How the year is flown! I'm actually sitting down now, writing in this blog once again. The sixth post within the year. And moreover, I just found a journal here at my desk which details some "plan" I had made around this time last year, dated December 31st, 2011. Yep. The plan was to study French out of a 30 or 40 year old book (maybe older). I got so far as, perhaps, the fourth chapter. And that journal? Only one entry.
So, it's resolution time again. My track record is pretty spotty, so I'm not going all in this year. First, however, I'd like to look back at the year that has passed and how events shaped up. Moreover, I can look at my resolution list from last year, see how I scored and move on from there. I guess, really, that's the best way to go about all this resolution business, isn't it?
Alright, 2012. May I begin by saying that it was perhaps the single most difficult year of my life to date. I turned 30, responsibilities are kicking in pretty hard core... "Adult" life settles in. Now, let me immediately counter that previous statement by insisting that I did my best to make good out of bad situations. You know, be positive and stuff. I'm all about positivity, right, as other blog posts clearly suggest.
Started off the year with my folks staying with us for a month because we had not found a daycare for our son, Adam, while my wife, May (and I'll use their given names from here on in) had just started her first work term with FreeBalance, doing human resources work. A lot of people would cringe at the thought of having their folks with them for a month, but not I. In fact, it was a very enjoyable time for me, considering we don't get to see each other too often, living so far apart and all.
The daycare, nevertheless, had to be found by February. My mother made it very clear to us that although they enjoyed our company, and Adam, they weren't going to take up residence in Ottawa. So, we had to go the private daycare route which added a grand, that's $1,000, to our monthly expense budget. $50 a day. We ended up spending much more money than we had hoped.
Next big event was me getting laid off. I never really dwelt too much on the trauma of that episode because I simply didn't have the time to. My contract with the Public Health Agency of Canada came to an end and what with all of the governmental budget cuts I was once of the first to go, as a contractor. Don't worry, my severance pay was nothing more than a tiramisu and we had a 20 minute get together on the day after I left. I didn't have a pension to cash out, none of that. Fortunately, I had 'a job' to fall immediately back on with H&R Block, or an income tax preparation job, although, after doing the math, once taxes were deducted, I was actually bringing home less money than if I had of been on employment insurance only. (H&R Block doesn't exactly prepare you well for retirement...) That being said, the job with H&R Block was also bound to end with the tax filing deadline. Thus on May 1st, 2012, I joined the ranks of the unemployed (or, as I like to say, "the eminently employable!")
What was my first move, pray tell? I signed right up for EI, tried to wrassle myself into one of those second career employment program thingies, found out I was far from eligible from qualifying and was kindly instructed to 'find a job.' So, ahem, I signed up for some French classes. Which I took all summer. And it cost me pretty much everything I received from EI! So, it worked out. May was still on her co-op placement, I had the French courses and Adam was doing well in his $1,000 a month daycare. Meanwhile, our savings were being sucked clean.
Midway through the summer, May's parents showed up, which coincided, surprisingly enough, with me signing up for full time French classes for as long as I could. They stayed somewhere in the ball park of 6-9 weeks, a tad too long for my patience, but it was 'nice having them.' *imagine big grin on my face* ... seriously, imagine.
Around mid-July, Adam finally was let into a subsidized day care spot. Otherwise, we would've had to pay an extra $34 a day! That's $84 a day, but for us, it turned out we only have to pay, like, $9.00, while the province of Ontario picks up the rest of the tab. Economically speaking, it doesn't really make a lot of sense unless you're actually bringing in $84 a day to cover those expenses, or more, considering, you know, life itself; rent, food, utilities, in the case of kids, copious amounts of diapers, etc. Anyway, talking about daycare makes me testy. After two years and two months, it was finally, finally here. Subsidized daycare. Joyfulnesses all happily around.
My 30th birthday was in August. Can't really remember what I did for that, although this lack of a memory suggests that it was uneventful. May's folks were here. I probably had to sneak out somewhere...
Also in August, I went for an interview for what was to become my current job. One of the first questions I was asked was "You must have been getting a lot of interviews, eh?" to which my answer was of muffled disaccord, considering that, well, yes, that had been my only interview to date. Thank God I presented myself positively enough to get the job, which surprised even me. Anyway, they told me that they'd contact me in a week or so, and at the time, I just felt I had screwed the interview up so badly that they'd call my folks and advise them to take me back in.
Next big news story is that, well, I got the job! The call came two weeks later than I had been told, so I spent an entire week in the doldrums, or, I should say, in a pissy mood. But, out of the blue, I picked up the phone and was told to start the second week of September. Hooray! Thus my life with Cowan Insurance began. I won't bore you with any of the details of my job, other than the fact that I can listen to audio books from the moment I start work until the time I leave. And the pay is middle of the road; not enough to make monthly expenses, but much better than minimum wage.
With Adam in daycare, May went back to school in the fall as well, taking a full course load. We applied for a student loan, which, well, that's a horror story left for another time, and goes much better in actual conversation than in written form... but we were successful in getting a student loan.
I continued taking French classes and I signed up for the Residency tax course with H&R Block. That's while working, mind you. The past couple of months have been very, how you say, occupied.
I passed the tax class, completed my French courses, continued working, May & I worked together to secure her loan AND we completed this massive "Residence Questionnaire" for May's citizenship application. When I use the word MASSIVE, I want to be very emphatic that it was a MASSIVE application which took a considerable amount of time, energy, effort, running around to different places requesting ridiculously and increasingly arcane documents. Conclusion? We sent it in, and continue to wait. (The original application was sent in October 2011) I'd like to point out to all Canadians that even though the citizenship office was down the street, we were told we had to mail the documents in; a completely unnecessary $20 expense.
That done, the student loan in, May's classes done and exams written, my classes pretty much complete, we were finally able to relax for a couple of days. This is the Christmas vacation people! Yeah! Our friend Patrick came to stay with us for a bit of time. He was able to hear some big news first hand, which, well, after telling you how busy the past year has been, with all the ups and downs, I feel compelled to say that May is expecting a baby number two! And Patrick got to be there when we saw the pregnancy test read positive ;)
It's been a wild year, that's for sure. It's been a hard year for us, I won't deny. Here's to lucky 2013! I hope everyone can find fulfillment, integrity in what they do and the happiness that life affords us. May peace (and less bills) come to your homes, may love continue to reside in your hearts and may your most difficult goals be achieved.
I've written too much for one sitting, and most likely, one reading. If you're still here, you're obviously a trooper and you've got my kudos.
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