At least the Chili smells good

Chili in a jar

Ever have one of those days where you get a choice between two or more doors, you pick one thinking it's the right one, then as you start to walk through it slams in your face?..  hard.  Life is like the "Let's make a Deal" game show, you get options, you choose and then for better or worse you live with the consequences.

That happened to me today. The door of life whacking me in the face that is. I had gotten three job offers, all of which started today. The job (or door) I picked would go until September, it was with a crew I liked working with, so it seemed like the obvious choice of the three. As it turned out the obvious choice isn't always the best choice as my job ended about five hours in. My boss called me into his office to say they had hired someone else to replace me. (Insert door slamming sound here)

While a bit saddened by the lost of a potential six month gig with a great film crew and a gig that could have potentially put me back to a healthier financial standing there was a part of me that felt relief as there usually is when a great responsibility is taken off one's shoulders.

After being told I was being replaced, I finished up what I had to do, sent off an email to the guy replacing me to bring him up to speed and went home. I think I felt more stunned than anything else as I've never lost a job in this fashion ever. I take my work pretty seriously which is why this seemed so out of left field.

Before leaving for work I had started a batch of chili in the slow cooker. It was the first thing to greet me at home and wow, did it smell good. Here's the recipe...

Basic Meat Chili

ingredients

• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 can of chickpeas (540ml, 19 fl oz)
• 2 cans of red kidney beans (540ml, 19 fl oz)
• 1 can of crushed or diced tomatoes (796ml, 28 fl oz)
• 4 tablespoons of crushed red pepper (or less if you're wimpy about hot spices)

directions

1. chop carrots, onions and bell pepper and place into slow cooker.
2. add crushed chili pepper and meat
3. add cans of beans (including water), chickpeas(including water), and tomatoes
4. stir
5. turn slow cooker on and let cook for at least 8 hours

While losing the job was kind of like being punched in the gut, I have to remember that just because things don't work out there are positive things that can still happen. Looking at the bright side, the first item to list in the "Hooray" column was that I wouldn't have to commute two hours every morning and two to three hours at night to return home. Yes, three hours! this was because the Mississauga transit doesn't run after midnight and depending on how late work went, the subway stops running, meaning I would have to walk and take the alternative night bus routes. While I did do this all last season when I wasn't mooching a ride from some crew member that felt sorry for me I can say without blinking that I did not enjoy the commute home. The mooching part while in good company was just that mooching. I hate leeching. The longest it took to get back home and to bed was three and a half hours. So yay, no commuting.

I also have to remember back to the time I didn't get work on Total Recall (the film). Had I gotten that job I would not have been free to work in Boston for five glorious months and I would have never met the amazing crew of R.I.P.D., never would have met Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, or Kevin Bacon's dog. I would not be able to say I worked along side some of the amazing guys at Rhythm & Hues on one of their last movies or be reunited with the guys at Image Engine. It is something I will remember for years. Those guys at R&H by the way, Derek, Jeff, Adam were all great to work with.

Other things like experiencing my first Black Friday shopping experience, exploring the Freedom Trail, seeing the U.S.S Constitution, and the rest of Boston with it's history, culture, and food. Yes, the food, from the almost extinct Hostess Twinkie, to the lobster tail filled cream puffs at Mike's Pastry, to the best Clam Chowder at Cheers (I know, who would have guessed). All this because I didn't get hired to work on Recall.

So, Let's see what's behind door number two...