This Week

Considering the fact that we've had more winter in the past four weeks than we had all winter, it's no surprise that I have little to report. So here are the blog-bites.

I totally forgot that Big Blue's data drive is IDE and Black Betty (okay I have a thing for alliteration) runs ATA. Li'l Bro B suggested I pick up a decent external drive, transfer the files from Blue and just use that. So I picked up a 400Gb external drive. I'll be doing the file transfers this weekend. Gods know what I actually have on that drive besides my ripped CDs, resume stuff and, er, "artwork".

Work is going pretty well. A little emergency project yesterday that I was put in charge of (yes, scary) so I got to work and coordinate almost everyone on the team. It actually got me to open up a bit so my sense of humour came out. No complaints to human resources yet.

I think I'm finally at the tail-end of the cold I think Capa just got, after a bloody month. I know the pack-a-day didn't help but the thing knocked me on my kiester, which then got progressively bigger as working out was an exercise in frustration (see what I did there?).

Last, and hopefully least, I spazzed out and posted a personal ad on Craig's List. I know, I know, I said I'm not looking. It's sort of half social experiment, half the true start of the mid-life crisis. Considering all the hullaballo about finding free 'n' easy "encounters" on there, maybe I won't need the "artwork".

Enter the New Machine

Got my new machine! Thanks PC Perspective! I got the High end setup but switched the quad-core CPU (which is nice) with a faster (3.0 MHz) dual-core. It's a new gaming rig and very few games take advantage of multi-core systems. So I went hard.

I need to Igor my old data drive to get all my files so I'm left without bookmarks and music for a while. Big Blue (the old machine) will go into semi-retirement as ... something. Maybe a Linux distro of some kind is in order. Black Betty (the new machine) is a near top of the line, sleek black and burnished titanium like whiz kid. It only took forty minutes to install Windows (well, and about another hour to install all the security patches).

My "bench marking" so far has been loading games on and trying them out with all the graphic setting turned up to 11. So far, so amazing. Except I haven't gamed in so long my WASD hand is all cramped up....

Anyway, out with the old, in with the new! Now, what's worth playing? Um....

Plan-Like

So week three at the new "jorb" is complete and I'm still liking it. I was actually able to make a contribution this week (Look at me! I'm useful) and the awesome power of the ludicrous benefit package is beginning to dawn on me.

My fortieth birthday is gonna be sweet!

Provided the 25cm snow thing doesn't happen again this weekend, I'm cleaning up the BBQ, going to my favorite butcher and charring some prime bovine flesh.

I don't know if it's the Springtime coming on, or if I'm just bored but I feel certain urges coming to the fore. Barely contained needs are rising up like a million tones of sap pumping in an arboreal forest. The sweats, the thoughts that rip you from the task at hand and plunge you deep into a misty-eyed reverie that leads to rumination of the possible. A drive, as undeniable and as ancient as Time has taken hold of my very roots.

Yup, gonna get me a new computer this week.

Update: Yes, I did get my damage deposit (a larger portion than I expected) back from the old place. And yes, I just placed the order for my new PC.

Return of the Return

After going over my taxes and re-doing it three times, I'm getting back (wait for it) $4200+. The plan was to buy the parts for a new gaming rig with the return. Now it's to buy parts for a nw gaming rig, a new monitor and hire a French maid.

Filed Life

It's tax season! While this usually inspires fear, loathing, hatred and confusion, this year is a little more interesting. Most years I have three forms to worry about: the one indicating income and taxes deducted, the one with my RRSP contribution statement and the remaining student loan interest (last year for that! Yay!).

This year though it was two jobs, two sets of RRSP forms, the tax form and other sundries. Moving twice and having two jobs last year made things ... confusing. I think I found almost everything (except for an RRSP form dammit).

In finding all these bits of paper, I purged my old files. I had tax returns going back to 1995. Not a biggie but stuffed in all those papers were a few things of note:

1. Cards, notes, tokens etc from ex-girlfriends (before the had the prefix appended of course). A tad depressing, but also a good reminder of the times that were better than the end.
2. My official censure notice of one of the "bad ol' days" of a former employer. At the time it threw me for a loop. Long story short, I was told I had a week to deliver something that should have been a month, it was critical to the business and there was a bug in the code. One bug. My boss at the time threw me to the wolves. It said I didn't take the time to test, that I didn't follow written standards (I remember asking where these were as I had never seen them. That did not help my case) and that my work was incomplete. This was dated two months after my annual review which stated I had "exceeded expectations" in all but two categories (and those I merely met). Looking back on it now I should have quit right there and then. I kept that notice to identify the precise moment in time I turned into a bitter curmudgeon.
3. My old school papers. Yes some of them were official (I kept the one showing I was one Fine Arts class short of a BSc Computer Science) but I had found some of the stuff from my college radio days. No pictures (I don't remember having my picture taken in those four years) but the radio guides, posters etc. The Rock and Roll years.

Mugged in Memory Lane nearing my fortieth.

So what's left is to do the actual taxes. I won't worry about the missing RRSP: I'll request a new form and do it in next years taxes. What with bonuses, profit share and purchase plans, I'm going to need the break with the new job.

Provided no one throws me to the wolves of course.

More Fun With Landlords

Just as I (think) I resolved the missing damage deposit, my new landlord has thrown me a whopper.

I found a note in my door indicating I was late with April's rent, that a report notice has been sent to a credit rating company and that I owe an additional $50 late fee. This was after last month's note that the processing of my application for pre-authorized payment had not been submitted to the bank for March's rent so could I please write them a cheque.

I gave them the pre-authorized withdrawal form in January. It is now April.

So I went to the building office (with all notes etc in hand) but the land-lady wasn't in, just her assistant. So she copied all the relevant info. I'll talk to the landlady tomorrow.

Mistakes happen: running a large apartment building is an exercise in frustration I'm very sure. So I'm hoping this can be worked out amicably. I'll give them a cheque for April when I see evidence that the credit report notice has been revoked. I'll also be asking for the pre-authorized withdrawal form back and giving them post-dated cheques. This little incident has not instilled any kind of confidence that when I vacant the building the auto-withdrawal of my rent will stop.

If things cannot be handled amicably, well I'll take it up with the management company and see what happens then.

Kinda Sorta Maybe

Having one of those blah kind of days. I'm on day four of a cold, I'm bored and a little antsy about work. Not in a bad way, just want to get something accomplished. It would help if I had my developer-strength computer but that's just a waiting game.

Speaking of which, since I'm bored, lemmee tell ya about my dating situation.

Nada.

Which is actually intentional. I'm pretty damn sure I explained the whole "not looking" thing before, but what the hell it bears repeating. I'm not looking. Well, I'm looking at women of course, but I'm not pursuing any kind of relationship whatsoever. Not like the opportunity has presented itself, but at least this way I can convince myself it's my idea and not a long-running cruel joke played by the universe.

All of the relationships I've had have been, at some point, unsatisfactory. And yes I know I'm the common element so I'm just removing that particular parameter. Now if the universe presents me with a golden opportunity, I'd be a fool not to take it. But I'd be a greater fool to actually think it will happen thus I'm handing in the towel. Politely, and with no rancour.

The relationship part I'm good with. It's the whole pressure to perform that leads up to that point. It all comes down to expectations, and frankly now that I have none, I'm good. Well, better at any rate. There's of course the whole es-ee-ex thing to consider but I never said it was a perfect plan.

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

More Random Encounters

The old place is clean! Well, it's at the point where I frankly lost interest in scrubbing. Only one place I've ever rented at actually was fair about returning the damage deposit, and trust me if these guys do the inspection they way they rent apartments (get money, spend none of it) I can probably kiss the deposit good-bye.

On to random encounters. The coffee shop I frequent at lunch is kinda of a old hippy place. Organic three bean salad, recycled paper cups the whole works. Consequently there is a large population of old hippies. Now that's a generation I generally consider to be "ineffective" at this stage of it's life (previous stages being "arrogant", "hypocritical" and "greedy beyond belief").

Since I'm in there nearly every day, I've learned that these folks stand at the food displays they hum and haw, trying to decide between the whole-grain macaroni and macro-biotic cheese and the organically-grown vegetable salad. This can take forever. So when I see this awesome display of total indecision, I jump ahead to the actual line up of people who know what they want ends.

Yesterday at lunch, this situation did indeed occur. There was a couple doing exactly that: waffling about what they wanted. Fortunately (or at least I thought at the time) there was nobody at the till ordering so I naturally went up and ordered my americano.

It was while I was waiting for my brew that I heard someone talking awfully loud at a tome that indicated righteous indignation. I then realized that they were talking to me.

Apparently there was someone standing behind the pair of former hippies. She gave me a little lecture that, in summary, said I was rude for cutting into line. I told here that I didn't see a line, only people deciding what they wanted. She really didn't like that answer. She went on but my coffee was ready so I switched her off.

Now I fully admit that technically I cut in line. But since the line started about ten feet away from where you actually order, I see it as a line in potentia and not a manifest queue. Sure, I felt a little guilty, but that's mitigated by the look of smug, self-righteous, self-satisfaction on the defender social order's face.

So I was totally surprised when a similar situation happened again. This time, it was by a solitary granoloid who happened to be standing right in the frickin' doorway. I had to actually gently move her aside so I could enter the coffee shop. Again, nobody at the counter, just the cute girl who has a smile perfect for starting the day with. I ordered my extra-large medium and proceeded to make my way outside.

The door-stop with the hemp sweater then gave me hell for cutting in front of her. She was barely even in the place to even be in a line. So I just didn't register her existence (I hadn't had my first cup of coffee after all) and walked out.

Apparently I'm a rude boy. Maybe the days of having women tell me I'm "too nice" is over? Doubt it.

Seriously, I consider people who are generally inconsiderate to be, well, inconsiderate. Butting in line is rude, yes, but those who hold up others because they don't know what they want but showed first. Certainly a grey area, but I have no patience for those who think showing up is all they need to do. And they giving flak to those who show up, do what they need to do and move on?

Bark away, folks, I'm too busy getting things done. And sometimes I need coffee to do it.

Back Online

Third time I've moved in two years, third time my able internet provider screwed up the damn transfer. Three days, no toobs. And of course I have all this stuff I have to do which is so much easier online.

I mean, why leave the house?

And to think I worked for them for eight years. I'm gone eight months and it all goes to pot. Oh wait, it was already there.

Speaking of which, well, I ain't gonna tell ya but I may have good news. I may also have no news since it's that kind of event but I'm all nothing kinda guy and since I can't have it all....

That's about it really. I'm alive, getting some rest, back at the gym, putting off cleaning, geeking out with my minions tomorrow (board games as a "team building exercise") and generally settling into the new digs.

And if the smell of cow shit is an indication, Spring is here!

Settling In, Settling Down

The move be almost finished. The only things left at the old place are my propane tank and the cleaning supplies. I hope I also left the AC adapter to my speakers and my mic headset as those are not where I thought I put them. I think the box may have opened and either they fell out (and the movers put them in the trash or something) or they were just taken as a "bonus".

The only other casualty was my laundry hamper. Those are cheap and plentiful.

So I'm quite happy with the move. It was quiet on a long-weekend Saturday night so that's the ultimate test passed. The living room is smaller but the trade off is the double-size storage area, a kitchen you can turn around in without hitting something and a view of the city instead of the parking garage. All for $185 a month less. Oh yeah and the gym with the bikini models. Some things you can't put a price on.

Moves are always times when you reassess your stuff. My stuff is, like their owner, getting old, banged up and dilapidatd (the gym will help the owner in that regard). I'm tempted to replace the whole shebang but that can get a tad expensive and I have a new computer to buy in the next couple of months (no, not a Mac Capa). Spore has an official date, I keep hearing rave reviews about Sins of a Solar Empire and, well not much else at the moment but that's at least something.

There may be other changes afoot but I don't want to jinx it. Let's just say there may be a second of the "life changing events" coming up.

And no, a new woman in my life is the third one. But then again, I could go hit the treadmill....

Get Me Gone

Well tomorrow is my final day of packing, then I'm outta here! And into a slight variation of "here" costing me about a paycheck but gaining me a good night's sleep so it seems fair all in all.

I'm actually surprised at the dearth (look it up) of crap I have this time around. Oh sure, there's three cubic meteres of Lego, the ten boxes of books and the surpisingly high number of towels I seem to have but they all have their uses and frankly I can't part with any of them. Well, maybe the towels that don't have edges and the odd bleach stain.

As payment for letting him use my vehicle for nefarious purposes (I hope he obscured the license plate) L'il Bro G helped memove in some of the stuff like plants and CDs into the place and commented he liked it better than my current place even though it's bigger. The current place not the new one. I tend to agree and not just because of the reduced noise factor. I tend to get a good "vibe" (or bad one) from an apartment and it's served me in good stead in the past. But because I'm me I tend to distrust those little intuitions and end up making bad decisions. This also extends to things like CD purchases, cars, jobs and girlfriends So I guess the point I'm trying to get at is that I'm going to trust my instincts a bit more.

For example I need to do some work tonight for an appointment I have tomorrow but I am disinclined to do so as I am still stoned from the over-consumption of back-pain medicine taken for my broken (yes I broke it) rib. But my instincts tell me that shrugging this off is a bad idea. Failure to do so will cause me short-term embarrassment and long-term "you fucked up your life"-edness.

But that could also be the drugs talking so who the hell knows?

That Movin' Groove

Sorry for the lack of update, this one has been busy.

Last weekend, I went skiing with the Social Club at work. Well I say work, but there were about a dozen folks who actually work there who went along about 15 of their friends each. Since these were younger folks, I'd say I was the oldest one there, by about 15 years.

The bus ride up Friday was a drink-fest and I manged to keep up with the young 'uns by downing most of a twenty-six of Stoli. However my "maturity" was evident when they all got up at 7 AM to hit the slopes and I felt like the slope hit me. This would be a theme for the weekend.

It was my first time out this season and frankly my first day was a good imitation of "Bambi": unsteady, moving slow and slipping alot. But fun was had although I did most of the day solo. That's one of things I like about skiing. You can have fun while swooshing on your own. By the end of the day my legs were cramped, which attribute to the hangover more than anything. I think the running from the last few months helped the ol' musculature because the next morning I was in any pain at all.

That night I braked the imbibing a bit. I did get to know my chalet-mates a bit better (pics on my Facebook page) and there's was general merriment. The effect was spoiled by three of the guys I was roomed up with: the Russian Mafia. Never had I been in such close proximity of boys who's egos outstripped their obvious immaturity by so much. I think it goes a long way to explaining why there is such a large amount of womentrying to find husbands outside the former Soviet.

Sunday skiing was better. I was actually able to keep my knees together on occassion and did some one-diamond black runs (no moguls, thank the gods). just before lunch though I had a bit of a fall. Somehow, I turned my velocity into a rotational velocity with my feet as the pivot point. I went down hard on my right size. Fortunatly the ski pole was between me and the patch of ice I hit. I'd say I had bent the pole about, oh, sixty degrees and got a nice impression of my rib cage on it. While I don't think I cracked a rib I still can't sleep on that side. I had forgotten what getting the wind knocked out of you feels like.

I called it a day after that and took pictures.

Today I'm packing up. In one week I go to my smaller and cheaper place. I picked up the keys last week and sort of planned out where I'm going to put stuff. It's going to be a tad crowdd but the storage room is about twice the size I have now so That will help out greatly. The best thing is I went over at about ten PM one night just to listen to what kind of noise I can expect.

Silent as the grave!

The next few days are packing and some preliminary moving. I've engaged movers for next Saturday but since they get paid by the hour I'm moving stuff in a bit at a time. With any luck (and Thursday off) I can get all the boxes over there. It's a faint hope as lifting things right now after my little spill is a tad painful, but I should get the lighter stuff over. I'll save the books for the paid help. The only worry is that when i call to confirm they will have "lost" the reservation as it is actually a long weekend next week.

Okay spell checker is shot, pardon the plethora of typos and poor grammar.