avrelia

Lots of people are idiots. Toronto being a rather large city has its fair share of them. Here is the latest specimen I encountered.

I am riding the subway to work and back home. The ride is not long - four stations only, so I don't mind standing. Of course if there are any free seats available, I sit happily, but when people offer me their seats (moved by my giant protruding belly) I thank and usually refuse. I do need to find a good balance and stand firm though, so I prefer to stand at side of seats near the door - there I have some protection against sudden stops and moves. These sides are not very wide and usually they are all taken as well as the seats. Anyway.

yesterday I managed to find an empty side and situated myself comfortably as not to bother people entering and exiting the train, as the guy squeezed between me and the door. A guy about indeterminate age and look - between 40 and sixty, white, thin, slightly shabby. He apologized profusely and said that he was going to stand there if I don't mind. I answered that I mind because I already am standing there and he makes me uncomfortable. He said that he said that it's okay because he is going to stand there anyway, and it's only for couple of stops. I said that the train has plenty of space and he could go and stand anywhere he wants. He smiled humbly yet happily. For the next two stops we were silent. I was not very uncomfortable - there was my massive handbag between us and I had plenty of room, but I started to get VERY pissed (some work stuff didn't led to much happy feelings). So I decided to use my bag as a weapon and make him as uncomfortable as I could. Which has worked because he started mumbling that I am mean and all that. I answered that I have to make myself comfortable and find a good balance not to fall down and he can go stand anywhere he wants. he said he stays there and some other annoying stuff I don't remember. The train stopped and he did leave, thanking me for being so gracious. I told him to fuck himself and I felt much better that. When I walked home though I almost with I didn't make a scandal over that for all the train. But I would feel even more stupid for making a scandal. And he was just a random idiot you meet every day in a city.

Why was not the weather this nice over the weekend? oh well. I still managed to do some jogging - not that it would make a difference. and I slept rather well - but later about that.

Since I posted the last time, I've got a wonderful and totally unexpected gift of two paid month! Thank you, dear anonymous and sorry I didn't get to post it earlier! /hugs the world with you in it

The autumn is getting even more beautiful in the last days. I was jogging at the cemetery and there was no one but me and squirrels seen around, the rain drizzled, and leaves were falling... mmm, pretty. I wanted to grab a camera and return today to make pictures, but then decided that going to cemetery today is lame, and stayed home having dinner instead.

I think I am getting to love Toronto. I liked it well enough before, but walking around on Sunday (and wasting my fresh salary on pretty clothes from Nepal) and felt all warm and fuzzy about the city... I still love Moscow the most, of course, but this is not a zero-sum game. I can love a lot of places.

Getting more up-to-date with my TV watching - finally caught an episode of Heroes. Spent most of the time figuring who is who and what is going on. Same with Veronica Mars - I mean, I watched the first two seasons, so I know most of it, but the problems at hand are confusing. Still, it's shiny.

I also have watched Torchwood. I enjoyed watching it, and though I have some problems with it, and some questions, I am going to watch it more and think and - it's been awhile since I wanted to discuss a TV show. I like this feeling.

Finally, I wish a very happy birthday to musing_mia!

The view from the window at work. The pictures are taken in October, now it is all bare and grey.

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And this is from my window (early one morning...)

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Here is the end of Toronto Autumn picspam. Next week tune in for Vancouver Nostalgia picspam. Because I miss shopping in Richmond. Two malls in walking distance! How I didn't appreciate it enough.

In other news, I have a lot of chocolate: got a package from Moscow.

On Saturday we visisted our friends. The girl (photographer) had just come from the shoot, and was complaining about hardships of the profession. They (she and her business partner) got to shoot a really hot boy, and they had troubles concentrating on work, because the hotness of the boy was very distracting.

I've seen the pictures: yes, he is that hot.

First thing: being a lawyer is an incurable disease. You can stop working; you can change careers, but if by any chance you start again, it is like slipping in the old favourite pair of jeans that you thought would be too small by now, but it is not, and after a couple of days you feel like you never stopped wearing them.

I feel like this. This is not to say that I don’t feel lost and confused, because I have no idea where everything is, and how it is working, and the Russian laws changed well enough in the last four years… There is a lot of stuff to do, but it is not as overwhelming as I feared. Yay!

Yesterday I picked up an old lady in the subway - a tiny, tiny, but lively old lady. She asked me when the St. George station is, I said I was going there and would show her, then I helped her to get to the Bloor line, then the train went off without us, and we were waiting for the next one and talking, talking, talking. Well, she did most of the talking. About that she is well after eighty, but independent. That she cannot recognize familiar places any longer, because her eyesight has changed and so are the places - with all the new high-rises and renaming the streets… that she doesn’t go to downtown often now, but when she comes she cannot find anything… that I don’t look my 28 at all, and if I keep it that way nobody would give 80 one day… that she worked as a nurse for 17 years, interpreting from six languages. I asked what languages. She said, “first of all, Russian…” I was surprised, really. She came long ago form Ukraine knowing only two words in English: “yes” and “no.” Anyway, when I had to get off the train, we were both very disappointed that I had to go. I kinda wanted to adopt her.

So, yes, I am working now. Have to write some stuff right now. Totally forgot how sleepy the reading of court documents makes me…

A disadvantage of a big city: even if you leave home reasonably early, it doesn’t mean that you will be in time where you plan to be.

::kicks the transit::

I love studying grammar! Who would think? I don’t necessarily pick up all the right answers, but sometimes I get to convince native English speakers that I am right and they are not, which is very gratifying. I also turn into an annoying student who stays after the class and asks silly questions: why a ship is “she”? (for example)

Long gone the days when I was a normal kind of a student who sits quietly through the class and leaves as soon as it is over, answers direct questions and spends time happily doing about her own business (reading Agatha Christie, chatting, writing a long-winded poem about a prosecutor, etc.)

I also have a problem with one sentence. Could you help me?

Michael is one of the boys who like classical music.

Michael is one of the boys who likes classical music.

Are both of them right? Or only the second one? I stand by the opinion the first one is right, too. What do you think?

I always use bicycle when I have to get to the Liquor Store to buy my vodka.

I am also seriously considering to do some damage to all the construction machines in our street.

I returned from the interview, and sitting here trying to compose a nice and gracious thank you letter. I am trying to do something to increase my chances of getting this job. Can I sacrifice some goats? After long enough time of unemployment a confident professional (can you believe I was one once upon a time?) starts to doubt seriously why anyone would ire me.

People seen today (employment unrelated):
- a mounted Mountie
- a cute snuggly Muslim couple
- a pharmacist who is, probably, a lost twin of the head of the Rome office of W&H (Ilona?) – well, slightly less flamboyant and not evil, but the way she talks – intonations, accent, gestures…

I spent this week generally feeling tired or running like crazy around Toronto, looking for a job. The job keeps hiding from me. I decided to try and apply for a job in a bookstore, and went through most of the Chapters/Indigo/Coles in Toronto trying to engage in a meaningful conversation with managers about Life, The Universe, and my possible employment. Most of the times I actually managed to do it. That’s not to say I’ve got a job as a result. I guess, my complete lack of retail experience is a hindrance here. But may be it will still work out – some of the stores will be hiring in a month, and I told that I will remind about myself at the time.

But what do I do next?

Anyway, by this afternoon I felt very dead and had a headache. Slept couple of hours, got up without waking up and tried to write a cover letter for a position I really like. Do you want to know my painful secret? I suck at writing cover letters. Really bad. They turn out too clichéd, trite, and formal, or flippant and silly. No wonder I am unemployed – I cannot convince anyone to hire me. With all the useful job-searching stuff I forgot about writing. I have to write how many things? A lot. A while ago I finished a short story I was writing since May. Sent it to some friends for reviews and beta-editing. Some are still replying, but I already know what has to be changed – and am I editing it? Nope. Btw, it is in Russian, so I can seriously offer it to read only to a very small part of my flist.

Writing stories are so much more pleasurable activity than writing cover letters, yet I spent more time with the latter. ::sigh::

Apparently trying to catch up all Writercon reports is positively impossible, as well as commenting on all of those that I did catch up. Generally, I’ve got an impression of a happy blur with some minor annoyances.

Instead of finishing my Moscow stories, or anything else useful, I want to tell you lots of unnecessary information about my life.

The cable people came and disconnected cable from our apartment – not more TV. It doesn’t surprise me, since we didn’t pay for the cable services – we moved in, turned the TV on, it worked. It showed most of the channels, anyway. Now it doesn’t. ::sigh:: Whatever. Not going to pay 80 CAD for the privilege to watch five channels two-three hours a day (amount of what we were watching). Not now, or any time soon, in any case. I wanted to watch Olympic games, of course, but… May be, we’ll think of something.

In the computer news: we have a lot of computers at home now. As many as tables. ;) My computer has gone back to Windows. Which is weird again. It took me not a little effort to get used to Linux environment, and now I don’t want to lose it, and it feels cool to use Linux, and it has lots of cool unnecessary things – free things beside. I loved The Tea Cooker, and Moon Phases, and the Sky Map, and all the games…

But the truth is – the applications that I actually use – need Windows. So, I am back. Not sure for how long. I feel now with my computer like with a hotel room - may be I’ll move tomorrow, may be I’ll stay for two more month. Strange feelings towards computer.

Pigeons on our balcony have two baby pigeons now. How are they called? I am dreading the moment they grow up and become noisy – but we cannot throw them away now. So we are stuck with pigeons. Great. I cannot use my balcony.