North Bay

Hello,
A few things to get caught up on as I have been very absent over the summer months.

One, I have been working like a dog all summer with a day camp that I was assistant manager of. This was by far the craziest 4 months of my life.. I spent a large amount of my time working long (un-paid) hours just to prepare for the arrival of thousands of kids throughout the summer. It was a great learning experience that I will do again in a heart beat.

Moving on, I am still playing the blues and with some great progress as well. I did play at the club a few times, but not on the Thursday night blues night. However, I played on the open mic Friday night quite a few times.

NEXT!
I am currently residing in North Bay Ontario. Here is the layout of what my past week has looked like.

Monday Sept. 7th 2009 1pm : Drive to London from Perry Sound (nice relaxing long weekend at the girly's cottge to end the summer)

Monday Sept 7th 2009 7:30pm: Pack up belongings from London residence and drive home to Sarnia

Tuesday Sept. 8th, 2009: Just after setting up my turtle's pen outside I begin to cut the grass. While cutting the grass I receive a phone call from Nipissing University asking me to join them at school for their BED program. I say yes (why not)

Wednesday Sept 9th, 2009 1pm: Go to bank and continue to put myself in more financial dismay (get a loan ...again)

Wednesday Sept 9th, 2009 3pm: Go to London to get the rest of belongings. Quit job at the club. Get my GF's parents a thank you gift/card. Return to work to sort out payroll issue with Sue.

Wednesday Sept. 9th, 2009 5:30 pm : Drive back to Sarnia TD bank in order to sign papers that will secure my future financial destruction.

Wednesday Sept 9th, 2009 8pm: Sort and pack all that will be needed to drive 6 hours to North Bay and find a new place to live for the next 8 months.

Thursday Sept 10th, 2009 5:30 AM: Wake up and start the 6 hour drive to North Bay Ontario (quite fun actually Thanks Dad)

Thursday Sept 10th, 2009 12:oopm: Dad and I see a Moose!

Thursday Sept 10th, 2009 1pm: I arrive at Nipissing University for my very condensed orientation while all other BED students are out in their placements doing an observation week.
I drop eleven hundred dollars (OUCH) and they say, "See you Monday!"

Thursday Sept 10th, 2009 4:30pm: The father and I saunter around North Bay for hotels to stay in. We find one and it is nice (and expensive). We eat dinner drive through town and look at the lake Nipissing and trout lake.

Thursday Sept 10th, 2009. 11pm: Sleep

Friday Sept 11th, 2009. 7am: I wake up eat breakfast and get ready to go adventuring/ fishing on Trout Lake.

Friday Sept 11th, 2009. 8am: I realize it is 9/11. I break dance. Father is confused. (actually happened)

Friday Sept 11th, 2009. 12:30pm: Father leaves for home. He goes the scenic route to see the giants. Now, when I say giants I mean windmills located south of Perry Sound.

Friday Sept 11th, 2009. 3pm: I walk to Lake Nipissing and adventure on the lake. and head home to sleep.

Saturday Sept 12th, 2009. 9:30am: I wake up in time to get the free breakfast from the hotel. It sucks. I eat only the fruit loops. They were delightful. I shower and prepare for the day.

Saturday Sept 12th, 209. 11:30am: I get on a bus and purposely try to get lost in North Bay in order to better adapt to the layout of the city. I fail. I know where I am and find myself at the North Bay mall. The mall is amazingly HUGE and very impressive. Now, it does not have a roller coaster or anything of that magnitude. However, for a city smaller than Sarnia with the demeanor of Courtright Ontario I am very impressed with the selection and size of the mall. I get out of the mall and decide to walk a fair way (this is another attempt to lose myself in "The Bay"). I end up sitting on a brick wall of a french catholic church on fifth street. I sit on a wall that is on a hill that provides an inspiring view of "The Bay" (local slang for North Bay). I write in my journal give a peace sign and advance. Shortly after I hear the blasts of cap guns and the laughter of children who find make believe murder hilarious. I quickly agree with the children and laugh with them as I pass by. My laughter is cut short by a tall slender girl, no older than seven-teen or eight-teen, holding a bible. She smiles and asks me, "what are you looking for?" I stop, see the bible, and quickly answer, "Why you of course!" She forces a smile that is riddled with confusion and proceeds to tell me about Jesus. I act polite and listen with a grin, not a smile, a grin. She stops talking and asks me a question about my faith. I do not answer on purpose and keep the grin positioned on my face. She answers for me, "You don't have a faith?" I laugh and ask where she is from. She tells me that she has come from Utah in hopes of spreading the love of Jesus Christ. I say, "of course Utah" and she is now finding her exist strategy. She hands me a post-card with a picture of Jesus on it and a pen. She looks at me and says, "When you feel the need write Jesus a post-card and drop it in the mail." I inquire about the mailing address and I get nothing but a confused face. I answer the question for her, "My faith is the address. Right..." She tells me her name is Sister Rigby and that she has enjoyed her time speaking to me. I give her my best and go to leave. She looks at me as I am packing away my post-card and says, "You are unique, God Bless." I turn and walk toward a bus stop to head back to the hotel. On the way back to my room I chuckle to myself. I laugh because the irony hits me. Something about once was lost but now am found rings through my head. I get back drink a beer watch two seasons of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" and fall asleep.

Sunday Sept 13th, 2009. 11am: Wake up and start to pack. Make a phone call to an old professor about living with him. He tells me to call him back Tuesday. I finish packing and play Mario Kart. I nap, swim, and even work out (taking full advantage of all hotel features is important to me. Why? I don't know). Caitie arrives and I move my things to her place on Trout lake.

Sunday Sept 13th, 2009 9pm: I fish off of Caitie's dock for 45 minutes. I get creeped out by the darkness and haunting Trout Lake monster stories in my head. I leave the dock and head inside and go to bed.

Sept 14th, 2009. 8am: I wake up come to school late. First day, I am late and very new. I walk into Gym class. Everyone turns t me. Silence, followed by the beckon of the professor, "Go change...WAIT! Who are you?"

Now I sit here in the Nipissing University library writing a synopsis of my week at a glance. It has been complex and stressful. However, I am glad that I am here and doing something a little bit off book.

Now, I start to get my teaching degree and hope to find a job one day telling kids how to be a slacker and still succeed. Like ME!

BYE