I quit!

As the title suggests, I quit my job yesterday. The owners of the store were taking off to Montreal for five days, and just before one of them left for the airport, I told her she might want to start looking for a new employee. I just can't take this crappy job any longer. It's the first time I've ever hated a job this much, and the first time I've actually quit.

I had a long talk with the other girl who works here, and she told me she'd nearly quit about a dozeb times during her first month as well, but she kept on going seeing that she's going back to school in August and it would be difficult to find anything else for just a few months. I am also hoping to go back to school in October, but I found that ten dollars an hour really doesn't pay for a raised blood pressure and a feeling of inadequacy and stupidity. I really don't know how they will ever find anybody who is willing to stick around long enough to be assistant manager, the way this store is managed.

So I have no clue how long they still want me to stick around here, but I gave them two week's notice, so I am leaving on June 26th at the latest. I should have quit earlier. I already have a job interview coming up next Monday. And a band audition on Tuesday. And an English test on Thursday. I am slowly but surely getting all my papers gathered up for BCIT, and I will be able to send off all my proof of English talents, graduation of high school and university as well as match knowledge next week. I am hoping it is not too late for the classes that start this fall - but if it is, at least I have a little more time to gather up some money for the tuition. I have heard nothing but great things about BCIT, and I believe this program I am aiming for is exactly what I need to get the job I want.

In leisure news, Chris and I went out to Lighthouse Park last Sunday. It's a quite large park in the western end of West Vancouver, with, as the name suggests, a lighthouse on one of its beaches. We walked around and hiked around for two hours, looking at eagles (hawks?), huge trees, cliffs, strange algae, fish caught in the tide, and of course, people and dogs. And yesterday we went for a bike ride in Stanley Park, up to Prospect Point and down the hills. It's almost too easy to just forget about how awesome nature is here, but these trips were good reminders. We were thinking of doing the Grouse Grind (a 3 km walk up 830 meters) but one website said it was closed (which it isn't) so we didn't. But there's always another time!

I am currently sitting at work, being very bored. There has been one customer so far (in 45 minutes), and he didn't need very much help. Stupid job.

I am tired.

It's Saturday and Chris is at work. We just ate really bad all you can eat sushi at Robson sushi. Don't go there. Stay with Samurai.

I spent last night in Abbotsford, celebrating Andrew and Julianne's engagement. Good party! Good beer! Now I am tired. But it is not completely the fault of Abbotsford, since I have started to get really early morning shifts at work. I get up at 7.30. I can't handle 7.30. I stay up too late to get up at 7.30. And tonight I think might be another late night because it's Chris' cousins' last night in Vancouver (they've been here for a week now) and something must be done. Singstar perhaps? :D

Both Chris and I have had a lot of trojans on our computers lately (I know I know I shouldn't be downloading all this stuff), and they were really hard to get rid of. Well, really easy when I found this free software that got rid of them all in one scan - avast. Just so you know if you ever get in trouble with the viruses.

Chris works at the theatre festival Bard on the Beach (almost where this picture is taken, but more trampled and muddy), and he got some complimentary tickets to a couple of shows, and so we went to see the opening night of Twelfth Night on Thursday night. Unfortunately it turned out to be the coldest June 5th in the history of June 5ths, and the stage is set in an open tent with a view of English Bay - which led to some serious freezing and cursing. I couldn't take either the acting or the cold so I went home in the intermission. It took about half an hour of walking before my feet thawed.

In other news: I bought a graphic tablet. It's a wacom intuos3. And it seems pretty great. I haven't had a lot of time to play with it yet - but I will probably spend a few hours doing that after I've uploaded this post. Like. Now.

Walkers

I realize it has been ages since I last updated this thing, and I blame it not only on lazyness but also on lack of things to report on. However I will try to better my ways, and we shall see how well I succeed in that when the time comes for me to update next time.

Anyway.

I am currently sitting by the water, looking at boats go by on the bay, and bicycles and pedestrians pass on the path in front of me (see picture). The white tents you can see in the picture is where Chris works, Bard on the beach. He's done with work in ten minutes and then he'll meet me here, and hopefully we'll go get lunch because I am very hungry. I am thinking sushi. Yum.

About my work. I am, as previously written, working at the UPS store in Denman mall (the mall of death – only 70-80-year-olds inhabit it, so all I see from the store are walkers and canes), about a two minute bike ride from our apartment (if I go really, really fast, and ignore the stop signs, which I tend to do, shh, don't tell anyone). The store is owned by a very nice Iranian couple, who seem to think I aspire to become assistant manager. Well let me tell you something – I sure don't. My job consists of shipping and receiving, copying and faxing, scanning and printing, and vacuuming the floor. Oh! I almost forgot the most important part – putting mail into the rental mail boxes.

It's boring!

I get paid about 10,50 an hour (minus tax), which gives me very little to put in the bank. But as I see it, it is better to do this job that I have for a short time now, than spending more time than I already have on looking for a better one. It seems the competition for jobs here is quite hard – except for the customer service jobs. Who wants to deal with all these irritated Vancouverites all day long...

So in other news: I am aspiring to go back to school this fall, and thus release myself from the evil working life for yet another year. Yes, it is very expensive, but I have decided I want to work with digital media and/or graphic design, and therefore I need to expand my knowledge of the Macintosh computer. It's really funny how people here assume that graphic design can only be done on a Mac. I've had people get really surprised when I've told them I have a PC. Seriously folks, don't buy into the brand hysteria, it is all a hoax.

The program I applied for is this:

http://www.bcit.ca/study/programs/6415smcert

New media design and web development. It's about 10,000 dollars (aaaaaaaah!) but I wanna wanna do it. I applied in the last minute for the program that starts this fall, and if I don't make it, because I was too late and haven't lived here for 12 months and don't have proof that I know English or math, then I will simply keep on working and re-apply for the spring program. I have also looked at other schools, but BCIT seems to offer quite a lot during the year, and also has a very good reputation around here. And unfortunately it seems to matter that I don't go to a community college. Stupid stupid capitalism, I want to study for free.

So Chris is now on his way here, which is awesome, because I am very hungry, and getting very cold. It's not too warm today, but yesterday it was so warm I could barely walk around in the sun. Vancouver is nice though, I like being able to walk ten minutes from my door and be in a rain forest, or go down to the beach and see storks and cranes and swans and raccoons, or breathe clean air, for that matter. This place is so different from Toronto. It's like a big city Esbo. With more stuff. More animals, more trees, and definitely more people. The beaches get PACKED on a warm sunny day, and it's almost impossible to pass people on the sidewalk, cause they don't understand that they are walking slowly.

I went for a jog a couple of days ago, randomly choosing paths in Stanley Park. I think I ran right through the middle of it, via Beaver Lake, up to Prospect Point. I exited the thick forest at one point when I was facing north-west –and the view was so stunning! I could see west Van and Lighthouse Park and the mountains and the island.... And a light fog had risen from the water to give the whole scenery a eerie glow and blur. While running home I saw the most amazing trees and shrubbery, huge snails, woodpeckers, and little birds with white pearls on their wings.... I live in the middle of nature! But somethimes it feels too close, like you can't appreciate it since it is always around you, and almost a little too groomed for my taste.

I will stop now. This is what happens when I don't write for a long time – it gets too long. Chris should be here any minute, so we will finally get our sushi, and then who knows what we'll think of. We might bike somewhere, or go play tennis, or maybe just sit on the couch and play video games. I downloaded Kirby's dreamland on the wii last night – a game that I just played too much as a kid – and it was so much fun to turn it on and see everything again. Funny how nostalgic you can get over games.