Pieces of 8
Once again I fail at updating. Guess I'll catch you all up. Okay.
Except that uryuunotme keeps distracting me. STOP IT, KEL. DO YOU THINK I HAVE ALL DAY TO SPAM YOU WITH HORRIBLY SCARRING IMAGES? oh wait. Never mind.
ANYWAY.
Apparently the last time I updated was in October, just after the Quadruple Dare show. Sounds about right. Three months later, I am steadily re-employed once again (at the same job) and even getting a payrise. Bonus! I can dig it. Haven't had any more major apartment trauma, although there was a scare just before Christmas. False alarm, though. Bit of work going on related to that, but it's nothing as huge as the flood, so. All's quiet on that front.
Christmas was nice, though. We ended up having a couple of them! Early Christmas while Janna's older sister and her fiancée were still in B.C., which was fun and loud and rambunctious like every good Christmas should be; then we headed back to Mission for a late Christmas. Her family got me presents and everything! They're so lovely. I miss my family, of course, but that sort of thing really makes a difference.
I'm getting better used to living on a shoestring budget. I can survive, and survive pretty damn nicely, with - for example - $50 worth of groceries a month. $5 can get me 2.5kg of potatoes and some carrots, which are basically like my favourite vegetables ever. Rice goes a long way for a little buck, too, but it gets pretty boring if you have nothing to add to it. There are lots of things I can do without and be perfectly happy. As stressful as my money situation has been (and still is, though obviously that's on the improve) it's been a damned good learning experience. It's amazing what you learn when you're at the point of seriously considering dumpster-diving for food. Still, I never got so utterly poor that I lost the roof over my head or the clothes on my back. Got close a couple of times. That forced me to do some growing up quick-smart; I guess I'm kinda thankful for it. It was important for me to know.
Money coming in again means I can breathe easy and afford some luxuries. I can go to shows again (oh, how I missed shows! Going to see The Heard this week, and Fake Shark for the first time in like FOREVER next week); I can afford to participate in the burlesque scene for real. Both of those are very important and hella exciting. I helped out at the Taboo Revue in December as a stagehand for the opening night, and again last week as the Balloon Girl - basically wandering around in my undies and pasties with about 40-odd balloons around me, which were popped to (hopefully!) reveal prizes. It was a lot of fun! We made $230 from that, all going to the Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society. The shows are always so fun. I'll have to start doing Kitty Nights at the Biltmore, too.
Oh yeah, we had our burlesque recital on the 14th of November, too. Video is up here thanks to Franky Panky. I'm act 6 (the one with the mohawk, duh) and...yeah, definitely NSFW. Ladies in undies and pasties poncing about. It was such an awesome time, though! Combining my love of comedic theatre with my natural aversion to clothing? Heck yes. Can't wait to do more.
Hmm, what else? January 8th was - as I am SURE you all knew - David Bowie's birthday, so Janna and I hosted a David Bowie party on Planet Miranda (the name of our apartment, for those of you playing at home). Janna whipped up a few dozen batches of super-delicious vegan cupcakes (no, we're neither of us vegan, but vegan baking IS pretty damn tasty) with Bowie themes, such as Golden Years, Aladdin Sane, and Ziggy Stardust. We actually didn't really expect anybody to turn up, but at one point there were at least 12 of us packed into my room watching Zoolander, or out in the kitchen having singalongs to Weezer and Deep Meaningful Discussion. It was so much fun! I hope everybody turns up again for our next Epic Day.
I think that's probably about it. I've been here for just over 7 months now; in another 9 I'll be home. It doesn't seem as far away as it once did. I keep thinking about all the things I have to do and see while I'm still here and there's just never going to be enough time.
I'm not looking forward to leaving everybody behind. I guess I'll just have to finish my novel for real (oh yeah- in November I also participated in National Novel Writing Month; check out a very brief excerpt of The Beast here if you're so inclined) and hope it makes me enough money to travel places and visit people.
Love to you all.
Except that uryuunotme keeps distracting me. STOP IT, KEL. DO YOU THINK I HAVE ALL DAY TO SPAM YOU WITH HORRIBLY SCARRING IMAGES? oh wait. Never mind.
ANYWAY.
Apparently the last time I updated was in October, just after the Quadruple Dare show. Sounds about right. Three months later, I am steadily re-employed once again (at the same job) and even getting a payrise. Bonus! I can dig it. Haven't had any more major apartment trauma, although there was a scare just before Christmas. False alarm, though. Bit of work going on related to that, but it's nothing as huge as the flood, so. All's quiet on that front.
Christmas was nice, though. We ended up having a couple of them! Early Christmas while Janna's older sister and her fiancée were still in B.C., which was fun and loud and rambunctious like every good Christmas should be; then we headed back to Mission for a late Christmas. Her family got me presents and everything! They're so lovely. I miss my family, of course, but that sort of thing really makes a difference.
I'm getting better used to living on a shoestring budget. I can survive, and survive pretty damn nicely, with - for example - $50 worth of groceries a month. $5 can get me 2.5kg of potatoes and some carrots, which are basically like my favourite vegetables ever. Rice goes a long way for a little buck, too, but it gets pretty boring if you have nothing to add to it. There are lots of things I can do without and be perfectly happy. As stressful as my money situation has been (and still is, though obviously that's on the improve) it's been a damned good learning experience. It's amazing what you learn when you're at the point of seriously considering dumpster-diving for food. Still, I never got so utterly poor that I lost the roof over my head or the clothes on my back. Got close a couple of times. That forced me to do some growing up quick-smart; I guess I'm kinda thankful for it. It was important for me to know.
Money coming in again means I can breathe easy and afford some luxuries. I can go to shows again (oh, how I missed shows! Going to see The Heard this week, and Fake Shark for the first time in like FOREVER next week); I can afford to participate in the burlesque scene for real. Both of those are very important and hella exciting. I helped out at the Taboo Revue in December as a stagehand for the opening night, and again last week as the Balloon Girl - basically wandering around in my undies and pasties with about 40-odd balloons around me, which were popped to (hopefully!) reveal prizes. It was a lot of fun! We made $230 from that, all going to the Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society. The shows are always so fun. I'll have to start doing Kitty Nights at the Biltmore, too.
Oh yeah, we had our burlesque recital on the 14th of November, too. Video is up here thanks to Franky Panky. I'm act 6 (the one with the mohawk, duh) and...yeah, definitely NSFW. Ladies in undies and pasties poncing about. It was such an awesome time, though! Combining my love of comedic theatre with my natural aversion to clothing? Heck yes. Can't wait to do more.
Hmm, what else? January 8th was - as I am SURE you all knew - David Bowie's birthday, so Janna and I hosted a David Bowie party on Planet Miranda (the name of our apartment, for those of you playing at home). Janna whipped up a few dozen batches of super-delicious vegan cupcakes (no, we're neither of us vegan, but vegan baking IS pretty damn tasty) with Bowie themes, such as Golden Years, Aladdin Sane, and Ziggy Stardust. We actually didn't really expect anybody to turn up, but at one point there were at least 12 of us packed into my room watching Zoolander, or out in the kitchen having singalongs to Weezer and Deep Meaningful Discussion. It was so much fun! I hope everybody turns up again for our next Epic Day.
I think that's probably about it. I've been here for just over 7 months now; in another 9 I'll be home. It doesn't seem as far away as it once did. I keep thinking about all the things I have to do and see while I'm still here and there's just never going to be enough time.
I'm not looking forward to leaving everybody behind. I guess I'll just have to finish my novel for real (oh yeah- in November I also participated in National Novel Writing Month; check out a very brief excerpt of The Beast here if you're so inclined) and hope it makes me enough money to travel places and visit people.
Love to you all.