Cloudy

Since I moved to Toronto, there haven't been very many days with sunshine. Most days have been grey, cloudy, and interspersed with rain. Today, however, there is a bright blue sky and plenty of sunshine and I feel the happiest that I have since I moved here.

Although I might not have revealed it explicitly in my previous posts, the first days in Toronto were really tough. While Eli seemed to relish the newness and the busyness of the city, I felt overwhelmed. My reaction surprised me because I am normally very open to change and excited by it but this change was different. Because it wasn't easy and I didn't feel comfortable right away, I began to think that moving here was a mistake and I longed for the comfort of my condo and my familiar friends and my old life.

Now that I've been here for a while, I'm feeling much better about everything. This week we were invited to a dinner party with a bunch of ex-Edmontonians who are now in Toronto. It was a great night. And last week we were at our favourite local pub (yes, we've already found a favourite local pub!) and overheard another young couple mention that they had just moved here from Winnipeg. We went up and chatted with them, exchanged numbers, and they invited us over a couple days later for a drink. Connecting with people feels good so I'm grateful that we've met so many interesting people lately.

I am pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to get around Toronto. The transit system is designed brilliantly making it simple for someone not familiar with the city to get around. Buses run straight down every main street and are named for that street. Therefore, when you get on a "Bloor" bus, the bus stays on Bloor and doesn't veer off in other directions. It makes it very simple to get from one place to another. For someone used to driving everywhere, it's amazing to be able to get around so easily without a car.

Last Friday I went to see the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Ontario Art Gallery which was curated by David Cronenberg. I'm so glad I was able to catch it in its last weekend as it was a fantastic exhibit. Next week an exhibit starts at the Royal Ontario Museum on Italian art and design. There is so much to do here. If I ever complain of boredom then there is something wrong!

On Monday I start my new job and I'm getting excited to go back to work and into more of a routine. My mind feels like it's gone to mush with all this time off so I'm looking forward to putting it back in use.

And, now as I look out the window, I see that it has once again clouded over. Sigh. I guess that I will have to relish the bits of sunshine that come my way however few and far between they are.

Hey sunshine
I haven't seen you in a long time.
Why don't you show your face and bend my mind?
These clouds stick to the sky
Like floating questions, why?
And they linger there to die.
They don't know where they are going, and, my friend, neither do I.

Apropros

This seemed particularly relevant today.

Landed

Hi again. We're now firmly in Toronto, starting to get settled, and have time to sit and reflect and breathe deeply. Ahhhhh.

The trip across Canada was long but much easier than either of us was expecting. The cat behaved (save for one incident that almost killed us), the drive was interesting taking us through places neither of us had ever been before, and we passed the time with long conversations and reading the newspaper to each other. After four days we were both ecstatic to get out of the car and we really haven't driven much in it since.

Our neighborhood is amazing. We live on a street lined with lovely brick houses that have been around for a lot longer than anything in my old neighbourhood. We live a block away from St. Clair Avenue which is a busy street filled with shops selling anything and everything you could ever need. In a one block radius from our house is a knitting cafe, a hardware store, fruit stands, a mexican restaurant, a thai restaurant, a paint store, a pet store, various coffee shops, etc, etc, etc. Also outside our doorstep is a streetcar stop that runs 24 hours and can take us to the subway or anywhere else in the city that we would need to get to. I'm starting to realize that there is little need to drive...ever.

Our house is lovelier than I could have imagined. It is HUGE by Toronto standards and even with three of us living in the house, we still have lots of space and privacy. We spent yesterday painting our bedroom from a disgusting sponge-painted mess to a gorgeous latte/mocha colour. It is my favourite wall colour that I've ever had. In the next few days we're going to get started on the living room and then we'll be able to really relax.

Everything feels like it's coming together, including the fact that I have a landed a great job. I will be working in the same field that I was which makes me incredibly happy. For a while, I felt like I was going to have to compromise what I wanted to do by coming out here but as it turns out, Eli and I will both have jobs that we are excited about. The one downfall is that my job is located in Oakville which is a fair commute each day. Still, there are trains that I can take which will take the stress out of commuting and will give me time to wake up before work and wind down after work. I don't think I'll mind the commute so long as I don't have to drive each day. I figure I'll get a chance to catch up on lots and lots of reading.

It still feels like we are on vacation but it's slowly sinking in that this is home. Eli starts work in a week but I still have two weeks before I'll begin work. In that time, I hope to find a gym, a yoga studio, get more familiar with the city, and explore!

The weather was absolutely freezing when we first moved here but the sun is shining today and I feel like today is reflective of the fall days that I was dreaming about.

I am feeling more homesick than I anticipated but I know that it's normal and is just me adjusting to such an enormous change. I can feel the stress dissolving with each passing day and I do believe deep down that I'm going to like it here.

I would love to hear how *you* are doing. It is so nice to get emails from friends at home (hint, hint, hint)...

More soon.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
-Bob Dylan

Tick Tick Tick

And time ticks on. This Saturday we will leave Edmonton. Our first stop is Calgary for a quick visit and Sunday the real road trip will begin. We have almost everything packed, to-do lists are ticked off, and we have been getting lots of opportunities for visits with friends. The last few weeks have been hectic but they've also been filled with so many warm conversations that have left me beaming from the inside out.

I feel very lucky to have been shown such kindness of late. We have been treated to a delicious dinner, had a potluck organized in our honour, had friends come and dance and drink with us, had yummy cupcakes made for us, and on and on and on. It has been overwhelming in the nicest way possible.

The last few weeks have also made me realize that I have the most wonderfully patient, loving, and helpful partner a girl could ever ask for. Eli has been a true saint and I appreciate him so much. After spending several days running miscellaneous errands that I asked him to, he spent hours upon hours helping me pack up all my stuff and disassembling furniture. Then, as if that wasn't enough, he volunteered to clean my car from top to bottom. Have I mentioned that I feel grateful? I do.

Tomorrow I have a phone interview for another job that I applied for. I will sit and answer questions amongst the towers of boxes that fill my condo.