Merry blah blah blah... gimme stuff.

Popped home for the holidays, and did brunch at mom's on the 24th, dinner at dad's, then got up and everybody rushed about madly in preparation for heading out the door to go to southern Ontario to visit the extended family. Cpeed drove me back into the city (stopped by mom's on the way out of town and she STILL wasn't packed up and ready to go.. surprise surprise. She's always been one to harrass people to hurry up and get ready and get out the door, meanwhile we're sitting in the car for anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes (once) waiting for her, and she's rushing around the house, CLEANING. I know it's nice to come home to a clean house and stuff, but you do that in the days leading up to the trip, not when the rest of the family is sitting in the car, waiting to go...) where I dumped my stuff at Amanda's and waited for a little while before heading over to Rob and Liz's place for chillin and dinner, which was then followed by ninjanog (mmm, ninjanog). Went back and promptly crashed in bed. Yesterday was low key, and involved watching random things on tv, followed by some FF12 (mmm, FF12) until bedtime. KFC for dinner and a little drinkin' afterwards (mm Strongbow), and bed again. This morning was a normalish morning, though I had to cart my Pampered Chef bag of gifts* home with me on the bus as well as laundry (payment for hooking up Amanda's new washer involved using it to clean my clothes :D ). Home, low key day involving cleaning of various things, browsing of various sites, unexpected girl bums (though really, given the forum, I should have expected it), and... blogging. That pretty much sums up the past few days.

Done old job, starting new one on the First (as long as the guy gets in touch with me, or I get in touch with him, before the First). Old job was killing me in every way possible. My back got to the point where I called in sick about a week ago because I could barely move when I woke up. Given that I know exactly what triggered my back, that job was just bad for it. Hopefully the welding won't be so bad. (Can't WAIT to weld again!)

*Haul includes: Sunset painting by mah mommy (finally.. I've wanted this one for YEARS, and my brother wanted the same one.. so she did one for each of us, and I believe she still has the original), magazine subscriptions (as long as I keep on top of her about them) and some random chocolate, $30 from CD Warehouse (music or movies, not sure yet) from grandparents, CD (Songs of Eden by raintree, from Almonte), The Car Design Yearbook volume 5, pencil set, coloured pencil set (water soluble, meaning watercolourish!), sketchpad, bottle opener, 4 Scottish Ales gift box (1 of each) from Dad and Donna, some more chocolate, a gift card for Chapters from Rob'nLiz, a couple Hot Wheels cars (only 2 this year! *sadface*) and a little Bionicle figure-set from Amanda. I don't think I missed much. Oh, Dad also has some stuff in the mail or something for me.

Aside from that... yeah. Was good to see family for the holidays, but it's not home any more. Home is gone, now being loved by, and sheltering, a new family. Makes me sad... It's easier to type it than to say it to someone over the phone, though.

If I don't say it later, Happy New Year to the few who read this.

Dammit, I'm hungry. And I just ate.

I always start out saying "nothing new to report" and then it seems like I go on and on and on. I suppose you could say I'm a Ramblin' Man or something *grin* I got a call back from a dealership about a sales position, but I'm not sure how keen I am on it. Most people I talk to don't think it's right for me, which is kind of discouraging. So while it's there, I don't know about it. I've got an application for Police Foundations all filled out and ready to go, bit I'm waiting for some available cash so that I can send it in. $85 for the college application process. But I'm going to do THAT myself. Paying for it is something else entirely.

Work still sucks. Pay was less than $400 for the last two weeks, which really really bites. I'm going to essentially barely eat for the next two weeks (as is normal, really) so that I can be absolutely sure that I can pay rent with my next pay.

On the upside, I might not have to worry about money so much. I might have a line on a welding job. Turns out Other Rob has a client who is looking to put together a second crew for his welding business, because he's got so much work that his single crew can't handle it all. Bonus, I say. He said pay would be 16-18/hr (double bonus!) so I asked Amanda to forward my resume to Rob so he could pass it along. I just hope the guy didn't try to call Monday or Tuesday morning. I wasn't able to get time onto my phone until shortly before noon.

(Note to all concerned: Don't go with Pay as you Go. Yeah, there's "no commitments" and all that crap, but it's REALLY annoying when you keep running out of time because of a few phone calls and a bunch of text messages. Moreso when you can't AFFORD to put more time on your phone because all your cash is tied up. Rar.)

Met Amanda's mom on the weekend, and the three of us took the girls on a tour of Parliament, through the House of Commons, and the Senate Chamber, and then up the Peace Tower (the giant clocktower on Parliament Hill, for those who are clueless). I forgot just how BIG it is. I was walking up the path, and it just kept getting taller and taller and taller... Unbelievable.

*sigh* And now I go to work. I hate this fucking job. Ugh.

In a fit of boredom a few days ago, and frustrated with the length of my hair, AND too lazy to go to a barber to get it cut, I walked into the bathroom, picked up my clippers, and buzzed my hair all off. I've never had hair this short in my LIFE. I'm still getting used to it. The first two nights, it felt wierd to sleep on, being all sticky in the pillow, as buzzed hair often is. There will be pictures at some point, there just have not been any taken as of yet. And yes, I'll even show a "before" picture. I've been told a recent one exists, though I make no guarantees that my facial expression isn't entirely stupid.

In other news, I called the father of the classmate who died, after hearing through the grapevine that HE, in fact, might be willing to take me on as an apprentice. Unfortunately, he said he had JUST decided to keep his co-op student on, making 5 guys in a two-bay garage, but he took down my number and said that he'd call some buddies of his to see if he could find me something. Here's hoping.

In still other news, I fired off a resume to Ottawa Dodge in response to an advertised sales position. The in the experience listing, they covered pretty much everything sold, ever. That almost looked like desperation. $30k plus comission and benefits doesn't sound bad to me at all. And somehow I think I might enjoy THAT more than working on cars, because I really do enjoy sales. AND, I figure, I can work on cars in my own time, that way I'll still enjoy it, and get stuff DONE, instead of being all worked-out and putting it off forever.

Going to see Pirates 2 (Dead Man's Chest) tonight, and might stick around for Ricky Bobby afterwards, but you never know. Might just go home and crash instead of watching crashes *shifty eyes*

Bleh

Mildly sick, with a stuffy nose and sore throat and the occasional cough. Not quite to the point of popping Halls like they're candy, but that may come in a little while. Yesterday presented some chills and a mild headache, as well as hypersensitivity, but nothing close to an upset stomach, so it's not near what I had two years ago.

If I don't end up with an apprenticeship (because there's always the chance I'll be told "You're too old" again, which is really a complete crock, but whatever) I think I'm going to look seriously at car sales. I'm good at selling, I'm good at making people think they're getting a deal (or just plain giving people a good deal without compromising the bottom line) and I tend to put people at ease in a sales environment.

That's part of what's killing me with the grocery job. There is no sales, and no real interaction with customers aside from "do you have such and such fruit/vegetable?" It's driving me nuts. Sure I like hard work, but it's tedious, and in some locations in the prep room ("kitchen") it's supremely uncomfortable due to counter height and the repetetive reaching to the back of a 3 foot surface. (Awkward sentence, but I don't care.)

In other news...

My cell phone dropped off the kitchen table, hit the floor, and promtpy shut itself off for good despite being fully charged. I even plugged it back in to the charger and everything, but no such luck. So I have a new phone that is trying to be delivered (first attempt was yesterday around 6, and nobody was here). It's a Motorola V180, which isn't too bad. I doubt it'll be as good as the one it's replacing, because I don't think any phones these days have analog reception, just digital (which the old one had, making it handy for long distance drives through the U.S.). It may or may not have MP3 capability, but that's not really a concern for me, given that my iriver T30 is working fantastically (even after it fell out of my pocket and the lanyard got caught in my blades, dragging it for about thirty feet). It's got picture and I think video capability as well, which is kinda cool, but also not a huge deal to me, though I might end up taking a bunch of pictures with it, just because I don't have a working camera of any sort right now (which is driving me NUTS). Actually, it doesn't have a camera. I should have looked it up again before going on and on about it :P

Thanksgiving was low-key but enjoyable, some good eats and then lounging around.

B is all moved in, and despite some serious fuckups on the part of UHaul, it went as smoothly as possible, and we were done everything by about 10:00 or so on the Sunday. There are still some boxes around, waiting to be unpacked or (in the case of my TV box) waiting to find a home that is out of the way. To compensate for the lack of bass from the tiny tv speakers, I've got it hooked up to the amplifier that has been sitting on my desk since I moved in, and I've got the big wood speakers (that my dad may or may not have built) hooked up to that, so the sound quality is pretty good now, given that they're a pair of single 25 watt cones. The size of the box and the fiberglass insulation in the back works pretty well to give a decent rumble, and the amp has reasonable bass and treble adjustment. (For all the hearing impairment, I'm surprisingly sound sensitive :P)

I think I'm going to go close the balcony door. It's raining, a little windy, and 9 Celsius out, which is a little chilly when one is not wearing socks and not moving around.

One of these days, I'll realize that SOME people DO actually change.

While I was home for the weekend, the news came in that a classmate from highschool died on Friday. Apparently it was an OD. He was in and out of rehab, trying to get himself out of the cycle, but relapsed. The wake was today, and dad and his girlfriend were there, because in a small town, everybody knows everybody, particularly when the guy's father is the proprietor of one of the garages.

On my way to the (kickass) Shout Out Out Out Out show tonight, dad called me to tell me that the father told him that shortly before he passed, the classmate was asking about me.

I'm feeling very numb about this, because I don't look back fondly on most of my highschool experience. I was picked on pretty much right up to the end, which soured me on the instigators as well as the people who encouraged them by laughing. The classmate was a cool enough guy in smaller groups, but we really didn't hang out in the same circles. I remember that he always had a smile when we passed in the hall or on the street, and after highschool, we'd chat a little whenever I would bring one of my cars in (I owned three from age 17 to 22 (not all at once)) to his dad's garage, but one of his friends who also worked there (and was rumoured to have various drug problems) was always a jerk, and I think made him feel pressured to not be too nice to me, or something.

But this phone call I got. I almost didn't answer it, because of the stupid pay as you go shit. It cut me deep. To hear that someone who I considered a passing acquaintance was asking about me shortly before he died...

I really don't know how to feel.

But I think I'll use this as my inspiration to push myself into an apprenticeship. In case you didn't notice, I like cars. A lot. I also like working with my hands. I've always wanted to work on cars. I tried it once and was at a point in my life where I was too easily discouraged.

I'm going to figure out some way to do this.

This is for you, Sean.

Maxis has invaded my workplace.

Brief note before I go to sleep to get up in less than 4 hours, because I'm a moron.

They fixed the sound system at work.

It plays what is truly muzak.

Half the things it plays make me feel like a Sim while I'm rotating stock or prepping produce. I think it's the repetetive activities combined with the almost mindless light jazz.

*fwump*

Insert snarktastically clever title here.

Nothing quite makes your day like having work call up and tell you that since it's so dead and that practically no trucks came in, they don't need you. Then they asked me to come in first thing tomorrow morning and work all day. I can do a 15 hour day. No problem. But they sure as hell better give me two full half hour breaks.

Aside from a couple of rough and very grumpy days on my part last week, work is going pretty well. I'm starting to get the hang of things, even if I don't know what everything is yet.

I got my money from BouClair. Woohoo 868.48. Most of that goes to rent, then I sit on the rest until I get paid next Tuesday, at which point, I start paying people back the smaller amounts I owe. It's possible to dig yourself out of a hole, you just have to know how to go about it. (hint: DON'T DIG DOWN.)

The Town Pants are playing in Quyon, Quebec for the Halfway to St. Patrick's Day party at Gavan's, and I really really really want to go, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to GET there.

Life is threatening to overwhelm me, and I feel great. It's very wierd. It means that I'm not around online very much lately (as evidenced by the lack of posting) but it's all good.

Hopefully I can get out to the Noreen Young Bursary dinner on Saturday to see my brother recieve an award or something... whatever it is he's getting, it comes with $1000 for school. Go him! He always does stuff better than me, the little shit :P



...and four hours later, I actually POST this.

Oomph.

Yesterday was the first day of the new job. It went pretty well, actually. I think I made a good impression, since I spent any time that could have been idle time, asking what else there was for me to do. And there was always something. Always. I like that. I still don't know what half the vegetables are, but I'm learning how pretty much everything else works. Closed last night, and went through most of the closing procedure (taking perishables into the walk-in cooler for overnight) and then I was there again for opening this morning (less than 12 hours later! Whee!)

Interesting note about THAT, by the way... I got there, and Tim, the main Reciever guy, was outside, peering into the window. They had given Mahvash, the store manager the rest of the week off, starting today, and hadn't told Kevin (manager of the Market location) that he was supposed to be there. And they ALSO had neglected to realize that Kevin doesn't have keys for the Bank St. store. Oof. So after one of the truck drivers (with a delivery for us) called Jeremy (the HR guy(?)) and quite literally said "What the fuck is going on, man?" he showed up at about 7:30, unlocked the store, and we went about madly rushing to and fro, setting up the store to open at 8:00.

Kevin is awesome, and seems to be about my age or slightly older. I almost wish they had sent me to the Market location for training, but he said it's pretty slow-paced there right now, so I'm glad that I'm where I am, since it seems to be busy all the time.

Mahvash is fantastic, and so very funny. Never in my life have I heard someone shout the phrase "I KEEL You!" so often! (Actually, I've never heard someone actually USE it and be unaware of how amusing it sounds. She just has the right accent for it to be almost perfect.)

Most of the rest of the people who I've met so far seem to be pretty cool (though there's one older gentleman who seems grouchy most of the time, but I don't blame him. I just wish he'd realize that IT'S MY FIRST DAY so please... be PATIENT. I'm learning how to do this shit.)

I work again on Thursday at noon, Friday at 7 (whee!) and Saturday at... whenever. Kevin isn't the manager of this store, and won't be around on Saturday, so he doesn't really know (or care :P).

As an aside, walking around all day, like I did at BouClair, is easy. Standing in one place for most of the day, sorting and packaging produce, is REALLY FUCKING HARD on the back. (Seriously, it hasn't spasm-and-cramped this hard in a hell of a long time.) I need to start doing core exercises again. My back doesn't like holding the rest of me up and still. And yes, I've been standing with one foot up on something and all that. It just makes the other foot sore from holding most of my weight on a concrete floor. I plan to spend as much of the rest of the night, and at least half of tomorrow, as still as possible.

Nervous

Tuesday after work, I called my new boss to find out which store I was going to on Monday. He still doesn't know. I'm to call him again tomorrow to find out. It looks like I'll be starting training at either the Bank St. location or the Market location, but he confirmed that the actual position will be over at Lincoln Fields, once training is complete.

Finances are still tight, in the meantime, as is food. Pants are the opposite, which is a little unsettling. I've been trying to gain weight up to about 190 pounds, and now I'm back down to around 165 (I was at 180 for a while). So frustrating. On the other hand, it means I'm faster, since my muscles are the same size, and i've got less weight to carry around.

Quick tip: If you want to lose weight fast, eat two hot dogs a day and exercise a lot. Essentially, extremely reduced carbohydrate intake, focusing mostly on protein and some healty fats. (Not that hot dogs are HEALTHY, per se, but you know what I'm getting at.)

One of these days, once I have a little more financial leeway, I'm going to sit down and try to come up with a proper meal plan for myself. Something with variety and ease of preparation, because getting home at 9:30-10:00 makes you not want to cook anything.

I'm going to miss working at BouClair. The people are awesome, and I like what I do. I just wish it paid far far far better, especially since I'm more or less a department manager in all but title, which means I don't get the pay that comes with it. Ah well, Assistant Manager sounds better anyways.

Forth into the abyss!

*Awkward*

So... How exactly does one write a letter of resignation?

I took the job at the Grocery place today. He's starting me at $9.75/hr, and said during the interview last week that it would go up pretty quickly, depending on how fast I pick up product knowledge and such. I know plants to a certain point, and I'm pretty good at picking up details, so it's more or less a matter of picking up how to deal with produce and stock and such.

I need to discuss with my boss whether or not I'm still elegible for my vacation pay, because if I can get that on top of my first paycheck from this new place, that would take a huge load off my back. I THINK I can request it now, and take "vacation" after my two weeks is up. We'll see. I need to talk to my boss about it tomorrow. *sigh* I LIKE working here, I just wish it paid better. And had more openings for management or whatnot. It's frustrating.

Oh well, benefits and higher pay win out over a (mostly) fantastic working environment.

*GLEE* SUCH a huge weight off my shoulders. Particularly if I get hold of that vacation pay. That will make me (and others!) very very very happy squid. (Yes, squid. everybody says "happy bunny".. squid are more fun.)

Job? Job?? Job!!

Yesterday was the first interview at a Sporting Goods place... Merely the fact that they were unaware (or just forgot) that there was an interview booked for 11 AM. Not the best of starts, in my opinion...

Starting at 8/hr, up tp 8.75-ish after 3 months. It's mine if I want it, I just have to call on Monday. But do I want it?

...

Today was the second interview, at a Grocery place. I was slightly early, and as I was filling out the application, the Owner asked "Do I have an interview now?" and the secretary type lady responded "Yes, I have him filling out an application form now." Hee.

So, I walked in, and... when I e-mailed off my resume, I thought I recognized the last name (not a tangent, I swear!) ... I recognized him instantly, though he took a few seconds to place me. Off to a good start, since I'm an awesome CSM (Customer Service Monkey). Quite possibly the longest interview I've ever had. Started at 11:30, and I was walking down the stairs from his office at 1:00...

We're looking at starting 9.25/hr, more hours than I currently get, wage increase in a month or a bit more, depending on how fast I pick things up. Benefits after 3 months (*DANCEYGLEE*) and up to 10/hr easily by the end of the year. If I pick up some other responsibilities, pay goes up accordingly (which is REALLY nice to hear).

Yeah, I don't think I'm going to take that other one... Even though it's something I know very well. I think I'd enjoy the challenge of learning how to deal with produce and stuff.

Oh, and before anybody asks, no, there's no staff discount. As a matter of fact, I think he's got the best loss prevention scheme ever. No staff purchasing whatsoever. That way, if a staff member is leaving with product, it's very clear that it was not paid for. We can certainly bring another person, shop, push the cart, etc, etc, but we can't go through the cash. It's incredibly simple, and not exactly inconvenient, considering there are grocery stores all over.

Potentially the Lincoln Fields location.

Whee not being broke-ass broke!

WorkworkworkworkSPLAT

So I'm getting fed up with the ultra-slow pace of things at work. As much as I want to be there to get to completely re-do the entire blinds department come November, I don't think I can maintain myself financially at this rate.

So I'm looking for other, better-paying jobs.

The funniest thing is, there's a listing for an Interior Decorator based in one of the East end stores. I'm going to ask about that tomorrow, for sure. I don't have the certificate or whatever it is they want, but I have a good eye for colour, as well as the aesthetics of decorating. I could do it, damn it.

Essentially what I'm looking for is anything that pays $10/hr, is permanent, and full time. Or anything over $30k/yr. And I KNOW the math on those doesn't match up, but that's not the point. So far, I've fired off six actual resume emails today, including the one through a job application website applet thing for a travel company. I still have *counts* 19 job listing windows open. It might take me a little while to get through all of them. Writing cover letters is tough, particularly when you're stretching a bit to make it sound like you're really qualified for the position, when you're only just a little qualified for it.

Ah well.

Hopefully I'll get one of the higher paying positions (like the Warehouse Supervisor position that pays $35-40k/yr *grin*)

I've got a kind of wussy looking resume right now, but that's what happens when all I've done is retail for the past six years, and have a partially finished Robotics diploma (feh. burned out on it at the same time that i ran out of cash, meaning no finishing THAT one. welding is the next try. eventually.)

I have important things that I want to do in the next three to five years. I'm running out of time, and, well, they're IMPORTANT.

Bed should be attempted, so that I'm not a zombie for the shipment tomorrow. It's likely furniture, lamps, and greenery/fake flowers. And maybe some blankets or throws or something. But I like to be able to think clearly when it comes to merchandising things, and rearranging stuff so that it looks good, and not just thrown onto a shelf.

False daylight

It makes me a little sad to know that, were I back home in Almonte, or just outside town, actually, it would be pitch black. But since I'm not just in the city, but in downtown Ottawa, the light pollution is such that the dense cloud cover makes it light enough to read out on my balcony. Not that I'm going to do that, because it's all wet, thanks to the wonderfully fantastic thunderstorm and continuing rain that we had tonight.

It was raining so hard when I left work this evening that it was almost like stepping into a wall of water. I couldn't see the road across the parking lot, and I could barely see the headlights of cars driving along it.

So I walked to the bus stop, laughing at all the people running for cover. It was raining enough that no matter how fast you ran, you'd get soaked through and through.

Now, sadly, it's 19C. Time to go curl up under my duvet.

Melty? Noooo, it's not THAT hot yet!

Okay, so it's 36 degrees Celsius, with 47% humidity, which APPARENTLY calculates to 47 degrees Celsius on the "Humidex"/"Feels Like" scale.

Somehow I don't believe that.

Anyways, it's kind of warm here, which most people will agree with. Can anybody tell me WHY, exactly, I feel like going BACK outside and going blading some more? I bladed home from work today, in these exact temperatures, and was so sweaty that I couldn't tell where the water stopped (I sprayed my face once I got to the apartment building, and the water ran down my front) and the sweat began.

In slightly related news, last night I stepped outside to lock up the store at 9 PM, and it felt like I stepped into a tropical jungle with dense, dense foliage overhead, blocking the light. It had just rained, and everything was wet, but the rain hadn't cooled anything off, so it was 28 degrees with 90% humidity. The Weather Network site a) says it didn't rain (THEN WHY WAS EVERYTHING WET??) and b) says it only felt like 36 degrees. It's 36 degrees now, and it felt hotter than this. Blargh.

So now we see why I want my own weather station.

(As a point of reference, it's warm enough that my desk feels like a solid living thing.)

In other news, my back has been screaming at me since I woke up. Whee ineffective pain relief drugs! I need a massage. Those seem to be the only thing that works.

Mmm, tasty!

So tonight, Ryan and I hosted a rather spiffy pot-luck sort of dinner. I got home from the Pretty Pretty Princess party (I wore a paper bag and paper crown as the Paper Bag Prince - Apparently everybody loved it, and there are some horrid pictures of me on a few people's cameras) at about quarter after three, hopped in the shower, then spent the rest of the afternoon cooking.

Spaghetti sauce from (almost) scratch was the first to go, which was promptly used to make lasagne (which was a stellar first time ever affair, according to all who partook of it). While the lasagne was baking in the oven, I whipped up a cheese sauce (from scratch for real - mmm, creamy!) and boiled up the elbow noodles, then tossed those together and sprinkled some cheddar over that. As soon as the lasagne was done, I took it out and let it cool a bit, and put the mac 'n' cheese in the oven to bake for ten minutes.

I got nothing but compliments about both of them, which makes me incredibly happy, considering two things: a) I have never, EVER made lasagne before and b) It's been something like three years since I've made mac and cheese from scratch. Yay!

In other trivial news, I bladed home from Barrhaven today, and for the first time ever, had a CD player along with me, so I listened to a mix disc of "Angry music" so to speak. No issues aside from initial low volume making it hard to hear over the wind roar (not from excessive speed, but from a bit of a headwind :P). I found myself at times, striding in time to the music, which was actually kind of neat, but not all that surprising, because I'm exceptionally susceptible to picking up rhythms without realizing it. Needless to say, chances of me blading home to something mellow are slim to nil. Blading to work, maybe, but not blading home. Blading home is far too intense an activity for that *grins*

Many thanks to Heather for hosting the party and the many bodies overnight, and props to Ryan for suggesting the pot luck thing tonight.

(The best part of the pot luck is that I still have half a lasagne and half the mac 'n' cheese left over! Yaaay dinner for the next week or more!)

*pop*

So, this is what blogging is like, huh?

I have to admit, it's not as exciting as I thought it would be. Where are all the balloons and streamers?

So I'm supposed to tell people a little about myself. Um. I'm a freak of nature? 40 dB hearing loss in both ears (not that it matters that much) that I've had at least since age 4, and likely since birth. Insanely fast metabolism. I eat far too much, and you'd never know it, to look at me. I blade (in-line skate.. the last time I use that phrase here, unless I'm feeling particularly.. idunno.. formal, I guess) pretty much everywhere, weather permitting. My daily commute is something in the range of 11.2-11.8 kilometres, and on my way home, I try to beat my best time (Currently 31 minutes 42 seconds, achieved on Tuesday evening [25th of July, 2006]). I've got a Livejournal, because I'm lame, so sometimes my posts will be duplicated between here and there.

I've got a cat named Calvin, and he's white and stripey, and fatfatfat. He's also the noisiest cat this side of.. um.. He's noisy. He's also clever, when he wants to be.

I'm a car geek, so if you ever have a question, need advice, or have a problem regarding cars, feel free to speak up, and I might be able to help (if I can't come up with the answer on my own, I'll cheat and use Google or something). I'm also artistic, though chances of posting any artwork are slim for the time being. At least until I can get my second computer working (it runs Win98, which is what my scanner uses, because I'm too poor to buy a new one. Also, the one I have WORKS, just not with Win2k. No point in replacing something that works!).

Oh. I like to use parentheses. A LOT. Sometimes I'll nest them two and three times, in fact.

I used to complain a lot about work, but it's not so bad lately. I'm a supervisor at a home decor store (that used to be a fabric store - yay for changing formats!) and my manager has given me the blinds and drapery hardware department to look after. It's going to be expanding to almost a quarter of the store some time around November, which will be very cool. I'm technically part time, but I keep pushing for more hours, and just asked for a raise, though we'll see if that actually goes through.

I'm not sure if I should actually name names or anything. I'm hesitant to post about where I actually work, at this point. Needless to say, if you know me in person, you know where I work, and if not, it's somewhere in Ottawa :P

Which is where I live, by the way. Canada's Capital. It's actually not as boring as some people would have you believe, but maybe that's because I grew up in a small town half an hour West-southwest of here (30-45 minutes, depending on what part of the city you leave from).

I studied robotics at Algonquin College, but burned out on the third semester, after the second time through it. Maybe I should have taken the summer off. Not that it would have necessarily helped me get my head around the more complex theories and circuits and stuff. I'm a physical person, which explains my mechanical aptitude (I've been fixing bikes since I was 11 or so) and there isn't anything mechanical happening in a circuit. At least not in the general sense. Electrons are whizzing around, opening and closing switches and making LEDs turn on and off, but you can't SEE them opening and closing the switches and whatnot, which apparently makes it more difficult for me to understand how it works. Being frustrated to the point of tears is not fun, especially when you're paying money for the privelege. Whee. The upside to the program is that second semester covered Machine Shop and Welding, both being subjects I excelled at. Welding in particular. So I'm looking into getting Welding certification and all that jazz, so that I can perhaps get a job in that field, either general or specialized. (Come on, when the prof has me showing my classmates how to weld aluminum properly, I think that means something *wink*)

I... think that's it, for now. More to come as events warrant!