| Welcome back... (welcome back, welcome back, welcome back) |
[Feb. 24th, 2006|02:12 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
Hey there, true believers!
*The wind whistles through the empty room.*
Well, I guess that's to be expected when you don't update your blog for massive periods of time.
As for why I haven't been, there's really a couple of reasons:
1. My limited access to a computer. Right now, I only have access to a computer at work, where I'm actually supposed to be doing, you know, work and at my mother's house. Unfortunately, my income has been such that I can't really afford to replace my old piece of crap computer, so I haven't bothered getting internet access at home. In the limited time I do get to a computer, I tend to want to spend it on doing entertaining stuff.
2. I just haven't felt like I've had anything important to say. Really, right now, my life revolves around work and not much else. And, believe me, work is mentally draining.
Say all you want about lawyers and how they're the scum of the earth, profiting from the ills of others, but believe me when I tell you that lawyers earn the money they get paid. It's a lot of long hours dealing with problem people (both the people your clients have disputes with and clients) and it can be a pretty thankless task as well. There are some clients who, no matter what you tell them or what the outcome of their case is, believe that they were right. And if they lost, it's entirely your fault.
Honestly, if you don't like lawyers, there is a perfect solution to get rid of them: Don't get into a dispute that you can't (or aren't willing) to resolve yourself. The vast majority of clients I see wouldn't need me if they were willing to be reasonable or were willing to deal with someone who would be reasonable with them.
The reason why the legal system is so expensive (at least one of them) is that the fees in the system have been set up to discourage people from frivolous actions. The courts are trying to tell you that it's not worth suing that guy for $100. Just suck it up and deal with it. (Don't get me wrong. I think the system is too expensive, but I meet with a lot of people who don't seem to understand why they should have to pay to file a lawsuit.)
Anyway, my call date is right around the corner. On March 23, I will officially join the ranks of lawyers in Ontario, which is pretty cool, all thing considered. I'm looking forward to it, even if it's been a headache getting there. I can't guarantee that I'll update before then but, who knows, maybe I'll finally have something important to say. |
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| Sorry for the lack of updates. |
[Jul. 22nd, 2005|06:43 pm] |
Can't talk now. Got a girlfriend. Ha ha.
Quick update, though:
Job's going well.
Kid Rock concert was cool, but Bayfest sucked ass.
Wedding Crashers is an awesome movie.
Glad to have hockey back.
Jays should suck it up and start contending or give up and lose. None of this playing with my emotions crap.
Hopefully I'll update a little bit sooner than two months from now. |
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| A day in the life... |
[May. 29th, 2005|06:18 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  bored | ] |
Howdy, true believers. Now that I have a standard 9 to 5 (okay, 8:30 to 5), I thought you'd like to take a peek into what a typical day for me is like.
7:00 AM - "Ugh. Why the fuck am I up this early in the morning? Oh, yeah. Shit. Work."
7:30 AM - "Well, I suppose I should start getting ready."
8:00 AM - After quickly mixing up a bottle of Gatorade, I'm now on my way to work.
8:20 AM - "Shit. Why don't I ever make breakfast in the morning? Oh well. I'll just stop into Timmie's for a bagel on the way in."
8:25 AM - After noticing the line of drones around the building waiting for their coffee: "Shit. Why don't I ever make breakfast in the morning? No bagel for me. I'll just remember breakfast tomorrow."
8:30 AM - Saunter into work, climb the infinite staircase, sit at my desk, check my email and begin work. If I'm lucky, my boss has gone through his inbox and left me revisions of draft letters I did yesterday for me to revise. If not, I better have left myself something from the day before.
9:00 AM - The morning radio DJ's on my office-mate's radio having finally gotten on my nerves, I pop a CD into my DVD-ROM drive and commence listening to the rock & roll.
9:30 AM - By now, I've usually gotten at least one phone call from my boss' secretary to give me jobs assigned to her that she doesn't feel like doing so, consequently, passes along to me.
10:00 AM - "Shit. What do you mean it's only 10:00 AM?"
11:00 AM - "Can't I get out of here for lunch yet?"
12:00 PM - "Fuck it. I'm out of here for lunch. Maybe work will appear on my desk over my lunch hour."
12:15 PM - "Legends has got to be the slowest place imaginable. Why haven't they even taken my order yet. I swear I'm not coming back here tomorrow."
1:00 PM - "Shit. What do you mean it's only 1:00 PM?"
2:00 PM - "I'll go use the bathroom. That'll kill... hmm... at least 6 minutes."
3:00 PM - "Okay. There's, like, nothing else for me to do on my files right now until the boss gets back to me." I proceed to wander around the firm looking for people with some extra work to do.
4:00 PM - The boss comes by having cleaned out his inbox. He drops at least a couple of hours worth of work on my desk. Where was this two hours ago?
5:00 PM - Another day done. Hope to get home in time for P.T.I.
So there you go. Obviously, that's not the sort of thing that goes on every day, but it's pretty indicative of a typical day. Really, my day rotates around how much work I left on my desk from the day before. If I've left myself some work, I can keep myself busy. If not, it can be a pretty long day.
In other words, pretty much like everyone else's job. |
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| Brain... not... functioning. Unable to... speak... in complete... sentences. |
[May. 1st, 2005|06:49 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  tired | ] |
Ugh. I fully intended to post a new entry today, but I'm sooooooooo tired right now.
Actually, scratch that. I was just watching TV and saw that Discovery Channel is now doing The Greatest American. Shit, can't Canada ever have something and just have it be our own? By the way, yes, I know we stole it from the show Great Britons, but bear with me here.
I mean, we rarely get all patriotic and stuff. "The Greatest Canadian" was a way for us as a nation to stand up, toot our own horns, and say, "Hey! We may not get credit for it much, but Canada has done its part to make the world a cooler place to live."
Americans, on the other hand, can't go a day without proclaiming how they are the greatest nation in the world. Thanks very much, but we really don't need you to start pontificating on who the 100 greatest members of your history are. I would imagine anybody in literally the world could name 100 Americans without difficulty.
What really piques my curiosity is how many people on the list are going to be transplanted Americans. You know what I mean. People who were born outside of the U.S. and, had they had the option to be as successful as they have been in the States in their nation of origin, would have stayed. Actors, for instance. I mean, sure, those people are Americans in that they live in the U.S., but what does it really mean to be American? Is it simply sufficient to live within the 50 states or does one have to buy into the mindset that is being American?
Anyway, I probably won't watch the show, but I'd be interested to take a look at the list afterward. |
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| What reality television should strive to be. |
[Apr. 17th, 2005|07:00 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | sore | ] |
Oh, by the way, if you didn't see the finale of The Ultimate Fighter, specifically Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin, you need to go out of your way to see it.
It was fifteen minutes of two guys literally giving every ounce of energy they had to kick the crap out of each other and live out a dream. Just an amazingly brutal fight. It was like when rams butt heads. There were periods where they were circling each other and you just knew that a storm was gonna break and then, suddenly, BAM! and there would be a flurry where both guys spent everything they had built up during that downtime. Just repeat that for like fifteen minutes.
The brutality, courage, and determination of the fight was only surpassed by the joy at the end when they announced that both guys would get a contract. Seeing the whole place erupt (And I mean the whole place. Even the ring announcer) for a display of such determination was amazing.
Seriously, get a tape and watch it. Un...believable. |
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| I love you, money. |
[Apr. 17th, 2005|06:49 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | tired | ] |
Hey hey, buckaroos!
For those of you wondering, the first week of work went off pretty much as expected. Getting up early in the mornings was murder for the first little while and I was anxious for the first couple days but, by and large, I'd say I'm settling in nicely.
Once the positive feedback started rolling in about my work, it was easier to settle down. I mean, rather than sitting around saying, "Gee, I hope I'm doing this right so I don't get yelled at for wasting all day," I was able to say, "Alright, I'm doing more of the same. They liked that stuff, so this is probably good, too." The fact that they're billing me out at $90 an hour probably doesn't hurt, either.
Honestly, though, I'm surprised at the amount of responsibility I'm getting already. I'm meeting with clients on my own which, realistically, I can't say I agree with, but I understand why they are doing it. I just wish that both I and the boss had the luxury of easing me into stuff like that.
On the concert front, Kid Rock's playing Sarnia in July, which should kick major ass. VIP tickets (read, general admission, but down in front) are over $100, but there's no doubt in my mind it will be well worth it. Needless to say, I'll be doing everything in my power to be there. It might actually make up for missing him, Aerosmith, and Run DMC in concert a couple years ago. Not likely, but it'll at least take some of the sting away.
Other than that, not much else going on. I don't really have much time in my life right now to do anything other than work and then come home and unwind from work, but that's perfectly fine for right now. There'll be plenty of time for other stuff once I'm financially secure again.
Hope life's treating everyone else well and I'll hopefully be updating again soon. |
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| Booya, baby! Job! |
[Apr. 3rd, 2005|05:32 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  anxious | ] |
That's right, folks. As of April 11, I'll be the articling student for a general practice firm here in good old St. Thomas. Which works out nicely for me, because it'll let me live rent free and concentrate on my loans.
It just sort of came out of the blue, actually. The partner that I interviewed with six months ago called me up on Thursday and asked if I'd be able to have lunch with him on Friday. So I ran out, got my hair cut and my beard trimmed, and the next thing I know I'm getting an offer of a position.
So it's finally nice to be able to stand on my own two feet instead of having keep asking my mom for money. I'm still actually finding it hard to believe. I keep expecting to get a call next week saying that they're really sorry, but they've changed their minds. But I gotta keep thinking positive.
Anyway, I'll write more about it once I know exactly what I'm doing. Suffice it to say, though, that I'm in a good mood for the first time in a long while. Now if I could just find me a woman. Hmmm.... :P |
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| This is actually pretty neat... |
[Apr. 3rd, 2005|05:22 pm] |
Werewolf
You scored 60% Esotericism, 40% Power, and 44% Malevolence! |
| In popular folklore, a man who is transformed, or who transforms himself, into a wolf in nature and appearance under the influence of a full moon. The werewolf is only active at night and during that period, he devours infants and corpses. According to legend, werewolves can be killed by silver objects such as silver arrows and silver bullets. When a werewolf dies he is returned to his human form. The concept of werewolves, or lycanthropes, is possibly based on the myth of Lycaon. He was the king of Arcadia, and in the time of the ancient Greeks notorious for his cruelty. He tried to buy the favor of Zeus by offering him the flesh of a young child. Zeus punished him for this crime and turned him into a wolf. The legends of werewolves have been told since the ancient Greeks and are known all over the world. In areas where the wolf is not so common, the belief in werewolves is replaced by folklore where men can change themselves in tigers, lions, bears and other fierce animals. |
 |
My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
|
You scored higher than 66% on Esotericism |
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You scored higher than 43% on Power |
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You scored higher than 65% on Malevolence |
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| A word of explanation. |
[Mar. 20th, 2005|07:03 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  depressed | ] |
Hey, folks. Sorry for the lack of regular updates lately, but the fact of the matter is, honestly, that I haven't felt like sitting down and writing anything when I'm in front of a computer.
I've really been feeling shitty lately. Mostly, it's the fact that I've been home for over six months now and I'm still unemployed. It kind of sucks that I can't even seem to get an interview. Throw in the fact that I now owe about $450 a month in payments on my loans alone and it really makes me feel inept.
Being single hasn't been helping the equation, either. I'm not gonna get into it right now, mainly because I think I've played it out to death on here, but suffice it to say that being single, in my opinion, sucks ass.
Anyway, that's the main reason why I haven't been updating lately.
Going back to my last update, I think Megas XLR is an awesome cartoon and The Batman sucks, doing a disservice to the greatest superhero franchise there is. I wanted to write more about it but, well, you know.
Hope to be back in the very near future with good news. Later, gators. |
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| New email address. |
[Mar. 13th, 2005|09:29 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | tired | ] |
Hey, folks.
No time for a full update right now, but I wanted to let you all know that Western is deactivating my email account in a couple of weeks. Kind of understandable, seeing as how I'm no longer a student and all.
Anyway, my new permanent email address is the same as my old UWO address, except with "alumni." added after the @ and before the "uwo.ca" parts.
Hope to have a full update again real soon, probably about some really cool cartoons that are on TV right now. |
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| The rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated. |
[Feb. 23rd, 2005|05:47 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | bored | ] |
Hey, folks. Just a quick update to confirm that I'm still around.
Shows you need to be watching:
-Ultimate Fighter. Boring fight this week notwithstanding, it's still a really great show with some generally good fight action. Plus, you get to see the mentality behind these guys who are more or less paid to try to cause severe bodily damage to others.
-Survivor: Pulau. Yes, yes. I know it's another season of Survivor, but it looks like a lot of thought has gone into this season. First off, it has an overarching military theme, which is kind of cool. It also looks like they're adding a greater element of strategy to the game as a whole. Witness the first challenge where the winning tribe probably only won because they were willing to give up a chance at extra food, water containers, and shelter.
-Deadwood. I feel so guilty saying this, considering that he beat out Denis Leary for the Golden Globe, but Ian McShane is fucking awesome.
Movies you need to be watching:
-Million Dollar Baby. A great movie. Just be sure to hide the razor blades and anything you could use to hang yourself before going to see it, cause it gets really depressing at the end. Hilary Swank isn't too hard on the eyes, either.
Other stuff you need to be watching:
-The Dunk. Those who've seen it know what I'm talking about. Off the backboard, off Steve Nash's head, and stuffed. Fucking incredible. Find it on the net somewhere.
Other than that, not much else going on. Still looking for work, still looking for love, likely in the wrong places for both.
Take it easy folks. |
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| This just in: |
[Feb. 6th, 2005|05:40 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | bored | ] |
Watched The Professional again last night.
Reaffirmed the fact that, yes, Jean Reno does rock your world.
That is all. |
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| Movie and TV goodness. |
[Jan. 24th, 2005|06:25 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  pessimistic | ] |
Hey, folks. Nothing really new going on in my life, but I wanted to let you all in on some cool stuff you should be checking out.
First off, I saw the movie Secondhand Lions last week. It was a really great movie starring both Robert Duvall and Michael Caine, so you know the acting is really good. If I had to relate it to any other movie, I'd almost have to liken it to The Princess Bride. Not that it's the same subject matter, but the story is kind of fantastic and would make a great family movie.
On the TV, I can't recommend the new CBS show Numbers (or Numb3rs) enough. I'm not a fan of CSI, but I absolutely love this show. Maybe because I'm a lot closer to the subject of math than I am to biology or chemistry or anything like that. On that note, I'm really glad to see TV slowly moving away from a physio-centric ideal, with cops running down criminals over the length of multiple football fields while engaging in huge gunfights, towards a more academic ideal, holding up intelligence as the major trait of the heroes. If only shows like that were around when I was younger and in public school, life probably would have been a lot easier on me.
Conversely, I think you should also check out The Ultimate Fighter on SpikeTV. Yes, it's a "reality" show, but it tends to focus more on documenting the training of the fighters than on the relationships between the fighters. Or at least it did in the pilot. Plus it's got Ganyao, the Muay Thai trainer! Any guy who can actually get away with delivering the line, "Kick like a man, not like a little girl." straight-faced is okay in my book.
Other than that, like I said, nothing really going on. Hope everything's going well with everybody else and I'll talk to you guys again soon. |
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| Alright! I give up! |
[Jan. 15th, 2005|08:37 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | lonely | ] |
Loathe as I am to admit it, I have to confess that the new Kelly Clarkson song and, more specifically, the video have grown on me. It's not like I'm gonna run out and get her CD or anything, but I think it's safe to say that I've moved her into my "hot" category. Ugh. I feel kind of dirty now.
Anyway, nothing else really new going on. I tell ya, though, Game Show Network needs to fire whoever's doing their teasers. I mean, I was watching their new show American Dream Derby (only because there was nothing else on) and the commercial for next week's episode comes on. Now, as far as you folks need to be concerned, there are two levels of people on the show: owners and stablehands. Owners are determined via the outcome of a game and get special privileges over the stablehands. So what does this commercial do? Why, show all the people who are going to be owners next week, of course! Anyway, whoever put together that commercial just rendered the first half of the new episode unnecessary viewing. Crackerjack staff you got there GSN!
On a related note, I have no life and way too much free time on my hands. |
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| We can rebuild him. We have the technology. |
[Jan. 9th, 2005|06:14 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | sore | ] |
Hey, folks.
Just to let you guys know, the wisdom teeth removal was an absolute complete success. No pain or even any discomfort at all. The surgeon was awesome. I'm on my last day of penicillin and most of the stitches have already dissolved.
Other than that, nothing has been going on. As soon as mom can find some time to get an ink cartridge for her printer, I'm going to start putting together some application packages for firms in London. Hopefully I'll be able to get something soon, cause the OSAP people are gonna come knocking in a couple of months. |
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| R.I.P. Jerry Orbach |
[Dec. 30th, 2004|05:28 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | sad | ] |
The man who, at least for me and likely many more, defined Law & Order has passed away.
I'll greatly miss him. |
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| Guys are starting to get ideas. Bring back hockey. |
[Dec. 19th, 2004|05:26 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | gloomy | ] |
Hey, folks. Just a couple quick thoughts on this Sunday before Christmas.
As for Survivor last week, I thought it was fine as far as last episodes go. A lot less of the typical bitterness from the losers, which is fine by me. In retrospect, I wish they had played up Chris against the women a bit more, as it really became the story of the second half of the season.
Interesting bit of game theory, though, this year, as the reshuffling of the teams actually ended up hurting the men in the long run. Every time the male-dominant team won, the female-dominant team just voted off another guy. Ironically, the only person who seemed to notice this, Bubba, got axed for it. *Sigh* I wish I had studied more game theory in school. Oh well. The next season looks to be military-themed, which should be cool, but Mark Burnett needs to lay off this whole "Everything the survivors have come to expect will be wiped away in the first ten minutes!" crap. The "revelation" is never really that shocking and never really affects the game in the long run.
Speaking of crap, is it just me or are the contestants on Rock & Roll Jeopardy the biggest morons ever? Like, seriously. Especially the celebrities. I mean, these people work in the music industry and can't get these dumbed down questions? If you ever need to feel better about yourself, just watch an episode of Rock & Roll Jeopardy.
On a final note, I heard earlier this week that Electronic Arts paid the NFL something like $300 million for a five year exclusive license. This basically means that, if you want to play a football game featuring NFL teams and players, you better like either Madden or Street. Guess they felt a little threatened by Sega only charging $20 U.S. for ESPN Football this year. Kind of sucks, really. Oh well. I only liked Street, anyway.
Anyhow, in case I don't get a chance to update again before the fact, happy holidays, everyone.
Oh, and P.S.: 50th entry! Woo hoo! |
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| Whipwreck SMASH! |
[Dec. 5th, 2004|07:56 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | bored | ] |
Just read over some of my more recent posts and, boy, am I bitter or what?
Seriously, though, I have to feel at least a little justified. I mean, I never thought that I would be going this long without a job. Couple that with the fact of how unrighteously I got screwed over by my "friend" who was sick, and it's not like I don't have a right to be a little pissed off.
Anyway, I've got to start making the effort to be a bit more upbeat. Christmas is just around the corner, after all. |
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| Wow! Two updates in one week! |
[Nov. 28th, 2004|06:39 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  frustrated | ] |
Hey, folks. I'm gonna try and update this here journal every time I get access to a computer, seeing as how I don't get at one that often right now.
Job search is still going negatively. I'm basically down to one last hope here in town before I have to start looking in London. Not that London would be that bad, but I'd have to move all over again and it would also require me to make a lot more money then I would have to make here.
It looks like the PS2 is on its last legs. Which sucks major ass cause it's almost my only source of entertainment. I think I could fix it given the right part and the proper time and enough information on what needs to be removed, etc. Unfortunately, I don't have the money or that much know how. What annoys me more than anything is how, when I took it in to get repaired, I got charged $40 and the guy really only put a band-aid on the problem. That money would have put me a third of the way to a new PS2. And what the hell is up with Sony only producing the new slim PSTwo now with a built in network adapter? That adapter balloons up the price like $60. What about those of us that don't want it? Ugh.
Anyway, hopefully I can get a job real soon so I can replace all my broken stuff. For those keeping track, the a-list currently stands at PS2, DVD player, and stereo. Oh, and computer, of course. Not that that's gonna be replaced anytime in the near future.
That's about it for now. Hope everyone is getting geared up for the holidays and I'll talk to you soon. |
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| The Waiting Game |
[Nov. 26th, 2004|07:52 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | tired | ] |
Not to be a downer or anything, but I can't help but notice how much of my time lately has been spent waiting for stuff that's never gonna happen.
I mean, I spend most of my time waiting for phone calls about jobs, phone calls from girls... heck, even phone calls from my friends. And I pretty much end up disappointed in the long run.
It just seems that sometimes I could drop off the face of the earth and no one would notice simply because nobody really bothers to check.
Anyway, like Kid Rock says: Persistence pays and, if that holds true, then I'm gonna buy this f'in planet by the time I'm through.
Heck, even the 100 to 1 shot has to win sooner or later. |
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