Arrival: The Trials and Tribulations of Overwhelming Responsibility for the Perpetually Immature

So,  it's been four days since we arrived in Halifax/Dartmouth,  I  have moved into my grown up person apartment, and my parents have left. It was a hard goodbye, harder than perhaps similar ones are. When someone moves out of their parents house for real, not for school or what have you, normally it's to somewhere at least relatively close, but not this time. I'm 21 years old and I just moved halfway across the country, and to be honest it scares me a little. There's so many unknowns, money, work, friends, hangouts, bat-fleck, so many things yet to be fully defined, and for a mental planner such as myself it's a little daunting.

On Wednesday we found my living quarters at around 3:30 and moved in my things, met my landlord and read a very nice note from Brad, which seems to have been dashed off very quickly but with full intent, as his hasty illustrations would seem to suggest. Then my parents found their motel and I met my other roommate, Jamie, who turns out, is a pretty nice guy. I also spent my first ever night in my new house, surrounded by boxes and empty walls, excited and also terrified.

Thursday was spent with my parents, again, as they bought me an awesome desk and chair as a delayed graduation present. It took a long time but it turned out well. We then grabbed a slice of pizza and headed back to my place where, the financial reality of what I have decided to undertake fully hit me, and my parents for the first time, a panic that did not wear off until well after they had left for the night, as I feverishly applied for any and all work I could find to support myself in the event of Video Production not being able to fully support me (a likely scenario). It was a hard night for me, surrounded by a still partially put together room and too many unanswered questions streaming through my head at a pace that was impossible to keep up with. But, one question in particular I kept coming back too again and again.

Is this what everyone feels like?

I guess it must be.

Fortunately, and by the grace of God, my many feverish, stuttering prayers for employment seemed to have an immediate pay off when Friday morning dawned with a phone call, and a Job interview. Sure, it was McDonald's, not the most glamourous of jobs,  but it would pay the bills while Brad and I try to get this dream off the ground. Dreams ain't free kids. And it also eased many of my financial worries.

Don't get me wrong, this has still been a stressful move, for both me and my parents, but that was one thing I didn't have to worry about... as much...

Over the rest of friday and today, I finally got my room sorted out, and decorated, to a small degree, and spent a lot of time with my parents. Something I ordinarily don't look forward too, but when goodbyes came today. I find it's something I'm going to miss very very much. Sure, my family comprises six emotionally awkward and slightly neurotic individuals who have a hard time communicating, but deep down we all love each other very much and are always there for each other. I'm very sad I'll be so separated from that I'm going to miss them very much. I'd be lying if I said that when I said goodbye today I was not emotional.

I think anyone who moves this far away from their family must feel that way. Even some who live closer.

It's a whole new world for me. Something I've said a lot, yet something that has only just now sunk in. New people. New Places. New Prices. New Job. Nothing familiar. This is my life now. I'm Terrified. I'm Excited. I'm Ready. But also Not.

In the words of John Mayer:

"Don't know how else to say it. I don't want to see my parents go."

"Stop this train, I want to get off and go home again. I can't take the speed it's killing me, I know I can't but can't someone stop this train."

I'm gonna miss you guys. Stay healthy, stay happy.

Matt



P.S. Below are some pictures of my new abode, well just my own bedroom. I'm sure at some point I'll put up some pictures from around the rest of the house.

The Door, Lanterns and all.

Door Open! Enter Leafs Nation, Dartmouth!

My lovely ladies, all looking fine.

Comic book/Magic cards/general geekery

Bench? Step? You tell me!............it's mostly a step it's a tall bed

Bed in question. New Joker poster accompanied by my old Star Wars one.

The view out my bedroom window.

Bluray/PS3 games/Goldbond 

TV/ Second Monitor

 Desk and chair

Arctic Batman, Mr. Freeze and an AMBUSHED Aquaman

TARDIS Container.

Closet

 Ladies.... I'm very available. Ignore the Green Lantern stuff.

Go East Young Man

The journey east has concluded it's first day. Starting anything at 5:30 in the morning can be quite the task,  but luckily the van was packed the day before so all that we had to do was roll out of bed and get into the car. After that it was a straight shot on the highway to Quebec City. Long,  but straight. The obstacle of Montreal,  a place that has bamboozled  many a wayward traveler with it's maze of one way streets and construction detours was actually  passed through without incident. On the whole it was not nearly as eventful as the last time my family went through that particular city,  we were more lost than...  well,  half the regular audience of Lost,  which resulted in an argument that may have actually been so intense that it became the cause of the aforementioned construction.

But on the whole the ride has been stress free and timely.  We arrived in Quebec City at 3:30 making the drive that took Brad,  Myles and myself around 10 hours only 8.

This drive out we are taking our time more,  so as to arrive in Halifax with time to move in,  thus making the trip 3 days instead of two.

So,  yep,  that's our status.

Stay keen,

Matt

Yes, I'm Leaving, The Almost 100% True Facts

So, as you may or not be aware, I'm leaving Ontario tomorrow morning.  I'm going to start a production company with my friend and Lobster Inc. Director Brad Rivers. It's a big move for something that could, conceivably, be done without moving anywhere, but last november Brad and I took a trip out East to film a documentary and while we did that both of us discovered that not only is that documentary going to take a lot of time to finnish, but we also discovered how amazing Nova Scotia is and how much the arts and entertainment communities are thriving out here. So far, like most of the things we've noticed about the Maritimes, Nova Scotia's growing arts community has been flying under the radar of most of the rest of Canada. But make no mistake, it's there. From actors, to musicians, to painters, to filmmakers Halifax is a pretty substantial media hub, one that also has only three or four notable production companies in it. Our aim is to tap into that and come out strong.

For me, it's a big move. I'm leaving almost everyone I've ever known behind and going to start something fresh and new and different in a place I've only visited. But I'm looking forward to it. It's not often life gives you a chance to start again, so I'm going to take it while I can. This blog is going to be all about my trip out there and my life and what I'm doing out east (Probably also my views on Ben Affleck) so you cats back in Ontario can feel like your right here with me. Like you never have to go a week without your fix of Brisby.

I'm going to miss all of you, family, high school friends, summer friends, church friends, college friends and theatre friends, but it's time to take a leap. And I honestly don't care much how it goes so long as it leads out of Orangeville, I mean c'mon, you try living here.

This post is just a small one to let you know what's coming, tomorrow I'm leaving, at 5 am with my parents for Halifax in what I'm sure is going to be a stress and guilt free zone. I'll be sure to have a post up about how that's going, But for now I'm going ot leave you with this video of a camel running.


It's AMAZING!

Love Each Other,

Matt