Snow!

We got our first real snowfall today. The roads are slick, it's cold, and the plow drivers don't officially start work until Dec. 1, but I have no where to go so I get to enjoy peering out at the white covered city from the safe warmth in front of my fireplace. The city looks much nicer when it snows, it kind of helps to cover all the grime for a little while. If the snow stops, by this evening the snow will be all dirty again and the not-so-crowded illusion will be shattered. But for now, I'm going to drink my eggnog and enjoy.

I'm coming off two days off in a row. My laundry is done, my dishes are mostly done, and I still have boxes from the East Coast to unpack--because I don't know where to put the stuff. I've also been doing some publishing for PCWorld to help pay the bills, so it's better than just sitting around with nothing at all to keep me occupied.

I had a job interview yesterday for a position in Ottawa. It was a wire service job, with one of the big private media conglomerates, and it sounded just like the kind of thing I have experience in, and would enjoy. My name would have been published in newspapers across the country. Unfortunately, it's in Ottawa. In my current funk over my apparent unemployability, I thought about moving yet again. But, I dont think I can handle it. James is in Toronto. I'm just starting to get a life in Toronto, though paying for it may become an issue in the coming months. My cell phone number has changed three times in the last year. My address has changed three times. I've lived in Halifax, Guysborough and Toronto twice since last November, inhabiting seven different apartments. Once the possibility of moving became at all real, I realized that I just can't do it again, not yet. Maybe in a year or two James will be more mobile and we'll decide to hit up another city, likely Ottawa, but now's not the time.

So the job hunt continues.

I've got an Ontarian card

Now, in addition to my monthly Toronto Transit Commission pass -- found in the hands of most dedicated Torontonian commuters who don't drive -- I have an Ontario health card. Complete with an Ontario address.

I'm not sure how I feel about that. Maybe it will all sink in for "reals" when my new licence arrives. I still don't feel permanent here, even as I near the six month (six months!) mark, despite the apartment, the cell phone, the whole deal. I haven't really stayed in one place for very long in a very long time, the only difference was that it was always in N.S. Even here, we've only been in this apartment since September, and were facing down the possibility of moving again last month.

In other news, work is still fairly steady and some leads are starting to pop up for 'adult' jobs. I really do love to write and interview people and tell the story of current events, it's just the whole instability part of the field that makes life a little rocky.

And, I've mailed my first chunk of Christmas cards and we're supposed to get our first real snow tomorrow--not any real amount, but something better than a few scattered snow flakes. I feel like my Christmas spirit, if not my Ontario pride, is definitely on the rise.

Wishing for snow...

It's dark. It's coldish. And it's only a month and 13 days until Christmas (not that I'm counting). I feel I deserve some snow. I'm not asking for a blizzard or anything, just a smattering of flurries to get me in the Christmas spirit. After all, since when is +10 in November an acceptable upper Canadian temperature?

On a related note, I'm starting to Christmas shop and address Christmas cards. I'm particularly enjoying my fire place while I'm doing this, as it half-convinces me that it is indeed Christmas time, and should be cold enough to merit a roaring fire.

I'm also addressing and stamping save the date cards, which we finally succeeded in designing and printing on our snazzy new printer. I hope other wedding-related details come with a little less delay and hassle. I am, however, looking forward to tasting cake, wine and meals :) Though, admittedly, after all that, I will be a little concerned about fitting into my dress.

In the job sphere, I've been spending a lot of time on the tech desk as they prepare to roll out a snazzy, and enormous, new feature next week. I appreciate the work, and am starting to get the hang of this whole science and tech-y thing, I think. I'm still getting a lot of shifts at the mothercorp, only two days off in the past two weeks, but am still a little anxious about the whole not permanent (and no paid vacation thing). It's a great experience, and fab for my resume, but I'm getting a little twitchy (ok, a lot twitchy) over the lack of predictability and stability. The likelihood of an after Christmas election (currently about a 50-50 chance in my books) will probably determine how avidly I pursue new venues of employment. I've been applying for jobs that I come across, but I'm not yet in full-fledged panic mode.

I guess the glamorous world of journalism (I did see Ken Dryden in the building last week, and rode in an elevator with Jack Layton a few weeks ago!) is turning out to be a lot like those glamorous type worlds I see on TV and read about. Those who make it have the chance to be immensely successful (though they'll never be millionaires) but it's a long, and often un-documented, slog to the top with many people dropping out and falling to the way side. Guess we'll just have to see if my love of telling stories--particularly about politics--in the public good can continue to outweigh my love of stability and dreams of a condo that James and I can call our own.

I'm still here!

I've been a little homesick of late, and had a cold, which has contributed to my lack of blogging. Recently my days have been composed of getting up just barely in time to get out the door for work, working, coming home and cooking supper, then falling asleep while watching TV. Not exactly the hip, happening life of a 22-year-old in Canada's biggest city, but both types of sickness along with the dropping temperatures (though not yet below zero, so no real snow) have made me kind of complacent.

I've also been starting to get a little unsure about this whole journalism gig. I like stability, and this career doesn't seem to lend itself to normal or reliable hours or anything predictable. It is exciting, but at the same time, a guaranteed paycheque and guaranteed five-day work weeks would be nice. Fabulous even.

Wedding stuff is also becoming all consuming. There are so many ridiculous things that I suddenly care about: the flowers (I've never been much of a flower person), the perfect shade of purple, the favours, the save-the-date cards (which, god-willing, will be arriving in a mailbox near you within the next two weeks.) What's most important to me is just to have all our family and friends around and have a good long weekend together, with a nice ceremony and some decent food. And great shoes.

Anyway, I must sign off of this moderately depressing post. Just wanted to alert those of you still out there that I am, indeed, alive and doing well. Hopefully my Christmas spirit will soon kick in and some good shopping will ensue:)

A roundup of the last month!

So...to anyone who is still out there...remember that contract I was starting? It kept me very, very busy, including throughout Thanksgiving weekend. However, it was really exciting too, and I got to write a lot of features, edit blogs and moderate forums, all while being a total political science nerd!

A new project has since started for me, preparing in case of a federal election, but I don't know how long that will last. It's evaluated on a weekly basis, depending on the stability of the government, and it might soon end. The regular hours and semi-laid back atmosphere has been nice, and given me time to do things on evenings and weekends, and I'll be sad to see it end. Hopefully something else will come along, but I'm ramping up my job search again just in case.

Outside of work, I've been busy too (I know, surprise surprise). I've finally knocked a few more Toronto "experiences" off my list!

To begin with, I finally went up the CN Tower. It was pretty terrifying, but also really neat. Despite a few photos of me looking decidedly queasy, and very reluctant to go on the glass floor, it was definitely worth it. When you're living here you know that Toronto is massive, but you forget just how huge and dense it is.

I also went to a baseball game--and even saw the Jays win! While I am a rather lacklustre and sorry excuse for a baseball fan, it was a good time and it's much faster and more exciting in person than on TV. I even know what a designated hitter is now! However, there won't be any more baseball here for a while, since that game was one of the few Jays victories.

Another Toronto landmark I hit up recently was the St. Lawrence market, this two floor crazy market downtown just filled with fresh food and other goodies. It smelled amazing--all that fresh bread and pastry--and there was so much to look at! I'll definitely be going back again, and maybe even do some Christmas shopping around the different little shops.

The day after that, I went to the Toronto Zoo. It was a lot bigger than I had expected, but it was pretty awesome, especially the gorillas, orangutans and the meercats! There was a lot to see and do, and the commute was totally brutal--two switches on the subway (so three subway lines) and an hour-long bus ride, so it was an exhausting day. Also, it has started to get cold here all of a sudden, and I found myself wishing that I had an extra sweater in addition to my hat, scarf and fall coat!

And, the last "experience" wasn't really a Toronto thing, but it was definitely amazing! I went to see the Habs play the Sens in Ottawa, a gift from my fiance for my birthday. We got the tickets from his dad's work, and the seats were fab--four rows from the ice, at the centre line, behind the player's benches! The game was really close, and the Habs seemed to have an ok chance. They fell apart a few times--sort of tossing away the puck and not chasing it hard enough--but it was a great, great experience! Price did very well, there was only one goal that I thought he could have maybe gotten if he had a little more experience, but he's still a rookie, and I think he's doing a great job. I had such a blast, even though it was exhausting for us to drive to Ottawa and back in less than 24 hours, I can't imagine a better way to see my first ever NHL game!

In personal drama, our landlords told us two weeks ago that they were selling the house, which we had just moved into in September. We agreed to switch to month-to-month to help them get rid of the house (they had found their dream home) and had to get out of our apartment for a lot of showings, along with facing the fear that we might have to move. When we came home on Friday after work, there was a sold sign on the house! Luckily, the people coming in seem to want tenants, so we'll be able to stay! But, it was a tense period. Now, again, I get to settle in and enjoy my new home!

Anyway, that's a quick update of life lately. I apologize for my lazy blogging, and hope that some of you out there still care!

Working away

Work has been keeping me very busy. I started a new contract last week, for a month working on the Ontario election website, moderating comments, posting Your View questions, choosing promos, adding photos and blogs to the site from reporters on the campaign trail, picking pieces from radio and TV and writing features, so far one on faith based schools and one on election promises.

It's been a really strange experience, because I'm working on something so focused. In the past, I've always had at least three or four things on the go during the day, while now I have more things, but they're all related. Election night should be interesting/stressful/crazy/exhilarating! Probably by the time it's over I'll need to sleep for a week. Hopefully I won't have that much time off between gigs though!

I'm still settling into the new apartment and learning to balance life without school, which oddly seems just as busy if not more so! I'm also back on the hockey girl beat, anxiously waiting for the season to begin!

I'm also still settling into this city. There's something incredibly anonymous about living in Toronto, you're one of tens of thousands of people who will sit in that seat on the subway, pass through that gate, hop on that bus and be served by that frantic barrista at starbucks. I miss some Nova Scotian things, like the smell of the salt water, the small squirrels (Ontario squirrels are freakishly large), driving on the twisty, and scary, roads and of course spending time with my friends and family who are still in the province.

Luckily, James, his family, and my friend from home Tyler, are all here and are helping me cope and get by. I keep telling myself that things will be a little easier when I get a permanent job, but I think certain things will always make me a little homesick, like Thanksgiving. I may not have lived full-time at home since I started university four years ago, but I always made it home for pie, turkey and birthday celebrations on Thanksgiving weekend. I'll definitely be working to keep myself busy and distracted that weekend, along with racking up some long distance with at least one call home.

Anyway, it's getting late, and I've been pretty tired recently, so I'm going to sign off for the night.

-J

I'm back...again!

My internet is finally hooked up, so I'm happy to be back online! It was a very long almost two weeks without it...

I'm settling into my new apartment nicely, and am also settling in to a month-long contract for the Ontario election. I'll be posting reporter submissions online, moderating the discussions and doing lots of research. Lots and lots of research.

Anyway, I need to run off to work, but I just wanted to assure you all that I am back online, with hopefully no more interruptions until the next move! And, with hockey season gearing up (Habs play their first exhibition game on the 17th), my hockey girl blog for the Herald is also back.