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Triumphant Return

I'm back!!! Actually, I never really went anywhere. I've been putting off writing this post because I thought I'd have to make it really long, and, you know, good - and not to mention well-thought out, to make up for my huge lack in posting. However, I've decided to write whatever comes to me because, as we all know, something is better than nothing. So!

I'm done school. Yeah, crazy! I wrote my last exam on the 14th I believe, and moved out of my place at 661 Edinburgh (forever!) the following day. No more menagerie! I feel pretty good about how my exams went. I haven't got any marks back yet, but I'm not concerned. As you'd expect, it's strange that I'm done my first "year" of university. Those people who told me university would fly by faster than high school - they were right. Wow.

Employment: I have it! Yes, indeed. I've been hired as a kitchen person at Baranga's. My plan in applying for work there was to get a waitering job, or bar tending. I was initially devastated when my employer-to-be handed me a Kitchen manual and my original visions (of me standing on the deck giving somebody a fancy drink with a pink straw, against a backdrop of the sun setting on the lake) were replaced with me toiling in a noisy, steamy kitchen with an overbearing supervisor breathing down my neck and telling me to hurry up. Granted, I'm sure both extremes are over-exaggerated in my mind, but there they were anyway. Since then I've found out a lot more positive things about the job, such as the fact that the other kitchen folks are supposedly mostly (female) university students. That, I can live with.

But that's not all! There's another job prospect for me at the Desjardins Credit Union outlet in Hamilton's Centre Mall. (It's our very own Mos Eisley! Although, if you've seen Jackson Square lately, you might say the comparison should be made there instead. I'm on the fence.) My dad's contact with them is hopefully enough for me to get my foot in the door. I dropped off a resume with them last week, and should hopefully be hearing from them in the coming days. If I get a job there, I'd probably be a bank-teller of some sort, presumably full-time and also presumably yanking in a better wage than my dish washing gig. I've pretty much decided that I'll take the Desjardins job over Baranga's if it's offered to me, despite the fact that I wouldn't meet any young people working there. Le sigh.
UPDATE: As I was finishing up writing this entry, I got a call from Margarite Tsangarakis, my employer from Baranga's. I start work this Tuesday at noon. ...GAH! Oh well. I just hope I don't get a call in the meantime to get interviewed at the same time.

My other plans for the summer are both bounteous and ambitious. I have an extensive mental to-do list, but this list I'm about to compile will probably be somewhat incomplete:

Getting G2:
I've only done a little driving practice since I've been home, but with a little more I think I'll be confident to arrange my government test. My goal is to have it set up before the month is out. That gives me just over a week. Ack.

The Elusive Play
At some point last semester I got the bright idea to write (and possibly go on to direct) a one act play for an event at U of G called...Snow Week. I think. For some reason I'm thinking they spell the Snow without the W. Uh, details on that later when I find out. Anyway, the only problem right now is, and the reason I referred to it as being elusive, is because as of now I don't exactly have an idea. Or at least, nothing more than a couple pun-packed titles and one-liners. The other thing is, I'm pledged to work on this with my good friend from Acting I, Sarah Lavine. She lives, (for this summer, at least) with her family in Newmarket. This is one of the reasons I'm bound and determined to get my license, so that I can get myself up there to visit and compose. Hopefully one or both of us is struck by inspiration, sooner rather than later, so we can get that ball rolling.

The Muskoka Retreat
Back in high school, my youth group from Binkley Church had an esteemed yearly ritual of spending a long weekend at Lakeside Lodge on Lake Rosseau in Muskoka. Having spent quite a bit of time up north even before that, (at the fairy tale-like mansion-cottages belonging to my uncle) the area's become quite a nostalgic place for me. Thus, I've started discussing with my old gang from high school the possibility of going up there together on a long weekend. Renting a cottage is tricky in regard to the organization and cost of it all, but I'm determined to get something worked out. I've already located an excellent resource, with all the listings I could ask for. The problem is, the more people you need sleeping accommodations for, the more expensive it gets. Anyway, I'll talk more about that when more decisions are made.

Other Trips
I hope to make some other excursions as well with my friends this summer. We may go to Montreal, (which Pete has to familiarize himself with anyway since his recent acceptance to Concordia) or someplace like that. And, although it's not this summer, next summer the UEFA Euro Cup 2008 is being hosted by Austria and Switzerland. Pete, Paul and I are hoping to go. Just from looking at this site, it looks like the average cost of a ticket to a regular match is anywhere between 300 and 800 euros, and the semi-finals and final cost between 1200 and 3000. As far as I know, the conversion is one euro equals about a dollar-fifty Canadian. Ouch.

As if that plan weren't unlikely enough, we're also coddling a distant goal of attending the next FIFA World Cup in the summer after we graduate in 2010. The location? South Africa. Oh yeah.

Misc.
Obviously there are some things I want/need to be doing that are a little closer at hand than overseas soccer tournaments and so forth. For one, I'm thinking of getting into the habit of running every morning. I haven't started this yet, but it would be really excellent if I did. Cardio is gooooood. Also, as I was visiting with good old Sarah (Kat) last night, she mentioned a...well, I don't know what to call it exactly, but they're *free* (Argentinian) Tango lessons in Toronto that she took advantage of many times last year. I never went with her before, sadly, but I'd like to take that opportunity now. (You didn't think I was going to mention something that isn't beyond my personal financial means did you? Well there you go.) I don't care what people say - dancing is great fun, and especially fun to tell people you can do since not many people can. In addition to all that, I plan on asking for a camera for my birthday so I can start taking more pictures that aren't of the grainy webcam variety. Rockwell has really taken to photography over the past several months and wants me to join him in an urban-themed photo-taking quest this summer, featuring downtown Hamilton's seedy underbelly in all its squalid artistic splendor. I also have to go out and buy a wireless router for this house, because being confined to my room and the minimal reach of this old broken ethernet cord is no fun.

Anything I'm missing? Ah, my friends and I are planning some movie marathons, such as a Lord of the Rings marathon with the extended editions of each film. (It amounts to about 9 or 10 hours...at least.) That should be fun. Sort of. There's more I'm missing for sure, but I'm sure you're as tired of reading as I am of typing, especially considering what an amazing day it is.

More coming later. And no more month-long posting gaps, I swear.

posted by Dave @ 11:50 AM