On the 21st, I got a phone call offering me the government job in Ottawa that I interviewed for in early December. I had a feeling this was coming since I found out (by accident) that they were checking my references, and also HR had been in touch with me about my security clearance and French test results. My supervisor wanted me to start right away, but we settled on February 9th as a start date because I would have to move. I started looking for apartments right away, and let me tell you there aren't a whole lot of places available at this time of year. I decided to just try to rent a room for now and find a bigger place some later, that way I wouldn't have to move a lot of my stuff.
The following Monday I got a call from a medical writing company I had submitted my resume to waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy back in the fall. They had been in touch briefly before Xmas, but I wasn't sure if I was ever going to hear from them again. They offered me some freelance work for a couple of weeks, which I accepted. On Tuesday I also got the go-ahead for a project for a private writing client of mine. On Wednesday my partner and I drove to Ottawa to look at some temporary accomodations for me, which was quite the adventure since that was also the day we got 20cm of snow.
So basically, I have gone from having no work to having two big contracts to complete while trying to organize a move to another city for a job. I am soooo stressed out. Not to mention pretty upset. Everyone I have spoken to is so enthusiastic about me getting this job, and there is no way I could turn it down given my financial situation, but the prospect of moving back to Ottawa is making me pretty miserable. I feel like I'm taking a giant step back in my personal life. My partner and I had a long-distance relationship for four years while I was in law school, and when I graduated I was so thrilled to finally put that behind us. It is extremely upsetting to realize that it's not behind us after all.
Plus there are all these little things that keep kicking me in the teeth - like how my old apartment in Ottawa was a 20 minute walk from my new workplace, or like all the potential job opportunites I passed up because I was so sure I would be living in Montreal. It is really, really frustrating.
Now I'm scrambling to get ready to go while trying to fulfill my professional commitments, and all I want to do is crawl into a vat of wine and stay there until it is all over (not an approved coping technique, I think). So I'm knitting.
The limenviolet sock marathon starts today and I have already cast on my first pair of socks - Interlocking Leaves from this past fall's Knitty. I'm using some Handmaiden Casbah in what I've decided is an odd dye job that sort of looks like Nova Scotia or Rainforest, but without the lime green:
I don't care so much that it is apparantly an oddball, since I love it - and hey, I am kind of an oddball too!
This yarn was purchased on a celebratory/consolation trip to Mouline - celebratory since I had just found out I would have a steady source of income, and consolation because I did not get into the Loopy Ewe sock club. I also got these:
Tanis Fiber Arts in Lagoon, and Alpaca with a Twist Socrates in Dress Blues (which I think actually looks kind of purple, but whatever).
I picked up some rosewood sock needles as well, and promptly snapped one in half while trying Judy's Magic Cast On for the Interlocking Leaves socks, which use a toe-up construction. Stressed-out people should maybe use metal needles when trying new techniques.
Speaking of which, I should really get back to...well, one of the multiple tasks that need to be done in the next week. Wish me luck!
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