UPDATES!

It's hard to believe that it's already been 10 days since I wrote last! Life around here has been busy and even though busy is good, busy has left me feeling quite exhausted. I started my new job as a Diet Tech on the 4th  and the whole training experience was such a whirlwind of information, research, timelines, schedules and millions of other factors to learn the job and do it right. The first day was easy because it was just basic orientation in which I followed around my boss while she introduced me to people, showed me around the hospital and made me do a whole bunch of paperwork. No problem! Then the next day happened, and my brain nearly exploded. The job isn't particularly hard or anything: it's just that there is so much to learn about the processes and procedures in the hospital, plus all of meal plans to memorize and having to know all of the ingredients in every morsel of food that goes through the building so that I don't kill anyone, is intense.

I had 4 days of training and Monday was the first that I had to do the job solo. And yes, I was terrified. I was lucky because it was a holiday so the hospital was very quiet so I didn't feel too much pressure to be awesome since there weren't many special requests from nurses or the kitchen staff. Tomorrow I am working again (by myself) for the first time in which the hospital will be busy, so I am extra terrified. Eeek!

The crappy thing about this job are the hours that I work, which are 5:30am-5:30pm on weekdays and 5am-5pm on weekends. Well, it's not that the hours suck because I do not mind getting up early or working long hours since working 2 shifts is the equivalent in hours to working 3 shifts, so that's super cool. The problem with the hours is that I am not sleeping because I am petrified at the thought of sleeping in and getting there late. Getting there late is just not an option because the timeline of what I have to get done to get the breakfast meal out is so strict, that yeah...getting there late is not an option.

So every night I set an alarm on my alarm clock PLUS on my cell phone and place them both on my nightstand. But this is still futile because I always wake up hours before they are set to go off, then I wake up every 20 minutes because I am scared they won't go off. I also really hate the abrupt sensation of being woken up by an alarm, so I think my body and brain are trying to wake up before that startling sound of an alarm goes off. Either way, I just wish that I could sleep. I would be much more functional on the job.

So another update I need to talk about is my "Couch to 5K Running Program" that I have been doing for the past 12 days. Because of the long shifts I have been working, I wasn't able to keep on schedule like I should have been, plus Jaime had a party here on Saturday night so that didn't help me to get out after work. But I still have been doing it the best that I can and because I missed a couple days, I decided to stay on the Week 1 for a little longer. Hopefully tomorrow I will go for a run after work and attempt the beginning of Week 2! My job involves a lot of sitting so getting out for a run afterwards is really not that big of a deal at all and I look forward to it. I have actually been enjoying the running a lot more than I expected to. Maybe I'm as totally genetically cursed as I thought!

From Coast to Coast!

Oh, Hi! Haven't seen you for a while! Yes I know I've been a bit absent and not very dependable but I have a fairly good excuse and I hope that you understand. I've been a bit busy organizing, packing, moving and settling into my new home in Victoria. Victoria you ask? Yes, VICTORIA!

It all began a couple weeks ago when I applied for a job for a Diet Technician, but I never imagined that I would get contacted about my application since I did not have a couple of the "mandatory qualifications" listed on the website. I applied because I was feeling stuck and a bit too comfortable in my living situation. Yes I had a job I enjoyed very much and I love the people I worked with, and yes, I am a part-time student so working a very flexible and simple part-time serving job was ideal. I love my family and was happy to have them around, but I just felt stuck. I needed to change my routine and look into doing something that I am passionate for, which is nutrition. So when I got a call asking to set up and interview, I was absolutely floored at the idea of actually getting the position. 

Two phone calls and one rather terrible interview later, I somehow got hired as a Diet Technician for both Victoria General and Royal Jubilee Hospitals. It is a Casual position which is less than ideal, but it is my foot in the door, which is what I really need to get started. So I gave my notice at work, packed up my stuff into my trusty little Honda, hugged my family and hit the road with Victoria as my destination. Apart from some snowy passes and the 3:00 pm ferry being cancelled and me having to wait 2.5 hours for the next one, and getting lost for about 45 minutes after getting off of the ferry, the trip was good! I am staying with my cousin Jaime, her 7-year old son Grayson and their new pup Tank. She offered her spare room in the house and it was a no-brainer to accept the invitation. They are on vacation in Mexico for a few more days, so I have had the house to myself to get settled and situated in my new place.

The one problem is that I have no bed. I've been searching around for the best deal on a bed and have been putting off making a final decision on which to buy. It's a pretty big investment. The first night I slept on an air-mattress that they had all ready for me in the room. About half way through the night it slowly deflated and I was left with very little sleep and a sore back to face the day with. The next night I slept on the lower bunk of Grayson's bunk-bed and while it was pretty comfy, I was constantly worried about banging my head on the upper bunk or ladder which was right beside my head. I slept OK. Then last night I bunked in Grayson's bed again, only to be woken up 3 hours into my sleep by a "Ding" sound. Right as I dozed off again, it sounded again. Then again. Then again. I turned on the light, looked around the room to find the source of this sound only to come up empty handed. I'm thinking a toy somewhere is losing battery power and is "dinging" to tell us to replace the batteries. Ugh. So at 2 in the morning I pulled the mattress off of the bunk and dragged it into my bedroom. I needed to buy a bed.

Various flavours of
their macaroons

I drove out today to buy a bed. The place I decided to buy from is close to downtown Victoria so I decided to poke around town and do a little shopping. The thing that sucks about downtown Victoria is that there are so many amazing stores tucked into every crack and crevice that it is nearly impossible to get away without poking your head into every one you pass by. I tired so hard to stick to a schedule (if you've ever paid for parking in downtown Victoria then you will understand the need for swiftness) but was unsuccessful. And I am glad I was because I stumbled into a little gem of a store called Bon Macaron which is a tiny little bakery that makes only macaroons. As soon as I walked through the door I felt happy. The people standing at the counter trying to decide which tasty morsels to buy seemed so joyous for being there. And why shouldn't they? With savoury flavours such as White Truffle & Seat Salt, Goat Cheese & Fig, White Chocolate & Wasabi and Bacon Cream Cheese, plus sweet sensations such as Lemon, Cherry, Blueberry, Pistachio and Chocolate Lavender, how can one not be happy? (and overwhelmed with choice)

I decided to get 3, Goat Cheese & Fig, Salted Caramel and White Chocolate & Wasabi. I told the man at the counter (also the owner) that I had my eye on the empty plate of Chocolate & Lavender macaroons and wish that I had gotten there earlier to get one. He surprised me with one that he had behind the counter that he did not want to sell because of a finger indent in the side of the cookie. I willingly accepted his gift and am stoked to try each and every one. It is taking all of my energy to not gobble down each one, but I want to save them and enjoy them slowly. I ate the Goat Cheese one first and was surprised that it was sweeter then I expected, but still delicious and packed full of flavour. Yum yum yum!

It's crazy to think that I have literally moved from coat-to-coast across Canada in less than 5 months. Wow.

So my first day of work is on Monday and I am excited to have a couple more days to get settled before my new job begins. Wish me luck for my first day!