I sent in two more applications for one-year posts at a couple of Ontario universities, starting this September. If one of them comes through, it'll be a bit of a hectic time here, as we have now signed the lease on our apartment for the next year, until June 30th, 2008.
For those that might not know, here in Montreal, the leases generally start July 1 and end June 30 (that's for ALL tenants, around 60% of Montrealers). Landlords require a 3 month notice if you are leaving, but this is only before July 1. In other words, you need to tell the landlord that you are leaving by March 31, and your lease ends June 30. Unlike Ontario, where after the first year your lease converts to month-by-month, the leases here continue to be full years. So, for us, if I do in fact get a job for August or September, we are stuck in the lease, paying the monthly rent until the apartment is rented. And, since the leases all begin on July 1, the chances are lower that someone will be looking for a place in August or September, unless someone is newly moving to the city.
I've been working on some proposals for book chapters, one for a collection on Canadian popular music, and another for a book on The Smiths. I've sent one article off for consideration for publication. It'll need a bit of work before it's in publication shape, but hopefully a seed of worthiness is there, and the editor will see that.
I'm a big fan now of a band called The Long Winters, whose lead singer John Roderick is featured on Merlin Mann's excellent video podcast, The Merlin Show (you can watch the episodes straight from The Merlin Show page). If you're at all interested in communications technology as well as how independent rock musicians engage with it, this is a great podcast to watch. There are a lot of complex issues presented here, although everything is expressed in a non-academic and humourous way. There are a few swear words, though, so if you can't edit those out in your own head, take caution.
2 comments:
Best of luck with the applications! Perhaps, if indeed you do need to move, you could "market" your place to the student population? No doubt some kid will be arriving in August or so looking for a place to stay for the year.
T.O., you would think that would work. It seems that things don't work that way here in Montreal. But more importantly, we're a bit off the beaten path for students. I suspect that a student might be more inclined to get a place closer to downtown. Thanks for the thoughts, though!
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