I'm Moving

 A lot has happened since my last update.

I turned 31. My previous update was actually after my birthday, but I had more to say about QuarantEAFy Day. My 31st went okay. I visited my family in Guelph and Lee-Anne came over on the Saturday. 31 isn't really a landmark year, so it wasn't too dramatic, although the pandemic feels in some ways like it has stolen time. My mom made me pork tenderloin with scalloped potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, and brussels sprouts, and Lee-Anne's mom made a lemon meringue pie for dessert. It was all very good. Lee-Anne also got me a container to knead bread dough in, which was filled with food from Brampton's farmer's market.

On the Sunday, there was a Pokemon Go Community Day, which kind of felt like a gift. This time it was Porygon, the artificial Pokemon. Not my favourite, not the most powerful, kinda rare but old. It did have a new shiny form and special move for the day, so that was exciting.

Community Day was actually a day before my birthday, and the Men's Group I ran before the pandemic coincidentally reopened on my birthday. We're not allowed to do much. We have to be two metres apart at all times, we have to wear masks and we can't go indoors. Suggested activities at the moment are hiking and crafting. I've already had a group get rained out. We took shelter in a local Tim Horton's, but even though we were all recent guests with coffee cups to prove it, there were only a few tables available to make sure that physical distancing requirements were maintained, and of the tables left, they were all unavailable because staff hadn't had a chance to sanitize them since the last patrons had left. So we got cast out and had to hide in a bus shelter.

Remote work has restarted at WALES as well, at a greatly reduced capacity. Supposedly, we're in Phase 3 of a four phase recovery plan, but the provincial government has introduced something called  "Phase 3 B". Feels kind of like when you have homework, and there's only five questions, but then question five is sectioned into three alphabetized questions. So you actually have eight questions, the teacher is just being sneaky.

Regardless, this means that organizations like WALES are being encouraged to reopen physically, with strict safety measures in place. This doesn't effect me as much as most of the staff because my work remains remote. However, I am now a relief staff in addition to my other duties, and last week I was called in twice. So, between the Men's Group and WALES relief, I did my first in-person work in about six months.

I'm moving. I've talked to my roommate about it, I've given my current landlord his two months notice, and two days ago, me and my girlfriend were confirmed for a place. We just signed the lease and submitted our deposit today. The housing market has been really bad for a series of years, in part because we've been turning into a commuter city for people who work in Toronto, with Stratford becoming our commuter city for us.

However, due to our two universities and our community college changing largely to an online format, many students are choosing not to move away from home. At the same time, the government took back eviction protection for people struggling financially during the pandemic, and Air BNBs have been struggling to stay in business. All these factors have caused a confused housing market and a temporary relaxation in renting prices.

 So, it's time to move.

We viewed seven places. The first place we saw was a main-level apartment with tall ceilings. We didn't really know what we were looking for, but they advertised themselves as having air conditioning, and it turned out they only had a portable one, which had been replaced and was leaving with the current tenants, and the guy was unclear about whether or not he would replace it. It said they had laundry too, but it was in a neighbouring tenant's space and we didn't get to see it or meet the person. We took a pass.

The second place we saw was pretty nice, but they advertised their ceilings as being 6'5". I'm 6'3", and my head was touching the ceiling. We quickly figured out that these listings are like guys on dating websites, lying about their height. Third place had the same issue. It also had a very strange saleswoman who rushed us out in under five minutes, clearly resented us being there, and pretty much told us she wouldn't rent to us. Weird experience. Even weirder, she's still advertising it, meaning she hasn't taken anyone.

Fourth place was a main-level with really tall ceilings, a ton of space, a low price, and in a good area. It was the first place we were excited about. We went back to my place and sent our references, and immediately got a message back saying that they had gone with someone else.

Fifth place was a basement apartment. Two bedrooms, decent ceiling height, good price, good location for transit and groceries. Two sinks in the bathroom. Very thorough application form.

Sixth place was enormous and very cheap. I think it was larger and cheaper than the fourth place. It was a one bedroom with three "dens" which were apparently too small to be legally called bedrooms, but I've definitely seen rooms smaller than those advertised as bedrooms. Right in the heart of student housing, though. Clearly a repurposed student four-bedroom that couldn't rent because of the new online education format. We liked it enough to give it a chance despite the location, but someone had put down a deposit before the viewing even happened, and the person giving us the tour said other people would only be considered if she said that she didn't want it. She wanted it.

Seventh place, Lee-Anne couldn't make it so I headed the charge. It had a shared backyard with a ton of potential for gardening. Had some cannabis plants (legal in Canada), so obviously the other tenants were into gardening as well. Basement apartment, but it was on a hill, so the backyard was level with the unit. 

Wound up getting the fifth place. There was a delay in response, so I figured we didn't get it based on how fast this game had proven to be, but I'm happy to have been wrong in this case.

By the way, Donald Trump, President of the United States, has caught COVID-19 and has been hospitalized.