first day in the office. kind of.

Welcome to Orillia; home of writers, painters and the 21161.
we got in somewhere around 12:30am, Thursday morning, after bus failures, train switching, and another Katimavik group missing their flight, which stalled our bus pick up from Toronto a full five hours, we made it. Our house is a bungalow, tiny little thing. All five guys are packed in one room where, once again, I have the only single bed, tucked in the corner of the room behind the dresser. We've been here four days, and already the place smells like ball-sweat and farts.

I can't speak for anyone else, but my job(s) rock. I work for the Canadian Authors Association, which is exactly what it sounds like, and the Orillia District Arts Council, also exactly what it sounds like. On the subject of my professional relationships with my superiors, there has been more beer than work hours since I showed up. My bosses are, quite simply, the shit. I've ran into them three nights in a row at the Brownstone, and it's always a good time.

The Brownstone is a cafe/bar that opens up at 4pm and closes after the usual last call. Katimavik gets free coffee anytime they come in, and it's served up by this very cute red head named Autumn, who has been nothing but awesome to myself and the rest of the 21161. WHEELS.

My diet has improved slightly being out of French Canada. The Pountine and Cigarettes regiment I was on is done, the beer, not so much. Having a YMCA a 5 minute walk from the house is phenomenal. Pete, Alex and I will be in heavy competition to get in shape by Christmas, for shallow masculine reasons that few people would appreciate and even more would laugh at. They have an electronic point-tracking system so that your total weight lifted, miles ran and reps performed. All these things attribute to a points system that we'll be using against each other until the end, to a punishment yet to be decided.

 Our new Project Leader, Will is... cool? I think? The dude's indifferent. He wants to stay out of our way and make sure we're running the show because, after all, Katimavik is our program. He said he's only going to be noticeable when respect issues are brought to light or someone isn't contributing enough to the group. It would suffice to say, that may happen sooner than later. But regardless, he's got some impressive experience to draw upon. He spent 7 months in Nepal with a Buddhist community. The only meat he eats is the stuff he hunts or fishes for himself. He spent a time in Lilloet, BC, as a fisherman for a Native reserve. HE SLEEPS IN A HAMMOCK. Cool cat, that Will.

That's it, that's all. I'll write about less boring shit sometime soon, when something happens, maybe.