Lonely

I'm lonely.

Mama Bean is sick with an ear infection.

It's weird working for a massive corporation. It's weird starting a new job where I don't know anyone.

I don't like not having friends around. I miss my people.

I miss care group.

I miss my old worship team.

I miss my family.

I do love it out here though. I'm just craving more meaningful relationships.

Another Day, Another Dollar (well, more than just one dollar)

So today we went a little better than yesterday. They guys I work with are pretty good, and actually helped me with stuff today. So I learned some stuff, and think I'll do alright. The bar isn't set very high though, so impressing them won't be too hard. The other term guy, who started in July, messes up continuously. He's been there 3 months and screwed up almost every day. I'm pretty sure I shan't dissapoint. It's not a terribly difficult job, and it's only the process that I'm unfamiliar with. I'm a smarty though, so I'll do wonderfully.

I've started playing with a church here as well. The first service playing with them is on the 28th. It's weird playing with different people. There isn't much respect for the worship leader, the guitarists are a bit immature, and the drummer has been all over the place with his tempo. They have another bass player, but she's only been playing for about a month now and really shouldn't be on stage. I'm not saying that because I don't think she's very good, I'm saying that because she'll learn lots of bad habits, and won't have the time to learn the basics first before learning songs and playing with a band and performing. We'll see how it goes though. Lots of praying and patience. It really is nice to be able to play again, and I'm looking forward to Sunday to see how it is live.

First Day

7:45am
I start my new job today. I'm an IMAC Technical Specialist for Great West Life. IMAC = Install/Move/Add/Change. So when someone moves offices, wants some hardware changed, needs a new computer, wants a new monitor, etc, we do it for them. So it's a pretty basic job, but it's with a great company, and there's lot of room for growth. Pay is about the same as I was making in Calgary minus the bonuses which is actually pretty good for out here.

I had an interview with Princess Auto on Thursday for a PC Technician position. It's actually an amazing job. It would be similar duties to some of the stuff I did in Calgary without nearly the amount of stress. Problem is the pay is 10k/yr less than GWL, and on the opposite end of town from where we live. :( But that's okay, because I have this GWL job.


6:45 pm
So the job isn't quite what I expected. It isn't technical at all. It'll take about as much technical expertise as working at Convergys. But...it's with a great company, and there is room to move within it. I can put in my time, and move to something a little more my style. It's also only until December 31st right now, so we'll see. What I have to remember is that I'm not in this for the long haul. It is a means to an end. I'm going back to school to be a pastor. It might not be as soon as I would like, but it will be one day. The sooner the better. :) So yeah. Not what I dreamed of but definitely a decent job with decent pay.

Things in Winnipeg have been good otherwise. We take posession of our house next Wednesday, and move in the following weekend. I'm really excited, I can't wait. Things feel like they are starting to come together. Just gotta get Mama Bean a Chiro job now. :) I'll post pics of our new place when we take possession. Let y'all get your jealousy on. Then maybe we'll get some visitors.

We aren't sure if we'll be going home for Christmas this year. Money's a little short, so I'm not sure what's going to happen. I do get 4 days vacation, so we'll see. I'd like to see my family and friends, but I'm worried about the whole "where to stay" business. I don't want the parents counting hours and nights that we spent at the other family's place. Ideally staying with one of our siblings would be the best course of action, but again, we'll see. We are sitting in a really topsy-turvey place right now, and the only thing we can do is wait.

Shaving

A couple of months ago I overhauled my shaving regime. I went from using a Gillette Mach 3 and shaving cream in a can to shaving with a straight razor. It's friggin awesome!

I bought this little start kit from Vintage Blades. It's was their Classic Black Straight Razor set, and came with a Dovo razor, strop, Colonel Conk's Soap, mug, and badger hair brush. I got the almond soap, and have added a scuttle to my collection.

Wet shaving is amazing. It gives me a chance to have quality "me" time. I get my stuff together in the bathroom, turn the music on, heat up some water, strop my razor, soften my face, make my lather, and shave. It gives me a good 30 min of uninterrupted time to be with myself. To let my mind go wherever it wants. To contemplate life. To think. To just be. I love it.

Now the biggest complaint I hear against it is that it takes up too much time. That they hate shaving and don't want to spend any more time in the bathroom then they have to. But that isn't the point. Sure you'll get a better shave that you ever would with a safety razor, and you'll have far less ingrowns, and that's really important for some people, but for me it's all about the experience.

The sound the blade makes as you slide that razor-sharp blade across your face. The feel of the warm lather on your face, and the exfolliating action of the brush as you lather up. The smell of your favorite soap. The knowledge that with a flick of your wrist you could open your throat up. The cooling sensation of aftershave, unlike anything you'd feel after a normal safety razor shave.

It's just awesome.

AND I recently received a wonderful birthday present from my lovely wife! It is a scuttle! It's for keeping your lather warm while you shave, b/c you'll often have to lather more than once. It's a bowl inside of a bowl. You pour hot water in the spout and it keeps the inner bowl and contents nice and hot. Amazing. And mine's pretty awesome looking to boot.


In other news, I have an interview on Friday. I applied for it shortly after moving here, and got a call yesterday. The interview is tomorrow afternoon at 2. It's with Great West Life, which is pretty awesome. They are a large company that is great to work for. Lots of room for movement/advancement and WAY better pay then the paltry $10/hr I'm making in the call center. So if you remember, a little prayer would be great. Not that I get the job, but for calmness and peace and the right words during the interview. :)

Oh! And it was my birthday last weekend! My parents weren't sure what to get me, so I bought myself something with the money they sent.

Isn't it awesome??



My dad had one when I was growing up, and I always wanted one. He worked in the mines and alot of the guys used them. It was actually designed by a miner in the 50's who also worked for Inco (the mine my dad worked for). He put his lunch box on end one day while waiting for the lift to take them underground and flattened his lucnhbox, so he decided he needed something a little more reinforced. It's made out of aluminum and reinforced with rivets.

But instead of covering mine with union stickers like the miners, I'm going to cover mine with computer stickers. Because I'm a big nerd like that. I'll have pics when I get it started.