On November 2010 near the end of my contract at NetSecure Technologies, I asked for and received the ok to relocate and continue working from Toronto (and obviously, a renewal. Otherwise this blog post would be short and 2 months overdue). What was supposed to be a yearly adventure was extended a bit as they didn’t want me to leave immediately. I am obligated to stay in Regina until April 1st, but will likely stay for a few days/weeks after (depending on a number of other factors).

I have mixed feeling about this. While I do enjoy the city and would love another year to explore some more, I have had some difficulty adjusting to the different expectations of small(er) town life. I cannot see myself growing and enjoying some of things I did back in the big city, and I cannot make the same close friends that I did back in Toronto. But I think I have adjusted better in these last few months than I did all year.

That said, I will miss the good quality of life I have in the QC. Here, with my present salary I can enjoy the privilege of a car and owning my own one bedroom. Maybe after another year or two to finally buying my own place or a condo.

In Toronto, I’ll probably have to give up the car or share a apartment, or both if I want to live somewhere downtown.

It’s a fairly difficult decision for me to make. But I know that this decision will put me in the right direction in life. Even if going back to Toronto doesn’t work out, this experience leaves me hopeful that I can just pack my bags and find somewhere new to call home.

I have two wishes for Santa Claus this year: stable software and freshly baked bread.

My first wish won’t be granted. So he is obligated to fulfill the second one for sure. And the second wish is becoming a non-trivial task.

Sasketchewan, where I currently live now, lies in what is considered Canada’s breakbasket. We learned about it in school. They apparently grow a lot of wheat here. Wheat, as you may or may not know, is one of the critical ingredients in most breads.

So why is it that I can’t find a goddamn bakery that makes fresh goddamn bread in the middle of this goddamn breadfactory?

I went to four “bakeries”. Two didn’t sell bread at all, just pastries. One only sold a variety of toast. And the last one, which was only a 10 minute bus ride from my house, and recommended to me by a co-worker, closes at fucking 5pm (isn’t that when most people finish work and fresh bread is something on their mind?)

What the fuck.

When having a discussion with my co-workers about this, here is how they manage to get bread:

1. Get a breadmaker and have your girlfriend make it for you
2. Get your girlfriend, which works in a bakery, to get it for you when she leaves work

Either solution requires a girlfriend. Fuck this shit.

Yesterday, I accepted an offer to work at NetSecure Technologies which is a company based in Regina doing Firefox extension and C# work (mainly the former. I never worked with the latter, and they are aware of that). This also means I have to relocate to a city who I know nothing about. In fact, I will likely be a typical snobby Torontoian for the year contract that it is for.

Unfortunately I will be leaving my current employer PPX. Good people. But I am excited about my new job responsibilities, and think it will be a better fit for me.