Back in the Saddle

Well, I'm back apparently! Due to (a lack of) popular demand, I decided to start blogging again. I've missed it this past 14 months.

My big motivation to restart my blog is that this fall, I'm taking several hobby classes and I know I'm going to want to take photos and write about what I'm making. Jaime's learning skills!

First, a little catch up. Chances are if you're reading this, you already know me. But if not, this is what I've been up to...

-I'm still living with my dad in Sarnia, still working at the same place. I was supposed to be transferred to Windsor this spring but it was put on hold until next year. This is actually fine by me, but I'm just hoping they still want to/can hire me next year. It's been a big source of stress for me not knowing what's around the corner.

-Anthony and I are still together and going strong. We went to Seattle earlier this year with some of his friends and it was fun. Our 3rd anniversary is coming up which is just bonkers. I can't believe how fast time is flying but I guess it means I'm having fun!


Seattle Pike Place Market

-In July, I went back to Iqaluit for 2 weeks. It was very surreal at first but once the weirdness wore off, I realized the place hadn't changed at all. I had been missing Nunavut pretty hard before my trip but now that I've been back, I feel much more settled in Ontario. I feel more appreciative now of the things I have access to down here. When I first moved back, I was mostly appreciative of cheap groceries and 24-hour businesses. Now I'm appreciative of access to cheap everything in Michigan and Chipotle. Yes, Chipotle, but really, any giant burrito will do. Gotta have my burritos now. I blame Anthony for my crippling addiction.


One of the highlights of my Iqaluit trip, The Snack!

-I've also been to Toronto several times since you last heard from me. Most recently, my best friend, Tori, and I went to the Canadian National Exhibition. I recently had a matricectomy so I was a little miserable until I bought some Teva sandals. Despite my only having 9 toenails, we had a blast. I even got to buy Tori her first ever deep-fried Oreos. She probably wishes she never let me force her to try them. If you've ever had them, you know what I'm talking about. Those suckers are addictive.


The CNE

So that's about all. In my next entries, I'll focus more on the future of this blog, which I'm excited about and hopefully you are too!

Winning

Well, I'm happy to say I have found my new car. My mom is going to sell me her Ford Fusion. It's actually a great win-win situation for both of us. I started to gear my search towards sedans (I'm oh so practical) and having a driven my own (leased) Fusion for 7 months, I knew the Fusion would be very ideal. My mom recently bought a fully-loaded 2007 Fusion with the highest trim level (V6 engine, heated leather seats, moon roof!). She also just bought a house and she's been stressed about being able to afford all her bills, mainly the car loan. A few weeks ago I was debating about whether to ask her if she'd sell the car to me, but wasn't sure. Two weeks ago the lease on my Fusion matured and my mom agreed to let me drive hers until I bought something. This week I started really getting serious about buying a car. I realized if I wanted a good price, I was going to have to go to Toronto to buy something. I have neither the time nor the desire to go to such trouble. So I asked her if she wanted to sell her car to me and I'd help her find something cheaper, and she agreed it was a good idea.

I'm really happy about it and look forward to transferring the ownership. Anthony's response about it was, "Dude, you're 24 and you're going to have a car with heated leather seats. Congrats."

--

In other news, these past 2 days I was in London for work. Although it doesn't faze my coworkers, to me getting to go out of town for work is a huge treat. I never got to do these things up north so I just soak it all in now.

This was the second time I've had to go to London for work. It's kind of a strange experience being back in London. As you may know, I lived there for a year before moving to Nunavut. I absolutely hated living there. At the time I was working a crappy call centre job, taking the bus, living paycheque to paycheque. Life was dismal to say the least, and I felt like London was chewing me up and spitting me out. I felt like life was a game I was losing and honestly, most of the time I was there I was in a state of depression. I'm not exaggerating when I say I used to pray I'd get hit by a car so I wouldn't have to go to work (or come home). When I'd be crossing the street and a car came near me, I'd think, "Hit me hit me hit me hit me!" When I left, I never wanted to step foot in London again.

But now, much to my surprise, I'm back and my life isn't a losing battle anymore. Driving downtown to go to a meeting with other federal employees, I can't help but feel like I won the battle against London. Instead of the cold bus, I have my own car (with heated leather seats!). There's no minimum wage, instead I have a cushy unionized job. To be in London and everything in my life has done a 180 for the better is a pretty cool feeling. Yesterday during a boring point in the meeting, I took stock of the situation. Dress pants, loafers, a coffee in one hand and a pen in the other. Listening to people talk about government policy as it relates to our work. A stark difference from the days when I'd peel unwashed clothes off my bedroom floor, gather my dirty hair into a ponytail, head out for the bus and go to my crap job. Somehow I got pretty darn lucky. I feel really fortunate that I can come back as a successful person. I've come a long, long way and it makes me realize that even though my life sucked for awhile, I came out ahead and without that crap time, I wouldn't be where I am now. It's a great feeling.

The other cool part about going to London was I got to stay with Jen and her family for the night. She made a yummy dinner and then we had a few rounds of Carcassonne and Catan. Thanks again, Jen! It was fun!

Pros and Cons

It's been almost 5 months since I moved back to Ontario. The time is flying so fast, I can't even believe it. Next week I'll be experiencing my third season here! I think about Iqaluit and miss it everyday. As I was preparing to move south, I had several people say to me, "You'll be back, you're a lifer." While it's true I loved living there and was a "lifer" compared to most non-Inuit, I don't think I'd ever move back. It was just time to go, time to move onto a new phase of life. I think had I stayed a few more years, I literally would never have left. I didn't want to be stagnant before I'd even hit 30. As stressful as things have been since I left, they're necessary stresses.

Anyway, now that I feel fully acclimatized to life here, this is what I do and don't like about it.

DISLIKE:

Traffic

Traffic lights

Not knowing where anything is in the grocery stores. I stick to 1 or 2 stores because I hate that lost feeling when I go in other stores.

The scenery here is boring, I miss the tundra.

I no longer feel like I'm doing anything special or unique with my life.

I don't really have any friends here and I only ever socialize with my family.

I miss wing night Wednesdays in Iqaluit with my friends.

It takes so long to drive anywhere in town.

Despite growing up in Sarnia, I often have to consult Google and/or Street View to find new places.

Constantly being asked about what life was like up north. How can you summarize 4 intense years with 1 sentence? Sometimes I want to reply to this question with, "Sjfhgslkfghisurghfbckvjkdjfhgk!" and tell them it's a combination of every adjective in the dictionary.

Constantly being criticized any time I complain I'm cold. YES I'M COLD, GET OVER IT.

The lack of northern lights in the sky.

People are less friendly and helpful. In Iqaluit I had trouble opening my sealift and my neighbours (who were also coworkers) came to my rescue. Twenty bucks says if I was struggling with let's say, my car in the parking lot outside my apartment building, nobody would even notice.

The air quality here is noticeably poorer than up north. I've since developed a daily cough that I never had before.

LIKE:

Self-checkout lanes. Yes yes yes! The less I have to talk to somebody, the better.

Getting fresh food in the grocery store. Even now I still kind of have that mindset of "Oh I better eat this within the next 48 hours or it's going to go bad." I'm literally shocked when my fruit is still ripe 3 days later.

I get to see my family all the time. I live with my dad but when I want to see my mom, I just drop over for a visit. And because she's family, I can just get up and leave whenever I want. It's great.

If I'm lying awake and hungry in bed at 3am, I can leave and go get food. That's still a luxury.

Food takeout websites, where you order the food on the website and it arrives at your house. In Ann Arbor, Anthony and I frequently have food delivered to the house that we ordered from Campus Foods (thank you, University of Michigan, for existing in Ann Arbor). Last week I ordered Pizza Hut here and went and picked it up. I just think it's so convenient.

I get to partake in all my old traditions and I have been. The Brigden Fair, the Big Sisters' craft sale, Christmas on the Farm...all the things I missed while living up north.

Being able to have an iPhone. Enough said!

The Internet is NOT deplorable and actually works well all of the time.

The YMCA here is great. My knee is finally feeling better so I plan to start going again very soon.

Although I made very good friends in Nunavut, all of my childhood friends are in Ontario. I've been able to visit them since I came back, and can do so now without 5 months' notice anymore.

Paved roads. Hallelujah.

I don't ever have to deal with Northwest Hell (AKA NorthwesTel) ever again!!!!!

The weather is great. Today I stepped outside into -5C. I told my dad, "It's warm outside!" My dad disagreed but to me, this is sweater weather. I can definitely handle this for the rest of my life. We just got snow this past weekend too (you might have seen Sarnia on the news, we had a bad storm). No snow until the middle of December? And it melts in March? Who died and made Mother Nature a saint?