It all ties together

Holy crap. I’ve been so ‘busy’ that I haven’t told you my good news: I got a job.

Not the job I interviewed for. A different one. A better one. ! The interview counted towards other positions in the department, but I didn’t think it would be anything like this: I am to be part of a newly-formed unit with the provincial government, analysing policy for greenhouse gas emissions reductions programs, which is my favourite topic, after this.

There were two planning conferences here last week - the main source of the 'busy-ness' - and at one of them, I went on a workshop where we toured around this very neighbourhood, stopping at various places to highlight that ever-unanswerable question: Revitalisation or gentrification? As we walked along a stretch of old mansions, I saw a very serene-looking balcony peeking through the trees of one of the lots.

It had little lanterns strung up. I felt peaceful just looking at it. It turns out that this is a housing co-op so we stopped and had a look at it and one of the residents, who was sitting on the porch, told us a bit about it. Then a woman I recognised emerged and offered to show us around. It took me a minute to figure out that she used to date an old friend in Cow Pie. I hadn't seen her in maybe eight years. She's doing her PhD in Sociology now and was actually planning on attending the conference the next day, which was interesting because it was a very small conference.

At the end-of-conference bash, which was the best fun ever, she invited me to a party at the housing co-op. I would get to see the balcony from within!

That was last night. I saw the balcony from inside the house, and it was fabulous, but I spent the night on the front porch. Parties where you know literally one person can be dull. B and I usually end up trying to look like we're thrilled to have one another to ourselves, but last night was different. The people there were welcoming and friendly, and most of them didn't know too many others, either. I met my first ever dental hygienist outside a dentist's office, a Coronation Street fan and another policy wonk. We talked about what 'wonk' might mean. I said 'appendage'; she said 'nerd'.

Appendage or nerd, ever since finding out about this job, a calm confidence has settled on me. Not that all was Impending Doom up until that point, but I had this prickly feeling of things being off-kilter. It' s like I'm on the balcony now.

And just so you're aware, this is outside my window right now:

I love this neighbourhood!