ah! my first birthday review! i’ve been 38 for a whole half a day and nothing….. i feel no different. then again, it’s always like that =0)
after last year (when my mother bought me a huge amount of wine most of which is still kicking around our kitchen) i went out on a limb and discussed with her the concept of going a different direction this year: if she really wanted to pour a couple hundred dollars into beverages in honour of my birthday, could we go with something that I like? please? are you imagining me tap dancing dear friends? can you imagine how dicey that conversation that might have been? she laughed, said that if i wanted my GRANNY’S habit indulged she SUPPOSED she could. granny? really? what part of tea says senior citizen? i mean i’d have thought she could have gone for grampa at least….
anyway, as always, i digress!!! when the box from dammann freres arrived my mother could have called me anything she wanted. the smells drifting up from the box after i carefully opened it! berry and biscuit, chocolate and nuts….. separate blends that somehow all played together happily; separate but still comprising a mutual fan club. this one was the first of my day….. i sipped it in a daze on the way to school. what a way to wake up on your birthday!
this in my cup with music that was likely way too loud, smile wrapped around my head two times. i worked all weekend on a lab that i only got half done until i ran it by my prof who said i could stop with what i had because i had done so impressively much. it’s been a good birthday so far!
sushi coming up for dinner, new kettle kettle humming in the background…. a buffet of spoiled boy teas to chose from. why is it i shouldn’t like birthdays again?
my wife refuses to try this tea…. though she says she might consider wearing it as a perfume. =0)
Haha! Are you originally from BC Cavo?
Yup, this one was a miss with me also!
I am! I grew up in Merritt, then went to college in Kamloops (both in the Interior). I went to Northern Alberta for a few years to work, then retreated to Vancouver Island, and then finally Vancouver. So I’ve seen a few different climates!
I never really believed that the Island/Van were an actual rainforest until I got out there, but then Merritt is pretty much a desert (with actualfax tumbleweed!) – I didn’t expect so much variety so close!
Keychange – I had a sample of it before and it was amazing. So I wonder if this one is just really finnicky?
Haha we drive through Merritt every summer when we visit Vancouver. It always amazes me that people live there. :P I lived in Burnaby for 6 months before I had to move to Calgary since J was here. I loved being out there. :)
Hmmm, it’s possible. Definitely wouldn’t be the first time I screwed up a tea haha.
Wow, Cavo, I had no idea you lived in AB or on the Island. I’m going to have to ask you sometime about your thoughts on where you are now, and how it compares to Vancouver. Because as much as I love it here, job prospects-wise, it seems like it would be a smarter move to head to TO eventually. :)
I don’t know why people live in Merritt either! :P Especially before the music fest was a thing. Pretty much everyone I knew that I graduated with moved away.
And fjellrev – it might depend on your personality etc, and what kind of job you are looking for. It was tough to find something on the island, but within a month I was working in Vancouver, and when I was laid off there, it was less than a month before I found another job (making $15+/hour in an office setting).
It took me 4+ months to get a job here in Toronto, and even then I only got this job because my sister-in-law recommended me and got me the interview. Before that I was trying to find something within the same wage that I had back in Vancouver, and wasn’t too far of a commute.
Toronto is far more formal than Vancouver, which is NOT great for me because I am a jeans&t-shirt lady all the way. I do not do formal business wear very comfortably and would have had to buy a full wardrobe if I did get an office job elsewhere… IDK if any of that helps. :P
Wow thanks, that’s very helpful. I keep hearing and reading that it’s next to impossible to find a job in Vancouver, and if you do, it’s usually around minimum wage and/or you’d have to juggle 2+ jobs in order to earn a living. And this is why the younger crowd are getting driven out. But yeah, I’ve been hearing and reading about Victoria being just as bad, if not worse. So I’m so torn on what to do once I graduate. It doesn’t help that my mom wants to retire here, so in a way, if I am on the west coast, I feel like I’d be obligated/stuck staying on the Island.
But the formality part doesn’t surprise me. I’ve never been to Toronto before, but seeing that it’s essentially the corporate centre of Canada, I can see that. I’m shocked it took you that long to find a job though? I don’t know why, but I always had the impression that there are far more job opportunities there than in Vancouver.
Part of the issue was that I needed to make at least $17/hour in order to make paying for daycare/transit etc worthwhile, especially when daycare can start at $700month. If I was willing to work for $15 I might have had a job within a month, or at least made it to the second interview. And these jobs were all for Office Managerial roles, or something like that where I’d be in an office and have some degree of responsibility.
It’s funny but with both jobs I had in Vancouver, I found them both through Craigslist, even though people say it’s all scams etc. And the second job was AMAZING. Until I found my new job I was a little sad we had to move and I had to quit because it paid well and was interesting. What field are you going into? And do you have any experience? I guess that would make a difference as well since I’m 32 and have had several different jobs with a wide-range of experience, making me both more and less hirable. :P
Oh ok yeah, dealing with extra expenses such as daycare can definitely complicate things. Haha I’ve never applied to jobs on Craigslist before but I’m glad it’s worked out for you.
Outside of academia, I have mostly retail and supervisory experience, and within academia, research and teaching assistantship duties. I’m open to trying to get into HR, or some sort of office/government job. Teaching languages. There’s a lot I could do with my degree, like it can be applied to many domains. But it’s always nice to hear from someone who’s lived in different cities what the job market is, or can be, about. :)
Fjellrev, Vancouver is easy, especially if you have any office skills. $14+ an hour to temp reception? Uhh, ok! Can be boring, but it’s easy money, and you can gain experience/work up to longer contracts/permanent stuff. Gov’t jobs, check out the temp agencies. I forget which one has a gov’t contract here, but it’s a good place to start. Once you’re temporary you can apply for inside positions. Which sounds terrible, but whatevs. :)
I have a feeling I’m going to be back in office work by 2015.. I’d just make more money, and that’s sadly really important.
Huh, you know, I never considered temp agencies before. You’re making it oh so tempting. My gut says Vancouver would be better than Victoria too. I just keep hearing that it’s super competitive and you need connections.
I also read that the wages you earn in Vancouver support the COL there, whereas in Victoria, they don’t. Gah!
Haha. Cost of living here is just over $19/hour (about $40k). I don’t make anywhere near that, and it’s hard, but it’s do-able. Temp agencies are nice because you can temp while you look for something permanent. Get a feel for different companies and corporate environments.
Maybe check out Victoria, see what’s available. I had a really hard time finding work there because I’m definitely from Vancouver. :)