/life/toronto/Blogging From Toronto
I'm on a GO train. The GO stands for Government of Ontario. It goes from Toronto Union Station to The Boonies, but I'll get off at Whitby where I'm staying with my cousin. The funny GO Train Driver Man just said "This is Pickering Station. GO Transit reminds you that if you've parked your car in Pickering, this is where you should get off. It's a lot easier than walking back from Ajax." Funny man.
Since we landed just under a week ago, I've written two exams (in three hours!), I bought new dress shoes (sheepskin, sigh). we've moved seven bags and a bike box from the airport to my parents' truck to their house to their truck to my cousin's garage, found a flat, and spent some time enjoying the sun. I promised Clare more summer left in Toronto than we had all year in Dublin, and I think we're nearly there -- it's clocked in at 5 gorgeous days so far.
"Rrrrroolling into Ajax, folks, this is Ajax. If you want to get off here, you should wait 'til we stop and open the doors. It makes it much easier."
Before we left, I went cycling, and had a lot of parties, and some stressful packing.
The cycling was good, but my knee kinda gave up after climbing Ireland's tallest cliffs (not the famous cliff's of Moher, but the less accessible Slieve League cliffs.) It was supposed to be 7 or 8 days, but I stopped after 4. On my last night out, there was nowhere for me to stay, so I pulled up a quiet little lane that turned out to be one of Ireland's many walking paths, labeled with recognizable little yellow men. It wasn't the best place, being somewhat visible from the road, but I was quite tired and grumpy. I pitched tent, ate the cold veggie burger and wedges I'd picked up at the last town, drank some water, and gone to sleep.
An unknown amount of sleeping later, I woke up to the sound of a car pulling up. I scrummaged around quietly to find a comforting teddy bear in the form of a metal bike pump and my bike tool. At first, in a fuzzy Canadian mindset, I assumed it was a park ranger coming to patrol the trail -- ha! Then I remember I'd left my bike unlocked outside my tent. Then I heard techno music, and several male voices. This was, dear reader, not a pleasant time for me. Yet somehow, they hadn't seemed to notice me. Then they did "holy shit, a tent!" "Hey is anybody in there?" Shit. "huhhh? yeahhh," I said as sleepily as possible. We proceeded to have a brief conversation where we assured each other we were not threats, and as a token of goodwill I leant my "bogroll" to one of the young gentlemen. The techno music lasted about an hour, but things seemed safe. They seemed to be kids about 16 or 18 doing such anger-inducing drugs as Marijuana and Valium. Yeah. Kids these days. A car pulled up a while later, which was a minor upper for me, and I think a deal went down since one fellow was heard to say "no names, boys, no names," after the tent was pointed out to him.
Those kids should try adrenaline.
I went surfing while I was cycling, (I got off the bike first) by walking into a tourist office, being pointed to the nearest surf shop, knocking on the door and seeing about 7 people ready to go out for a lesson. Perfect timing. It was pretty fun. Though the waves were smaller than last time, the instructors were much better and I felt like I was almost there, including a few brief moments of tentative and wiggly standing up.
The parties were also good -- a monumental gathering at our old faithful, The Waterloo, with a bunch of my work friends and some of Clare's architect friends ended for me at about 4:30 on a buddha bag at a friend's place. It was a great time, with warm conversations and a few people out that don't come out much, which was nice. There was also a shindig with Clare's family and one with her high school friends.
Then frenzied, stressful packing that I'd prefer to forget.
(..time lapse..)
I'm on a GO train again, after my first day of work in Toronto. I have a lot of names to learn. I had a whole 10-desk office to myself today, but Wednesday there will be another engineer back from holidays or something, and then next Monday the office will start filling up with other sales people that don't fit in the main, larger office. The office is on the 27th floor of the TD Canada Trust tower, right beside Union Station in Toronto. Nice view!
This Friday my cousin is getting married, so that should be exciting. Until then, I get to live the commuter's life -- up early and home late. This is distinct from my Dublin life only in the "up early" part, mind you.
New Albums from the Gallery
/life/I am not dead!
..and neither is this blog.
Tomorrow, I'm going cycling around the north of the island -- much of the time will be in Dunegal, which is a county of the Republic, but I'll also be crossing across the top of Northern Ireland (part of the UK, my philistine readers).
Since last we met, Clare and I have decided to move to Toronto for a year, I've pursued and been promised and eight month leave of absence from Google after Christmas to pursue my economic and environmental interests. I've gone surfing for the first time (and I'm hoping to go again during this cycling trip.) I've been to the Electric Picnic a music and arts and other stuff festival in Ireland.
I've started using del.icio.us and I'm considering switching my blog to use one of them blogging sites, and generally going "web 2.0".
I've had a visit from my parents, and one from my sister Julia and her hubby and sonny. I've been to the Dun Laoghaire festival of world culture, the reception of a wedding, gotten a tonne of facebook friends, gotten food poisining, found a secret magical waterfall in Wicklow, etc. Some day I'll get photos from these things up.
I read Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning by George Monbiot. It's pretty inspiring and depressing. It should be read by everyone; please borrow and share.
I'm back standing on the edge in some ways. Reading that entry from over three years ago is pretty interesting. Some of the questions are answered. There is a U2 song lyric I've always liked: "I'd join the movement / If there was one I could believe in." I think I've found that movement, and it is the environmental one. But I have the same kind of 4-month buffer between now and "no idea" land. Except this time it's "many ideas" land, and I'm working to try to figure out where to expend my effort.
So yeah, not dead, just busy.
