two months and three days

i have been away from my wide and salty continent for two months and three days. feels like longer. i got my first letter the other day with my name and a strangers address below it. having only ever had mail delivered too one address it was very surreal. not bad, just so strange that my name didn’t look like the spelling was correct or something.

its exciting cause im starting to make some travel plans to see this beautiful country. first going out to Quebec, then hopefully the east coast. I’m also going to New York City again just cause I’m so close and it’s too amazing not too.

in other news i bought a car! a 1993 honda accord, brown, manual and rusty….ohhh yea. hopefully ill get to pick it up shorty.

work, cars, clothes and sun.

my two week block of work is over. i had such a fun time at work, i was really in my element. i can’t remember enjoying work this much, i was actually so sad too finish up work. it was also so great cause i made some contacts and have some more work coming up, and even a part time job, but it would require a car so the search just became more intentional. the weather is also warming up, i wore shorts all last week and today im wearing flip flops (thongs) so that’s really nice. before last week i wore long pants every day for seven weeks strait, i have never wore long pants for that many consecutive days in my life…yuck! its funny cause the second there is a lick of sunlight and warm weather here, everybody gets excited and bring out the summer clothes. ive never been in a cold climate like this before and it fun too see the joy everybody feels when its warm out. Canadians are very obsessed with the weather, which is understandable now having lived through winter with them.

bloody phones

so while figguring out the confusing fiascio of north American phone plans, cancelling my Australian contract and transfering the number to a prepaid account has been near impossible. the automated answering system at vodafone, Lara, registered my name as something i cannot pronounce. S.A.M is not really that complex. it got my surname perfectly but S.A.M…..no dice. so this has required many long, confusing and expensive conversations with international call centers always requiring a transfer to mnagement for my ’special’ case. in comes Jane, a thick aussie accent, wonderfully laidback disposition, and an answer for ever question, my name was changed and number transfered in one painless 15 min conversation. she was awsome, stupid everybody else was not.

northern work

i had my first day of hands on work today. it went really well, except for me being sick again. i think I’m allergic to this country. we went swimming which was fun. for some reason i thought that everything would be different, but kids are kids, wherever you are, except some of the campers thought i was famous cause of my accent. nice.

watchmen

is one of the strangest movies Ive seen in a while. the biggest draw back was the presence of glowing, CGI, male genitalia throughout much of the film. its major redeeming factor was, however, one of the most amazing sound tracks i heard in any movie not directed by Quinton Tarantino. featuring classics such as Bob Dylan the Times They Are A-Changin’, Unforgettable by Nat King Cole and Simon and Garfunkel’s The sound of silence.
2 out of a possible 5

God said no.

“i asked God, do one thing me

send me back in time, send me to Seattle

let me go, find Kurt Cobain,

take away his gun, take away his bullets,

talk to him, make him wana live,

tell him how we love him, help him see his glory.

God said no, if i sent you back,

and if you you really found him, you would only ask him,

if he could help you get a deal, if he knows a lawyer,

if he could help you.

God said no”.

- Craig Cardiff

life, oh life, ohh ohh liiiiiiiife oh life.

so its official, i have set up a life for myself here in Canada. i have found a job working with Autistic kiddies, i have a local number, opened a bank account and am car shopping. all this couldn’t make me feel further from Australia. don’t get me wrong, Canada is fun and awesome and contains Jenn, but i enjoy my little life back home and you people there. homesick is a strange feeling that i haven’t really felt this strong before. i am having a blast here meeting great people, and forming friendships and doing life. i’m excited about my job (its just admin stuff at the moment) and the prospect of having a new car. i like living in Guelph, it’s a cool little university town, with a real environmental and community feeling. so its just this crappy feeling that kinda lingers and bears its ugly head periodically. im not ready to go home yet tho.

hockey 1, hockey 2, hockey 3

last night i went to a ice hockey (hockey) game. it was a bithday present from Jenn. man hockey is a great sport, so much fun to watch. its seriously fast and frantic. i didn’t get all the rules, but i got the gist of it. i am a fan!

thanks U2

every beauty should go out with an idiot

-bono

no quiet for the wicked.

the ringing in my ears has been worse than ever over the last month or so. i was hoping that it was just due to me traveling round so much, but as i settle its only getting worse. some days its so bad that it muffles peoples voices, its strange because prior to this trip it had been very much in check and almost forgetable.  sleeping is obviously the worst time for it. the beautiful voice of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is my real saving grace during these frustratingly loud times.