(no subject)
I am back in Edmonton, where it is currently snowing. >.< Ken moved to Nanaimo this week, so I drove there with him last Monday (May 11) and spent a week with him in B.C. I got back this past Sunday. It was such a fantastic week, and it was a little hard to leave. Being in B.C., with the scenery and laid-back atmosphere, makes me want to move there even more.
My main worry is not whether or not I want to move, but whether or not I will be able to afford it. I have been unemployed for seven weeks today, and my savings are now officially gone. As I've said before, it's not from trying; today and/or tomorrow, I am planning to print off a bunch of resumes and start handing them out at restaurants and retail locations. It feels like a last resort, but finding an office job, even at a very basic entry level, has been proving impossible. I will only be receiving one more rent cheque from Jenn (for the month of July - she's heading to Europe at the start of August), as she's been kindly paying me in advance to help with bills. I just received my 2007 tax return, and will gather my T4s for 2008, so that will also help.
As long as I can find something, become much more strict with my savings, find someone to rent my condo, and possibly rent out my parking stall (if my future renters don't require it), I should be okay to potentially move by September. On top of that, I want to try and secure a job and apartment ahead of time. I am definitely starting to contemplate whether I want to move to Vancouver or Nanaimo. I really did enjoy it out on the island, and it would nice to be near Ken. As much as I've said this move isn't about him, and it's still true that I've been very much wanting a change for myself for some time - he's still an important factor in all this. I feel so exhausted with all this, like I'm not doing all that I could be, or that I'm somehow failing myself. Victoria suggested applying for design jobs ahead of time in Vancouver, as that would be my main reason for moving there. If I send out a bunch of resumes and have the same lack of response as I'm having here, it might not be so bad moving to Nanaimo, assuming I'd be finding similar work, and cheaper rent. Le sigh. We'll see.
Anyway, with those thoughts out of the way: last week was awesome! We hit the road early Monday morning, taking lots of stops along the way to let his poor car rest (it's a 1990 Ford Tempo... I'm surprised we made it!). We spent Monday night with Nicki in Surrey; Tuesday morning, she took us to a bird sanctuary and winery on Westham Island. Tuesday afternoon, we took the ferry across to the island. It was a beautiful day, so we hung out on the deck for a while (being sure to quote "I'm on a boat, mother fucker!" about 1000 times).
When the ferry started pulling into the island, Ken's face absolutely lit up. It looked like he even got a little teary-eyed. It was nice to see him so happy. :) I'm proud and happy for him. I can't remember the order in which we did things, so I'll just list a few things. First, we got him settled in, and took a few trips to stores to get a few more things and groceries. His basement suite is really nice, and it's on a fancy street. Nanaimo itself is really pretty, and a decent size (79,000). We checked out downtown, which is on the waterfront, and has an old arts district attached, and it has a very cool feel to it. We also went swimming; took a morning trip to Victoria to visit the Buttchart Gardens; did a canyon zipline at Wild Play (so much fun!); ate at a few nice restaurants (best. sushi. ever.); saw Star Trek; and spent most of the evenings watching TV and cuddling at his place.
Saturday morning, we took the ferry back to Nicki's to spend our last evening with her. We went to another winery, wandered around White Rock (and had more omigod yummy sushi!), then came back to her place. She had a BBQ to go to, so Ken and I walked around her neighbourhood and ordered BPs for supper back at her place. We were exhausted but waited up for Nicki, and then we just watched movies and checked out random Internet crap until 2:30a! I was so tired, but I'm glad we stayed up. More time for hanging out. We finally went to bed, and Ken and I stayed up and chatted a little bit longer. He hasn't been as emotional as I've been lately, but he's been a lot more cuddly and "cute". Once or twice throughout the night, I recall briefly waking up and he was still holding me tight.
Sunday morning, Nicki drove us to the airport, where I had to say goodbye. :( Actually, I think I got most of my crying out over the past few weeks, so I wasn't too bad at the airport. Nicki gave me a hug and went back to the car, and then Ken stayed with me for a minute before I went inside. I took a bit too long at Tim Horton's before going through security, and ended up having a WestJet employee track me down because I was the last passenger they were waiting for. -^^- Whoops!
Ken and Nicki hung out for the rest of the day in Vancouver/Surrey and then he caught the ferry back to Nanaimo later in the evening. Amanda, Kevin and Tristan picked me up from the airport, and we spent the afternoon at Fort Edmonton Park (it was the official opening for the summer, but unfortunately it rained for most of it). Since then, I've been at home, sort of moving in slow motion. I've applied for a few more jobs online, and went to Mikado and saw earth with Victoria last night. I enjoyed it, but I think March of the Penguins was better. With James Earl Jones narrating, I kept waiting for him to talk about the 'circle of life' (and sure enough, he did).
I just made some baked potatoes, and am waiting for the rain/snow to stop. I hope it does, so I can take a walk around Clareview with resumes. If it doesn't, I might still head out, or go to City Centre with some resumes. Ken started his practicum today, so he will be calling tonight to tell me about it. :) Tomorrow, I have lunch plans with Rob, and after that, Meth is coming over to take a look at a couple outlets that aren't working. Edit: The next two weekends will be busy: This weekend is Devon Days, so I'm hoping to get down for that. I think Dad's coming into town though, so maybe I'll see if he wants to go, maybe visit Aunt Tara (or Ken's parents), and then we can drive back into the city. The following weekend, Mom & Jim, my cousin Sara (wenchlette), and possibly more family will be down for my Uncle Lewis' 50th birthday party. Should be fun!
I hope everyone had a nice long weekend! Cheers!
My main worry is not whether or not I want to move, but whether or not I will be able to afford it. I have been unemployed for seven weeks today, and my savings are now officially gone. As I've said before, it's not from trying; today and/or tomorrow, I am planning to print off a bunch of resumes and start handing them out at restaurants and retail locations. It feels like a last resort, but finding an office job, even at a very basic entry level, has been proving impossible. I will only be receiving one more rent cheque from Jenn (for the month of July - she's heading to Europe at the start of August), as she's been kindly paying me in advance to help with bills. I just received my 2007 tax return, and will gather my T4s for 2008, so that will also help.
As long as I can find something, become much more strict with my savings, find someone to rent my condo, and possibly rent out my parking stall (if my future renters don't require it), I should be okay to potentially move by September. On top of that, I want to try and secure a job and apartment ahead of time. I am definitely starting to contemplate whether I want to move to Vancouver or Nanaimo. I really did enjoy it out on the island, and it would nice to be near Ken. As much as I've said this move isn't about him, and it's still true that I've been very much wanting a change for myself for some time - he's still an important factor in all this. I feel so exhausted with all this, like I'm not doing all that I could be, or that I'm somehow failing myself. Victoria suggested applying for design jobs ahead of time in Vancouver, as that would be my main reason for moving there. If I send out a bunch of resumes and have the same lack of response as I'm having here, it might not be so bad moving to Nanaimo, assuming I'd be finding similar work, and cheaper rent. Le sigh. We'll see.
Anyway, with those thoughts out of the way: last week was awesome! We hit the road early Monday morning, taking lots of stops along the way to let his poor car rest (it's a 1990 Ford Tempo... I'm surprised we made it!). We spent Monday night with Nicki in Surrey; Tuesday morning, she took us to a bird sanctuary and winery on Westham Island. Tuesday afternoon, we took the ferry across to the island. It was a beautiful day, so we hung out on the deck for a while (being sure to quote "I'm on a boat, mother fucker!" about 1000 times).
When the ferry started pulling into the island, Ken's face absolutely lit up. It looked like he even got a little teary-eyed. It was nice to see him so happy. :) I'm proud and happy for him. I can't remember the order in which we did things, so I'll just list a few things. First, we got him settled in, and took a few trips to stores to get a few more things and groceries. His basement suite is really nice, and it's on a fancy street. Nanaimo itself is really pretty, and a decent size (79,000). We checked out downtown, which is on the waterfront, and has an old arts district attached, and it has a very cool feel to it. We also went swimming; took a morning trip to Victoria to visit the Buttchart Gardens; did a canyon zipline at Wild Play (so much fun!); ate at a few nice restaurants (best. sushi. ever.); saw Star Trek; and spent most of the evenings watching TV and cuddling at his place.
Saturday morning, we took the ferry back to Nicki's to spend our last evening with her. We went to another winery, wandered around White Rock (and had more omigod yummy sushi!), then came back to her place. She had a BBQ to go to, so Ken and I walked around her neighbourhood and ordered BPs for supper back at her place. We were exhausted but waited up for Nicki, and then we just watched movies and checked out random Internet crap until 2:30a! I was so tired, but I'm glad we stayed up. More time for hanging out. We finally went to bed, and Ken and I stayed up and chatted a little bit longer. He hasn't been as emotional as I've been lately, but he's been a lot more cuddly and "cute". Once or twice throughout the night, I recall briefly waking up and he was still holding me tight.
Sunday morning, Nicki drove us to the airport, where I had to say goodbye. :( Actually, I think I got most of my crying out over the past few weeks, so I wasn't too bad at the airport. Nicki gave me a hug and went back to the car, and then Ken stayed with me for a minute before I went inside. I took a bit too long at Tim Horton's before going through security, and ended up having a WestJet employee track me down because I was the last passenger they were waiting for. -^^- Whoops!
Ken and Nicki hung out for the rest of the day in Vancouver/Surrey and then he caught the ferry back to Nanaimo later in the evening. Amanda, Kevin and Tristan picked me up from the airport, and we spent the afternoon at Fort Edmonton Park (it was the official opening for the summer, but unfortunately it rained for most of it). Since then, I've been at home, sort of moving in slow motion. I've applied for a few more jobs online, and went to Mikado and saw earth with Victoria last night. I enjoyed it, but I think March of the Penguins was better. With James Earl Jones narrating, I kept waiting for him to talk about the 'circle of life' (and sure enough, he did).
I just made some baked potatoes, and am waiting for the rain/snow to stop. I hope it does, so I can take a walk around Clareview with resumes. If it doesn't, I might still head out, or go to City Centre with some resumes. Ken started his practicum today, so he will be calling tonight to tell me about it. :) Tomorrow, I have lunch plans with Rob, and after that, Meth is coming over to take a look at a couple outlets that aren't working. Edit: The next two weekends will be busy: This weekend is Devon Days, so I'm hoping to get down for that. I think Dad's coming into town though, so maybe I'll see if he wants to go, maybe visit Aunt Tara (or Ken's parents), and then we can drive back into the city. The following weekend, Mom & Jim, my cousin Sara (wenchlette), and possibly more family will be down for my Uncle Lewis' 50th birthday party. Should be fun!
I hope everyone had a nice long weekend! Cheers!