Round Two

Well, I went home and had a nap. Then I went out ice skating with Dan, which woke me right up for the first time in days. We followed it up with a few games of pool (and no, my pool skillz have not improved... Dan insisted there was some sort of British tradition where if you have seven balls left on the table at the end you have to pull down your pants and run around the table: I told him it was a good thing I wasn't British, then) and a hot chocolate. The hot chocolate may not have been a wise move, because it knocked me right out.

Having said that, you'll note I am not in bed. I'm meeting a couple of people for drinks and then hopefully getting a few hours of shut-eye before work tomorrow. I have this problem where I am a social beast.

SO TIRED

Well, one thing is for sure: I HATE working split shifts. You all know me... I like my sleep. I value my sleep. I treasure my sleep. Split shifts are hell on sleep.

Let's see... Tomorrow (New Year's Eve) I start work at 6:30 in the morning. Then I have the lunch shift off, only to return for dinner at 5:00. AND THEN I turn around and do the same frickin' shift again New Year's Day.

I would really like to go out New Year's Eve. I'm told it's an amazing time here in Banff. I ran into a waiter I had met a while ago yesterday, and he invited me to a New Year's party. However, if I do that I also will not be getting any sleep whatsoever.

I am so tired right now, and I haven't even been doing any partying. I've been going to bed as soon as I get home from work, and then getting up at 5:30 so I can be at work in time in the morning.

Yay.

And the thing is, I really do like the job. I like the people, I like the environment. I just hate the shifts.

I've decided to say to hell with the Inns of Banff staff accomodation once this week is over. If I'm not in staff accom, I can scale back to part time (i.e. reasonable shifts).

Snowflake Furs also has staff accom, and I'm going to give them a try. We'll see.

I broke my nail

That's right---one of my BEA-U-TI-FUL long nails snapped today. I blame it on a cardboard box I was trying to open at work.

And how IS work going, Katie?

Why, thank you for asking! It's actually going pretty well. I'm only working the one job right now: as a server at the Inns of Banff. I worked from 7:00 to 12:30 this morning, and have to go back into work for the supper shift at 5:00. The hotel's at a high capacity right now, though, so business is booming.

I also have a job at Snowflake Furs, if I want it. I think I'd like it... the only problem being that right now I am booked solid with continuous double and split shifts at the Inns. And I don't think the situation is going to improve unless/until I get out of staff housing. As a resident of staff housing, I'm required to work at least 30 hours a week for the Inns.

Haven't been doing much socializing, lately.

Most of the people I met at the hostel have dropped off the map. The Irish couple I used to hang out with quite a bit are still in town, I know, but I don't have their contact info. Sam and Jesse are both still in town, so far as I know, but I haven't heard from them since I left the hostel.

Went out for a burger the other night with an English electrician by the name of Dan---my sole social act of the week.

Rokaya and Chris are supposed to come down skiing this weekend, though! I am, of course, working, but I hope I'll get the chance to at least say 'hi' while they're in town.

MY ADDRESS!!!!

I finally have a mailing address. It's soo exciting!

Katie Cushing
P.O. Box 4938
Banff, Alberta
T1L 1G2

My life seems to be settling down a fair amount. No real excitement, no wild parties. I was talking to Tosin last night... He informs me this means I'm getting old.

It's been snowing nonstop since last night, to the delight of all of Banffs skiers and boarders.

well...

I had to quit Earl's after just one day. The schedules were NOT matching up. Inns of Banff kept switching my schedule, and since I'm in staff accom I HAVE to be available for their shifts.

Other than that... let's see... Boxing Day sales in Banff are NOT sale.

Wow, I used a lot of CAPS in this post, eh?

Oh, and Night at the Musem is excellent.

Tomorrow I have the day of, since I no longer work at Earl's.

Happy Christmas!

....that's what the Aussie's say. They look at you weird if you say Merry Christmas.

Anyhow, I'm moved into the staff accomodation. Right now I have the room to myself, and I can't really complain. It's clean, the bed's soft, there's room for all my shit, there's a common room with cable t.v. and it costs $8 a night.

Hung out with some guys on the couch last night and then went to sleep at around midnight.

Today I work at 4:00. Before that I think I'll see if I can track down Jesse. He emailed me earlier this week and said we should go ice skating today... but he doesn't have a phone and I don't think he's been checking his emails the last few days, the bugger.

Anyhoooooo.... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Damn those Irish and their Canadian Beer.

It is very strange to realize that it is Christmas and I am away from home. Even odder to know that while I am out here surrounded by Rockies my best friends are at home surrounded by one another and presents.

Tomorrow is Chistmas Eve. It's also the day I move into my new place. That's right, I told the Inns of Banff I needed staff accom or I was gone, and presto, they bumped me ahead in the line. (And, yes, I am aware I already said this in the previous post). Apparently two poor young boys are still out in the street because of me and my assertiveness.

Tonight I went out with Shane and Sinead (not Siobane). One of the girls at Shane's restaurant is looking for a roomie. $500 a month, but you have to provide your own furnishings. On the other hand, the place is recently renovated. I'm thinking I should ask for a look-see.

Merry Christmas everyone.

decisions... decisions..

So, Inns of Banff found me staff accomidation surprisingly fast after I told them I was leaving if they didn't. I move in tomorrow.

Today I did my first shift at Earl's as a hostess. It's a nice place. However. I also have a job offer from the fur store I had mentioned before. And. I've got to work a certain number of hours at Inns of Banff to keep my staff com.

And that's not even counting the possibility of the Canmore job.

The fur store job would start in January. I think I'll hold onto the Earl's one for now and think on the fur one. The thing with Earl's is sure it's nice and all, but two waitressing jobs could be a bit much. Snowflake Furs would be a welcome change, I think. Plus, it also has staff accomidation, and the manager there told me she was going to keep an ear on the ground for a place for me.

Soooooo.... Any opinions?

It feels very odd to realize Christmas Eve is tomorrow. It's my only day off this week, too.

In Canmore

At the Canmore Public Library. Torn. Think I would enjoy the job at PPP, but I like Banff better as a town. But I could find a place to live here in Camore... which a huge problem in Banff. Oh well, until they make an offer no use in worrying. Work at the Inns of Banff tonight, so need to catch the bus back in a while.

grrrrrr

I am still unable to access TD Easyweb. ALL I WANT TO FRIGGIN' WELL KNOW IS WHAT MY ACCOUNT BALANCE IS!!

In other news... I work tonight in the bar downstairs at the Inns of Banff. Then, tomorrow morning I am going to bus into Canmore for an interview about a job as a Recruitment Specialist with People Postitive Placements (PPP).

I'm not entirely sure I want to move to Canmore---I like Banff a lot. BUT---and this is a big but---I'm kind of stuck for accomodation here. I haven't mentioned it before in my blog, but the hostel I stay at is all booked up for New Years, as is every other place in town. In fact, they're all over booked! I'm not the only one in this boat---it seems like half the people I've met out here are in the same situation. Staff accomodation is all full at the place I work, and while I'm on a waiting list I don't see it opening up any time soon. If I can't find anywhere to stay I'm going to have to tell my places of employment I can't work from the 27th through the 1st and head back to Calgary for those days.

The guy at the computer station beside me won't stop sniffling. It's driving me up the wall, so I'm going to sign off now.

lazy kt

First off, to all those people who have been asking me what my address is, I don't have a permanent address right now. If you haven't mailed anything yet, please hold off for a little while.

So, it's been a few days since my last post.

On Monday, I went out and found a second job as a hostess at a very nice restaurant in town, since the waitressing job didn't seem to be giving me many hours. I work Thursday and Friday evenings of this week as a waitress at job #1 and Saturday I spend lunch hour as a hostess at Earl's. Also on Monday, I applied for a job with a job placement firm here in Banff. They were advertising for someone with strong writing skills and a background in sales. I heard back from them today---they want to set up an interview. I think they would be like an actual-factual career type 9-5 thing, which might be kind of good in a way.

On Tuesday, I went to the Banff Hot Springs. An Aussie guy named John I had met here at the hostel tagged along. The springs were great! The water was 39 degrees celcius, but your hair was freezing and turning into ice at the same time. After the springs we sat in the cafe above them and drank beer, ate hotdogs and enjoyed the view. In the evening I hung out with an Irish couple, Sionbane and Shane, one of my roommates, Eve, and John. An unproductive day, to be sure, but excellent all the same.

Today I went skiing with Jesse, who I had met my first night here in the hostel. He's not living in the hostel anymore---found a job as a dishwasher. He hates it, but it offers staff accomodation and leaves his days free to ski. We hit the slopes at 9:00 a.m. and stayed out there until 3:30. Again, not exactly productive, but what can I say? I had a good but exhausting time.

Today's blog comes at you from the Banff Public Library

Had my first night of work last night. The restaurant was dead, dead, dead. In fact, we closed at 7:00. I choose to look at this as a good sign, however: My first night at the Slivery Moon was dead, and I spent 4 fairly ok (not dead) years there. I understand that several large groups had just checked out of the hotel, hence the deadness.

I don't work there again until Thursday, at which point I'm going to be serving in the bar---I hear the tips are better there.

All good, but since I don't work again until Thursday, I had better find myself another job! Today I am once again pounding the streets looking for work. I think I would prefer to only work at one restaurant, so I might look for something in retail.

I would also love to go skiing sometime this week. We'll see if schedule and money permit it.

I hear there will be jobs opening up in January. Apparently a lot of kids come here over their breaks, lie about how long they'll be here, and then go back to school in Jan.

My friend Jesse the Aussie got a job with accomodation included, the lucky bastard. I ran into last night as he was leaving the hostel, suitcases in hand.

Last night I went out on the town with a group from the hostel. Apparently Sunday nights are a huge party night in Banff. Whodathunkit, eh? I ran into a guy one of the bars who looked vaguely familiar. Turned out he had been one of my roomies when I was staying at Samesun. As soon as he said that, I remembered him: he was the guy who kept running across the room and doing flips into the top bunk bed. Sean, a Kiwi.

For the first time since I moved into Hostelling International I had to share my room last night. I got in at midnight, and they were already asleep. At 8:30 this morning, when I got up, they were still in bed and seemed quite peeved at me for making noise in the room. I need to go back to the hostel and look for my resume, etc... Couldn't find it in the dark this morning (they had closed the curtains).

I hate you, TD Bank!

Last night while at Rokaya's I tried to access my bank account through EasyWeb. No go: they said my my password was invalid. Well, I was a bit P.O.ed about it, since I wanted to pay off my creditcard bill, but I just wrote it off on the fact that Chris' computer is a piece of crap.

Just now, in Banff, I tried to access my account. No go: my password is invalid. NO IT'S NOT!!! I've been using the same internet password every since I opened the frickin' account. And what gets me, is my card is still working... the internet account just isn't.

Oh well, Banff has no TD banks, anyways. If it wasn't a Sunday I would just walk down the street and change my account this minute.

In other news, I start work tonight.

And, the Banff dollar store sells zip-all for a dollar.

...can't think of a title...

First, a quick note. On the request of one Katherine Marie Fitch, I have changed my settings so that anyone who may wish to can comment on this blog. So there you go, Kath! One person CAN make a difference. :P

I'm writing this blog from Rokaya's apartment in Calgary. I've come back just for the night, to get my remaining stuff. She cooked pancakes as a late lunch, and it's slowed my thinking just a bit, so forgive my somewhat meandering thoughts. (Although I don't know that it will actually make any discernable difference... My thoughts are always kind of fragmented).

Today on the bus to Calgary one of the windows flew open towards the back. I heard this whistling and felt a cold breeze, followed by the guys back there shouting for the bus driver. The bus driver just kept on driving. The guys kept closing it, only to have it fly open again. This happened about four times, before someone decided since yelling for the bus driver didn't accomplish anything, maybe they would have to actually walk up to the front of the bus and talk to him. The bus driver seemed quite put out, andargued briefly before agreeing to pull the bus over. wtf?

And in another wtf anecdote, last night I was in the hostel pub where a live band was playing. Anyhow, there was this pretty Japanese girl down there, and some guy tried to kiss her. 'She' got all pissed off. Turned out she was a guy and couldn't figure out why anyone would think 'she' wasn't. Well, a) he was very pretty, b) he had long flowing hair, and c) he had on what were quite clearly girls clothes. The japanese guy stormed out, and the other guy was kicked out. However, it was a hot topic of conversation for the remainder of the evening. For the most part, people seemed to be shocked that the guy wasn't a girl. I saw him checking out this morning, still dressed in girl's clothes---however, he did indeed have a very deep voice.

Also, last night a guy and girl from Norway gave me their email addresses and told me to send them a line if I ever wanted/needed a place to crash in Oslo. They were very blond and very nice. Snowboard fanatics, of course.

Banff babe

I am now officially an employee of the Inns of Banff, working in their something-or-other-grill. Booyah!

I also applied at a very nice fur shop on Banff Ave today. They pay $13 an hour, plus commissions and I didn't see anything in the store under $500. They seemed very interested and told me they would definately be calling me for an interview. Huh. Was it the very nice coat I was wearing or the fact that I rewrote my resume to emphasize my advertising sales background? Well, the restaurant job is mainly evenings... so maybe I could swing both jobs. I need money, but I don't want to burn out. We'll see.

The Inns of Banff have staff accomodation, but it's all full at the moment. I've been put on a waiting list. Til then, the hostel it is... But I kind of like it there, so whatever.

Last night I wound up in a deep philosophical discussion with a guy named Sam from the the UK, a guy named Bridge from Ottawa, and a guy named Jesse from Australia (Jesse I had previously met in the pub the night before). Sam and Bridge have travelled EVERYWHERE.

the job search picks up speed

Today I wandered around Banff looking for jobs. I have an interview tomorrow with the Banff Lodging Co., which is the parent company of any number of Banff area establishments.

I'm staying at Hostelling International, now. I have to say, it's way nicer than SameSun. The place was renovated recently, I understand. In any case, it has plenty of sitting areas with toasty fireplaces. My room is in a dorm, but by some twist of fate I wound up with it all to myself last night. Hopefully, my luck will hold out again tonight. Even if it doesn't, I have the big double bed. Booyah!

The pub at the hostel held a jam last night. I mosied on down for it. Felt a bit awkward for the first little bit, seeing as I was all by myself, but I sat down on a bench and soon enough I was chatting with the people sitting around me. Let me see... there was a guy from Ireland who was just passing through on his vacation, a girl from France, and (of course) a whole load of Aussie's.

The guy from Ireland said to me, "You know what they say about Aussies, right? They're like dog shit: they get everywhere."

"What'd he just say?" asked Jessie, an Australian, of course.

"You're like dog shit."

"Oh." Then he told me I reminded him of a girl back home named Katie who worked in a coal mine, and offered to buy me a drink.

You will all no doubt be amazed to hear that I did not drink even one alcoholic beverage all night.

Tonight, I was thinking I might catch a movie in Banff. Yes, I am indeed a party animal.

Not sure if I mentioned my ski adventures in my last post... So here goes. I spent a whole lotta money (ouch) and went out to Sunshine. The weather wasn't exactly ideal, and it's been a while since I last skied, so I was a bit nervous. On the gondola up the mountain I sat with two people from Ontario. The girl was vacationing, I gathered, and the guy (who had a degree in Journalism) was working at the Fairmont Banff. He told me it wasn't as much fun as he had thought it would be, that he spent most of his time with guests, who he wasn't allowed to socialize with, and that there were an awful lot of middle-aged philipino ladies woking there. That being said, they're hiring servers for positions starting in January. I may as well at least drop a resume off.

So, right! Skiing: It was windy and snowy. I lost my gloves god only knows where, and wound up having to buy another pair (more money down the drain... ouch). I wiped out once, on my first time down the slope, but only once. At one point I found myself on the top of the mountain unable to see anything, the snow was so heavy. The one thing I COULD see was a sign with a double black diamond. I was like, oh great, now I'm going to die. But the lift guy came out of his little ski hut and pointed out the direction of an intermediate slope. I had to take it on faith, though, since I couldn't see the signs through the snow. Obviously, since I'm writing this I survived the ordeal. It was fun. I'll do it again, definately, but under better weather conditions preferably.

I miss my family and friends.

another post from the Banff bus station

Well, I'm waiting for the bus to Sunshine Village right now. Going to go down and ski for the day. I'll also take my resume along, just in case.

I spent the night at a bed and breakfast here in Banff: 'At Wits End'. It was just me, and two women who are members of a seniors ski club. One of the women was from Rexton, N.B.! She moved to Calgary when she retired from the Navy. The other woman was from Australia, originally, but also lives in Calgary now. They gave me their phone numbers in case I ever needed anything, and also gave me a ride to the bus stop. The couple who owned the bed and breakfast showed us a video of their son skydiving with his dog. Fun stuff.

I am so frickin' wishy washy! I can't decide what I want to do. Well, I know what I want/need to do: finish my book. But what to do while I'm doing that? If I can find a job in Banff that includes accomodation, I'll stay out here, otherwise I think I'd just find myself deeper and deeper in the hole. I think I'm also going to keep applying at papers, but only if I don't find a place out here... seeing as if I do find a place out here, I'll have to sign a contract. Meanwhile, my savings are rapidly dwindling. The Elvis tin is empty, alas.

blah

I am tired and cold today. It seems as if the warmer (like in the mild + zone) it gets, the colder I get... Especially when I'm inside.

Tomorrow, I'm going to head back out to Banff. I'll ski there for a few days, and look for a job at the same time. Last time I stayed at a hostel, and it was fun... But I think this time I'll go with a bed and breakfast, at least for the first night in hopes of getting some real, uninterrupted sleep in a real bed.

I had applied for that job Mom mentioned to me, at the Vulcan Advocate. I figured there was a fairly strong chance I'd at least get a call on it, seeing as I was actually quite well qualified. However, today I was looking at the JeffGaulin.com website where it was posted (which said on it that the posting would be taken down as soon as the position was filled) and I noticed that a) the posting was dated mid-October, and b) the person listed as publisher/contact was no longer listed as publisher on the paper's website. So, I called. Sure enough, the position was filled quite a while ago. A bummer, to be sure.

Man, I'm tired. I've finished all my Christmas shopping and should really mail it today, but all I want to do is lie down and sleep.

x-mas shopping and other stuff

Today is the day I finish all my Christmas shopping so that I can mail it all tomorrow. I swear it!

Went to the mall with Rokaya and her bud Stephanie (another former dancer) yesterday. We did a little bit of shopping and then got distracted by gel nails. I've never had my nails done before. My ragged, chewed-up nails have always been a bit of a point of pride. Rokaya and Steph had never had it done either, and it was hard to say who had the ugliest/shortest nails. So yeah, we all now have long fancy nails. Mine have pretty sparkly flowers on two of the nails, too. I don't think I'll ever get it done again, but it was a good time.

Rokaya and I went out to a night club called Mynt on Friday night. We had a pretty good time. The music was good, and the crowd was mostly around our age... Sometimes the nightclubs back in Moncton make me feel ancient. All the guys seemed to be wearing suits, but I think in part that was because there were a bunch of Christmas parties going on. I didn't drink at all... I've been really watching my sugar intake these past few days and am feeling so much better.

I have a few job applications out right now... In the meantime, I think I'm going to head back up to Banff in the new week and do some skiing.

Fun, fun.

Impressions of Banff

Got into Banff last night... Am now at the bus stop waiting for the bus to take me back to Calgary. This is not due to a hatred of Banff on my part, but more due to a promise to Rokaya that we could go partying tonight.

I have come to the conclusion that I am just not a city kind of girl. The further from Calgary I got on the bus, the lighter I felt, and I liked the looks of all the smaller towns we passed through. This may explain how I was able to live in Woodstock, New Brunswick for two years and not only have no complaints but miss it horridly upon my departure.

In any case, the mountains are amazing! Every way you turn, you can see them. It's so different from New Brunswick. Calgary is a nice city, but it could be a city anywhere.

All this said, I'm not sure what I'm going to do now. I think I'll be coming back in the Banff direction... There seem to be plenty of jobs around. However--and this is a bit of a sticking poin..........

OK. The computer at the bus terminal timed me out right then. I'm not back at Rokaya's place. It should have been a ten minute walk, but it turned into a 40 minute one, followed by a cab ride, because---and this will surprise no-one who knows me---I got hopelessly lost.

Which brings me to something else I liked about Banff. There were so few streets that even when I did get lost, which of course happened repeatedly, I found myself just as fast.

Another thing that was nice was the trees. I started to notice them as soon as we left Calgary. REAL TREES. Lots of 'em. New Brunswick is almost entirely trees, and it feels very odd to have none around.

Anyhow, yeah. The thing was, in Banff even the retail jobs wanted employees to sign contracts specifying how long they would be around.

I was thinking I might check out Canmore, too.

And Mom sent me a job post about a newspaper opening in Vulcan, Alberta.

Hi again. Week 2 down. Week 3 begins.

Well, today I had a little bit of a melt-down, but I'm back and feeling a-ok now. Just needed to eat some protein and do some thinking.

I went through with it and quit Ric's. It and I were never that good a match in any case. I like my meat as processed as humanly possible and burnt to a crisp---not rare and straight off the cow.

I've decided to go down to Banff tomorrow morning and stay overnight. I have no intention of actively looking for a job while I'm there, although if I see something and it calls to me, who knows? But everyone has told me about the mountains in Alberta, and in my two weeks here I've yet to see any.

After that we shall see. I think I'm going to stick around Calgary for a while, although I don't know if I'm going to continue in the waitressing vein of things--I have the feeling I may be a little burnt out. I applied for a job as an editor/proofreader for a textbook company today, and I think I'll apply for a few more jobs along the same lines. P.R., etc.

In the meantime, I think maybe I'll look for something, heck, maybe a few somethings, in retail for the Christmas season.

New direction

I've decided to quit Ric's. It just hasn't been going that well: I find myself dreading going into work. I'm pretty sure they think I'm an incompetant: for one thing, I got sick that first week---a cardinal sin. And secondly, there was a whole section missing from the training notes they gave me, although they seem to think I'm making that up. I ask questions, and get a LOOK, and then the response, 'It was in those papers we gave you, didn't you read them?' Anyone who knows me knows that if there is one thing I am good at, it's reading things thoroughly.

I like some of my coworkers----went out with a bunch of them last night. However, I feel like there's a 100 pound weight hanging precariously over my head. Liking my coworkers isn't enough of a reason to stay.

Tomorrow, I think I may go check out Banff.

Huh.

You know how I told you that last night (Saturday) was really quite awful? Well, tonight was either better or worse: I can't decide which.

I started work at 6, so I went in a little early. Upon arriving, I was informed I would be working in the back room with Robyn and Jason. We were expecting a large Christmas party of about 40 people. At 6:10 the first of the party arrived. He informed us the party was probably going to only be 20 people, if that. I was sent to get a drink order---on my way back from the bar the manager pulled me aside and told me to go home. Great. So I signed myself out: 15 minutes on the clock. Twenty minute walk there, 20 minute walk back.

Uh huh.

I think I need to find another job.

Last night's horrible, horrible shift

Went in to work a little early... Shift started at 6:30, I was there at 6:20. Since it was my first real night, Val had only given me one table, which was already seated and working on their appetizers. They proceded to sit there for the next four hours! THEY WOULD NOT MOVE! There was a group that had a reservation for that table for 8:15, but after waiting for half an hour my table still hadn't opened up, and another table had, so away they went. After tip-out (the percentage we put in a pool for the hostesses, dishwashers, etc) I made a little under $23 in tips.

People who are not in the restaurant business do not realize just how much table hogs are hated. Don't you people have homes?? Go talk there! lol

Yesterday, and the beginning of today

Yesterday, I had two shifts. The first one was kind of a practice shift: a waiter named Jason followed me around to all his tables, but let me do the actual work, while he made corrections, gave advice and took the tips. Jason used to be a manager at restaurant in Montreal, but came out here with his girlfriend.

Then, I went back to the apartment for a few hours rest, discovered the apartment was locked up and I was keyless, so went over to Starbucks and hung out with Rokaya for an hour 'til her shift was done.

At six, I was back at work, this time as a hostess. Basically, I got to dress up in a black skirt for a change and hnag out at the front door with Alana and Leah. Alana is 16 years old, and I believe I've mentioned her in previous posts. Leah just moved here last week from Victoria--she's 23 and seems cool. She recently returned from teaching ESL in Tialand.

Hostessing is far more stressful than most people realize --- I certainly never realized! Last night the restaurant was almost entirely booked up, including the lounge area. So our job was to make sure that nothing got double booked, that everyone got to their seats at the correct times, and also to turn drop-ins away in such a way that they wanted to come back and eat at Ric's. The problem was, tables weren't moving. What that means is this: they had paid their bills, but they thought they could just sit there and chat for another hour or so. Meanwhile, there were parties with reservations waiting to be seated, and we couldn't even send them into the lounge to wait because that was full of reservations, too! To complicate matters, you have waiters with empty tables (just not the right size empty tables) coming up to you bugging you to send customers their way. Oy.

As I was seating one table, later in the evening (a walk-in, as it happened) one of the women in the group asked me if I was french. "No, but I'm from New Brunswick," I replied. Turned out they were, too! I sat them in Rick's section: he's from Cape Bretton.

Rokaya and her friend Kelly went to see the Calgary Flames play, while I worked. They came and visited me after the game, which was kind of cool. Especially cool about it was the fact that I was able to catch a ride back to the apartment with them!

Also cool (well, maybe not so cool for Chris) was the fact that Chris pulled a night shift, so I was able to sleep on his half of the bed last night.

Today I've been bumming around the apartment in my pajamas. I've put a few feelers out for places to rent, and I'm reading Bill Bryson's 'A Short History of Nearly Everything'. I don't have to work until six... At which point I will begin my first REAL shift! (I think)

a slight diversion from the norm

Today I was supposed to work two shifts, but I wound up only working for about a third of one. Then I was way too sick to continue, and went home instead. Luckily, they were really nice about it, and I go back to work tomorrow. Tomorrow's shift was supposed to be my first REAL shift... not sure if that's still the case or not, but I sure hope so! Tips, come to Mama!

But enough about that stuff. Today is a day for non-work-related anecdotes.

Anecdote #1: I went into a used bookstore on 17th Ave the other day---the day I nearly froze my feet off---and the fellow behind the counter was a former Monctonian. We discussed the Moncton disco scene, which apparently was quite happening back in the 70s.

Anecdote #2: Yesterday when I returned from my noon shift at work there was a lovely kitty-cat sitting on the steps of the apartment building. It looked at me and said, "Mew," quite plaintively. It was quite glossy looking---missing an ear, but still looked quite well kept. In any case, it followed me into the apartment building. I was hoping it belonged to someone in the building and would take off back to its own part of the building, but no, it followed me up to the third floor. Once there, it made a beeline into an open apartment, which was where we parted ways. I ran into the fellow who was moving out of the apartment, and asked him if it was his cat: he had two cats, but it wasn't one of them. It mewed in the hallway for a while and then vanished back from whence it came. Poor cat. But I can't exactly bring it to live with me on the floor of my friend's apartment now, can I?

Well, there you have it. A pretty uneventful day. Spent a large part of it sleeping, and then watched Philidelphia with Chris---damn, Antonio Banderas was a hottie! And yes, I know there was much more to get out of the movie than just that.

Wish me luck on tomorrow's shift, eh?

I'm running out of exciting names for posts

Today I did my first lunch shift at Ric's. The schedule said to come in at 10:30, but the restauarnt didn't open for lunch until 11:00. I'm not sure when I got there.... probably sometime around 10:20 or a little thereafter. In any case, the restaurant was locked up tighter than a drum. I tried looking inside, but the windows are frosted. So I stood out there getting colder and colder and wondering where everyone was. Eventually, Val, the manager, opened the door from the inside and let me in. She'd been wondering where I was, it seems. Turns out there's a back door. The thing is, when I was first hired, I asked Val if there was a different door I should be using, and she said, 'No, just use the front door.' Uh huh.

Anyhow... Today during lunch I shadowed Yen, a very nice lady of asian descent who is one of the few Calgary natives I have met since coming here. Possibly the only one, in fact. Yen showed me how to make mochas and cappochinos: mine had little or no foam. I am going to have to ask Rokaya to show me how to make them properly.

Val asked me to come back in the evening and help out, even though I wasn't on the schedule. So back I came at 5:00 to help out Louis: Louis' a very nice fellow who I met my very first night. He's from some middle european country--I think he said Lithuania. In any case, he's been a waiter in Calgary for 25 years. His wife, who he brought over from the old country, just got a job with Price Waterhouse Cooper, after working at McDonald's for 17 years. They have at least two sons, who they seem to spoil rotten. Louis helped me out with the menus and bar lists. He's also going to keep his eye out for a place for me to stay.

I have two shifts tomorrow, too, and then my training period is done. There's a very long test I'm supposed to write--although one of the servers told me that so long as I don't mention it, they may not make me write it... At least, that's what happened with him. I'm not going to count on that happening, though.

Tomorrow night, Kendall, one of the managers, has told me he'll go over the wine list with me. He also told me to bring money for a cab, because I'll be tasting all the wines. I may have to ask him if we can put off the wine tasting, though... My first official shift is at 10:30 on Friday, and I don't wanted to be hungover for it.

Seven days down

Well, today marks a full week that I have been in Calgary.

Today I have a lunch shift at Ric's. Should be interesting to see just how many people come in. Of course, it's also still frickin' freezing, so that might affect it just un peu.

The last two days I had off. I was free! Free as a bird! And did I stay in the apartment as a sensible person would? Nah. Both days I ventured out into -30 weather.

The first day, Rokaya and I went to Second Cup and looked through the paper for apartment listings. We didn't find anything nearby that was still available, so we decided to take a second look at that $700 place---I made an appointment for the following day. Then, Rokaya went of to be evaluated for table fitness, and I went back to the apartment to take a nap in her bed.

In the evening, we developed a craving for Chinese, which morphed into pizza as hunger mounted. Chris and some guy were playing xbox in the living room. They were very helpful in giving us non-existant numbers for the pizza place. Rokaya had to drop something off at Second Cup (where she works) anyways, so we headed out into the cold.

Just across from the Second Cup resides an enterprising business know as the Jerky King. The Jerky King sells a wide variety of jerky, all made on site, including strawberry beef jerky. He also sells Chinese food, although not quite so wide a variety of it. As a special bonus, though, he throws in two stick of beef jerky for free! His front room was so cold, the pop in the cooler out front had exploded. The food, however, was not bad.

The second day, I rolled out of bed and headed of to meet Rokaya to take a second look at that apartment. On the way, I stopped at Ric's to check my schedule, and had a chat with Jenny, who was working as a hostess (she had previously trained me in table running my first shift). I learned that when Jenny is not multi-tasking at Ric's, she works as a dealer at a casino.

Well, Rokaya and I took another look at the apartment. It was still as nice as ever, but I was still not that keen on living with them, plus, they had someone else interested in it who was coming to look at it that evening, and who was willing to pay more. This may have been a lie designed to bring up my offer, but if so, it backfired. I wished them luck, and was on my way.

We bused on down to the grocery store, then, where after buying food we spent a fun filled 45 minutes waiting for a cab.

In the evening, we went out to a smoke filled pub to watch the hockey game with some of Chris's buddies from work. The appropriate team won, apparently. Chris's buddies, two guys most recently from Texas, were quite funny. It wasn't a bad way to spend an evening. Eventually, Andrea, the girlfriend of one of them, showed up---she works with me at Ric's.

My neck was hurting, so I decided to try the floor last night. Had an excellent nights sleep.

That last post sucked, didn't it?

So, last night's post made my second night at work sound really boring. In fact it was anything but! I'd say the highlight of the night was when the pipes overflowed and the kitchen and the women's washroom flooded. The cooks were working while standing on a pile of towels a foot thick. The manager put plastic bags on his feet (they looked really spiffy with a business suit!). He stayed back in the kitchen and passed plates of food out to the servers, rather than letting us go back there. Ed, the big boss man, refused to allow us to put an 'out of order' sign on the washroom---Instead, he made our poor little hostess girl (a grade 11 girl in a very little black dress) stand by the washroom and redirect traffic while the plumber worked his magic.

The girl who was training me was really quite amazing. "Everything I do is right, and everything everyone else does is wrong," were among the first words she said to me. She also called some customers idiots to their faces. She makes amazing tips, and is a WestJet stewardess when she's not working at Ric's.

Today was the coldest day since I've arrived. I went to look at a apartment and thought I was going to die, walking there. I went into several stores and 'browsed' in a futile attempt to keep warm. FUTILE, I tell you! FUTILE. My feet were so frozen I could barely walk.

The apartment, on the other hand, was really, really nice. It has a pool in the building, plus a sauna and a gym. $700, heat and hydro included. But I would be sharing it with a middle-aged couple. I just don't know! I spoke to the man on the phone a while ago and decided to go back and look at it again tomorrow. His girlfriend is from Australia (they met online). She's a photographer, and very nice. I didn't get a chance to meet him... Something I want to do before I agree to anything. Plus, they want someone long term, and I'm not a long term kinda gal. UGH!

Ric's Grill: Day 2, Calgary: Day 4

Well, finished my second shift at Ric's Grill. I think I'm going to really enjoy it once I get a hang of the menu and everything. I like the people I'm working with (so far, at least). The main boss man seems like a bit of a yeller, but I've worked with meaner and scarier people.

I was going to write more, but I've decided to watch TV instead, so yeah.

First day (or night as the case may be) of work

Welladay...

Rokaya and I had planned to go for Chinese food for lunch today, but somehow it didn't wind up happening. Oatmeal instead.

Last night, I didn't even TRY to sleep on the air mattress (which is completely deflated and folded in a corner. Instead, I slept curled up on the loveseat. Not the most spacious of sleeping arrangements, but I'm tiny and I managed to sleep through the night. Booyah! Third night's the charm, eh?

So yes, to get to the topic of the post... My new job. I started at 4:00 today. Started walking at 3:25 or so, and wound up a little early for work, but not a lot. Then, it turned out the girl they wanted me to shadow didn't even come in until 6:00, and it was pretty dead... Why they told me to come in so early, I do not know. But one of the other girls, Vanessa, showed me how to prepare the tables... steaming and polishing all the wine glasses, etc... Vanessa's worked tehre 3 weeks. She's from the NWT, and also used to work in a Chinese restaurant! I also learned how to fold linen napkins in a variety of pretty shapes, and learned the floor layout. Then Jenny, the girl I was shadowing showed up. Jenny is a table runner (she's also sometimes a hostess). Table runners stand in the kitchen, and when it gets too busy for the wait-staff to handle, they take the food out to the tables.

Anyhow, yeah. I worked 5 and a half hours, and then Amelia (I think), another new girl, drove me home. Her boyfriend lives in the next building over from Rokaya and Chris!

Tomorrow, I start work at 3:30.

I found a job!

It actually seems to be true what they say about jobs being easy to find out here.
After Chris left for work this morning I had a nap on his side of the bed with Rokaya.

I got up and started agonizing over clothes. I wound up wearing a very nice pinstriped business dress, three pairs of stockings (hey, it's COLD here) and my fancy fake lambswool coat that goes down to my feet. I was worried it would be too fancy, but I was looking to apply at nice places, and I figured overdressing was better than underdressing.

We wound up leaving the apartment around noon... Which, as I pointed out to Rokaya was an awful time to be applying for work at restaurants. Instead, we strolled down to where her friend Stephanie, a retired dancer, was working at this fitness place: the place specializes some sort of yoga, or pilates, but on a table. I dunno, it looked pretty hardcore.

Rokaya, Stephanie and I had lunch at a vegetarian place on 17th Street. The food was delicious, and it was very funky. I'll definitely be going there again.

Following lunch, we proceded with Operation Job Hunt.

I dropped my resume off at the Metropolitain Grill, and was interviewed on the spot. The guy who interviewed me there used to spend his summers with his grandparents in Moncton! He told me he had to discuss it with some other guy, and he would probably call me within the next day or so.

We walked a block down the street and stopped in front of a place called Ric's Grill. "Want to try there?" asked Rokaya, and I was like, eh, the outside is maybeish, but let's check it out. Well, the inside was anything but maybeish: way nicer than Metrolpolitain, in fact, and the Metro was nice. Two different people interviewed me on the, and half an hour later I walked out an employed woman!

Now, I just need to memorize the menu and wine list. I've been told I don't need to know all 300 bottles for tomorrow, but I should definitely know the 30 wines they sell by the glass. What have I gotten myself into, eh? Val, the woman who hired me told me she usually only hired people over the age of 25, with at least 5 years experience. I'm 24 and have 4 years. Oh well.

Wish me luck?

Day 2: Calgary

Well, I finally figured out what is wrong with the keyboard. It{s been set for Spanish. However, I do not know how to change this... so be prepared for another apostropheless post.

Chris swore he had figured out what went wrong with the bed, so last night he pumped it up again. I went to sleep at around 8:00, zonked out of my mind from the jet lag. 12:00 the phone rings. It{s Rokaya, wanting into her apartment. I stagger up and let her in, noting as I lie back town again that I can feel the floor against my backbone...

And halleluah! I just found the apostrophe key!

So yeah, I can feel the floor: something I could NOT feel at 8:00.

2:00 I wake up. The electrical cord under the bed is digging into my spine. I decide I'll go give the love seat a try.

Yesterday I didn't really accomplish much. Wandered around the Chinook shopping centre with Rokaya for a while, and bought two books at Chapters. Rokaya pointed out all the fancy restaurants she thought I should drop my resume off at, and Chris pointed out all the McDonalds that were hiring. lol

We were all supposed to go to some sort of meeting last night, but I was pooped and decided not to... Hence the phone call from Rokaya at midnight.

Today is resume dropping day. Also possibly movie or mild partying night.

Right now, it looks like tomorrow may be head out to Banff day, but we shall see.

I hath arrived!

Just a quick explanatory note... The keyboard I am using is having an identity crisis. I cannot find a key that will allow me to make apostrophe marks... The underscore key makes question marks, and the question mark key makes underscore marks.

So, I got into Calgary at around 11 30 last night (also cannot find a key that makes colons). The plane ride was uneventful, but I have to say by the end I was going stir crazy. My nose wouldnt stop dripping. I was also seated directly behind first class, so I got to see all the things they got that I didnt. lol Let me see... National Posts, liquids served in real glasses as opposed to disposable cups... Having said that, would I have sprung for the additional $500 or so, so that I could sit up there? Hell, no!

My cabbie from the airport was a cheerful Palestinian man, who loves Calgary, but misses Jerusalem. He has not been there in 17 years, he told me. Hed like to go, but he cant because of politics. Its so nice to be a Canadian, sometimes!

Rokaya and Chris (my friends who I am crashing with at the moment) have a nice, if currently underfurnished apartment. They set me up in the spare room with an air mattress that slowly deflated as I slept. lol By morning, I was sleeping on the ground. Did I care, though? No. I was so doggone tired, I would have probably slept on a bed of nails if that was all they had to offer. Having said that, I hope we figure out the mattress problem before tonight...

Today, Im going to try and get a feel for the city. Tomorrow... Who knows. It depends on what I see today. Right now, Im thinking I may bus out to Banff, but plans may change.

Beginnings and endings...

Well, I head out to Alberta tomorrow.

--Leaving home yet again.

The big difference this time, I suppose, is that I have no idea what or where I'm going to. Always before, I have left with a vision (albeit faulty) of my future. This time, nothing. No idea. My future is a blank slate waiting to be written on. It's scary, but exhilerating at the same time.