RL Dilemma, Suggestions Please.

[paraka]

So, I'm now a student again! Yesterday I signed up with Athabasca University, where I hope to get a degree in Canadian Studies. It sounds like a really cool course that covers a lot of material. Everything from history, language, politics and literature. I'm not really sure what I'll do with it, but as I've been told over and over again, half the time they don't care what your degree is in, so long as you have one.
I haven't signed up for any classes yet, I'm hoping to speak to an adviser to find out what courses they suggest.

The thing that's nice about AU (which I'm so going to be calling it :P) is it's a school based on distance education, so I can take it and live wherever.

Right now I'm living in Ottawa and working full time. It's a good job, I enjoy it, and it pays well, but I don't actually enjoy living in Ottawa right now. I don't have very many friends here, most of them live in Guelph, or are online. I'm living with my parents, which is really pathetic, and means I haven't much (or, you know, any) of a social life. I live in the country where there's nothing to do, and it's easiest to do nothing.

Also, I'd really like to travel. Like, a lot. Since I don't have to be in one place to take this degree, I kind of want to use that as an excuse to travel, try living in a couple different places. I have a decent amount of money saved up right now, I was thinking of buying a house, but it would be more than enough to let me move and support myself until I found another job. But! I have a really good job right now. Dilemma.

So, I want to ask my flist what they think I should do.
[Poll #1155347]

Comments

[paraka]

*sigh* I just accidentally deleted what I wrote the first time, so if this one seems brief, it's because I'm rewriting it and didn't feel like retyping everything.
Oh god, I *hate* when that happens.

I've only ever gone to the sci fi con in Toronto, once with raxhel and the second time with Nick. I think we got less sleep the first time, because the second one with Nick, well, the panels kind of sucked that year, and we spent some time with my sister, so away from the con. Maybe it was because of the panels, but we also seemed to meet less people that year. *shrugs*

my dumbass cell phone (which, incidentally, is the *only* phone I own)
I hate cell phones in general. I spent almost a year with just a cell phone as my phone and hated it.

I had something really good about dumbass Americans and our need to be different which really just makes us seem conceited (we're too good to use your simple system) and involved something about Daylight Savings Time
People do want o be seen as differnt. Canadians spend their fair share of time doing it, but generally it's more along the lines of listening to The Arrogant Worms instead of using outdated measurement systems. :P
I'm really curious how you were going to work Daylight Savings Time into it. I was talking with someone else about it, and we were trying to figure out why we do it. :P

Hell, even days when it's a little more humid, we usually have enough of a breeze that it doesn't feel as bad as days when it's muggy and still.
Yeah, a breeze can make such a huge difference in that kind of weather. And you're close enough to the water that I'm sure you get enough wind.

In all the good places for living and working, the A/C systems are all good.
Do most places have air conditioning units? Or central air?

If you do get to come to the con and depending on how early you were able to fly in, I'd encourage you to try and fly into Houston and I'd pick you up and that way I could really show you the places I'm talking about.
That's an awesome idea! I hadn't thought of that. And I'm sure it'll be nicer for you to have some company on the drive :)

[maekala.livejournal.com]

I've only ever gone to the sci fi con in Toronto
Most of my con experience is actually with anime cons and that's...not totally different, but not the same. The people are usually younger and a little scarier (seriously, have you ever seen rabid fangirls dressed like Sailor Moon suddenly shreik "YUKI!!!11!!" and run and tackle some other rabid fan-whatever (boy/girl/creature). Those are the cons I work because I like the other people who work them and because I'm into anime, but only on the fringes of it. Sci fi I've only ever done AggieCon and that's becuase it's in the town I grew up in. Unfortunately, that one is moving more toward anime, but there's still some awesome opportunities to find older fans. One of the authors has come the last few years always dressed in Stargate-esque BDUs. The first time I saw that, I was so amazed and wanted more like that.

I spent almost a year with just a cell phone as my phone and hated it.
Right now, it's the most practical option for me. I don't really use a landline for anything and since I'm usually on the road, it makes like so much simpler. Unfortunately, all that driving means I hit bad signal areas a lot and the constant annoyance of not hearing anything but random snatches has quickly become a pet peeve.

I'm really curious how you were going to work Daylight Savings Time into it.
Does Canada actually follow Daylight Savings Time as well? I always assumed it was a purely American form of stupidity. DST was started back in the energy crisis and, like Social Security (don't even get me started on *that*), it was supposed to be a short term program to help the people cope. I'm cool with that. But when they kept doing it even after it was obviously no longer needed, then it really became stupid. There are scientific studies that show that that hour change is incredibly disruptive to the human internal clock and can be unhealthy in other ways. This information has been presented to Congress every year since it came out and still they make us go through it twice a year. *sigh* DST and Social Security are two things that I can rant on and on about.

And you're close enough to the water that I'm sure you get enough wind.
Most definitely! We're in our really windy season right now and we have daily winds averaging about 10-15 mph and gusting to as much as 40. It's crazy. And maddening when you're trying to open a door and the wind is so strong that you can't. Also makes phone calls a bit of an (added) annoyance.

Do most places have air conditioning units? Or central air?
Most places have central air. If it doesn't, it probably has a window unit. Seriously, places that don't have one or the other are probably derelict or have long since been torn down.

That's an awesome idea! I hadn't thought of that. And I'm sure it'll be nicer for you to have some company on the drive :)
I pride myself on my awesomely clever ideas. While I can make the drive on my own (have, actually), it usually involves loud music and plot ideas going randomly through my head. Or audiobooks. Lots of audiobooks.

[paraka]

Most of my con experience is actually with anime cons and that's...not totally different, but not the same.
I've never gone to an exclusively anime con, but the con that I do go to has a side of anime, so you still get to see people dressed as Sailor Moon.

Right now, it's the most practical option for me.
Yeah, it was practical for me too, but I still hated it. Especially since the ringer on my phone wasn't that loud, so I missed a lot of calls because I didn't hear it ring. It drove my mom crazy too (she was the one that was always calling me) because she'd call and call and call, and I wouldn't pick up. With a cell phone, there's that expectation that since it's portable, you can answer it anywhere, I hate that. I like having times where I'm not expected to answer the phone.

Does Canada actually follow Daylight Savings Time as well?
Oh yeah, large portions of the world use DST, see.
Also, what's wrong with social security?

Most places have central air.
Oh good, because there's such a difference between central air, and units.