settling into this new town slowly but surely. shouldve come few days sooner given that school jumped right in the next morning. getting adjusted to being back in school and the new home was somewhat difficult. spending the days refreshing my mind with stats and econ; then in the evening driving around town thinking what is needed in the house. first two weeks were a blur. already need to think about jobbity job things for next summer as the fed recruiting process kicks off next month.

besides, usual school work, there is the thoughts of where i want to work come next year; ottawa or queen's park? in what department? in what capacity? or perhaps i'd be better off working in a think tank or ngo. it's so overwhelming but yet a welcoming change from the rut of the previous year. even opening up this blog would've required more thinking than i was capable of.

the housemates are chill, think we'll be able to manage. if anything, will they tolerate me?? of course, the weather is great and everyone is about their thing in the evening. let us await until mid january to see if the house is a pressure cooker. they've got poor taste in music; honestly, coming back from class and hearing blink182 blasting makes me wanna womit. maybe some of my taste will rub off on them come next spring.

the city of kingston is sweet itself. in the morning, walking to school having random stranger pleasantly say good morning is different. nothing of that sort happened home. what does get under my skin already is the drivers in this town. sure, the demographics indicate 89% are over 70, 10% students and whatever leftover that makes up this town, but the roads are just a diaster. using the car is almost limited to 2-3 times a week but in those couple of drives, i practically get an ulcer. toronto drivers are mental but k-town drivers are retards.

maybe it's the small town mentality; nothing to do, nowhere to go so they just move like slugs on the roads to piss off the 'city folk.' lot of walking means i haven't been getting to the gym. the daily 5-6 km via steps give me more than its share of physical activity.

downtown itself is a microcism for the young folk; more bars than one needs. thanks to its ultra competition for meager student dollars, it's quite a bargain to get sauced at any of the establishments. best place was the 'royal tavern' just a few steps further where a little history lingers in the walls; a favourite place for canada's first PM to throw back a few back in the day.

concerts here are few in between; obviously this isn't toronto anymore but a tiny bar like grad club is known to host artists from the arts & crafts roster such as apostle of hustle later tonight and jason collett a few weeks. to be able to see apostle of hustle in such a venue is akin to having him play in your living room. few nights back, few people from my program were throwing back the brews wondering how in the world they'll host a concert in that place. grad club: a living room with a liquor license.

of course i am keeping my eye out for one of kingston's finest. not a being a stalker or anything but one of the interwebs best probably crosses my path on any given evening.

i wrote this two weeks ago when i didn't have the net hooked up yet and was bored in my new place. sometime over the labour day long weeend;


Day one in the new “pad.” Since the net would be running for another few days, I am constrained to writing via ms office. It’s been a while since I’ve written anything but lot has happened in the last several months.

No bigger than quitting my job to attend grad school 300km away from the comfort of the city I have known all my life. Not knowing a single soul in Kingston or anyone attending Queens University, it feels bizarre to find oneself in such a unfamiliar setting. I am a complete unknown tonight. The town, people passing by, store clerks seem different. But walking through the aisles of a grocery, neighbours, random passer bys, wandering about town my first night, I can’t help but feel refreshed and reborn that I am onto something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. The delight in the youngsters’ eyes is what I am revelling in tonight; no real direction but the freedom of being on the cusp on responsible adulthood is rewarding.

Since finishing my undergrad in political science and taking a job nothing related to my studies or anything worse pursuing in terms of advancement, coming here is nothing but beneficial. Ironically, someone who studied poli sci should able to cut through the office politics to get ahead. But in that environment politics were at a toxic level and almost sickening. Perhaps, it is my naiveté and this is inevitable for wherever one ends up. No need to reflect on names, incidents as all that is now in the past and where it needs to remain. However, hating that job as much as did provided enough artillery to pack up and leave… literarily.

Now with all the time to study and live relatively free, I hope to revive this blog and make it more personal; to reflect on my growth and development over the course of the year. This is a change in my life to say the least. I am not getting any younger and the truth that I found myself in my mid 20s and still living at home somewhat disgusted me. If anything, I need this year to find myself and grow much more of an adult. Something seems to have been missing in my life and it’s probably not really “living.”

Skipping out on the formative years would’ve been a mistake and I’ve got 10 months to take a crash course in ghetto living. Sure, working full time for a full year puts in me in a better position than most; and won’t necessarily to experience the dreadful poverty levels of student living.

Dylan’s “like a rolling stone” has never sounded more truthful than it does tonight…