You got caught misspelling a simple word in front of 40 people that you are teaching in university. Own up to it, for Christ's sakes.
For more on from where I am casting pod, click here. 10 points to anyone that can identify which Charlie I am talking about, by the way.
Ça fait quatre ans que j'observe le gars de nuit qui travaille chez le Couche-Tard près de chez moi. Il était grand, genre six pieds deux, et fait fort. Je pense qu'il pesait 240 livres s'il en pesait une. Il avait des yeux grands et bruns. Il avait des bosses de rasage sur la peau de son visage, juste assez pour l'empêcher d'être "beau". Le gars, qui s'appelle Marc, était remarquablement gentil. Je me suis dit, "Yé ben fin, lui." Plus tard, je l'ai vu encore, et je me suis dit la même chose, mais en plus, j'ai remarqué comment il a une manière douce et calme, surtout sa voix, comme il essayait à calmer le monde juste avec sa voix. Après quelques mois, j'ai déduit qu'il est probablement gai.
Les années passaient, pas beaucoup a changé, sauf la couleur et la longueur de ses cheveux de temps en temps. Après chaque année j'étais étonné qu'il y travaille encore, les nuits. Mais jusquà jeudi soir, ça faisait longtemps que je ne l'ai pas vu. Cette fois, il y avait des différences assez impressionnantes. Premièrement, sa voix était même plus douce qu'avant, mais dans une façon que j'ignore, plus naturelle. Deuxièmement, il s'est maquillé les yeux. Troisièmement, je pensais que j'ai vu des seins en-dessous de sa chemise! (Il était assez gros pour avoir des seins d'hommes, donc j'étais pas certain.) Et la dernière chose, son nametag lisait "Marie".
Crisse.
J'y suis allé le lendemain pour acheter du root beer, et Christine la jeune rousse fine et drôle était là. Elle me confirmait que les seins étaient le résultat de la chirurgie, qu'il prend des hormones, et qu'au fur et à mesure qu'il va aller "all the way". Je crois que ça va prendre des années avant que la transformation soit complète, mais j'aimerais voir Marie à ce moment-là. Je pourrais dire que j'ai vu une telle transformation du début à la fin.
Interesting developments workwise in the last couple of days. After wallowing in a pit of despair, I sent my CV off to zura's company in order to see if I could get a crappy job. This job is thankless, exactly what I swore I couldn't do anymore (although it does sound a bit easier than any job I have had) and less lucrative than my first real job in 1999, EIGHT YEARS AGO. They do say that my experience and charisma (they didn't asy charisma, but you could tell that was what they meant) could net me more money, and working the night shift would give me an extra 15%. I wouldn't mind working the night shift so much since Rose is already on nights, and it's more money. So I lied through my teeth, saying that I don't mind rigid schedules for breaks and lunches (you actually have to work your way up to having a full hour!). This is by far the greatest challenge for me. Even in 1999, I had some level of freedom. Not so, here.
The interview was yesterday, and they said that I should give them a week before hearing from them. However, they really did want me to start. They simply had their due diligence to do. I sense no added layers here, either. The hiring process would be quick and straightforward. However, I did not expect it to be as quick as I thought. I received the offer in my voice mail that afternoon, although I didn't get the message until much later. They want me to start Monday. For someone in my position, that's great news, especially considering that Hydro sent an enforcer over to my house two days ago. Luckily, and this is all part of my master plan, they can't cut me off until April.
I didn't get the job. I just got the call about 30 seconds ago. I did make sure to express my disappointment and frustration with the mixed messages I received. They'll keep me on file, blah, blah, blah.
Things are...not good. Not good at all.
From Vanessa, why do we blog? I suggest you take the survey, just to see. Among the more interesting questions:
Has blogging changed your relationships with friends and family? If so, how?
Most of the members of my family don't know what blogs are. And the ones that do don't care. They wouldn't ask if I had a blog, and I wouldn't tell them anyway. So that hasn't changed. The only friendship that could have changed is my relationship with zura, and I can't see how that has actually changed at all, except that we now have a different way to share things such as this. (Niaiseux. What a great word.) Of course, you would have to ask her how she feels. Not even my relationship with Rose has actually changed, as I was blogging when I met her, and am blogging now. Nothing that has happened in our relationship has been affected one way or another because of blogging as far as I can see. But I haven't asked her yet. If I'm wrong, I'll let you know.
I thought I would re-publish this entry from more than four years ago. It's mostly still relevant, and rather thoughtful, I think. I sent this to a black coworker who could not agree more; he grew up similarly, and faces the same things.
I just had my toughest interview ever. And I don't think I got this job. He is concerned about my lack of direct experience. I might get a tryout period contract type of thing, but that seems like a remote chance now. I NEED the opportunity to prove myself. I'll never get it if someone doesn't take a chance. And if it will be like this everywhere, and I suspect that it will be, then I won't find work in what I want. This may be as good a chance as I will ever get.
There may still be something for me elsewhere in the company but really, I can't see that happening, either. Could be despair setting in, could be reality. I guess I'll find out.
This is where having a math degree helps you out in the expression of one's self. If I could describe this hiring process in one word, it would be asymptotic in the sense that I could get as close to the job as I want, given enough time, but that I will never actually get there. (Think of the graph of y = 1/x, if you can.)
I have another interview tomorrow with the team executive, who I was supposed to meet last Tuesday. Hopefully there won't be any delays this time.
Just an open question to women. It's in the Gripes about Women category, although I am not really griping.
WOOOO! George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is moving to the small screen as a series. I simply can't believe this. This could potentially be unbelievable. It will also give GRRM more incentive to finish the series on time, unlike another well-known fantasy hack author.
Tagged. Fine.
I didn't find out if I got the job. But thankfully I left a message with HR and they called me back. They say that things are looking pretty positive, like QUITE positive. They just have to check out the references and all should be fine. Now I can have a weekend free of freaking out.
UPDATE: I missed a message by one of my interviewers. She wants me to call back. Now I am all stressed again. She probably just had a question about my publications...
I wish booze ACTUALLY made stress disappear, if only temporarily. I suppose I should see if I could smoke a little shumthin later on.
They should have called back by now...Goddamnit, I don't think I got this job.
I can't take this waiting.
Any blogger that talks about feeling something other than normal will be met with responses from a bunch of people that say that they aren't normal, that normals suck anyway, and yay for us. But I wonder what the "normals" say to posts like these? Nothing, I guess. Or do they want to be part of the hip club of offbeats, so they post? Just once, I would like a self-proclaimed "normal" person to stand up and claim an active opposition to the way we see ourselves, and the world. Just to see how they define themselves and the rest of us. To hear them say that, yes they are normal, the others aren't, and to justify any value judgements they may have.
Also, the fact that there are so many "I am so different" posts highlights the growing alienation that we feel as society "progresses".
Although it may look as though I am implying that the posters there are lame, I truly don't mean that. After all, I am considered to be rather different, too. I guess I am wondering how there could be SO many people (and I think that there are, and the blogosphere/Internet touches the tip of the iceberg) that consider themselves separate, distinct and at times excluded from normal society. Could it be that in reality those that are considered normal are in the minority? Do the offbeats really want to be normal? Do the normals want to be different?
There must be separate visions of ourselves. One that views us an a unique person, particularly in this individualized society, and one that views us as part of a larger community, whether it be that of your neighbourhood, your city, ethnic group, greater society or whatever. Maybe these things conflict on a regular basis. It's food for thought.
There's this fat guy that just started a blog. He's sick of being 300 pounds and wants to lose 100 pounds, ideally 120. He recently made an entry about the perils of soft drinks. I just realized: this is probably what is keeping me at or over 200 pounds. I get it now.
Currently my thing is sucking back root beer. I love me some root beer. For some reason, I can never really get enough. If I am walking past the fridge, my body says, "Did you get your root beer?" And I get thirsty. If I am sitting at my desk (probably another reason why I am still at two bills), I might suddenly think "You need some root beer." And I get up (exercise!) to drink some. Luckily, this happens nowhere else, but still. It's the sensation of the carbonated party happening that I really enjoy, as well as the sugar, I suppose (although I can't relate to the term "sugar rush").
I consume most of my meals and beverages at night unless I am working. Then it is more evenly distributed. I shouldn't be eating and drinking that way at night, but it's as though I get so bored that I can't help it. And this from the guy that can wake up at 7 and not eat until 10:30.
I would like to say that this week (I'll take it week by week) I will cut down on the soft drink consumption. Just to see what happens.
This was the day of the interview. The most important interview I have ever had. Why?
This morning, I called EI to find out how much time I had left for benefits. I have exactly one week, this week. After that, it's all over. Further, because of an overpayment from a long time ago, half my money was deducted at source for the last month and a half. On top of that, my landlady is all up my ass about rent which I have not completely paid, and I owe her an extra $200 because of a very stupid mathematical error on my part. It's pathetic. Not to mention all the others on my case. Christ, what a bad year. That's what happens when you work a grand total of 11 weeks in 52.
But this interview could change all of that. They are looking for a person right away. It would be directly in my domain of choice, project management. This is VERY important; it would be a job that I trained for and chose to do rather than sort of fall into, like so many salespeople and teachers. Oh, and this opportunity is in the realm of video games; something that I should have been involved with fifteen years ago but instead, I listened to those with the attitude that video games are for children.
The interview went very well, despite me sounding like an intelligent toad due to a mild throat infection, cold or something. I met with the VP of Human Resources instead of the other HR woman, because it seems that HR is still not well organized. They lost another person and it's been chaos. It's been almost a year like this as far as I can see. Her role was to size me up to see if I might fit the role offered, and to see what else I might be good for. She said that this role was quite good for me, and that my CV had some very strong points in it.
Next up was a game director and an executive game director. The EGD came out with the hard questions right away: "Project management is completely different from sales. Why the switch?" and "Give me examples where you were a leader and a coach." I think that I answered those questions well enough. Everything after that was more or less smooth sailing. All I have to do now is provide references and hopefully that will seal the deal. I REALLY need this.
Wish me luck.
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Fast, athletic and flirtatious. |
The Cheeseorgy Network is back up with a brand new front page. I will see what I can do about changing other designs but for now, I will keep the ones I have.
Things are, in many ways, worse than ever. Ei is about to run out and I still have no job, however I do have a hell of an opportunity coming up next week. I NEED to make this happen; it's a matter of sanity, wellbeing and all kinds of positive states. I really can't overstate the importance of this opportunity. However, this isn't the only lead I have. My old company farmed out the product manager position to Toronto, as it turned out to be a part time thing anyway. However, it seems that they need a junior PCO, and the president pointed me in the right direction to get an interview.
Rose is blooming quite nicely in her new role. It appears as though she will never be a receptionist ever again. Her coworkers think that she is the best and they hope that she stays. At least this is working out well.
In any case, it is good to be back here.
