Normalisation

I have now been at work for two weeks plus a day. It feels good to work again. I have banker's hours, I'm told by a friend, and they suit me just fine. I love my job. I am working in research again and product development. My Weston's job but with vastly improved salary and less moving around. Since that worked out, it now seems that everything has worked out. We have bought a home, which is absolutely wonderful. We move in within three weeks, and I tell you, I am so excited to do so. Strange enough, one of the parts that makes me the most excited is having Twinkle Twinkle back with us. Tamara is bringing her home from Edmonton when she returns after organising the move there, oh an visiting IKEA. Wow. If you ever want to learn if you are dealing with a guy or a girl, go shopping. I do not have the stamina that my beautiful better half has nor do I think it will ever come to me. In fact, I am a little bit in awe of the way both Mom and Tamara are talking about visiting the States. Seems to me that mom may have found a kindred spirit, but with less experience,... an apprentice possibly. Yeah I cannot count the ways in which Winnipeg has already made me welcome and kept me calm and happy. It has been so busy and exciting that, unfortunately I have not been able to report on the goings ons. I shold tell you a little more about my job though.

It started in Belize. When we made that decision- well, to be honest, Tamara said to me Let's go to Winnipeg... let's try it, just a little before I finally put thoughts to words after that morning swim of turmoil, and we both agreed- I began making a list of people I need to speak to. They included people I worked with in the past, people I thought might be able to guide me, and people or companies I would like to try out or hear more about. So I started ona letter to send to these people, and tabled it for when we returned to Canada. I figured that i would wait until January. So in Edmonton, where we went after Xmas, I sent the campaign letter out. I had a few people I know say yes they remember and would like to meet as well. SO I did and met and it went well. One person, Linda-my new boss, also said she would like to see me. When I got there and walked into her office, it basically wasn't even a job interview. She asked a couple questions about where I worked and then went straight into the project that she wanted me to work on! How wonderful I thought! So she got me to think about it, and the next morning, I couldn't wait, I called her and she said "So what's up?" and I said I want this job. I want to meet whoever you think I need to meet. And she said," Great! That's great. Okay. I'm going to set tghis up here and I'll get you a date to meet the heads next week." So I met them, and although it did not go as well as I thought, I ended up getting the nod from them, by the fact that Linda's phone was not ringing off the hook in warning. So after a few more days waiting for a job offer, very stressful I might add, it took days to do it and a weekend, so I thought that I was on the way out or something, and there was another job I should apply for, and I wasn't talking to anyone about work for four days, and we missed a chance at a house cause no salary, and more stress, and people I wanted to meet I was putting off cause I figured I had a job... well it finally came on Thursday or soemthing. It looked great! And so I am now the Technical Specialist-Barley at CIGI. Good for the next two years, and if I can prove that I am not an untrainable slouch, I may get longer employ after these two years. So everything looked great. In fact, two days later, Sunday the family and I went to Open Houses and found our home! That was something too.

Tamara and I went and saw about 6 homes the day before with Steve, none were overly great, although one was possible, but with a June possession. Not what we wanted at all. Then about 5 more on Sunday at Open houses with the boys this time. Again a poor showing. And then there was one more that we weren't sure of seeing cause it was more pricey than we would have liked, but since we saw nothing worth it that day, we figured, let's go look at a home that is nice- it must have been since it was so pricey. That turned out to be our new home. We loved it from the time we drove up. We then saw it again Monday with dad and Pete W. who both gave their approval and then the next day we had the stress of the offer. We were the only ones and we got it for asking price. Still more than I wanted to spend, but this house will be a winner for us for a long time. Yep, they were motivated sellers from what we gathered although we still don't know why. They were asking 255k then a week later 235, then a week later 220 and that's when we bit. One more day and then the price would have been 199 and then there would have been a bidding war. So it's perfect. The neighbourhood has two schools in walking distance, a grocery store, a vendor, a park. There's a wide open basement, a great backyard, so much and it makes us happy. I tell you. Seven years ago I left this town and thought to myself Thankk goodness I am finally gone... and here I am. Tamara and I have been following our hearts since we met and they have never let us down. And here we are. Both of us never thoguht it would be this way, but here we are. Just follow your heart and see where it leads.

Winnipeg Home Buying

It turns out the bidding wars in Winnipeg are not as sinister as I thought. Today I met witha fresh from school Realtor. 21 and six months in, but over 15 (or 50 but I guess it is probably 15, seeing as how I can't hear properly) home sales and he passed the course in 3 months. Good country boy from around Brandon. But he was very helpful. I did feel a little guilty after. He spent an hour and a bit with us and then asked if we could see us working together, adn I hit him with the I still need a job. The look he gave was priceless, but he soldiered on and helped us set up the property searches that will inevitably find their way into my Inbox. That was great of him and you know it impressed me that he wanted to keep going. I am glad that he did cause he straightened out the bidding wars. Turns out that when they post a ne whome and then have a showing 5 days later only for 5 days and then take offers... breathe... they actually post a lower than market value price in the hopes of bringing in more buyers and then getting more than market value in a bidding war. How nice of them... kind of. it still sucks, but at least it is not a bidding war above and beyond an already ridiculous price. It is still not perfect, but I am now in Winnipeg and that is how real estate home purchases are done here.

A Dream is a Dream

The wonderful part of dreaming is that it is a perfect scenario. You win the lottery, you get the perfect job, your credit card company's mainframe self-implodes and your bank gives you some Y2K goodness (remember that?). Always though it is a dream and it should be perfect. So no matter what keep it alive. Disregard the fact that you will only get minimum wage to it. Disregard the fact that it won't get you a home, tuition for your kids, or a ring for your wife. Or accept those facts and postpone it for a more opportune time. Because when is it the right time?... When you are ready you say? Wrong. Trick question. It is NEVER going to be the right time. The right time is now and no other. So for me, I just went to look for a dream job today. Found out I would get 50 cents over minimum wage. So do I say forget it? No. For now the right time is never. But never may not be far away anymore. That is how I am going to convince myself. Ah sweet distraction. So wrong but so necessary. The right time is coming, I just need to say now. Then I will have my dream job. Then I will start studying my brewing text. Then I will start apprenticing under some smart and fun brewmaster. Then I will write those exams. Then I will again be a resident of Earth. That is a dream worth waiting for. Because they do come true. Just read last years blog.

Hunt is On

It's all circular, as Kevin Nealon from the movie Happy Gilmore says. Well never truer. I left in 2001 and now I am back in Winnipeg, but with my family. What do i need to do? Get a job. Today I went for a first interview at the Canadian Grain Commission, otherwise known as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Yeah it sounds like there is an extra Agri in there, heh. So this is not new territory for me. I worked there in 2000 and was always involved in a small way thruout my BSc and MSc at the U of Manitoba. In fact, in my tour I recognised a number of people still working there. That is nothing strange being government work, but it was strangely reassuring, satisfying and comfortable. A colleague of mine from the Grad program at U of M met me (she is now heading a dept) and it was great to see her again. We talked and she gave me a tour of the place and I was introduced to some people. Although most people were not bouncing off the walls excited working there, I ralised that I would be more than happy getting involved in testing and analysis again and joining the ranks of the scientific minded. Hell, I would welcome a chance to be creative and innovative on projects. In short, I was soon more than willing to be hired on there. Unfortunately, there are competitions for all positions and you have to go thru the government website, and get all that in order at jobs.gc.ca/ (Which I have). She even went so far as to say that there would probably be people fighting over having me in their dept. Which I thought was not going to be what she said after checking out my resume. In fact i thought she would have said something like "wow not doing research or analysis for the past 7 years... well that's not going to help you here." Well that is apparently not the case, and the fact that I stuck with Foods was enough. All I need is to wait for the competitions. So I cross my fingers. But knowing that crossing ones fingers, trusting to God and blind luck only get you so far, I have also booked a meeting with a former professor representing a different entity in the same building for Thursday, and that wonderful person also is part of the gruop that does Pilot scale brewing at the building (I hope/ think). Will wonders never cease. I was told this was a good time, because people were retiring- in fact one retired just today- and I am certain they are correct. Like Tamara says, things work out for us, we always have correct timing, so why should this be different? I hope I can be patient enough is all. Well, talk soon. I think that I may have something else to say about the Winnipeg housing market, or a repeat of a previous post.