A real post! Been a while...
So I guess a lot's happened since I last found the time to make an actual post.
The biggest news is that Mel and I got an apartment and we're moving at the end of the month. It's a cool place near downtown Brantford. It's the third floor (loft) of a house that isn't entirely unlike 202 Erb. Good size living room and kitchen, with an 11x11 bedroom and an 11x11 "den" (which is basically a second bedroom, but can't be called that since it doesn't have a window). The location is ideal, with a bus for me to get to and from work only a couple of minutes away, busses to the mall a few minutes away, and the downtown transit terminal (where all bus routes start and finish) a 10 minute walk. For $650/month, it's a pretty solid deal, and definitely a good place to start.
I'm really happy and excited about this, because the whole different cities, only seeing each other on weekends thing sucks. That's pretty much how it's been since we got together last year, and it was tough enough with the distance only being Toronto to Brampton. Toronto to Brantford has been harder, but I've tried to stay focused on the goal of getting a place together here, and now that's happened. Other benefits to the situation are the fact that it seems South-Western Ontario has turned into a pretty common place for people I know. Jeff and Jenn in Cambridge, Meaghan and Dan in Woodstock, Justin in Waterloo... Hopefully we'll be able to get together more!
The summer has been busy, as anyone who has seen my photo albums on Facebook can tell. Something going on pretty much every weekend. Birthday parties, barbecues, trips to a cottage and Niagara Falls, day at The Ex. And of course the busy doesn't stop, with the next few weekends already booked. Camping out in the yard here this coming weekend. Jay's game with Kyle, Zach and Braedyn next Friday followed by a couple of nights cat-sitting in Brampton. Then the move at the beginning of October. Maybe after that things will calm down. Of course, we'll be doing Hallowe'en in Etobicoke at karaoke, and we're looking at a weekend in Niagara for our anniversary either the weekend before or after.
Oh! And I've been asked to be in two weddings next year. My Uncle in April and a friend from karaoke in June. So I have a Buck and Doe in November for my Uncle's, and possibly something along those lines for the other at some point. I guess the busy never stops!
Speaking of busy, how about a little work update... I basically have 4 jobs. I'm a Press Assistant, which involves mounting tooling and printing plates on cylinders, washing ink out of the press and prepping material. When I'm not doing that, I'm a Rewinder, which involves taking the printed rolls from the press and running them through a machine (not surprisingly called a Rewinder) to the customer's specifications, then boxing, tagging and preparing them to ship. When a truck comes for loading/unloading, or a skid needs to be taken down from the racks, I'm a Forklift driver. Then when I'm not doing any of those things, I do whatever needs to be done around the plant. For example, today I started the unenviable task of taking all of the random rolls of material we have sitting around and putting them into some semblance of order. Oh, and they've also shown me how to actually make the printing plates, so if/when I start doing that semi-regularly (I haven't actually done one yet) that'll be job number 5.
The good news, as Kyle's told me, is that being able to do all of these things makes me valuable. We're a bit slow right now, and several people have been told to stay home for a day here or there, but I haven't. I am a bit worried that I might be too valuable, in that they might not consider me if an office position (which would be closer to my ideal) comes up, because they won't be able to do without me in the plant. I guess we'll see. The moving thing will also be nice, because I won't be tied to Kyle's schedule and can get into a more regular routine. As it is right now, if Kyle has to go in or leave early or late, I have to go with him (since walking from work to here would take almost 4 hours, and even taking the bus out as far as it goes would leave a 2 hour walk).
Anyway, I think I've rambled on enough for today.
The biggest news is that Mel and I got an apartment and we're moving at the end of the month. It's a cool place near downtown Brantford. It's the third floor (loft) of a house that isn't entirely unlike 202 Erb. Good size living room and kitchen, with an 11x11 bedroom and an 11x11 "den" (which is basically a second bedroom, but can't be called that since it doesn't have a window). The location is ideal, with a bus for me to get to and from work only a couple of minutes away, busses to the mall a few minutes away, and the downtown transit terminal (where all bus routes start and finish) a 10 minute walk. For $650/month, it's a pretty solid deal, and definitely a good place to start.
I'm really happy and excited about this, because the whole different cities, only seeing each other on weekends thing sucks. That's pretty much how it's been since we got together last year, and it was tough enough with the distance only being Toronto to Brampton. Toronto to Brantford has been harder, but I've tried to stay focused on the goal of getting a place together here, and now that's happened. Other benefits to the situation are the fact that it seems South-Western Ontario has turned into a pretty common place for people I know. Jeff and Jenn in Cambridge, Meaghan and Dan in Woodstock, Justin in Waterloo... Hopefully we'll be able to get together more!
The summer has been busy, as anyone who has seen my photo albums on Facebook can tell. Something going on pretty much every weekend. Birthday parties, barbecues, trips to a cottage and Niagara Falls, day at The Ex. And of course the busy doesn't stop, with the next few weekends already booked. Camping out in the yard here this coming weekend. Jay's game with Kyle, Zach and Braedyn next Friday followed by a couple of nights cat-sitting in Brampton. Then the move at the beginning of October. Maybe after that things will calm down. Of course, we'll be doing Hallowe'en in Etobicoke at karaoke, and we're looking at a weekend in Niagara for our anniversary either the weekend before or after.
Oh! And I've been asked to be in two weddings next year. My Uncle in April and a friend from karaoke in June. So I have a Buck and Doe in November for my Uncle's, and possibly something along those lines for the other at some point. I guess the busy never stops!
Speaking of busy, how about a little work update... I basically have 4 jobs. I'm a Press Assistant, which involves mounting tooling and printing plates on cylinders, washing ink out of the press and prepping material. When I'm not doing that, I'm a Rewinder, which involves taking the printed rolls from the press and running them through a machine (not surprisingly called a Rewinder) to the customer's specifications, then boxing, tagging and preparing them to ship. When a truck comes for loading/unloading, or a skid needs to be taken down from the racks, I'm a Forklift driver. Then when I'm not doing any of those things, I do whatever needs to be done around the plant. For example, today I started the unenviable task of taking all of the random rolls of material we have sitting around and putting them into some semblance of order. Oh, and they've also shown me how to actually make the printing plates, so if/when I start doing that semi-regularly (I haven't actually done one yet) that'll be job number 5.
The good news, as Kyle's told me, is that being able to do all of these things makes me valuable. We're a bit slow right now, and several people have been told to stay home for a day here or there, but I haven't. I am a bit worried that I might be too valuable, in that they might not consider me if an office position (which would be closer to my ideal) comes up, because they won't be able to do without me in the plant. I guess we'll see. The moving thing will also be nice, because I won't be tied to Kyle's schedule and can get into a more regular routine. As it is right now, if Kyle has to go in or leave early or late, I have to go with him (since walking from work to here would take almost 4 hours, and even taking the bus out as far as it goes would leave a 2 hour walk).
Anyway, I think I've rambled on enough for today.