One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Why does it always seem to feel like whenever I seem to be making progress, whenever I seem to be getting somewhere in my acting career I get pushed right back?
Due to my financial situation at the moment, I've made a decision to return to the University for work. The women I had been replacing on maternity leave last year has quit and the job is now open once more. Now, applying for the job dow not mean I'm going to get it, but my chances are pretty good.
I have to keep repeating to myself that getting a real job does not mean I'm giving up on my acting career. My former boss knows that I'm an actor and has always respected that fact. Whenever I had auditions or jobs on set, he would always let me go. Plus, by the end of the year I had accumulated close to three weeks of overtime that I needed to take in vacation days; three weeks on top of my two weeks of regular vacation time and any sick days I might have. Alot can be done with those days.
More and more lately I've been realizing how much I need a car to get around. I'm not a student anymore and I don't spend all my time downtown. I despise the idea on grocery shopping on the bus and I hate waiting around for it in the cold. The bus has been unreliable in the past and I've been late for stuff even when I'd leave the house with plenty of time to spare. With this job, I might be able to afford a car. This might also mean I'd now be able to travel to Montreal or Toronto for a last minute audition if need be.
So, ok, I'm not giving up. I'm just experiencing a minor setback (financial) and I'm correcting it (getting a job). I just have to be patient and keep working and eventually everything will fall into place.
Right?
Due to my financial situation at the moment, I've made a decision to return to the University for work. The women I had been replacing on maternity leave last year has quit and the job is now open once more. Now, applying for the job dow not mean I'm going to get it, but my chances are pretty good.
I have to keep repeating to myself that getting a real job does not mean I'm giving up on my acting career. My former boss knows that I'm an actor and has always respected that fact. Whenever I had auditions or jobs on set, he would always let me go. Plus, by the end of the year I had accumulated close to three weeks of overtime that I needed to take in vacation days; three weeks on top of my two weeks of regular vacation time and any sick days I might have. Alot can be done with those days.
More and more lately I've been realizing how much I need a car to get around. I'm not a student anymore and I don't spend all my time downtown. I despise the idea on grocery shopping on the bus and I hate waiting around for it in the cold. The bus has been unreliable in the past and I've been late for stuff even when I'd leave the house with plenty of time to spare. With this job, I might be able to afford a car. This might also mean I'd now be able to travel to Montreal or Toronto for a last minute audition if need be.
So, ok, I'm not giving up. I'm just experiencing a minor setback (financial) and I'm correcting it (getting a job). I just have to be patient and keep working and eventually everything will fall into place.
Right?
Labels: The Actor, The Day Job
posted by Nancy Kenny at
11:48 AM
4 Comments:
I'm glad to hear (read) you thinking about it rationally. Last I saw you, you were in a funk over it, and so I decided not to get into it with you, since you needed some time to sort things out.
Of course getting a "real job" doesn't mean you have to give up acting. And as far as giving up upcoming training opportunities goes, you won't know for sure unless you ask. I mean, what would they say if you took the job but had a vacation planned an paid for, the you couldn't get your money back if you canceled? I suspect they'd fina a way to make it work.
Take the job, work like a bugger, and watch how flexible they'll be with you. It sounds to me like they were already being fairly flexible, which says something to me about your work ethic.
Next: have you ever looked into Virtucar? It's a system whereby you pay a yearly membership in order to have access to a fleet of shared vehicles (these are all new, well maintained vehicles, mostly Toyota Echos, I beleive), that have pick-up/drop-off spots peppered around the city. You can choose a low yearly membership, but then pay a higher per-kilometre fee, or a higher yearly fee, and lower per-km charge. It's all explained at http://www.virtucar.com, so it's a giant leap better than the bus, but bad if you never know when you'll need the car. It's good if you have some advance notice of when you'll need a vehicle.
Anywayze, that's my $.02,
E
By
Anonymous, at 3:09 PM
There's a Virtucar location at 188 Beechwood. I dunno where in the Barrio you live, but that's where you'd have to pick-up/drop off the car if you joined virtucar...
E
By
Anonymous, at 3:12 PM
Ereek, I could totally kiss you right now!
In a totally spur of the moment yet entirely plutonic way of course...
Hi Darcy!
By
Nancy Kenny, at 4:42 PM
Believe it or not I actually wrote virtucar an email back in February asking if they had considered putting a station in the vanier area. They said that the closest thing would be the beechwood/marier stop.
I was anticipating the imminent death of the 88 celebrity in all its rust-coloration glory.
Not sure where marier is though.
I would also be a lot more comfortable with that than saddling yourself with the mountain of bills that come with car ownership, plus peak oil, plus global warming, plus the aristocratic nature of owning such a luxury when we live in the middle of a city (by contrast, the celeb was free and cost nothing so hardly a luxury item).
By
Darcy, at 4:51 PM
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