Day Four Hundred and Fifty Five of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

TV Commercial Rejection

I got an email from my Extras Agent telling me that I did not get booked for the TV commercial. That’s too bad but not totally unexpected. I found out that my friend had also been submitted for it as well. It surprised me because we don’t usually get submitted or booked for the same things. She didn’t end up getting it either.

I received an email from my Casting Director saying that they had branched out into TV commercials. I was surprised to hear that. I wondered if they were taking away commercial work from other agents, like my own Extras agent, too. They also said that they would be announcing big news later this year. I wondered what it could be.

Short Run

Although the weather was a little cool and overcast, I decided to go for a short run. I wasn’t sure what I should wear, if it started to rain, should I take a jacket? Or was it too warm for me to wear another layer, especially once I got going? I compromised and wore a vest.

Once I had been running for a few minutes, the weather started to improve and the sun came out. I started to regret wearing the second layer, too. I was happy because the sun was shining and I was feeling good with my pace.

I was a little frustrated because of the bad drivers encountered during this run. I started to run at a cross walk on a green light when a driver almost hit me! I gave her a dirty look and pointed to the green light. What does she do? She rolls down her window and starts yelling at me. Then, as she drives away, she puts her hand out the window and gives me the finger! I was so mad, I yelled after her and dropped the f-bomb.

After it came out, I regretted it. I had forgotten that I was in public and that there were other people on the sidewalk. There were probably some kids around too, who shouldn’t hear my potty mouth. It just came out.

I was a little anxious running. I couldn’t stop thinking about that stupid driver. I soon forgot about her when I encountered yet another dumb driver. This driver totally disregarded a pedestrian cross walk and when he drove by, he shrugged his shoulders. What a jerk. This was rush hour and there were a few of us waiting. I encounter so many idiotic drivers when I run, I wish I had the power to stop their car so I could go over to them and lecture them about how they are an idiot driver.

Despite these two incidents, I did have a good run. I didn’t experience much pain in my Achilles tendon and I was able to run fairly fast. I didn’t run a long time but I still felt that I got a good enough work out today.

Laptop Window Shopping Again

There were a couple of flyers boasting a labour day weekend sale. I decided to stop in on Future Shop on my way home. The last time I was there, the service was not that great so I wasn’t expecting anything today. There were a few people in the laptop department, milling about, waving a piece of the flyer.

There were two laptops that I had seen advertised that I was interested in. I found the first one and there were at least a couple of people testing it out. I couldn’t find the other one so I asked a sales person. Unlike my last visit, this guy was actually nice and helpful. He asked me to find it online and then he could check it out for me.

I went on another laptop that wasn’t being used and tried to find the link I wanted. Like all of the other laptops on sale, this one’s operating system was Windows 8. I had read a lot of negative reviews about it but I figured it was what always happens when windows changes the version, people are unhappy until they eventually get used to it. I’ve been happy with Windows 7 and figured I would eventually have to change to Windows 8.

I was so frustrated because I couldn’t seem to get anything accomplished with the laptop I was on. I didn’t know if it was the laptop or the operating system or me. Finally the clerk came by and was able to find the laptop for me. I asked him what the difference was between the two and he said that one of them had a much faster processor. He said that for $30 difference, it was worth it to get the more expensive one.

I thought about it. I asked him if there was a limited quantity and he said that the store only had 30. He said that today, the first day of the sale, they had already sold 15 of them and that he predicted that by the end of the evening, they would all be gone. I got panicky and wasn’t sure what to do. Ultimately, I just couldn’t pull the trigger and buy it. I don’t know what made me walk out of that store.

I got home and wondered if I had made a mistake. It wasn’t too late for me to go back to the store and get it. I checked it online and it showed that it was sold out, both at the store and online. That happened in a matter of 5 minutes from the time I left the store until I got home. I couldn’t believe it.

So I was wondering if I had made a colossal mistake. I checked the other sites and they were showing out of stock for similar models. I was kicking myself in regret. Now I am wondering if I can hold on until Black Friday sales in November. Will my laptop finally die before then and will I be forced to buy one at regular price? I’m so stressed just thinking about it.

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Four of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Costume Fitting

I got up early to get together my wardrobe for my costume fitting this morning. I usually keep a suitcase full with staple pieces that usually get requested for most work. This time however, this production was a little more specific and wanted pieces that I don’t usually wear. I had a few pieces that I could have used but I had just donated them to charity a few weeks ago.

I managed to get a suitcase completely filled with clothing, hats and footwear. Although we are only required to bring three full outfits, I tend to go overboard and bring a lot more than that. It’s preferable to use your own clothing than to use their costume department’s so that you don’t have to line up in the morning to get your costume and then line up at the end of the shoot to turn in your costume. When you have your own, you can leave right away.

Unfortunately, they only accepted two pieces of my clothing. So that means I’ll be one of the many who will have to line up to get my costume and turn in my costume at the end of the night. Oh well. I was paid a minimum of two hours and I was finished in well under that, so that’s good at least. I’m just so happy that I will be working on this production!

Lunch with Friend

I ran into a friend at the costume fitting so we decided to have lunch together. It was so nice that we were able to get together unexpectedly like this. I had wanted to pick her brain a bit about applying for that medical training job. She had forwarded me the email a few days ago and I had meant to ask her about it.

She explained the whole situation and how she had enjoyed it the last time they had the training session. She went through the whole process with me so I knew what to expect. There are 30 trainer positions and they gave first preference to those who had already done the job, so there aren’t probably that many left for me to apply for. She suggested that I apply for it asap.

Blood Donation

On the way home, I stopped off to make a blood donation. I usually can’t donate that often because I go on vacation to some country that upon return requires a one year break from donating. Since this year I did not do my usual exotic vacation, there’s nothing from stopping me from donating every 56 days even.

Before long weekends, there is always a media blitz to get people to donate since levels are low. I figured I’d be in and out in less than an hour. To my surprise, my hemoglobin level was too low by one point so I could not donate. The nurse asked me if I was perhaps vegetarian. I am not. I was perplexed because I thought I got enough iron in my diet.

The nurse said that if I was concerned, I could discuss it with my doctor. She said that some symptoms are fatigue, shortness of breath and a fast heartbeat among others. Aside from the one day when I was running like an elephant, I haven’t experienced any of those symptoms. Now that I am aware of it, I can keep an eye on things at least.

Job Application

I worked on a job application the rest of the day. As opposed to sending my resume and cover letter, I decided to just sent an email cover letter. Since I am being referred by my friend and it is not a formal application, I decided not to send my resume. Besides all the education and experience on my usual resume is not at all related.

This is just for a job that will be two days only. So I have to admit that I didn’t think that I needed to devote too much time to applying. If I’m applying to a job that’s a career full-time position, then I will take the time to tailor make my cover letter and resume carefully.

Even if this was just for a short-term job, I did take the time to try to do my best. Sometimes, I’d get writer’s block so I’d have to do something else and then go back to it. I was glad to complete it and hit that submit button.

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Three of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Booked for Costume Fitting on Big Blockbuster Movie!

I got an email from the Casting Director of the biggest movie filming in town right now. I knew that it started filming and I really wanted to work on it. I called right away and got booked for a costume fitting which will be tomorrow.

The actual day of filming will not be until next week. When I got the notes for wardrobe, I was a little surprised. They asked for things that I don’t really have in my wardrobe. I had even just gotten rid of a couple of things that would have been perfect for this. Bad timing.

Tomorrow will be a wardrobe fitting at a studio that I’ve been to many times. They said to expect to be there for at least a couple of hours. I’m glad that I will get at least two hours of pay, too!

Ran to Free Yoga Class

The weather was overcast and a little chilly. I wondered if they might cancel this last free outdoor yoga class. I decided to go and hope that it wouldn’t start raining. Luckily, the rain stayed away during the hour. The class was not as crowded as it has been in previous weeks.

I ran into an old friend and we got to catch up a bit before the class. He is in a place that I would love to be in. He is only a year older than me and is now retired. He was very astute in his career and investment decisions over the years and is now able to enjoy life to the fullest. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t envious of his life right now. I wondered how my life would be different if I had made different decisions.

One Last Visit to Costco

I decided to make one last visit to Costco to see if I could find somebody who could answer my questions about the prices of laptops. A few weeks ago, one of the clerks had said that there would be a back to school sale so I waited that whole time to see what they would offer.

In the meantime, there were so many back to school sales from the other big box electronic stores. I had wanted to buy from Costco because of their two-year warranty. I was getting frustrated because there didn’t seem to be deals. They were not at all competitive with the other stores.

Today, I talked to somebody and I asked whether or not there would be any last-minute back to school sales. He told me that there hadn’t been a back to school sale in over three years. I asked him why they didn’t discount any of the prices and he got all defensive and said that there had been one model that had been on sale for two weeks. Unfortunately, it was one of the laptops that was out of my price range even with the so-called sale price.

I also asked him why Costco prices did not seem competitive compared to the other stores and he became a little patronizing, telling me that each company (like HP, Acer)provided a ‘special’ model for each store so you couldn’t compare them. He said that I should decide what I wanted in a laptop and then I should do research.

That got me really annoyed. He had no idea how much time and research I have devoted to this purchase. I can’t afford to spend a lot of money and I need to get the best deal that I can. This whole process has been so frustrating and I still don’t have a laptop.

Ran into Fellow Job Searcher

After I went to Sunrise Market, I happened to run into my fellow extra/actor and job searcher. We used to run into each other at the WorkBC employment office. He asked me if I had been there lately and I admitted that I hadn’t been there for a while.

I asked him if he had any experience with commercial voice over work. He said that he had done some work in the past and he wanted to branch out into corporate work. I was curious about what his plans were in that area, but we were both short of time. I’m sure that we’ll talk about it the next time I see him.

Van Break In

As I was returning home, I noticed the window of my storage van open wide. I got out of my car and took a closer look. The door was open, too. There had been break-ins in my building two days in a row. I had been under the impression that only the storage locker and bicycle cage was hit, but apparently not.

I was heartbroken to discover this. I didn’t even take the time to check exactly what was stolen. I just locked it up and went home. I felt so vulnerable and defeated. This was not the first time I had experienced a car break in. I know that I should also check to see if my storage locker was broken into, but I’m too upset.

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Two of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Ran to UBC Volunteer Gig

I woke up early to run to my UBC volunteer gig. After yesterday’s rest from running, I felt eager to see what I could do, running up the hill. The weather was overcast and a little cool. I was glad that it wasn’t raining.

I felt quite energetic and motivated this morning. I was surprised to see how fast I was managing to run up the hill. The route from my home to UBC is mostly uphill and I didn’t seem to have any trouble doing this. I figure that if I can do this elevation, I should have no trouble with the marathon next month.

Voice Concerns

As I was reading today, I found that my voice kept getting raspy on me. I had to delete the bad section, clear my throat and try again. I was a little worried because I didn’t know why this was happening. This of course happens when you have a sore throat or a cold, but I don’t have either of those going on right now.

I wondered how consistent my voice is. I guess I’ve never thought about it until I started to consider voice over work. I can’t have my voice be unreliable. I’m going to pay attention during these recording booth sessions and see if I can see the differences.

Voice Over Demo Discussion

I discussed my voice over demo with my UBC friend again today. He’s all enthusiastic to help me and I am grateful for that. I have to read the 30 second scripts that I found online and decide which ones would broadcast my voice in the best way.

I told him that I would like to work on the demo next month. I figure that I’ll have more time to concentrate on it once my Dad goes home, too. I think it’ll be fun and interesting to do, too.

Fast Run Home

The weather was still overcast and slightly cooler. I concentrated on trying to run as fast as I could. One would think that running mostly downhill is fast and easy but it actually takes more concentration on my part.

First of all, it can really take a pounding on my ankles and knees. I’m a lot more sensitive to this because of my ankle and knee surgeries from long ago. If the downhill elevation is fairly steep, I find myself having to really concentrate on making sure that I don’t trip and fall, too.

Despite this, I found that I was able to improve on my time home. I’m getting more encouraged by this. I have no doubt in my abilities to run a long distance, just the ability to run it faster. I’ve already found a slight improvement in the last couple of weeks.

Dad’s 80th Birthday

It’s my Dad’s 80th birthday today! I was glad that he would be spending it with me here in Vancouver rather than back home. I had asked some family and friends to acknowledge it at a family gathering last month and the best they could come up with was a lousy cupcake and the singing of Happy Birthday.

Vancouver has two good birthday freebies that I take advantage of. You can get a small fish and chips and drink at the best fish and chips place in town, Pajo’s on your birthday. Although it’s a bit of a drive, it’s totally worth it. The halibut is fresh and lightly battered with a tempura batter. The fries are made with local kenbec potatoes.

A few hours later, we went to Vera’s Burgers. They have the best burgers in town! They give a $10 birthday certificate on your birthday. We got a double G burger with mushrooms, to go. It’s so huge, we were both full easily. You can’t get a better birthday meal than at Pajo’s and Vera’s Burgers!

TV Commercial Submission

I got an email from my agent about wanting to know if I wanted to be submitted for a grocery store TV commercial. Would I? You bet! A few years ago, I had worked on one of this store’s TV commercials so maybe I’d get picked again!

Maybe this is a sign that things are picking up in the film industry. I did run by a couple of filming signs. That’s always a good sign. I thought that there’d be more filming in July and earlier in August but there didn’t seem to be as much as previous summers. All I can hope is that I get more work in the coming weeks.

Day Four Hundred and Fifty One of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Normal Sleep

I’ve been having fairly normal sleep lately which is a relief. I thought that with my Dad visiting me, I’d be experiencing more anxiety and have trouble sleeping, but so far, so good. The weather has also cooled down so I assume that has helped as well.

I thought that I’d be really tired after yesterday’s long run, but I felt fine today. I wondered if my stamina has improved since I’ve been taking my running a little more seriously since signing up for the marathon. I felt like I could have easily run again today but I decided to impose a rest day.

Retail Blog

I decided to work on my retail blog today. I got a comment on my blog and it turned out to be from some woman who totally spammed me with a totally unrelated comment about wineries! That made me mad. Usually those spam comments are blocked but for some reason, this one was not.

I managed to work on editing some photos and writing some text. I have found that once I get on a roll, I should stick with it and do as much as I can before I get distracted and move on to something else. Who knows when I will get inspired to work this long on this blog again?

Costco Visit

I went to Costco today to check one last time to see if they were having a laptop sale. I can’t understand why there haven’t been any sales so far. I couldn’t find any computer department staff at the last Costco I had visited so I had hoped to talk to somebody at this store.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anybody to help me. I looked at all of the laptops and none were on sale. I was so perplexed, everywhere else in town have been slashing their prices. Why has Costco not put any of their computers on sale?

Although I wanted to take advantage of Costco’s free two-year warranty, it’s not much of a bargain if the computers are higher priced to begin with. I might as well get a heavily discounted computer from Best Buy or wherever and take the risk. If it breaks down, I’ll still get at least a one year repair guarantee.

So now, in this last week before labor day, I’ll have to do one last search to find a cheap laptop at one of the other stores. I hope they’ll still have a good deal. My laptop has still been causing me problems and I know it won’t be long before it finally dies on me.

Free Movie Screening, Closed Circuit

I won another free movie pass, this time for Eric Bana’s Closed Circuit. We went early to make sure that we’d be able to get a handicapped seat for my Dad. We had problems at the last free movie screening. I never did hear back from eOne Entertainment about that problem.

Unlike the last movie, this one was not completely full. I thought that this movie might attract a larger crowd but it did not. In any case, my Dad and I enjoyed another free movie. This movie was also better than the last few free movie screenings that I have attended, so that’s good at least.

Day Four Hundred and Fifty of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Ran to Free Yoga at Oakridge Lululemon

I got up early this morning to do my usual weekly run to the free yoga class at Lululemon at Oakridge. I wondered how I was going to run since the last time I ran I felt so slow. I left myself plenty of time to get to class just in case I wasn’t able to run very fast.

As I set off, I felt the old me running. I felt light and fast as I ran up the hill. I did feel a bit of twinge in my Achilles tendon area but not enough to worry me. I wondered why I would feel so slow and lethargic one day and then the next, feel fast and inspired?

I wondered how I would feel on the marathon day morning. Would I be in good form or would I be dragging my feet? I hate that unpredictability. That’s the problem with entering any race at my age, I never know if I will be in good health or if I will have a running injury. That’s another reason why I never wanted to pay the high prices of the race entries. I’ve heard of too many stories of people who had to cancel and couldn’t get a refund.

Chat with Fellow Job Searcher

I had a chat with my fellow job searcher after yoga class. It was nice to have met somebody I could talk with about this. I’m still not sure what her financial situation is or how long she has been looking for a job.

She revealed one of her biggest concerns. She is from Hong Kong but has very good English. She said that whenever she saw a job listing requirement that said the candidate would need excellent spoken and written English, she would wonder if she should reply.

I assured her that she should still apply. That requirement is pretty standard and I don’t think that most jobs really need a very high level of English. Most native English speakers that I know use terrible grammar and their written English is terrible.

When I worked overseas I actually worked as an editor and was somebody who did correct English usage (spoken and written). But for almost any of the jobs that I’ve had here, rarely has there been a real need to have that level of ability. I would think that here in Vancouver, her multilingual abilities would be a great advantage. In any case, I think the best thing for her is self-confidence more than anything.

Long Run Today

After the yoga class, I felt pretty good. I had told myself ahead of time that I was going to do a long run and that I would not allow myself to give any excuses. I am running out of time to do long runs before the marathon next month, so I have to do this.

Luckily, the weather was sunny but not too warm. It wasn’t too hot to the point where I’d be dehydrated quickly either. I did have my water bottle with me though and I knew that I’d be able to last until the first water fountain on my route.

I didn’t encounter any fellow runners for the first six miles or so. I usually stop at the nude beach, Wreck beach to do the stairs but by passed it this time. By the time I got to the next beach, I had seen lots of runners. There were also lots of beach volleyballers in a tournament and spectators.

By the time I got to the last beach, Jericho, I was getting tired. I stopped at the tennis club to watch some squash for a short time before finishing my run. By the time I got home, I had logged in around twenty miles for the day. I was weary but not painfully so. I felt like I had accomplished a good long run today.

New Resume Written

My friend had emailed me some information about a job she did a few months ago. She pretended to be a patient for medical professionals. They would have to figure out the correct diagnosis. My friend enjoyed it and was asked back to work it again.

I checked out the link and it said that I would need to apply with a headshot and a resume. I didn’t know if I needed to submit a regular resume or an actor’s bio. I haven’t written an actor’s resume in a long time. I don’t have a formal headshot either. I took a photo of myself with a self-timer and that’ll have to do. I can’t afford to get a formal headshot done right now.

This is just a two-day gig in October but at this point, I’ll take anything I can get. It does sound like fun, too. I have played a patient many times on different TV shows and movies, so why not again?

Day Four Hundred and Forty Nine of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Watched Squash Tournament

I got up early this morning so that I could go to Jericho Tennis Club to watch my Seattle friend play at the Sun and Surf Squash tournament. I knew that I wouldn’t have much time to stay before I’d have to leave. I managed to watch his whole match even though it was long and went to five games.

It’s been a long time since I had to quit squash due to ankle and knee injuries. I had to have surgery for both. I always intended to return but for some reason, it’s never come to pass. Squash is a more expensive sport than running (which is free) is. I no longer belong to a club so I’d have to find people to play with and pay guest fees. I can’t afford tournament entry fees right now either. This is one of those things that I have put on my to-do list once I get a full-time job and can afford things. Until then, all I can do is watch.

Helped at Friend’s Garage Sale

After I picked up my Dad, I went to my friend’s garage sale. She paid me to help her all day. I was really grateful to her for this. In the past I have helped her for free but since losing my job, she’s been quick to create ‘jobs’ for me for some money.

It turned out to be a nice day weather-wise and we got a fairly steady stream of people. I had brought a few things of mine to sell as well. I had brought mostly bigger things since those are the things that take up the most space. I have to admit that I was thrilled when I sold that first thing! I was willing to sell a fancy mirror hanging for $2 but my friend stepped in and said that it was $8, which the customer gladly paid.

I sold a handful of other things as well. It helped that I put them at dirt cheap prices. Now that I’ve been encouraged with a little success, I’m going to try to sell a few more things before I just donate them to charity. Even if I can get a little amount of money, it would be good.

I was surprised again to see how many seniors there were who were scooping up a lot of things. At every garage sale I’ve helped my friend at there have always been so many seniors who come and buy things. There are even some who spend hours looking at each and every thing. There was an older man who held on to a tea-cup and saucer for a long time while he looked. He didn’t even buy it, he got another one instead. He came back the very next day and looked for another hour. I guess he has nothing better to do.

I figured that seniors, especially older ones my Dad’s age would be avoiding opportunities to pick up things. By that time, they’ve often downsized their homes and their possessions and don’t even have the room to store any of these treasures. And yet here they are, at thrift stores and garage sales adding to their stuff.

Home Physiotherapy Exercises

My injured shoulder has been pretty good lately so I have to admit that I haven’t been doing my home physiotherapy exercises as often as I have in the past. It’s coming up to my first year’s anniversary since I had my running accident. In some ways I can’t even remember what had happened and sometimes, when I try to do something and experience pain, it all comes back to me.

I guess I have been preoccupied with my other injuries, like my Achilles tendon. Is this what being fifty-something is going to be like, having to cope with one pain or another? It’s a little frustrating to think of the future.

Day Four Hundred and Forty Eight of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Thrift Store Visit

I woke up early to go to the Salvation Army thrift store back to school sale. I had gone to one of the stores yesterday to see if there was anything worth my getting up early to be one of the first at the store opening. I saw two suits that I liked. Suits were only $2 in today’s sale. I also saw some things for my retail blog as well.

There weren’t many people at the store when we got there. The last time they had this $2 sale, there were a lot more people. I guess it’s less busy because of the summer holidays. In any case, that was good for me because the suits I had chosen yesterday were still there.

Part of me wonders why I am still even bothering to build up my work wardrobe since I’m not working. I have a closet full of work clothes and the only time I wear them is if I ‘play’ a business person in a TV show or movie. That makes me sad. I wonder if I should stop even bothering to look for work clothes, until I’ve actually found a full-time job?

Short Run

I decided to go for a short five-mile run. The weather was good for it, not too hot and not too sunny. I had hoped to do a fast run but I was feeling unusually lethargic and heavy. I couldn’t understand why I was feeling like that. I had eaten only soup and salad for lunch and yet I felt like I had eaten a banquet of greasy, heavy food.

Every time I took a step, I felt like I was wearing heavy clodhopper shoes. It was so odd. I have no idea why I was running so slowly today. Even when I was on a slight downhill stretch, when I usually feel quite fast and gazelle-like, I felt slow.

I still had some slight Achilles tendon pain when I ran today and I wondered if I was exacerbating my condition if I continued to run? I did some stretches but I’m not sure if it’s strengthening my calves enough to make a difference. I’m just hoping that I can hold off on any serious Achilles injuries until after the marathon next month.

This reminded me of my UBC volunteer coordinator’s dilemma when she was training for the Paris marathon in April. She had some pretty serious injuries going on but she and her husband had already paid for their non-refundable plane tickets! She still managed to do all of the appropriate training for injured runners, like pool running and physio therapy and somehow managed to run and complete the marathon!

Okay, my marathon is only an hour drive away and I didn’t actually pay for the entry fee, but I still feel just as obligated to finish since I don’t want to waste my friend’s entry. Sometimes when I’m running well, I entertain thoughts of finishing fast enough to qualify for the Boston marathon! But when I run like today, I fear that I will be humiliated and the last runner, with the course marshals waiting for me to finish so they can close the course. I’m sure I’ll be some where in between those two extremes.

Blood Pressure Reading

I went for a blood pressure reading later in the afternoon. I was happy to see that it was low. It’s been a several weeks now since I visited my doctor and decided to go off the high blood pressure medication she had prescribed. I’ve been monitoring my blood pressure regularly since and I have been able to maintain low readings ever since. If I ever did get high readings, I would go back on the water pills right away.

I have another appointment to follow-up in a month. At this point, it does look like I’ll have the same readings and hopefully will be able to support my argument as to why I decided to go off of the medication. This is probably the first time I deliberately did not heed my doctor’s advice and this time I don’t think I was wrong to do so.

Craigslist Ad for Friend’s Garage Sale

My friend had posted a listing for her garage sale but because there are so many listings, it got totally lost. She asked me to post one for her. This is one of the last summer weekends. That means a lot of people are getting desperate to do their final push to get rid of things before school starts.

I decided to get some things together so that I could see if I could sell some things at her sale, too. I concentrated on getting rid of bigger things. Even though I’ve known this garage sale has been coming up, I haven’t put things aside until this week. Because I live in a condo, I can’t really sell things in a garage sale or yard sale. This will be my best chance to get rid of some things.

Day Four Hundred and Forty Seven of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Short Run

Despite it being fairly hot and sunny and in the middle of the day, I decided to go for a short run. I thought that I might be hurting after yesterday’s longer run (over 14 miles) but I thought that if I did an easy pace it would be fine. Now that it is only five weeks before the marathon, I can’t goof off for no good reason, too!

I’ve been trying to do the Achilles tendon stretches that I had read about. I’ve been doing them at the curb whenever I have to stop for a light or a car. I felt a little twinge of pain when I first started out, but as I adjusted my strike, it seemed to be okay.

Oddly enough, I experienced inner thigh pain for the first time when I ran today! I’ve experienced Achilles tendon pain, shin pain and knee pain while I’ve run but never this! I think that it may have been due to the yoga class after yesterday’s longer run. The last thing I want at this stage, is for a new malady to plague me!

Computer Window Shopping

On the way home from the run, I decided to check out a couple of electronics stores, Best Buy and Future Shop to see the laptops that I’ve been researching online, in person. I had seen a laptop that I was particularly interested in Best Buy’s flyer so I decided to look at it in person.

There were a few people looking at laptops. I was lucky to find a nice informative sales person who could answer a few questions for me, too. I looked at the laptop that was in the flyer and I couldn’t get the cursor to appear! I was pretty frustrated. I found one that has a touch screen and it had everything that I wanted: low price, good memory, lots of space but, it didn’t have a DVD reader! I definitely want that so I crossed that off my list.

When I dropped into Future Shop, the sales people there were not friendly at all. They looked like they just wanted to finish their shift and get out of there. I think that those two stores are some how associated, too. I don’t think that I’d want to return there if I did find one I wanted.

I was glad that I did take the time to go window shopping today. It’s fine to see a laptop online but to actually see how the computer works in person, is valuable.  I’m running out of time, the back to school sales will be ending soon. I hope I’ll be able to find something. I’m going to try Costco one last time next week.

Free Movie Screening

I took my Dad to a free movie screening, The Grandmaster, which is a Chinese martial arts movie based on the life of Bruce Lee’s teacher. Unlike the last few movie screenings I’ve been to, this one was packed early on. I was surprised it was so popular.

My Dad has a walker so he needs to sit in the handicapped area. In this particular theater, there is only one handicap seat and beside it is an empty area, so walkers and wheelchairs can be there. He can not have his walker beside him in a regular seat so he needs to be in that area.

So there are two signs on the handicap seats. It says that they are reserved for the film reps. I was puzzled because of all the seats in the entire theater, they decided to reserve a handicap seat? That didn’t make sense.

I went out to talk with the theater manager and he dismissed my complaint. He said that I should just sit there anyway. I didn’t want to have to take off the signs of those seats myself though. I asked if I could get chairs put in that area so at least my Dad could sit in a real chair. They have them in other theaters (this is a multiplex theater) but he refused and said that they didn’t have any.

So I went to sit close to the front (that’s all that was left by that time) and my Dad had to sit by himself on his walker. I told my Dad that if nobody showed up when the movie started, I would take the signs off and take those handicap seats. Just as the theater darkened, the film rep came in and started hissing at me to leave, those were her seats. So I went back to my other seat and my Dad had to sit in his walker.

The two film reps were young and most certainly NOT handicapped. To make matters worse, one of them who was sitting beside my Dad kept her iPad on all during the movie and the light distracted him from enjoying the movie. What’s the first rule of movie going? Turn off your electronic devices!

After the movie was over, I was really mad. I went out and told the staff that I wanted to talk with the theater manager. The staff told me he would be here some time but made absolutely no move to inform him that somebody wanted to talk to him or anything. That of course, made me even more pissed off.

Finally, he showed up and I told him the story. I was really incensed by now. This manager was actually apologetic. He told me that the studio rented out the theater and they were unaware of what the film rep had done. I asked him if I could get the contact information for eOne Films and he went to get it for me. He also gave me two courtesy passes which I thought was nice.

When I got home, I tried to find contact information but all the website provided was a mailing address. Really? No phone number, no email address, just a snail mail address. That’s really useful. So I decided to put a message on facebook. I’m curious to see what they will do with my complaint. I suspect they will simply remove it.

As I get older, I am a lot more sensitive to upholding senior’s rights, especially the handicapped rights. I hate it when I see people who I know who are not handicapped, parking in those spots. I’m not going to let this go, I want an apology to my Dad from the film rep’s company, eOne Films. I go to free screenings all the time and I don’t want this to happen again.

Day Four Hundred and Forty Six of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Ran to UBC Volunteer Gig

It was a beautiful sunny morning when I ran to UBC early this morning. I could tell that the summer weather is turning since it was a little crisp. It was not as hot this early in the morning as it had been even a week ago.

I was feeling a little guilty over skipping my long run on Sunday so I wanted to try to run as long and fast as I could today. I was only running a little over five miles to UBC but I tried to pick up my pace.

I could feel a twinge to my Achilles tendon and I wondered if I should stop. I had dug up an article on how to treat this type of injury in an old issue of Runner’s World. And they recommended stopping immediately, lest there be more permanent, long recovery type of injury.

I decided to ignore that sage advice and soldier on. As I ran past the scene of my running injury, where, eleven months ago I tripped on a sidewalk crack and landed hard on my elbow, dislocating my shoulder, fracturing my arm, shoulder, rotator cuff tears and having assorted road rash all over. I’m still not fully recovered from that injury, so you’d think I’d want to err on the side of caution this time, but apparently not.

Instead, I did exercises every time there was a light where I’d have to stop. I’m not sure if that helped or not. When I got to UBC, the marathon runners there advised me to do pool running, so I’m going to look into that. She said that as an alumni, I could even get a really good discount, too.

Discussed Voice Over Demo

I was assigned to read more of the Canadian Criminal Code today. This is the first time that I am in the recording booth since taking my commercial voice over workshop last week. I was more aware of how my voice actually sounded like, when I did playbacks.

I was chatting with my friend and asked him if he could help me with my demo. He said that he’d be delighted to help me. I knew that he was familiar with that type of work. I had also forgotten, he had worked in radio for years, so he was really, really familiar with what I needed. I was so relieved to hear that. I can’t afford the $300 it would cost if I had to do it with a studio like the one our class had used. I feel really optimistic about this now!

Ran to Free Downtown Nooner Yoga Class

I had already run over five miles this morning to UBC. I gave myself less than 90 minutes to run from UBC to downtown, nine miles. That in itself is not that big of a deal, but I had already run earlier today. Despite the sun and heat, I managed to do it. I didn’t have much pain either. My total mileage today was over 14 miles.

I missed last week’s yoga class but I did make this one. There is only one more class after today’s class, so I really don’t want to miss them. It was another sunny and hot day with clear blue skies. I loved the view of the mountains and the water.

I thought I’d be late for this class, but I made it. I was pretty tired but I was determined to do the class. Because I was so tired, I know that I didn’t do as well as I should or could have. This class had quite a few really good yogis who could do the more advanced poses, too!

There was an outdoor patio of a restaurant that was adjacent to the class area for the first time. I wondered why they hadn’t been set up when the yoga classes started in July? Anyway, it was quite noisy and distracting hearing these diners and I’m sure that some of them might have thought the same thing with us and our class!

Sunrise Market Visit

After class, I walked over to the Sunrise market to get fruit and vegetables. I’m getting a lot more than usual while my Dad is visiting. I had so many heavy bags, I had to take a bus home. If I weren’t so tired I would have run or at least walked home with them in a backpack. Once I got home, I was really tired. But I feel as if I had a really full day, too.