[QUOTE=focusonz]
I might suggest you are not getting enough vitamin D in the far north.
…
You moved south for the summer.
[/QUOTE]
Huh?
Lloydminster is the far north? Moving to Saskatoon will make a difference?
Lloyd is only 53° 17’ N- not much of the far north.
And Saskatoon is 52° 10’ N.
I honestly don’t think much of your diagnosis, based on your geography, focusonz.
Hmm? My weight has gained by about 15 pounds over the last two years. I absolutely haven’t lost weight (I wish I had!) I often run outside 3 - 5 times a week so there is no shortage of Vitamin D.
Theres so many factors that have led to my terrible year. Please leave the sorting to me, this thread is just supposed to be a vent on one of the problems.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8697241&postcount=8
Rough calculation that one degree of latitude means Insolation is 20%, 10%, 5% greater in Saskatoon vs, Edmonton for nov. dec. jan. and feb. oct. and mar. sep. respectively. Less sunshine (insolation) is significant in winter months and is exacerbated if one does not go outside during daylight hours.
See Saskatoon http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/saskatoon.html
See Edmonton http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/edmonton.html
Vitamin supplements are recommended for everyone regardless of age.
Especially if you do not drink milk and exercise as you say.
Take your vitamins kid and you will likely not hate where you live but just dislike it to some degree. I loved living in Ponoka, Alberta.
…And I thought I was the only person in the world who thought about getting off the freeway on the way to work, and driving home! Totally relate - grew up in Los Angeles, moved to the Bay Area. It’s cold, gloomy, and really surprisingly, difficult to make friends. A very different vibe than LA. I thought people in LA were snobs, but they don’t come close to the arrogance of Northern Cal residents. Feel trapped because I committed to my new employer. Oh well, at least I can fly back easily…
Welcome to the boards, shawn901. Just as a heads-up, this thread is four and a half years old, so the OPs situation may have (I believe has) changed.
Boy, I sure read that wrong the first time (and was mightily confused–that didn’t seem like typical redneck activity). I blame my recent viewing of Django Unchained.
Actually, probably over 90% of the all the people who have ever lived have had absolutely no choice in where they lived, or what they did for a very poor living.
Probably 95% of all the women who ever lived had no education, and no choice in who they married at age 14, before spending the rest of their short life in continuous drudgery, and almost continuous pregnancy.
Sorry to take it out on you, but I’m tired of people who can go wherever they want, and do whatever they want, and pretty much buy whatever they want short of really extravagant luxuries, whining about how tough they have it because their life isn’t perfect. If you don’t like your circumstances, change them. If you only have to wait a year to do that, you’re way ahead of most people.
Well, I’ve lived in NorCal for over 25 years, and I love it here. You call this weekend cold? I was playing golf in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt yesterday. I’m from New England originally, and trust me… this ain’t cold!
Agreed entirely. I wake up every morning and say “Yea! I didn’t die in my sleep last night like billions of other people have! Anything else that happens today is gravy.”
My 26 year old self takes no offense.
When I explain all this to my wife, she still gets upset when I forget to take out the garbage. Ungrateful bitch!
Quasi, I am about to tell you the truest thing you’ve ever heard. I am saying this with 100% confidence, and I hope five years from now you look back on this thread, because you are going to agree with me. This is the truth about your life.
You need a massive change in your life..
Yeah, sure, money, blah blah. Money comes and goes. You’ve got a reasonably sellable vocation, no kids or mortgage, you don’t owe money to the mob, you aren’t retiring any time soon. It’s okay to take a few risks, be a little irresponsible. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders and I promise that you are not going to end up broke on the streets. You’ll figure it out, and it’s all up from here.
But the life your living, dude, it’s not for you. Somewhere out there right now, there is a dude just like you laying on the most beautiful beach you’ve ever seen in some tropical country, cheap beer in one hand and cute girl in the other. Somewhere right now, there is a foreign English teacher learning a new language, meeting a bunch of awesome people, and taking on the challenge of starting his own English school. You could be doing anything right now- hiking the Himalayas, bring education to some remote African village, doing something exciting in New York or Tokyo. And then there is you- no different from them- in nowheresville that you hate. The only difference is that they chose to be there, and you keep choosing to be where you are.
There is nothing keeping you from the life you want. The moment you decide to do it, you’re going to get it. I’m pretty sure you know what you want to do. The only question here is how long you are going to drag it out with all this navel gazing, caution and second guessing. It’ll happen eventually, why wait any longer? Why not just start doing what you want now, instead of doing a whole bunch of what you don’t want. I promise you, you’re going to make the change eventually anyway. You don’t want to keep going like this. Stop wasting time.
School will be over by June. If you want to teach abroad (which I think is a good choice for you), you can easily be somewhere new by July if you start looking now. If you want to go to China, for example, you can basically count on being someplace by then. If you have a degree, it’s basically a sure thing. You won’t make enough to save much at first, but you’ll live like a king locally, be able to travel in nearby countries, and eventually you’ll start making enough money to save some. You’ll still be lonely as hell and awkward and all that, but you’ll at least have a good story out of it and you’ll meet some cool people and learn a new language.
Or, do something else. Whatever strikes your fancy. Now is the time. And don’t worry, you’ll make good choices and you’ll find a good job when you get back. You’ll probably find an even better gig than you have now, and have a bigger and better professional network. Sure, you are on a good path now. But you are on a good path to nowhere you are actually interested in being. Do you really see your life culminating as a small town music teacher? If not, go find some way that leads to something you’d actually like it to culminate in. And if you fail- well, they aren’t going to revoke your teaching certificate, are they? Even if you crash and burn (which you won’t) at most you’ll have a tough year or two and you’ll be basically where you are now.
Get out of there, dude. Someone has to live the good life- why not you?
LOL. So Quasi, since this is a thread zombie, where are you now and what are you doing with your life? Inquiring minds want to know. 
Hahah, I didn’t even catch that this is a zombie! Quasi what I said still holds true. Grab the bull by the horns!
Hah! I love it. This is a great thread to return to.
I’m not sure I have the preserverence to sum up the last four years of my life in a post. I’m well documented on the dope as I’m a really open guy and I often need to express myself. But to quickly sum up:
Still have a long ass commute. Still taking classes.Lately I’m finding I’m enjoying life quite a bit. I went to a Unitarian church today, took up swimming lessons, and am doing more music than ever (probably too much) I also played in a Pep Band this saturday and got paid to drink beer and play “Iron Man” on the trumpet. Also I think I’m less inclined to move far away, unless it’s in Canada. I’d love to go to Montreal for awhile. I’d still like to go on a big trip this summer. There’ lots of good things happening right now. I do want a change in my work though, and it may be as simple as changing what I teach.
Thanks all!
I am trying to think of the parts in “Iron Man” that lend themselves to a trumpet and drawing a blank. I had to look up the definition of a “Pep Band” as well. Perhaps it is because, as my bandmates tell me, I am a drummer and not a musician. 
This gives the general idea.
congrats on all the changes, Quasi, anyone still alive has got stuff to be grateful for. it was interesting reading even though it was a zombie thread.
so, if you continue to be a teacher - who & what do you want to teach?
Math and music. Maybe something else. The big thing for me is to get a gig in the city that is reasonable.
I hear you. do you feel like you have a solid idea of what “reasonable” is?
I have been thinking, hard, about relocation for almost a year now & no place is perfect. literally! so I read on city-data.com (do they have forums for Canada?) and elsewhere and consider climate, size, politics, cost of living and more.
I want a UU church that is at least somewhat bigger than tiny, lots of sun but low humidity, and swing dancing. I would like a year-round farmer’s market.
what do you want?