The movers are coming on Monday and everything’s a mess at our apartment. It’s a crazy whirlwind of things to do as our time in Halifax winds down. Even with the extra time we’ve had before the move, I still feel like it’s breathing down our necks.

In the last newsletter when I talked about heading to Toronto for my Dad’s 60th birthday, I didn’t get a chance to mention a neat encounter I had on the flight. While I flew into town (in the midst of a freezing rain storm) I had a good conversation with the guy sitting next to me on the plane. He was headed to Toronto for extra training in Aikido.

Aikido is a martial art that involves defensive maneuvers, holds and the use of your opponent’s momentum instead of the typical kicking and punching involved in most other forms of self defense. Gal had mentioned to me when we first decided that we were moving to Halifax that she wanted to take Tai Chi or Aikido at some point if they had it at the University. When I mentioned this to the gentleman (who’s name is Lee), he was quite pleased and we talked about all sorts of things for the remainder of the flight.

How this all ties into my current newsletter is simple: Lee invited Gal and I to attend an Aikido session on Thursday night. Even though we’re leaving, he thought it would be great for us to see how it worked first hand. If we liked it, he could put us in touch with the teachers and dojo in Toronto. So, off we went.

I thought we would be standing and watching people train and practice, but they were really happy to have us involved as full participants in the class. Obviously, they went quite easy on us, but it was a really cool experience learning from them first hand and trying some maneuvers.

Everyone at the Dojo was extremely kind and very easy to get along with. It was an odd spread of people too: everyone from a young 12-13 year old who was a brown belt (just under black belt) all the way to a school principal and Lee himself who does financial planning for the Royal Bank. The teacher was really nice, polite and extremely willing to help and offer advice without seeming harsh or overly disciplined.

The work out was good for us, and even though it’s Saturday and my muscles are still a bit sore, it was well worth doing. Gal’s very intrigued and wants to look at the possibility of signing up in Toronto. I’m open to the possibility as well, but with everything else heaped on my plate this summer I know that it’ll be hard to find the time. Still, we could both use the exercise, so anything’s possible.

Meanwhile, we’ve been sectioning everything in our apartment into ‘Storage’ and ‘Useable’ piles to try and make it easy for us to label and put in the right place once it arrives in Toronto. Strange combinations of food have entered our diet as we attempt to finish off the majority of food in our cupboards: there’s nothing quite like leftover pizza, cooked sausage, salad and toast for breakfast.

A last minute spree of drawing and a flurry of e-mails will probably take up the rest of my time before our internet is cut off and the computers get packed up on Monday. We’ve done the power and the phone connection calls, the mail redirection, all those little things that are easy to forget if you’re not careful.

A bit of the Halifax nightlife on Wednesday night left me tired and sore yesterday. Apparently I’m not used to staying up to the wee hours and dancing my face off. Apparently muscles that aren’t supposed to hurt can and I’m quite out of practice. Or maybe it’s just that magic switch that gets pulled once you cross 25.

Nonetheless, Gal, Martin and I hit a club here called The Marquis for some retro 80’s goodness. The music was fun, the crowd was crazy and we danced up a storm. I’m sure Def Leppard and Glass Tiger thought they were cool in 1986, but it’s all just fun and games now. I’m sure all the hip hop artists will be mocked equally in 10-12 years.

Nothing makes your voice go hoarse faster than trying to sing “Shot Through The Heart, and You’re Too Late” louder than the 3-foot tall speakers.

Walking outside after grabbing our coats, there was a light snowfall and my body actually steamed a bit. I haven’t done that since Jordie, Kevin and I went to raves in Calgary. It was fun working up an intense sweat and getting into the groove. I had no idea my body would go into revolt the next day because of it.

So it’s Friday and I feel human again. The move is creeping up slowly and I’m trying to keep a zen-like approach to the whole thing. With the way the moving companies work and all the students leaving university here, the end of April became the best time to go. It’s quick, it’s crazy, it’s for the best. The guys at the studio just found out that the next show’s been delayed again, so I have no regrets about not sticking around to wait for more work.

I was actually in Toronto last week for my Dad’s 60th birthday. My Mom and I had planned the surprise for months and even though I’m going to be in Toronto soon, the flight was already booked and I figured I could get some of the move stuff organized and get my family prepared for “The Return Of The Jimbo”.

My Dad was totally shocked when I showed up at the birthday party. He cried, which is always a shock. Well actually, he stood there dumbfounded for a second and then cried. We spent the day bugging him about his age and eating amazing home cooked food. It was amazing.

I had a nice visit, staying at my brother’s place for five days after that. His daughters are growing up very quickly and I was shocked to be able to carry on conversations with Jennifer. Even at 2 years old, she’s talking in full sentences and saying stuff I never, ever would have comprehended at that age. It’s odd and charming.

Talking with my family, it’s hard not to feel like I’m still a kid. My life revolves around comics, animation and video games. If I wasn’t actually making money doing it I’d be even more of a nerd, but luckily I am and probably will for the rest of my life. I don’t regret it, just the perception that my career and hobbies have attached to them. I talk about film composition, 3D animation or the theory behind sequential art (comics) and I can see family members nodding politely and looking for the nearest exit. In the end, it’s probably best to just show them the art I’m actually doing and leave it at that. It’s hard not to go into propaganda mode, preaching to the masses though.

I’ve been doing some freelance illustration for some smaller role-playing game companies. The money is okay, but not something I could live off of. Still, it’s a good way for me to get some extra exposure and make some valuable new contacts. As soon as the companies start advertising for the products, I’ll be able to post up the art and show everyone. Until then, I’ve gotta keep it under wraps.

Gal and I have decided to stay at my Aunt and Uncle’s place for the summer and test the waters there. Edith, Iain and Lisa are amazing people. I lived with them when I attended Humber. They think Gal’s a hoot and I’m hoping it all works out well. My Grandmother’s place has more space, but her access to the transit system is limited, so we’re gonna try doing the North York thing and see how that goes. In a worst case scenario, we just shift over to Richmond Hill in September. I’m pretty sure it’s going to work at Edith and Iain’s though. It’ll be a transition for all of us, that’s for sure.

Otherwise, art, writing and enjoying the city until I bid it farewell. Gal and I are gonna have one last visit to the Farmer’s Market this Saturday and next week we’ll start doing the good-bye thing with people we know around here. Gal’s last exam is Monday, so we should have a lot of free time after that point to organize our apartment beyond the chaos that it’s currently in.

Hope everyone’s doing well. My phone’s still working until the end of the month, so feel free to call.