Sententiae Draconis

"If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." - Lewis Carroll

I checked in with the archaeology job again. Apparently they still haven't finalized things with their clients up north, which means that they still don't know if they can hire additional people for the field season. My contact seemed frustrated by this - but not frustrated at me. She again encouraged me to keep in touch.

But things are too close to the wire. I'll be homeless on the 31st. I can't stay here.

So I've bought my plane ticket to Newfoundland. I'll be heading that way on the 30th.

In theory I know that this hasn't changed my situation at all. I could still get this job and head to Calgary and actually get to use my degree for once. If everything turns out well than this will just be a visit with my brother that I really need.

But it's really hard not to feel discouraged.

Plus, I'm in the midst of packing and moving. It's hard not to feel discouraged at this point. On the one hand: Why do I have so much stuff? On the other hand: All my worldly possessions fit into roughly 17 boxes/bags (including the duffles I'm taking on the plane).

SHE SAID AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW THAT THEY WILL PROBABLY BRING ME ON!!!!!

They're still in the process of hiring people, but they'll give me a call in a couple of weeks to confirm (or deny).

I may start as early as April! Depending on contracts with clients going through and the weather and other weird logistical things.

She sounded really nice!

She was mostly talking about working up North, which I think is where I'd want to go anyway!

She also mentioned that because I have a Masters degree that it's possible that I could stay on with them and be trained for becoming a permit holder! (In order to dig in Alberta each team has to be led by someone who has a permit to do archaeology in the province, each province has different regulations about who can hold a permit. It's like my brother needing his mate's ticket in order to work as a mate on the boats.)

Continue thinking good thoughts please! I really want this job!

And where exactly did the old year go?

I had a truly lazy holiday season, sprinkled with work and not much else. On New Year's Eve I worked for two hours (on of my coworkers had a split shift - a stupid thing where she was scheduled to work 10-3 and then 6-8 or something like that - so I took the 6-8 part. It covered my beer for the night) and then had a few friends over to my place to hang out and drink and be generally relaxed and happy. And that was good. They left shortly after 1:30am and managed to catch the last bus.

We're still running the Hobbit at work. And I still love the music. But next week we're going from 4 shows down to 2 shows per day. Because no one is coming to the 11:30am or the 10:30pm anymore. But it means that everyone's shifts are cut down which sucks, because minimum wage is not enough to cover living expenses when I have a decent number of shifts. But I'll have some time off and maybe I'll get some writing done.

It's January now which means I should hear back about that archaeology job in Calgary soon. And if I don't hear back in a week I'm going to email them just so I can know for sure. I'm super nervous. I really want this job. I would be working in my field and actually earning enough money to live and things would be good! So wish me luck! (At least if I don't get this one there's still others I know will be hiring in a couple of months.)

And some things that happened in 2012 (in no particular order):
- Finished Grad School - I may have had to rewrite a comprehensive exam, but I still finished - Aderam, BAH, MA
- Didn't go on a dig and didn't go to Europe - (unlike the last four years)
- Survived two and a half months of unemployment
- Got my first full (ish) time job. - Working at the movie theatre
- Grandfather died. Down to 1 of 6(ish) grandparents
- Turned 25
- Purchased my first set of new goalie pads
- Attended two weddings

Places I slept in 2012 (other than home):
- Paradise, Newfoundland
- Edmonton, Alberta
- Waterton Lakes, Alberta
- A hotel (on the highway going to Waterton), British Columbia
- Toronto, Ontario
- Kingston, Ontario
- Calgary, Alberta
- Victoria, British Columbia

Which means that I didn't leave Canada at all this year (despite going from end to end). That's weird.

Had my phone interview with the archaeology firm. They seemed really nice and I think that overall it went well. Except that I don't have a driver's license and that might be a problem - which I sort of knew going into it, especially working in rural areas. But at least the interviewer gave me a chance to explain why I haven't gotten my license yet (and commented that although she drove standard now she couldn't imagine having to learn on one - which is the main reason I didn't actually learn in High School: no one teaches on standard where I'm from, and naturally my parents drive standard). hobbitbabe pointed out that it meant the interviewer was on my side, and I hope that's the case.

Man, it's never more apparent to me how many non-verbal cues I follow in social situations until I don't have access to them. I think that the interview went well - but I definitely hate phone interviews.

Also I probably won't hear anything until January because they weren't able to get interviews for some people until after Christmas.

So I'm watching H50 and eating curly fries and knitting until I have to go to work tonight.

Job interviews suck.

The past two - two and a half - weeks have been ridiculous. I've had almost 4 job interviews, Graduated, entertained four family members while they were in town for said graduation, had dinner with relatives I'd never met before, got a job (!!!) and started my first week of full time employment, had to buy emergency black pants (and fix the other pair with duck tape for immediate use), and realized that it was December and that I'd have to get Christmas presents for everyone before the end of the week if I want them to actually arrive anywhere approaching on time without spending a fortune.

So I'm very tired. But in a good way.

Some things:

- I now work at a movie theatre. It's a small independent theatre with one screen. I'm working concessions which means that there is a lot of popcorn and butter and telling people that actually we only take cash. I also get to clean a lot of things. Currently we're showing Skyfall (which is so GOOD - and a great soundtrack to your work day) and next will be the Hobbit. I'm really hoping that we get a showing of the Hobbit before opening night because I really want to see it before I have to listen to it while working. At least with the Hobbit I know how it ends, so I'm not worried about spoilers.

- Just about all of my coworkers (with the exception of the managers) are younger than I am. A good portion of them are in grade 12. This is mostly okay, except every now and then I feel really old. There was some duck tape behind the concession the other day so I said "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy" - but my two coworkers hadn't even heard of the Red Green Show, for it is not on the Tee Vee anymore. Le sigh.

- The other day as I was cleaning the men's bathroom this guy came in who I swear was in Stargate, but I can't remember which episode for the life of me. I think he's one of those Vancouver actors that has smallish roles in everything. If we hadn't been in the bathroom I would've asked him and said that I liked his work (I remembered his face after all) - I've decided to try and compliment smaller-time actors when I see them since I don't think they get that very often. But we were in the bathroom, and that seemed odd.

- I need to work more on my Yuletide story. I've got some ideas for an outline of what I need to write next, but I haven't decided some things yet. I think I need to re-consume some of the canon, but I definitely don't have time to get through all of it. hobbitbabe I think we need a brainstorming chat soonish.

- I've been watching Hawaii Five-0 and I kind of love it. Especially because Steve and Danny are so married that multiple characters on the show comment on it. Boys. It's another one of those shows that I'm finding has a lot of little things that make me happy. The regular bits of the show are fun too - and there is LOTS of banter and explosions, so it's my type of show for sure. But I like that it's set in Hawaii - because I keep expecting Lilo and Stitch to show up (can you believe that there is only one crossover on the AO3 - I'm shocked! Shocked, I say!). I like that all of the main characters have extended families that exist even if only mentioned in passing - and that when family stuff comes up they have to go and be with family even if there is a crazy weapons dealer to catch or whatever, because family is important. I like that the governor is a badass lady. I like that Danny is the shortest person on the team including the women. And I like that Daniel Dae Kim is in it because even though everyone else remembers him from Lost, I loved him as Matheson in Crusade.

In conclusion: life is busy in a good way. And I've got a few random posts I want to make (about sailing, and some other things I've been thinking about lately) but I'm not sure when I'll get around to them.

Why is it that the weather in this city is always at its worst when I have to walk home after work at 4am? (Well tonight it was only midnight, but still - I even preferred the blowing snow to the cold almost-rain.)

I might be willing to accept that it's just Halifax in January, but still! I've had freezing rain, bitter cold, snow (and at a time of night when the ploughs haven't gotten everywhere and my choices are walk on the street or through a snowbank), and wind that cuts through your clothes.

Weather, I am not impressed.

Life is made of craziness.

Less than five days after getting home from visiting the Parentals for hobbitbabe's wicked awesome birthday party, I'm getting on another to Newfoundland to visit my brother. This is apparently the best weekend for me to be doing this. (And yesterday I bought my plane tickets to Italy!!! - How's that for air travel?)

Of course this is also Grad Week at the University, which means that there are catering events (at which I must work) all week. My normally low-stress part-time job has turned into something far more intense and now my feet hurt like wo.

Remind me never to become a waitress for permanent. (Or even for more than random evenings.)

Tomorrow I work catering from 9-3 and then Housekeeping from 3-6 and then I rush around to get on a plane at 2120 (this is more difficult than it initially seems because I actually have to leave nearly two and a half hours before the flight leave in order to get to the airport on time. I hate our airport - or rather, I hate how far away from life our airport is.

Sleep now...

At work again. Somehow lately I've only been posting from the desk. I keep meaning to post at other times, but then things like sleeping and going to my Russian class (which is awesome by the way) seem to get in the way. Tonight (this morning?) I have the dubious pleasure of working the midnight to eight shift. Eight hours of not much going on because we don't have too many guests and the people who are staying aren't students and thus are smart and asleep by now.

Whatever, apparently I get paid today (tomrrow?) So that's pretty exciting. (It also makes me feel a little better about buying seasons 3 and 4 of Due South. Not that I felt especailly badly about it in any case.)

I started writing something because I got this crazy thought about what it would be like if one of my original characters just walked up to me while I was walking at night and introduced themselves (I think the answer is just that I'd be WAY freaked out and kinda scared, even though I totally wish that some of my characters really existed so that I could be friends with them), but I only got one sentence that's worthy of keeping (see below).

It was late, nearly midnight, and the sky was weighed down with fog, thick clouds of it narrowing her world to the blurred edges of the street lights and the muffled sounds of traffic on the main roads a few blocks away.

Anyway, I think it might be time for me to go and make some coffee, or at least get something to drink. Maybe I'll try to hold out sans caffeine for as long as possible.

I'm so tired. Yesterday I cleaned six of the bathrooms in Alex Hall by myself and moved around two beds on the fourth floor to make doubles out of two large singles (but I did have help for that part). And last night was a really important game for the Canucks because loosing means we're done for the season, so I had to stay up for that.

We sucked in the first and second period, missing passes and giving up turnovers in the neutral zone, it was terrible. But Luongo was amazing and they only scored the one goal on him in regulation, even when they got up close to fifty shots (that's why he's my hockey boyfriend). I nearly feel asleep in the third and ended up waking up to Jim Hughson annoucing Alex Burrows' goal to tie up the game. After that we seemed to get our second wind and we played much better for the third and then for overtime too (and I didn't almost fall asleep again). Although it was really exciting and nerve-wracking when Danny Sabourin, the back-up goalie, came out at the beginning of overtime instead of Roberto. He was only out for a couple of minutes because Roberto just had some equipment issues that needed to be fixed, but what a few minutes. Sabourin's actually a really good goalie, he's no Roberto Luongo, but then again so very few people are. Anyway he got about five shots, stopped them all and just about four of them were really awesome saves. (I think it's really awesome that he got on the ice!) We ended up loosing in the 2nd overtime. It was Roberto's only mistake in the game (He got first star). But at least we were actually playing well in the end, if we'd been playing like we did in the first and second then I'd be upset because we gave it away (The Ducks didn't really play particularily well either).

Oh well. But now I don't have to worry about not being able to watch the game while I'm working desk this weekend. Also the Sens still have a chance (!!!) and now I can cheer for whoever is playing against Anaheim in the 3rd Round.

Also I really want to go to sea again. I miss it.

I have a job! I'll be working part-time at el Universitat and earning more than minimum wage (but only by an average of about a dollar). Part time is actually exactly what I wanted because I'm going to be doing a summer course and writing a Romance novel this summer and I want to be able to have time for life in general. Because life is a good thing.

Training is on the 24th and will be a full day affair. And this means that most of my friends will be working on campus with me over the summer. So happy!

It'll be great to be going to campus all the time. I love my school, which has such people in it.

Also I went in to get the questions for my Classical Mythology take-home exam but even though he said that he'd have them in the department by noon today they (and he) were nowhere to be found. Arggh! He is such a space-case. I'd send him an e-mail about it, but he has responded to precisely two of the seven or eight that I've sent him and I seriously doubt I'd get a response. I have to go into school again tomorrow anyway so I'll just drop by the Department office again and complain.

Le Sigh.

But I do have a job! Ha!