Now

With completion of my degree in the not-so-distant future, I have to ask myself, "what next?" I am not quite sure, to be honest. I had originally intended to go back to my plan of sleep and travel; however, my conscience is telling me that I've taken it a bit too easy in grad school. I no longer need that rest, because I have had one (albeit one interspersed with thesis work). At the same time, I still don't really want to lock myself into a career. I guess I'll just resort to my tried-and-tested strategy: let fate lead me where it may. Right now, fate has led me to Ottawa.

I moved here from Toronto one to two months ago, depending on how you count it. (It was a long, protracted move, so I find it difficult to peg a specific moving date.) I had to move out of Toronto so that I could focus on my thesis, and finish it sometime this decade; I chose Ottawa because that's where Martha is studying. (It's also where I had a few leads towards gainful employment, but right now, it looks like the bulk of my income will come from Toronto, as I work on some coding long-distance.)

Not only have I moved to a whole new city, but this is also my first time on my own; I've lived with my family (at least one parent) all my life. Being on my own is certainly a ... novel experience. It's odd how the thesis has gone from being a peripheral to being that which grounds me. I am actually more conscious – and conscientious – of how I spend my time now, since I have a project to finish.

Being on my own here, with just a few friends (people I know from undergrad, mostly, as well as Martha) leaves me feeling a bit isolated at times. I am quite unused to spending days on end without leaving home; I am even more unused to the notion of actually doing work during those times. Without an office (or school) to go to, this is the only place I have in which to get work done. Such was the plan of this whole adventure, and to my utter surprise, it has worked!

I also have a kitten. (She's quite adorable, and her name is "Tuesday." I'll post pictures soon, promise!) She is almost five months old as I write this (hardly a kitten anymore, compared to how she was when I first laid eyes on her, at one month of age!), and has been another source of change in my daily patterns. Were I the only inhabitant of this place, I would probably stay out for hours — maybe even days — on end (I could always crash with Martha, if necessary). With a mouth to feed at home (and a litterbox to change, but I prefer to focus on the food aspect), I am forced to keep a quasi-regular schedule. Once more, I am finding myself more grounded (and, dare I say it, responsible) than I would have expected. Which is kind of neat, although I get the feeling I'm missing out on something by not following the classic reckless stereotype...

That's all I have to say about the "now," for the time being. More here (maybe) as the interesting and unexpected introduces itself into my life! ;)

Back to ME!