well here is a quick update. today, i was at the office for the first time in quite some time; i moved to my new place in Vancouver’s west end; my mom and sister are currently visiting; and, my trip to edmonton was largely a success.
so i am heading to edmonton tomorrow morning, and i am looking forward to the trip. i have never been to edmonton or even alberta and i see this as the beginning of my canadian tour. why edmonton you might ask? well, that’s simple; it’s a business trip. i am attending a 3 day conference monday, tuesday, wednesday, and i figured i’d fly in a tad early and spend the entire weekend in a strange and unfamiliar canadian city. now, this weekend will provide me with some new places to visit and a huge mall to shop at, while the days of the conference will give me a chance to mingle and develop professional relationships with my colleagues from all over this vast nation of ours. now, the last time i went to a conference of this magnitude, i was still a very naif pupil; unsure of my position in the overall scheme of things and thus somewhat dependent on my boss’ confidence and interpersonal skills. also, since my role at that time did not harness the connections made at the conference, many of them simply fizzled away. this time around, i am actually in a position to utilize these interrelationships, and i look forward to building my network. it’s all on me baby, and it shouldn’t be a problem at all… well, assuming we have the normal after-hour gatherings at a local watering hole.
well i did it, today i signed a lease for one year. i made a commitment for once in my life. *pat, pat* now i didn’t really choose to make the commitment, since it was ‘required’ to end my quickly approaching homelessness, however it was a big step for me. so my new place is in the west end, basically as east as you can get in the west end, but a perfect location no doubt. 1.5 blocks to… a grocery store, a bus stop that has a bus that goes directly to work, to shopping, etc. my suite is half renovated, meaning it has a new kitchen sink and counter top, but with old cupboards.. now none of that will mater once i fill it up with my shit.. and make it my home. i could of went for a wholly renovated suite on the 14th floor facing the mountains, but it was quite small. so i went with the 8th floor, the extra 100 sq. ft. and a view of downtown instead. i will probably flickr some pix when i move in. but for now, you all can rest assured that i have a home for canada day!
there must be a way to obtain rental housing without that dreadful ‘auction’ feeling, which is that feeling of pressure, where you need to make a snap decision now, or you’ll miss your chance to have what you are being presented. it’s that feeling that doesn’t allow for much comparison, research, or all those important things that are done by good consumers. now.. none of this would actually matter if we were talking about peanuts here, but housing will take up >1/3 of my income.. and to-boot it comes with a nice one year commitment… well, i guess the easy way, is to get ripped off and simply bite the bullet, but there is just something inside me, that hates doing that.