and the search goes on...

I am very happy to be here. There are days when I am missing my family of friends dreadfully, but those aches generally give way and I feel very happy. The weather has been gorgeous.. Sunny and mid-temps. Today was one of the first days to rain on and off but it’s such a soft misty rain that it really doesn’t bother you. Puts some nice moisture in my skin and a glow to my cheeks.

And I think about the book I could write…

Before I left I googled “how to move overseas” and surprisingly I didn’t find much. I found a few tips on packing but beyond that… nothing that could help someone prepare.

The last 2 weeks have been different from the first blush of the 1st two, I mean it didn’t come as a surprise… but some expectations of the move haven’t come to fruition as fast as I would have hoped. Though when you speak to people about it they say “You’ve only been here a month”, “You knew it would take some time, right?” and the like.

I suppose I knew it would take time, I didn’t think it would be this long to find a home. The ups and downs of looking almost ended on an up note when for 2 weeks we had been looking for a 3 bedroom and we found the perfect one in the perfect location. The glitch was that we were supposed to come up with 3 months rent up front as 2 of us don’t have jobs yet.

Well, the 2 without jobs came up with the money and the one with a job didn’t even come up with 1 month on the day it was needed. This was the final straw and we, the 2 remaining, quickly realized that yes it was a huge disappointment to lose the place, but somehow the Universe was keeping an eye on us and protected us from living with someone who was bound to cause a year long headache.

Back to the drawing board.

Another discovery was that the agency you look with has a large part in what sort of place you see, quality-wise.

One agency we looked with on the North Side showed us shite-hole after shite-hole, complete with dirty toilets and stained beds. Oh but they would remark… “Ah, you won’t find anything better”… Luckily, we had seen better, found better and ARE better people than to submit to living in squalor.

Luckily I had the gumption before I hung up with the agent who was to let us the 3 bed, to ask her if she had any 2 beds and she did. We saw it yesterday and now wait on pins and electric needles to cross every crossable body part, pray to all the gods and ask the universe (and my dead grandparents) to please, please, please, let us get what we want this time.

Admittedly, it’s not the 100% place, but it is definitely 85% with the potential to become everything we hope for. A safe, warm place to lay our heads and host our guests and nest just a little.

I haven’t done much on the evenings out front this past week. Luckily had one of my dearest friends Meredith Sands Keator here. I know her from Toronto as my shiatsu therapist, who is so much more than a shiatsu therapist. I try to tell everyone about the magic that is Meredith, because she is one of the most phenomenal people I have ever known. She has been living in California the past 6? Years and was overseas for a funeral in Vienna and a conference in Edinburgh, with a few days over here to visit her niece, and sister-in-law and me! She will progress further and be in the south of France before heading to India for another conference and a pilgrimage with 500 thousand people! Something I don’t think I could do.

We had a lovely few days together, where I was fortunate enough to spend time with her niece Ciara and sis-in-law Rachel, and now I have a few more contacts to add to my community here.

Other friends from home, Alana & Declan, were here for the day on Saturday and we tried to go to the Guinness Brewery but the line stretched it’s long foamy Guinness arm around the building and because Declan is Irish and here a fair bit we decided that visit would have to wait til next time.

It’s been a wait and see game since… luckily I have freelance work to keep me sane, at least sort of sane when the server is connected. Plus walking the entire city to find a home has had 2 benefits that I can see so far. #1. I get to know the city inside and out. #2. I lose weight from all the walking. I keep thinking, hmmm, I’ll have to walk to work ea. day so I don’t gain it back. I think I am down 24 pounds since I started the lose game in April. I think that’s almost 2 stone for the conversion to how they weigh you here.

Anywho. I have a job interview in the morning and won’t write much about it until we see what comes of it.

I organized my printed portfolio and really need to update it. Think I may even have the pages printed at home and sent over, as colour printing here is comparable to putting a downpayment on a house.



oh and I saw Royal Wood play here at Doyle's The Ruby Sessions it was really great to see him play. There was an irish guy before him that was alright and then Royal then Emm Gryner, who was also alright and then we didn't stay for the last performer.

When I got there I was on my own, the 2 Aussie gals who were going to come bailed because they were tired, so I went off on my own only to be immediately glommed onto by weirdo the giant. He was telling me that he lunches with George Bush every Wednesday and sometimes he goes there, sometimes George comes here. I sort of laughed thinking he was joking and he got a little upset so i texted Dave and asked him to come join me. Upstairs before Dave arrived, the weird giant was telling another girl who sat at the table I was sitting at that she was a bitch and he hated her. I thought maybe he knew her, but quickly figured out he didn't. Luckily Dave came along just in time to hear Royal and enjoyed it.

Next week, Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland are coming to play the same venue. Can't wait.

anywho... enough for now. Will write shorter entries more often when I can.

trying to keep my chin up and believe everything will turn out well soon.