Day 1 ... or is it Day 0?

Hello friends,

Well, it's 5.30am now and I'm wide awake! I thought I'd be able to sleep in on my FIRST day as an unemployed person (!) but no such luck. I woke up to the chirping birds outside my window and the morning sun pushing it's way past my blinds.

What has been very difficult over the last few weeks is saying goodbye (or rather, "see you later") to my dear friends in TO. As I have said, I plan to return home at least a few times a year, and with email and cheap long distance, you won't be getting rid of me that easily!

Now that I'm up, I might as well make myself useful - so I've set up this blog to help us keep connected. In typical Wayne Norman fashion, this will be our 'virtual' fire-side chat! I'll try not to bore you ....JkL

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Let me start with the end - that is, my last day at work. Yesterday began at 4am. Another early morning. I woke up with a million things to do running through my head and a jumble of emotions fighting for attention. Despite the VERY early wake up, I still managed to be late leaving the house for work! The day was a chance to clear up a few files, and to get around the floor to have a quick chat and to say goodbye to everyone. My friends ME and RG took me out to lunch at my new favorite Thai place - Ivory Thailand on Church. I had been there three times in the last 2 weeks and had no problems going back again. By the time I finished making my rounds in the afternoon, it was 5pm and I still had alot of stuff to clear off my computer and my desk. It wasn't until 7.30pm that I officially finished up my last day at SB, and thus, ending 10 years in my little corner of the world.

After work, my roommate JS, and friends JR, JC and JK took me out for pints and good eats at the Rhino Restaurant (Queen West, Near Dufferin). It was great to be back in that part of town as I had frequented the area, and the Rhino, when my martial arts class was located down there.
I arrived early and enjoyed a refreshing pint, a burger and a quiet corner while I started making my list of things to do before I left. I was quite pleased with myself that the list wasn't as long as I thought it would be. A sure sign that I've forgotten alot of stuff ...

It wasn't long before the gang arrived and after some quick pleasantries, the parade of questions soon started. I hadn't seen JC and JK for quite some time, so they had a million questions about leaving my job and the move to London. I evaded them as long as I could by stuffing my face with the burger, but they were patient and just waited me out. I eventually finished my burger and couldn't put them off any longer ... in all seriousness, it was great catching up - hearing about JS's ATV (mis)adventures, JR's valiant attempt to rescue some stray cats, JC's home reno stories, and JK's stories of fixing JC's home reno attempts ...

After the witty banter, I was back home at the Manor by 11pm and in bed 30 minutes later ...