Part Five of Into The Looking Glass… (Click here for Part One), which is a look back at where I’ve come from as both a person and a writer. I’ve been through many trials in my days, however I will leave full disclosure for perhaps a professional autobiography if I manage to make it as a writer and worm my way into media somehow. For now, enjoy my path, picking up as I make the move across Canada from Nova Scotia to Alberta.

After we decided to move to Alberta, I found myself going up a month ahead of time to get things prepared for when my girlfriend got there. As I made the move to a place I had never been before, I met up with my best friend and it was like no time had passed. We got along perfectly right off the bat and I began venturing out into the city looking for jobs and just scouting the territory. Edmonton is a huge city and I managed to get lost downtown fairly quickly. However as the month went on I felt extremely energetic and cheerful. I had never felt so alive! Perhaps it was because I had moved to a new city, perhaps it was because I was reunited with my best friend. I brushed it all off and continued about my business.

I then decided to catch a bus and head to the self proclaimed “Greatest Indoor Show On Earth”. As I arrived at the West Edmonton Mall, I found myself in awe of it’s sheer size. As I headed off the bus I simply followed the crowd into the closest entryway. I was immediately shocked as I saw what seemed to be a llama just standing all on its own in the middle of this huge mall. As I got closer, I did see a short person holding onto it’s collar but it still unnerved me. Why was a llama here? As I marched around the mall, I found out why. It had a petting zoo, and that wasn’t even the best attraction. The mall had a plethora of sights and even an indoor amusement park! I had to work in here, and I applied at HMV.

Now when I first applied, the guy hiring me took a look at my resume and asked me if I wanted to do the interview now. I needed a job so I agreed, and shortly thereafter had a shift scheduled for the next week. Edmonton was definitely looking up. I wouldn’t be doing anything too special, just working in the receiving area. I thanked him for the opportunity and continued on my way around the mall where I met two mall staff walking a penguin, the llama again and hung out around the wave pool and the skating rink for a bit. I didn’t even mention the pirate ship, but who needs to, right?

As I started at HMV I found myself complaining a lot, I was just getting to know these people and they were taking notice of how unhappy I must have been back in Nova Scotia. It wasn’t until my girlfriend arrived in Edmonton that I began to believe them. Even my best friend said he watched my batteries drain after she arrived. I stuck up for my relationship and continued on in complete denial of what was all too true. I was depressed when I was home, however when I was at work I was pretty much whistling while I worked. HMV liked the work I was doing and I was offered a promotion shortly into my career there. I was taken aback, but after my previous experience in management with EB Games, I was very cautious. Not every company will treat their managers well.

As the days wore on, so did my patience and eventually the household I was living in had to move. We almost lost someone during the winter as we found the house had no heating in the basement, so that meant we had to leave before we signed another lease. We up and moved the ship that was our little group to another part of the city. During this time I took on a supervisory role at HMV and I was really enjoying it. The people I worked with were great fun, and I loved the challenges the job presented me. As I flourished at work, I would do anything not to go home. I worked extra hours, hung around the mall and generally just seemed to be avoiding my girlfriend. My best friend told me that it was over between my girlfriend and I, but I still wanted to try and work things out.

Suddenly Christmases passed and it was over a year later. I found myself looking around and hanging out with anyone who wasn’t my girlfriend. Eventually, I had to give in. I had been sleeping on the couch as her and I couldn’t talk about our day because it was becoming a heated argument. After much discussion, I decided I had tried hard enough and it seemed she wouldn’t try more. It was always “this time I will” and I couldn’t hear it any more. I decided we should end it, and try and be friends. Being friends with your ex is near impossible, so don’t bother. I helped her find a place, helped her move out, helped her buy two kittens and drove her to get them checked up at the vets. But eventually, I began to feel that she was still using me and decided to sever all ties. It’s hard when a person has been in your life for several years, you still care about them, but the feeling has completely changed.

Lucky for me, my friends were right by my side and even though I had asked for it, it was still very hard. HMV however had a new plan for me. Within a very short time frame after that I had a whole other world of concerns to deal with as I transferred to another store where I was to be the Manager. I loved the store, the dynamic, the staff and the fact that it was mine! It felt good to be in control again and I did very well as a store manager. Also, thanks to HMV I met my current lady friend, and many great friends I still keep in touch with to this day.

I’ll leave you with that for now, and soon you’ll find out where I am now and why I’m there! I’m also going to talk about the dramatic change in cultures and things I’ve found crazy or odd coming from another country! Thanks for reading and if you have any comments feel free to email me or leave them below!

Part Four of Into The Looking Glass… (Click here for Part One), which is a look back at where I’ve come from as both a person and a writer. I’ve been through many trials in my days, however I will leave full disclosure for perhaps a professional autobiography if I manage to make it as a writer and worm my way into media somehow. For now, enjoy my path, picking up where I left off amid the turmoil of working two jobs and attending university as well as throwing a lady into the mix.

If you’d allow, I’ll back track a little bit. As I graduated high school I was still working at the theatre and a friend of mine was setting up a huge movie night with a bunch of our co-workers. I had been actively chasing after this one young lady, who did enjoy my company and the fact I always paid for snacks. But as I began to realize things weren’t going to actually turn into a relationship, I got frustrated and just abandoned that ship before it began to sink. My lovely friend swung by and saw me all dishevelled and I told him what had happened. He looked around and guaranteed me he’d find me a date for the movie. Impressive, I thought to myself, I can’t even get myself a date but he’s confident he can find me one. I believe he may have had some insider information, because that night I had a date.

Now we can zip back to where I left off last time during university and working two jobs. It was a struggle juggling all of that and a relationship but somehow we managed to make things work. Well, by work I mean we just managed. Not everything went smoothly as both of us were working hard to achieve something. I was dead set on being the first in my immediate family to graduate university. She was heading into working with special needs children. But as my girlfriend got more stressed, she starting getting sick. Eventually she caved and told me she had an auto immune disorder and it flared up once in awhile. After seeing many trends of her getting stressed and then sick, I had to break my own routine and tell her what I was observing. She knew it was happening but she couldn’t stop it, so I had to step in. Many a night did I clean the house, make supper and put her to bed against her will before she got sick. Eventually she hadn’t been sick in a very long time which was a win for the both of us.

However working with special needs kids can be both rewarding and exhaustingly stressful. I watched her mother do it day in and day out and with her illness, she would spend a month working and then a month not. As we discussed her future, mine came up as well. At this point I was beginning to get sick as well, mostly from pushing myself to do school and work until I could literally do neither. She suggested I take some time off and I suggested she change career paths. So we both took some time to relax and think about where we were both headed. I decided that one more day in front of a computer screen alone in a cubicle would break me as a person and decided to take a more creative route despite enjoying the problem solving of programming. My girlfriend on the other hand began short courses in art and design, and found she was really finding a passion for interior design. As I saw her designs unfold, I pushed for her to pursue it professionally as she had a knack for it and she was a people person.

That fall I switched from Computer Science at a reputable university, to 3D animation through distance education. I loved the program and I loved creating things from scratch, and turning simple objects like cylinders into sports cars or even people! Sadly for me, as the program neared a close the recession began in Canada so getting a job with my portfolio was near impossible. Especially after I saw some people from Pixar had moved back to Nova Scotia and had been hired over me. I understood, he made a little animation of Nemo which blew me away. All I had was a funky animation mimicking a rube goldberg machine (No idea what it is? Click Here) of what happens when you turned on a Nintendo Entertainment System (Watch the video here!). So sadly I focused on my career in retail. Lucky for me an Assistant Manager position opened up at the EB Games I was working at so I cut the theatre and got the job there.

My EB Games years would prove incredible. My passion and knowledge for the product made me a shoe-in for the sales position and my attention to detail and hard working nature made me fantastic for management. As the two sides blended into one, I eventually claimed ownership over that store. I grew the business from less than half a million dollars the year before I took over to over a million and beyond before I left. I turned a small store that was only considered an overflow store into a competitor in the neighbourhood. I had a charming staff and I picked a bunch of gamers and taught them business and professionalism. Through this my store was the most knowledgeable and arguably the smoothest running with little to no turnover of staff. The clientèle I gained were some of my favourite customers, some would come work for me, and others would remain as friends even to this very day. But as all good things must come to an end, my girlfriend found a school for interior design out near my best friend and we began planning the move.

As we moved across the country, I got excited to see my best friend again and for a fresh start. I wouldn’t be staying with EB Games, however a new chapter was about to begin. Sadly what I couldn’t see was another chapter closing right before my eyes. But I’ll save that for my next entry. For now, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy both the video and the post today! Remember comments below or email me!

Before I get too into today’s piece I would love for someone or anyone to read My Father’s Scrapbooks and let me know what they think via email or comments below! Now for today’s article, Part Three of Into The Looking Glass… (Click here for Part One), which is a look back at where I’ve come from as both a person and a writer. I’ve been through many trials in my day, however I will leave full disclosure for perhaps a professional autobiography if I manage to make it as a writer and worm my way into media somehow. For now, enjoy my path, picking up where I left off after Junior High.

As Junior High came to a close I found myself among a very tightly knit group of friends. We all got along and there was next to no conflict. I helped one of them bury a goldfish, helped another weed his mom’s garden and had my best friend wake up to me eating breakfast at his computer because I rushed to school way too early. Sometimes a six looks like an eight, especially when you’re extremely tired. But as times went on one friend moved away and we all began thinking about high school. What classes would we take, what would we end up in together, etc…  We eventually coordinated and kept on with french immersion. It kept the majority of the morons in our school away from our classes and allowed us to learn unhindered.

However grade ten was relatively easy, I found myself struggling with math. Suddenly it was a challenge? I thought back to all my learning from elementary school and realized, I coasted through until grade nine, grade ten was new. Math beat me down and despite my passion for it I barely made a mark of seventy percent. As I looked ahead to grade eleven I realized french immersion was no longer an option. It had none of the classes I was interested in taking so I decided that despite coming this far I would drop it. I didn’t want to ruin my chances for university just because I needed to take Astronomie. I also decided since I wouldn’t be taking classes in french, I could focus on my math and asked to enter the Advanced Math classes. My teacher from grade ten fought valiantly to get me banned from the class, but the teacher for my next class let me in. She warned me though, if I wasn’t trying my best she would not allow me into the next class. That seemed rather fair.

The year went on and my friends began getting jobs. I searched and applied everywhere but to no avail… eventually taking up a job as the Easter Bunny. Free chocolate and ten dollars an hour for a sixteen year old was the greatest job ever. Sadly, it was only for a few days. As that job ended I got a call back from Burger King and took the job for a lack of options. Lucky for me, my trainer was the High School President for the graduating year. Him being an awesome guy, he taught me quickly and we had some hilarious times. No one else really took a shine to me but he really made it bearable. As summer came, he informed me that he would be heading off to volunteer at a youth camp for the summer, but he’d be back. Needless to say, I didn’t last the summer as I found the rest of that group hated me because he liked me immediately. Jealousy in the workplace was extremely annoying, and eventually they forced me out.

Finally my best friend had managed to secure himself a promotion at the theatre he was working at and asked me to come work with him. Of course free movies and working with my best friend sounded awesome, so I applied and got the job easily. On my name tag, they wrote my name as TIM E but the space was almost non existent. Logically, the first customer I had on my first shift had to ask: “Is your name Time?” I didn’t want the lady to feel embarrassed for asking the question, so I rolled with it. I told her my parents had their hippy phase a bit late, and had named me Time. Of course my trainer was already in the back room spreading laughter about that whole situation and the nickname stuck. Even the owner of the theatre only knew me as Time, so when I was eventually promoted to Supervisor he received a new name tag for me to which he asked, “Who’s Tim Edwards?” Before I got promoted however, I was working quite a lot and I had worked really late one night and got to work for about six in the morning the next day. I got to work, groggily made my way upstairs to the change rooms and got changed. I felt really cold, but who doesn’t when they wake up in the morning. As I made my way downstairs into the lobby I made eye contact with the supervisor and cash office manager across the lobby. As we met eyes, I watched as both of them burst into a ridiculous fit of laughter. I stopped a moment and looked down. Sure enough, I was pants-less, however my socks were hiked up to my knees and I still managed to put my belt on and tuck my shirt into it. My Darth Vader boxers made quite the impression, I simply looked back up at the two laughing hysterically and nodded as I turned to go and retrieve my pants. That might be a sign you work too much.

The theatre years would prove some of the most hilarious times of my many jobs as I shared many moments in a team atmosphere. From Coke Bag-In-Box Boxing to getting stuck up to the waist in popcorn, laughs were easily daily and the job was super easy. As I graduated high school I made the tough choice not to follow my best friend to University in Alberta. Instead, I chose to stay back in Nova Scotia and take advantage of my Dad’s half off at Dalhousie University because he worked there.

Even still, half off for university was still expensive as I didn’t really plan for university. I had a pay-as-I-go method that would cause me to apply at EB Games and hope for the best. I managed to graduate high school with not as good a mark as I had hoped, (Switching from french science to english science was not easy in the slightest) however that mark was the one that kept me from making honours. Despite that I got into Dalhousie and applied for student loans. I was shocked to learn that I was ineligible for government loans. After they denied me, I looked to my bank for anything and they granted me a line of credit. To anyone reading this, just don’t. I worked two jobs and tried to start university.

As a young guy I really came into who I wanted to be in high school. I learned where I needed to go and stopped worrying about getting a girlfriend. I figured it would just happen when it happened. So I managed to get a keyholder position at EB Games, held down my Supervisor position at the Theatre and started school. It was going to be hard, but I was determined to be the first in my immediate family who would graduate from university. However… fate as it seems had other plans for me. But I’ll get to that in Part Four. For now, thanks for reading!

Hello again everyone, thank you for swinging by my blog. Last night I celebrated a moment of personal victory as my blog passed two hundred views. Thanks to everyone who has supported me thus far, I really appreciate it. It definitely motivates a person to keep going knowing that someone out there may actually be reading!

Today’s article is Part Two of Into The Looking Glass… (Click here for Part One), which is a look back at where I’ve come from as both a person and a writer. I’ve been through many trials in my day, however I will leave full disclosure for perhaps a professional autobiography if I manage to make it as a writer and worm my way into media somehow. For now, enjoy my path, picking up where I left off after elementary school.

So at the end of grade six, I had managed to get myself into quite a lot of trouble and made more enemies than friends. Even my parents wanted to trust me, but I had broken that trust. Luckily for me, my french teacher commended me on my passion for learning and excelling in her class. She asked me if I would join french immersion. She explained to me that I was fit for the task and being bilingual would get me jobs easier than someone who wasn’t. I saw it as an opportunity to get away from the majority of my old friends, and I would continue on with the few good friends I did have. I remember asking my mother if I could go into french immersion, she was shocked, but said it wasn’t up to her it was up to me. I said I wanted to, I just needed her signature. The next day I handed in my note and anxiously awaited Junior High.

However, before the end of that year one of the relatives I was closest to passed away. My grandfather on my mother’s side, sadly passing away on Christmas Day. It was a tragic moment for me, as I told him lots of stories and problems I had at school that I hadn’t spoken to my parents about. I knew things were changing that year, but I hadn’t anticipated losing my support. As we stood there, I could barely understand what was going on, but my young sister was crying because everyone else was. It wasn’t the best of my many Christmases, but it is by far the most memorable. The year got much longer as I found myself with fewer people to talk to about my problems. Everyone says you can talk to them, but you know how much of it is already a burden on you. You almost feel compelled to keep it in so as not to bother anyone else. However Junior high would be a fresh start, it would be better. I just knew it.

So as junior high began I had cut myself off from my friends who didn’t go into french immersion, not on purpose, but there were many new faces among the crowd. As we all began new cliques and I was seated at a table completely separate from my friends from elementary, I was forced into making new ones. Lucky for me, I can get along with just about anyone. As I met a guy who would easily become my best friend and two of his friends, our friends all managed to get along and soon the group had formed and solidified. These would be the friends I would carry straight up through and into high school. Definitely the best group of friends I had ever had, especially up to this point. One of the problems I was having though was I had no real values, no idea how to be a good friend and I was still being bullied around school. The bullying didn’t bother me, but it did toughen me up. Eventually, it grew from two on one bullying to more and eventually it would take four guys to successfully bully me around. I always thought to myself, these guys are so lame, and I pitied the fact that they felt they needed to do that. Whatever made them feel better about themselves, I guess they needed it more than me.

As junior high continued I loved french immersion, and decided I would continue it into high school as well. Despite being bullied, I had some incredible times and made some of the best friends I may ever have. I mean, those people you meet throughout life you may have a lasting affect on forever. A girl I liked, ended up dating one of my friends instead and through the connections she made there, is with another of my friends. Who would he be with now if I had never met her? Who knows? But at the end of the day things worked out. No matter what though, I learned how to be a friend, and forged my own values and personality from those around me. Every one of those people made an impression on me that makes me thankful I ever met them, even if we didn’t always get along.

That’s it for today’s entry, tomorrow will be Episode Two of Unbiased Law and this article will continue on every second day. Please feel free to leave your comments below or email me from the top right! Thanks for reading!