At Least It's Sunny

What to do with all this free time..

My laptop battery finally powered its last session. After three replacement cords and months of having to position the cable in the exact right position, my laptop finally refused to accept any charge. This is after weeks of it prompting me with a message to consider replacing my battery. Well laptop, I'm definitely forced to consider it now aren't I? Since I have a somewhat uncommon Gateway brand laptop this meant ordering a replacement from the aptly named laptopbatteryexpress.com. Well express or not, I am still without a functioning laptop while my battery slowly makes its way towards me.

Anyways, that is my long winded excise for negleting my blog.

But in all honestly, I have haven't felt like posting. Not much has changed from my last post; I still miss Toronto entirely too much, I'm still planning a bridal shower and now also the dessert menu for the wedding itself, and I'm still not entirely used to the quiet.

But a few things have changed.

I have confirmed my move to Vancouver this September. I have been accepted into Kwantlen University's Fashion Marketing program after a year of being waitlisted and complete my registration next week. This means I'll be living in one city for the next two years and considering I have moved cities every 3-5 months since highschool, thats a big commitement. So I am in the market for a new apartment and a rooommate. So let me know if any of you know of anything; I bake and I clean, people!

I have also been trying to keep myself busy here on Vancouver Island. I worked for a day on a TV show set as a background perfomer, I shot once again with one of my favourite Island photographers, Jonathan Bell, I've helped in an opening soon restaurant that might lead to a job, I've picked up an actual job working at Aldo as well as agreeing to handle all Pure Life Paddle Boards' social media,  and I had an interview for yet another job yesterday. Anything to fill the void in me that comes with being back in the lull of my hometown.

Readjusting to the West Coast

 

Luckily, Vancouver Island is stunning

My lack of posts has not been because I don’t have anything to write about, but rather that I have too much. Between saying my goodbyes in Toronto, scrambling to replace a passport last minute - 48 hours to be exact, a trip to Manhattan, and readjusting to life on Vancouver Island, I just haven’t known what to say. How can I pick a topic to focus on much less condense it all into a blog post?

Being back in my hometown is surreal. Everything is so familiar and unchanged that it’s like I never left. Yet it is always an adjustment switching from the pace of the city to a quiet town. I went paddleboarding yesterday with my closest friend while the water was smooth as glass and everything was quiet and still. I didn’t realize how little quiet I had experienced being in the city until that moment. It’s moments like those mixed with the stunning scenery and noticeably fresher air that makes me appreciate being back in my home town. 

But other days the quiet gets to me. If you’re someone that needs a fan or sound machine to sleep, you know how suffocating complete silence can be. While I don’t miss the frequent sirens and car alarms, or the sound of garbage truck outside my window when I’m trying to sleep in; I miss the liveliness of it all. 

I miss Toronto. I feel like I’m in the midst of a breakup with the city. We had amazing times despite our frequent arguments over the weather. Now, since it looks like I’ll be living in Vancouver this fall, I have to get over the love I formed for the place. I distract myself with all that I love about the west coast and comfort myself with thoughts of rediscovering the passion I once felt for Vancouver. 

But for now, Vancouver Island is my recovery place. I have the summer to readjust and will do so while reconnecting with old friends, planning a bridal shower for my darling sister, hopefully starting yet another temporary job, and appreciating the nature that I missed while living amongst the concrete.

Feel free to come join me. Because it's not just the city I miss.

Tourist for the Day

Checking off the one tourist thing on my list of Toronto To Do’s.

I took advantage of my cousin being in town to push out of my acquired habits and explore the city as a tourist would. What else would a tourist do than to bee line it to Toronto’s main attraction – The CN Tower. 

I have a habit of settling down in each city I live in and falling into the routine of a local, with the occasional over proportioned excitement over something foreign to me but commonplace for any one used to the area – I think I told three people about my first trip to Bulk Barn (chia seeds sold in bulk is an exciting discovery people!) My city wanderings have mostly been to out of the way studios and down town castings with the occasional venture off my regular path if the sun happens to be out. I will lay the blame of my lack of adventure on the freezing temperatures outside; it is much more appealing to spend my free time cozied up somewhere warm than to get lost in icy winds. But with that said, I still like to get out and explore the city when the opportunity to do so arises or when someone else feels like joining me. I love to share new experiences with another person whenever possible. 

With my cousin in town, the original plan was to head up the CN Tower to see the view then walk to the harbour front for some lakeside ice skating. It was a gorgeous sunny day for the tower but unfortunately it was a freezing -12 degrees today which made waterfront skating sound less than appealing. Instead we took our time on the tower’s observatory deck and snapped pictures.

Valentine's Day

Happy love day 

I have always liked Valentine's Day. The holiday itself is over commercialized but I could never dislike an occasion dedicated to showing your love - bonus points for personal displays. A snuggly teddy bear or heart shaped chocolates will never be disapproved of but a romantic outing or a heartfelt surprise makes the day more memorable. I do admit to being a bit of a hopeless romantic underneath my casual exterior; I grin like an idiot in romance movies when the couple finally falls in love, I melt over amorous written words, and I'm enticed by thoughtful gestures. So I let myself believe in a bit of cheesiness during this holiday, my cooler head can prevail for the majority of my other days.

I spent most of today traveling around the Greater Toronto area to a fitting and a casting that were hours away from home and each other. So I must say it was a less than romantic work day but I did take myself out to lunch when I had over half an hour to kill. Once I got home, I shook off the melted snow and met a fellow Ladymith-ian for some outdoor skating - a Toronto must - and dinner. It rained more that appropriate for Toronto, but we stuck it out as west coast people do.

I came home to find that my pictures had been published in the February issue of Elléments Magazine

All pictures by Desiree Thomas

Mood Patterns

 My love for this city ebbs and flows with the weather. 

Yesterday I was smitten; I could feel rare warmth from the sun on my face, the skyscrapers shone and I had a great casting for an exciting job that I booked on the spot. I walked through downtown embracing it all and loving that I lived in the heart of this city. Today, on the other hand, had me trudging through wind and snow to a casting, enviously scrolling through NYFW pictures, and trying to diminish my stress with a little shopping. Fortunately, Zara was having a fabulous sale so my shopping came with less guilt. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like today’s casting went quite as well as the other and the stakes were higher this time.

So tonight I will bundle up and avoid the bleak conditions outdoors, albeit lonelier than usual, while thinking ahead to the great job I have booked for this weekend, remembering that I love my work, being thankful for these amazing experiences, and hoping for warmer days.

The poloroids above were taken by Mark Binks at our photo shoot together this week.