Going Solo

As many of the people in my life know, I am now officially moved into my new apartment. I have been asked many times how I am liking living alone and so far I've only had positive things to say. I love knowing that when I get home everything will still be in its place and there will be the same number of dishes in the sink (zero generally and that's how I like it).

Recently my grandfather told me about a fascinating discussion he heard on the radio about the growing number of individuals in Canada and the United States who are choosing to live alone. The discussion centred around the book Going Solo, a non-fiction novel from Penguin Press. The novel explores the rise of solo living and the impact it has on our culture, business and politics. While it is conventionally assumed that living alone leads to loneliness, author and sociologist Eric Klinenberg, found that people who live alone are usually more engaged in social and civic life. Klinenberg even found that those living alone were mentally healthier than unmarried people who live with others.

With all of this in mind, I anticipate great things for the future. I am just beginning to discover Toronto and am already enjoying the diverse cuisine options, weekly design related events, and the joys of new neighborhoods with so much to offer. One last thing I've discovered is the library down the street, if I'm lucky I'll be reading Going Solo in no time.

Sappi - The Standard 5

Last Thursday around lunch time I realized that the Sappi event I wanted to go to was in fact that day, not the next week as I had anticipated. I made the decision to go anyway and was very happy that I did.

I arrived at the event and was greeted at reception with a name tag and coat check. I was hesitant to put on the name tag but it seemed that everyone was wearing theirs and for once wearing one would be the cool thing to do. I dropped off my coat, then got in line for what I assumed was the printing guide they promised in the invite. I waited alone in line for a couple of minutes then was asked what I was waiting for, after assuring my new friend it was the books we patiently waited together.

The timing must have been perfect, Dana, the women I met in line was at the event alone as well and played perfectly into my wallflower tendencies. At 7:00 we were ushered into a theatre for the unveiling of the new Standard - Volume 5, a book on special printing effects. Sappi's Daniel Dejan presented the book, and I was sold. His quick but enthusiastic explanations of the printing techniques kept you excited for the next page, and built up to the moment when everyone received their own copies.

Overall I had a great time at the event. It was well put together, included a nice time for mingling as well as the presentation and sent me home with dreams of grand budgets and exciting printing techniques. I had received a similar item from another paper company before but Sappi's version is far superior. The only thing I need now is their previous four books, and those are in the mail. Thanks or a great networking even Sappi!

Portfolio Season

I went out for a fantastic brunch with a friend today and we got to talking about pretty well everything. One thing that came up was my online presence. I briefly mentioned this blog and then guiltily brought up my personal website. While I love the design of my site, when I created it my web knowledge was lacking and the functionality of the site definitely suffered. I also realized that I haven't updated my site with new content for an entire year, it's hard to believe that at the end of April it will be a year since graduation, but it's true!

I always have a couple personal projects on the go, but I think I will prioritize updating my website now that I am done my web course and have a much better understanding of web design. I appreciate my teachers giving me the knowledge to create a website, but I am excited to update it with proper functionality (my entire website is made of images, shhh don't tell). I'm also excited to show off the work I did as an intern at St. Joseph Media and the work I've been doing most recently at my current position as production assistant/designer at Novalis/Bayard Canada.

My goal is to fix my site and have new content up in one month, so check back soon!

Going Home

I moved to Toronto eight months ago and I'll be moving again in less than a month. I was walking around my current neighbourhood on the weekend and realized that I am already incredibly comfortable. Since moving away for school I've grown in a lot of ways, one of the most significant being my increasing independence. I love that I am able to call somewhere so different my home, and that I'm able to visit my friends in all of their new hometowns. While it is less convenient to have to take trains and buses to visit my friends, it's fun being shown around. Each of my friends have favourite spots in their respective towns and I'm excited to be able to show off the same kind of knowledge in Toronto.

I may only know a small area of Toronto, but there is plenty of time to explore all of the diverse neighbourhoods.

A Few New Blogs

I used to be much more active on blogs, but since finishing school my focus has changed slightly (all that real world stuff is getting in the way). Regardless I have picked up a few new blogs that are worthy of a look.

The Yard

A lovely blog offering a ton of great vintage, outdoor and animal photos.

Art of the Menu

A neat blog that critiques menus rather than food.

Six Word Story Every Day

A creative blog that displays the result of Ernest Hemingway's challenge to write a story in six words. The creators took it one step further and created one each day for a year.

More About the Web

It's week six of my eight week web course and I have learned a ton. I can now create a website from scratch (it ain't pretty, but still), and post it to our test server. Our first day started off differently than I expected, but the professor has impressed me time and again with his wealth of knowledge and patience for newbie coders.

After each class we are assigned homework. It feels like I spend one hour making the site and then two finding the little error I made that is messing everything up. My professor is gracious enough to make us feel like idiots by troubleshooting our remaining issues in minutes when we arrive the following class, which I love to hate. I think the thing I find most frustrating about learning something new is that I can't be immediately good at it. I am just starting to understand the basics of web design, but at the same time I am designing projects at work that I want it to look professional which seems to be beyond my current capabilities. So far I have been able to get my projects to look how I want, but I'm looking forward to the day when I don't have to pester people to help me and when I can accomplish more sophisticated things within the designs.

I have mentioned to a couple people that I'm not really loving web design compared to graphic design, but I have realized that when I finish a project it feels great. Having to struggle through the project makes me appreciate the end product more and makes me want to show it off to everyone. Overall I plan to stick to print design, but having web as part of my job has made me work harder, learn more and has given me a great sense of accomplishment.

Time to Move

I've been looking for a new apartment ever since my landlord told me he was planning to renovate and needed me to move out. I was hoping a real estate agent would be able to do the work for me, but looks like my budget doesn't quite cut it. I've realized that it is incredibly time consuming to look for new apartments, even with other people helping me look. My biggest hurdle is figuring out what area of town I would want to live in (that I could actually afford). So far I am liking Spadina Road (north of Spadina Ave) and anywhere in Cabbagetown.

I am finding it frustrating looking for a new place (especially since my current place is amazing), it sucks when you take the time to go view an apartment and someone beats you to it. Regardless, I am excited that I will eventually have my own space, and even more excited to decorate and finally be reunited with all of my things (a 6.5 by 7.5 foot room ain't a lot of space).