Ozarkia

Three days ago my boyfriend excitedly pointed out…

“Wow…you’ve been here for a month!”

Hmmm….yes…yes, I have…

Unfortunately my boyfriend did not know me during my London/Banbury/New Orleans days. Actually – this might be for the best. My New Orleans days occurred at the height of my travel itch – I couldn’t sit still to save my life, and my life revolved around my backpack and credit card. Apparently London/Banbury occurred at the end of the jitter, because for as much as I still want to travel, I started to crave stability more than anything else (whatta mistake!).

FYI - Never, under any circumstances, should you tell your present boyfriend:
"All of my other boyfriends lived in way more exotic places than you do..." It might be true, but it doesn't go over so well (especially when your present love interest hasn't traveled).

The point though – my boyfriend never learned that there are certain things that shouldn’t be pointed out. The fact that I have been here a month is one of those things.

Here’s why…

He said: “Wow…you’ve been here a month!”

I heard:
….a collision, of sorts….
….the world grinding to a halt….
….the walls closing in….
….panic, woah…realization…flooding thoughts….I’m living with my boyfriend (I hate commitment)…I miss stability…I miss my dogs…I miss my home…I miss a clear sky (no smog)….work…need work….where is there work?...money…need money….ESCAPE…

But yes. I’ve been here a month.

It’s not London. It's not New Orleans. It’s far from exciting. I could spend all day staring at a wall, and not feel any the worse for it (because really, I’m not missing anything). I shouldn’t compare it to London – or anywhere else I’ve been…but it ain’t no Istanbul either. Or St. Petersburg. Or Panajachel. Or Mitchell, South Dakota (now that’s bad).
Maybe this experience is making me start to crave what I thought I gave up (and no, not just cigarettes).

Sure, I’m periodically mystified by things in this town.
For instance: walking outdoors, you know it is sunny, even though you can’t actually see the sun…or the sky…

And here, they drive like they are in Toronto but live like they are in the Ozarks (hate me for saying it, but it’s true).

But I’m also mystified as to why Timbaland degraded himself by collaborating by Miley Cyrus (c’mon now!)

Ya. So I’ve here for a month…

Southern Cooking

Ahhh…a Tuesday night in small-town Southern Ontario. Ok…not truly small-town, but smaller than Thunder Bay.
I have already recognized the dangers of living here – namely the re-embracing of my former travel-happy self. Yes, the destinations have been fairly insignificant thus far, but there is a definite novelty with proximity. 24 hours after arriving here (and after a 15 hour drive, might I add) I found myself driving down 8 Mile in Detroit. No, I wasn’t sightseeing based on the Eminem movie – I was looking for Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits. For the record – getting lost in Detroit after dark, with minimal sleep – I’m not sure I would recommend it.
Family Day was spent tooling around Frankenmuth, Michigan. Don’t get me wrong – I love Frankenmuth – but we weren’t there for the quaint Bavarian feel…we were there for Zehnder’s chicken. I’m telling you – I have spent the past eight years drooling over Zehnder’s. Never fear though – we also discovered the Zehnder’s bakery (delicious butter cream). And some Bavarian stuff down the street. But really, it was all for the Zehnders.
Ok, aside from the eating potential (I am soooo close to so many delicious things), I can actually see this move being problematic. Already I have found myself already scoping out the Air Canada website - I’m close enough to Toronto, that suddenly it is actually AFFORDABLE to fly to exotic locales. Oh – and a winery tour of Niagara Falls, sounds absolutely amazing (ya, free samples = easy drunk). The only minor detail standing between me and the world – employment. Those job things are really hard to find at the moment – which means it is make or break time. I need to either bite the call-centre bullet or jump ship back to the north. I’d like to think that there is an easy answer, but until jobs start dropping out of the sky, this is something I will have to sort out.

Vancouver, Edmonton and Sleep Deprivation

So I had an incredible whirlwind of a weekend that I am still recovering from. In my infinite wisdom, I decided to fly to Vancouver last Thursday, and meet with my recruiter that same evening. By the time I met with her, I had been up for almost 24 hours solid (following 2 hours of sleep the previous night). Attempting to make coherent conversation was a challenge, but I think that I was fairly successful.
Aside from the meeting, I also had the opportunity to touch base with a friend from Edmonton. Talk about a mad dash through Vancouver!! China Town, the Punjabi Market, Stanley Park, Gas Town, Davey Street, Robson, Hookah smoking...all in 36 hours. It was great though. Vancouver has always been a favourite city! Though they are struggling with violence, they are also trying to clean it up for the upcoming Olympics. Main & Hastings was only moderately scary. What a vast improvement!
Even so, I think that we concluded that we are more than willing to move to Vancouver! It is kind of like a less b*tchy version of London.
After a busy couple of days in Vancouver, we carried on back to Edmonton. Another action packed couple of days, interspersed with sleep – Whyte Ave, West Edmonton Mall, more Hookah. I actually like Edmonton, and would likely move there if it weren’t for the overwhelming cold. Seriously – thirty seconds outside feels like an eternity. After Edmonton, I got the opportunity to hopscotch across western Canada, thanks to ordeal of flying into Thunder Bay (it just can’t se simple, can it?)
I had forgotten how much I enjoy impromptu travel. It gets so damn hard, the older you get (and the more indebt you become!) I would love to take this weekend and head to Quebec City, or Montreal, or some other locale. Unfortunately it’s not really feasible. Especially since I now have to decide when I’m going to get my merry *ss back on a plane and head to England. It’s not really a simple decision.
Anyway I will update this blog in the next couple of days. Mainly the eating portion, because I love to eat, and I did a fair bit of that!!