Hurray I am a Northern girl again!
About two weeks ago I was packing my things and heading back north with a short term contract. Yet another yo-yo bounce, but at least I get to enjoy a delightful "northern" winter with people who also appreciate all the joys and excitement of snow!!. (I use quotation marks because technically I am not even north of the 49th parallel but to my friends and family down south this is still northern Ontario.)
My first weekend was rather disappointing, nearly all our snow melted. (ahem climate change stinks!!!) But this week has been doing it's best to make up for it with lots of snow in the past few days. People always tell me that the only reason why winter is my favourite season is because I don't have to drive in the winter or shovel a driveway; but I would like to announce that I have shoveled my driveway twice already this week and still love winter!!! There was so much snow this morning that my vehicle had completely warmed up before I finished clearing all the snow off. (For those of you who aren't familiar with the Bumblebee that means it took awhile!!) But my winter joy is not shaken instead I am looking forward to hitting the cross country ski trails this weekend and maybe even spending some time on the outdoor rink. Gotta enjoy the weather while it lasts!!
Right now I am dancing around my basement room and giggling and listening to Taylor Swift. It is surprising how dramatic my mood change has been since I returned to The Soo. Despite a schedule change equivalent to a 4 hour time difference I am bounding out of bed around 6:30 in the morning and still feel like dancing and singing in the evenings. (Although I must admit I am a little stiff because I am not used to long days on my feet in the lab- got to get better shoes!!) Sadly my 12 week contract will go by all too fast and then who knows where I will be. For now I am going to enjoy where I am.
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Friday, January 18, 2013
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Be it Ever So Humble...
Recent events in my life have made me a semi-nomad. I move so much that when I say, “I am going home,” I don’t really know where I am referring to anymore. Currently I am staying with a friend and looking for a place of my own- it is really hard to find an apartment in this city with only 4 days notice. This means I have some of my stuff at my friend’s place, some stuff at my parent’s place and a lot of my stuff in the back of my car.
I consider myself to be an environmentalist and consider it important to care for the atmosphere and try to use alternative or public transportation. I also believe that it is important to cultivate a sense of place and put down roots in a home and community. That is why I find it ironic that, in the past year, the place I could most truly call my home is my gas-guzzling, 4- wheel drive, bright yellow, Ford Escape. I would consider public transportation however I grew up in a rural area where public transportation is not a viable option, and I tend to find myself living in small cities where public transportation exists, but is impractical. I used to have a more fuel efficient car however it was getting old, and it was not so good with winter driving. This one time it ran over a piece of debris on the highway and it put the car out of commission for a few weeks. I live in Northern Ontario , we get snow- lots of snow, and our roads get icy-very icy. My wallet really misses that car when I am filling up my tank, but my parents feel much better about me driving a more rugged vehicle.
So I am living out of my gas-guzzling SUV which I named “The Bumblebee.” Currently you will find my office located in the backseat next to my lawnchair and snowshoes. In the back you will find my pantry, linen cupboard and miscellaneous kitchen supplies. My cutlery drawer has been relocated to the front passenger seat because I needed some utensils for lunch the other day. I would be very happy to find a place so I can stop living out of my vehicle. I would be even happier if I could stay in that place for more than 6 months- at least two years would be preferred.
One downside to my semi-nomadic lifestyle is that I frequently feel like all my friendships have ticking timers counting down the time until I once again load up my vehicle and move away. I would really like to have the luxury of setting down roots and developing friendships with a sense of permanence and commitment. Modern communication does provide a means to continue friendships after I have moved out of an area, but I am not particularly good at keeping up a long-distance friendship. I have been blessed with a few friends who don’t accept that excuse and stick with me anyway, and a few other friends with who I don’t have as regular of contact, but readily accept me back when we happen to be in the same geographical area. I guess that is all this semi-nomadic girl can ask for- I AM BLESSED!!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
It's a Job!
Hurray I have a job again!
I got a phone call on Wednesday- a job offer working for my old boss doing basically the same thing I did last time. (Unfortunately winter is approaching and they don't do any field work in the winter- only office and lab work but a job is a job and I am glad to have one.) Apparently they found some money in the budget to hire me back- it's only a 4 month contract but A Job is a Job!- Hurray!
Honestly, I danced around in circles and jumped around like a little girl after getting the news.
I am excited to be going back to work and moving back to my old city and being near my friends again. However moving has it's challenges- it is really tough to find a place to live in only 3 days. It is also tough to move in that amount of time. (Have I mentioned?- I hate moving!) Fortunately I have friends who are willing to help me out and offer me a place to stay until I can find something more permanent.
The transition is so fast- going from no job and kinda discouraged about the whole situation- to having a job again. It still hasn't really sunk in, and probably won't until my vehicle is packed once more and headed down the laneway, and until I walk into work again on Monday morning.
I got a phone call on Wednesday- a job offer working for my old boss doing basically the same thing I did last time. (Unfortunately winter is approaching and they don't do any field work in the winter- only office and lab work but a job is a job and I am glad to have one.) Apparently they found some money in the budget to hire me back- it's only a 4 month contract but A Job is a Job!- Hurray!
Honestly, I danced around in circles and jumped around like a little girl after getting the news.
I am excited to be going back to work and moving back to my old city and being near my friends again. However moving has it's challenges- it is really tough to find a place to live in only 3 days. It is also tough to move in that amount of time. (Have I mentioned?- I hate moving!) Fortunately I have friends who are willing to help me out and offer me a place to stay until I can find something more permanent.
The transition is so fast- going from no job and kinda discouraged about the whole situation- to having a job again. It still hasn't really sunk in, and probably won't until my vehicle is packed once more and headed down the laneway, and until I walk into work again on Monday morning.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
My Life in Boxes
Boxes.
I have seen enough of them lately having completed a move.
I have emptied a bunch of my boxes but the majority of my stuff remains packed up in my parent's basement.
The sheer number of Mc Donald's boxes in my parents basement may prompt the unsuspecting person to assume we plan on opening a franchise however that is not the case.
The last few times I have moved I have gone to Mc Donald's and requested some of their french fry boxes. Generally they are clean and the perfect size for packing. I also find it amusing to ask the Mc Donald's employees for cardboard boxes. They tend to give you a blank stare and then look down at their till - you can almost see them thinking "what button do I press for an order of boxes?" before a light clicks on in their heads and they offer to go to the back and check if they have any.
On occasion I remember something that I need is located in one of these boxes in my parent's basement and a search ensues. Despite the boxes being neatly labelled and stacked it normally takes me looking through all of them before I finally find what I was looking for and a frustrated me declares "I hate having my life in boxes!!"
The truth is that lately I have been feeling like it is more than just my kitchen stuff and a bunch of clothes in boxes but that the boxes are a metaphor of how I presently feel. In many ways I feel that I am just like all that stuff languishing on a forgotten shelf in the basement waiting for the next opportunity but presently boxed up and kinda useless. It is tough to feel confident about yourself in resumés, coverletters, and interviews when you feel like you are wasting away. Slowly I forget about skills I do have and become less confident about them. For instance with my recent job interview, although I wasn't entirely suited to the job, I still struggled with answering several questions which should have come easy to me. My mind knew that I should be giving examples of how I used certain skills not just saying I had them, but I froze. The few examples I could come up with on the spot weren't that impressive. I was disappointed in my answers and knew I could have done better but I am kind of in a mental funk.
As a point of clarification I should mention that I really wasn't best suited to the position. Turns out they were looking for someone with ALOT more knowledge of ducks. I know mallards and Canada geese and that is about it the rest are all just "ducks" to me. And though I could learn quickly I think they really wanted someone who already understood that aspect of the job. I am only a little disappointed that I didn't get the job since I found out during the interview that it was only a 4 month contract and not a year long one like I had thought. On a more humorous note there were several interesting questions I was asked in my interview including:
"how do you feel about dead carcasses." - because they deal with alot during hunting season
Anyhow I continue with my life on a shelf, not fully able to make plans since I want to remain open if a job opportunity should arise; and also feeling frustrated and bored and irritated with nothing really to do. I feel like my skills and intelligence are rusting in a cupboard while time passes by all to quickly and I am not sure what I can do to fix the situation.
I have seen enough of them lately having completed a move.
I have emptied a bunch of my boxes but the majority of my stuff remains packed up in my parent's basement.
The last few times I have moved I have gone to Mc Donald's and requested some of their french fry boxes. Generally they are clean and the perfect size for packing. I also find it amusing to ask the Mc Donald's employees for cardboard boxes. They tend to give you a blank stare and then look down at their till - you can almost see them thinking "what button do I press for an order of boxes?" before a light clicks on in their heads and they offer to go to the back and check if they have any.
On occasion I remember something that I need is located in one of these boxes in my parent's basement and a search ensues. Despite the boxes being neatly labelled and stacked it normally takes me looking through all of them before I finally find what I was looking for and a frustrated me declares "I hate having my life in boxes!!"
The truth is that lately I have been feeling like it is more than just my kitchen stuff and a bunch of clothes in boxes but that the boxes are a metaphor of how I presently feel. In many ways I feel that I am just like all that stuff languishing on a forgotten shelf in the basement waiting for the next opportunity but presently boxed up and kinda useless. It is tough to feel confident about yourself in resumés, coverletters, and interviews when you feel like you are wasting away. Slowly I forget about skills I do have and become less confident about them. For instance with my recent job interview, although I wasn't entirely suited to the job, I still struggled with answering several questions which should have come easy to me. My mind knew that I should be giving examples of how I used certain skills not just saying I had them, but I froze. The few examples I could come up with on the spot weren't that impressive. I was disappointed in my answers and knew I could have done better but I am kind of in a mental funk.
As a point of clarification I should mention that I really wasn't best suited to the position. Turns out they were looking for someone with ALOT more knowledge of ducks. I know mallards and Canada geese and that is about it the rest are all just "ducks" to me. And though I could learn quickly I think they really wanted someone who already understood that aspect of the job. I am only a little disappointed that I didn't get the job since I found out during the interview that it was only a 4 month contract and not a year long one like I had thought. On a more humorous note there were several interesting questions I was asked in my interview including:
"how do you feel about dead carcasses." - because they deal with alot during hunting season
and
"would you be intimidated if a big guy with bloody hands and a gun came into the office." - again this pertains to hunting season but I found the question kind of humorous.Anyhow I continue with my life on a shelf, not fully able to make plans since I want to remain open if a job opportunity should arise; and also feeling frustrated and bored and irritated with nothing really to do. I feel like my skills and intelligence are rusting in a cupboard while time passes by all to quickly and I am not sure what I can do to fix the situation.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
I'm going Nuts!
So moving day has come and gone, and I am now once again living with my parents. This in itself poses its own unique challenges and changes. However the biggest challenge right now is trying to fit my house into my room. Everything fit so nicely into my apartment, however it is really hard to put all that back into my childhood room that was never completely emptied in the first place. I am in the process of cleaning out my room and throwing out a lot of stuff I didn't realize I still had. However this process is made difficult by the large amount of things I have in my room- I need my clothes and some things in my room and easy to access but this is hard since there is no space or empty drawers for them. Basically I have resorted to an old college trick of moving stacks of stuff from my floor to my bed and from my bed to my floor depending on which space I need the most. It's not the most efficient system however so the cleaning needs to happen sooner rather than later.
Today was my second day working on this monumental task. To date I have emptied:
4 milk crates/ milk crate sized bins
4 1/2 large cardboard boxes
3 1/2 dresser drawers
as well as gone through my closet and drawers and identified a large stack of clothes for the second hand store.
Today I was mainly working on some boxes in my closet which mainly contain old compositions, knick-knacks, crafts, etc. from kindergarten to highschool. Some of these items are treasured momentos, others are humorous stories (perhaps I'll post some sometime.) and there is always a hefty dose of junk and detritus. Perhaps one of the strangest things I found was this: (pic from google)
What would you do if you found something like this lying on your closet floor? Perhaps you already know what this is, I however did not. So I did the only sensible thing a person could do. - I took it outside, smashed it with a rock, and examined/ smelled the remnants. Turns out it was a Brazil nut. I have never seen or eaten a Brazil nut, and as far as I can tell neither has any of my family members. Yet somehow a Brazil nut ended up in my bedroom closet.
In honour of this strange occurrence here are some interesting facts about Brazil nuts:
Today was my second day working on this monumental task. To date I have emptied:
4 milk crates/ milk crate sized bins
4 1/2 large cardboard boxes
3 1/2 dresser drawers
as well as gone through my closet and drawers and identified a large stack of clothes for the second hand store.
Today I was mainly working on some boxes in my closet which mainly contain old compositions, knick-knacks, crafts, etc. from kindergarten to highschool. Some of these items are treasured momentos, others are humorous stories (perhaps I'll post some sometime.) and there is always a hefty dose of junk and detritus. Perhaps one of the strangest things I found was this: (pic from google)
In honour of this strange occurrence here are some interesting facts about Brazil nuts:
- They are an excellent source of selenium, copper, magnesium and phosphorous
- Perhaps they are too good of a source of selenium- you can easily eat way more than the recommended daily intake of selenium with just a handful of nuts
- They also contain high quantities of Barium and Radium (not enough to take an X-ray but still 1000x higher than many other foods)
- They are a very fatty nut and can apparently be lit like a candle
- The Brazil nut tree relies on a special bee to pollinate it so it produces fruit, this bee relies on a certain orchid to reproduce, this orchid is sensitive to rainforest deforestation, so without a healthy rainforest there are no brazil nuts
- Botanically speaking the Brazil nut isn't really a nut but a seed
- Most wild Brazil nuts are planted by a guinea pig- sized rodent called the Agouti. The Agouti chews through the hard outer casing to get to the "nuts" it eats a few and then buries the rest- forgetting about them like North American squirrels and chipmunks.
- Brazil nut oil can also be used for a lubricant for clocks, artist paints and cosmetics
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Small Towns
Small Towns are great, I love them, they are the perfect size for this introverted blogger. I grew up in a small town, made even smaller since within that small town I was part of an ethnic enclave of dutch immigrant farmers which made up my school and church community.
I love the small town I grew up in.
I love that I don't need google maps to figure out where I am going.
I love that the streets are in a grid pattern rather than a confusing twisting subdivision so if I miss a turn I just have to go around the block.
I love that I know where to go if I need groceries, clothes, medicine, dutch treats or a good bakery.
I love that I know where the good hiking trails are if I want to go for a walk, and that the beach is only 20 mins away.
I love that my Grandma and cousins and family are close by.
I love that the streets aren't crowded and people actually know how to drive.
I love that I don't feel claustrophobic, or overwhelmed or intimidated by the streets, people or driving.
I like that I don't feel self conscious about going for a jog when the inspiration strikes.
I even don't mind waiting behind a tractor, or the smell of freshly spread manure.
There are many things I love about the small town and community I grew up in yet for some reason I still am not very excited about moving back there at the end of the week.
Maybe it is because I like the independence of living on my own.
Maybe it is because I feel a little like a failure having to move back in with my parents since I don't have a job.
Maybe it is because I hate moving and packing.
Or maybe it is because my hometown isn't really home anymore. I grew up there and I love the place, but I haven't lived there for 5 years. I have been there for visits but I haven't lived there. I have roots there, but I also have branches that reach far beyond my hometown and small community. I have friends scattered all over the country and even the world but I don't have any close friends back home. The people back home know my family, they watched me grow up, some of them went to school with me, others taught me or changed my diapers. But they don't know me as I am now. They may have known grade school or high school me. But they do not know me- an independent, intelligent, individual young woman. Instead they know me as "one of the Kuiper girls" or "Mark and Alice's daughter." They know me as the nerdy girl from school, or the goody-goody who actually loved catechism class, only listened to Christian music, and never drank or danced. They don't know the me that likes kayaking, swimming, hiking, camping, drinking wine, listening to good music and dancing on occasion. They don't know that I make delicious lasagna, homemade bread, and strawberry pie. They don't know that even though I am terrible at it I would love to play a game of soccer, Frisbee or volleyball. They don't know me and I don't know them (I am sure they have changed in the past 5 years as well.)
I am scared/ hesitant/ unexcited about moving home since I am afraid I will be really lonely.
It should be easy to go home and strike up a conversation and get to know them once more- after all we have a shared history. Yet something inside me feels that it would be way easier to move somewhere else, where no one knows me and start over. It is easier getting to know someone when there isn't a pile of shared history, past impressions and old memories to climb over before you get to who they are now. Getting re-acquainted with someone involves overcoming all that- which is much harder than getting over a stereotype, bad first impression or misjudgement. When they already have an idea of who you were it is much harder to introduce them to who you are. Yes, moving somewhere else and starting fresh would be a whole lot easier. But my present circumstances do not afford me that luxury.
I love the small town I grew up in.
I love that I don't need google maps to figure out where I am going.
I love that the streets are in a grid pattern rather than a confusing twisting subdivision so if I miss a turn I just have to go around the block.
I love that I know where to go if I need groceries, clothes, medicine, dutch treats or a good bakery.
I love that I know where the good hiking trails are if I want to go for a walk, and that the beach is only 20 mins away.
I love that my Grandma and cousins and family are close by.
I love that the streets aren't crowded and people actually know how to drive.
I love that I don't feel claustrophobic, or overwhelmed or intimidated by the streets, people or driving.
I like that I don't feel self conscious about going for a jog when the inspiration strikes.
I even don't mind waiting behind a tractor, or the smell of freshly spread manure.
There are many things I love about the small town and community I grew up in yet for some reason I still am not very excited about moving back there at the end of the week.
Maybe it is because I like the independence of living on my own.
Maybe it is because I feel a little like a failure having to move back in with my parents since I don't have a job.
Maybe it is because I hate moving and packing.
Or maybe it is because my hometown isn't really home anymore. I grew up there and I love the place, but I haven't lived there for 5 years. I have been there for visits but I haven't lived there. I have roots there, but I also have branches that reach far beyond my hometown and small community. I have friends scattered all over the country and even the world but I don't have any close friends back home. The people back home know my family, they watched me grow up, some of them went to school with me, others taught me or changed my diapers. But they don't know me as I am now. They may have known grade school or high school me. But they do not know me- an independent, intelligent, individual young woman. Instead they know me as "one of the Kuiper girls" or "Mark and Alice's daughter." They know me as the nerdy girl from school, or the goody-goody who actually loved catechism class, only listened to Christian music, and never drank or danced. They don't know the me that likes kayaking, swimming, hiking, camping, drinking wine, listening to good music and dancing on occasion. They don't know that I make delicious lasagna, homemade bread, and strawberry pie. They don't know that even though I am terrible at it I would love to play a game of soccer, Frisbee or volleyball. They don't know me and I don't know them (I am sure they have changed in the past 5 years as well.)
I am scared/ hesitant/ unexcited about moving home since I am afraid I will be really lonely.
It should be easy to go home and strike up a conversation and get to know them once more- after all we have a shared history. Yet something inside me feels that it would be way easier to move somewhere else, where no one knows me and start over. It is easier getting to know someone when there isn't a pile of shared history, past impressions and old memories to climb over before you get to who they are now. Getting re-acquainted with someone involves overcoming all that- which is much harder than getting over a stereotype, bad first impression or misjudgement. When they already have an idea of who you were it is much harder to introduce them to who you are. Yes, moving somewhere else and starting fresh would be a whole lot easier. But my present circumstances do not afford me that luxury.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Packing and Preserving
So the decision has been made and my move-out day is set.
I will be heading back to live with my parents (saving myself the expense of rent) until I can find a job someplace.
So naturally I decided today would be a great day to start.... Preserving.
I hate packing so naturally I won't do that until the last minute. Instead today I decided to enjoy the nice weather by going strawberry picking. I went a little overboard and came back with faaarrr too many berries. I then spent the day making two batches of jam and five pies and still have berries left over. YUM!
Anyhow all this preserving got me thinking about packing-go figure. I have a bad habit that before I leave a place I mentally put up walls and choose to focus on the frustrations and things I don't like about a place. As a survival mechanism it is pretty good, it is easier to leave a place if you can only think of the negatives. However as a general rule it isn't that great- although with some distance I am able to remember the good things and times of a place I have wasted so much time with my morose thoughts and sometimes friendships of memories suffer because of it.
I think it is time I change this habit and start something new. My jam making made me realize I should focus on PRESERVING the good memories and good friendships, rather than just rushing on to the new opportunities. Yes new exciting opportunities will come along (hopefully,) but I have had a good time here and made good friends and have many good memories. I don't want to suppress them just to make moving easier. Besides the results of preserving are pretty amazing. So I start/ pretend to start packing with a clear head and fresh mindset choosing to rejoice for the friendships and memories I have had here. I truly am blessed and believe those memories, just like my jam, will definitely sweeten my future adventures.
I will be heading back to live with my parents (saving myself the expense of rent) until I can find a job someplace.
So naturally I decided today would be a great day to start.... Preserving.
I hate packing so naturally I won't do that until the last minute. Instead today I decided to enjoy the nice weather by going strawberry picking. I went a little overboard and came back with faaarrr too many berries. I then spent the day making two batches of jam and five pies and still have berries left over. YUM!
Anyhow all this preserving got me thinking about packing-go figure. I have a bad habit that before I leave a place I mentally put up walls and choose to focus on the frustrations and things I don't like about a place. As a survival mechanism it is pretty good, it is easier to leave a place if you can only think of the negatives. However as a general rule it isn't that great- although with some distance I am able to remember the good things and times of a place I have wasted so much time with my morose thoughts and sometimes friendships of memories suffer because of it.
I think it is time I change this habit and start something new. My jam making made me realize I should focus on PRESERVING the good memories and good friendships, rather than just rushing on to the new opportunities. Yes new exciting opportunities will come along (hopefully,) but I have had a good time here and made good friends and have many good memories. I don't want to suppress them just to make moving easier. Besides the results of preserving are pretty amazing. So I start/ pretend to start packing with a clear head and fresh mindset choosing to rejoice for the friendships and memories I have had here. I truly am blessed and believe those memories, just like my jam, will definitely sweeten my future adventures.
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