Blame Canada

Well, I say 'at last' in the sense that it usually comes earlier, not in the sense that I've been praying for it to come. But, anyway, here it is - the first snowfall of the year, scraping ice off my windshield (that's 'windscreen' to you English folks), and, eventually, shovelling the driveway.

Remember how I said that seasons change with astonishing speed in this country? There are 20 bags of leaves waiting for collection outside our house. I picked them up on Tuesday, when it was fall. Now they're covered in 2 inches of snow.

So it's completely freezing outside - and what better time to close an emergency shelter? That's right, from December 5th people aren't going to be able to sleep at our shelter any more, because of lack of funding. Good old Canadian government. Overnight accommodation is only one service the shelter offers, so I still have a job (so don't worry about me) but lots of people called the place home and now they have to go somewhere else. These other places (Salvation Army and others) also have older homeless people staying, who tend to be a very bad influence on the young people (teaching them how to panhandle and score cheap crack, I suppose).

So that's not good - although at least it'll make people look harder for permanent accommodation. It's out there, but it's also very hard for people from unstable backgrounds to hold down.

Anyway, talking of the Salvation Army (spot the tenuous link!), Guys and Dolls is going very well. We did a run last weekend, and there's two more weekends to go. As soon as I get photos of me in my uniform, I'll stick them here for all to see : ) And even though it seems to be taking over my life at the moment, I'm already looking at the next show. There's auditions in January for...wait for it...My Fair Lady!! Considering I'm probably the only person for miles around who can do posh and Cockney with any level of conviction, I'm definitely in with a chance. Now if only I can train my voice to hit a top A...

The only other thing to mention is my ongoing battle with newspaper editors. What is the point of being freelance and pitching stories if no-one ever responds to your ideas?? It just drains your motivation and self-respect after a while. Joe constantly tells me I have to sell myself, but my question is - what good is selling yourself when no-one will buy?