The Apartment Search

Well, as many of you know, I have been searching for an apartment here in Ottawa for the last week or so. The last couple days I've looked at 4 different buildings, two being kind of ghetto and the other two (the two I looked at today) being quite nice. Is it the management company that runs the buildings that makes the difference? I'm sure starting to think so.

The places I looked at today were clean, well maintained, and looked to be well prepared for new tenants. This compares to the other ones which had okay suites, but the building isn't as well kept and the attitude of management shows. Again, the people that showed me the places today were very friendly helpful and not really pushy (which kind of surprised me a bit, being a young single male looking for "party pad"). Anyway, in case you haven't guessed by now, I'm pretty gung ho about one of the places I looked at today. I actually put in an application and if I'm serious about it going ahead (which I believe I am), then tomorrow I'm going to put down my last month's rent deposit (instead of a damage deposit for those familiar with that alternate setup). There are a few "issues" with the place but I believe they are worth it.

First, the rent is a little higher than I was first planning on paying. Granted, this place is also nicer than I was first thinking. Second, it doesn't have either a dishwasher or insuite laundry. Again, not a huge issue but did cross my mind. Now the biggest issue is the bus ride. I was planning on getting a place really close to work so I could just walk to work. You know, sleeping in later, less hassle. The kicker is, most of the places near work (the aforementioned "ghetto" places) aren't super nice. Not saying that they're all not good, I know there are nice places too. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that it's more important (especially without a car) to be close to groceries and other facilities than close to work. A 15 min bus ride isn't a big deal to work (even though a bus pass is kind of costly) and it beats the heck out of walking 25 min in the snow with 10 bags of groceries. At least I could be right across the street from a major (24 hour none the less) grocery store. And a Wal-Mart 10 more steps away to boot. Anyway, I'll let you all know how everything turns out.

For now I'm heading to bed. At least this morning I got out of bed relatively easily (only hit snooze twice) and got to work on time.

One week done...next one's beginning

Sorry about the lack of posting this week. For the most part, I was busy when I wasn't at work. And of course, while I was at work I couldn't be busy even though I should have been. Why, you ask? Because I didn't get a computer account until Thursday afternoon. And I didn't have a fully working account until Friday morning. At least now I can get down to work...and work I shall.

Other things taking up my time...volleyball, pool, movies, and of course catching up with friends. Oh and then there was today which was spent entirely in my pyjamas and either in front of the TV or in front of the computer. At least I was semi productive in finding some apartments to check out tomorrow and Tuesday. Hopefully I can find something by the end of the week. There are a few places that look promising but I'm still not exactly sure what I should be looking for. If anyone has any suggestions (places or qualities that I should be looking at), let me know. Anyway, it's about time for me to get to bed so I can actually get up and go to work without being rushed.

First Day of "Work"

Well, I'm back to being a government worker. And in typical public service fashion, I couldn't do any real work today due to the fact that there are layers upon layers of red tape. First I needed my security pass (less of a hassle than I thought it would be), then I need to fill out another form for computer accounts. Oh wait, I signed that Friday. Oh well, take that up to the help desk to get my accounts. Wait, they can't just issue an account because you have clearance already and are already an employee. They have to do another security check of some kind and, "You'll get you accounts sometime between 2 days 2 weeks". So I read what little documentation I could, visited a bunch with those I didn't talk to on Friday, and then pissed away the rest of the day. Not overly unlike my first first day there (where we had an extended lunch and did nothing but really play around on the computers...at least we could get on them). At least Jarett and I got some orientation like stuff done last time. I don't need much orienting (is that a word?) this time...I just need work to do and a computer to do it on. Anyway, hopefully *crosses fingers* I will have an account tomorrow...or Wednesday at the latest.

At least tonight I got to go out and play some pool. I forgot how much I missed it. Not just the pool but the relaxed and friendly league that I play in (and used to run) which leads to meeting a lot of really nice and friendly people. Good to see some of the old gang back and still shooting but I missed a few people I thought might still be there. Guess the location move in the last year and other life changes chased a few people off. I at least had a respectable 4-4 record while shaking the rust off. I also managed to squeak out 2 games of Snooker over Mike. Fun stuff. I'm already looking forward to next week.

Well I'd better actually get some sleep. Hopefully it won't just be another long day of sitting on my butt in my office staring at a login screen that I can do nothing about. Here's hoping.

Signed and Sealed

Well, I start my new job Monday. The contract (and all the other government paperwork) was signed this afternoon so on Monday I'll be a "Senior Statistical Clerk". Should be interesting. There was a bunch of changes in the informatics section since I left so I'll have some new faces to get used to but at least there are a lot of friendly faces around as well. Well, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my last day off for a while but I'll let you all know how the first day on the job goes on Monday.

Farewell to Alberta...Hello again Ottawa

Well, I've left the praries behind again. I made it safely to Ottawa and the only trouble was the 1 hour delay waiting for my connection in Winnipeg (the most boring airport in Canada, I swear). I arrived here just over 45 minutes later than expected (we made up some time) and was driven to Anne-Marie and Jason's apartment by a family friend. Only a few hours later (now) and after a supper at Moxie's with Jay and AM, I saw Jay go off to leave for Sweeden where he'll be working for several months. At least I got to visit for a few hours with him before he fled the country. Now I'll do my best to be a tolerable roommate/houseguest to Anne-Marie while I look for a place for my own.

Anyone visiting Ottawa, be sure to drop me a line. To all of you in Alberta...I'll miss you all. To those in Ottawa...I'm back!

What a Rush!

Tonight was the first ever Edmonton Rush game and was it ever a good time. Even though the team lost in overtime it was an exciting and enjoyable event. For those that don't know, the Rush are the newest team in the National Lacross League (NLL). And man is lacross a rough game! Good stuff! Those guys sure take a beating. It wasn't even as physical as some of the games I've watched on TV before but it still looked painful. Anyway, if you like sports (especially physical ones) check out the NLL and the Edmonton Rush.

Happy New Year from Jasper

Happy New Year to everyone! As the title of this post suggests, I'm in Jasper visiting my grandparents and up for one last trip with the folks before I leave for Ottawa. Yep, that's right. In case you haven't heard yet, I'm going back to Ottawa. I (technically speaking) have a contract with the government again. Back to the tax division at Statistics Canada. I only have to pass my security check so hopefully there isn't any terrorist out there with my name or it could be a long process.

I leave Edmonton on the 10th of January but until then I'm going to be frantically packing things trying to get ready to go and to prep things for shipping at a later date. All this while trying to see most of my friends in Edmonton one last time and finishing up my reffing stuff. If anyone wants to try and get together let me know asap. If you're in Ottawa...see you soon. I'll try to post at least once more before I leave.