First of all: I totally published this and then the site fucked up and deleted some but not all of this post. So thank you for bearing with me and my/blogger's failures. I'd rather blame it on the site, but, you know.
The facts: I got offered a position with the company I was working freelance for in San Francisco. I accepted it since it offered me monays, a couple benefits, and basically a more stable existence in my native land. Yes, that's right - I'm moving back to Canada. I'm there right now, in fact.
So with the support of my very good friends in San Francisco, whether emotional, logistical or both (thanks E.O., Marc, Tol, Phil and roomie Amy!) I put my shit in a Uhaul Ubox (I'll give their service 2 out of 5 stars, contact me for more details) that is supposed to ship in November, and flew off to Vancouver on Aug. 13, a Tuesday.
That night and the two after it, I stayed with a very nice CouchSurfer in the West End of Vancouver, which is full of beautiful, leafy-treed streets right near the busyness of downtown and beside the water and a beautiful beachside park. I don't have pics b/c I didn't have a camera phone then.
On Wednesday I had four places off Craigslist and Kijiji (Canadian classifieds site) all set up to go and see. I made up my spreadsheets of their advantages and disadvantages and set off to see them. Let me just say that it is crazy how different things can look in real life compared to their photos. To sum up:
Place 1: Lovely but in a not-great area, and the guy wanted me to "pick a day" to do my laundry, in advance, so he could unlock the magic door and let me through, but only on that day, like it was the wardrobe to Narnia or something. Thanks, buuuut....
Place 2: Oh my god. I like the smell of incense, but this was like all-permeating. And granted, for 800 plus utilities you were sharing a house with only two other people. But jesus christ. Also, it was one of those houses where everything looks ratty and dingy, even if it's clean.
Place 3: What the hell? $525 rent, utilities included, beautiful washer and dryer en-suite? What's the catch? Ok, ok, it's the basement, and it's a sleepy residential area, and the ceilings would be kinda low for someone taller than me, and the place is tiny/my room will be tiny, but WHO CARES IT'S 525 DOLLARS A MONTH! And there's a roomie! And she's little and sweet! And she has a car and likes to go snowboarding!
Place 4: Um, ew. I would never live here.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A WINNER! 3, you may step up to claim your prize.
So ends the one-day saga of my looking for a place (I am the champion of finding places to live in like no time flat, don't jinx it laura!) and so begins the saga of my needing a phone.
Maaaaan oh man. Let me tell you something. When you first get your brand new laptop you're like "wow, it's so light! I could take this anywhere because it weighs no more than a feather!" - and then you actually cart it around on your shoulders for an entire day because you need it to access the Wi-Fi you scrounge from some rando café or a Starbucks (3 times in one day) and you're like Mary Mother of God, if only I had a Smart PhoneTM with, like, DATA so I could google map stuff from ANYWHERE and didn't have to have a 100-pound weight on my back while I walk way more than I'm used to in a city I don't know!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sooo yeah. I did tons of research on phone companies and phones and eventually splurged bigga time on an HTC One cuz, I wanted to. So now I have a pretty phone that I can use to talk to people and stuff. And unlimited texting to the U.S., what what!
So then I was just kinda hanging in Vancouver. Following is a list of my observations:
1. Everyone smiles at the Vancouver airport. I was like, "that's nice, get out of my way, it's hot."
2. When I got here it felt positively tropical compared to the icy scapes of San Francisco. It's the humidity and lack of frigid wind, I think.
3. "Downtown" to me meant either "Toronto skyscraper good-luck-getting-any-food-out-here-chump" downtown or "Market Street dirty homeless" downtown. Downtown Vancouver is actually lovely, with lots of stores, restaurants, wide streets, and happy people.
4. It's really multicultural here, as one would expect. And I think that, like San Francisco, tons of the people my age around here are transplants. However, there are a lot of native English speakers with accents that I am bad at placing. I didn't notice that much in SF.
5. There are freaking palm trees at the beach downtown. I must say I was quite pleased.
6. I saw multiple houses with their front doors wide open. I think people were just trying to enjoy the weather/cool their houses, but I thought it was cute.
7. There are traffic lights that blink green. If pedestrians want to cross the street, the lights turn yellow and red and traffic stops. I don't know why I think that's cute too.
8. Everyone says hello to the bus driver and a lot of people say thank you when they get off, even when they're at the back. I often said hello to MUNI drivers, and I don't think I ever got one back.
I start my job Sept. 23, because I already had all these plans to go travelling and stuff, and they liked me enough to wait until then (from June ish when Dan left the job open for me). So what I am doing is:
Left Vancouver, took a luxurious ferry to Nanaimo, got picked up by Adam and his little brother, drove to Comox, went up in a float plane piloted by Adam.
Staying at Adam's fiancée's mom's house until their wedding. Then going back to Vancouver, flying to Yellowknife to see my parents, stopping in Edmonton to see my brother/his kid, back to Vancouver, over to NYC/Philly/Albany for Dan and Becky's wedding, then back to San Francisco to tie up some loose ends and see my friends again before going back to Vancouver, moving my stuff in and starting work five days later.
Again, thanks for bearing with me!! Peace oot!!!
Love, me
Monday, August 19, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
what year is it again?
Jaaaaanuary first. Welcome to 2013. Sounds kind of futuristic, right?
Hi all! I'm still around. In Yellowknife for my annual freeze-yourself visit to my parents'. This Christmas is a little different, since my aunt moved up here last June and my Oma (maternal grandmother) came to visit from Ontario for the holidays. She's turning 91 in a couple days! So there's been more going-out-and-doing-stuff than there usually is, which, coupled with my ever-growing random errand to-do list, means I've hardly gotten any reading or tv-watching done, which is what I always imagine going "home" for two weeks will allow me to do.
Still have a few more days to get some more done. Just finished checking out how long a Canadian can stay in the U.S. for without any kind of work visa - it's looking a little depressing, I mean, technically I can stay for six months, leave, and come back for another six months, but it doesn't look like a sustainable strategy for life. Le sigh. But no shit. Anyway.
Let's think about happier stuff!!! I don't have many pictures with/of my friends, so I'm excited every time one comes along. This is (clockwise from left) me, E.O., Poppe, Jimmy Tam, and Tol in December after the last shift of skating at Union Square. Posie was there too but was taking the picture (thanks Posie!). [I know all these people through ultimate, except for Jimmy Tam, who I met at a Couchsurfing meeting.] I was psyched to get out on skates even if I was a little rusty.
Quick digression in order perhaps? Through ultimate I've met a loooot of people, and a lot of people I like a lot. As always happens when you move to a new place, at first you hang out with some people, then you hang out with others, but I think eventually you settle down somewhat and figure out who you're most comfortable with. I have also involuntarily stopped seeing some people I used to hang out with in August because they're no longer playing ultimate in the league(s) with me, and when you don't see someone twice a week at the usual hangout (the fields, pickup games, the bar I used to go to twice a week after rec league games) and they don't actually live near you in the city, all of a sudden it gets really hard to see them.
For the past few months I've mostly been hanging out with E.O., who was on my first summer ultimate team. He's my best friend in the city, above and beyond. Apart from being everything a good friend should be and a very competent human being, he always knows what's going on in the city, and always wants to check it out. With him I've checked out Fleet Week, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (with his dad), Flugtag, the reindeer at the Cal Academy, Journey to the End of the Night, saw my first falling meteor, and done Thanksgiving in the South Bay with his friends, as well as been his date and/or wife to other dinners and parties. Basically, he's the best. Talked him into playing beach league now, so I get to hear him whine about how cold it is twice a week now, plus whenever else we hang out.
In the summer I played league games Tuesdays and Thursdays and we all went to the bar afterwards. In fall league, though, the weather got suuuuper nice and we started playing Sundays during the day, so no one really wanted to go to the bar afterwards. There was a lot of foot-dragging and stuff when it came time to get off the fields, and we just ended up sitting around on the grass or throwing discs like dinosaurs. I liked it. But some of my friends from summer league didn't want to play on Sundays, so I basically stopped seeing them, sadface. The thing about ultimate is that once you show up (everyone always shows up late), it's really hard to tear yourself away. You play, then you play some more, then people hang out, then you're like "hey, why don't we go get dinner?" -- This is why I tried to stick to the rule of not having work on evenings and weekends, because it totally sucks to be like "that would be cool, but I have to go home and be alone and work."
Anyway here's some of my fall league team after our last game, played on turf in pouring rain (which stopped by the end):
This team is where I met Posie (third girl from the left), who actually lives a block away from me, so we are now the kind of friends who can actually just drop in on each other at 10pm on a weeknight if we want. She's pretty awesome -- speaks French and Spanish and has a shitty road bike and a shitty car that leaks when it rains. So I'm glad she lives near me.
Then fall somehow fell into winter and now technically I'm playing beach league on Sundays, which is even worse in terms of not spending the whole day playing ultimate/hanging out with ulty peeps. Games start at 1pm, and there's music, and you're hanging out on the sand, and then people start playing pick-up after the games, and someone hands you a beer, and all your friends are there, and the only way to drag yourself away is for your friends to be like "let's go bike to dinner!", and that's what you do, and you spent the whole day out. ....That sounds pretty awesome. It is, actually. But then your entire Sunday just disappeared. Mysteriously enough...
I'm also playing organized pick-up on turf on Wednesday nights. People are pretty good there. It's nice to bike to a different part of the city too.
Oh did I mention I finally bought a new bike? "New" is a stretch I guess - it's not even in working order yet. But here it is -
Needs some brakes, for one thing. We'll take care of that soon enough.
Other than my ever-changing ultimate schedule, I try to get to Planet Granite with Marc and Jordan (who I know through Tol, who was on my summer ultimate team) or Jimmy Tam, or Mission Cliffs, if I'm with Phil (E.O.'s roommate), to climb a couple times a week. Things keep happening though, like: I rolled my ankle pretty bad and was off it for about six weeks from Sept-October (I also think I had a pulled groin from August till December but largely ignored it until it was magically healed after the first day of beach ultimate?), so I didn't climb much in there either, then sometimes schedules clash (and it's hard for me to get to the gym if I don't have a ride), and there's just ALWAYS COOL STUFF TO DO IN THE CITY that E.O. or someone else invites me to, or I'll be tired or whatever and Phil will be like "why don't we just drink tea and watch a movie?" and then I'll do that instead.
But yeah, I guess if I avoid any further sports injuries, don't have work in the evenings, and don't get invited to cooler stuff, I'll be able to climb twice or three times a week. Yeah.... that'd be nice. I started bouldering just before I left for Christmas, and I want to try to go Saturday mornings now. I got new cute purple Evolvs for Christmas! My old second-hand high-tops were losing the rubber on their toes. So, sweet.
So yeah. My life = work, ultimate, climbing, events in the city, hanging out with friends in general. Plus wanting to read, eat, keep my place and clothes clean, and sleep... how do people have time to watch tv and movies? I basically don't unless it's with someone else around. Admittedly, I waste a lot of time on the Internet reading, so I'm going to try to actually schedule time to do that now to make it more efficient.
I'm ambitious on paper with the number of things I want to do, but it sure takes discipline to stick with it. How do people manage?
Anyway, I guess I can't complain. There's just so much to do in the city! I'm lucky enough that the weather lets me play outside all year and that I know such awesome people. Example: I was at home in Yellowknife for a quiet New Year's Eve with my family, but before going to bed, I got to virtually clink glasses with Tol, Marc, and Jordan in SF via gchat call. That was sweet of them. :)
Over this vacation I've also heard from Marco, Haruka (!!), José Luis, Jonathan, Janzen, and Jason. So nice to know what's up with faraway friends.
So, happy 2013 all! If all goes well I'll be hired shortly by a tech company and sponsored to live forever and ever in this great city we call San Francisco. Wish me luck.
xo
L.
Hi all! I'm still around. In Yellowknife for my annual freeze-yourself visit to my parents'. This Christmas is a little different, since my aunt moved up here last June and my Oma (maternal grandmother) came to visit from Ontario for the holidays. She's turning 91 in a couple days! So there's been more going-out-and-doing-stuff than there usually is, which, coupled with my ever-growing random errand to-do list, means I've hardly gotten any reading or tv-watching done, which is what I always imagine going "home" for two weeks will allow me to do.
Still have a few more days to get some more done. Just finished checking out how long a Canadian can stay in the U.S. for without any kind of work visa - it's looking a little depressing, I mean, technically I can stay for six months, leave, and come back for another six months, but it doesn't look like a sustainable strategy for life. Le sigh. But no shit. Anyway.
Let's think about happier stuff!!! I don't have many pictures with/of my friends, so I'm excited every time one comes along. This is (clockwise from left) me, E.O., Poppe, Jimmy Tam, and Tol in December after the last shift of skating at Union Square. Posie was there too but was taking the picture (thanks Posie!). [I know all these people through ultimate, except for Jimmy Tam, who I met at a Couchsurfing meeting.] I was psyched to get out on skates even if I was a little rusty.
Quick digression in order perhaps? Through ultimate I've met a loooot of people, and a lot of people I like a lot. As always happens when you move to a new place, at first you hang out with some people, then you hang out with others, but I think eventually you settle down somewhat and figure out who you're most comfortable with. I have also involuntarily stopped seeing some people I used to hang out with in August because they're no longer playing ultimate in the league(s) with me, and when you don't see someone twice a week at the usual hangout (the fields, pickup games, the bar I used to go to twice a week after rec league games) and they don't actually live near you in the city, all of a sudden it gets really hard to see them.
For the past few months I've mostly been hanging out with E.O., who was on my first summer ultimate team. He's my best friend in the city, above and beyond. Apart from being everything a good friend should be and a very competent human being, he always knows what's going on in the city, and always wants to check it out. With him I've checked out Fleet Week, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (with his dad), Flugtag, the reindeer at the Cal Academy, Journey to the End of the Night, saw my first falling meteor, and done Thanksgiving in the South Bay with his friends, as well as been his date and/or wife to other dinners and parties. Basically, he's the best. Talked him into playing beach league now, so I get to hear him whine about how cold it is twice a week now, plus whenever else we hang out.
In the summer I played league games Tuesdays and Thursdays and we all went to the bar afterwards. In fall league, though, the weather got suuuuper nice and we started playing Sundays during the day, so no one really wanted to go to the bar afterwards. There was a lot of foot-dragging and stuff when it came time to get off the fields, and we just ended up sitting around on the grass or throwing discs like dinosaurs. I liked it. But some of my friends from summer league didn't want to play on Sundays, so I basically stopped seeing them, sadface. The thing about ultimate is that once you show up (everyone always shows up late), it's really hard to tear yourself away. You play, then you play some more, then people hang out, then you're like "hey, why don't we go get dinner?" -- This is why I tried to stick to the rule of not having work on evenings and weekends, because it totally sucks to be like "that would be cool, but I have to go home and be alone and work."
Anyway here's some of my fall league team after our last game, played on turf in pouring rain (which stopped by the end):
This team is where I met Posie (third girl from the left), who actually lives a block away from me, so we are now the kind of friends who can actually just drop in on each other at 10pm on a weeknight if we want. She's pretty awesome -- speaks French and Spanish and has a shitty road bike and a shitty car that leaks when it rains. So I'm glad she lives near me.
Then fall somehow fell into winter and now technically I'm playing beach league on Sundays, which is even worse in terms of not spending the whole day playing ultimate/hanging out with ulty peeps. Games start at 1pm, and there's music, and you're hanging out on the sand, and then people start playing pick-up after the games, and someone hands you a beer, and all your friends are there, and the only way to drag yourself away is for your friends to be like "let's go bike to dinner!", and that's what you do, and you spent the whole day out. ....That sounds pretty awesome. It is, actually. But then your entire Sunday just disappeared. Mysteriously enough...
I'm also playing organized pick-up on turf on Wednesday nights. People are pretty good there. It's nice to bike to a different part of the city too.
Oh did I mention I finally bought a new bike? "New" is a stretch I guess - it's not even in working order yet. But here it is -
Needs some brakes, for one thing. We'll take care of that soon enough.
Other than my ever-changing ultimate schedule, I try to get to Planet Granite with Marc and Jordan (who I know through Tol, who was on my summer ultimate team) or Jimmy Tam, or Mission Cliffs, if I'm with Phil (E.O.'s roommate), to climb a couple times a week. Things keep happening though, like: I rolled my ankle pretty bad and was off it for about six weeks from Sept-October (I also think I had a pulled groin from August till December but largely ignored it until it was magically healed after the first day of beach ultimate?), so I didn't climb much in there either, then sometimes schedules clash (and it's hard for me to get to the gym if I don't have a ride), and there's just ALWAYS COOL STUFF TO DO IN THE CITY that E.O. or someone else invites me to, or I'll be tired or whatever and Phil will be like "why don't we just drink tea and watch a movie?" and then I'll do that instead.
But yeah, I guess if I avoid any further sports injuries, don't have work in the evenings, and don't get invited to cooler stuff, I'll be able to climb twice or three times a week. Yeah.... that'd be nice. I started bouldering just before I left for Christmas, and I want to try to go Saturday mornings now. I got new cute purple Evolvs for Christmas! My old second-hand high-tops were losing the rubber on their toes. So, sweet.
So yeah. My life = work, ultimate, climbing, events in the city, hanging out with friends in general. Plus wanting to read, eat, keep my place and clothes clean, and sleep... how do people have time to watch tv and movies? I basically don't unless it's with someone else around. Admittedly, I waste a lot of time on the Internet reading, so I'm going to try to actually schedule time to do that now to make it more efficient.
I'm ambitious on paper with the number of things I want to do, but it sure takes discipline to stick with it. How do people manage?
Anyway, I guess I can't complain. There's just so much to do in the city! I'm lucky enough that the weather lets me play outside all year and that I know such awesome people. Example: I was at home in Yellowknife for a quiet New Year's Eve with my family, but before going to bed, I got to virtually clink glasses with Tol, Marc, and Jordan in SF via gchat call. That was sweet of them. :)
Over this vacation I've also heard from Marco, Haruka (!!), José Luis, Jonathan, Janzen, and Jason. So nice to know what's up with faraway friends.
So, happy 2013 all! If all goes well I'll be hired shortly by a tech company and sponsored to live forever and ever in this great city we call San Francisco. Wish me luck.
xo
L.
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