Day 79: Why Is George Foreman Selling Cleaning Products Now?

Really, why IS George Foreman selling cleaning products.

Sooooo, my mom is so right, always right. I bought a plane ticket to go visit her next week (seat sales always get me, some girls like their shoes, I like my seat sales), she said that that would guarantee me a job offer in the short, foreseeable future. She was absolutely right. I received two phone interviews this morning, and a second job interview on Wednesday. Hopefully I don't screw it up, but things are looking pretty good. Both jobs are in community services so I'll be happy this time. Not so rich, but that really doesn't matter anymore. Money can only buy happiness in a shopping mall. I just won't go into any shopping malls for a while. Still going to Ontario to visit, though.

Even the volunteer job came through this morning. Looks like I can choose my training start date, either in May or September. Nothing like working a crisis hotline to make me realize how normal my life actually is. I'll go for the September start and probably work the summer at one of the shelters. Going to be an amazing summer here in Edmonton, and I'm so thankful that I can actually say that again. I was getting kind of worried. Kind of. HA. Like melting-into-my-couch-crying-and tossing-my-cookies kind of worried. Edmonton can be a downright s***hole if your unemployed, but I guess I'm only saying that because my mom isn't here. Never underestimate the power of the mom. She made Hamilton almost bareable for me all those years. And that's an impossible thing to do.

We were just talking about our childhoods the other day. I try not to brag, but Hamilton is seemingly the worst city on earth. I say that with love. Honestly. But also because I don't want to be yelled at by my three best friends still living there when I go home to visit. Way back when my parents immigrated to Canada, Ontario was the boom province. Hamilton had the majority of the industry, tradesmen being recruited from all over Europe and the UK to work for what was pretty good money at the time. My dad loved it there (I don't think he ever got to see the three-eyed carp in the lake like I did) because industry had died in the UK. I guess that's why I love Edmonton so much, Ontario industry died and Edmonton opened the door for me. You can walk in anywhere and get a job here. It's getting out that's the problem. 40 hours turns into 80 hours pretty quickly and most people out here just think work is a place to go to get away from your wife/husband. Some Albertans have both. You do learn to get choosey about your jobs eventually, and the guys/girls you date out here. I've had some pret-ty uncomfortable moments in the past year. But nobody died or went to jail, so, all good.

Foreigner in a foreign land. Yup. I think that's the only thing that gets me down. People around here think that if your from out-of-province, you're a foreigner. I don't think Albertans realize that a passport is NOT required to go to Newfoundland. And I say that with love. Most of the time. Anyone from east of Manitoba is a "damn easterner" to some, though, and that kind of pisses me off. I'm not damned. And hell, I think I have it bad, one of my best friends here is of Indian decent, born in Kenya, and Kenyan citizenship. They don't even know what to do with him. So we sing songs. You can't beat up someone singing, at least nobody has tried yet.

So, I am almost finished with this unemployment roller coaster ride. Three months, everyone, three months. Three months of crying, screaming, drinking, and random other acts of weirdness I cannot repeat here. But also three months of an unwaivering will to get my life right this time. To start being an adult and making real decisions, and accept who I am. About freaking time, what, did I just put my brain on a shelf somewhere when I finished high school and decided that I did't need it anymore? Well, knowing me, probably. And then I probably tried to replace it with the brain of a monkey. The five years after high school are kind of fuzzy to me. But that's another story.