Tomorrow's the big day, ie. the day the House begins its next Parliament session. They'll be choosing a Speaker to kick things off, and from the murmurs I hear its going to come to ballots. I was reading an old Hansard from the 37th Parliament, comparing it with the last, and it just went to show that the process can either take an hour or several.

I'm not feeling nervous about it. By this point I think that most of my questions are going to be answered in the process. They'll be keeping an eye on me at first. Murray said he'd look into getting me some extra hours in January to practice, and I want to take full advantage.

A few of us went to the diner last night and hung out. It was a good weekend for seeing people; I'd like to get into the habit of seeing them every weekend, just to hang out over a pint or milkshake. Tonight Andrea and I are going to catch a showing of Jules et Jim at the Bytowne.

Someone upstairs is singing Happy Birthday.

I may need to revert to the two-alarm system of getting out of bed in the morning. My body isn't used to 9 AM.

I put my first payment down on my student loan - that is, the first payment I've ever made on purpose, without the NSLSC taking it out of my account. At the monthly payment rate I'm set at (almost $400 a month) my loan will be paid off in just over nine years. I can make payments whenever I want, of course.

Original Repayment Amount: $32,449.36
Amount Owing at the NSLSC: $32,133.84

Only nine years to go. I'll make it a thing to do before I'm 40.

It strikes me that most of the things I've always wanted/planned to do were things that I saw myself doing in my twenties. When I was a teenager, I always had an idea of what my twenties would be like. But I have no idea what life will be like in my thirties. No clue. It's grand.

The man I'm "replacing," Murray, is retiring in January and he's been showing me the ropes, letting me know how things work in the Chamber and how parliament business proceeds. A really nice guy. We sat down and watched a debate tape and he walked me through the published transcription step by step. Occasionally he'd clear his throat and explain that he wasn't used to talking so much.

At the top of the morning I sat down with a guy named Michel in the Verifications Centre, a guy who's also retiring, and he told me about some of the things he's had to verifying, including the spelling of "Jiminy Crickett." He actually PHONED DISNEY and asked them how to spell it, and now it's in the House of Commons verifications database.

The Chamber gets crazy. Politicians hoot and holler at each other like they're kids in a sandbox fighting over plastic shovels and toy cars, cracking painfully bad puns and reciting song lyrics and quotations with abandon. I'm just in awe of the entire thing and can't believe it works the way it does.

Less about the job, eventually. I've never really liked blogging about work.

I have my own cubicle. My own! I don't have to share it with anyone. Its bare, faux-carpeted walls are crying out to be covered in pictures of loved ones, funny cat calendars and posters of sunsets. I have a computer and a couple of filing cabinets. At one point, someone emailed me about calling a number to schedule an appointment, and I left a message for a callback.

I felt like such a regular person. Of course, I'm not really that regular, so I'll inevitably find ways to bring irregularity to the workplace. Gradually, inch by inch. They won't even notice.

I'm in for an average of about five seven-hour work days a week. The earliest I'll start is 10 AM. Today I read through a multitude of information about formatting House of Commons debates, but I won't be able to really grasp it until I'm applying it on a daily basis. Dry work, maybe, but it's going to teach me a shitload about Canadian politics. It's a job that will make me smarter, and really lend me a greater handle on how the country operates.

Vacation-wise, it's ideal. I get six weeks off at Christmas beginning December 13th, a week off in May and then June 24th - September 18th off. It's ideal because I won't have to lose myself in the job all year. I can take plenty of time to explore other interests.

So far, so good. I train for a couple more days this week. The 40th Parliament begins session on Tuesday. Here's to hoping everything continues to work out.

I start the new job tomorrow at 10 AM. I'll be sleeping in my bed for the first time in a couple of months because I want to be ready and raring to go tomorrow morning.

I finished up the Terry Lee Hale cover. You can hear it over on the Wire and Light myspace page: myspace.com/wireandlight.

I picked up a Bond box set at HMV to start hacking my way through the films.

My updates in this blog might slow down a bit, since I'll be writing about a lot of things on the new one, but this should still afford me a space for things that the other one doesn't.

I quit my job at Senate publications today. Dave emailed me and asked me if I wanted to, and my return email was something akin to "Now that you mention it..." Working up to 35 hours a week will be enough without knocking myself out with overnight Senate shifts.

I've been working on music this afternoon, a cover of "Dead is Dead" by Terry Lee Hale. Hopefully I'll have it finished tomorrow, and then I'll finish up the original I've been working on for the last month and put both online.

Janet Leigh's Bad Luck with Motels was a success, though most didn't show until well into the second film. The party moved to the Royal Oak for a couple of hours. Many, many drinks were had, resulting in a $350 tab. A few of us went to the Live Lounge afterwards and danced to music that appealed to my inner teenager. More drinks, more fun. The night ended on a bit of a sour note, with a fight breaking out on York Street. My phone died and I lost Andrea in the confusion. The Market just isn't what it used to be.

I'd never been to the Live Lounge before. They do a live-to-air broadcast every Saturday night, hosted by DJ Noah. Andrea and Steve got me a couple of birthday shout-outs, and a dedication of "Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups. The club closes at 2 sharp, and the bouncer tried clearing us from the floor, but Noah put on "Young Folks" by Peter, Bjorn and John. We weren't going anywhere. Noah said it was definitely the last song of the night, and he was completely stoked that we refused to leave before he was done. A really cool moment.

All in all, I had a fantastic time and was really pleased with the turnout. I'm taking it easy today, chilling at Andrea's.