Free music

Who doesn't like free music?

Check out www.myspace.com/ruthandsean

Hope you enjoy!

Am I missing something?

I'm usually not a very content person. I often become obsessed with how I can upgrade my current job. I, like my fellow man, seek to find every flaw possible in my superior and how the work is carried out. I end up feeling frustrated, abused and exhausted (the joy's of physical labour). So is my answer to quit and move on to some other job where I will encounter the same set of logistic problems? I'm not entirely sure.

You see, when Ruth and I moved here in July, I had high hopes The Chronicle Herald would hire me full-time. I was fresh off a month of a stellar internship at the Belleville Intelligencer. I was hungry for stories and felt I had enough experience (combined with a year's work of campus reporting) to jump in the big pond. Unfortunately, this was not the case and I ended up landscaping for three weeks; the complete opposite of journalism. Needless to say, it upset me and I didn't do anything about it until the job started taking a toll physically on my body. I gave my boss a weeks notice. The excitement of leaving propelled me to start looking for journalistic employment. At the time, the Herald was looking for freelance photographers to shoot for their business/advertising department. Not quite what I was looking for but I figured it was better than nothing. And it looks good on my resume.

So I started taking picture of Herald clients. Shook hands, smiled and pressed click. Not bad money for two hours worth of work. Oh, I also had to find another job because this one wasn't steady. So after a few family connections and phone calls, I began working for Coca-Cola Bottling Enterprises. I was sure this job would be less difficult than weeding, mowing and sweating for 12 hours a day. I was wrong. You see, I expected to just be filling coolers in gas stations and such, but I was wrong again. It is the most physically demanding job I've ever had and it is destroying my body. I'm sure I won't stay after Christmas which means I have to quit and find another job. I guess I'm establishing a pattern in my life. Ideally, I would like to be a full-time journalist but that just doesn't seem realistic in Nova Scotia. All j-work opportunity lies in the West and we're not sure we want to move so far away from both families. So, it seems I am stuck. And feeling stuck is a feeling that is hard to shake off.

So to keep my mind fresh, I began editing my sister's Grade 10 English papers. I'm actually keeping my average above 90 per cent which is good. I am also sporadically writing in a book I someday hope to publish. Yeah.

Ok, that's it for today.

thoughts (i'm back)

As I was driving down Oxford Street today to pick up Ruth, aside from feeling the cool Fall air brush past my face at a neat 60km before slowing down to stop at the intersection, I was troubled to see a homeless man asking people in their cars for change. The path he walked on must have been at least 50 feet or so. It has been like this for two weeks now. Some days, car people give him some change while others awkwardly pretend he's not banging on their window. It is also unusual for me because every time I reach for whatever change I have left, the light turns green and I have to go just before he gets to my car. The homeless man has saved me quite a bit of money.

However, these are not the thoughts I wanted to share. What I was really musing about was this: When someone passes by a homeless person, do they validate themselves as a good person by giving the homeless person whatever change leftover from their expensive lunch or shopping excursion? Do I, Sean McMullen, really think 75 cents will change that mans life and then I can move on, thinking "I helped the poor!"? It is sadly true. But, I have learned coins and bills aren't the answer. I believe time spent with them, caring for them and listening to their story is worth far more than a few quarters and pocket lint.

Don't get me wrong. If you have money, it is a good thing to give it to someone less fortunate. It is tough however to gauge how they will use it, whether for drugs or alcohol. You'll never know unless you use that money to take them out for an expensive lunch or buy them some new clothes.

Or something like that.

It's good to be back in the blog hemisphere.

on the move

Hey folks,

For those of you who haven't heard, Ruth and I will be moving to Halifax in mid-July. It is a recent decision but one that has been gnawing at our minds for a few months now. We don't really know what we're going to do when we get there but we feel it is the right step for our life at the moment.

bonjour!

Last published February 19? It's hard to believe I still remember this thing. Well, I'll tell you in point form some life moments of the past couple months.

- Finished college and will be graduating in June
- Completed an internship at the city paper (to which I say, "That was friggin' awesome"
- Found out Ruth and I were going to Myrtle Beach, then found out we weren't
- We have about 7-8 songs we've been trying to practice. Demo recordings are on our to do list
- My winter tires are getting changed over today
- I'm grateful for so many new bands to listen to (Wilco in particular)

I'll try and update again