Week the First

Well the first week at the new job went, er, well. Like I suspected, a week of reading and getting to know peoples names. Kinda dull but to be expected after all.

I should mention that I now work for an airline. Because the employees get a pretty decent discount on flights they fly every-which-way as often as they can. Meaning of course they bring back a continent's (and places further) worth of diseases, so yes I'm sick again. However because of this everyone has advice on what to do to prevent getting caught by a bug.

However laminating myself gets... uncomfortable.

Next week I have a two-day "drink-the-koolaid" session which should prove interesting. As stated, I'm working for an airline so much of the new hire intake will be flight attendants. Flight attendants! This has a cheesy early-sixties road-movie theme written all over it. I just hope I'm the crooner and not the mal-adjusted goof in this one.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Hey Laaaaaadyyyyyyyy!

On the home front I still haen't received the balance of my $1045 damage deposit from my old place. The management company keeps giving me the run around. They didn't send it, then they said they did send it but couldn't tell me where. Then they said they had problems. Enough. Monday I'm telling them to cancel the cheque and re-issue another one. It would not shock me in the least if this was standard operating procedure for these slum-lords. But that's way to much money to let slide.

Speedy Day

Alright, I will describe my first week at work but today's schedule is somewhere in the "insane" realm. I'll see what I can do tomorrow.

In the meantime, fans of Tiki Bar TV may enjoy this (Not safe for work by any means). I know I did.

But It's My First Day...

First day at the new grind!

And not bad at all actually. Despite lacking a PC manufactured this century, I had the usual "Read this. And this. And some of these..." kind of day. The first day on the new job is always a bit awkward: you have no idea what you are doing, you don't have an access card so you need to knock on doors and look forlornly through the little window, you meet people whose names you instantly forget. Well, not Capa. He bought me two coffees today which I'm assuming is a bribe to keep quiet about previous jobs.

The only thing that I'm still unsure about is the commute. For the past four years I've been taking the heel-and-toe express and driving to work on a daily basis is still one of those things in the "Con" column. For instance, we had a sudden blizzard this morning, and on the way home, I crawled past two accidents and had to come to a sudden stop because the car driver in front of me decided to get out of his vehicle for no obvious reason. It's thirty minutes one way which means I need to get my ass out of bed thirty minutes earlier (or at least stop hitting the snooze button.

Not to mention the price of gas. Hooboy.

However the benefits of driving means I can do those little things I normally do after work right after work. Before I'd come home, make dinner, check email etc. then go do the running around or go to the gym. I can do that on the way home now so my whole evening isn't shot.

So for this week my evenings will be filled with BSG Season 3.

Geek out!

All in all I think it was a very good day.

Wisdom of the Ancients

So I'm probably going to have to change the "thirty-something" in this blog's banner and replace it with a new number in a couple of months.

My Mom is freaking out about more than I am, so that's, er, well I'm not sure what that is. I feel immature.

I noticed lately that time has been doing it's ravaging thing. It started with the ski trip in February. I already reported that things were broken, I ain't as young as I used to be etc ad nauseum but there was also something from that trip that turned out a bit odd.

Now since I was with the "young 'uns", most of them posted pictures on Facebook. The pictures of me seemed to have something wrong with the colour, or light or something but in almost all of them there was a yellow tinge in my face around the cheeks.

I first thought it was just something to do with the photos. Then I noticed that once in a while there was a hint of yellow in my features when viewing my mug in a mirror. I then put it down to the ravages of tobacco consumption and started to scrub a bit harder in the mornings. It was still there.

Now understand that as rule I am not fond of the medical profession. There is a history with myself and with my family of being victims of medical malpractice, usually involving major surgery. Two years ago there was the whole strep throat debacle, but that was the latest in a long string of medical practitioners who frankly need more practice (but not on me thank you very much).

I tend to self diagnose. The internet is wonderful for that. And most of the time I'm dead on. That was probably the wrong choice of words.

Anyways, I believe I 1) am a bit anemic and B) probably have a touch of scurvy. Sounds ridiculous but all the symptoms point to it. Lack of energy, receding gums, yellowing of skin, lack of energy, cts taking a long time to heal etc. Yes, I hear you say "a pack a day may have something to do with that Moby" and you're right, but like most things there isn't just one cause.

I'm not the best cook in the world. I'm not the worst cook in the world. To qualify for either category one must actually cook and therefore I'm disqualified. I've always had to be careful of my diet because of my wonderfully dysfunctional stomach (I get heartburn looking at a Caesar salad) and that may have been part of the issue. So I'm branching out in the culinary department a bit more.

I've attempted to balance my diet a bit: granola vs Fruit Loops, eating actual fruit (again, not Fruit Loops), stopping my Wine Gum addiction, taking a multi-vitamin and iron supplement (for the anemia) etc. This has been going on for a week and I'm starting to feel better already. Admittedly, I'm just getting over a two-week-and-counting cold and busted ribs but I'm taking it as a good sign.

Yeah, the smoking thing is going be around for a while though, sorry. I don't want to be so healthy that I make myself sick.

Half Way Between

One week after giving notice, one week before the new job means I'm halfway to out. For anyone who has recently quit a job, the "interim" between the two manifests some odd behaviours.

There's the melancholy that occurs as you realize probably won't see most of the people you spent half your waking hours with ever again. Not that they are bad people but life tends to work that way.

There's the sheer joy that soon, you won't have to deal with this person or that situation.

There's the impulse to slack off and just mark time because in a very short while, it won't matter anymore. Then there is the (hopefully) accompanying work ethic drive to do it right (whatever "it" is) and to leave with good last impression.

There's the uncertainty that you may have made the wrong move, and the certainty that you have done the best thing for yourself. These can, and often, occur at the exact same time.

There's the heartfelt congratulatory regards, usually accompanied by a sadness to see you go. Then there are others who have already dialed you out of their reality.

Then there's all the bloody forms to fill out....

A Lazy Weekend

Well, not really. Just the first one where the schedule wasn't booked to overflowing. I managed to unpack the last of the boxes, do laundry, clean the place, wash the car, get a haircut, drop off the dry-cleaning and all those other sundry chores that I've been neglecting for the last month.

Surprisingly I found that relaxing.

I'm feeling much more at home here than at the last place. The final touch is when I violate the terms of my lease and hammer nails into walls to put up pictures. Sometimes the pace just fits you.

And I've usually called home "The Fortress of Solitude" but I'm thinking it'll just be "The Roost". I have a great view of the south of the city and all the drug deals going on in the fast-food joint's parking lot. As long as they are quiet deals I don't mind terribly.

So new place, new job. Next: new girlfriend.

Actually, forget it, I just wanna relax a bit....

Step One: New Apartment. Step Two: New Job

Yup, new place of employment. But since technically this is an anonymous blog, I won't say where, but will say it's the same place (and same building and floor) as Capa. And many thanks to him for recommending me for the job despite all obvious and plentiful evidence to the contrary.

I'm excited about the new job, but resigning the current job kinda sucked. It's not even close to being as, well, mind-numbingly frustrating as the previous one. A very significant part of me is sad to see me go. I built up a team of great folks and despite one project from hell, was doing pretty well.

But the new job gets me out of lower-middle management and puts me back into cutting code. It's a senior position so there will naturally be some of the shenanigans that happen in any hierarchy, but it should be localized.

I get to cut code again!

Just (Another) One of Those Days

Fargin' Blargin'.

Two and half hours OT at work tonight because I needed to install an emergency patch to some software I didn't know we had. Super-duper rush on it for various reasons, but as usual it only affected one person (a VP granted but still). And even after that it didn't fix the problem. So back at it again tomorrow. Grumble.

It's a Microsoft Product so it shouldn't have come as a surprise.

Normally, this is part of the everyday in the glamorous world of Information technology. the timing is just off, that's all. Since I spent the weekend in Medicine Hat I didn't get a chance to do things like grocery shop or do laundry. Or actually relax as this was supposed to be the first weekend in about a month where I wasn't packing, moving, cleaning, unpacking or otherwise occupied.

And i can feel a monster cold coming on. Sigh. Or should I say, "digh". Eesh.

But! maybe the good news I've been hinting at will come through on the morrow. It will mean a period of, well, let's just say to get the good I gotta dish out some bad which will suck. All for a good cause though.

I'm off to chug a gallon of orange juice as I believe I have a borderline case of scurvy. Seriously, I think I'm playing too many pirate-themed games lately.

Update: Oh yeah, I have a cold of epic proportions. Gah...sniff