A decade in review
A lot of stuff happened....
2000- I spent my New Year's watching movies on the couch with farpotshket. It was one of the best New Years that I have ever had. I went to journalism school in Montreal that year, and graduated from my course in June 2001 of that year. I was really worried about getting a job and I was dating D, who lived in Saskatchewan, so I accepted a job in Wainwright, Alberta, which had a population of about 5300. It was 4 hours away from Saskatoon. During my year at journalism school, I interned at the Ottawa Citizen and had a great time getting reacquainted with my cousins, who are at least 13 years older than me. I started doing a bit of freelance work during this time. I bought my first lap top!
2001- I finished journalism and moved to Wainwright. I liked being a journalist, but I hated living in Wainwright. This was the time when I first started writing about agriculture. I owned my first car, which I bought from my boyfriend's sister. I had my own apartment and lived alone for the first time. I started cooking a lot more and crafting. This was when I got into getcrafty and glitter and met a lot of wonderful people that I'm still writing and sharing my life with today. My friends Sunni and Ed got married in Calgary and I attended their gorgeous wedding at Heritage park. I covered some major stories this year, including a school fire and a shooting on the army base. I broke up with my bf D, and fell into a depression that was debilitating, but we got back together 4 months later. I decided that I wanted to do an international internship and began applying. I got my first tattoo!
2002- In the summer of 2002, I quit my job at the Wainwright Review and moved back to Saskatoon, where I temped for the summer. I started seeing D again during this period. I got a few interviews for internships, and then accepted one with the Canadian Cooperative Association. They sent me to Indonesia for 2 months. I was supposed to be there for 6 months, but the Bali bombing happened. I learned some Indonesian and lived in Jakarta and Yogyakarta. I got sent back to Saskatoon. I got a job working at Coles books for the winter months and spent Xmas at home. During this year, our dog Angus was put down and my brother and his gf were in a bad car accident. I started I think I might have started bellydancing during this time. My parents got McGregor and he and I bonded extremely well.
2003- At the end of January, I went to Ottawa to do some internship work at the CCA national office. While in Ottawa, I started this livejournal. I skated on the canal and lived in a boarding house, and hung out with my cousins. I was STILL dating D and he took me on tour with a band and I went to Montreal for a visit. Then I flew back home for four days, packed and left for Mongolia. I started working on my project in Mongolia. D called me two weeks into the project, and broke up with me. I was very sad, but then decided to get over it and lived it up in Mongolia. I worked on my project and had an incredible time. One of the other CCA interns introduced me to B* via our blog. We started corresponding and before I left Mongolia, I had plans to go to Vancouver to meet him. I was in Mongolia for 4 months, then went home and volunteered for the Fringe. My friend's girlfriend was killed by a drunk driver and I attended a funeral of a friend for the first time. Then I went on a cross-Canada trip and travelled to Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria. I met B* and made plans to move to Vancouver. I sent my poetry manuscript to Frontenac House. I started the Oscar project. I bought my second laptop.
2004- I temped for a long time at various jobs and travelled to Vancouver a lot. I started doing a lot more freelancing. I then went treeplanting, missing my ten year high school reunion. I moved into a place near Commercial Drive in Vancouver with two roommates, one of whom was the person who introduced me to B*. I took over as literary editor for Ricepaper, and started doing a lot of interviews. I made friends and tried to look for a job. I volunteered at the film festival and writers festivals. I did a lot of crazy contract work in regards to writing and did temp work. I sent out tons of resumes, but couldn't find a job. I didn't go home for Xmas for the first time ever. Instead, I spent Xmas in Victoria and got to meet my cousin Paul, who is 15 years older than me. We bonded and really dug each other. B* and I fell in love with each other. I started working at Chapters, where I stayed for 2 years. (Yuck)
2005- My debts continued to accumulate and I was poor. I played quiz bowl. I couldn't find a good job, but started taking classes at Langara. I travelled to Boston for a gay wedding, went to New York for the first time and attended my friend April's wedding. I went to Seattle for the first time. I got involved with the Colouring Book project, which was one of the coolest things about living in Vancouver. I met lots of people and made lots of friends! I did a fair amount of freelancing when I wasn't scrounging for money. I did some temp work at Raincoast books. I continued to go to job interviews but didn't get anything. I met Saeko Usukawa, a really cool editor, who helped me learn how to do a non-fiction book proposal. I bought my third laptop.
2006- I went to Seattle and stayed with my cousin for a weekend. I got my second tattoo. I taught a journalism course to youth. I still couldn't find a job and it was really starting to get to me. I was very stressed. Finally, I found a job at the Dance Centre. I had to start late because I went to Los Angeles so B* could appear on Jeopardy. I got to see Kodak Theatre and Graumann's Chinese Theatre. My publishers at Frontenac House called me and told me they wanted to publish my book! I quit Chapters! Then McGregor died from lupus, I got really sick with gastroenteritis and B* dumped me. I fell into a horrible, horrible depression. I went to therapy for the first time in years. My therapist and I worked on an exit strategy and I started applying for jobs to move away from Vancouver. I got interviews and was able to quit my abusive job at the Dance Centre. I got RRSPs. I got a job offer in Grande Prairie and moved there to work for the newspaper. I took a class at BCIT. I had 2 weeks (plus Xmas trip) to get ready. I took my first degree of reiki. I ended up packing on New Year's eve. My brother joined the military and we got Fergus this year.
2007- My dad and I bought my second car, the Pontiac Sunfire, aka, the Silver Bullet. I had to learn how to drive standard again. I took the bus from Vancouver to Grande Prairie (JUST SAY NO). I lived in a hotel until I moved in with my roommate named Jason. I loved my job in Grande Prairie and felt like I was on vacation even though I was working full time. I started taking correspondence classes and took a whole bunch of classes. I flipped my car and walked away unscathed. My book came out! I started ice skating again. I went on tour for my book and travelled to Calgary and Toronto! I moved into Grande Prairie into my weird house with a shower in my living room. My writer friend Linda died. My social life got a lot better once I moved into town. I finished the Oscar project and started The Great movies project. I started writing my column and wrote the script for a show called "Power of the Land." I did a lot of tours and readings for my book. I spent New Year's with my friends Debi and Darrell, Woody, Mark, Ian and Teresa. I presented a session at the Writers Guild of Alberta conference and met a lot of cool people. I finished writing a novel that I had started writing in Vancouver. I started writing and learning a lot about agriculture and got really interested (read OBSESSED) with bees. A family friend got married and I attended the wedding. My friends started having lots of babies.
2008- I went to the Philippines for two weeks with CCA and toured around the Philippines. It was a life changing experience. I went back to Vancouver for the first time since leaving and had a great time. I started looking for jobs so I could leave Grande Prairie. In May, I applied for my job at Alberta Farmer. I got the interview in June, and then finished up in July. I moved to Edmonton in August! Melanie and I started Roughing it in the books . I did a lot of freelancing. I started teaching my teen writers group. I met lots and lots of interesting people and started making friends in Edmonton. I kissed a boy. I was in good health and had more money than I'd ever had in my life. My brother got engaged. I started working on new poems. My job required a high level of technical knowledge and I had to learn A LOT. I started taking courses in food security.
2009- I worked hard and went to the theatre a lot. I travelled frequently for work and to Grande Prairie, Saskatoon and Vancouver. I met a lot of great people and appeared in dance recitals for the first time in years. Melanie and I ran the Canada Reads Challenge on our blog and got a lot of attention. I did more freelancing. I got more serious about belly dancing and cross country skiing. I met more great people. I kissed a boy. I finished writing a poetry manuscript. I attended fabulous weddings in Vancouver and Grande Prairie and went to Vancouver (twice) and Victoria. I wrote some short stories and got one published in my friend's magazine. I did a lot of dog sitting (Fergus and Edith). I reviewed 11 plays in four days at the Fringe.
2000- I spent my New Year's watching movies on the couch with farpotshket. It was one of the best New Years that I have ever had. I went to journalism school in Montreal that year, and graduated from my course in June 2001 of that year. I was really worried about getting a job and I was dating D, who lived in Saskatchewan, so I accepted a job in Wainwright, Alberta, which had a population of about 5300. It was 4 hours away from Saskatoon. During my year at journalism school, I interned at the Ottawa Citizen and had a great time getting reacquainted with my cousins, who are at least 13 years older than me. I started doing a bit of freelance work during this time. I bought my first lap top!
2001- I finished journalism and moved to Wainwright. I liked being a journalist, but I hated living in Wainwright. This was the time when I first started writing about agriculture. I owned my first car, which I bought from my boyfriend's sister. I had my own apartment and lived alone for the first time. I started cooking a lot more and crafting. This was when I got into getcrafty and glitter and met a lot of wonderful people that I'm still writing and sharing my life with today. My friends Sunni and Ed got married in Calgary and I attended their gorgeous wedding at Heritage park. I covered some major stories this year, including a school fire and a shooting on the army base. I broke up with my bf D, and fell into a depression that was debilitating, but we got back together 4 months later. I decided that I wanted to do an international internship and began applying. I got my first tattoo!
2002- In the summer of 2002, I quit my job at the Wainwright Review and moved back to Saskatoon, where I temped for the summer. I started seeing D again during this period. I got a few interviews for internships, and then accepted one with the Canadian Cooperative Association. They sent me to Indonesia for 2 months. I was supposed to be there for 6 months, but the Bali bombing happened. I learned some Indonesian and lived in Jakarta and Yogyakarta. I got sent back to Saskatoon. I got a job working at Coles books for the winter months and spent Xmas at home. During this year, our dog Angus was put down and my brother and his gf were in a bad car accident. I started I think I might have started bellydancing during this time. My parents got McGregor and he and I bonded extremely well.
2003- At the end of January, I went to Ottawa to do some internship work at the CCA national office. While in Ottawa, I started this livejournal. I skated on the canal and lived in a boarding house, and hung out with my cousins. I was STILL dating D and he took me on tour with a band and I went to Montreal for a visit. Then I flew back home for four days, packed and left for Mongolia. I started working on my project in Mongolia. D called me two weeks into the project, and broke up with me. I was very sad, but then decided to get over it and lived it up in Mongolia. I worked on my project and had an incredible time. One of the other CCA interns introduced me to B* via our blog. We started corresponding and before I left Mongolia, I had plans to go to Vancouver to meet him. I was in Mongolia for 4 months, then went home and volunteered for the Fringe. My friend's girlfriend was killed by a drunk driver and I attended a funeral of a friend for the first time. Then I went on a cross-Canada trip and travelled to Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria. I met B* and made plans to move to Vancouver. I sent my poetry manuscript to Frontenac House. I started the Oscar project. I bought my second laptop.
2004- I temped for a long time at various jobs and travelled to Vancouver a lot. I started doing a lot more freelancing. I then went treeplanting, missing my ten year high school reunion. I moved into a place near Commercial Drive in Vancouver with two roommates, one of whom was the person who introduced me to B*. I took over as literary editor for Ricepaper, and started doing a lot of interviews. I made friends and tried to look for a job. I volunteered at the film festival and writers festivals. I did a lot of crazy contract work in regards to writing and did temp work. I sent out tons of resumes, but couldn't find a job. I didn't go home for Xmas for the first time ever. Instead, I spent Xmas in Victoria and got to meet my cousin Paul, who is 15 years older than me. We bonded and really dug each other. B* and I fell in love with each other. I started working at Chapters, where I stayed for 2 years. (Yuck)
2005- My debts continued to accumulate and I was poor. I played quiz bowl. I couldn't find a good job, but started taking classes at Langara. I travelled to Boston for a gay wedding, went to New York for the first time and attended my friend April's wedding. I went to Seattle for the first time. I got involved with the Colouring Book project, which was one of the coolest things about living in Vancouver. I met lots of people and made lots of friends! I did a fair amount of freelancing when I wasn't scrounging for money. I did some temp work at Raincoast books. I continued to go to job interviews but didn't get anything. I met Saeko Usukawa, a really cool editor, who helped me learn how to do a non-fiction book proposal. I bought my third laptop.
2006- I went to Seattle and stayed with my cousin for a weekend. I got my second tattoo. I taught a journalism course to youth. I still couldn't find a job and it was really starting to get to me. I was very stressed. Finally, I found a job at the Dance Centre. I had to start late because I went to Los Angeles so B* could appear on Jeopardy. I got to see Kodak Theatre and Graumann's Chinese Theatre. My publishers at Frontenac House called me and told me they wanted to publish my book! I quit Chapters! Then McGregor died from lupus, I got really sick with gastroenteritis and B* dumped me. I fell into a horrible, horrible depression. I went to therapy for the first time in years. My therapist and I worked on an exit strategy and I started applying for jobs to move away from Vancouver. I got interviews and was able to quit my abusive job at the Dance Centre. I got RRSPs. I got a job offer in Grande Prairie and moved there to work for the newspaper. I took a class at BCIT. I had 2 weeks (plus Xmas trip) to get ready. I took my first degree of reiki. I ended up packing on New Year's eve. My brother joined the military and we got Fergus this year.
2007- My dad and I bought my second car, the Pontiac Sunfire, aka, the Silver Bullet. I had to learn how to drive standard again. I took the bus from Vancouver to Grande Prairie (JUST SAY NO). I lived in a hotel until I moved in with my roommate named Jason. I loved my job in Grande Prairie and felt like I was on vacation even though I was working full time. I started taking correspondence classes and took a whole bunch of classes. I flipped my car and walked away unscathed. My book came out! I started ice skating again. I went on tour for my book and travelled to Calgary and Toronto! I moved into Grande Prairie into my weird house with a shower in my living room. My writer friend Linda died. My social life got a lot better once I moved into town. I finished the Oscar project and started The Great movies project. I started writing my column and wrote the script for a show called "Power of the Land." I did a lot of tours and readings for my book. I spent New Year's with my friends Debi and Darrell, Woody, Mark, Ian and Teresa. I presented a session at the Writers Guild of Alberta conference and met a lot of cool people. I finished writing a novel that I had started writing in Vancouver. I started writing and learning a lot about agriculture and got really interested (read OBSESSED) with bees. A family friend got married and I attended the wedding. My friends started having lots of babies.
2008- I went to the Philippines for two weeks with CCA and toured around the Philippines. It was a life changing experience. I went back to Vancouver for the first time since leaving and had a great time. I started looking for jobs so I could leave Grande Prairie. In May, I applied for my job at Alberta Farmer. I got the interview in June, and then finished up in July. I moved to Edmonton in August! Melanie and I started Roughing it in the books . I did a lot of freelancing. I started teaching my teen writers group. I met lots and lots of interesting people and started making friends in Edmonton. I kissed a boy. I was in good health and had more money than I'd ever had in my life. My brother got engaged. I started working on new poems. My job required a high level of technical knowledge and I had to learn A LOT. I started taking courses in food security.
2009- I worked hard and went to the theatre a lot. I travelled frequently for work and to Grande Prairie, Saskatoon and Vancouver. I met a lot of great people and appeared in dance recitals for the first time in years. Melanie and I ran the Canada Reads Challenge on our blog and got a lot of attention. I did more freelancing. I got more serious about belly dancing and cross country skiing. I met more great people. I kissed a boy. I finished writing a poetry manuscript. I attended fabulous weddings in Vancouver and Grande Prairie and went to Vancouver (twice) and Victoria. I wrote some short stories and got one published in my friend's magazine. I did a lot of dog sitting (Fergus and Edith). I reviewed 11 plays in four days at the Fringe.