elanya

Bees came today. Should have expected that, but I was not prepared. I *had* been expecting them for the past few days, ever since I identified them as a likely contributor to Wednesday's poisonous mood. I'm still sick and still tired, otherwise, but I'm almost finished my gloves, and I have a good start on my chocolate box fic. I just need to not let it get away from me and I should be golden. I have not started my cover letter. I still have time. I think I'll try and get it done and submitted on Monday. Though I need to figure out how to do references when the last people I worked for are also my prospective employers, but shuffled around.

I heard from a friend about a really cool art show by The Shadowood Collective that is going to be taking place in my home city, and I bought a ticket for that because it looks really amazing! Maybe I will even buy Art I Have Nowhere To Put! Technically I already did, as I got a VIP ticket, which includes a poster. But one of the artists there did some art for Hannibal and True Detective Season 1, and I think there will be prints of some of those pieces available. Good thing I'm poor, I wouldn't want to get carried away...

In other news, I've been plowing through watching Clone Wars (am close to the end of season 3) with Nary. Since I'm here, we've also been watching Daredevil (halfway through season 2), and Voltron (hnnnnngh @_@ No one is surprised that I am a Shiro fan, right? But really I love them all). We're a few episodes into the new season, since we've been watching it with her son, and he had to get through season 1 first. But probably if we're dedicated we can finish that before I leave ;p I have faith in us ;p We will watch some more once they get home and we have dinner (Lebanese foods from the Shwarma Shack mmmmmmm). We're planning to go see Hidden Figures tomorrow at some point as well, but I don't think we've finalized our plans.

Today was not that interesting. I was awake before ten, but got *out* of bed slighty before 11. I blame Sierra, who seemed quite content to sleep on my bed rather than making me get up to walk her.

I walked to the petstore and back to get pet stuff (cat food, dog poop bags, little rawhides as dognail trimming rewards). Mostly because I wanted the extra exercie after taking the dogs out annnnd, if I'm being onest, because one of the two close Pokemon gyms was only at lvl 3 and I wanted to level it up and stick a guy in there so I could claim the extra coins, and hopefully keep it a few days.

Other than that, I... tidied the kitchen a little bit, I did some knitting. I did email Parks Canada, and though they responded quickly they didn't really have anything to tell me. It's in the hands of the board at the moment, so who knows how long it will take to get a decisions. The other job hasn't actually been posted yet, so I thought about the cover letter but didn't start it yet since I'm not 100% sure what to include.

I'm almost done the socks I'm working on - I'll be into the toe tonight. So I wound the yarn for two more projects - a(nother) shawls (really a large wide scarf), and a pair of simple gloves.

In less nice knitting news, the pair of socks I finished knitting in august have already worn through in the heel. Ugh! I need to reconsider knitting socks with 100% wool. I think I'm going to try and do an afterthought heel in these, and maybe reinforce the ball of the foot? I have another pair need to do the same with. Meanwhile, the pain I changed into afterthat sad discovery are ones I've had for at least 5 years, and maybe longer. They're a really sturdy wool/nylon blend. I think the easiest solution for the future is to only use similar belnds for socks :p

It's the new year, and I'm trying (again) to journal more regularly. This happens less because of the New Year thing, I think, and more because Yuletide gets me back in a more regular habit of engaging with the journaling world. There's also been buzz from a few corners about people leaving LJ because of the Russian Relocation, so I think more people are paying a bit more attention, which helps. I'll continue to crosspost, I expect, as I have been doing for the past few years.

I'm also stuck in the Holiday Time Limbo, which is worse because I don't have a real job at the moment. But that is bound to change....soon? I have references being checked. I have been told I am the desired candidate for another job if I apply for it. Basically I continue to be in Limbo, but glad to do so in a place physically and socially as well as financially where I can afford it. It is still not my favourite thing. Thursday I will go back to my regular volunteering gig. I could have gone today (I think), but lacked motivation. Anyway. I've been staying up too late and feeling like I'm accomplishing very little.

I'm working on an original story (original Mythos, anyway) for submission to an open call. I'm thinking about signing up for Chocolate Box (or Chocobo, as my sister insists on calling it). I've been doing lazy mindless and practical knitting rather than fixing the slightly more complicated project I messed up (and actually can't find when I did a half-assed search yesterday).

What else.... I got some really awesome mugs for Christmas. Two cheap-but-rad clear skull mugs from my aunt, and a lovingly hand-crafted vagina dentata mug from a friend who had them hand made for a few of us (me, my sister, and Nary, as far as I know). They're things of beauty, I tell you. Mine is red. I will drink from nothing but skulls and vaginas for the rest of my days (well I can dream, right?).

I've been writing things in my notebooks because I have some really pretty journals and I have fountain pens and it seems like a waste not to. Also I have about three on the go and I can probably finish at least one of the off just taking noted for the AU Colonial Call of Cthulhu skype game I'm in. We're trying to stop a serial killer from summoning an ancient god called the Devourer of Millions. I think we at least have figured out who it is now, and just have to do the actual thwarting, hopefully without going any more crazy (hah!) But it is complicated enough that it requires notes, and since it is skype, there are not logs to refer to, so actual note taking is handy. It helps me remember things better, even if I don't look them over. And I've gone all stream of consciousness here. Probably if I journaled more regularly I would be more organized about it (no.)

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Anyway! I did want to do Pay it Forward again this year. I'm lifting it from karanguni who lifted it from someone else. So!

Let's start 2017 off in a positive way with a Pay It Forward meme. The first 6 people to comment (and more if I can manage it) will receive a surprise from me at some point in 2017 - anything from a book, a ticket, something home-grown or made, a postcard, absolutely any surprise! It will happen when the mood comes over me and I find something that I believe would suit you and make you happy.

(If you don't like surprises and would rather have something off a wishlist and/or some warning, let me know in your comment. The goal is to make you happy.)

If you can, post this in your own journal and pay it forward. Let's do more kind and loving things for each other in 2017, without any reason other than to make each other smile and show that we think of each other.

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Also, this reminds me - I've seen people doing Fandom Snowflake, and I've seen people doing various journaling and year end memes. I'm not sure I am that committed, but I am open to suggestions. Is there anything you would like to see me talk about? Want to know more about me? My interests? Pet pictures? drop me a comment for that too, if you like!

...and with that posted, probably I should go to bed!

Well, my current job ends on Friday. I am traveling most of August, which will hopefully be a nice break and not the onset of a lot of money stress. I have a decent savings, at least, and I am in a secure position as long as I stay where I am.

I have started applying for jobs more seriously....which really means 'at all' as I basically haven't been. That doesn't mean I haven't been looking - there were some jobs that looked really great that I only found as they were closing and didn't have a chance to put anything together for them. I've been looking at jobs-that-are-close where I wouldn't have to move, and jobs with a wider range that area more closely aligned with my field. My qualifications are stupid. I'm overeducated and not in the right things.

Anyway!

I have been making a lot of ice cream lately! And by a lot I mean I have made four kinds, though i think they were all pretty great successes:
Coconut lime with hibiscus swirl
Cherry with cinnamon candied pecans
Peanut butter with peanut butter cup chunks
Rhubarb crumble

All but one of those were just me throwing stuff I thought would be tasty in a vanilla base. We have (Longpig and wererogue have) a Cuisinart ice cream maker, which makes this all pretty simple. Also the Ontario fruit season has been really good this year! The cherry and rhubarb were both local.

I'm also still knitting - I have a sock and a shawl on the go currently.

But I haven't been doing much knitting, because mostly I have been playing Pokemon Go on my commute, because I can grab a lot of pokeballs along my bus route, plus fodder Pokemon to beef up my better guys (top ones are a hatched Magmar and a hatched Scyther). My better guys are not all that great though, really, so hey (I'm lvl 18, my Magmar is only ~1160 CP and the Scyther is 1010). But I can do all the parts of the game okay, and I am learning more skills and more game knowledge. Very exciting. Go team Mystic!

So.... that's my life. I am open to suggestions on more ice creams to make!

Note: I wrote this up on Friday as an email to myself, and I was feeling a little despondent. Now I'm lazing in my room with Maze so while the situation is not really any better I'm more blazé about it.

So, ( Let me talk for a little bit about jobs, and working )

Megan the Cruel, a.k.a. tethys123, asked me to talk about job searching and my feeling on it.

I haven't really been actively pursuing my jobsearch since I landed the position I have now. This is a little foolish of me, since this position ends in June. Probably. I mean maybe they will get more money and want to keep me? But there is absolutely no certainty in that regard, and I am really not counting on it.

While I haven't been *searching*, I have heard of a few jobs that I could be applying for, and I have been doing a very minimal amount of work towards preparing to do so. I should be doing more.

There are reasons for this, as follows (this is the feels part):

I really like my living situation, on the whole. While I wish I had better access to my things, and I especially wish we could manage better pet integration because I miss having Maze around all the time, I love living with my family, I love being so close to naryrising (Oh and forthright, him too ;), and I like the town I'm living in. My sister and BiL may complain it is Montreal, but it is also no College Station, and in a good way ;p I am reluctant to hurry away fro that towards a career I feel ambivalent about. Especially when I can feel ambivalent about my career right here ;p

The other thing is that one of the jobs I mentioned is academic. I have a lot of ~feelings~ about my degree, the value of my education, my ability to perform in that kind of environment, and if I am being completely honest with myself, my desire to do so. I think I could do it an do well at it, but I feel very ambivalent about some aspects of it. Some of if is probably just impostor syndrome. But I don't think that's it entirely. I think there were actually serious flaws with my education :p There are aspects that are very appealing. It would be a good cool job in a location that is in some regards extremely appealing. Less in others :p Part of me is really excited and part of me wants to just hide forever. I will definitely apply, but even then I think it will be fairly competitive, so we'll see.

And the other job is at the sister institution to my current job, with a lot more responsibility (but maybe also a lot more power, I dunno), but farther away from everyone, so I dunno. I probably have a leg up there, at this point...

Ambivalent. That is my feels. I don't know how to get over my issues surrounding my degree, but if I could figure that out I think it would help a lot :p

I start a new job tomorrow! I'm a Digitization Assistant! Digitizing stuff from archaeological collections at an Ontario-based archive and research institute.

I am not 100% sure exactly what I am going to be doing but boy do they have a lot of cool toys...

The contract runs through to the end of June, and I don't have to move! It is going to be a bit of an adjustment after being unemployed (but busy!) for so long, but I am looking forward to it, and to not having to stress about money. Hooray!

Bedtime now, I need to be up early in the morning :o

A very timely question today from chairman_mat! The full version is: If you had to (decided to) leave where you live now (for whatever reason), where would you like to move to and why?

My visa actually runs out at the... beginning of may? June? I need to double check that. My employers here are not planning to renew it - unless I find some miraculous local job, I *am* going to have to leave where I'm living currently, and I have given a lot of thought as to where I would like to go.

The most basic answer is: wherever I can get a job. Ideally somewhere in Canada, but my visa is transferable is someone else were to renew it, up to 6 weeks before it expires, so that's still a possibility.

If Canada, I would like to wind up somewhere I already have some kind of social network, or someplace where I have an attachment of some kind: Windsor where naryrising lives, or London (Ontario) near longpig and wererogue. I have clusters of friend in Edmonton and could be quite happy there, an a quite large cluster in Ottawa as well. The other day I found a job posting for a job that is in Oromocto, which is right near my hometown, and I would love to go back there if I could as well. Tomorrow, in fact, is for writing cover letters!

I can has one for next term. Now.... what to do over the break, hrm. I want to go to Canada, but I need pet sitters. Or magical money to fall from the sky so I can afford to bring my babies with me.

hrm hrm hrm.