Asian connection

Ah, a beautiful sunny day off. Doesn’t get much better than that, except for the fact that I have had to type this at home, save to a thumb drive and upload it online in town after my appointment this morning. Oh well, Eastlink has made good (albeit very tardily) on their promise of high-speed internet in Bear Point, a community about 30 minutes from us which is pretty remote itself. There is hope.

Spoke to the baby daughter last night as I happened to catch her on a break from her position as Assistant Manager at Dollarama (which apparently pays 25 cents more an hour than minimum wage and makes her realize just how dumb people can be she says – not entirely sure if she’s referring to the general shopping public or her coworkers) before heading off to a night shift with the homecare company she also works for. Running through the preparations for Stanley’s arrival I was asking about Winston, litter boxes etc. and she says “oh we have a covered one with a flap” which sort of surprised me as Winston is just a small kitten “yeah, he has to get a running start at the door” she says. Good thing he’s determined. She is arranging to have her bridesmaid dress tailored (shortening hems are a usual situation for her in her vertically challenged world) and was having text/phone discussions with the bride to be about dates, her work schedule etc. Apparently the communication had gotten a bit confused and she said to me “I’m sorry but Dollarama doesn’t want me to try to ring in customers at the cash while I’m texting or talking on the phone”. I told her employers are funny like that.

The prodigal son is having a good day on the water by the look of the calm surface in the harbour and he should be well rested. Last night he came home at 6:00 p.m. had a shower, supper and his sutures removed and crashed until this morning. He had indicated his lady friend was going to come and visit (which she did so I woke him up – lasted about 10 minutes) then she realized he was a lost cause (I could’ve told her that) and headed out. It’s a wonder he didn’t have decubiti by this morning. Even at 22, all that social life and trying to go spring lobstering solo caught up with him.

Had a chat with the bride to be as well and she has recovered well from the graduation and all its excitement. Since she now had that BEd in hand she was applying for substitute teaching and had been told by the Halifax school board’s Human Resource department that it could take up to six weeks to process – which would essentially blow the remainder of this school year but….when she put her application in and it became apparent that her degrees were en francais and she was a French teacher there was talk of the process taking a week which lifted her spirits. Later in the day when she checked email….she was in. She’s already booked in for three and a half days over the next week – none of them french yet mind you but ½ day in a resource room and three days of Phys Ed are a good start. I should’ve told her to take a copy of the Coast Guard (local newspaper) with her as one of the subs (an older History/English major) while the kids were in junior high used to do just that for gym while they almost killed each other. At any rate she will now be able to state in an interview when the term positions hopefully come up that she has worked (not just volunteered or practice taught) for that board. When I asked what she’d make per diem as a substitute teacher she had no idea but I’m thinking we’re lucky that she didn’t offer to pay herself for the opportunity as she’s going to be able to TEACH!! When it’s something you’ve wanted to do since grade 2 when Mrs. Goreham was a good role model there you go. I did chat at Sobeys with one of her high school teachers who tells me that sub rate is $160 per day with $20 off for union dues etc. so it beats sitting home.

Wedding plans continue moving forward after the crisis of last week where the caterer was unable to commit as he has a catering contract for seven weeks with movies which are filming in Nova Scotia. A backup plan is in place so no worries. Remembering that we discovered the day before our wedding that we had no chairs for the church vestry and my father had to swallow his pride to phone someone who had been a thorn in his side on municipal council issues and ask for chairs made me realize how these things work. Not to mention the ferry which we were moving back to Labrador on sunk after hitting an iceberg off Newfoundland on our wedding day so we wandered through Cape Breton and Newfoundland for about 10 days camping while we waited for CN to put on another ferry. We were one of about 12 passengers and a very spooked crew as snow squalls swirled and ice bergs slid by off Twillingate on the ‘first boat of the season’ into Goose Bay in mid June 1977. But I digress.

Had a phone call from the oldest daughter saying that when she comes home to be the maid of honor at her sister’s wedding that she will be staying on in the city to study the ‘teach English abroad’ course which is being held every weekend in July. Oxford Seminars will find you a job as soon as you finish but she plans to head off for South Korea or China in September. She’ll be able to pick up temp work, call center shifts or the like for the summer. She had arranged to stay with a friend of her sisters’ in the city who is located quite close to Dal where the course is being held so had all the details worked out. Last day of work with the bank is June 11th and she is settling her apartment, travel plans etc. Off to the next life adventure chapter with enough savings to enroll full time for a year towards completing her BBA when she returns. When I mentioned to her father that we should save our pennies for a visit to Asia next year he said “oh we won’t likely get there” and I chose not to make the following comment as he was stressed about the CFIA (federal food inspection agency) plant inspection in the morning but I thought “well perhaps you think you won’t but I most definitely will be”. I simply named several (not particularly well traveled co-workers) who had traveled to Korea to visit children and mentioned reasonable air fares they had obtained. He exited to review his QMP manual as I pondered how to pick up a speaking engagement on an Asian cruise as well.

I stayed up last night to finish reading Beach Glass, by Anita Shreve and it was a good book. I’ve read a few of her novels and hadn’t yet found one to compare to The Pilots Wife but this one sure did. I’m a sucker for stories set in another time anyway. Should’ve been studying for the Trauma course but my rationale last night was that I don’t retain the information – only 10 days left so I must put aside the excuses and pick up the textbook.

Well, after a massage, shop at Frenchy’s where I scored a number of excellent finds, a power shop at the dollar store which is relocating so ½ of $1 can’t be beat and picking up a few groceries, I am now here at the library picking up the library book which I ordered in and grumbling with one of my neighbours about Eastlink as we share the high-speed. Homeward bound. Hasta.