Still no house. And we’ve now officially eliminated Midland from our list of possible towns to buy in.

In other real estate news, there are no houses in Elmvale — the one location we agree on — that we both love. Ugh.

But even as JF and I continue to plod through real estate hell (at least we’re in it together!) there remains much to be grateful for. Unemployment has its perks:

• Sitting comfortably on a TTC train, travelling opposite the rush hour crush
• Reading a whole book in one day
• Playing the piano loudly in the afternoon without worrying about neighbours
• Staying in on rainy days to watch movies
• Going out on sunny days to explore
• Listening to CBC radio in the middle of the afternoon
• Doing groceries at off peak hours
• Wearing jeans or sweatpants every single day
• Forgetting what day of the week it is

And that’s just the list I compiled these last two weeks. I feel like I’ve more everyday pleasures to discover.

I also have a list of things I would like to do this summer, assuming I don’t find work:

• Visit far away friends
• Write a romance novel (Anyone up to editing?)
• Go to the beach (If Tiny Township doesn’t totally eliminate public parking http://www.tiny.ca/ws_par/groups/public/@pub/@tiny/documents/web_content/wspar_044069.pdf)
• Get a great tan (Preferably at the beach)
• Visit with family more
• Exercise three times a week (Ha! Right.)
• Volunteer regularly
• Paint
• Play the piano every day

This is me at the 9th concession beach two years ago. I hope to do a lot of this next month.

Much as I want an income, miss my old colleagues and crave routine, this whole no job thing isn’t so bad. You should try it sometime.