Ah! You've found your way to my lame attempt at a blog...well done. Make yourself a brew and grab a hobnob (chocolate covered preferably), you deserve it. If there's someone around, make them give you a foot rub. Relaxed? Good.
So having run away from everyone 4 months ago I'm finally getting around to setting up some sort of online communication and show-off page. The reasons for this are threefold:
Uno) I've realised writing to everyone as much as I wanted to is getting both timeconsuming and expensive. Plus I don't have the patience to wait for replies, I'm constantly at the mailbox like a puppy needing a pee.
Zwei) I thought this could be an interesting way to showcase some of my writing in the near future - like an online, completely unprofessional spazportfolio if you will.
Trois) I'm jealous of Tom and Lou's.
I feel this might end up being my downfall in life (next to the Jack), as we all know I'd rather do something egocentric and procrastinatory (is that a word? It is now!) then spend my time in a useful manner. Oh well, I've written all this now...to delete it would be on the cusp of rude.
Let me set up the scene for you - I'm sat in my funky-ass apartment in glorious but cold Toronto, with Pete my loyal companion by my side. I share this delightful abode with a couple I met on the flight out here - no jokes about me living with ANOTHER couple please, its not my fault cool people pair up!! Tom is from Swindon, which I'm trying not to hold against him, and Lou is all the way from Sydney (the real proper Australian one, not some small town near Ipswich) so she talks funny. They both work in IT, but strangely I've not yet set them the task of saving the life of my terminally-ill computer. They're both awesome, and keep me in check my making sure I eat my greens and wash my pants.
I'm currently playing smoothie chicken, which involves drinking all your beverage and then holding the glass upside down to get at the tasty remnants. From this point its a grudge match between you and the liquid - he's trying to get your jeans, you're trying to get his contents (ha). I nearly always win.
Life looks like this at the moment: I've got a McJob in a smoothie bar (which all the former occupants of 5 Derby Road probably knew would end up being my "career") which sucks in some ways and is awesome in others. It's shite pay and mindnumbing, but I work with some wicked people, get a lot of food and stuff for free, and get to write and read while I'm at work a lot. Plus, many hot men and generally nice people come in, and unlike the UK, you make actual friendships with them and get to know their lives, the lives of their ex boyfriends and quite disturbingly, their bowel movements. Like I said, good and bad.
Things are looking up a bit on the actual work side of things too, as I've recently got my first paid writing gig, for Exclaim, a music paper/mag thing. Its pennies really, but then its what I love. Things are also looking hopeful on the sports writing front as I've been contacted about including some of my stuff in a mag, so fingers crossed! I'm also still working on that elusive first novel...
As I'm poor and its freezing out (and everyone really does hibernate in this weather), I'm spending a lot of time getting drunk and having mini-raves in the house, and harbouring my small obsession with Dr. Gregory House. Older, unkempt, strangely hot apathetic man? Just my type.
NB: I must at this point give kudos to my flatmates for coming up with "unkempt" to describe my taste in men. Good work guys.
Some things I've taken up since getting out here include:
Snowboarding and the subsequent injuries
Yoga
Softening my T's and pronouncing it 'yr' instead of 'your'
Actually enjoying the gym
House music
Mixing very badly on Tom's confusing MP3 mixing deck thing - like pool though, I'm better at this drunk
Canadian Club
The word 'doona'
Wearing warm clothes
Toronto Marlies
Watching the basketball at work
Frequenting a particular coffee shop
Mushrooms
all of which are positives in my mind.
There aren't really many negatives, apart from the fact that I'm really missing everyone back home. I tend to get this bewildering ambivalence, as I really love things out here and have made some amazing friends, but hate missing out on anything anywhere and miss my buddies back in the UK. If you could all move out here, that'd be peachy...
If any of you read this, holla back at me, just to help me justify spending an inordinate amount of time on this thing.
Peace out!
Parrynation
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ReplyDeleteAwesome idea...if only I was a more eloquent writer (and could be arsed) I'd do the same thing :)
FYI...Yoga is a form of torture that should only be prescribed for people who've done really really bad things in their life!
See you soon!
Lucie *currently walking like an old lady due to yoga 'torture' class yesterday*
Parry! My long distance partner in crime! Good to see the writing is taking a bigger part in your life now; or at least from my hugely solipsistic point of view (which begs the question how can a point of view NOT be solipsistic...anyway, i digress). Another question would be why do i laugh so much at these enclosed bracket creatures --- behold their merriment! <(^^<) (>^^)>
ReplyDeleteAnyway its good to see you happy and healthy and low paid like me. Even though you are in the frozen north hemmed in by Shackleton, Margaret Atwood and smoothie genocide its a pity you arent here as you are jolly fun.
Keep up with the blog so we can actually keep up to date with the bowel movements of various hot guys.....? Hmm im sure I read that wrong.
Keep Watching The Skies!
P.s.This blog would be perfect if you had seen a Wendigo.
P.s. This is James, not some overly familiar and manic theme park engineer as the name would suggest. Although I do leer.
ReplyDelete"Frequenting a particular coffee shop"?
ReplyDeleteOne is curious if there is a particular reason to frequent this particular coffee shop.
Tom - The loser from Derby 8 (or was it 9? I can't remember)
That was excellent procrastinatory material, thanks :D i'm immensely jealous of you though!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are well, Andy :)
I really do see how Tom and Lou (Lom) have affected you. Hope you wrap tight in yr doona
ReplyDeleteJosh
It's enouraging to hear that you guys like this!
ReplyDeleteLuce, I hear 'yoga' is actually the Tibetan word for prolonged pain.
Tom, the coffee shop is notable only for its good cheap coffee, huge muffins, books that you can read and not buy, and the thrilling array of people in there - reason enough to frequent says I! And I think you were Derby 8!
James, your bracket creatures are awesome. They give me cacky bird legs.
Andy you better be around Manc on Feb 27th.
Josh you are great :D
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ReplyDeleteYou have carelessly contracted tubey cold bottom from a Tronno slope in the noughties! Im going to book time off work in late feb to be up in manc for a few days. Will be jolly good to see you!
ReplyDelete