I’m back in the office beginning this week. I come downtown every day this week, then on alternating days beginning next week, with me working from home the rest of the time. I like that I can actually take care of things that can only be done at the office, but the commute and general expense of energy (among other things) is taking some getting used to.
Read MoreI don't know if it's too soon for another life update; to be honest, I haven't been doing a whole lot since my birthday gathering and starting my new job at the beginning of April. If you don't really go on too many adventures or you stay inside your own head too much, it doesn't really make for interesting blog posts.
Read MoreSorry this came in a little bit after midnight, but it's at least done before I go to bed, so it still counts, right? It's at least before midnight in Winnipeg.
I decided I would try to write something a little earlier during my breaks at work about my perceived lack of meaningful conversations, but the whole thing came off as a little too abstract for my liking. I didn't really feel what I was writing, and really only had the vaguest outline of the idea without exploring further whether this would be a good topic to write about. I'm also still in the process of figuring out how "naked" I'm going to allow myself to be in these blogging exercises.
I had to go to the NSLC to buy some beer for tomorrow night, and that reminded me of a particular headache of living in this city: the public transit system. I live on the outskirts of both Clayton Park and Fairview, right near where a lot of new condos and McMansions have been built over the past five years. I'm fairly close to a bus stop, but the area itself isn't particularly walkable, nor is the bus service that frequent. The way the bus service works in my neighborhood is that there are two routes that run a block away from each other near my building, but hit the same terminals and follow (mostly) the same path once they get onto Joseph Howe Drive...however, the routes cut back to once an hour after 7pm or so, with each running a half hour apart from each other. It's also a long and convoluted route if you're taking the full trip from Clayton Park or Fairview to the North End or downtown...it can take about 45 minutes to get downtown from my place. While there are limited stop express routes that take a more direct path to and from the city core, those only run during rush hour. The bus service is one reason why I don't go out as much as I want to.
I suppose there are always things to talk about, but the question is whether it's the right time. I have to get to bed soon, so I don't think I'll say anything more tonight.
Personal website of photographer and writer Bronwyn Douwsma.
I’m on the bus. It’s too early to be human and I haven’t had my coffee yet so I don’t really want to do much; maybe read or listen to music, things that help tune out the other people or the monotony of the commute. When I leave the suburbs, it's usually dark. I sometimes look out the windows, but more to see how far I’ve traveled than at anything interesting. By the time I arrive downtown, I can see the sun coming up over the harbour.
The year is winding down. I’m preparing to go to New Brunswick for my regular Christmas visit with the family; my travel arrangements up there have all been taken care of. I haven’t bothered with Christmas shopping yet; my cash flow was a little tight until my last paycheque came in, and my tolerance for the malls has dropped over the years. Everything costs too much money now.
“Mel’s Rock Pile - MacArthur Park” sketches include “Sunrise Semester: Greek Travel”, “Message From Prickley: Mel’s Rock Pile”, “Promo: Jackie Stewart’s Wide World of High Voices”, “Exercise Is Easy”, “Kanadian Korner” and “Mel’s Rock Pile”.
“Dick Cavett” sketches include “Cooking With Marcello”, “Kanadian Korner”, “Promo: Fish ‘N Chips”, “Logos Galore”, “Monster Chiller Horror Theatre” and “The Dick Cavett Show”.
“The Mating Game” sketches include “Promo: Starting Out with Bill Needle”, “Eskimo Arts”, “Message From Prickley: The Mating Game”, “Kanadian Korner”, “Promo: Taxi Driver”, “SCTV News” and “The Mating Game”.
“Gene Shalit’s America” sketches include “Sunrise Semester: Societal Behavior”, “American Express”, “SCTV Special News Report”, “Kanadian Korner”, “SCTV News”, “Comment with David Brinkley”, “Gene Shalit’s America” and “Dialing For Dollars”.
“Midnight Express Special” sketches include “Sunrise Semester: Basic Photography”, “Mamorex Video Tape”, “Kanadian Korner”, “Promo: Tomorrow, Today, Tonight”, “Bill Needle’s Mailbag”, “Message From Guy: Midnight Express Special”, and “Midnight Express Special”.
“Cookery Crock” sketches include “Sunrise Semester: Disasters In The Home”, “Nasex Nasal Deodorant”, “Bill Needle’s Mailbag”, “Kanadian Korner”, “Promo: The Freddie De Cordova Show”, “Cookery Crock” and “Quincy: Cartoon Coroner”.
“Two-Way TV” sketches include “Sunrise Semester: Astrology”, “Promo: Monster Chiller Horror Theatre”, “Kanadian Korner”, “SCTV News”, “Comment with David Brinkley”, “Promo: Cruisin’ Gourmet”, “Two-Way TV”, “Bill Needle’s Mailbag”, “Promo: Crazy Crafts”, and “Sermonette: Rabbi Karlov”.
“Alpha Channel” sketches include “Gordon Lightfoot Sings Every Song Ever Written”, “Cooking With Marcello”, “Kanadian Korner”, “Crazy Crafts”, “Message From Guy: Alpha Channel”, “Promo: Alpha Channel”, “Bill Needle’s Mailbag”, and “Dialing For Dollars”.
There’s a podcast called The Loudest Girl In The World, hosted by Lauren Ober. The show concerns Ober’s autism diagnosis at 42, as well as her experience dealing with this information and opening up to others about it. When I listened to it last summer, I related pretty heavily to what she was talking about. I’ve also started to make peace with how my own brain works in the last few years. It’s been a rough road, though.