New in New England

As of tomorrow I will officially have been in the states for one month. Crazy how fast the time goes by. In my attempt to keep the world at large my few friends and followers updated here is the scoop.

My grandmother's health continues to decline. It is unfortunate, though expected, and all parties here are doing their best to ensure she is comfortable and well cared for. I didn't think someone could look so cute in a shower cap sans teeth.

On a happier note I have had the opportunity to take in some of the city and surrounding areas. Harvard Square, Davis Square, Cambridge. I'm still uncertain why one would name their restaurant Tavern in the Square, TITS was an inevitable nickname. Bonus: It is a chain!

Friday evening was a trek into downtown Boston. Thank god I was with someone from around here as this infographic does a pretty good job of describing the complicated road system.

My aunt, uncle and I had a lovely if not loud dinner at Fire & Ice a wicked cool place where you pick the food and then they fry it up on a giant circular grill in the middle of the restaurant. We lost track of how many birthdays were being celebrated at 5. Then it was off to Cheers for a pint and some 90's Canadian music. I'm not lying, Alanis and Barenaked Ladies, we were only there about 20 minutes.

Yesterday was my first trip to Salem. Anyone who knows me, knows my love of Harry Potter. So it should come as no surprise that I was excited to take in the historic mecca of witchcraft. Our first stop was the cemetery. 

These benches serve as graves for the hanged witches, who were never given a proper burial

We got our nerd/dork on with a segway tour of the city.

 

House of Seven Gables

At the Peabody Essex Museum there were a ton of interesting artistic pieces bit none more fun than Nick Cave's Soundsuit.

All in all I would categorize things in a "so far so good" manner. This weekend I am off to Florida(also a first). Hopefully I will remember to take some photos and will have more stories to share. 

xoxo Bec

 

New adventures: Life, Time, and Family

Hello again! Much has happened in the past few months. I will attempt to document and bring y'all up to date. My last post was in June so a 3 month hiatus is actually not that bad for me. Alas here we go, the nitty gritty(note this post does not include fishing in the dark).

I once again attended Bluesfest this year. Scratching Bjork, B.B King and a couple of others off my list. The most exciting show was Yukon Blonde though. It was about 40 degrees(Celsius) outside and we were cooking. Luckily festival organizers had the forethought to have staff hosing down the crowd. A good friend was able to boost me on his shoulders and I got drenched! It was exhilarating and all together a fantastic weekend culminating in a birthday bash for one of my besties. I just used the word "besties". Not sure how to feel about that...

My sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. My nephew Adrian is the cutest little thing. I know, I know everyone says that about the new baby in their lives but he just has the pudgiest little lips and long fingers and toes. I was fortunate enough to get down to see him at just one day old.

  Discalimer: Not one day old in this photo, but look at that face!

Beginning of August hit and my aunt was generous enough to fly me down to Boston for a visit. Flying sucks. By which I mean airports are the worst. I manage to always have delays. My experience has been that driving is often faster.

The trip was a really nice break away from work for a few days, though came with some emotional baggage. My grandmother has advanced vascular dementia which has been compounded by a variety of other health issues. I saw her every day of my trip and cried more than I have in the last 6 months. It is just so difficult to see someone you love and have such fond memories of deteriorate. It is especially difficult for me to feel like I have no control.

So fast-forward. To now. Nana has moved into my aunt's home. So have I. I have left my job, my friends, my life and am taking in life as an American for a while. It involves a lot of being in the same three rooms talking to someone who can't talk back. It is hard. I am coping. The wonderful world of the internet at least allows me to keep in touch with everything I left behind.

Plus there are positives! I am all about the positives. I get to spend valuable time that I can't ever get back with my grandmother. I also get to have time and build stronger relationships with my aunts, uncles and cousins who live here.

Its Boston(read:Bawwsten) baby. I get to learn how to speak without the letter "R"! I went to a house party last weekend and tried it out a little bit. I'm not there just yet. The party was a hoot though. Drunk twenty year-olds trying to play football, a fire pit, this song and getting asked to determine who had the best breasts. All in all one for the win column.

I still have a variety of things to do and explore. The aquarium, the Science Museum, Faneuil Hall, Harvard Square and more! I may even get to take in a super intimate and awesome Living room show put on by Julia Nunes.

So those are the updates. I have a fair bit of free time so if you have suggestions as to what I should be doing, reading, listening to etc. leave me a comment or hit me up. Apologies if my stream of consciousness writing style is hard to follow. MISS YOU ALL IN CANADA!!

Talking without talking

I am writing this as a sort of response to my brother who posted this earlier this week. I find it inspiring that he is willing to share so much of himself to what has the potential to be a completely unknown audience. Even if the only people who read it are close friends and family, he’s got guts. And so I will call on a behaviour I locked onto as a child, If he can do it damned if I can’t too!.

This has been a really great week for me. I was able to discuss a few issues related to my job with my boss and I felt well received. I was instrumental in the running of a major event here in the capital. I had some really great back and forth with family. AND I found out I GET TO SEE PAUL MCCARTNEY!! So it’s fair to say my spirits are high.

But this isn’t always the case. I know it is “normal” to have ups and downs and I can accept that about myself and of others around me. What I’m not so great at is admitting when I may be a little down. Or admitting anything about myself that goes much deeper than skin.

I like to think that I am great at making friends. Realistically I think I am great at making acquaintances. Without puffing my chest up too much, I’m pretty awesome, people like me, and that’s fantastic. I wouldn’t want it any other way. What I would like is to have a few more meaningful relationships in my life. People that I can view as a priority that view me in the same light. A partner in crime and in bed isn’t too much to expect is it?

If this post goes unread I can look at it as an exercise. How to be open without actually having to say anything out loud. And for me that is a step in the right direction, I think.

Brian dabbled in his recent sexual exploits; I don’t have any to report. So sorry? If you were hoping for tales of sexy times on the beach read his blog not mine.

Ultimately though I’d like to talk a little bit about mental health. I have seen family members and close friends struggle with various metal health issues, problems, things, (why can’t I come up with a term that has a more positive connotation?) over the years. I feel stable but that doesn’t mean I am free from trapping myself in my own head from time to time. READ: pretty much daily. Even writing this I am second guessing what is “OK” to put down and what is taboo.

It is PRIDE month, well everywhere except Ottawa. I am single. That upsets me. Though not as much as the idea of finding someone terrifies me. I know I need to get some things sorted with me before I become part of a we. I just find I come back around to a familiar thought.         

To be a teenager again! I feel like that is a strange sentiment. And maybe it is for someone approaching their mid-twenties. Yet I find myself thinking about how easy things were. Get up. Go to school. Sports practice or after school job. 

My life now is not so different. Get up. Go to work. After work drinks at the pub. Browse the internet. I’m not even sad that my life can be broken down so simply. But what does it mean? Does my life show signs of personal growth? Would it be so bad to experience the day to day knowing someone is thinking of me? Someone I can think about too? I think not. For now I will settle on being pretty happy which is ultimately what is most important. Right?

My year in review

I know, I know, the year is not yet at a close. So let's go with finger's crossed something ultra exciting happens in the next 12 days.
22 was a pretty good and somewhat eventful year for me. I moved(twice, although once just across town...). I switched jobs twice. I attended two music festivals. I probably did some other things in twos as well.
I came out to family, and close friends, and am doing so for anyone else here and now. It was stressful but ultimately really positive. It is refreshing to know that the people I care about also care about me. Not to belittle the coming out period for anyone else,which I know can be quite traumatising, but mine was surprisingly accepting. I feel good about feeling awesome about it. For anyone wanting to know more details, ask. I am not fully out at work. Its just easier to keep this part of my life at least somewhat separate. I’m not by any means hiding who I am, just not broadcasting it from the rooftops…

          

I flew for the first time since I was 9 years old. Due to delays, my trip to Boston, which is a total of about 3 hours in flight time, took longer than my parents’, who drove(8 hours).  Aside from that I had the chance to spend some quality time with family I hadn’t seen in years. There was a pool, a bar, games, prizes, and the Olympics all in one weekend. I didn’t mention the food but there were an abundance of tasty treats as well.
I got comfortable with the idea of going to the bar alone. It has paid off in many hung over mornings and a new set of friends. I dated someone crazy, and went to a lot of drag shows. I read a few really good books. If you care enough to know what those are you can look here. I just realized how not in order that list is…  But above all I have worked a lot and failed to keep up with my laundry. 
Bi-annual updates seem to be about all I can manage, so I hope that works for you all. All 5 of you, or whatever the count may be. With failing to do my laundry comes a failed attempt at organizing my life into witty anecdotes for your consumption.
As a close I wish you all a merry Christmas, or happy holiday of your choice. Perhaps I will provide more updates in the coming new year. Don’t hold your breath. Here are some other things not to do. Do wash your clothes.
Xoxo Bec
P.S. If the world ends in two days. I hope it was a good run for you.
P.P.S. In regards to the list of things not to do, do some of them. Like exercising your right to wear clashing outfits as often as possible. 

I am Canadian!

Two days ago Canada celebrated her 145th birthday. I celebrated with my sister who came to town for the weekend of festivities. For those who don’t know me, holidays are the perfect reason/excuse for a costume. So this happened.

          

The day went on, it was pretty hot. We stopped for beers and dancing and this look came about.

         

Living in the capital provides advantages. They close down the roads in the downtown core for pedestrian traffic. You can dance everywhere you go, and we did. At the bus stop, at the Laff, at the hill, for busking musicians, essentially everywhere we went. And then for another 4 or so hours at The Lookout.  

The worst part of the greatest day was that I actually had to drink Canadian .  Small compromises I suppose.

 

I hope you all had a fantastic Canada Day! Happy Independence day to all the Americans tomorrow! And remember, when you get the chance, dance.

xoxo

Bec 

Forward Momentum

I clearly fail at weekly posting once again...
A lot has been happening though.

I briefly was working at Canadian Tire until a former boss called me up to offer me a management position!
I am now part of a team that oversees the Sports Experts at Bayshore. Full time work with good pay means I have been able to start hunting for apartments.

And what a success! I will be moving on May 1st into a bachelor. Its halfway between my place of work and downtown. I will be able to get out and socialize when I please. I'm a few blocks from major transit and everything is included in my rent.

The unit is in an older house so I get something completely unique. I have a built in bookshelf wall, big windows and a quiet street. Right now I am pretty elated.

I can post some pictures once I am all moved in.

Until next time,

xoxo
Bec

You Wish, I wish, Here’s the Dish

Well here I am again(with a super lame title for a post). I totally did not come through with two posts last week but this still falls into a pretty consistent update schedule. Onwards with the story!

 

Last weekend, I helped out a friend running an event for the Children’s Wish Foundation. You Wish was a night of costumes, feathers, glitter, music and burlesque.

      

It was a long day of set-up and prep followed by festivities, tear down and drinks. It felt really good to be so instrumental in an events success. There were definite times when I was frazzled and running around(perhaps when I was on stage for about 30 seconds before the event’s MC stepped in) but overall I feel a really rewarding sense of accomplishment at the end of it all.

Unfortunately, I don’t have figures to provide about how much we raised. I do however know that we were able to fill the bar with family, friends, and positive support for an amazing cause. There was lace, big make-up, and a little bit of skin.  I would definitely do it all over again. And, I urge you to look into burlesque in your area. It is good comedic fun that welcomes all. Confident and sexy women don’t have to be a size zero.

 

And now, on a totally different note. I have my driver’s license back again(no it wasn’t suspended I just lapsed on its renewal). Regardless, it means my wishes are coming true. I don’t have to spend all of my time either trapped in my parent’s basement or at work. So all good and positive thoughts for the future. Leave me a comment if you so choose.

XOXO

Bec

Promises and Progress (Alliteration is fun!)

So in a continuation from my previous post… Look at me! Posting weekly! An improvement on my usual bloggin habits is a pleasant surprise for me and hopefully? for you too. I have been doing a lot of introspection lately so I will fill you in a little bit on that.

Moving back to Ottawa after living away for the past five years or so has been extremely stressful. I was able to build up my self confidence quite a bit while in St.Catharines and it is always daunting to find out if you will jive with people in a new place. Was that disjointed enough? Basically I’m struggling/trying to find the place that I fit best here after being so comfortable elsewhere.

So I am trying to establish and/or develop an online presence for myself. I am currently shacked in with my parents which means a lack of television, people, and basic services(i.e. the convenience store is 5KM away). It is a nice, comfortable prison of sorts.

This is kind of what it looks like but with snow

I sit and think and stew and have come to the conclusion that the best way for me to get in contact with/meet new people in the area is if they know who I am. This is really ground-breaking stuff guys, take notes. I feel I overuse the conjunction SO… But I will continue to blog, I’m thinking weekly posting is reasonable don’t you? You can also find me in the twitter sphere @ralkerto . Expect to find updates about my morning coffee, events I am interested in or attending and other random bits and bites.

I am on a quest for more sincere and honest relationships, but also just more relationships.

Seriously, get me out of the house!

Here’s the deal/proposition if you will. Are you a sincere and honest person (Bonus points if you like music and board games)? Leave me a comment, I will get back to you and we can be friends. sound good? Acquainted you say? Yeah, I can handle that for now. 

All the best to my new bests!

XOXO BEC

P.S. I had also wanted to post a little blurb about the burlesque event I worked on this weekend but I felt this was getting drawn out so if y’all are lucky I might just post twice this week!

I’m Back!!! Maybe

 

                      

So after almost a year long hiatus, I am going to try and get back into this blogging business. I can't make any promises about how often I will update because I procrastinate and am obviously not very good at this :). But stay positive and I will try and you can try and maybe things will be good.

Where to begin? I suppose we shall start where I last left you and I will try to fill in the blanks along the way. If you have questions comments or concerns don't be afraid to let me know.

Last June I attended the 10th annual Bonnaroo Music Festival and let me tell you it was the best time of my life! If you haven't gone, look into it. If you don't like people or music, first you fail, and second, don't look into it. All that aside it was hot as hell and the music and atmosphere were wonderful. There is just nothing quite like spending a weekend camping with 80, 000 like minded strangers who want to enjoy life and music. Everybody was ecstatic to be there and I was able to meet a ton of cool people from all over the place. I don't really have pictures of myself to share because I focused on getting shots of the bands but here are a couple for your viewing entertainment.

       

                 

     It was dirty and dusty, so were my feet…

      

       I doubt this is true but I do love unicorns.

I apparently missed getting a photo of

THIS TENT, but it was there too!

   

      Green man jam session on a bus? Why not?

And I also have lots of blurry band shots that I won’t bore you with.

Onwards. In August we threw a backyard bash for my sister’s birthday with bands and drinking and food and dancing(not necessarily in that order). I continued to work, hang out and caught some more live shows. Anybody else catching onto a pattern here? Fall was kind of boring and pretty rainy.

Christmas came. I once again was unable to come back to Ottawa to see my family due to work. I got pretty bummed and wasn’t the best of company. New year’s was a riot at the Merchant Ale House (if you are in St. Catharines, go here. Good food, good beer, nuff said). We got dressed up, drank and danced because, well I believe it’s a requirement.

Shortly after the beginning of January I decided to quit my job. I was frustrated and life was feeling too stagnant. So I have moved back to Ottawa. Since coming home I have a new job, have participated in some family photos, and have finished a few books. While I loved the rural lifestyle as a kid, being somewhat technology deprived in my twenties is killing me. If anyone has time killing tips or interesting topics for me to learn about, please, please let me know.

I’ll be volunteering this weekend at You Wish, a burlesque event for the Children’s Wish Foundation. Other than that I will just be back and forth to work, filing my taxes, and generally spacing out.

So there you are! All caught up. Fingers crossed for stories of note in the near future.

 

XOXO BEC 

Excitement!

A short list of reasons that I am excited.

1. My parents are coming to visit from Ottawa for the weekend. (Ya I saw them a couple of weeks ago for my Dad's 60th but this is family people)

2. My Aunt Nadine and Uncle Brian will also be here for the weekend. (I haven't seen them in over a year)

3. My parents will be bringing my BBQ with them. ( I have been waiting for this since X-mas)

4. Also on list of things to be brought, my fishing rod. Maybe I will actually get out on some water.

5. Bonnaroo is less than one month away!!

6. I am allowed to wear jeans at work all week. (Little things mean the most?)

What you got for excitement?

Four Months in the Making

So here we go again!

I am officially the worst blogger on the interweb.

So what have I done these past months? Unfortunately, not a whole lot.

I do however have some exciting things in the next few months. And I hope to post a little bit about them too!

So without further ado a quick update on the past and then one for the future.

PAST:

Christmas happened. And it was wonderful. I couldn't go home this year (for the first time ever) thanks to the fact that I work a retail job. But it was still really great. My house pulled together, got a real tree, hung stockings on the banister, and Steve cooked a delicious traditional meal with all the fixings. Then in early January I was able to make the trek home with my sister and have round two with the family. Exciting gifts include but are not limited to a Snuggie! a barbecue(still at the rents :( .) a unicorn, and a light up wand. Yes I am still a child, that loves food from the grill.

And yes, house. Maggie and I moved in with Steve(her boyfriend) and things here are going well.

I caught a few more shows. Most notably Steve Aoki. The lineup was stupid and although I will likely never return to that bar the show itself was great. Last weekend I saw Woodshed Orchestra which is a really fun group to see if you get the chance.

I wish I could say more than that has happened the past few months but aside from my day to day boredom of work there hasn't been a whole lot.


PRESENT:

Well I am still working the same job and thankfully things are starting to get busier again after the post-christmas lull.

For the first time I watched a season of the Bachelor.

And now for the good stuff. For those who don't know or hadn't realized, live music is pretty much all I care about other than eating, sleeping, and paying my bills. I don't particularly care for the last of those but alas it must be dealt with. I also have some time for televised sporting events and Glee.

This summer I will be taking a trip. No not the Caribbean, not Europe, not Australia or anywhere overly exotic. I am headed to Tennessee. Manchester, TN host of the 10th anniversary Bonnaroo festival! I can't begin to describe my elation in words. I will get to see some great acts for the second time but many for the first. A quick rundown of what I am most excited for has to include Florence & The Machine, Robert Plant, Ray LaMontagne and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. There are too many for me to list here but you can check out the full lineup if you are interested.

I will also be taking a trip back to Ottawa come April for both Easter and my father's 60th birthday bash. If anyone has gift ideas for a cynical old guy leave them in the comments.

In May my parents are coming to visit here. I have some family coming up from the States as well. They have never seen the Falls! You really do take certain natural world wonders for granted when they are just a short drive away.

Well I think that is all for now. I hope you are well.

Ch-ch changes

Time to be a different man... or woman as the case may be. So my last post was pretty brief and didn't really explain much of my life situation at the moment. I currently live in a sketchy downtown apartment, work a pretty good mall job if there ever was such a thing, and spend a lot of time hanging out alone. But please don't get too worried, it has only taken a few months in this lifestyle to realize it is not what I want. So bring on the change, I will do my best to prepare myself for it. also apologies for this post once again being late. It was almost ready to go when I was uprooted into my sister's boyfriend's house for a game night. This seems to happen almost daily so...
In the next month or so I will be moving. Into a house, with other people, and hopefully if all works out as planned I will be a much happier person. Having the power to up and move and do things differently for myself is really nice. I can't help but think "hey this isn't working."and now that leaves me with well fuck DO something about it. It also means I will get to enjoy board game night every night.

I am still unsure as to how much longer I will stay in this city but if things are looking good it may be a while. If I can get myself a government job with a more sizable and more stable paycheck it might not be such a long while. I really am trying to get myself all figured out but how can you know what really works without trying a few different things first. So I guess you can consider me in life-limbo for now. And coming up on my 21st birthday I'm gonna have to be lame and "Hallmarky" Live in the moment people dwelling really does suck.

xoxo

Bec

Ps aren't scattered thoughts fun? Sorry for writing this post in essentially 2 parts. I much prefer getting everything out in one shot so my thoughts, words, ideas are semi-congruent. Whatever.

future reference

So I have been fairly busy these past few months. Mainly working lots at a job I am not overly thrilled with, but such is life.

I am expecting some major changes on the horizon and will try to keep things updated. We all know how good I am at that :S.

Stay tuned for an update on some of those future plans... I will try to have something up by the end of this week.

Cheers!

Remember me?

So after a not so brief hiatus, I return. Failblog is a pretty fitting name for me, but obviously is already taken. These past few months haven't really been too exciting or groundbreaking. I've been working, lots. Don't worry this isn't a bitter lament just a comment as to where I have been.

Renovations at work are done and the new store is all shiny pretty. The girls are all good and my sister is happy that I have started to hang out with them when I have time off. All that aside, let's get to the good stuff. When not working I have managed to get some great shows in the mix as well.

My summer concert series:

I kicked things off with a killer show at the Horseshoe Tavern and Born Ruffians CD Launch.

St. Catharines does a one day festival hosting 140 bands in 15 venues, so I took on The Rumble Devils, The Lucky Ones, The Strange, Sea of Burgundy and Gold and a few others before the night was through. I was stuck at work for most of the day but a free pass with a free beer attached(thanks to my neighbour Mark) was not an offer to turn down.

As per usual caught a ton of great acts at Ottawa Bluesfest (unfortunately I was only there for 3 of the 12 days). They are as follows: The Moody Blues(briefly), Andrew Bird, B-52's. This was day one I finally managed to drag Alison from Party of 3 out to the fest. How someone could live in Ottawa so long and not make an appearance is beyond me.

Day two included an unforgettable set by John Butler Trio (in the rain, *swoon*). Then I popped over to catch The Tragically Hip's Gord Downie with his new back up group the Country of Miracles. Hole of Courtney Love fame was somewhat underwhelming so I hung around Babe Ruth and Marc Cohn until it was time for Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.

Saturday was my last day in Ottawa before I had to take the overnight bus back to St. Catharines in order to work Sunday morning. I made sure to arrive in the afternoon and take in as much as possible. Kings go Forth had some fun beats but nothing like that of Caravan Palace. Jumping from stage to stage I took in Bear in Heaven and then Basia Bulat. Then I was off to see Metric's main stage set(four times in one year! Starting and ending in the capital). 7:45 called for Carolyn Wonderland, if you like bluesy women she is a must see. It was no surprise to see the Texas Horns up on stage with her as they are festival regulars. 8:00Pm hit and it was time for Rodger Hodgson. That man still has it. I watched out the end of his set before jumping over to Passion Pit. Although they were putting together a solid set, The Flaming Lips were calling my name. Wayne Coyne (the lead singer) did not disappoint when he started the show by crowd surfing in a giant hamster ball. All in all it was a pretty great weekend closing out with roughly 30,000 people singing Do You Realize? the lips most recognizable tune.

That fantastic weekend didn't close out my summer of shows although as usual it was definitely the highlight. Ribfest brought out The Cavenders, a surprisingly solid Beatles cover band. I danced on a stool in front of the Rumble Devils in the best shoes an adult with tiny feet could (Did I mention they light up?) when they opened for The Strange at their Cd release party. Late August brought another trip to Toronto this time to see Crosby, Stills and Nash open for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Just in case you thought what next? I failed to mention my short jaunt to Hamilton for Festival of Friends a free concerts in the park weekend where I was lucky enough to see the man who opened Woodstock, Richie Havens!! Buckwheat Zydeco played too.

There are a handful of shows good, great and reasonable that have come and gone and all I can say is I wouldn't have it any other way. Also, "hey fall, what's up?"

To those unfamiliar with some, any or all of these acts, if "all" get your head checked, I suggest you check 'em out via youtube, grooveshark or whatever outlet you have.

Cheers for now,

Becca

Sorry!

I have been extremely absent as of late. Oops! I will try to make a conscious effort to update on a more regular basis. I need to write a piece about my trip to Ottawa and the various bands and shows of varying degrees of excellence I saw while there. I will let "you all" (are there enough people that read my blog to be referred to as all?) know a bit about my job and how that is going too. For now I merely ask forgiveness at my inability to do exciting things, or write about them for you to read :D

Cheers!

Jekyll and Hyde

My sister gets unnecessarily frustrated with people and life in general sometimes. When she does her explanations are often humorous. Earlier today she came out with something along the lines of:
You know those people who are always cracking jokes, having a good time, playing sports? You know them... the happy ones.

One of things she gets angered about is other people's happiness, which I can get. But here is the thing, I was that happy-go-lucky athlete in high school. So you may not find it surprising that her aggravation is often delivered towards me. Our friends think we a re both mean to each other. We both think we get along pretty well. All siblings bicker right?

SO in my attempt to become one of them again; I present to you a list of things that make me happy/keep me sane!


HAPPY SANE LIST:

1. Refreshing beverages

2. Relaxing with some good tunes

3. The Rubbermaid bin that has been converted into an ice bath for my feet. It sits in front of the living room couch!(I know another stroke of genius)

4. Fresh flowers

5. Board Games


What does it for you?

Tim Travels the Distance

So I guess I want to provide a little more background into why I started a blog. I have a couple of family members who blog as well, and it helps me to keep up to date with their lives, without having to see or talk to them all the time. Wow, that sounds terrible. I am in no way opposed to talking with or spending time with my family; hell I just moved in with my sister. But, as you probably know, things aren't usually that easy to schedule. Especially when your family lives a 7-8 hour drive away, and you don't own a vehicle. So ya, if you are still on track, blogging or rather frequenting my family's blogs has helped me to stay in the loop.

My aunt Alison's blog Party of 3 provides hilarious stories about her life with my two cousins aged seven and ten. She somewhat recently posted about her older daughter finding a spider in the basement and naming him Tim. I suggest you read the aforementioned post and some of her others as well, you'll be in stitches.

So after that somewhat lengthy and unplanned plug, I'll get to the point. Big and terrifying Tim came to live in my room. We aren't/weren't friends, unless my sheer terror came across as friendly..? One morning I woke up and there was a pretty big spider on my wall. I cowered and shook in the corner on my bed for a bit before deciding I couldn't stay in the room. My somewhat faltered logic suggested that I grab everything I need and close the door. Hopefully by the time I got home Tim would be gone.

That evening when I went home I checked my room and Tim appeared to be gone. I was still somewhat frightened, and with good reason. I wake up the next morning and he's back(same Tim, or otherwise his identical twin). This time Tim is low enough on the wall that I decide to be extra brave and attack. I grabbed a sturdy shoe and slowly advanced. I get close and swing, WHAM! my shoe hits the wall and Tim jumps. Yep, Tim is a jumping spider and I am shaking and doing some sort of seizure dance. I sleep on the couch. I know super lame. But honestly, tell me that eight legs aren't too many. The extra two legs increase the creepy crawly quotient by a significant amount. I can handle flies and ants, fish, frogs, and snakes, just not spiders, squid, or anything with lots of, frankly unnecessary, appendages.

Sorry, off on a tangent again. Before I curled up on the couch, I made sure to open my window extra wide, hoping Tim would here the call of the wild and leave in what I can only assume was the way he entered.

IT WORKED!! I am, in fact, on occasion, a genius. The morning after I slept on the couch I noticed Tim was outside my bedroom window. I promptly slammed my windows shut and am somewhat embarrassed to admit I haven't opened them since. I can't bring myself to risk the return of Tim.

This morning, my sister asked to sleep in my room because having the windows open makes it cooler at night. I don't know how to respond. She is totally welcome to sleep there, but Tim was a pretty traumatic experience. It might take years off my life if it happens again.

P.S If you are feeling courageous, look up the bold jumping spider and you will have a better understanding of how scary Tim really was.

This could be a low budget slasher film

One of the things I like to do in a new place is to get my bearings as soon as possible. Learn bus routes, major hubs, street names, places to go etc. You get the idea. Well yesterday, late afternoon/early evening I ended up a little bit frazzled. I got a call just before 5 pm for an interview at 6:30, that is correct about an hour and a half prep time not including travel. Awesome! So i ran around my house got ready figured out where I had to go and set out the door.

Evening buses only run once every hour here, so I found myself way earlier than necessary. I also found myself in what appeared to be the warehouse district. I was a little unnerved but made my way down the street looking for somewhere to kill a bit of time. No surprise there wasn't a whole lot around so I sat down at a closed for the night chip stand in unfamiliar territory. I was just hoping that the interview wasn't too traumatizing. The posting wasn't overly descriptive.

It was starting to rain lightly and I made my way back to the interview even though I knew I would still be pretty early. I walked in, sat down, and filled out the application. There were a handful of other people there too, and the interview ended up being one-on-two. It was a pretty basic interview and i knew I had it. Always a good feeling. So today, Friday and Saturday I have my training.

What is this new job I have you might ask? I am a knife salesperson. And I think this could end up working out really well for me. It is super flexible (important because it means Bluesfest will be no problem). The money is pretty good too.

So, if you find yourself in need of some high quality kitchen knives or gardening tools, talk to me. I'll see what we can figure out.

Cheers!

May is the new July

So this post is going to be super short. But I figured that my discomfort needed an outlet, so here we are. It is shortly after 10 PM and the outside temperature is 25 degrees Celsius. Under normal circumstances I would say "Fantastic!" (not in the annoying Cash for Life way) But I do like summer time.

It is May. And mid-twenties over night does nothing to cool off my un-air conditioned apartment.
I don't even particularly like air conditioning but I'm not sure how much longer I can put up with this heat. And although I live with my sister, I'm not sure either of us are ready to handle the sincere possibility of becoming nudists.

Cheers to cold beer that if not present in my fridge is just down the stairs.


And now for your viewing pleasure: Talk To Me, Dance With Me

Graduating from my Training Wheels

For the past week I have been spending everyday at the bike shop just up the street. Apparently I don't like to stray far from home. Cycling is awesome, but at the moment I don't own a bike. That is not why I have been there though.

I just finished a sporting goods business program; part of the program requirements for practical knowledge comes from completing placement hours. I am completing mine at (insert plug here) Rapid City Cycle.

It's a group of pretty good guys, and while they know every little intricacy and part for any bike ever made, I know almost nothing. So here is the good & bad on the situation.

GOOD:

• I am learning a bunch of stuff, about bikes and business
• I have very little responsibility (it's nice)
• I will hopefully get a good deal on a bike at the end of this

• I have been offered a variety of furniture, and people to move it for me

BAD:

• Customers ask me questions and I rarely know the answer.
  
• I often feel foolish and not overly useful
• On the flip to having little responsibility, I also have little to do.

QUESTIONABLE:

• The french guy who comes in a few times a day and always asks for my help even though he is aware of how little I know about bikes.
  

Multiple times a day I find myself saying, " Uh, I honestly don't know. Let me grab one of the guys to help you out." Or, alternatively, "Hmm, give me one sec and I'll check with George." I mean I think the honesty wins me some points, but its kind of difficult to be successful in a specialty store with only basic product knowledge.

At the end of today, I am happy, well-fed, and well accepted into an unfamiliar environment. I think I am doing alright.