Follow Your Bliss

A general lack of updating due to an unofficial long weekend [yes, as The Unemployed Elitist everyday is an unofficial long weekend], but lots of mostly pointless stuff going on. I feel like most of these things wouldn't qualify as an update on their own...but, put together...they just might be...STUFF FROM ALL OVER!

- This is really the only thing worthy of its own update - my friend Dee has started her own small business - she has opened her own yoga studio! As the subject line of my post suggests, her studio is called Follow Your Bliss. Unfortunately, her website is not up, but when it is I will post it up for any Torontonians to access [leave a comment if you want her email address - she's located downtown, by the AGO]. She's offering tremendous deals for July as she gets things up and running. I'm excited to go to one of her classes as they will be small-ish in size, which will allow for more one-on-one instruction. I've been doing yoga for seventeen years and I still suck @ it so I'm hoping that maybe what was missing was a good instructor.

- Dee's exciting new venture makes me think about small businesses in general. Over the course of the Presidential election I feel like I heard a lot about the importance of small business in the American economy - I had never given it much thought. As I've now been unemployed for a considerable lump of time, I have given some thought to starting a business - however, I'm not sure I have the greatest business sense and I don't really have a passion for anything that could be turned into a small business. It's a shame because I don't really like working for other people - I can be very independent in an office setting and this is not always a good thing. I've seen numerous programs on employment saying that sometimes it is best to create your own work if you can't find it elsewhere...

- Joseph had a long weekend due to the wonky Canada Day holiday, so we got into all sorts of different fun - high and low-brow. On Saturday we went to the AGO to see the temporary Dada exhibit and I expected to report that it was quite fantastic, but that I wouldn't recommend it to the casual art observer. I was wrong - I was being a snob. It was quite fantastic, but not nearly as...sparse and odd as Dadaism tends to be [by its own admission]. Yes, it was pretty darn hip and visually entertaining [this is not like Dada to be so immediately engaging] - but the subject matter was so modern and very fresh. I would highly recommend fellow Torontonians see this before the AGO stashes it away in their basement - it's pretty inspiring.

- On the Sunday we went decidedly low-brow and went to see Transformers @ one of the big box cinemas. It was extremely lo-co-de, but nevertheless enjoyable. I feel terrible saying that as the film was sexist, racist, immature, base and yeah, violent [but I don't have a problem with violence in films]. But I really enjoyed the explosions [though, less explosions than one might expect in a Michael Bay film] and the robot-on-robot violence [even if, yes Roger Ebert, they do look like junkyard throw-up] and the two or three funny lines [not the ones that other mouth breathers in attendance laughed @]. After the film, we decided to really and truly class things up and headed to Hooters for fried pickles and the Yankees game. I am one classy lassy, that is for sure.

- Yesterday nothing much happened except that I finally scrounged up the courage to watch the series finale of Twin Peaks. I got the Gold Box edition of the DVDs for my birthday and we have been watching the series since November. *sigh* I was so sad to have to say goodbye to all of my quirky pals in Twin Peaks, but I was comforted by the fact that this series was very nearly without flaw. Cannot recommend it enough and I think you can watch the episodes online for free either via CBS or Bravo [in America only]. I'm intrigued as to how the writing process evolves for a project like this - I think working in tandem with someone must be a great thing - I think that's what I need...to find my writing partner. Also, it's interesting how simple images and improvisations can bloom into something quite beautiful.

Oh, and as a follow up to the job debacle of last week...I declined their interest in me. I was excessively polite in my deferral...and then they sent me an extremely nasty email informing me that with my skill set and background I shouldn't expect to earn more than in the low $30K range and that this sum would be generous. I feel vindicated that I made the right decision in turning them down - it seems like a very toxic work environment if they would be so unpleasant to someone for absolutely no reason.