Two months in Alberta...

Life is rolling along pretty well right now, and I figured that since I had a few moments to spare, I would spend that time catching you up on what's been going on.

The short answer is not much. Life has been steady, and steadiness does not usually make great news. But, still, I feel the need to write, so hopefully you feel the need to read...hmm, wonder if a library has ever used that for a cheesy poster. I can see it now, Snoopy on a plane made out of an open book with the question "Do you feel the NEED to READ?"

Anyway, I digress. My training has just about finished at Shaw. By the end of the week, I will be completely off the training regimen and working a regular, full-time schedule. I had a bit of a concern about that when I noticed my schedule had me working 7 days/week, but after speaking with my supervisor, that's just a weird computer remnant from training. I'm really looking forward to training being done. I mean, the hours of training have been consistent and I will miss their regularity, but it will be nice to just walk in, jack into some good ice (that one's a Neuromancer joke for Marco and Mike, haha), and do my job. No more meetings, no more restrictions, it is going to be nice. Sure, like every job, it will be boring, repetitive, annoying, and the days where I have to start at 7am or finish at midnight will be extremely tiring, but still, a job's a job, and it will be nice to be allowed to do it.

My apartment is feeling a bit more comfortable lately. My landlord had to do a couple of renovations, but that couple turned into a few, and then became a bunch in short order. Needless to say, I will have been here for two months and I still don't feel completely moved in. But, I've been assured that by the end of the week, it will all be done, and since everything's been for the improvement of the place, I don't mind that much.

I recently obtained Shaw's Extreme internet, and while completely biased because I work there, I have to say, it's pretty awesome! Connected to my modem right after installation, I was getting 23.55 Mbps download and 1.77 Mbps upload speeds, and with a 6 month promotion, I'm paying considerably less than I was in Toronto, and for almost 3 times the bandwidth! I had considered going with an employee account/discount but they didn't have a standalone internet plan; everything included phone or television and I don't really need either. In any case, the internet is awesome, and shockingly enough, it's one of their lowest tiers of internet speeds.

I've been looking into grad schools. Nothing too elaborate yet, but I think I'm narrowing down my field of interest. It's been tough because I can't just sit there and say, "Hey, I want to learn about this" or rather, I can, but about way too many subjects. It's tough to narrow it down to one field, let alone topic. But, as I read through graduate programs at different universities, some of them grab my interest. I'm hoping to have it narrowed down completely by August/September, and then begin applying. Knowing myself, it'll seem vague until I just accept what's been in the back of my mind all along.

Tomorrow marks the 2 month anniversary since I first came to Alberta. I honestly cannot believe it's been that long already. Things have been working so smoothly that I don't feel the passage of time. To be fair and extroverted, I want to thank my friends and family. Everyone has been so amazing and have really helped me be prepared and comfortable with this move and with getting settled. I don't think I would be nearly as comfortable, or deservedly so, without their support. To be fair to myself and introverted, I think I am pretty decent at adapting. While change can be unsettling, I often remark to myself that there is no reason to complain about it. Just roll with it and make it work. Moving to Edmonton was a big step, but really, hasn't felt that difficult or confusing. It's probably a combination of all factors, but either way, I acknowledge the support I've had and the luck I must have in order to feel this way.

Also, I'm faster than buses. No, it's true! The past three nights, I've been walking places, hoping to catch the bus but too energetic to stand still, and each time I've almost made it to my destination before the bus catches up with me. Tonight, I walked from my apartment to Brittany's, and didn't see a single bus. I know, I know, buses are delayed and I'm not really faster than buses, but, give me the right music and I can do anything. The only music on my phone are the soundtracks to Tron: Legacy, The Transformers OST, The Dark Knight OST, and Two Steps from Hell. I have a hard time not powerwalking places, haha.

Here are some photos I took on the walk to Brittany's tonight.

See the train car to the middle of the right on top of the bridge?

Here's a closer image of it!

I was lucky enough to get one with the subway rolling past.

 I know I've taken more photos of this bridge than you'd ever care to see, but I really like the view! This is from the north side of the northern Saskatchewan River, looking south. I saw a park on my way, and stopped in to take a look. I saw a train car on top of the tracks with lights on and thought it was just a heritage piece, or something like that. As I was crossing the bridge, I heard music and laughter coming from it; I think a party was going on, but when I shouted up, no one heard me. I was also lucky enough to get a photo with the subway. You might be asking why that's lucky. I don't know, I just think a photo of an empty track to be sad or incomplete, or something.

The August long weekend approaches, and perhaps I'd better be careful about what I wish for. Knowing how dry and hot it's been in Ontario the past few months, I shared my hope with my family that it rains before the long weekend. Brittany and I are flying back to Ontario to join some friends for a long weekend camping party! Can't have a camping party without fire and you can't have a fire in a forest that hasn't seen rain in 3 months. Well, again, I should be careful what I wish for because today there was a huge storm in Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa and several other places I'm sure, and it was so bad at home that the power is out and barns were destroyed. My family is okay, thankfully, but there was a lot of damage in the area. I hope everything calms down and I hope everyone gets through it okay. Anyway, I am really looking forward to the long weekend! It's been years since I've hosted such a party, mostly because of working at the marina, and I'm excited to see everyone again. I know Brittany's excited because she'll get a chance to see good friends with whom she has not seen in over a year! Also, I look forward to seeing my family again. I tend to downplay how much I miss them, but I hope they read this and I hope they know that just because I'm independent, doesn't mean I don't wish I could live next door to them. Camping, volleyball, home-grilled food, family, friends, flying, and swimming, the long weekend is going to be spectacular!

And that's about it as far as the personal stuff goes. If I get some time this week, I want to catch you up on some of the media with which I've been imbibing lately and my thoughts concerning that. Thanks for reading, and I hope you've been having a great time this summer!