I read this on another blog and thought it was a brilliant, possibly cathartic excercise, so of course I immediately jotted mine down on paper.

First up:

To The One That Got Away,

Thank you for running away as fast as your legs could carry you.

Thank you for not wanting me when you could have had everything.

Most of all, thank you for coming back years later and showing me just what an idiot you really are.

Now I will not think of you as ‘the one that got away’, at least not without ‘thank God he was’ in front of it.

Take care, Wondy x

Ps. Thanks also for the Pixies CD, I still play it.

‘Writing a novel is not method acting and I find it easy to step out of it at cocktail hour.’  Bret Easton Ellis

I’ve been writing! Our novel is going to be a trilogy, all centered around two main characters, Dolores and Tarquin, and their lives after they inherit some money and move to the country.

Almost the entire story has been storyboarded, right down to the last detail, and I know exactly what is going to happen, what lessons my characters will learn along the way and who they are and will be by the end. It’s a marvellous feeling to have a skeleton in place, now all I have to is pad it all out and go with it. It could take me years.

But I must say my inspiration has been David, or the real T, as I call him. He believes in me and he reads the snippets I send, and gives me genuine feedback. This is his story afterall, too - and as he says these characters are essentially us, but better, more dramatic versions of who we are - so it’s important to stay true to them. And ourselves.

Is this weird at all? Dolores is an eccentric mess with leaves in her hair - and yet I call upon her when I am restless and confused and she comes through for me.

I love my heroine - and she is still but a glint in my eye.

D: (Referring to ladder leaning against wall, leading to nowhere): I’m going to climb that ladder and see where it takes me.

T: It leads to nowhere.

D: It leads to the land of giants.

T: Some of us already live in the land of giants (winks).

Time to come clean about my new romance… with PSH!

‘Be my friend/Hold me, wrap me up/Unfold me/I am small/I’m needy/Warm me up/
And breathe me’  Sia - Breathe me

And I’m not telling.  Yet.

‘Hair style is the final tip-off whether or not a woman really knows herself.’  Hubert de Givenchy

Yikes!

I applied for ten jobs yesterday and I have two interviews this week already - tomorrow I have one for a receptionist at a trendy hair salon which of course is now sending me into complete panic - have you seen my bonce lately?

I know one of my lovely friends out there is a hairdresser - so perhaps you can give me some advice B?

Obviously the way I look is going to be important in a job like this and I’m really scared they will take one look at my scruffy demeanor and just scream “For the love of God woman, what were you thinking?!  There’s the door!!!”

Should I just bowl in there confidently as I normally would with my scruffy, nomad head and hope they offer me a free haircut if they like me - or do I scrape it all back and pretend I’m one of those Robert Palmer girls?

It’s a first for me to go for a job in which looks are important and I’m really nervous, since I really doubt I’m glam enough for the task.

Oh yeah, and the second interview is at the Granville 7 theatre - free movies, baby!

‘This above all; to thine own self be true.’  William Shakespeare

Why do people keep telling me I look tired? Honestly?  

From the man begging on the street outside 711 to people I work with to customers to people living in this building, everyone keeps telling me how tired I look and that I should get some rest.

Give me a break, people!

So, anyway, our plans have changed and we’re staying in Vancouver for the forseeable future. I am beyond stoked about this, because I truly love the city and my new friends but things have got to change for me at least, in terms of job and living arrangements.

I have, have, have to earn more money to be able to start saving and being able to explore the city properly.

As a result of this weekends talks with Rocker, today I’ve been peddling my arse about town running errands and applying for jobs. I hope something comes of it soon, it would be lovely to find a nice office job that will pay me a nice wage although I’m open to anything fun at this point.

Our longer term plan is to save enough to go back to Thailand in a year or so, for a year or so - a whole year of writing my book on the beach in the sun, hanging out with like-minded people, perhaps cycling around the island.

I can’t wait.

Toronto will have to wait for a little while now, which I’m happy with. I can’t wait to see it and find out more about where I started life, but it feels right to be staying here for now.

In other news, I am absolutely sick of getting into trouble by trying to save people’s feelings. It has become clear in the last few days that some people want the blunt truth, so they asked for it, and that is what they are going to get for hereonin.

Wouldn’t it just be lovely if we could keep everyone happy, all the time?

‘What matters isn’t being applauded when you arrive - for that is common - but being missed when you leave.’  Baltasar Gracian

I’ve finally worked up the courage to tell my new friends that I’m leaving Vancouver soon. They’ve been nothing but supportive and I am, yet again, aware of just how lucky I am to have the friends I do, here, at home - all around the world.

I love you guys, you know that right?

Lately, I’ve fallen into a happy little pattern of work, home and exploring the city - and I’m slowly but surely falling in love with Vancouver. I’m no ashamed to admit that I’ll miss it when I’m out East, but moving is right for us at the moment. And I’ll just have to look forward to coming back here and being able to afford to do more.

Sadly, the SB wage isn’t nearly enough to live on - and week-to-week I can barely survive on the money they pay. But I’m not complaining. I chose to do this job and I’ve enjoyed it. They’ve also promoted and trained me, sending me on classes they paid for - so in a way, my time here has been useful and constructive.

I am so going to miss T though. Honestly, I feel devastated to have found someone so completely on my wavelength, just to have to move away from him again.

This is the only thing that sucks about travelling.

Hmph.