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The Ramada Inn, downtown Calgary
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Calgary
- Hits: 890
The lobby, the elevator, the hotel is largely vacant. Not surprising, considering what a shitshow the Alberta government has been. The halls, the rooms, they're old-school, vintage 70's, you can see through the cheap renovations and slapdash wallpaper, it's long past it's glory, there are better hotels for the money, for sure.
The TV - Its a treat when I'm in a hotel - well - there's nothing on. I mean nothing. You can watch "Big Bang Theory" or "Antiques Roadshow" or "Sleepless in Seattle" for free, but everything else - movies, family movies, adult movies, even music ($9.95 for a full 24 hours of your choice of elevator music - Jass, Classical, Pop, Kids), requires payment.
This offends me, the hotel room - not cheap, and then to attempt to monetize every little thing you should do while you're in it is a little over the top.
The Ramada Inn, downtown Calgary, 0 Stars.
Homeless in a Pandemic...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Blog
- Hits: 506
This, by the way, is not something I'd recommend. And I have wheels.
First, all the live-long day you're trying to get in out of the cold, find someplace warm, charge your phone, computer, what have you. You're paying rent at the cafe's and grateful that the lockdowns haven't gone any further. The shower options - at the rec center - are unavailable, so the whole "get a good-life membership" to clean up is off the table. And the washrooms in the mall - well, there's always a line, and you don't dare take the time to shave or clean up.
Rent, paid instead of to a landlord, is payed in gas, restaurants, cafe's, cigarettes and Vodka because the sun goes down early, and who can sleep from 4:00 PM until 7:00 AM the next day? Vodka, it helps. And this rent, it's winds up costing more than rent paid to landlords - substantially, even out here, and as your finances erode your chances of finding a place or work diminish. It becomes a spiral.
Homelessness was never a great option, but this Pandemic, it's made it impossible.
My own job hunt, meanwhile
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Blog
- Hits: 449
Meanwhile, having found a place to live I'm off to the next step. Find work.
It takes roughly 20 minutes to canvas all the potential restaurants in town. It's not a big town. And - State of the Nation, the Pandemic, the World, none of them are hiring. Most are just trying not to lay off staff. But they'll keep my info on file.
This 2 weeks before Christmas, the busiest time of the year.
One of them has a curious question: "You have a place to live?"
Fortunately I do, and I imagine the question is prompted by the vast number of people that think they can get a job first, then find a place to live later, like it's done anywhere else in the world, only - like most things - it's just not that straightforward out here.
This is it, I expected no less - really - and while CERB will have me covered for a bit - in theory until next spring when the restaurant reopens - I better start searching around in different industries. Restaurants are going to be done for a while, and I need work - if not for the money then for the social interaction; the idyll of writing all winter loses it's luster without interaction with others, the impetus to have something to write about.
So on to the next steps of finding a couple of Volunteer positions and maybe work in another field. Or maybe just stop procrastinating and finish off a few other lucrative projects that seem to have fallen by the wayside.
The daughter
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
- Hits: 537
, taking advantage of the remote learning opportunities afforded by her university, moved to Vancouver in the summer, since when she's tried to find some jobs.
And, one particularly ill-starred weekend a few weeks ago she reported that she had not 1 - but 3 jobs lined up.
The first - hostessing at a fine Italian restaurant. Which didn't work out because she described the manager as an ass-hole. Been there, done that, way too often.
So on to the next job - working in a warehouse. I warn her about this - mind-numbing work. But she does the orientation, then, on her first day she discovers just how mind-numbing it is. This, compounded with her supervisor telling her that as she's the only woman working there she can expect to be sexually assaulted, and that these are the people she should contact when it happens. Not "if" - but "When...".
Still one last job to try - a door-to-door soliciting position, commission, fundraising for various charities. And this is the interesting one, she likes it, not because of the job itself - she's well aware it's a scam, but because of the high-pressure sales tactics, and the obvious differences between those who are good at it and those who aren't.
This is the state of the economy...
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