One person's recession, is another person's investment opportunity

I have moved to my very own big office, so I've been very busy lately with paint chips, pot lights and furniture-shopping. Sadly, that's been my life for the past few weeks.

Just like the economy, I've pretty much been at a stand still in terms of 'hip and happening' things. I guess you could say the new cup holders I installed in my car has been the most exciting that has happened to me lately (I've been deprived of 'real' cup holders, so I can't possibly expect you to understand). Last weekend, Kathy and I even went to a sale at Gucci (Me: We're going to a Gucci sale. Kathy: Oh, what does Gucci sell? Me: ... *faints*) and I am probably more excited about my new cup holders than my new purse. My life is a fuckin' ball.

However, in light of the oncoming 'Great Depression Part II', I could not be more excited about this recession. I guess you could say the state of the economy has been proportional to my state of being. We're now at our lowest point and we can only go up from here. Just like the recession, once I've hit rock bottom (and I really feel as if I have), there's nothing but a rebound left. Right?

The other day I received some emails at work about some lofts I had been interested in earlier this year and they have lowered prices left, right and center. Ah, a hint of recovery. For me, at least.

I can see next year as my one and only chance to nab some real estate, for reals this time. No more bullshitting. No more lazying. No more missing out on great opportunities and forgetting deadlines to submit crucial bids!! No more yearning for a place to call my own. This is me clawing my way back to normal.

But I am not only happy (at least, I think I am happy) about myself feeling better. No, I'm not that self-absorbed. I am happy that things are looking up for people around me, especially those that I love.

I am happy Dev got the job. I am happy Jez is finally dating a good, decent guy and is not settling for some deadbeat loser to ruin her life. I am happy Konrad's business is doing well. I am happy Vicki got a promotion at work. I am happy Sarah is happy. I am happy Kathy gets to spend our traditional seXmas dinner with us. I am happy I am getting laid (OK, sorry I had to throw that in there. I'm selfish.). I am happy Mel's going to be getting an awesome Xmas gift from me (but then again, my gifts are always awesome). I am happy Wasiq is semi-happy with his new place. I am happy April is doing good business in this economy. I am happy Ish is making stellar money. I am happy Jon has gotten over his fear of driving on highways at night.

I am happy.

AGO a-go-go

I should be looking forward to weekends, but they have somehow blended into the same hectic-ness of the week. Too much to do, too little time, no end in sight. The past weekend was no exception.

On Saturday, I actually went to the re-opening of the AGO with Mel, Katie and Kathy. I wasn't going to go, but opted to at the last minute. It was quite nice, despite waiting in the rain for half an hour to get in. We spent about 3 hours at the gallery and then had dinner, just like old times. I cherish times where I can just sit and have dinner with friends. Meals with friends seems to be the only chance I get to see/talk/conjugate with someone else besides lawyers, law clerks, clients and the other neanderthals I have to put up with in my daily work grind.

After dinner, I went to Brantford for a party. I don't know why I continue to go to these 'frat' parties. Who am I kidding? I'm 24 (almost fucking 25!) and those days should be over for me. What I really should be doing is staying home and sleeping at a reasonable hour.

As an homage to my Arts Journalism professor, I may as well make the most of my money and do a 'review' of my visit to the re-opening of the newly renovated Art Gallery of Ontario.

The AGO doesn't allow photography in the gallery, so I only took one picture outside the gallery as we waited for half an hour in the rain(!) to get in: my Burberry rainboots a.k.a. money well-friggin'-spent.

THE REVIEW.

So...the re-opening of the Art Gallery of Ontario was this weekend. The AGO was closed for some time for renovations and the re-opening was anticipated for oh, I dunno, a month? To sum it up: a bunch of rich/generous people put in some money to renovate the museum and in turn, hundreds of poor/cheap people took advantage of the free admission the past weekend because that's the only time they'll set foot in an art gallery.

There's not much I can really say on the new AGO. Yes, the new architecture is nice, but it seems that that novelty will wear thin in a few months. Blonde oak and steel is as timeless as shoulder-padded blazers, my friends.

From what I can remember from the old AGO, they've reconstructed the inside of the gallery in a way that sort of reminded me of the galleries I have been to in New York City. Almost. But not quite. Money sort of well-spent.

As far as the collections go, I was impressed. Please don't be surprised that I am that interested in the arts as the next Starbucks-swilling drama freak. I know my Monets from my Manets. I can spot a Pollock a mile away. I can appreciate golf bags shaped as Native American totem poles as much as the next person. I can accept '2 Girls 1 Cup' as 'art'.

I will note that as a Canadian art gallery (and possibly the official art gallery of the province?), the AGO has an impressive collection of Canadiana art (but definitely not as great as the one in Kleinburg) . It's worth a look, especially for those who don't realize what an awesome country we live in.

Chasing 2009

Lately I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed. Or something.

I can't really describe it. It feels like I'm just on cruise-control and I'm not stopping to consider much of anything. Does that make sense?

I may have mentioned this before, but I absolutely cannot wait for this year to be over. I can't even begin to describe how this year has been for me, but to sum it up: I've been to more funerals than weddings, I've never felt more depressed or bad about myself, I've taken more trips this year than I can remember (bad in a sense that I used them to get away from everything, only to come back to the same shit. But good, in that they were good trips in general), and I've never felt so lost in my life.

There has just been so much that has happened in the past year that I can't really seem to get over, which is probably why I feel 'overwhelmed'. It feels like bad things just seem to get me at every corner and I have to keep running from it.

Or perhaps I'm just running towards something new.

The latest thing to 'get me' the latest review of my last writing piece for UofT. It wasn't that well-received and I have to re-work it quite a bit. As a writer (artist?) it sucks to have your work not well-received by a group of [amateur] writers. I don't even really know what I was expecting because to be honest, I wasn't really feeling it when I wrote it. No time, no inspiration, no light. It just sucks more now because I am moving offices at work and I really don't have the motivation, inspiration or time to revise my work in the next two weeks. Fuckshitsonofabitch!

However, one thing I can look forward to is the end-of-the-year ski trip to Vermont. I am looking forward to, no, counting on, this trip to not only end this horrendous year, but to renew myself for the next year. I am going to use this trip as a vain attempt to try and un-do the past and reset the future. Sound cheesy? Well, that's how desperate I am to do it.

Sick of getting older

Twenty years from now when someone asks me where I was when the first Black President was elected I will tell them I was lying sick as a dog on my couch.

On Monday, I started to feel ill with a severe sore throat, stiff neck and headache. Today I finally gave in and stayed home from work. I just came home from the walk-in clinic and I was told that I had the Common Cold. I was both annoyed and elated by this news. I was annoyed that I had to walk the two blocks to the clinic to find out that all I had was the Common Cold (which I have never had, which was why I was worried about my symptoms). I was elated that I didn't have strep throat or something more serious. And that I live in a nation where I didn't have to [directly] pay for that silly 5-minute diagnosis.

I guess it's my fault that my body succumbed to something as common as the Common Cold. I've always prided myself on my undefeated immune system but alas, I am getting older and hard partying ain't what it used to be. Case in point, the huge Halloween party I went to on Friday night, and the post-party hangover recovery for the rest of that weekend: