Well, seeing as nearly everyone is gone, I think I’ll stop writing here. I have the hardest time trying to figure out even where to read other people’s blogs that it just doesn’t seem worth the effort. If you want to read my stuff follow me at any of the following locations:

Personal: http://jaikaies.wordpress.com/

Book Blog: http://jkbooklover.wordpress.com/

Travel Blog: http://jktraveller.wordpress.com/

And if you follow me, I’ll be able to follow you back!

❤ SUMR

A fair bit has happened since April. The play is finished, May and June were pretty crazy months as we were gearing up for the performance and then doing 16 shows. I messed up a couple times, usually once per night, but didn’t think much of it. I had practiced as much as I could and even wrote out all my lines every day as part of my show-prep. I think it went really well!

In July I got a new editing assignment, and that’s just been a real… mess. It was supposed to be three novellas, but the author says three anthologies, and the agent says nine short stories. We finally got things sorted -three collections consisting of seven short stories- but the author and the agent are both aggravating. Well, the agent might just be due to the author being annoying to both of us and having to deal with it. I’m thankfully almost done these stupid things!

The freelance editing job I had last summer that took twice as long to do half the book was sent back to the author last fall to fix the second half before I looked at it. He finally emailed the whole thing back to me. I guess he edited the first half before rewriting the second half… and that’s probably a good thing so he’d know what to fix! As soon as the aggravating agented author project is finished, I’ll get back to this one.

For August I had six days of full-time work to do a project at the day job. I needed a day or two more to finish up, but boss-lady said I was taking too long and gave it to the new intern she hired. He messed it up and I was emailed at home to finalize the project. Sadly, unless I can sneak the hours onto my time card gradually, I won’t get paid for it.

Both the intern and a new girl had been hired when Ali said she was leaving. With their coming, going out the window was the promise I’d get more hours when Boss-lady had her baby. Boss-lady had tried to entice Ali to stay, saying she’d put Ali in a management position and hire new people as she wants to revamp the company. Ali asked her why not just give me more hours rather than hire more workers, but Boss-lady had no answer to that. I think over the Christmas holidays last year my boss decided she no longer liked me and wished I would go away.

Anyways, Ali left and the intern was by himself for a whole week because Boss-lady wants to stay close to home near her due date and refused to give me more hours. I came in for my shift and he was just sitting there playing on the computer. He’s supposed to be covering for the new girl who couldn’t start until today or doing his own “job” of sales, but he didn’t know what to work on. Seems he isn’t as “bright” as boss-lady claimed and I had to give him a list of things to do. He messed up one thing and I had to not only rewrite it, but beg Ali to redo the layout because I had no access to the necessary file.

September means I’m all the more closer to both the voyage to Caro’s wedding and to my expected SWAP departure—if all goes well. I’ll be starting a travel blog that’s geared more to the general experience, or maybe written with the intent to become a novel once all is said and done. I expect I’ll be blogging more here for the more personal aspect of the adventure… y’know, the whinging about my job and drooling after cute men with accents

❤ SUMR

I did something potentially stupid today.

I didn’t feel like doing any editing, practicing for the play, or even reading a book, so I decided to *gasp* clean. My desk looked like an avalanche of papers, my floor had crocheting projects everywhere, I’d been shoving things into my closet again just to get them out of the way, and I still had a box of stuff from the last tidying spree that I’d yet to go through. I was hoping to purge my desk drawers as well, but didn’t get the time because of the “stupid thing”.

The aforementioned box contained papers I wanted to organize in case anything was worth keeping, and in it I found a letter from an ex-boyfriend. I read the letter, remembered what a great guy he was, and wrote him an email. Why I couldn’t just tuck the blasted thing into my keepsake box without opening it I blame on the boy-crazy teenager crooning love songs from my stereo.

The letter I found was actually his response to my ending our relationship, and writing how he felt about it. It may seem like a odd thing to keep, but I’m sentimental and it’s the only thing he gave me during(ish) our relationship. I’ve never had any gifts from boyfriends, it’s my friends who give me books, stuffed animals, jewellery, etc. but that’s a different topic.

The good news is that it was NOT an “I want you back” email. He was a nice guy, but not the one for me. I broke up with him because I was pretty messed up at the time, and I couldn’t deal with being in a relationship until I got my head screwed on straight… which I’m lamentably still working on.

Ten years ago I thought by now I’d have been to Ireland, found a career doing something I loved, got married, and had a kid or two. Instead, I’m in pretty much the exact same mental place I had been while we were dating–except I was smart enough not to get in a committed relationship due to my life being such a mess. (Yes, I’m ignoring the fact I was considering dating Buttercup, but since the only commitment we agreed on was friendship it doesn’t count).

Anyway, he said some things in his letter that were encouraging and I wanted to thank him for his understanding, as well as congratulate him on his upcoming marriage. He got engaged a few months ago, and I kind of wanted to let him know I was really happy for him. I’m a little worried he’ll take my message the wrong way, not believe I am sincere.

I’ve not seen him in person since we broke up, he lives in a different city, but some of my friends live there… the same friends who introduced us. I’m still friends with them, but haven’t visited them since even though I’ve wanted to. I’m not certain what would happen if he and I did meet up again–and it would be likely–so I’m worried it would be just a little awkward for everyone.

I mean, introducing your fiancee to the previous girlfriend would be uncomfortable, right? I guess I subconsciously wanted to pave the way, to maybe be on a friend-ish basis so it wouldn’t be weird should that happen. Or maybe it’s crazy of me to want to be friends with an ex? I don’t know.

Anyways, listening to the “Fearless” album made me sad for myself. While I cared about my (ex)boyfriend, I wasn’t in love with him. I’ve never actually been in love, not even the kind described on the cd. It makes me wonder what is wrong with me… I know I’m a loving person, but why the heck can’t I have it in a committed relationship with a guy?

I worry I might be commitaphobic, scared of falling in love only to get my heart broken, but I honestly think I’d take that chance if I felt like the right guy had come along. So I guess I just answered my own question then, huh? Maybe it’s not that there is something wrong with me, but with all the boys I meet! *L0L*

So what do you think? If you heard from an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend, congratulating you on your upcoming nuptials and saying thanks for being a good person, what would be running through your mind?

❤ SUMR

Em and I went to high school together and connected over a love of books along with an obsession with Ireland. For years we’ve talked about how amazing it would be to live in Ireland, and discussed going there together as neither of us loved the idea of travelling to a foreign country alone.

So when I decided to do a SWAP, I had to tell her about it. She said she’d look into it but never did, not until I told her about figuring out how a person could actually live in Ireland for FOUR years if they wanted (aside from the time between that one must return home in order to apply for a new visa).

To me, this is the perfect time to go! Neither of us are in debt, nor have jobs or family to keep us here. Em is actually an author so she could just as easily write a novel somewhere in the Brit Isles as she could from home. In fact, she said she wanted to go there as research for a book!

Because of all all that, I was a bit astounded by her response as it was entirely lacking in enthusiasm about what an amazing opportunity this is. I just can’t figure out where her mindset is and perhaps she thinks the same of me considering I haven’t heard from her since.

I’m going to copy below what she wrote me:
I suppose you have to look at the long-term. What’s your ultimate goal? What do you want to do as a career? Are you going to get there and end up working in a pub or an office? What if the career you want isn’t available there? What if you assume you’re going to love it, but you actually hate it and you’re miserable yet you’ve put a lot of time and effort into getting there?

I’d love to do a few weeks or even a few months in Ireland and, while I’m there, see the other things I want to see – a ferry to Scotland, a train to England, the Channel to France, etc. And the actual Ireland swap is 18-35 which made me feel a bit better than the one that’s just up to 30.

Have I really sounded like I hadn’t put much thought into this? I’ve only been dreaming of Ireland for fifteen years and considered doing the SWAP thing off and on for much of that time. Maybe I haven’t planned as much as I could have, but I don’t want to just take a few weeks to see what I can and then come home. Why would I when I can spend the same amount of money to move there for two years and establish myself in a job so I’ll have time to see everything and more?!

Do I expect to love it? Yes, but I am not ignorant of the fact I might downright despise travelling… Yet the only way to learn is to go do it! I was homesick for a while when I moved for school, but I got over it. Everything has its good and bad points, but the whole reason of doing something like this is for the adventure of it all!

My ultimate goal is to follow my dream of travelling to the British Isles. No matter how much time and effort and money I put towards this, I’ll know that I tried and succeeded. By doing this, even if I find it isn’t what I thought it would be, I’ll have a better understanding of who I am and what I can do.

Quite frankly I don’t see how what I want for a career even matters. I am going to the UK for the adventure, and if I happen find a position that forwards my career plans then BONUS! I fully expect I might end up working in a dead-end job just for the privilege of living in a foreign country, but I’m okay with that. It’s no different than my current situation of trying to get anything that will pay the bills except all the people will have accents and there will be locations I haven’t yet handed out resumes to.

The thought that I won’t make friends is completely bogus, because I almost always make friends. I will have five freaking countries full of potential mates, and I’m sure at least a few of them will be willing to make my acquaintance. I’ve already been talking to other past and future swappers online, so I may have friends before I even leave my home!

As for falling in love…Well…I hope so. I know it might not happen and even if it does the relationship could end badly, but the same might occur no matter where I am. You don’t choose when or where you fall in love, it just happens when it’s meant to happen. I happen to think it will happen in Ireland, but that’s just me.

I am so sick and tired of putting off my dreams, of hearing naysayers, of feeling like I’m in a holding position until my life can start! I know I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to leave this country because there is honestly nothing for me here.

❤ SUMR

I mentioned last week that I was disappointed to discover I couldn’t do the UK SWAP after I did one in Ireland due to my age. I think it’s totally bogus that all countries don’t allow you to be up to 35 to do a work exchange, because sometimes it can take a while to pay off school loans. I don’t know about other people, but I don’t want to be touring the country while my debts go into collections.

When I mentioned my sadness (but not my age-related rant), I was told I could do a UK SWAP now and then one to Ireland after. I knew that was an option, and yet it wasn’t. I did not want to put off going to Ireland again, even though people told me I could visit as much as I wanted while living in England. There was also the worry of if I’d manage to get money saved up again in order to do an Ireland SWAP right after the UK one as time will be tight in order to make that age deadline too.

And then I looked into the UK SWAP anyways, because I didn’t want to miss a possible opportunity to live in my second-on-the-list of my travel bucket list. I don’t understand how I could have so stupidly forgotten NORTHERN IRELAND IS PART OF THE UK!

Yeppers, Ireland has a north and a south with each belonging to a different swap program. I could do the UK SWAP and live in Northern Ireland if I wanted… but I think I’d only want to be there for 6-12 months and use the rest of my time to live in Scotland…or Wales… or jolly ol’ England. If I had trouble finding a job in a particular country or really hated living there, I have three other countries to choose from!

There is still the small worry of getting up enough funds to also to an Ireland SWAP or the government deciding to change their age-range down to 30, but I’m thinking it’s a risk I should take so I could spend four years absorbing the varying cultures that make up the British Isles…

If you were me, what would you do?

❤ SUMR

Is it weird that I’m glad to be finally getting over my infatuation? No, I don’t mean my adoration for Ryan Gosling or Jonathan Rys Meyers, as they will always have a piece of my heart alongside Colin Firth. It’s the one I’ve had for the guy I know I’ve talked about WAY too much.

It isn’t the first time this crush has started to wane, but I think it may actually be in its death throes with no hope of resuscitation. I’m happy about it because, well, it was a really stupid attachment to have.

First, if the guy really wanted to date me he would have asked. None of this, “oh if it wasn’t for the fact you won’t have sex before marriage you’d be the perfect girlfriend” drivel. A guy who was worth my time would think I was worth a little sacrifice. All he’d have to do is try, and if he found he couldn’t handle a few months of celibacy then our relationship wouldn’t work out in the long run anyways. Not because he wouldn’t be getting any after we were married, but because it takes hard work to make a marriage work and I want a husband who’ll be willing to make an effort to keep our relationship alive.

Second, I have every suspicion he’d actually suck as a boyfriend. He admitted that a previous girlfriend broke up with him because he would rather play video games than go party with her. I’m not exactly a party girl, but I would want my man to be sociable–watching someone play video games is NOT quality time unless you want to play it together (and I don’t). While he was with his last girlfriend he said she wasn’t very smart and therefore wouldn’t last long. I asked why he’d date a girl who didn’t challenge him mentally, but he just grinned at me. Those actions are not exactly an indication of a sterling character, either.

Third, his house was on my way home from work, so if I had a bad day I’d ask if I could stop by for a hug… and he usually said no! Really? All he’d have to do is answer the door and give me fifteen minutes of his time. It didn’t help that if he had a bad day, he’d ask me to stop by to talk it out. Uh, where’s the equality? I would want a significant other who’d do what he could to make my day better, not one who couldn’t be bothered to so much as walk twenty feet.

Am I expecting too much? I didn’t think a man who is supportive of my beliefs, wants to spend time together, and shows he cares was so impossible to have. But I don’t think like a male. Please do tell me if such gentlemen could never exist!

What got me thinking about this was how things have been between us since he moved to another province. I heard nothing from him for about a month, and then he “needed” me. He was bored–and I’ve heard that sooo many times before–because he didn’t know anyone. I gave him suggestions on things to do and how to meet people, but he wasn’t into it. Nope, he wanted me to move to Alberta to keep him company.

He asked if I could help with his cover letter/resume and I have no problem spell-checking things for my friends, but sending me a job ad and a list of previous employers is NOT acceptable. I’m mad at myself to doing it because, by the time the entire situation was dealt with, it made me think he had just been too lazy to do it himself and wanted to sucker someone into doing it for him… and that is no way to treat friends.

To top it all off, he proposed. Say what?! Yep, numerous times he has said if I fly out to Alberta he’ll marry me the next day. Oh.So.Romantic…NOT! Even if we had been dating, I probably would have turned him down for it anyways. It was actually kind of offensive, so I’m hoping he was joking/teasing.

If I’m proposed to, I want it to be done right. I don’t mean it has to be this huge viral-video flashmob or an elaborate scheme of that nature, but I’d like it to be on bended knee with a declaration of love. If he’s arranged for a friend to secretly photograph or video-record it for us to keep, I’d be totally okay with that.

But that is not what it was. I may be a thirty-year-old single girl, but I’m not that desperate. You do not:
(a) instant message a proposal [unless you're in the military or something and can't wait a second longer]
(b) say the ceremony has to be the next day at the courthouse because the thought of not having sex until the wedding is too much for you
(c) forget to mention that you love them and want to spend the rest of your lives together

So do you hear that sound? It’s a frikken swan song. Bring on the Irishmen!!!

❤ SUMR

So I’m getting pretty psyched about Ireland, namely because I just found SWAP’s facebook page and am talking to other swappers. I haven’t signed up yet, and i’ve not yet decided when to do so. I was pretty disappointed to find out that the UK’s age limit is 30, because I was hoping to do that after Ireland yet will unfortunately be too old. Maybe I’ll luck out and the age limit will change or I’ll get a job in England/Northern Ireland… or even just marry an Irishman and it won’t matter *wink*

I’m a little worried on the job front as everywhere I inquire isn’t hiring. At least not in this town; Buttercup and Dawlz convinced me to apply for a job that is in Alberta! They’ve both said I could stay at their respective places should I get a job (though I’m not sure Buttercup asked his parents before offering). It’s a government position that sounds like it could be fun for all it’s responsibilities and it saying knowing politics is a plus…erm, yeah, not so much on the last one there. But how could I accept an amazing job like that when I want to go to Ireland, but how could I not when the pay is so fantastic?

I can either do the practical thing, take a job that pays well, and hope to go to Ireland on vacation at some point. Or I could turn down such a job–not that I expect to even get called for an interview with this one–and do what feels right. I’ve wanted to travel to Ireland for fifteen years having always felt called to be there. I’ve felt guilty for not just going years ago even though I didn’t have the resources. I had plenty of chances for going; I could have gone after graduating uni, after paying off my loan, after graduating from college… but didn’t, and rather regret it.

What would you do: be practical or be adventurous?

I really need some sort of temp job that will only last six to eight months. I was asked to help out at mum’s work once a week, but boss-lady at my office job decided to move my shift to the same day mum’s work wanted me. Even though boss-lady had said I could work any day I needed if I found another job, she is now saying it’s that day or no day. Considering it pays better than my mum’s work, I became officially screwed. I swear my boss is trying to get me to quit rather than laying me off, but I don’t understand why. She keeps claiming I’m needed, and yet keeps cutting my hours? It doesn’t compute. But unless I do manage to become hired elsewhere, I’m hoping mum’s job will need me on other days as the weather gets nicer.

The resume writing thing isn’t working out yet, either. I’ve gotten no calls and no emails asking me to write resumes, even though the owner said he got a lot of calls. I don’t get it. It probably doesn’t help that when friends ask for my assistence in writing or editing I do it for free rather than charge for it. I guess I’d feel guilty for asking my friends pay…

I basically spent my entire saturday helping him put together an amazing resume. The kid didn’t have anything more than a list of his employers, dates, and locations! He also couldn’t tell me what his job responsibilities were, so I had to google those and ask him which ones were applicable to his position. I seriously wanted to give him a thwap upside the head for that, and when I saw his cover letter was an old one for a different company and not a first draft for any of the four jobs he is currently applying to? *pshaw!* Buddy is now writing point form answers to the questions I asked so I can turn it into a cover letter.

Buttercup did say that his friend may need help with his resume and cover letter as well. I draw the line at helping strangers unpaid when I could be paid, so I’ve not yet caved on the giving another freebie. I need the money so I have to be a wee bit mercenary, yes? So that means I may make some money out of this resume writing thing yet… though not for the company I was hired to and I don't feel guilty at all!

I really do hope I’ll somehow manage to make the 3-5K I need for my Ireland trip by the fall. Some of that money though will be for Karo’s wedding, though. I’ll need to buy a round-trip train ticket and figure out what I’ll be spending for the few days that I’m in Windsor or wherever it is that she lives. Karo said I could probably crash on her mum’s couch or at her own place if she gets the renovations done, but I’d still have daily expenses (such as food and transpo) even if I don’t have to pay for a hotel stay.

Even if I don’t have the full amount of funds I planned on, I’m still going to do the SWAP and move to Ireland. I’ll just have to trust that God will get me a job quickly and provide a wonderful place to live that isn’t too expensive. If He wants me to be there, he’ll make sure I can stay until my purpose is fulfilled. Dawlz used to live in Ireland and her mum’s best friend’s family lives there still, so if things get desperate I am sure I could beg for some help from them.

I can hardly wait, but I have to. First is the play to get through, and then Karo’s wedding… though why she couldn’t have it in the summer or earlier in the fall I don’t comprehend! If she wasn’t a bestie, I probably would plan to leave in the summer sometime *L0L* Yet this does give me a couple more months to see about acquiring the desired funds and more time to plan and prepare and pack and…

❤ SUMR

A lot of people struggle with writing cover letters and end up with something a little lifeless, a little boring, a little… beige. We’re all taught to write those formal, cookie-cutter cover letters, but so much has changed since our grandparents and parents were entering the workforce. This is the age of new technologies and start up companies, so all those lemming-like cover letters will only cause your resume to commit suicide into the hiring manager’s trash bin.

So why not add a bit of colour?

I don’t mean that everyone should start printing their resumes on tinted paper spritzed with perfume, but rather about putting your personality into what you are writing. There are a bunch of studies on how colours can affect your mood, and what you need to remember is words can evoke the same emotions.

Think about it this way. If you had a bunch of cover letters that sent your brain into a taupe and grey haze, I highly doubt you’d have any desire to interview the people who sent them. But if you had a rainbow of resumes to choose from, you’d find the process a whole lot more enjoyable and be more likely to give those people a chance.

Grab a couple of your friends and ask them what colour they think represents you, and also think about what colour you want to be. Are you an optimistic, confident, and creative yellow? A courageous and exciting red? A cool, intelligent blue? Harmonious green? Passionate orange? Nurturing pink?

Now have them read your cover letter. Does it have a matching aura or is it the neutrality of grey, give the oppressive feeling of blackness, have the heaviness of brown, or feel as sterile as white? To give your cover letter some Technicolor, here are some tips:

1) Research the company you’re applying for and pay attention to any written content they’ve made available, then gear the tone of your cover letter in a similar fashion. What colour do their words evoke and how will your colour compliment that?

2) Write in your own voice, but be sure you still use correct spelling and grammar. Excellent communication skills are always a must, no matter what job you’re applying for.

3) Say what drew you to the company; people always like to know what they’re doing right and enjoy sincere praise. Don’t be a suck-up, but be honest in what you like and why you want to work for them.

4) Tell them how you would be an asset to the business. Sure, numbers can give your potential value to their bottom line, but it doesn’t really say how well you’ll fit in as part of the team. If you can give an interesting anecdote, then do it! Everyone loves a good story, and if you happen to be the hero of the tale all the better.

Business owners want employees who will bring something to their company, something that no one else has, and if you allow yourself to get lost in the muddy-hued crowd then no one will see the brilliance you have offer. So when you write a cover letter, paint a picture that allows the colour of you to shine through!

As I mentioned in my last post, I had just been hired for a new company as a “technical writer”. It is a resume and cover letter writing service, and that is what I will be doing… or so he says. As yet, there have been no clients asking for my services though PB has been advertising like crazy.

There has been one change though, or perhaps two. First, it seems PB’s other company has had a sudden boom and he will no longer have time to do much for this one other than the sales&ad thing. This means I am now in charge of dealing with the phone calls and emails that he claims have been coming in but of which I have yet to see. I am hoping for mostly emails, because my poor cell phone package can’t handle a lot of calls. PB said he’d pay for increasing my plan, but I don’t feel I can accept until we actually have some clients (or at least until if affects my bill).

The other thing that has come up is that PB would like me to write some articles related to writing cover letters and resumes, as well as job hunting. I am looking forward to this part of the business as I love writing! What I would like are “beta readers” who will get an advance look at my articles and can let me know what they think. This may be something more common in the writing process for novels, but I don’t want my work being seen by people if it is boring or filled with errors! So if anyone is interested in giving me some constructive criticism every once in a while, just let me know!

❤ SUMR

A fair bit has happened since I last wrote to the point that I’m not even sure where to start! I kept meaning to write, but never actually got around to it… and that is something I constantly say lately. I really need to start doing rather than saying I’m going to and then not. In this case there isn’t much I can do now except write about as much as I can remember!

Christmas was all right and I had to attend about five or six gatherings, but I managed to come down with an ear/throat/sinus infection shortly thereafter. Thankfully I was not ill on boxing day as that was the annual Ugly Sweater Party held by Sunnie’s parents. This is the second one I’ve attended, but Buttercup bailed on coming with me this time as he was sick (or so he claimed). There were a lot of people from the local theatre guild there, and we spent most of the night discussing the upcoming auditions for the musical *L0L* Unlike last year where I just dug out one of my dad’s old sweaters, I had thought ahead and crocheted myself a jumper… thus winning the prize for best Christmas sweater!

I was feeling wretched for New Years and so did nothing for it, and actually had to stay home from work the first week we were to return because I was still unwell. Upon my arrival the following Monday, I was informed by boss-lady that my hours were being cut once again and now only to work one afternoon a week. Needless to say that is utterly ridiculous and told her I’d have to start looking for a new job. I said I’d stay on here as long as possible, but may have to leave if I found something full-time… not that I expect too considering a nearby factory just let go 500-800 people.

I planned on writing up a new cover letter and resume, but boss-man asked me to help with a special project that had to be finished by the end of the month. While this meant I was getting more pay, it also meant I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time working on my resume and getting them out to businesses. In fact, I still haven’t handed out any resumes because I keep tweaking the thing and working on perfecting cover letters for each place I intend to apply.

I did start feeling better the second week of January, which is good because filming was to begin for the college’s film student productions. I had been given a small part in one of the “movies”, which is actually “webisode” series that may or may not be posted online upon completion. I was only supposed to have one day of filming, both a good and bad thing. Great because I’d only have to get to the location once, but bad because it doesn’t give much time for making friends. Turns out that there were “technical difficulties” and we had to reshoot the entire day’s worth of filming.

So back again we all went, but this time the shooting took longer –presumedly to ensure no further problems were to be had– and we only got part of the scenes filmed. I had a cold, so not only did I sound like a frog but it was really hard for me not to cough when the cameras were rolling. I was actually glad we’d have a third day as that would allow me to get over my cold before having to do my talking scenes. Sadly, when we had to do our third day of shooting, I was actually in worse shape! I only had to do one scene that day, because there wasn’t enough time to do all my scenes, and now we’ll have a fourth day. Needless to say, I am making acquaintances if not friends.

The other thing that my being sick interfered with was the auditions for the local theatre’s end-of-season musical. They have a huge production every June and hold auditions the January prior; this year it is “Into the Woods”. Thankfully I knew the director and made arrangements to audition at the callbacks (as had a couple other people who couldn’t make the original date). It was an interesting experience considering I was the only person who didn’t know much about the production! I knew a basic plot and the characters, but that was about it. Going into the audition I was thinking I’d want to be one of the smaller roles, just a line or two and singing with the chorus, because memorizing things is difficult for me and I get such stage fright *grimace*

I found a version of the play online and watched it the day after my audition. I discovered that I did not want to be one of the cameo parts, as it’s at the very end of the play. It’s nerve-wracking enough not coming on until the second act like I was in “Earnest”, but I didn’t think could deal with waiting for two hours just to be on stage for two minutes. I did figure that those small roles would also be cast as “wood sprites” or something to help change the sets, but I realized that I didn’t want that. I’d take it if that’s what I was given, yet I’d found the role I loved: Little Red Riding Hood. So when I had just posted on fb that I finished watching the performance, the director messaged to ask if I “like sticky-buns”… meaning I was being cast as Lil Red!

Sunnie also tried out for the musical and really wanted one of two roles. The one had already been cast to the director’s wife (who is actually too old for the part and not that great a singer), and for the other Sunnie was up against one of her bff’s. During the audition she stupidly said she could no longer sing as high as she used to and therefore didn’t want to read for a certain role. Most of the parts were for sopranos, and thus Sunnie just took herself out of the running for ALL the main characters! Why she didn’t just say that was the only role she didn’t want, I don’t know.

Her friend got the role she wanted, and Sunnie turned down the part(s) she had been offered. This was quite a surprise for everyone considering how psyched she was about the show during the Ugly Sweater Party, it was all she could talk about. Sunnie then cancelled all her social media accounts and stopped answering anything but phone calls from certain people. I even tried emailing because her last message to me after I had inquired as to what part she got was very terse and said she didn’t have time for the play after all. I thought someone in her family died or had been dismembered and they were in financial crisis or something, and was quite worried.

Turns out she was just in shock or heartbroken or throwing a tantrum or something, because –according to her father– this was the last straw in a string of bad news for her (now I’m wondering if her wedding was called off!). By the time she calmed down it was too late to reconsider and take the role, so she is now in charge of hair and make-up. I had been hoping that would be the case, as it would still allow her to be a part of the production she had been so looking forward to. Yeah, it may seem like she’s getting “rewarded” for being a diva, but I know what it’s like to really want something because you need just one thing to look forward to in your life. I mean, that’s what the college filming and the play are for me…

As you all know I’ve had this on-again off-again crush on Buttercup who had become one of my closest friends a few years back. Due to the horrible economy he lost his job before Christmas and couldn’t find a new one, so he decided to do the same thing that Dawlz did: move to Alberta. Apparently there are more jobs to be had there, and he left this past Tuesday. I went to his place on Monday after work to hang out with him for a bit. It wasn’t terribly amusing as he wanted to play video games and I ended up watching tv, yet it was time together. We never did end up kissing –no matter how often we talked about it–and now the chance will likely not come again.

He was the last of my good friends living in town, and now I only have a couple friends whom I’m not terribly close too. I am hoping to stay in contact with some of the college kids and will make friends with people in the play. Some of the cast are those who were in “Earnest” and “South Pacific” with me, which is awesome, but we didn’t stay in contact too well after those productions so I don’t have too much hope this time either.

Valentine’s Day was a bit of a bust… but then, when isn’t it? I have never had a boyfriend or so much as a date on that day and, other than the year Laur and I decided to exchange gifts for all holidays, I never get so much as a box of chocolates. Scratch that. The one year I did get chocolate, but only because a guy at my school asked me to give the box to one of my non-school friends who he had a crush on and she said I could keep it because she wasn’t interested in him. I don’t really count that, and the chocolates weren’t that good either.

The lack of a job is going to interfere with my Ireland budget, but I do have freelance work on the go at least. It won’t make up for a steady income, but will create a (very) small amount of funds to pay my bills. I am still waiting on my brother’s friend getting his manuscript back to me, and I told the publishing company that I could take on assignments again. They are rejigging how the business is run and that is a trifle worrisome as it may mean I’ll be out of even that job, but for now I have an author who loves me and specifically asked to keep working with me on her next book.

It turns out that for all the company says things are great, there are a lot of complaints from authors about the lack of publicity/sales. I found out from said author who loves me that a lot of writers are waiting for the three-year contract to be up so as to regain the rights to their work. I also think the lack of publicity is an issue because some of my books had not even reached double-digits in sales, let alone three or more, as I only get paid in a percentage of the royalties for said book. This means I will no longer be getting any money once that happens… and all the books did not sell well enough to so much as pay me for my time, so forget about making a profit!

However I have also been “hired” to do technical writing for my cousin’s boyfriend’s new company. I think I was chosen merely so he wouldn’t have to go through the effort of actually looking for a professional technical writer as he asked my cousin if she knew anyone who was good at writing. I haven’t gotten any work from him yet, but he said I will be soon. The good news is that this pays better than the editing-gig, but not enough to make up for a lack of a day-job.

I’m going to have to apply for the work exchange soon, but for a part of it I will have to get to Toronto. Since I don’t have a car and I kind of suck at driving anyways, I’m going to have to find another way to get there. I could take the train and then the TTC, but that would be so frikken expensive! I’m trying to talk the parentals into taking me with the idea they could do touristy stuff or even genealogy research (which mum claims she wants to do), but I keep getting shot down.

I’m still a bit worried about going to a foreign country on my own, but by the end of the year I will be there! If I don’t get accepted into the work exchange program I’m going to do a two-month vaycay, possibly in the summer… My dream WILL come true!

<3 SUMR