Thus Far

I haven’t been blogging much because there hasn’t been a whole lot to say. I’ve started a few times, but upon realizing it was mostly me complaining and/or about work stuff, I decided it was not in my best interest to post it.

It’s been over a month in this city and at this job, and things are going fine. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it. I do keep thinking about what’s next (… already, I know…) mostly because I am not a fan of this city… It has crazy potential, but I get the feeling the people here just don’t care. (It’s actually a lot like the Dirty W in that way.) I’m sure if I had a car I would like it more, but it's hard to justify that expense when I can walk to work everyday. There are a lot of locally owned stores in the area I live/work, so in that respect a car isn’t needed – but, most of these stores are only open 9-5… which is when I’m at work... and which baffles me – no wonder the economy here is struggling. And I’m sure once the snow hits I’ll be feeling a lot differently about lugging groceries around by foot, considering how much I hate it already when I need milk or cat littre. (And with that in mind, I'll be surprised if I don't have a car by January. Do I go new with a lease or used?)

Regardless, my head is still in Toronto for reasons that I still don’t understand myself, and I have to stop myself from thinking “Well, if I was in Toronto…” from time to time. Perhaps because that city is so much more alive then here? Perhaps because I know more people there and in the area? I do know people here, but most of whom I haven’t seen in 10 years or so, and they all have their own lives that don’t really involve me. And flying “home” or to see my friends (or attending the wedding next month!!!) costs WAY too much. I mean like, hundreds of dollars and lots of time waiting in airports and landing in other cities on the way. I miss the days when it was $20 and 2 hours on the bus.

It is, however, providing a nice first step into this adult world and this profession, and will eventually allow me to get my finances in order and get the job experience I want. I just wish it was more exciting.

As for the job, some days I love it, other times I don’t. Some days are insane, others are calm. There have been issues, naturally, but nothing major. I just think they forget at times that this all brand new to me – I don’t have the years of experience the people before me have had. I’ve also gotten way to used to how the theatre (and education department) worked during my internship, that I sometimes assume things based on that experience that I shouldn’t. It’s also been somewhat problematic that I’m not from here, and don’t know the city all that well. Like for example, when I’m calling the schools and teachers – I don’t know anyone, nor do I know anything about the school other then it’s name and contact info. It’s called networking, and I don’t have any opportunities to do it. (Which is also making the dating scene completely non-existent for me. Not that I’ve really been trying… I don’t like the little I have seen…)

My apartment is working out, but I don’t love it. Maybe my expectations are too unrealistic from watching HGTV for hours on end. Or I became a little spoiled living in that apartment with dad. The houses (and most buildings) here are generally pretty run down and I can’t believe people live in some of them. While my place is a lot better then the other places I looked, I still wish I would have had more options. From time to time I look at Kijiji to see what’s out there, and have a few buildings and neighborhoods in mind for the future, but they are either too far to walk to work (until I get a car) or overpriced. Being on the ground floor was helpful to move stuff in, but I really cannot stand all the bugs that keep getting in! Nor can I figure out where they are coming from. At first it was only fruit flies, which were annoying, but I could handle. Now there are spiders and moths and house flies and giant beetle-things that about the size of my pinky finger. Ugh…. My apartment is not messy – I don’t know what else to do to get rid of them without potentially poisoning my cats at the same time. I don't like that people walking by can see right into my apartment either. Keeping the blinds shut is killing my poor plants... As well, I am getting annoyed by the noise. I don’t *think* it’s my neighbours themselves, but just the lack of sound-proofing in the building. That and we all have fire-doors which as designed to slam shut behind you. Fun! Especially when I’m sleeping. But really, they could be more considerate and pull the door shut behind them, and not invite people over in the wee morning hours.

But like I said, I don’t hate things here. I just see the potential of the city, the apartment, the theatre, and the job and am frustrated that most of those changes are out of my hands.

Transition to Adulthood

I can’t believe it’s already been a month since I got the call, telling me I got the job. But at the same time, I can’t believe it’s only been a month.

I know the few of you that read this are keen to know how things are going, so alas, here we go. It’s a long one!

Ok, I’ll start with the apartment hunt. By the time I flew up here to find a place to live and meet people at the theatre, several of the apt. listing I’ve been in touch with had informed me that the places were already rented out. I had about 7 or 8 places lined up to view (and a rental listing agency where you pay $25 to see their listings as a Plan B) but only ended up seeing 3 places – 2 were managed by the same people.

The first place I saw was without a doubt NO! It was tiny - only three rooms (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen), it was disgusting, it was old, and it was still priced about the same as all the other listings. The second place was better – 2 bedroom (both small, but workable), main-floor, newer living room floor/paint, but older bathroom/kitchen. It would work, but was not what I had hoped, and was a bit above my budget, and I had to pay my own hydro. I was staying with my cousin and her boyfriend, and since he works for hydro, we started chatting about how much that would actually cost, and after I looked into the set-up costs and arrangements, I decided that this wouldn’t work either.

The third place I looked at was BEAUTIFUL and cheaper then other listings. They were currently renovating, although it was already nicer then the other places I had seen. They had a lot of interest in the place, and wanted to pick the best tenant, which, THANK GOD, was me!! It’s got a loft-style bedroom with the bathroom also upstairs; downstairs has a good sized kitchen (lots of cupboards), and living room, and two entrances – one leads directly outside (which was convenient for moving in!) and the other into a small common-area hallway that leads to the laundry. It’s about a 10 minute walk to work, and enough amenities within walking distance that I will survive without a car (at least until winter). But I definitely think a car will be in my not-so-distant future, as the buses here don’t run that often, and once things get rolling at work, I won’t have the time to accommodate a bus schedule to get things done (and I may even need to drive places for work, and I would prefer to not have to drive the monster theatre van!). I would have been stuck had my dad not stayed in town for the first few days, and if my buddy Sarah hadn’t been in town and had access to a car to help me get the things I need (groceries, furniture, etc.). Ok, I wouldn’t have been stuck, as my family here has made it clear I can call them anytime, but you know what I’m getting at… Buying a wireless router and phone splitter does not need to take 3 hours.

Next, the move itself. Of course my dad and I had to fight again with the stupid building managers at the apartment over the elevator – despite it being the time we had booked. (When we moved it, we could only book the elevator for two hours, and had to drive back and forth to the storage facility where all my stuff was, one truck-load at a time. So, since this wasn’t possible to do in the 2 hours, we had starting taking some things up with us beforehand and got yelled at by the managers for this.) Well, this time, we waited until exactly 11am – the time we had it booked for – but since the people before us had started late, we had to move all my stuff out to the hall, wait for the elevator, pack it up, then unpack it back into the hall on the main floor and then into the U-Haul. My dad flipped, saying we should be able to load things directly onto the elevator and the (stupid) management finally agreed. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing other tenants of the building complain to them about having to wait for elevators. While I will miss the apartment, I certainly will not miss those imbeciles.

Since this technically was my dad’s vacation, and his GF came along, we weren’t going right to my new place, but stayed in my hometown for a few days on the way – which is about 3 hours closer. Normally, we can make this drive in about 15 hours – depending on weather, time of day, etc. But, with a trailer hitched on the back it took FOREVER! We left at about 3:30pm, and my dad was determined to drive through the night as he and his GF could switch off. (Since I had the cats to manage, I stayed in the backseat with them the whole time, making sure they didn’t crawl into the front seat or trunk, and did none of the driving.) At about midnight, we were only half way there and I was ready to cough up the $$ for a hotel room or two, but that didn’t happen. We eventually got there at about 8 am. Yuck. Although my kitties were both so well-behaved, I wasn’t able to get much sleep in the car, as they kept getting up and wandering around, etc.

We stayed at grannies for 3 nights, as my dad wanted to go to Jamboree. I didn’t really want to go, and the weather was so cold and rainy on Friday and Saturday nights anyways. I had intended to work vigorously on the Internship stuff I still have to do, but my grannie is a talker, and I needed to play chauffeur for her, so I got next to nothing done. (I’m still pissed that I have to finish this crap to graduate!)

By Sunday night I was a little more open to being social, and ended up going out to Jamboree as well. It was cold, but not rainy, and I had a good time. I mostly hung out with my cousins and their friends, but chatted a lot with people I went to school with and what not. Add a little flip-cup (flip-flop) to the mix, and I had a good time. It wasn’t very smart for the 3 of us (me, dad, GF) to all go out drinking that night, as Monday morning we finished the move. The aim was leave town by 10am --- we didn’t wake up til nearly 11. And I felt crappy – not hung over feeling, but more like I feel when I have low blood-sugar, so I’m not sure what that was about.

We made it to the city by about 2:30, and my aunt and dad’s cousin were around to help unload. (Thankfully as there were some things I certainly could not have carried up the stairs!) Been here for less than 2 weeks and I’m still not at all settled as I’m waiting for my new furniture to be delivered – most of which will arrive tomorrow! And then next weekend my mom is coming to visit and bring up some of the things I had to leave behind/forgot. (Some pictures are included - but there will be more once I set it up/decorate.)

Dad and his GF stayed in town for a few days, as I mentioned, so I was able to get the things I needed right away. I had planned to do some shopping around for furniture, possibly hit up second-hand stores/kijiji for a kitchen table and TV stand, but wanted a new couch/sofa-bed. Well, I ended up buying them all new. Oops. The guy at the store gave me 15% off everything (despite the promo being 15% off one item) so the prices for new things were quite reasonable – plus I didn’t have to figure out delivery if I went the second-hand route. I did splurge a little and bought a spinny/glider chair and ottoman that I wanted, rather than a traditional chair. I can’t wait to get it – too bad it hasn’t been ordered yet as the fabric I had picked was discontinued, so I had to go back and pick again. (But I think I will be happier with my second choice.)

Spent the rest of my first week here unpacking, and making endless lists of things I still need, things I want (for décor), things I need mom to bring, etc. AND I reunited with one my HS BFF’s (Barb) and ended up hanging out with her and some of her friends. It helps – A TON – that I know people here. I would hate to have to try to meet new people in addition to everything else right now.

I haven’t been sleeping that well, (which isn’t really that uncommon for me). I’m not sure if it’s because I’m still not used to the “house noises” and being able to hear my neighbours, or the getting up at 8am for work, or maybe how my bedroom is set up, or a combination of these things. I might try moving my bed, but I don’t have a lot of options, as the place is heated with hot-water radiators, and there is one taking up some wall space in my bedroom.

Just like this city, the job/theatre has such potential, but it fails to impress. I’ve been there for a full week now, and spent it all reading scripts (for the upcoming season, as well as to make recommendations for the upcoming school tour) and reading the endless supply of files and documents related to my job. I’ve pretty much had to feel my way through this on my own, as I received zero training, and only a few task assignments. That and the woman here before me was crazy over-qualified for this job, so there are big shoes to fill. But, I think I’ll be able to manage. As things come up, I’m figuring them out, but it could be so much simpler if someone would just take an hour to sit down with me and explain things. I find the work culture extremely impersonal – people don’t say hello or goodbye, but just mark on the white-board at the front if you are in the building or not. Weird. I find out most things – even those directly related to my job – by over-hearing it, and have already ran into several situations where my bosses had assumed I knew something that I clearly did not. I don’t even know when I get paid – I thought it was today, as a co-worker had asked me on Wed. to fill out the tax forms so that things could be processed in time, and I heard someone else say something about getting their pay check today, but so far there is nothing for me. Which sucks, cuz it’ll be really tight if I have to wait another 2 weeks. I do, however, like that I’m pretty much left alone to do my thing – now that I have a better understanding of what that entails. And I like that I will actually get to teach and work with the kids (and adults too!) as I’ll be teaching two classes for 13-15 y/o, one class for 15-18 y/o, and 3 sessions to 19+ y/o. It’ll be fun, once I get passed the first classes. I can’t see myself staying here forever, but (thus far, at least) I can see it working for a few years.

So, there is the last month of my life summed up. I will add pictures to FB and probably my 101 Project too, as there are definite updates needed there.

Next Chapter

I'm sure the three of you that read this already know that my life is about to under-go a huge change.

I got the job referred to in this and this post. Everyone told me that finding a job in the arts is next to impossible. They said that you will never get your ideal job right out of school. They said you will never get the first job you apply to. Well.... guess what? I did get the first real job I applied to, and it's my ideal job and it's in the arts, and I'm still technically in school. How freaking lucky am I?!?!?

I know I should be thrilled, but I'm not...

The apartment hunt is not going so well, as pretty much every place is geared toward students, and therefore the leases start Sept 1. I start work August 10th. I've only seen two places so far because every other one that works has already been rented. Even when I broadened my search to include the more $ 2 bedrooms and the less $ bachelors. Without a car, I'm severely limited. But, it is only for the first year. I could always find a better place next summer when I know the city better and can be more flexible with the move in date.

I have yet to see the inside of the theatre or meet the people I am working with. I will see all this tomorrow, and hope for the best. I've gotten conflicting comments on what it's like to work there - both good and bad, so I guess I'll have to see how I fit. The GM and AD seem really nice from the correspondence I've had with them, but they do also seem to be overwhelmed with thier jobs - which concerns me that I'll be crazy busy as well.

Despite being from this area, and knowing lots of people here and having family here, this city isn't the nicest. It's very industrial and has a lot of old, run-down buildings. Most cities have areas that are really dilapidated but some that are rich and lavish - this one tends to not have much of the later.

The job itself terrifies me, despite being everything I've worked towards in my undergrad and post grad. With the opera company, I would have been the assistant, and had 4 other people to work with. Here, it's just me. All me. And I'm scared that I am not actually capable of doing it.

I'm also frustrated with this last credit/internship I have to do for my post-grad. We are supposed to intern 280 hours by August 14th. With me having to move early, and taking time off to come up here to find a place and meet my bosses, I'll be lucky to get 200 hours done before I leave the city. Leaving me 80 hours left-over. And guess what? I still have to do it. That makes me mad. The whole point of the program and the internships is to help us get a job. Well now that I got the job, why isn't that the end? Why can't I do an assignment or right a paper instead of having to do internship work with my evenings and weekends? I'm goign to be so overwhelmed finishing this, moving, adjusting to living in this city, and living on my own, and of course starting my career. Not looking forward to that.

While I'm excited to start the next part of my life, it's a lot scarier now that it's happening then I would have ever imagined. Here's hoping for the best!!

XoXo