An Old Shoe

I'm sitting at ITS having just taken my first two calls. It feels good! It's been 16 months since my last shift in the ITSC, and things seem to be coming back pretty quickly. My phone login code is still the same (although I couldn't remember it initially)... all the programs are pretty much the same. Oh, and the callers are just as technologically challenged as I remember! I'd like to officially thank the techno-challenged for needing this kinda service! I have a job because of you!

My room is still a sea of boxes. The first thing I did when I got home yesterday was to rearrange the boxes so that I could walk around. Hehe... Then I got lazy and watched TV for the rest of the evening :)

I actually watched a really great new show called Standoff! With Ron Livingston (Burger from Sex & the City), and Gina Torres (Anna Espinosa from Alias, and Zoe from Firefly/Serenity)... REALLY INTENSE. Hopefully the show can keep up with itself...

So tonight, I'm gonna press forward with the setup of my room. My goal is to get the room to the point where I can walk around in the dark without tripping! Oh yeah, any my other goal is to get my speakers set up. Right now, i'm using the shitty speaker that's built into my LCD... it's worse than my laptop speakers... Definitely a situation that needs to be rectified.

Tick Tock

I just got back from my farewell lunch with my coworkers. The end seems closer than ever.

Well, it's not the end. Just a comma. Or maybe an ellipsis...

You know what I love about packing? I love finding all the stuff that's been missing for months. Dad, I found that thinsulate sleeping bag that we assumed has slipped through the cracks. Also, I found 2 TTC tokens, some pens, that sharpie marker that disappeared before Christmas sometime, and my little Garfield knick-knack thingy that I've had for as long as I can remember. They were all missing in plain sight.

In other news, curling season starts in 16 days. WOOHOO

I'm Trying to Write the End of This Chapter...

I'll be 22 in October. 22 and on the home stretch of my bachelor's degree.

I have been out of the educational system for 16 months now, working an incredible job, with incredible people. In two days, I will be packing up my desk, loading up a truck, and high-tailing it back to school. I wonder if I'll be able to fit the contents of my cubicle into one of those fun brown cardboard boxes with the lids, you know the ones that people use to pack in the movies?

My problem is that I don't remember what being a student is like. I have some great memories of school, but they're coupled with visions of blood and sweat pouring into assignments, labs, quizzes, midterms, and finals. What's my student number again? Oh yeah.. I remember.. That number will be burned into my brain forever.

People keep asking me "Are you excited to be going back to school?" Personally, I'm getting quite tired of answering that question, because I haven't really been able to put my mental state into words. Until now...

Angst: an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety. Although this definition sucks (reusing the root of the word in the definition is baaaad.. tsk tsk.), I personally feel that it describes my current mental state. I'm not stressed, or happy, or sad, or excited, or depressed, or pumped.. I'm anxious. I want to get back to school, so that I can stop thinking about the fact that school is coming...

I am typically a big fan of change, so in that respect, yes I am excited... But I'm not excited about school yet. Just about the change part.. ;) That doesn't mean that I wont become excited when I get settled in and start seeing frosh wandering around aimlessly... or when I drive up to the grease pole and (maybe) get all dirty in the pit when the lame frosh can't climb the pole after an hour... or when I sit down in my first class and start learning course material that I actually got to choose (fiiiinally, some electives)... but for now, I'm just anxious :)

So the end is in sight! My room is almost packed up.. All that's left is some work finishing, some kitchen packing, some house cleaning, some truck loading, and some driving. Then flip it around and repeat.

The Art of the Monsterous Bomb

This morning, while watching the Men's world curling championship on www.curltv.com, I saw something worth sharing.

Two years ago, Quebec hosted the Junior World Curling Championships, and we were given the opportunity to play a practice game against Team Sweden to help them warm up before the event. Team Sweden went on to win the worlds that year, obviously because of the good practice game we gave them. The third of that team was Nils Carlsen, who is now skipping the team at this year's Men's worlds.

When we played against them two years ago, the coach of team Sweden was bragging about how Nils has the biggest take-out weight in Europe. Our response? "Oh yeah, well wait till you see Daniel throw". Daniel plays second on my curling team, and has some of the biggest takeout weight that you'll see anywhere. So we had a bit of a "mine's bigger" fight, and eventually agreed that they can both throw pretty ludicrous takeout weight.

So today, I was watching Canada play Denmark on curlTV, when they switched over to show another game between Sweden and the US. Sweden was down by 4 points playing the 9th, needing at least 2 in order to have a chance in the last end. The only shot that Nils possibly had was a blast drag-effect monster catching a piece of a rock that was frozen onto another, driving that onto a sliver of a back rock, spilling them both and counting 2....and even that was a remote possibility.

So he put the broom down and headed down to the hack. He lined up, pulled the rock back, swung the thing waaaaaaaaay up over his head (probably the biggest backswing I've ever seen), launched forward, crooked and unstable but moving FAST, and managed to get the rock off in the right direction, so fast that the sweepers couldn't even follow it. BANG. Rocks fly everywhere! One actually jumped off the sheet onto the carpet. Another smashed into the rock pile behind the house making things fly everywhere. Officials were running around freaking out, checking rocks for damage. Hahaha. They were especially concerned about the rock that was first hit, since it was frozen on another, effectively sandwiched between the shooter and the rock it was frozen on. Sweden only ended up taking 1 point, so they decided to shake hands on that high note.

I know how officials cringe when their precious rocks get jeopardized. I've never seen a rock break in curling, except in the Men With Brooms curling movie... but we still get yelled at often by Curling Quebec officials. I wonder how the American officials spoke to the Swedish team afterwards? I can just see Gwen (an official that comes to our club in Stanstead every year for our Canusa mixed bonspiel) waving her finger at Nils. Hahaha.

Kudos to Nils for representing the big weight shot. There aren't very many teams out there that bother to attempt the impossible MONSTEROUS BOMB when they have nothing else. I look forward to having the chance to play that team again at some point.

Lots and lots of sleep

I have slept a lot this weekend.

I'm recovering from the flu. Thursday night after my SC reunion downtown, I got back here and crashed. I woke up Friday morning and could barely move. Sore throat, swollen glands, plugged up sinuses, fever, headache, muscle weakness... So I went back to bed.

Now it's Sunday, and I have slept off the worst of it. I went outside today and cleaned my car. It was beautiful out. And did I mention that I cleaned my car? *gasp*

Styx concert next weekend! Can't wait. Although I read that Dennis DeYoung left the band in 1999 to do solo stuff. At least Tommy Shaw and the rest of them are still kickin it. I downloaded their lastest studio album "Big Bang Theory (2005)". It showed me that they no longer know how to write music to stay relevant in the music industry, but that they've still got what it takes to perform their old stuff. And that's all that I ask for :)

So there goes my life

It's 12:21 am, and I don't really feel like sleeping. I'm in my room, and it's comfortable. The mood is perfect, exactly how I like it when I feel like relaxing. My room has really become my center lately. Work has been intense, big projects, steady workload, deadlines fast approaching. So it's nice to come home to a sanctuary - a realm for my mind to leave the trials of now. My ears are typically my preferred escape route. Tonight I chose City and Colour. Dallas Green. The album is called Sometimes. Amazing music to crank up and absorb. In an online world, it was really nice to venture out to a record store and put 15 bucks down for a disk of this calibre. I keep thinking to myself that I haven't enjoyed work this much since starting this job way back at the beginning of this universitary interlude. I perform when I'm under pressure from all directions. I thrive on extra pressure. There's just something about that last rock that drags me right in. And that's what I've got right now. The game is in my hands. Ultimately, I don't think I could have it any other way. For now, I will unwind in my sanctuary, then crawl in for a good night's sleep. Life is still out there - so I must absorb this moment while I can.

Retrograde

At work earlier this week, Susan, a colleague of mine, warned me to back up my hard drive because of Mercury retrograde. I nodded obligingly, stating "Yeah, it's been a while since I've backed up! I should do that". I don't really take astrology very seriously, so I still haven't gotten around to backing up.

This morning, Brandon signed on to MSN, and his name alluded to a serious computer hardware failure. Upon further investigation, I learned that his brand new Seagate hard drive had failed. It would boot, albeit with that damned depressing ticking noise. After 4 or 5 minutes, the computer would crash and the drive would konk out.

Coincidence? Maybe. Eerie? YOU BET.

Being the curious type, I investigated and found this: http://medicinegarden.com/astrology/merc_retro_030206.html

Mercury Retrograde occurs about 3 times a year, during the period in which Mercury overtakes the Earth in our eternal race around the sun. If we were giants and could stand atop the earth, peering out across the landscape of our solar system during Mercury Retrograde, it would appear as though Earth were traveling backwards with respect to Mercury. Sure it's an illusion, but illusions are fun, aren't they?

Are we to believe that, while our planet goes about its business, another big rock traveling through space zings past us three times a year, slamming a shockwave of space gasses and dust (and maybe a bit of karma) into our atmosphere, causing massive data loss, lack of self-confidence, failed business practices, and accounts for all of those socks that I've lost in the dryer?

Finally, an explanation that adds up. I leave you with a poem:

MERCURY RETROGRADE
by Linda Anderson

When the telephone rings, but nobody's there,
It's Mercury Retrograde in the air!
When you're stuck at the airport, your flight's been delayed,
You're waiting with Mercury Retrograde!
When you can't communicate, everyone's in a trance,
That's Mercury Retrograde doing its dance!
When you can't get on-line to talk or to trade,
You're dealing with Mercury Retrograde!
When the folks you work with can't get along,
That's Mercury Retrograde singing its song!
When the TV's on and the screen starts to fade,
Just remember it's Mercury Retrograde!

But, when you're late for a meeting, you don't need to fret,
With Mercury Retrograde, no one's there yet!
When the mail doesn't come, there's no bills to be paid,
Shout hooray for Mercury Retrograde!
When the car keys get lost, you can't go anywhere,
Just stay home and read in your plush easy chair.
Eat lots of cookies, and drink lemonade,
And toast your friend Mercury Retrograde!

There's no point in striving to keep up the pace
When Mercury Retrograde gets in the race.
Take time to relax, and your nerves won't be frayed
These three weeks when Mercury goes Retrograde!

The River of Life

So I was clicking through my daily six sites (http://www.webuser.co.uk/news/81267.html?aff) and stumbled upon a post from Larry Osterman's blog.

It can be found here: http://blogs.msdn.com/larryosterman/archive/2004/08/31/223355.aspx

In it, Larry discusses the following parable:

Once upon a time there was a town that was built just beyond the bend of a large river. One day some of the children from the town were playing beside the river when they noticed three bodies floating in the water. They ran for help and the townsfolk quickly pulled the bodies out of the river.

One body was dead so they buried it. One was alive, but quite ill, so they put that person into the hospital. The third turned out to be a healthy child, who then they placed with a family who cared for it and who took it to school.

From that day on, every day a number of bodies came floating down the river and, every day, the good people of the town would pull them out and tend to them - taking the sick to hospitals, placing the children with families, and burying those who were dead.

This went on for years; each day brought its quota of bodies, and the townsfolk not only came to expect a number of bodies each day but also worked at developing more elaborate systems for picking them out of the river and tending to them. Some of the townsfolk became quite generous in tending to these bodies and a few extraordinary ones even gave up their jobs so that they could tend to this concern full-time. And the town itself felt a certain healthy pride in its generosity.

However, during all these years and despite all that generosity and effort, nobody thought to go up the river, beyond the bend that hid from their sight what was above them, and find out why, daily, those bodies came floating down the river.

It seems today that...umm...all you see is violence in movies and sex on tv... I just had to keep the lyric going..

...but seriously, it seems today that the average member of society tends to focus their efforts on solutions to effects, not causes.

As an engineer, it's my job to look for solutions to problems. Even my "role" in society accepts this somewhat flawed idea of looking for solutions to effects. That's because it's often way easier, and more practical in the short term. Also, dealing with effects is way more profitable...if solutions aren't found, then the effects will continue to be felt, and the money will keep flowing.

Engineering, medicine, our personal lives, etc. Examples are everywhere. Take tylenol...the ultimate symptom masker. Why can't I just fix the cause of my headache instead of hiding the symptom? Answer: Because most of the time, there are way too many things that could be wrong, and narrowing down the cause would take way more effort than allowing nature to just run its course. So while nature is doing its thing, I might as well make things a little bit more bareable by popping a pill or two.

Exhausted at work? Got get a coffee.

Cut yourself? Get a band-aid.

Bad day? Write a blog post.

The Macaroni Battle

While the water comes to a boil, the soldiers sit patiently in a measuring cup. The call comes in and the seven minute march toward al dente begins. The clash ignites immediately, turning even the strongest into soggy limp noodles. Casualties fall along the way...out onto the kitchen floor. But the battle roars on. A warning beep sounds. The final countdown beings. All involved wait in anticipation for the final beep...that ear-piercing war-ending beep. Seconds remain. BEEP.... BEEEEEEEEP.. The battle ends.

The next day, while sweeping my dirt pile into a dust pan, I lay my eyes on the fallen soldiers. The battle can't always stay in the pot. I pause to remember those lost in the great Macaroni Battle. I weep. Then I sweep. I sweep the remainder of my pile onto the dust pan and deposit its contents into the garbage pail. As I reach for the light switch, my mind drifts off to thoughts of future battles. The room goes black and I head to bed.

Sunday Nights

I crave two-way communication.
The simplest exchange will do.
Confirmation of existence, significance.
Trained to tread on egg shells,
Dismissed for personal reasons.
Is there nothing I can say to break through?
I open my mouth and hear nothing.
The gears turn, and shallow attempts are made,
but my words never attain adequacy.
But that's okay...
Nothing a good night's sleep won't improve.
We'll start the week tomorrow.
Coffee?

Scott Results

Okay, so I was wrong. Well, no. I was partially wrong. :)

Here were my calls!

Nova Scotia vs. New Brunswick - Yay, I was right :)
Nova Scotia vs. Quebec - Yay, I was right :)
Alberta vs. British Columbia - Yay, I was right :)
Alberta vs. Canada - Boo, I was wrong...Canada won
Newfoundland vs. Ontario - Boo, I was wrong...Ontario won

So instead, there are only 5 teams that have qualified for playoffs. Quebec and Newfoundland are playing right now in a tiebreaker, and it looks like Quebec is gonna win.

Anywho, this was fun. My prediction skills need a little bit of work. Maybe for the Brier in 2 weeks :)

My Scott Tournament of Hearts Predictions

So Curling fever has swept around the world, thanks to the Olympics! Right now, the Scott Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women's national curling championship, is monopolizing the air waves. Three games a day all week, culminating with some (hopefully) exciting finals this weekend.

I feel like playing a little prediction game here. There are two draws left before the playoffs are set. Only the top four teams will qualify!

Right now, there are 6 teams in contention for those 4 spots. They are:

BC 8-2
Nova Scotia 7-2
Team Canada 7-3
Newfoundland 7-3
Alberta 6-3
Quebec 6-4

There are five games left that have any bearing on these standings. My winning preditions are in bold

Nova Scotia vs. New Brunswick
Nova Scotia vs. Quebec
Alberta vs. British Columbia
Alberta vs. Canada
Newfoundland vs. Ontario

Summing all that up, all six teams will qualify for at least tie-breakers.

1st- BC 9-2
2nd- Newfoundland 8-3
3rd- Nova Scotia 8-3
T-4th- Alberta 7-4
T-4th- Team Canada 7-4
T-4th- Quebec 7-4

Team Canada will play Quebec, and the winner will play Alberta for the final playoff spot.

Here's to hoping I'm right :)

Booby Trap

Stress is a very...umm...fucked up...emotion. Have you ever convinced yourself that you were dying? Now, you and me, let's do some visualizing together. Clear your mind... Take a few deep breaths... Ready?

Now imagine the stress that would overcome you during the moments following the recognition of a terrible inevitability...your imminent demise.

YOU'RE DYING, BUTTWIPE! GET USED TO IT.

Where do you think your thoughts would take you?

On Wednesday night, I had myself convinced that I was going to die.

What are the chances of a man getting breast cancer?? Supposedly, an inherited "altered gene" is required (or most likely required) for a male to get it. I'm not doctor... I've learned all of my medical knowledge from TV. ER, House, CSI... that's about it. Oh yeah, Biology class and common sense were helpful too. But mostly TV :) And on TV, people always have that rare thing...

So I sat at home on Wednesday night with a fever, chills, and this very strange red mark on the right side of my chest. A little squeeze revealed a lump under the skin.

"OH NO! IT MUST HAVE METASTASIZED AND MOVED TO MY BRAIN! I'M GONNA DIE! WHAT AM I GONNA DO?? AHHH. I HAVE TO TRAVEL. THAT'S WHAT DYING PEOPLE DO RIGHT?? I HAVE TO QUIT WORK AND TRAVEL! I'LL VISIT.. UMM.. AMSTERDAM!! HONG KONG!! FIJI!!"

Two hours later:

"AAHHHHHHHH...........OKAY, I'M GONNA GO TO SLEEP"

Two hours later, dreaming, I sat out on some quaint terrasse in Europe, smoking a big one, sipping single malt, waiting for my time to come. I'm sure the dream went somewhere else, but I can never remember after I wake up.

On Thursday morning, a nice doctor at the nearby walk-in clinic took one look at my red mark, handed me some anti-biotics from his samples cabinet, and sent me on my way.

That's it? I'm not dying? Well.. umm.. AWESOME!!! Talk about an over-reaction.

My father put it well: "You dumbass," he said empathetically. "You should have just called me! I could have told you that you weren't dying."

Why didn't I think of that?

Oh yeah, I remember! I was DYING! I guess that panic-stricken Rob doesn't think to make phone calls. As it turns out, I was only dying of stress. The more I had convinced myself that I was dying, the more stressed I got, and the more stressed I got, the closer I was to having a heart attack or a nervous breakdown! Now that's a vicious cycle if I've ever seen one :) Who would have thought that convincing yourself of your fate would eventually force your body to follow along!

So it was a coincidence that my little infection appeared where it did. It could have been on my leg, or my arm, or my face... But nooooo, it picked the one place where infections shouldn't be, and freaked me right the hell out! From now on, no more fear of dying! That's right. I'm gonna grab life by the balls, and go for the gusto! Carpe Diem! I wanted more ways of saying sieze the day here, but I'm at a loss. Ideas anyone?

Oh and one more thing! Don't tell anyone I told you this. It's waaaay too embarassing :)

To write or not to write

Lately, there has been much debate about the validity of personal blogging. "Why should I maintain a blog?".

Adam says that he only writes blog posts when he has miscellaneous time to kill, and would not write if he could be doing other, more exciting things. Conversely, Kendall generally writes posts to satisfy a desire for an outlet...he blogs to vent about issues that are on his mind, and/or to express creativity. My dad seems to be a combination of the two, only writing when the spirit moves him, and in random "Oh yeah, I have a blog! I should write" moments.

All of these differences have got me thinking about why I have a blog. I wrote my first post at the threshold of a new period in my life. I had recently finished my 3rd year of Computer Engineering, and was two weeks into a very new concept for me: a 16-month internship, a 9-to-5 job! The fact that it would be 16 months before I would have to look at another school book had me salivating with excitement. I had only known school life at that point. Since the age of 4, I had returned to school every September. It was something that I had grown accustomed to. A routine. But there I stood - dipping my toes into something fresh. The seemingly never ending cycle that I had always known was on a 1 year break, and I needed to express my emotions on the matter somehow... That's why I started my blog.

I am no longer that naive little boy, fresh out of the womb that is our education system. I have tasted real work. My palette took a few months to adjust, but now that it has, I feel like I've gained a ton of perspective. In six months, I'll be heading back to finish up my degree. It's not every day that someone gets the chance to re-enter the womb for a few months after gaining experience in the real world. It's like being (re)born with the ability to walk and talk. That makes me a lucky guy and I'm glad that I have a blog to express that sentiment.

I've had spurts of inspiration since starting this blog, many of which have led to some amazing comment threads...but I've wavered recently. There are times when I enjoy writing how I feel, and there are times when I'd rather just keep things to myself. Right now, I'm in a writing mood! And I have a feeling it'll last... for a while at least. So here's to being back on the blogging bandwagon after many months of sporadic, uninspired posts. Don't expect perfection... I only like to give people the impression that I'm perfect. But that's another post... :)

My Legs Hurt

That's right. My legs hurt. But I love this burn. I want more.

I crave altitude. Relaxing ascents. Aggressive descents.

Moguls and glades. The Contour. 54+.

I'm head over ski boots in love.

Fight For Your Singular Gender-Neutral Pronoun

How many times have you been scolded by your English teachers or proof-reading friends for using the wrong singular gender-neutral pronoun? It sure happens to me often. Actually, I'm pretty sure that this gramatical error is one of my most frequent errors. Not sure what I'm talking about? Here's an example:

There exists an individual whose left arm is longer than their right arm.

The use of the word their is grammatically incorrect in this sentence... Nowadays, their is used as the plural gender-neutral pronoun, and is not acceptable for the singular case. The correct version would be:

There exists an individual whose left arm is longer than his or
her right arm.

Why should I have to use three words - his or her - in place of one simple word - their? Does this make sense to you?

It turns out that this change was made by a law passed by British Parliament in the mid 1800s stating that "...words importing the male gender shall be deemed and taken to include females." This allowed the british government to throw the word He around in the drafting of new laws. I guess they conveniently forgot about this law when women weren't given the right to vote until decades later.

So now, I have to get red marks all over my technical writing assignments because some government in England in the 1800s decided that they wanted to run a male dominated society? That's silly. That's just down-right ridiculous. How come people haven't realized this and reverted back to the old ways? Especially now that gender equality and political correctness are so important to everyone.

For more info, check out: http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=330

I want my singular gender-neutral pronoun back!