Is a bird in the hand, really better than two in the bush?

After three weeks of sitting around, twiddling my thumbs it was only a matter of time before things started to happen. It all started on a relatively normal Wednesday morning. I got up bright and early, and headed down to Granville Island, an arts/food hub on a small peninsula underneath one of the big bridges heading into downtown Vancouver. I was early for a job interview, so I sat on the jetty looking at the sun rising up above the city, morning kayakers enjoying their morning routine on False creek and listened to the boathouses creaking and groaning under the warmth of the morning sun. Since it was such a beautiful day, we had my interview (to be an Assistant for the Fringe Festival) outside under a tree. As soon as it was over, I was off across the city to another interview, this time with a Catering company. By the end of our chat (I don’t think you could really call it an interview) I was offered the role of managing the Catering staff at “Theatre under the stars” for six weeks.

That night to celebrate the good news, and the return of the Summer weather Jessica and I went out to dinner on Commercial Drive. The next day, aware my luxurious free time was fast running out, I met up again with Boswell the Ukulelist, and he kindly showed me around the historic Gastown, and we took a seabus over to Lonsdale Quay, in North Vancouver to explore the markets. Friday I started my new job, and got a few of the logistics organised. On Saturday I was supposed to babysit, but after being there 15 minutes, the boy took off across the road to a friends house, decided he was going to stay there and I went home, rejected for a 6 year old - I’m sure I’ll live. On Sunday, I joined some fellow couchsurfers and endeavored to loosen up a few Vancouverians and offered ‘Free Hugs’ to complete strangers. I’d never done anything like that before, but the expressions on some peoples faces (both looks of awe and disgust) were priceless. We didn’t hug anyone who didn’t want to be hugged, but the range of reactions was incredible. A few wanted to know which religious institute we were from understandably, we were annoyingly happy a lot of the time, a lot ignored us completely and walked past with grim determination. Others would come leaping and bounding from miles away and then come back for another round when they left. You could hear a few of the old ladies, chuckling to themselves as they walked away, and a few sly looks around for our careers as if we’d just been let out for a special treat.

Monday I started my new job properly, and its been all go ever since. "Theatre under the stars" is in this huge park in downtown Vancouver for the next month or so. Two plays are on; Grease and Oklahoma, and they rotate around each night. I've been employed to manage the food tent, which can cater for up to 1200 people a night. I have a really good crew working with me, and things seem to be going pretty well. The first few days were really tough, training all the staff, and coming up with efficient systems, the hours I was putting in were crazy. I guess having such a cruizy job in Germany before and then 3 weeks off, my body went into shock. But now the staff know what to do, we have systems in place, and at least I'm the boss, so I can delegate and get people to do all the jobs I don’t want to do.

Just yesterday I was offered a full time Event Coordinating position, with a pretty cool company (one with a lot of possibility and potential), that I went for two interviews with a few weeks ago, and since finding that out I've been offered a full time position with the Catering company I'm working for at the moment (and who have treated me amazingly well). I didn't get the Fringe Festival job, I think they were worried I didn't know the area well enough, to get around with ease. But thats ok, because two weeks ago I had no real work prospects, and now I have to choose between two fantastic company's, similar job just in different fields, similar pay, very different locations (but I have to move in a few months anyway) and no ones here to help me choose. When it rains it pours, as they say.