big decisions

This has been the week of big decisions, big changes, and spending big money.

Change number one, is what's lying in bed beside me. No, I didn't buy myself a man, rather, I have acquired a cat named Sophie. At this exact moment she's scratching herself with her foot and shaking the bed.

Sophie is AWESOME! I adopted her from a pet store satellite of our local humane society. The poor thing was there for seven months because no one wanted her. So, I brought home an eight year old, long haired, seriously overweight cat who doesn't like children or other animals. Sophie spends most of her time hiding. Under the bed is her favourite, however she also likes under the futon, and in my closet. She sleeps in my bed with me, which is super cute.

Change two, is where my bed is. I moved on Saturday. Thank goodness for friends, moving sucks. I do like my new apartment though. It's smaller then the old one, but it has plenty of room for Sophie and I. It's a third story walk up, so I'm even getting some extra exercise out of the deal.

The final big change in my life, or rather, the big money grabber, is that I bought a car today. It's a brand new Pontiac wave, and it's definitely the biggest decision I've made in my entire life. Or well, biggest in terms of financialness. I can't believe how much money it's all going to cost! I'm pleased with it, and it gets to come home with me tomorrow. Great gas mileage though.

It's amazing how much something like a car costs, and yet how easy it is to take for granted. Cars are such an integral part of our modern society. Most social work jobs, at least here, require you to have one. At least the kind of social work where you are out on the streets dealing with people. I'm so rich, to be able to afford such a thing, and I by no means got an expensive car (although really, if i'd skipped some of the features, I could have had it cheaper). It just makes you think, about how much we really have.

transition

The majority of my friends started back to school this week, and for the first time since I was five, I didn't. It feels REALLY weird. I have to say, I am glad that I don't have any homework. It's SO nice to come home after work and not have to worry about doing extensive research (not that I didn't enjoy it) or putting together a twenty page paper. It's also REALLY nice to not have to reflect in writing on every single interaction I have. Practicum logs were useful, but they were also A LOT of work, and kind of frustrating.

On the other hand, it occurred to me last night, that I may work in the job I have now for quite awhile. Not forever, but probably longer then I've ever had any other job. While everyone else is going back to school, I'm just carrying on with my "summer" job. It's not a bad feeling necessarily, just, as I said, different.

All that being said, the rest of my life is crazy, so it's really nice that I don't have to be worrying about school. I'm moving on Saturday, and I'm SO not ready. I think some of it will just have to happen on Saturday, but there is a lot more that I could be doing. First it seemed to soon, and now all of a sudden I'm behind. I got internet hooked up in my new place today, and slept all day on the floor in my new bedroom (waiting for the internet company, waiting for the cleaning people etc...). I guess I was tired, because I let the cleaning company in, told them not to worry about the bedroom and to let themselves out, and was probably back to sleep five minutes later. Apparently though they spent two hours in the place, and it is nice and clean! I didn't hear a thing.

If you don't see any posts from me for a couple days, it's because I'm busy moving, and working, and packing and cleaning. I'm bringing my adopted cat home on Monday, so I'll be busy with her as well. We have our very first vet appointment Wednesday. I also think I'm going to buy a car next week.

And so, that's the life of this dreamer... I only wish I had more time to dream.

update on the dreamer

I've had a busy past couple weeks, but things seem to be calming down...a little. Roommate left today. I am heartbroken. Roommate also left a disaster in her wake. I want to smack her :) Thankfully, best friend came over and helped me tidy and throw stuff out, and I have my favourite ethical thrift store (because some of them are total scams) coming to collect all her furniture and stuff tomorrow (she moved out of the country...). Not that you care, but because I like to talk, the thrift store is getting: a double bed frame, a desk, a night stand, a lava lamp, a kitchen table with four chairs, two record players, a stereo with a bunch of speakers and sub woofer things, five boxes of books (that I've been through and taken the ones I want), a tv, a tv stand and a coffee table. The house will be SO much emptier! It's going to be awesome. I can't wait.

Vacation Bible School is OVER and my summer job at the church is almost over. After the long weekend I'm DONE!!! It sounds bad, but I can't wait. In fact, I'm super, super excited. I still do lots of volunteer stuff and have a lot of responsibility, but it's not the same.

I'm applying for two jobs at work. One is full time nights, and one is a full time position on our transition team. It's waaaaaaay more of a social work job then what I have now, and would be Monday to Friday, days. I'd be doing case management, supportive counseling, advocacy, referalls, intakes to transitional housing, assessments, stuff like that. It would be AWESOME! However, I'd also like working full time nights, so we'll see what happens. I'm pretty much gauranteed the night job because of seniority stuff, but we'll see with transition team. Either way, full time work should be in the near future and then I'm going to buy a CAR!

So all in all, I'm okay. Tired, but that's my own fault. Sad, because roommate is gone, but happy that she is where she wants to be (grad school!!!!) Happy because the church job is almost over, and I'm getting to the point where I'm *almost* looking forward to moving!

and that, is my life! The dreamer will return tomorrow with more deep thoughts about the world we live in, but for now...I'm off to do random things while I keep myself awake half the night to stay on a night schedule.

yay

So after not hearing from the rental agency for over a week, I finally decided to call them yesterday. After a rather annoying computerized directory, I got a receptionist who transferred me to an answering machine. I left a message, they called me back, and I GOT IT! Yay! No more apartment looking. And, it's only four buildings away from the building I live in now!!!

the sock fiasco

I've been seriously evaluating my clothing situation. For example, I decided I could keep, get this, 28 pairs of socks. 14 of the ankle socks I were to work in the summer, and 14 of the socks I wear in the winter. I still managed to put 10+ pairs of socks in the donations for work bucket. AND, I remembered that I have fuzzy socks (at least 5 pairs) I packed up when winter ended. I can't believe that I had upwards of 4o pairs of socks in the house. Except, it's more like 50, because I still have a giant pile of unmatched socks which I am hoping to find mates for (then I can donate them, I have my 28 pairs of keeping socks, which seems excessive, but possibly necessary considering half are summer socks I probably won't wear in the winter).

Then there was the underwear. I mean, having a lot of underwear is very common among females, but did a seriously need 20 pairs of them? I kept 15ish, put 3 or 4 in donations for work and threw away at least 5 pairs. Life is weird. I really need to do the washing more often, because there is NO way I should have that many pairs of underwear! And yet, somehow I never feel as though I have enough...

Of course, there were also the shirts. I have at least 10 tank tops with thick straps, 5 or 6 with spaghetti straps and numerous t-shirts. And this is just my summer clothes of course. My winter clothes, well, we won't even go there. Most of them are packed. Some are hanging to dry waiting to be packed though. And the worst part is, I wear almost everything. If I don't wear it, chances are I've already given it to work. I did find more to get rid of, but wow.

It's really giving me a lot to think about, because I am NOT a person who likes clothes. If I could live in jeans and a hoody all the time I would (I LOVE MY JOB). When I'm at home invariably I'm in pajamas or sweat pants. I'm really not big on shopping, in fact, I quite dislike it, and yet I have SO many clothes! I'm really thinking I probably need to cut back further. I feel so much lighter without all this stuff. I don't know if the feeling will last, considering I'm moving to a smaller apartment, but it feels good right now.

i haven't even started telling you about my shoes...

purging - the good kind

Along with packing, comes purging; it's awesome. I'm getting rid of SO MUCH STUFF. Because I'm not in a huge hurry, I'm being picky about what goes where, but I'm definitely, definitely cutting back. I can't even begin to explain how good it feels. You probably don't care about this, but it's my life right now.

For starters, there's the stuff I'm giving to work. That's old summer clothes, some winter jackets for the basement, a bunch of socks (more on that later), practical stuff. Then, there's the stuff for the thrift store. Things: spare christmas stocking, cassette tapes etc... I'm also giving them some of my less practical clothes like a fancy dress I wore to my grade 10 Christmas banquet back when I still did gymnastics and was about 10 sizes smaller. Then there's the recycling, and finally, the garbage. And it's sickening how much garbage roommate and I are finding. She's contributing to all the other piles too of course.

Our caretaker informed me today that as our "decision" to move out or not must be made tomorrow, she is starting showing our apartment on Friday. Thankfully roommate and I had today off (a rare thing to occur at the same time) and were already cleaning when I found this news out. We are SO not impressed. Our apartment = disaster zone. Seriously, it's like something exploded. The purging helps with the cleaning. If it's gone, I don't have to clean it, pack it, or find a place for it. And it just feels SO good.

I even managed to get rid of a garbage bag and a half of stuffed animals. Half are going to the thrift store, the other half to the garbage can. This was a big step for me. I've sort of been clinging to those. Of course, I still have quite a few, but it's a start.

The plan for tomorrow is that I'm going to sleep ALL day (I start nights tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!). Roommate will wake me up when she comes home, and we'll get chinese food and CLEAN! Half the thrift store stuff is already in the car, and she can help me car the rest of the work and thrift store stuff. Even if I don't drop it off till Friday, at least it won't be in the house anymore!!!

I haven't even started on the storage locker yet....

box hunt (it's like a fox hunt but better)

I still don't know if I got the apartment I applied for on Thursday. I know they contacted my employer, but other then that, nothing. No matter what though, it's time to start packing! Which means, box hunting!

I remember moving when I was 5 and driving around with my mother and sister looking for boxes. I really don't recall it being hard. They were there waiting for us in the entrance of the liquor mart and the IGA. Not so in today's day and age. Would you believe we went to a Price Chopper, a Sobeys, 2 Liquor Marts and 2 Safeways just to get a car full of boxes? And we got almost all of them at the last Safeway. I am SO not impressed. Oh, and we went to Costco as well. I forgot.

All this was made possible due to the fact that I had my pastor's car. Thank goodness. I feel like we traversed half the city (although we certainly didn't) on our seemingly futile search. Now however, the entire front hallway is FULL of banana boxes, which we have to have moved by Friday because our caretaker is showing our apartment.

Apartment Hunting

So in amongst my fight to end homelessness, poverty, oppression and the reign of "the man", I'm apartment hunting, and panicking. Actually, I want to scream, because now it's real. ARGH! I wish that helped more.

Anyway, I'm looking at two places (or three, i think) tomorrow. Bestest bud, who is truly amazing and wonderful, made a bazillion phone calls for me today and was able to set up some appointments for me. I hate phoning people, and as such was incredibly grateful. I fell in love with one. It's only 15$ out of my price range... 2 bedrooms (I want an office), and looks really nice, and is in the area I want. I'm going to see it tomorrow, and if I like it, will apply on the spot. And honestly, it wouldn't have to be all that great to make me happy. And, it comes with curtains, which is great for a person who sleeps all day and works all night.

So, thus, I'm freaking out. I want to go there NOW. I want to have this over and done with. I want to KNOW. Plus, I may have to move sooner then I planned, as if I really like this one, it's for August 1st as opposed to September 1st, and I have to hope roommate, who I'm waiting up for, is going to be gone by September 1st (she's going to grad school, not being evicted by the way). If this is the case, things will move very fast, and well, yeah... I'll have to start...packing (gulp). I'll pick one day to move all the big stuff, but as I'm taking a full month to move, it'll be easy to move the little stuff piece by piece... oh my goodness, how I want this.

So, if you pray, please pray for me. I'm lying here, freaking out, and just wishing 1:30 tomorrow would COME already!!!