome and buff men and women!

To say the least, I'm very excited about this opportunity!!

With all that said, I'm off to be a little more social than I have been all Saturday night, which essentially means I'm going downstairs to hang out with Nic, Cynthia and Matt. I hope my blog finds everyone well and I miss every inch of everyone of you!!!!

xoxoxox

PS-I'm sending out a special blog 'o love to Shali who was kind enough to supply me with an excellent reference. Love you tonnes lady!!!!

July 15

So as it turns out, despite what I had thought, I am totally employable.

I like to watch you all squirm so I'm leaving it at that for now. I'm sure you'll find out the juicy details in good time but right now I'm a little busy doing happy dances around the house.

Love yous!
xoxox