I'm tired of moving. No, I'm not contemplating another move. In fact, the next time that happens better be when a house or condo is purchased. But the past couple of weeks have rendered a few interesting conversations where the main talking point is about moving/switching jobs.
This is always one of those questions we get as reporters: where all have you lived? I've been pretty lucky. Since graduating at Lethbridge College in April '05, I've lived in three cities. The bad part is that I've lived in two of those cities twice. I've worked in Lloydminster (CKSA/LloydFM July '05-July '06), Medicine Hat (CHAT/MY96, July '06-March '07), Calgary (QR77/Country 105/Q107, March '07-May '08), Medicine Hat (CJCY, May '08-August '10) and Calgary (QR/Country/Q, August '10-now). I also moved within city limits during two of those stints. Let's just say my belongings are a little travel-weary.
A friend of mine is making a move soon and she's concerned about not having a lot of time (2 weeks) between her current job and her soon-to-be job. So I thought I'd share one of my horror stories of moving. It happened while moving from Lloyd to Medicine Hat. I was working mornings and my last day was on a Friday. That afternoon, I packed up what I could and made the trek down to the farm, where some of my stuff would stay for a while. At about 5am Saturday, I got into my dad's truck and started the trek back up to Lloyd to pick up the rest of my stuff. About ten minutes from the farm, I hit a deer. Didn't do a lot of damage but enough that I had to turn around and grab my own truck ('69 Chevy with no AC for those hot SE Alberta days in July) and ventured up to Lloyd again. Grabbed my stuff, cleaned my apartment and made the 5(ish) hour drive down Highway 41 to Medicine Hat. Arrived at about 9pm. Slept on a couch and woke up at 5am on Sunday to train for my new job doing morning news on MY96. You guessed it. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for my first show on the Monday. I'll NEVER do that again. Ever. But it does go to show that nothing is impossible!
And once you make the move, then it is time to get to work. You have to know everything about your new surroundings as quickly as possible. Learn the names of all the communities, get to know some of the business types, take in a few sporting events. The move I think about it, the more the first years of my career were an absolute blur. As much as you think you're on top of the game, it's not until later that you realize you might have been a step behind.
When you leave for bigger and better things, it's hard not to take a look back. I wouldn't be too surprised to hear some reporters say they still check up on some of the communities they once worked in. I know for me, it still gets me furled up thinking about the debacle that has become the new Events Centre for Medicine Hat. And I'm always a little curious about different stories I remember talking about in Lloyd. We, reporters, are a transient bunch. We leave a piece of our hearts in each place we work. And sometimes we leave a little more, like couches and lamps...
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