HILANDER'S DOMAIN

My Worldly Travels - Google Maps

2007-07-13T10:22:00.000-04:00

I used Google Maps to pinpoint all the places I've been in my life. I didn't "peg" any places in Canada, as that would be too crazy.

It was fun to plot all the different places I have traveled over the years with my family, on my own, and with my wife.

It looks like a lot, but I see soooo many places I'd love to travel to still.

2007-07-08T21:15:00.000-04:00

Here's a better site ...

One with original artwork. Then again, I'm biased. My best half created this storefront. Just click on the logo to connect.

My Own Little Online Store

2007-07-05T15:46:00.000-04:00

I decided to create my own design for a T-Shirt (and a few other things) and have set up an online store - Black River Creations - on Café Press.

What fun. Check it out!

Microsoft buys Dundas Software's Reporting Services Suite

2007-06-05T10:48:00.000-04:00

Well, it was finally officially announced today by both Microsoft and Dundas Software (the company I work for) that Microsoft purchased the entire Dundas suite of Reporting Services products for inclusion in MS SQL 2008.

This isn't a license purchase, it's the ownership purchase of the software. This was quite the coup for Dundas.

Here's the official press release by Microsoft - http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/jun07/06-04TechED07PR.mspx - and Dundas Software - http://www.dundas.com/Company/Media/PressSQL2008.aspx.

Congratulations to Dundas!

Air Canada Sucks

2007-05-15T14:27:00.000-04:00

We all know that ...

Air Canada hasn't been a world-class airline for some years now - what with their rude and apathetic staff, etc. Now comes to light that the airline will no longer be serving complimentary meals to Economy Class.

For flights within N. American and to the Caribbean, Air Canada's " ... new Onboard café offers choice, value and greater flexibility. You decide what meal-type to purchase onboard. We are pleased to offer our Economy Class customers with a popular new innovative menu of reasonably priced items."

Why don't you "Enjoy a tasty sandwich, hot pizza or simply indulge on a popular snack, the choice is all yours. This new service is now offered on all Continental North American flight of 1h30 or longer (Hawaiian and Mexican destinations excluded)."

So, airfares increase in price, service still sucks, and now you have to purchase a meal or you'll have to survive on Coke and peanuts ... for upto 5 hours.

Way to go Air Canada. You suck.

Is This How It's Normally Done?

2007-05-08T12:53:00.000-04:00

Things that make you go hmmmmmm. Ricky Gervais ... funny, funny man.

Glumbert.com

Captain Canuck - My Vote for MVP

2007-05-07T14:41:00.000-04:00

I mean really, aside from his amazing numbers AGAIN this year, Steve Nash showed all the grit and determination (despite the Suns losing to the Spurs) that clearly shows that he is truly the MVP of the NBA.

My case in point - despite being badly injured with a cut that required 6 stiches to mend, Steve still valiantly tried to rally his team from their deficit.

Definitely looks painful.

A Response from Garth Turner's Offices

2007-05-04T11:22:00.000-04:00

I'm actually a little surprised I got a response from my MP on the Shane Doan issue ... didn't think I would. Or, at the least, this quickly.

Here's what the response was:

Thank you for sending an email to Hon. Garth Turner, P.C., MP for Halton where you indicate your opinion on the controversy over Shane Doan being named as captain of Team Canada.

Garth has asked me to advise you that he agrees with you 100%. He feels this is a total waste of time, engineered by the Bloc Quebecois. Rest assured, as your MP, Garth is not spending a single minute on this issue. He feels there are more important issues to worry about.

For your information a petition website has been started which Garth has posted to his website http://www.garth.ca/weblog/2007/05/03/doan-petition/ or visit www.savedoan.ca

Thanks again for taking the time to contact Garth Turner, MP for Halton and allowing us the opportunity to respond to your concern.

I've signed ... as has my wife. I think we need to send a message to those who think they understand the people they work for and seem to think they have the right to speak for all Canadians.

Canadian Government Official Languages Committee

2007-05-03T16:25:00.000-04:00

What a waste of time. I'm so fed up with the Government's investigation of Shane Doan and what some Quebec MP still believes he said - despite being cleared by the NHL 17 months ago - that I decided to send an email to my Member of Parliament (MP), Garth Turner.

Here's what I wrote:

Mr. Turner,

I'd just like to send you a quick note to express my utter disappointment at the stupidity of the Canadian Government regarding the House of Common's Official Languages Committee's hearings on Shane Doan.

This is an extremely wasteful and utterly useless expenditure of tax payer's monies. No one in Canada cares one way or another about this investigation, except some irresponsible Quebec MP who is trying to make a name for himself. We have better things to do with our money than to go on a witch hunt of an individual who was completely EXONERATED by the NHL over 17 months ago! No one was able to corroborate the NHL Linesman's complaint that Shane uttered those words. Everyone there has said Shane didn't say what he's still accused of saying.

Reports (CTV.ca) say, "The committee said it fully supports the Canadian hockey team and is very proud of their endeavours but the issue needs to be resolved." THERE IS NO ISSUE!!!

Pure justification of their existence.

I'd like to know your thoughts about this matter and where you stand. I would hope you side with the vast majority of Canadians in believing this has been an embarrassment to the country and a waste of time and money.

Thank you for your time.

Come on Canada ... you're better than this!

The War in Iraq - A Soldier's Perspective (Animated)

2007-05-03T14:44:00.000-04:00

I found this animated (stills) movie on Break.com and thought it would be very worthwhile to show. The sketches are done by U.S. Army Specialist Colby Buzzell and recounts (accurately?) a typical patrol in Iraq.

Whether you agree with what the U.S. is doing in Iraq or whether you're a staunch Dove, this is extremely well done and worth watching. Regardless, all troops deployed globally - whether with American in Iraq or Canadian in Afghanistan - deserve our support.

Never turn your back on anyone in the military, they're the ones who'll step forward to defend you when danger threatens.

The War In Iraq: A Soldiers Perspective

I'm a Science Geek ...

2007-05-02T15:45:00.000-04:00

That's Because I AM Canadian ...

2007-05-02T15:06:00.000-04:00

I took this "American Accent" Quiz ...

What American accent do you have? Your Result: North Central "North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.
The West
The Midland
Boston
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Sports Long Weekend

2007-04-09T11:56:00.000-04:00

This past long weekend turned out to be a sport's buff's dream. Hockey, baseball, basketball, golf ...

A quick summary of the events that mattered to me this weekend:

My beloved Leafs were knocked out of the last playoff spot by the NY Islanders (WHO!?). The Jays
The Jays took 2 from the Tampa Bay Rays (I think they've dropped the "Devil" part of their nickname)
Zack Johnson (WHO!?) won the Masters. Although I believe Tiger is a phenominal golfer - maybe the greatest ever - the media makes you want to hate him. Anything and everything about their broadcast is focused around Tiger - regardless of whether he's in contention or not. At least Mikey made the Top 20 despite an 80 on Saturday.
The Raptors captured their first ever Division title. They're 2nd in their conference with a record of 44-33. Well done to Brian Colangelo and his Phoenix-styled approach to building a team!!
Canada's Men's Curling Team matched the Canadian Women's Curling Team with a win at the World Championships.

Well, I can't say I'm interested in the Hockey playoffs anymore, with Toronto out of the picture, so my focus will be on the Raptors and the Jays.

I'm not so think you dumb, I am!

2007-03-19T15:41:00.000-04:00

So, I thought I'd take the CBC's "Test the Nation" IQ test last night. Figured I'd stroke the ole ego a bit ... I'm a bright lad!

I did score well - 59 out of 60 - which "says" I have an IQ of 142.

What now confuses me is to why someone who scored the same as me, but is 55 years old has an IQ of 154!? I can feel the IQ points slowly ticking away on this one, until I slapped myself upside of the head and realized ... this was a test done by the CBC! How accurate can it really be?

Now I feel better. Anyone else take the test?

The Kid has a Future!

2007-03-09T13:30:00.000-05:00

Found this music video on YouTube. It's an excellent ... AND FUNNY!! ... song about how a family can misunderstand their child.

Music and Lyrics by Bo Burnham "My Family Thinks I'm Gay."

"Reading" Material for Those People on the Move

2007-03-07T14:47:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I "poo-poo'd" Audio Books before, but now I'm hooked! They are fabulous.

One of the young gents at work the other day came by my cubicle and asked me about a couple of authors - Anne McCaffrey and Raymond Feist. He remembered that I was a Sci-Fi fan and wanted my opinion on these two authors.

Being a HUGE fan of Anne McCaffrey's, I stated my stance on her Pern series and then made comment about Feist, who I've never read (Fantasy), but knew he was a big name within that genre. I enquired as to why he wanted my opinion and he mentioned he was downloading some Audio Book files to listen to when he worked out, etc.

That got me to thinking about my 1-hour (sometime longer ... the odd time shorter) drive home. I've tried listening to Kim Mitchel's show on Q-107, but he's no John Derringer in the Morning. Good enough show, but ...

I've listened to AM Radio , specifically Primetime Sports with Bob McCowan, but they seem to talk about the same stuff day after day.

So, what better way to pass the time than "reading" a book through the car's radio using my MP3 player. (Please don't use earphones while driving!!) It's almost like someone is talking to you, but it's not distracting in any way.

I enjoy the narrators, as they tend to act out the book and in some cases, use different voices for different characters.

I've listened to one W.E.B. Griffin book - The Lieutenants (Brotherhood of War series) - and am now listening to the first Pern novel by Anne McCaffrey - Dragonflight.

I have more Griffin, McCaffrey, Niven, and Brown "books" to "read".

Interesting Developments

2007-02-26T10:22:00.000-05:00

I received an interesting email last Friday from FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization. I applied for a position back in September 2006, but hadn't heard from them prior to my accepting my current job with Dundas Software.

It seems I forgot how slowly the UN can be when dealing with recruiting. When I originally worked for DPKO - Department of Peacekeeping Operations, I had submitted my application in May 1996 and received my first indication of interest in November 2006 - 6 months. (This application has taken 6 months before I heard from them).

FAO's email stated that I'm still in the hunt and that they are going to create a short list and if I make that list, I will be contacted for an interview (phone).

It could be interesting to think we could find ourselves in Rome. I can easily imagine how many visitors we'd get!!

The Art of War

2007-02-13T10:11:00.000-05:00

Well, not war in today's world, anyways.

Looks like I'm going to get my first opportunity to play Paintball in over 11 years. I last had the chance to play when I lived in Ottawa before joining the United Nations.

It should be interesting to see how things go now that I'm (gasp!) older, fatter, and slower. Yup, it's a kid's game these days! Still, never underestimate the sly, cunning approach of the aged!

If interested in learning more about Paintball, I was one of the originals of the Canadian Contingent Paintball Club.

The New "I am Canadian"

2007-02-04T15:56:00.000-05:00

My Dad sent this on to me just the other day. I thought it was funny, if not damningly true. The more I thought about what was written, the more upset I got. We Canadians are a self-depricating lot that tend to roll with the punches instead of getting up off the canvas to kick some butts of our own.

It does seem that we have taken a beating for quite a long time in a number of areas, but still are reluctant to do anything about it. Maybe the more that read this will mean the more that will actually have the nads to stand up and protest ... in whatever manner they might deem appropriate.

In all honesty - it will probably mean a silent protest confined to their homes and loved ones.

The New Canadian Rant
My name is Carl and I AM CANADIAN
I am a minority in Vancouver, Toronto, and every casino in this country.
I was born in 1960, yet I am still being held responsible for some FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE BEING SCREWED OUT OF THEIR LAND in the 1700's.
I pay import taxes on cars made in Ontario.
I am allowed to skydive and smoke, but not allowed to drive without a seat belt.
All the money I make until mid-July must go to paying my taxes.
I live and work amongst people who believe Americans are ignorant. These same people cannot name this country's newest territory.
Although I am sometimes forced to live on Kraft dinner and don't have a pot to piss in, I sleep well knowing that my taxes have helped purchase a nice six figure home in Vancouver for some unskilled refugee.
Although they are unpatriotic and constantly trying to separate, Quebec still provides my nation's prime ministers.
95% of my nation's international conflicts are over fish.
I'm supposed to call black people African-Canadians, although I'm sure none of them have ever been to Africa, or possibly east of Halifax for that matter.
I believe that paying a 200% tax on alcohol is fair and I believe that the same tax on gasoline is also fair.
Even if I have no idea what happened to that old rifle my grandfather gave me when I was 14, I will be considered a criminal if I don't register it.
I believe spending $15 billion to promote the French language in the rest of Canada is fair when the province of Quebec doesn't even support or recognize the English language.
I believe that paying $30 million for 3 Stripes ("The Voice of Fire painting in Ottawa) by the National Art Gallery was a good purchase, even though 99% of this country didn't want it or will ever see it.
When I look at my pay stub and realize that I take home one-third of what I actually make, I say "Oh well, at least we have better health care than the Americans."
I must bail out farmers when their crops are too wet or too dry, because I control the rain.
My national anthem has versions in both official languages and I don't know either of them.
Canada is the highest taxed nation in North America, the biggest Military buffer for the United States, and the number one destination for fleeing terrorists.
I am not an angry white male. I am an angry taxpayer who is f***ing broke.
My name is Carl, and I am Canadian.

A Road Less Traveled

2007-01-28T12:01:00.000-05:00

Robert Frost was very eloquent when he wrote about having to make choices in your life when he said:

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

Life isn't always about selecting the easiest option when confronted with potentially life changing choices. Sometimes it means having to deal with difficulties in order to make it through to the other side, where if you've done what is needed to be done, you'll be in a better stead.

Stay the course. Put in the time, effort, and responsibility required to get through this difficult time and you'll be better of in the long run.

Searching for Something to Write

2007-01-16T14:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, how do writers find things to write about?

It seems that some people can write about anything. It might be as simple as filling a space with their thoughts.

I guess a story could be drafted around an event that might have occured to that individual at some point in the lives - as a child, teener, adult, etc. Or, possibly it was something that just happened to them - like an injury to someone they knew, or a news-worthy event they saw on the TV or read in the paper and had a strong opinion that they needed to voice, it could be something humourous that happened to themselves or a friend, or it just could be a stated opinion on any given issue. Whatever the case, these people find the "write" formula needed to fill up a page.

Some peole definitely struggle to find the inspiration to put wit to pen ... okay, you know what I mean.

I seem to be falling into this latter category of writers. It might be because I'm currently experiencing a "non-eventful" period in my life. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving life and my place in it. It's just that nothing of note is happening to me or my wife right now.

Sure, we both have our jobs and the people that we interact with daily, but they seem to be uneventful people too!

And sure, we have our activities at home and with our pets (ah, furry children - ain't it grand!?), but nothing of note is coming to mind.

So, again, I ask where do these people find their inspiration. I can't believe that their lives are that much more interesting or that so many things of note are happening around them that are so noteworthy.

I'm led to be believe that they're writing a lot about nothing. So, who'd actually want to read that crap?

Not me. I want to read interesting stuff.

I can't believe they're wasting my time like that.

Men vs Women: Exercising at Home (Part D'uh)

2007-01-12T15:15:00.000-05:00

So, what we have is the need to exercise, the equipment necessary to exercise, and the space required, but it turns out to be insufficient ... from the female point of view.

My wife couldn't feel the motivation necessary to begin the trek of losing weight because of the mess in my office. I offered to commence the clean up and organization of the mounds of papers, bills, etc., but again that seemed to not be satisfactory. It quickly dawned on me that I wasn't going to get my way with this.

So, our storage room became the target of Martha of the North. She had a project and nothing was going to stop her.

The first step was determining which items would stay (to be neatly stacked at the back wall of the room) and which should be thrown out. I realized, that what we were in fact doing was a Spring Cleaning ... in January!

Ooooooh, she's a crafty one, she is!

Since it is a storage room (and looks like a storage room), the inspiration necessary to promote exercising, regardless of how clean THIS room would ever be, wasn't enough. It had to be pretty!

Unused curtains were rummaged from the uppermost floor of the house and hung across the rafters. The curtains had 2 functions - hide the crap we kept and had stacked against the back wall and to create a calming atmosphere.

Next came the strategic placement of the treadmill. I think Feng Shui was used, but I'm not sure. The logic baffled me. A guy would lug in the treadmill, stop once he got in the room, and if it seemed to be in an okay position (ie, kinda away from the walls/windows, etc., but still in the sight line of the plasma TV that was going to be mounted on the wall) then it was left there. Women have to plan the layout - ensure the "flow" of the room isn't affected - or else it just won't work.

Two chairs were brought in. Not sure exactly why, but now we can change our shoes in comfort.

Finally, aside from wanting a new rug, a large mirror from the family room was hung in a strategic spot whereby my wife can watch herself walking on the treadmill. I'm not sure why that was important ... something about making the room seem bigger and being more effective on the treadmill ... but alas, it's now occupying a space in the storage - excuse me - exercise room.

As for me, I'm using the facilities at work. As long as I can watch Sports Desk while "working out", I'm good.

Men vs Women: Exercising at Home (Part 1)

2007-01-06T17:52:00.000-05:00

My wife and I, yet again thanks to having to endure the endless amounts of eating forced upon ourselves during the Christmas and New Years holidays, have decided it's time for us to lose some weight.

We are once again going to impose the "Code of the Weight Watcher's Ethos" upon ourselves and are going to become more calorically vigilant. No more will I feast on those [insert appropriate snack food, such as Hickory Sticks or Ruffles, here] and Coke on Friday/Saturday (sometimes Tuesday ... or any other day ending in 'day') nights.

"No!", I say. Or, more accurately, "No!", says my wife.

So, I come to the point in the story where I prepare myself for the inevitable - having to commence my plan to start my research in how to begin looking at the best way to undertake a review of my need to ... dammit, I gotta workout some! Lucky for me, there's a fitness facility in the building where I work. Even better, the company I work for pays for a full membership for anyone that wants to join.

I've taken the leap (yes, I was exhausted after that one low orbit jump) and had my first session with a sadistic, former Mr. Kenya. Where I thought I was going to be introduced to the different apparati available to do my routine, Mr. Kenya thought it best I start my slow death immediately. I suspected something was afoot when he recoiled in disgust when I had to take a love handle fat measurement pinch test. I guess my studly (spudly?) physique wasn't all that impressive.

So, that was then, Monday is my first day, first real day in hell. I will do cardio - I enjoy the ellipticals more than treadmills or bikes - and maybe some light weights. Finishing with some stretching. I'm hoping that maybe by the end of February, i might drop 15 - 25 lbs.

Now, for my wife.

We have a treadmill at home. Actually, it's a very nice NordiTrack treadmill. It's seen quite a bit of use in the past, but it's been dormant for almost 2 years.

The treadmill was set up in my office. Granted, it wasn't given the best of spaces, but everything was functional. I'd even set up a direct line of sight to a well-positioned 13" LCD TV mounted strategically on a wall in the office. It could be viewed while walking on the treadmill or sitting at the computer.

BRILLIANT!

Nope. You see, my office is a mess and provides no inspiration to workout. So, in effect, the treadmill is essentially a large, expensive piece of junk ... unless a new home is found for it.

To quote my wife: "It has to be clean ... and pretty!"

Start of a New Year

2007-01-02T19:53:00.000-05:00

So, you're wondering ... where the hell did he disappear to?

Well, I've had a lot of personal things to take care of. They've taken up a lot of my time. Chief amongst them is a new job. I'm now doing sales for a software company. I just completed my first quarter and was able to reach 145% of my goal.

I'm very proud of this, as none of the other 4 sales associates broke 100% of their first quarter quota when they began working for this company. I had a number of nice deals, including one with a financial institution that amounted to a credit card transaction for $33,000 USD!!! That sounds incredible on it's own, but then I realized that they're the Visa company ... it's their card!

The holidays weren't much of a relaxation, I'm afraid. First, my wife lost her 104-year old grandmother just before Christmas. To compound those emotions, we were unable to go to her memorial as we both got sick and wound up in bed for a couple of days. Then, we had her nephew and niece and their 2 kids over for New Years. We quickly realized how grateful we were NOT to have children.

Officially, our house has been declared a "KIDS FREE ZONE"!!!!!!!!

It's 8 pm and we're both about to go to bed. Sad, isn't it?

A Face in the Crowd

2006-09-30T21:18:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'm absolutely LOVING this picture. It's not for the guy taking it on the chin ... although that in itself it quite the picture. Nope, it's for the lady two rows behind him who's just munching away on her popcorn without a care in the world.

I mean, is she even watching what's going on? I know some people think watching baseball can be quite boring, especially if you're a Royals fan, but she's obviously thinking about more exciting things ... like, maybe her upcoming herbal enema?

Then again, the father a couple of seats over from "Bat-Man" is doing a piss-poor job of protecting his child!!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Not sure of the source, but it looks like Sports Illustrated.

Broke My Cherry

2006-09-28T09:55:00.000-04:00

Well hell.

I lost my virginity yesterday ...

Of course I'm talking about my sales virginity. I made my first sale yesterday to Petro-Canada in Oakville, ON. It was a good, quick sale, if I say so myself. And, considering I made the sale before even getting a quota I think speaks for itself!

LOL.

Must admit it's a very satisfying feeling. I look forward to the many more that'll come down the road. I still have to come to grips with the mountain of information that I need to know in order to answer any question or respond to any situation, but that'll come. They say the "ramp up" time to become comfortable with things is about 3 months ...

Hours of Operation

2006-09-26T11:57:00.000-04:00

I called my local medical laboratory last night - after closing - to find out when they might be open in the morning, as I have to do my regular 24-hour pee collection for my upcoming appointment with my kidney specialist.

The company's voice message said, "Thank you for calling XXX Medical Laboratories on XXX Street. Our office has closed for the day. Our office hours are, Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 5:00. If you know the extension of the person you are trying to reach, you may enter it now. Or, if you'd like to use our company directory ... "

Straight forward message. I listened all the way until the BEEP sounded so you could leave a general message.

Since I start work at 7 a.m., I knew I'd be late and figured if I arrive at 8:20, I could be first in the doors and that'll get me out on the road all that quicker.

I arrived, in fact, at 8:15 and found the doors open and the waiting area filled to capacity. Needless-to-say I was a little confused. Thankfully, I was just there to get a collection container, so all I had to do was present myself to the counter.

I got in line behind 3 people. The line moved quickly and I was at the counter in under 4 minutes. Once there, I asked the lady, "I thought you open at 8:30?"

She replied, "No, we open at 7 a.m." Again confused, I told her what I had heard on their voice message last night.

She looked at me as if I was retarded. "That's our office hours, not the Lab's."

My blood was slowly starting to boil ... which is rare because I'm not one to quickly get mad. So, I asked the next logical question, "Does your lab have a different telephone number than that listed in the Yellow Pages?"

"No. It's the same one." Frustration on her part. But why?

"Then, why doesn't the message that plays after hours say what time the Lab opens? It only says the office hours.", I asked in a somewhat sarcastic voice.

"I'm sure it does. Did you listen long enough?" Her voice was condescending and her eyes said "Fucking Idiot!" in no uncertain terms. I mean, how could I have been so stupid as to not realize that I had to listen to ALL of the message in order to find out when the Lab is open!?

Now most people wouldn't want to make a scene, but having run into bad service with the Doctor's receptionist/nurse, I wasn't going to take it. "If you even THINK about insinuating that I'm that stupid then we've got a few things to talk about with your Supervisor. Now, don't you think you might want to check with someone in the office first before you insult a customer?"

This time her eyes popped wide open in surprise. She quickly became contrite and embarrassed ... which was exactly what I was striving for. I must admit my head was a little light and my hands were shaking. I wasn't sure whether that was because I was so mad, so quickly.

"Ummm. I'll definitely check with our Office Manager to ensure that both the office and lab hours are mentioned in the message. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Sir."

(Damn right!)

"That's fine. I'm sure more than just myself would appreciate having your voice message updated." She couldn't have helped me more quickly after that point.

I haven't a clue why people are so quick to try to make you feel inferior when you ask a question that is "below" them or are just try to get something accomplished in a simple straight forward manner that they deem isn't worth their time. Customer service is paramount to a company's success.

I'd be interested in seeing what would happen if I decide to put what transpired in writing. A well run company proud of their service would quickly apologize and seek to rectify the deficiency.

But, I just don't care at this point. I just might call after hours in a couple of days to see if the message has changed though! LOL.

Week One Recap

2006-09-25T13:26:00.000-04:00

Well,

The first week of work is over ... and while I'm taking a lunch break today, I thought I'd just give a little recap.

First off, I have to say I absolutely love the products, which makes it easier to sell. I know that in my previous jobs we could have used all of the products at some point. Additionally, down the line we were looking at a portal where our clients could log in and review their procurement status - Charts would have been great!

The first 2 1/2 days were reading, reading, and more reading. I was also taking what templates has been offered and editing them into my words all-the-while trying to understand when they get used.

I was also learning the basics of our Customer Management Database - called Maximizer. It's actually not a bad program considering we have well over 25,000 clients input. It is totally different from the CRM program I was introduced to in NYC. There are idiosyncracies associated with Maximizer, but they're quite manageable .... which is nice.

In the afternoon of the third day, I got my first batch of leads. At the end of every day, "information emails" are created as a result of anyone downloading an evaluation copy of any of our products. These are collated and "farmed" out to us (rotating daily) in Sales. Each batch usually contains approximately 125 leads. So, every five days you get roughly 125 new oppportunities that you need to follow up on.

The first thing to do is to see if a lead isn't actually someone else's. Should the be the case, you forward the lead onto that individual. Otherwise, time to enter them into Maximizer and create a "To-Do" to send them an email introducing yourself and asking whether they've tried the product and whether they have any questions.

Then, it's a matter of managing these opportunities until the either buy, ignore us, or tell us to leave them the hell alone.

Most of the communications are via emails. Exceptions tend to be for N. American companies and companies in english speaking areas in Europe - this can include Germany, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain, as alot of the business-types speak English.

Anyways, I got my leads and have already created a couple of quotes and have 2 more companies very interested in purchasing. This is quite good, as I don't have an established sales quota yet! Not a bad thing ... impressing your boss in the first few days. LOL.

Although I've never thought I'd be able to do a job involving Sales (thankfully there's no Cold Calling in this job), I'm enjoying this. There will be pressure to make your quotas (once I get mine), the gang is great, the company is growing like gangbusters, and there's tons of money to be (eventually) earned.

I guess I'll stay for a while!!

Now, as for my weight - I actually lost a little bit more - another 1.5 lbs. It's all been a result of eating better and snacking less! Who'd a thunk it!?

When Life Hands You Lemons ...

2006-09-20T20:00:00.000-04:00

You make lemonade.

Here's video of a street performer in San Diego playing Tom Petty's "Last Dance With Mary Jane".

The video speaks for itself.

The First Day

2006-09-18T18:26:00.000-04:00

Well, the first day of my new employment has come and gone.

As can be expected, you'll never really be expected to do your job on the first day, as there is so much to get organized - benefits enrollment forms, pay forms, security passes, parking passes, computer setup (which will never be 100% right), and then reading all about your duties and responsibilities.

Before you know it, it's time to go home for the day.

One thing I was worried about was the commute. I left home at 0620 and got into the office building at 0705. Not bad, 45 minutes. I was expecting the drive home to be worse because I was leaving smack dab in the middle of rush hour, but even though I left at 1715, I was home at 1810 ... 55 minutes!! I'm quite content with that. Round trip travel is roughly 95 kms.

Tomorrow, once my puter is setup with the proper admin priviledges and software, I'll be shown the Maximizer - the company's Customer Relation Management program - and how we conduct sales.

Once I've learned that, I'll start earning commissions against any and all completed sales! Let the money roll in!!

FINALLY! Employment

2006-09-17T09:02:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post, but I finally got a job.

Thanks to my long lost buddy who put my resume on top of the pile of resumes on his boss's desk, his recommendation ... and my incredible telephone interview ... I received a job offer last week. So, I'm officially a software salesman. I may or may not mention the company in my blog ... haven't decided yet.

I officially start work this Monday. The drive is going to be a pain in the butt, as I now have to drive across the bottom of the GTA all the way to the Ontario Science Center's neighbourhood. With the traffic on the QEW/Gardiner/DVP at that time of the morning, I'm going to have to leave a little earlier ... say 0616 - 0630 ... to not have to spend an hour in the traffic.

Mind you, it beats having to drive 105 kms (1 hour) home and back with my previous job.

That's all for now. Let's see how the first day goes!

Happenings

2006-09-14T08:50:00.000-04:00

Okay, I've been remiss in keeping in touch here, so I'm going to provide a quick update:

- My weight: First week was good. I lost 2 1/2 pounds!! This week might be sobering though, as the weather has prevented us from walking in the morning ... but, I have been good in what I've eaten, so maybe I'll maintain that weight loss.

- Employment 1: All quiet on the consulting contract front. This isn't unusual, but it's annoying.

- Employment 2: I have 5 applications against 11 positions with the UN in New York, 2 applications in for Geneva (of which one confirmed the received my file - that's a first for a UN Agency!), and one for a position in Rome.

- Employment 3: I might be getting an interview from the company with whom my buddy - A Voice From the Past - works. It's a software sales job, but the company is phenominal and the monetary potential after a couple year's of work is HUGE ... Fingers crossed.

- Shoulder: I was supposed to have had a Surgeon's Referral done by my doctor, but it's been over 3 weeks since my visit and I haven't had a call from any surgeon. Time to double check what the @#$@# is going on.

- New Zealand: Prior to having the company close, we were planning a 3-week vacation at Christmas to New Zealand with our bestest friends. They were going to fly in Jakarta to meet us, but there's no way I could, nor my wife, ever get 3 weeks at Christmas from our new (soon to be) employers, so I canceled our tickets. I had booked Business Class using our Air Canada points. Now, after having paid a cancellation fee, they've been put back into my account. It's a healthy 250,000+ points now! Time to clear off debts and plan a vacation!!! LOL.

That's about all for the time being. Nothing too exciting.

Sorry.

Houston, We Have Interest

2006-09-07T10:54:00.000-04:00

I put in an application for a job with CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) in Ottawa yesterday. It's a Senior Procurement Advisor, International position with focus on Asia. It was listed by a Head Hunting firm and is a consulting position that would be an "as/when required" basis. It has a three year term to it and I searched the government's e-bid website and noticed that the Asia Branch is looking for a LOT of consultants in a wide variety of specialties, so they're obviously expanding their section due to requirements.

So, that could mean it could be steady work.

It's a little bit of a stretch, as some of the position's functions and responsibilities are things I've never done, but there's so many job functions that echoed what I did both in the Canadian Forces and United Nations, that I felt it was a good match. I applied via workopolis.com, but this morning I felt that that submission didn't really give my resumé a fair shake - it seemed my career info was "chopped up". This morning I noted a direct email to the individual in the firm looking after this position and decided to follow up my internet application with an email providing my full resumé.

Guess it was a good thing to do. I just got an email from this lady at the firm saying, "You have a very impressive resume. I will get a copy of the mandatories and give you a call at your number."

GULP!!!!

Now I've got to prepare myself for an interview quicker than I thought I'd have to. I'm not sure what the mandatories will be, but the listing didn't say "Bilingual Imperative", so that's good!

Battle of the Bulge

2006-09-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

I noticed my weight was slowly going back up again. Purely a result of, after having searched and searched my way through numerous online employment sites, sitting my ass down in front of the TV or in front of the computer surfing nowhere special.

I had worked hard to drop almost 60 lbs a couple of years ago and now almost 20 has come back on. That doesn't seem to be all that much, one-third of my original loss, but it's the trend that's worrisome.

It's time to get active once again and win this battle of the bulge.

I'm not going to bore (shock?) you with what my weight actually is, but I will update as to my total weight loss (gain?) going forward.

So, to start this day out right, I walked with my wife to her offices this morning. We walked at a very quick pace ... she listened to her motivating music and I listened to John Derringer (with Maureen Holloway - one of the funniest ladies I've ever heard!!!) on Q-107. I don't listen to John's show faithfully anymore, now that I'm not spending an hour every morning driving to the office, so it was nice to hear "Auntie Mo" again.

Anyways, my Best Half has been walking to her new job regularly now and it's showing. So, my thoughts were, if I join her in the morning AND continue to eat smartly (truthfully the junk food and snacks are virtually non-existant in our household!), then I should be looking at dropping some pounds.

Smart thing to do, in my opinion.

So, I weighed myself yesterday and every Monday I'll weigh myself to see what, if any, progress is being made.

A Voice from the Past

2006-09-03T21:14:00.000-04:00

Got a nice surprise today - a phone call from a friend with whom I'd had a falling out with.

Almost 2 years ago, while playing poker at a another friend's place, my distant buddy proceeded to get a little tipsy. He got angry over something innocuous and as the night unfolded and more drinks were quaffed, his anger grew. Everyone, including myself were targets. Needless-to-day the rest of the evening didn't go well.

The next day, he felt like he was the victim and the rest of us were waiting for apologies.

Sometimes you have to put aside pride. It's not always a case of who's at fault and what was or wasn't said or done. We missed this couple's friendship and with the imminent arrival of their second girl, my wife decided it was time to re-establish contact.

Water under the bridge.

It was nice to immediately find out that they too had missed our friendship too and had been looking to call us up. So, the women had been in contact with each other ... it was time for the guys to grow some balls and have a talk. I'm glad we did.

They've come a long way since our parting of ways and now find themselves proud owners of their first home, two lovely girls, and a job that is paying huge dividends for their family. It's nice to see that his hard work, after finding this job while newly graduated from college, has paid off. He's now the second most senior salesman in the company, which has grown from 22 (I believe that's what he said) to over 60 people and is extremely profitable. His base pay, commission, and profit sharing figures have rewarded him well.

Congrats!

As for me, I'm still without employment. Resumes continue to go out without feedback. I've come to believe that companies in other parts of the country aren't looking at candidates outside of their regions. So, I'm concentrating on the GTA - Greater Toronto Area - and with the UN. I now have applications in for 1 job in Rome, 2 in Geneva, and 6 in New York. All are either P-3 or P-4 positions.

Fingers crossed.

Still waiting for word on the consulting contract. The RFP - Request for Proposal - was responded to in a timely fashion ... it's now just a waiting game.

Fingers crossed.

The Cold Shoulder

2006-08-30T11:20:00.000-04:00

Well, I got the results of the tests on my shoulder last night from my doctor. After almost an hour's wait, I was informed that the x-rays showed negative ...

But, the ultrasound showed a 4mm x 6mm tear in a ligament in my rotator cuff!! Finally, confirmation that there actually is something wrong with my shoulder and that it isn't just tendonitis. I asked my doctor what the next step was and he said, "Physio.".

My jaw dropped.

He noted my disbelief and said that he doubted a surgeon would want to repair the tear. I calmly looked at him and asked what he thought physio would acutally do because I've done that schtick a number of times over the years and, in my opinion, it's actually lead to degradation in my shoulder's performance capabilities.

"It'll allow you to strengthen the muscles in the shoulder that will increase your mobility." I thought that through for a moment ... or two ... and realized that that was bullshit and that I really would like to talk to a surgeon to get his thoughts on the subject. I mean physio isn't correcting the problem, it's hiding it. The tear will always be there ... the physio isn't repairing the tear, so my discomfort/pain will always be there.

His reasoning was based upon my statements of not being able to throw a ball anymore. He believed that the strengthening of the shoulder through physio would allow me to throw a ball again. My confidence in him hit rock bottom on this matter instantly.

It's not that I want to throw a ball again ... mind you, it would be nice ... it's that I used the stories of my prowess of being able to throw a ball with speed and accuracy from the outfield to home plate has been replaced by barely being able to throw from home plate to first combined with intense pains that drops me to my knees with tears in my eyes.

I WANT THE PAIN AND DISCOMFORT TO BE GONE!!

So, I straightened his thinking out and got him to complete a request to consult a surgeon.

If there wasn't a shortage of doctor's in my hometown, I'd get a new one immediately despite the fact that he's actually been a good doctor. He's the one that detected an issue with my urine sample that lead to the diagnosis of my iGA Nephropathy in it's earliest stage, but his "poo-poo'ing" of this ... combined with the previous issue with finding out my shoulder results and the one hour wait ... makes me want to find a new doc.

I guess there'll be more updates on my surgical referal and events thereafter.

A Random Joke on Tiger ...

2006-08-28T15:53:00.000-04:00

Saw this joke on the Net and thought it was hilarious ...

A couple was on their honeymoon, lying in bed about ready to finally consummate their marriage, when the new bride said to her husband, "Honey, I have a confession to make. I'm not a virgin."

The husband, looking deep into her eyes with love and a lot of lust replied, "That's not really such a big deal in this day and age, Sweetie."

"I know, but I'd like to tell you about it anyways. Besides, I've only been with one other guy."

The husband was curious and asked, "Really? Who was the guy? Do I know him?"

"Tiger Woods" she said.

"Tiger Woods? As in, Tiger Woods the professional golfer? The winner of 52 tournaments, including 11 majors?? "

"Yes, that's him. He's rich, famous, and handsome. I met him before he got married, we had a couple of drinks, and one thing lead"

"Well I can understand why you went to bed with him Honey.", he said.

Enough having been said, the couple started to make long and passionate love for the first time as a couple and when they were finished the husband energetically hopped out of bed and went to the telephone. "What are you doing, Honey?" asked his wife breathlessly.

Te husband said, "I'm hungry and I was about to call room service to get something to eat.", said the husband.

"Well," she said, "Tiger wouldn't do that!"

"Okay," he replied, "Exactly what would Tiger do?"

"He'd come back to bed and make love to me a second time."

Not to be outdone by Tiger, the husband put down the phone, jumped back into the bed, and made long, passionate love a second time. When they'd finished, he got out of bed and went to the phone. As he picked up the receiver, his wife asked, "What are you doing now, Hon?"

He replied, "I"m still hungry, so I was going to call room service to get something to eat."

Again she said, "Well, Tiger wouldn't do that."

"Okay, now exactly what would Tiger do?", he asked slightly annoyed.

"He'd get back into bed and make love to me again."

He slammed the phone down, got back into the bed, and made long, passionate love to his wife one more time.

When they had finished, the husband was thoroughly tired and sore! He dragged himself over to the phone and started to dial a number. His wife asked him, "Are you calling room service, Hon?"

"No. I'm calling that bastard Tiger Woods and finding out what the HELL par is on this damned hole!"

Some Good News

2006-08-21T17:09:00.000-04:00

Well we actually got some good news today.

My best half landed herself a job as a Receptionist/Admin Assistant for DPI Foods - a company that's been voted as one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies. She went in for an interview today and within 10 minutes she'd been offered the job.

She starts her job tomorrow.

Good pay, benefits, and a bonus structure. I know that she won't be in that job too long, as she can offer the company so much in so many different areas. They're bound to notice this too and will look to use her in a great capacity - most likely in a marketing-styled job.

As for her personal company, that's not dead ... it's just dormant at the moment.

As for me, my buddy's company is finally in receipt of the RFP (Request for Proposal) from the government and has this week to respond to it. I'll be meeting my buddy tonight so I can look at it and help them respond. Finally.

Let's see - Poker. Played twice last week and despite not getting any cards, I fared quite well. I didn't make the final table either night, but I really grinded it out, so felt good about things. Maybe this week will see some progress.

Aside from that, that's about it. I'm putting out resumes daily - one for a Purchasing Manager's job with GlaxoSmithKline in Mississauga today and ne to Surrey, BC with Kodak Graphic Communications (formerly Creo, Inc.) on Friday for a Vendor (Purchasing) Manager's job. One of the Head Hunters that I'm registered with called me on Friday to ask if they can forward my resume to West Monroe Partners, as they're looking for 3 consultants with experience in Supply Chain Management and Procurement. That's me!

Then again, there's still Rome with the UN - FAO. That officially closes tomorrow.

Do The Dew

2006-08-15T09:11:00.000-04:00

Came across this commercial this morning. I thought it was very funny ... and, aside from MacIntosh's most recent ad campaign, there aren't too many commercials that make me laugh.

New Cleaner

2006-08-14T09:36:00.000-04:00

I've been having difficulties keeping my office clean and decided I needed to hire a cleaner. The only problem is they're very expensive and until I land some work (the consulting gig is just around the corner!!), I could only afford to have one piece of equipment cleaned ...

Okay, truth be known, this is Earl and he has a fetish when it comes to computer screens.

Finally ... The Final Table

2006-08-10T09:21:00.000-04:00

I played my weekly RedHot Poker Tour game last night. I was late getting there, but thankfully I was able to get a spot at one of the tables before they went on the Waiting List.

Turns out I sat at wonderful table - full of fun, boisterous people. We enjoyed about 90 minutes together before we finally started losing players and had to close the table down. The rest of us had to find new places amongst the remaining tables. I ended up at a table, again, with a gent named Kim. He's a good, patient player and we enjoyed sharing a few stories between each other.

As the night progressed, I found myself playing in a manner that I'd always wanted to. I was bullying some of the players when I knew I had the weaker hand, but knowing that I was exploiting some weakness in their games. Before I knew it, there were only 2 tables (16 players) left and I was the big stack at my table!

The Blinds were getting higher and taking a toll on the shorter stacks (of chips) and soon both tables were looking at each other to see how things were going. Our table found itself down to 4 players and the other table had 5 ... so, only one more player gone meant the rest move to the Final Table and pick up more points.

I said to myself, just survive ... don't do anything stupid ... and you'll be in good position at the final table. Of course, that went out the window 2 hands before we made it to 8 people. I went into a hand with Kim and at the one point where I should have bet large, I didn't. Kim called my weak bet and got the card he needed to beat me on the River. Turns out I did have beat at the point I should have bet big. A large amount of my chips gone ... lessoned learned.

So, it turned out I made the Final Table despite that setback, but I had the second shortest stack of chips.

The short stack bowed out on the first hand.

Two hands later, I had no choice but to go "All In" as I would be out of chips in 2 more hands. Unfortunately, 3 others went "All In" as well!!!

Once we all flipped our cards, it turned out I had the strongest 2 - Kd Qh!! But once all 5 cards had been flipped over, the guy who had the second largest stack prior to that hand paired one of his 9's and took the HUGE pot.

So, I bowed out 7th!

I'm quite happy with my performance and learned sooooo much last night. Maybe next week I'll get back to the final table, but in a stronger position.

You've Got to be Kidding!

2006-08-08T09:37:00.000-04:00

This is my second post today and I really needed to get this off my chest. Here's how a phone call to my Doctor's office went:

Having finally connected to the Doctor's office after having dialed the number 26 times (total time spent trying to get through, despite using redial: 6:30 minutes), I get a protracted message talking about various medical forms that need to be completed IF you're calling about a number of health issues. This message was followed by a message stating that if you were actually calling for 4 different doctors who work out of the same offices, then dial this different number. (Total message time: 2:20 minutes)

Receptionist/Nurse (R/N): "Welcome to Medical Associates of _______. Could you please hold?"

Me: "Fi" (Never did get to say the whole word)

(Total time waiting for R/N: 8:44 minutes)

R/N: "Thank you for waiting. How may I help you?" (Monotone voice with just a bit of anger dripping from it, as if this day has started out on the worst note possible.)

Me: "Hi. My name is __________ and my doctor is Dr. _______. I've been waiting to find out the results of the ultrasound and x-rays that were done on my right shoulder approximately 6 weeks ago. I was hoping someone would have called my by now, as I believe the results should be in." (Despite everything, I'm calm.)

R/N: "We don't call patients and give out results over the phone. You'll have to make an appointment with your doctor to discuss the results." (An air of being fed-up pervades her attitude.)

Dead air for about 5 seconds as I waited for her to go on with asking me what day would be best for my appointment, etc.

Me: "Is this a new policy, as I've never been told that before and if I'd known that, I would have made an appointment before I left his offices when I was last there." (When I got the appointment for the ultrasound and x-rays) (A little annoyed that she didn't ask me when I wanted an appointment.)

R/N: "No, it's always been our policy." (Boredom at having to explain this to obviously someone who's an idiot.)

Me: "Okay. Why didn't anyone mention this and that I'd need to make an appointment to do a follow-up on the ultrasound and x-rays?" (Frustration mounting.)

R/N: "I can't answer why that didn't happen. You'll still have to make appointment though." (Defensive, with a hint of annoyance.)

Me: "Fine. I guess I need to make an appointment." (Abject surrender to what could have turned out to be a heated exchange should I had chosen to discover why it didn't happen.)

R/N: "Who is you doctor?" (I'd already told her earlier, but I'll give her the benefit of doubt ... having ruined her day already, I'm sure.)

Me: "Dr. ____."

R/N: "He's on vacation for 3 weeks and won't be back until 28 Aug." (Did I detect a hint of glee?)

Me: "That's fine." (I SURRENDER!!)

R/N: "I'm sorry, but I can't make your appointment right now, as our computers are down." (I think someone in the background laughed out loud, but I may have been mistaken.)

Me: "You're kidding me. You've just told me 3 times that I needed to make an appointment with Dr. ____ and all this time you knew the computers were down? Do you get enjoyment out of giving clients the runaround? Don't you think you could have mentioned this earlier instead of stretching this painful conversation out?" (I rarely get angry, but I was livid at this point. It's times and people like this that can make the most eloquent of people just want to explode into a profanity-laced tirade.)

R/N: "I'm sorry, but you'll have to call back later this afternoon and set up an appointment." (Back to monotone. She must do this regularly.)

Me: "I guess I'll have to, but I'm curious as to how you know that your computer problem won't be fixed until sometime this afternoon?" (Calm, cool, and collected.)

R/N: "I don't. It might be up this morning." (I know I caught her and she sounded guilty.)

Me: "I didn't think so. That's fine, you've been a tremendous help. I'll call back later this afternoon. B'uh Bye." (Despite dripping tremendous with a ton of sarcasm, I was calm, cool, and collected once again.)

I'm gobsmacked at this runaround, or am I being petty? I just wasted almost 20 minutes and got nothing to show for it.

How difficult would it have been to just have said, after I mentioned who I was, who my doctor was, and my reason for calling, that the computers were down and she couldn't offer an appointment with Dr. ____ at this time. Also, for my information, she was sorry that Dr. ____ was away on vacation and that when they are able to make an appointment for me, it won't be sometime until after he returns on 28 Aug!?!?!?!?!?

Would that have been so difficult? Sounds like their office needs to train their people a little better at managing calls. This would have saved me ... and her ... a bit of time and a lot of grief.

"The Toughest Work ... "

2006-08-08T08:46:00.000-04:00

"The toughest work you'll ever have to do is finding a job."

I'm sure I've paraphrased the quotation somewhat and I'm not really sure who originally said it, but it's so true. Especially when you're middle-aged and your career doesn't fit into what companies are quite looking for with regards to education and professional accreditations. But, such is life. You keep going.

So ends another week waiting for this consulting gig to commence. My buddy is still being "jerked" around by the government. Despite assurances that the bid would be posted on the government website, he found out Friday that the government officials still wanted some information from him ... despite the fact that he'd already provided all that to them previously. I did my time in the government (and amazingly I'm looking to potentially get back in with them), so I know how bureaucratic they can be. This whole thing should have started over a month ago.

Breathe deeply.

I managed to farm out a bunch of résumés last week - Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa, the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), and Rome (with the UN). Somethings bound to connect. I'm excited about the Rome one, as I'm very qualified for it. Of course the one downside to getting that job ... what the hell am I thinking? ... there is no downside!?!?

I'll keep plugging away, try to maintain a positive outlook, and hopefully the consulting gig will start soon.

Past Few Days

2006-08-03T14:41:00.000-04:00

Same shyte, different day.

We seem to be in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment. Word comes that the government contract is up for bid - only to find it's still hasn't come through yet. I got word this morning that it actually IS available for bids, which means my buddy's company will be submitting their bid. If everything goes according to Hoyle, then my buddy's company (and subsequently me) will be awarded a contract. This should provide me with 2 to 3 months of consulting.

My mother- and aunt-in-law came to visit us last weekend. It was a nice, but uneventful visit. The only thing of import was my wife's aunt's desire to adopt a cat from the local Humane Society. She's had a rough time looking after her (almost) 104 year old mother(my wife's grandmother) for the past year-and-a-half ... after the death of her brother of lung cancer/OCD. Her mother's physical health is pretty good for 103, but recently (and fairly rapidly) she's lost touch with reality. All of this has tired my wife's aunt quite thoroughly.

She's recently put her mother in a home and has started to "come back to life", so to speak. But, now she's lonely, hence the adoption of a cat.

This is George. He's shy, but very affectionate. It's going to take a little bit of time for him to acclimate to the apartment, but the two of them will become thick as theives, I'm very sure.

I had my third night of poker last night ... and it was my quickest departure. After only 20 minutes of playing and (roughly) 14 hands dealt, I was taken out.

I was dealt Ah Qh and raised the BB (Big Blind) by 5 times the amount ($500 in total - $100 BB and a raise of $400). One guy called my raise and we saw the flop - Qs Qc Jd. I flopped 3 Queens!! An excellent hand. I was first to bet and pushed in $600 - a strong bet. Buddy raised me another $600. My first thought was that he might have the 4th Queen, in which case my Ace was a great kicker. If he had 2 Aces or Kings, then I'm dominating him. He could be looking for a straight draw and might even have a lower pair, say 8's or 7's.

I decided I had him dominated and pushed in all of my chips. He had more than I did, so if he lost he was still in the game. He called. Since he called me, it's etiquette that I show my cards first. I was quite happy to show my Queen and felt confident I was going to win a very large pot. That was until he flipped over 2 Jacks - giving him a Full House! Ouch.

There was only 1 card that could help me - the 4th Queen. Turn card was 2c and the River was 4d. B'uh Bye!!!

Today I'm going to try and find out what the hell were the results of my Ultrasound and X-Rays of my shoulder were. It's been almost a month since they were taken and I figured I would have heard something from my doctor's office by now regardless of whether or not something was discovered. It shouldn't be my responsibility to call them for results.

More to follow.

From Bad to Worse

2006-07-27T10:04:00.000-04:00

Well, it was my second night of poker (No Limit Texas Hold 'Em) with the Red Hot Poker Tour and I fared a lot worse than my first night. I guess that's to be expected every now and then, especially since the gent (Ross is his name) who eliminated me the first night with the two 6's took the seat on my left (the worst place I could have him sit) and bowed out after 25 minutes of play.

It was nice to see, but his replacement was a wild and loose player who intimidated the table as soon as he sat down. We noticed he bluffed a lot and some people tried to take advantage of this, but inevitably he'd catch a card on the river to complete his hand. He'd use his impressive chip stack to just stay in until all cards were showing.

So, this quickly became my demise. Again, I was complimented with NO bleeding cards all night. In fact Ross and I were joking at one point that I was consistently getting dealt 6-4, while he quickly replied he was getting 5-3 dealt to him. Next hand we both folded ... me with a 6-4 and he with a 5-3!! That's the way it goes sometimes.

Anyways, back to the aggressor. I was getting low on chips (yet again) and was in the BB (Big Blind - the larger of 2 forced bets immediately after the dealer) with a Q-8 offsuit (one was a club, the other a heart). Buddy was first to act and called the BB (my forced bet). Everyone folded and I checked.

The flop (the first 3 community cards turned up on the table) was K-Q-8. I had flopped two pair. I was first to bet and bet 1/2 the pot. Buddy quickly raised to 3 times my bet. Now, this was a pattern for him and I'd seen him do this on hands he won having the worst hand ... he won the hands by getting the others to fold because he'd bet big money and they weren't willing to sacrifice that much.

So, I figured at best he has a pair of Kings. I called. The turn card (the 4th community card) was a 2. No straight or flush possibilities, so my 2 pair looked great. I once again bet the pot and he immediately forced me all-in (making me bet the remainder of my chips IF I wanted to call his hand). Again, he'd done this previously on pathetic hands. That really said to me he had at best a pair of Kings ... if anything. He was trying to bully me.

I called. Damn, if he doesn't flip up a King and a Queen!!! Bastard. He actually HAD a hand. So, I needed an 8 on the river (the last community card). My odds of getting one of the remaining two 8's was 6.25% ...

A 7 came up on the river. Bye Bye!

Although I left earlier than the previous week, I feel I had played well. I played that last hand correctly in my eye. I could have maybe put him on two pairs, but he'd played similar to other times when he'd had lousy hands, so my thinking was correct. Where it all went wrong was in the fact that Buddy played it EXCEPTIONALLY well. Hat's off to him.

It was time to shake his hand and head home.

Hell, Rock Star: Supernova was on! Go Dilana!! Go Toby!!!

Yawn ... Damn, we're Boring!

2006-07-23T12:26:00.000-04:00

It's been a daily routine these past few weeks that are threatening to put me into a deep coma of boredom.

There's little variety at the moment in my daily routine that sometimes the most inane thing can bring some excitement. Just the other day, I was visiting Torrent Spy and thought I'd find a TV show that I've never watched and download episodes to see if the show was worthing "catching up on" for the upcoming TV season.

I immediately saw Grey's Anatomy as I scanned the various listings. I remember one of my sisters saying she watched it faithfully. We have very similar views on life, taste in books and movies, etc., so I thought I'd give it a shot. My wife had mentioned at one point in the second season last year that we should have been watching this show - apparently there's quite the buzz surrounding it.

So, I downloaded the entire first season and burned them to DVD -Rs. We settled down on Friday to watch the first couple of episodes - I had burned the first four - with a pop and some chips.

DAMN !!!!!!!

If it didn't turn out to be one of the most entertaining shows we've ever seen. I mean it ranks right up there with our love of: Lost, Boston Legal, and Desperate Housewives. (In creating the links to these shows, I just realized that they are all ABC shows ... In the meantime, I wait for the second season to download, as yesterday we completed a marathon and watched Season 1 episodes 5 through 9. (There were only 9 shows made in the first year of production.

So, despite being thoroughly entertained and thrilled at having found a great TV show to watch this fall, we have no life. LOL.

I fully blame the fact that we don't know where we're going to end up. The UN in Geneva could come through, working for the Federal Gov't in Ottawa, or some company around here (or elsewhere in Canada) might want me.

But, until that time, we're caught in a daily rut.

*Yawn*

Red Hot Poker Tour

2006-07-20T09:16:00.000-04:00

I joined the Red Hot Poker Tour yesterday and played in my first tournament at Bert & Ernie's in Etobicoke.

The Red Hot Poker Tour is a free venue for people to play poker, improve your game, and meet people. It's held across the GTA, Windsor, and Ottawa and is affiliated with Daniel Negraneau (from Toronto) and his poker site - Full Contact Poker. So, it's free AND affiliated with one of the best poker players in the world.

The winner of the Tournament of Champions (at the end of each "season") gets a special prize. Last "season's" winner ("Season" 5) will be flown to Las Vegas to play Heads Up against Daniel for $5000 US. This year's champion (as well as the "Season" 4 Champ) gets a seat at Daniel Negraneau's Protégé table!

How great would that be!? LOL.

Anyways, as I stated I played in my first "tournament" last night. There were 80 registered (the max) with a number of people on the waiting list ... this means that if some people bust out quickly (before a certain time), then the people on the waiting list start to fill those empty chairs. Once that time is reached, the "tournament" is closed and those playing continue on to the end.

I was seated at a good table. Everyone is there to have fun, so the banter was nice to see. I, being a newbie to all of this, was somewhat quiet and was just trying to pick up the flow of things. Since this isn't a "professional" tournament, the players were the dealers. The flow of the games were quicker than what you see on TV.

On the second hand, I broke my cherry and got into the action. I was dealt 9s 9h and was second to act after the Big Blind (BB). I raised 3x the BB (standard raise) and got 2 calls. The flop came 2h Ac 9d. Very nice - I hit a set. With an Ace out there, I was sure that one of the callers had one, so I'd get a little action. We all checked and the turn card was 10s - very nice for me. That meant no one had a flush draw opportunity. There was the chance of a straight draw, but it would mean an inside straight draw - tough to hit.

So, I had to make a bet that would make that draw seem costly. Then again, it was early and I'm sure some people would go fishing and chase the river card. I bet the pot and immediately the first person folded. The second remaining player took a while and finally called. My thoughts were they had an Ace with a low kicker and wasn't sure whether I was betting a low set or had an Ace with a higher kicker.

The river came up 7d - no straight possibilities!! My first thought was maybe this is buddy's kicker and he just made 2 pair. If that's the case (even if it wasn't), I want to set a trap. I checked to make it look like I was afraid he might have an Ace, that I really didn't, and maybe all I had was a pair of 10's. He took the bait and bet 1/2 the pot (effectively our last bet). I hesitated and stared at the cards and raised ... but, a small raise of just double his bet. THAT then confirmed to him that I had an Ace, but what was my kicker?

He went All-In and I immediately called. He turned up Ah 7c!!! I was actually right that he'd hit Two Pairs. I flipped over my 9's and took the pot, having eliminate someone on the second hand.

What was nice was I had established myself right away that I knew how to play even if this was my first time out with them. The unfortunate thing was that was the best hand I had up until the hand I was eliminate with.

I finally bowed out in 20th place. I battle hard to stay there, but I'm serious when I say 9-9 was my best hand. I saw one Ace (with a 6 off-suit) all night and had 2 raises on that round before the bet got to me ... of course, I folded. Turned out is was a great call as the 2 that squared off had K-K and J-J. Both a K and a J flopped to give them both a set.

Finally, after working the cards as best as I could, I found myself short stacked and not able to survive the approaching blinds. I had to make my move All-In quickly. Turns out, I finally got dealt A-K. The chip leader called me, since he was the BB and it didn't cost him anything more to call. He flipped 6-6. It's a crap shoot at this point, as we're virtually tied on the odds of winning. Well, that's all good to know, but the cards weren't cooperative and I bowed out.

I'm very happy with my play, as I did was I could do with the crap I was given and lasted as long as I did. I think I'll go out Wednesday's an play regularly. Hopefully, I can make the Tournament of Champions and find myself on TV!! LOL.

I'll keep you all posted with my progress!

I Can Hear the Crickets

2006-07-17T15:45:00.000-04:00

All quiet on the United Nations front. Despite having decided not to take their offer should they have decided I was their guy, I guess I was hoping that I'd have been their choice. Mainly because I think that would lend more creedence to the possibility that Geneva (the ITU position) might call wanting to interview me. And since it's a higher level position, if I was desirable by UNOPS ... you get the picture.

I expect to get an email this week from the company I'm going to consult to on an upcoming government project. It's been a crazy month ++ waiting for this company to become registered in the government's Vendor Database, so the project could be posted and they could bid on it. Having worked in the government before, I full heartily believe the axiom - "The Government moves at a snail's pace." I've confirmed that the project WILL be posted this week, so work should start during the first week in August.

In the meantime, résumés get sent out.

Damn, I wish I was golfing.

To Travel or Not ...

2006-07-13T08:36:00.000-04:00

I had a telephone interview with four gentlemen from UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services - regarding an application I had submitted. Two of the gentlemen were from the mission area - Khartoum, Sudan - and the other two were in New York.

I've never had to interview before for a job - any job - in the history of my employment career, so this had me a little nervous ... I didn't really know what to expect. Questions regarding my thoughts on why I thought I was qualified, how would I hire local employees, what my organizational capabilities were like, and whether I had ever experienced professional or ethical issues before passes easily. Examples came to mind readily and I felt I expressed my thoughts susinctly, professionally, but with just a hint of irreverence. I had all four gentlement laughing a couple of times.

Diffuse tension with mirth.

I felt I had actually done quite the job of securing - although I wasn't sure I wanted - the position. Then they asked me if I had any questions. I did. I asked them about their employment timings. This lead into another round of discussions with questions going back-and-forth between us.

It turns out that my understanding of the job was incorrect. I believed I was interviewing for a Chief of Procurement-type job, a P-3 position, but in fact I was interviewing for the Chief of Technical Services which is a P-4 position. My understanding that I would have to go to The Sudan without my wife, as it's a field position, was also incorrect. Seems UNOPS is under the umbrella of UNDP - United Nations Development Programme - and as such, Kartoum is considered a family duty station. That meant my wife could go and all costs associated with her travel, etc. would be borne by UNOPS. Also, it was my understanding that since it was a field position employment over 6 months would be viewed as a temporary placement. Actually, if I was to stay in their employ over 1 year, I could take home leave, etc.

So, needless to say, I was left confused. I was duly informed that there were others on the short list to be interviewed, but I'd be informed of their decision later this week. They wanted to wrap things up quickly and have the candidate in the mission ASAP.

The next 2 days were filled with ... "Do we want to go? Or, don't we?" What were the benefits? Debt free in 2 1/2 years. What were the cons? Actually, quite a few once we'd thought through things rationally and had done more research on Khartoum.

So, ultimately, if I'm offered the position I'm going to thank them very kindly for the opportunity, but I'll pass this time around.

Of course, if ITU - International Telecommunications Union - gives me a call regarding the P-5 position in Geneva ... well, we're both ready to go in a heartbeat.

Confidence Boosters

2006-07-07T20:40:00.000-04:00

Today was a nice day of activity vis-a-vis the employment search.

Firstly, I had an e-mail sitting in my inbox this morning from the United Nations - UNOPS, to be exact. I have applied for 4 different UN posts: a general P-3 post with DPKO (which is who I was with before), a P-3 post in Jerusalem with UNDP, a P-5 post in Geneva with ITU, and a P-3 posting in the Sudan with UNOPS. Out of the four, the UNOPS post was last on my list ... of course. I have a telephone interview with them on Tuesday, 11 July @ 0945 hrs. I was really hoping the Geneva position might be offered. There's still a chance as it only closed on Monday and the website shows the status of the recruiting process is "in progress".

Second, was an email from a gentleman in DND who had received my résumé from a WO buddy. He was extremely interested in my qualifications and asked that I forward a copy of my résumé electronically. Of course they haven't any openings at the moment, but wanted permission to keep my details on file should something come up. I said sure, why not?

Lastly, my buddy gave me a call and said that his company had officially registered to be a qualified vendor to the Canadian government. With that confirmation, there's a contract that he will be bidding on. It's our understanding that his company will be viewed as a "sole source" entity on this contract (meaning the government will be awarding the contract to them regardless of how many bids are received), since they developed the parameters of the requirement FOR the government. With this in mind, he's looking at me to be the lead on this requirement ... !! That'll mean 2-3 months of consulting. The contract will be posted all next week on the government procurement board, then they'll need one week to "close" the file, and then they'll award it to my buddy's company. So, I should be consulting by the end of July!!

In the meantime, I've been informed there will be an external competition forthcoming (any day to any week to any month now) for at least 20 PG-06 positions - most in Ottawa, others across Canada. It's my understanding I'm qualified for these positions, so I'm looking forward to that opportunity.

Well, that's all for now. Maybe next week will bring about some more exciting news, eh!?

Alexander Graham Bell Move Over

2006-07-05T15:18:00.000-04:00

I'm finally going to get off my butt and do something about this invention I've devised that'll make me millions!!!

No I can't tell you what it is ... you'll just steal it!! Suffice to say, I truly believe (and for those who know me ... I'm a very, very realistic person) this is something worthwhile and that can and will be used by a lot of people - in the applicable industry and DIYers.

The first of many, many steps is to actually come to my senses and realize how difficult this is going to be and that I'm not going to be able to put my full time behind the project. It's going to be a "little bit here" and a "little bit there" approach.

This idea came to me, actually, on Saturday, 14 August 2004. Don't laugh, I kept track of the date with my concept drawing. I remember reading that the US Patent Office, in cases of identical patent submissions will award based upon who came up with the concept the earliest. There's more to it, but that's the basics. So, I diligently recorded this fact.

It came to me while my wife and I were lounging in the backyard on a hot and sunny day. It's funny that I actually came up with a thought about inventing a new product, because it was about a few weeks earlier that my wife came up with her own product while watching a baseball game on TV. We remarked how we should come up with the next "Pet Rock" or those potato chip bag clips ... the next big thing!

We talked it out a bit, but I developed the initial concept of an invention right then and there!! I felt like Alexander Graham Bell or the Wright Brothers ... not that my product will revolutionize our society as we know it, but it'll make a lot of people happy - myself included!!

I thought I had my first opportunity to getting on the proper path to bringing my idea to fruition, when I was told by M.M. the Bartender (who's a golf pro, CEO of the US's 4th largest carpet manufacturing company, President of a warehousing/logistics company owned by both his father and himself, soon to be the owner of a 36-hole golf course [to begin construciton in 2008], AND an inventor of a golf training product that's due to come out next year) that his father retains a man on his staff who's sole job was to take the father's ideas and make them come to life!

M.M. the Bartender passed on all my contact details to this man so I could get an understanding of what I need to do next and (hopefully) who could help me. Unfortunately, no sooner had this gentleman come back from doing a job for the father than he was sent off to Australia to manage requirements there. So, there went my first real good source of info.

So, I just bought myself a book - The Inventor's Bible by Ron Docie, Sr. - and will educate myself initially this way. I've also learned that there's an Inventor's Alliance of Canada that meets every 2nd Tuesday every month. I plan on seeing if I might not make their meeting in August - that'll give me time to organize myself a bit and be in a better position to present my questions, etc.

We'll see how things progress. I'll update things as they happen, but from what I've read so far ... this is going to be a long, drawn out process.

Brisket a la Hilander

2006-07-04T08:22:00.000-04:00

The weekend was a success!

My first attempt to cook a brisket ended in four people devouring the 5.5 lbs of meat in 2 meals. I got rave reviews - three 10 out of 10's and one 20 out of 10 (from my sister-in-law)! My sister-in-law was convinced it was the nicest meal she'd ever had.

I must admit I was nervous during the first 4 or 5 hours of the 8 1/2 total hours of cooking. I was maintaining a cooking temperature of 200 - 220F in my BBQ and it didn't seem like much of anything was happening. The core temperature of the brisket wasn't climbing higher than 120F and it seemed I would be waiting a good amount of time before I reached the 190F the cookbook said. So, I raised the stakes.

I decided to maintain a larger fire, so I added more coals. When this would only really bring me to 250F. After another hour-and-a-half at this temperature (now just over 6 hours in total), I decided to augment things with the BBQ's natural gas burner - the one underneath the coals. This was a huge success, as the temperature reached (and held) 300F for the remainding 2-ish hours of cooking.

When I took the temperature of the brisket, in the thickest part, it never got over 160F - medium. I decided, after 8 1/2 hours, that that was sufficient. Ten minutes sitting on the cutting board should raise the internal temperature another 5F, or so.

When I went to cut the brisket, I discovered it was PERFECTLY cooked throughout!!!!!! The rub I had used from the cookbook - How to Grill by Steve Raichlen - was absolutely spectacular. Just the right amount of flavouring across the entire spectrum. The mop that I used - found on the Internet at BBQ Baffle - and applied once every hour, added another layer of flavour that complimented the rub. The final layer of flavour was using hickory chips to infuse the brisket with a smokey flavour.

All flavours combined to make a wonderful taste sensation.

Our meal was finished off with a spectacular homemade potato salad (made by my wonderful wife), Indian Nan bread, and fresh, sweet corn-on-the-cob. Desert was NY-styled cheesecake with fresh fruit - blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries.

Here are a few pictures of the brisket and brisket preparations.

The Mop Sauce

The Brisket with Rub

The Cooked Brisket

Slicing the Brisket

I'm not sure how adventurous I'm going to be for my next major foray, but I might try a Leg of Lamb ... ;-)

A Canada Day 4th of July

2006-06-29T16:05:00.000-04:00

I've decided I'm going to cook a Brisket this weekend on the grill.

I've always wanted to do one and we might have the ole brother- and sister-in-law over this weekend, so I thought ... why not? The time's right.

I've got a great grilling cookbook - How to Grill by Steve Raichlin - with a nice recipe for a brisket. So armed with a little bit of knowledge, I went to Costco and got a nice 2.5kg (5.5 lb) cut that will be indirectly slow cooked in my gas bbq. I won't be using gas - I've got an insert for my grill that'll allow me to use hardwood charcoal and save on gas.

As per the recipe in the book, I'll be applying a rub all over the brisket and then I've got hickory chips that I'll put on top of the coals every hour to infuse more flavour and a vinegar-based mop that will be like the icing on a birthday cake.

Guess I'll take pictures and show how things turn out, eh!?

How Alarming

2006-06-27T09:56:00.000-04:00

We got a rude awakening this morning when our home security company - Voxcom - rang us up at 6:30 a.m. Neither of us could hear the alarm blaring, but apparently one of our basement windows was showing an intrusion.

I wasn't too worried about this "intrusion" because we had the same thing happen yesterday just after I'd left the house to run some errands. Seems I'd made the mistake of not fully closing a main floor window. It was a windy day yesterday and the wind must have jarred the window open enough to separate the 2 security contacts. This would then set off the alarm. I was about 5 minutes away when I got a call on my cellphone. This was acceptable to me as the company first tried the house and proceeded onto the backup number right away.

Because Voxcom couldn't reach us at home, they requested the police dispatch a car immediately to our house. I was immensely pleased with that action, despite knowing that I was to blame for the problem. I informed them to cancel the car and I would turn around and fix the problem.

Just as I was pulling up to my house, I received a second call from Voxcom saying they got another alarm, but this time from a basement window. I immediately checked the outside and saw no attempts to enter, nor did anyone flee my house when I pulled up. A check from the inside again noted no issues. So I'm thinking there must be a possible technical problem.

This morning's alarm confirms my suspicions. So, a call to repairs should hunt that down.

Now, the reason I bring up this mundane bit of info is yesterday morning my wife commenced an important gig with a new client - supervising the packup and move of the client's house while they were both off on business in the UK. But, when she arrived at their place and entered, they had left the alarm on, despite the fact that it wasn't supposed to be armed, and hadn't supplied the alarm code.

My wife tried valiantly to contact anyone who might know the code, especially the neice who was baby-sitting the children during this time and staying in the local Holiday Inn. After 40 minutes an ADT car FINALLY showed up to see what the problem was.

40 minutes ... now, what type of service is that???! My company, not being able to reach us with the first call (virtually minutes after the alarm goes off) dispatches a Police Car, while ADT doesn't even call!!!

Sad, very sad. If it really had been a robbery, the theives would have been long gone by then.

She eventually got the passcode and disarmed the system.

My money, for any future requirements, is going to be with Voxcom and not ADT.

DVDs - The Desert Isle Collection

2006-06-25T11:28:00.000-04:00

Everyone creates these types of lists and even though I'm not one to follow what everyone does, this seems like a fun thing to do. So, my first listing will be DVDs, selected from the multitude that I own, I'd want if stranded on a desert isle ... okay, okay ... stranded WITH a power source, DVD player, and a TV. ;-)

These aren't in any particular order:

1. Band of Brothers - Each and every disc in the collection. One of the greatest (and my most favourite) mini-series of all time. Having the real members of Easy Company "introduce" each episode and discuss the events in the documentary featurettes twists mightily at the heart strings. Tom Hanks/Stephen Spielberg produced.

2. Saving Private Ryan - Staying with the WWII theme - the first movie that ever caused me to hold my breath during the first 15 minutes of the film. Another Hanks/Spielberg effort.

3. The Shawshank Redemption - That one movie, for me, that whenever I'm flicking through the channels and happen across this flick, I always stop and watch it through to the end. I was shocked to find out it was based on a Stephen King novella.

4. Sense and Sensibility - Yup, a "chick flick" - no offence meant! It's a brilliant movie with superb acting by the whole ensemble. Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, and Hugh Grant all give great performances.

5. Love Actually - Heh, another "chick flick" ... with Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, and Emma Thompson. One of Hugh's best. Watch for the hilarious performance of Bill Nighy as a washed-up Rock star.

6. Serenity - The very entertaining movie based on the excellent, but very short-lived TV series Firefly. The movie was as good as, if not a little bit better than, the TV series and allowed those who'd never seen the show the ability to understand the basics of how the crew was formed. They should never have cancelled the series.

7. Finding Nemo - Yes, you read that correctly ... probably one of the funniest animated movies out there. If you didn't laugh at Dory (Ellen De Generes) then there's something wrong with you.

8. The Rundown - Who knew Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson could act? And do comedy!? This is a very fun movie from start to finish. I'm not a huge fan of Seann William Scott (American Pie fame), but he was probably THE best choice to play alongside of The Rock.

9. The Last Samurai - Tom Cruise - he's the Don Cherry (for those of you Canadians reading this) of the movie industry ... you either love him or hate him. I loved him in this movie, but in many ways this movie was Ken Watanabe's movie. He was absolutely brilliant.

10. Fight Club - First rule of Fight Club is you don't talk about Fight Club. Edward Norton - 'nuff said.

Honourable Mentions

I'd be interested in reading what your picks are.

Random Joke

2006-06-23T14:23:00.000-04:00

Two nuns were driving their car through Transylvania when suddenly Count Dracula lands on the car, snarling.
"Quick show him your cross!" Said one of the nuns.
The second nun replied, "Get off the God damn car!!"

Just a Little Flesh Wound ...

2006-06-22T12:48:00.000-04:00

I finally got off my butt and forced my doctor to take the first step to determine what in the hell is wrong with my right shoulder. I know I did damage to it all those years of throwing a baseball or softball improperly (I stopped my throwing motion instead of following through), but I think it's more than tendonitis in the rotator cuff, as diagnosed by a military physician.

So, I'm going to have an ultrasound and some x-rays done to see if there's more than just tendonitis. It's bad when you can't hold your hand above your head for more than 10 seconds.

Thankfully the pain and discomfort has never caused any problems with my golf swing!!

More to follow.

My Mind Has Gone Blank

2006-06-19T08:40:00.000-04:00

I'm still not sure what I want to write about today ...

Despite a lot of things going on all around me these past few days, I'm not inspired to make any comments.

I will say, as I did yesterday, "HAPPY FATHER'S DAY" to my Dad!!! I'm one of the very fortunate few to grow up in a loving and supportive environment. Thanks Mom and Dad!

My wife and I remain positive about our situation - job hunting, managing the bills, folding of my company, start of her company, etc. It doesn't do well to get mired into self-doubt and self-pity. We've been here before and have come out of it smelling good.

Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
Chinese Proverb

My wife's ESP is saying Ottawa ...

Drive-By Photog 3 - Home Sweet Home

2006-06-17T15:25:00.000-04:00

Castle Eileen Doonan - 1998

Copyrighted

This castle was used as the home of Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod in the movie "Highlander". It's on the road to the bridge that crosses to the Isle of Skye where the real home of the Clan MacLeod - Dunvegan Castle - is.

Personal Concierge Services Company

2006-06-15T20:09:00.000-04:00

My wife ended her business partnership with another neighbourhood lady due to differing views on how to proceed with sales, etc. She has gone sole proprietorship on her personal concierge services business - Gemini Concierge Services - that services the Oakville, Burlington, Milton, and Mississauga areas.

Her business has already started to grow with a 3-day contract to supervise the pack-up and loading of a client's house.

Congrats on making a tough and the RIGHT decision, Sweetie!

Drive-By Photog 2

2006-06-14T09:16:00.000-04:00

Abandoned Sanctuary - Skopje 1997

Copyrighted

A Joke for Residents of New York City

2006-06-13T08:17:00.000-04:00

Thought this was funny since friends and I have worked/lived in NYC.

A Chinese medical malpractice lawyer, originally from Mesothelioma Texas walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the Loan Officer. He tells the Loan Officer that he is going to Taiwan for a conference of medical malpractice lawyers for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000.

The bank Officer tells him that the bank will need some form of security for the loan, so the Chinese man hands over the keys to a new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank. He produces the title and everything checks out.

The Loan Officer agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. The bank’s President and Officers all enjoy a good laugh at the Chinese man's expense for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral against a $5,000 loan.

One of the bank’s employees then drives the Ferrari into the bank’s underground garage and parks it there.

Two weeks later, the Chinese man returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41.

The loan officer says, “Sir, we are very happy to have had your business and this transaction worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?”

The Chinese man replies, “Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks while at a medical malpractice lawyer's conference for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?”

(Note: I changed it a bit as a test. MG knows what I'm talking about.)

Dragonriders of Pern - The Movie

2006-06-12T17:32:00.000-04:00

I can't believe this is finally coming to fruition!

When I was in Skopje I emailed Ms. McCaffrey (through her website) - not expecting that she'd read my email - asking when the Pern series might come to the big (or small) screen, as I believed it would translate wonderfully.

I was absolutely thrilled when I received an email from Ms. McCaffrey 2 days later. She was "mightily chuffed" to get an email from me (I had mentioned I was in the UN, etc) and that she was in negotiations on bringing her books to TV. (Unforunately this eventually fell through.)

Now, she seems to have chosen a wonderful Canadian company to run with her world.

I remain a truly dedicated fan and will be waiting with baited breath for these movies.

May 25, 2006

'Pern' booked for big-screen flight

By Borys Kit

Anne McCaffrey's best-selling and long-running sci-fi/fantasy series "The Dragonriders of Pern" is getting the big-screen treatment via Canadian production company Copperheart Entertainment.

Copperheart, which was behind the 2005 Oscar-winning animated short "Ryan," has optioned the 19-book series, which began with the "Dragonflight" in 1968. The books are best known for having humans ride dragons with which they telepathically bond. With "Dragonflight," McCaffrey became the first woman ever to win a Hugo for fiction, and she is one of the 2006 inductees into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

"I decided that 'Pern' had to be done right, and I wouldn't let it go to someone unless I was certain that they were committed to excellence," McCaffrey said.Copperheart, run by Steve Hoban, also has produced the Imax 3-D movie "Cyberworld" as well as the popular "Ginger Snaps" horror series. Hoban is in postproduction on the remake of the 1970s horror cult classic "Black Christmas."

Drive-By Photog 1

2006-06-12T10:34:00.000-04:00

Stonehenge 1998

Copyrighted

Vegas Here I Come?

2006-06-11T14:53:00.000-04:00

Wish me luck.

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker on 18 June 2006!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Hold-Em event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 4856783

RIP - "Mini Me"

2006-06-09T14:21:00.000-04:00

I had my second head removed today. It was affectionately called Verne (after Verne Troyer - "Mini Me" in the Austin Power movies) and resided on my back - over my right kidney. It was a skin tag of nice proportion - roughly 1 1/2 inches in length and an inch in width - and needed to be removed forthwith.

Gross.

It's amazing how attached you can become of the most inane thing ... okay, well maybe it was the fact I didn't want to get a local anesthetic again. I had a number of skin tags removed in 1991 under and around my arm pits and the freezing was an incredibly painful experience.

Memories resurfaced once again. However, this was going to be one small injection instead of over 15 like my last adventure.

The freezing, once more, felt like liquid fire. It's not quite the same as the visit to a dentist - it seems to be more intense. And as quickly as it all began, my little buddy was gone. I didn't even get to say good-bye properly! My Doctor proceeded to cauterize the reminants to ataunch the bleeding.

Procedure over - RIP Verne. I'll miss you.

What made me laugh after the bandaid was placed over Verne's last resting place was my Doctor wanting to use the cauterizing machine to attack other skin tags, proclaiming, "This is fun!". Needless to say my immediately response was, "Are you kidding me!?".

I'd only psyched myself up for Verne ... not his children!

Head Hunting

2006-06-08T16:01:00.000-04:00

My business went in the toilets a few weeks ago, so I'm looking for employment and I've come to notice it's a long process. I've been here before, but it really only struck me this time around and I must admit that as you get older it takes longer to find employment.

I've got friends looking out for me, I'm sending out résumés all over the place through Monster.ca and Workopolis - for positions from Vancouver to Ottawa - and have yet to get a bite. I'm sending out my résumé as soon as the job is posted, so it's most likely that the companies have a closing date (although they're not mentioned) and won't look at the submissions until after the closing. So, this just lengthens the process for me.

A friend's wife gave me the card to a lady she knows very well. She's a Head Hunter at Head2Head Purchasing and I had my initial interview with her, so she can amplify my résumé and get a better understanding of what I've done in my career. Needless to say, after her questioning, I came to realize that what I thought was a robust career in Purchasing (Procurement) and Logistics ... really might not be after all. That scares me.

I'm thinking that going back into the UN might not be such a bad idea after all. LOL. Maybe I should look are re-enlisting into the Canadian Forces. I may be older, but I'm not fatter!! Well, okay maybe just a little bit more overweight. I'd definitely have to lose a few pounds first!

Interesting to note though, when I left the military in 1996 I was making $50k a year - after 4 years of no pay increases, only cost of living. If I was to get back in at the same seniority, I'd be making $76k ...

More exploits to come.

Viewed by Random

2006-06-08T08:52:00.000-04:00

Does anyone use that "Next Blog" button in the upper right corner of your Blog? I'm wondering if I'm the one one that clicks on it. It would be nice to get some visitors, despite only being up a few days now.

I'm new, well d'uh ... that's obvious ... to blogging, so I like to see what everyone else is doing out there. There are some really, really interesting sites. I'm going to start making note of them and maybe create links.

I'm already kicking myself for not making note of 2 blogs already - one was an interesting young lady (28?) from B.C. who wrote very well. The other was a graphic artist who just finished his first "comic" book. I left him a comment, as he was incredible.

That's it.

A Heinlein Juvenile

2006-06-05T22:54:00.000-04:00

For the life of me, I was a hardcase sometimes growing up. No wait, it's actually stubborness ... and I still process that trait.

A case in point was my lack of desire to read. Of course I could read, I just didn't see the point in picking up a book and reading it. I read Mad magazine and comics, but books?! NEVER!! I mean, only geeks and eggheads read books. It was bad enough the schools made us read those damn textbooks, but as a pastime - forget it.

My Dad actually tried to introduce the joy of reading fiction to me when I was fourteen. He bought me a collection of C.S. Lewis books - The World of Narnia - in a nice collector's box. His intentions were good and true, but what doomed this wonderful gift was his request that I read one of the books and let me know what it was all about.

That smacked of a book report!

I actually started reading one of the books - I can't remember which one - but, I didn't finish it. I know I probably disappointed my Dad that day.

That all changed when I was 16. I was put on a bus to travel over 4,400 kilometers (pronounced kill-aww-meh-ters not kill-a-me-ters - for you media types) for a summer's stay at my Uncle's new house (he was building it himself) in the Interior of British Columbia. What an adventure! What excitement!

What boredom.

Four hours into the four day trip I was so bored I could have cried. Thankfully, there was a stop in North Bay, ON - "Gateway to the North"! I was desparate - anything to keep my mind busy would be fantastic. The bus stop didn't have much to offer, no Mad mags, no puzzles or games, nothing that could stimulate a teenager. Then I saw a metal carousel full of books. I thought maybe, just maybe, there was an Archie comic pocketbook that I could buy.

No - just my luck. Just novels.

But, something caught my eye. It looked like a young kid with a hunting knife jumping through a portal / timewarp / doorway onto a what appeared to be an uninhabited planet. Strange. Now why would he be doing that?

Curiousity got the better of me and I decided to read the back of the book:

It was just a test . . .

But something had gone wrong. Terribly wrong. What was to have been a standard ten-day survival test had suddenly become an indefinite life-or-death nightmare.
Now they were stranded somewhere in the universe, beyond contact with Earth . . . at the other end of a tunnel in the sky. This small group of young men and women, divested of all civilized luxuries and laws, were being forced to forge a future of their own . . . a strange future in a strange land where sometimes not even the fittest could survive!

What!? What test!? How in the hell did they get to this alien planet? Just how in HELL were they going to survive???

Okay. Slap yourself upside of the head. You're actually interested in the contents of this evil brick of paper? You do know it has words in it, right!? No pictures - just words.

But, some mysterious force ... maybe a temporary spacial anomoly (I learned that term later) ... found me at the counter paying for this novel. Next thing I knew I was back on the bus eagerly opening the book to start to find out just exactly was happening to these people.

I devoured the book. I think I finished it before we got to Thunder Bay - well, maybe Winnipeg (I wasn't an overly strong reader).

It was magical.

It was what got me reading.

Thank you Robert for your amazing works.

Thank you Dad for your attempt to get me to read ... I know it was done with love - that's never ever been doubted. I smile when I look back.

And a Good Day ...

2006-06-05T10:13:00.000-04:00

Was had by all.

Well, I was suitably impressed with Century Pines. The course has matured since the last time I played there. Both the fairways and greens were in fairly good condition that allowed us to attack pin positions, enjoy good lies, etc.

We were to tee off at 3:08 pm (taking advantage of their after 3 pm special), but the course was very quiet this Sunday, so we were able to tee off at 2:45 pm. We played from the Blue Tees (Rating: 70.5 / Slope: 125 - Average Difficulty). It was a mixed day weather-wise. Sunny then cloudy with shifting winds that lasted through 13 or 14 holes when the wind decided to die down.

Despite making some early mistakes, I enjoyed at 79 today - 41 on the front and 38 on the back. I missed a 4' putt for birdie on the 16th after having made a 45 footer for birdie on the previous hole ...

Unfortunately, the course decided to close down it's bar early and we were left to drive to Waterdown (now a community of Hamilton) to have a post-round drink at Turtle Jacks. Oh, did I forget to mention that my partner and I beat the other 2-some 13 holes to 2!? LOL. Losers buy the drinks!

So, I'll rate Century Pines:

Course Layout - 7 out of 10
Course Condition - 8 out of 10
Customer Service - 6 out of 10
Value - 9 out of 10 (after 3 pm - $45 green fees including shared cart, hat, and bottle of water)

Overall - 7.5 out of 10

Century Pines Golf Course - A Kaneff Course

2006-06-04T10:28:00.000-04:00

I'm playing at Century Pines today. It's one of Kaneff's six courses in the GTA/Niagara area.

I've played the course 2 or 3 times before, but not within the last year. It's not a bad golf course, but there are a couple of spots where you feel very cramped with the tee blocks of 2 holes close to each other and a third hole's fairway. You have to be very conscious of what's going on around you.

My buddy got us a good deal today for our 3:08 tee time - $45 green fees (very cheap for the GTA) that includes shared cart, range balls, hat, and a bottle of water! I'm impressed.

Century Pines was the main haunt of Moe Norman during his last years with us. For those who don't know of Murray "Moe" Norman, read this article by Jason Zasky entitled "The Greatest Golfer The World Has Ever Known". That should answer all your questions.

This round of golf should be interesting. I had a friend (golf pro & instructor) take a look at my swing last week and he totally changed my mechanics. I haven't hit any balls since then, so I don't know what what's going to happen.

Ugh.

I'll report on my thoughts on the Century Pines one year later and how my round went on my next entry.

Welcome to My Blogging Domain

2006-06-03T09:43:00.000-04:00

So, welcome to my blog (Thanks MG!). I can't believe that I'm now one of the masses, especially when I've never been someone who followed along like a lemming (since proven to be a hoax) and did what everyone else was doing. It might have been a control issue thing for me ... I tended to be the one all my friends asked, "So what are we going to do today?"

And yet, here I am - One of the many.

It was a tough decision to choose what the subject of my blog would be, since I'm a quiet fan of a lot of things, but a fanatic of nothing. Again, maybe a bit of a control thing? Do I just talk about things happening in my life? Maybe, but is it of any interest to people? Do I talk about friends and family issues? No, because their private lives are just that ... private. All these things can be a little invasive and although I doubt a crazed fan of my blog (assuming of course anyone ever reads this!) will hunt me down like the dog I am and terrorize me and mine ... I don't want to discuss private issues of those I love.

So it's going to be all about me and my interests.

I love to read - Sci-Fi predominantly - but, would anyone be interested in what I have read in the past or I'm currently reading? I'm sure there are a few. So, I'll look to talk about authors I love, genres I crave, etc.

I love playing Poker. I've been playing for years and have been the person who organized game nights at my place since before I graduated from college ... which was quite a while ago, believe you me! I wouldn't be jumping on the bandwagon, but we don't really need another poker site, do we? Well, maybe a little talk here and there about my exploits on the Party Poker site.

I love Toronto professional sports franchises - except for the Argonauts! I mean really, who watches the CFL?? So, do I talk about these sports, the players, the ownership, and the fans? Hmm, might not be a bad idea.

I love to golf. There are a lot of golf courses around the GTA - Greater Toronto Area - that I've played on. I could talk about golfing in and around the GTA, what the courses are like, the costs, ratings, heck I could even talk about equipment, etc. Golfing is big and is growing continuously and I'm sure there a number of people who would appreciate understanding where to play, how much it costs, rating of the courses, etc.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I think we have a blog!!

So, without further fanfare and all that crap, I will be pleased to become one of the many who talk about their lives on the internet.

HILANDER'S DOMAIN

My Worldly Travels - Google Maps

My Own Little Online Store

Microsoft buys Dundas Software's Reporting Services Suite

Air Canada Sucks

Is This How It's Normally Done?

Captain Canuck - My Vote for MVP

A Response from Garth Turner's Offices

Canadian Government Official Languages Committee

The War in Iraq - A Soldier's Perspective (Animated)

I'm a Science Geek ...

That's Because I AM Canadian ...

Sports Long Weekend

I'm not so think you dumb, I am!

The Kid has a Future!

"Reading" Material for Those People on the Move

Interesting Developments

The Art of War

The New "I am Canadian"

A Road Less Traveled

Searching for Something to Write

Men vs Women: Exercising at Home (Part D'uh)

Men vs Women: Exercising at Home (Part 1)

Start of a New Year

A Face in the Crowd

Broke My Cherry

Hours of Operation

Week One Recap

When Life Hands You Lemons ...

The First Day

FINALLY! Employment

Happenings

Houston, We Have Interest

Battle of the Bulge

A Voice from the Past

The Cold Shoulder

A Random Joke on Tiger ...

Some Good News

Do The Dew

New Cleaner

Finally ... The Final Table

You've Got to be Kidding!

"The Toughest Work ... "

Past Few Days

From Bad to Worse

*Yawn* ... Damn, we're Boring!

Red Hot Poker Tour

I Can Hear the Crickets

To Travel or Not ...

Confidence Boosters

Alexander Graham Bell Move Over

Brisket a la Hilander

A Canada Day 4th of July

How Alarming

DVDs - The Desert Isle Collection

Random Joke

Just a Little Flesh Wound ...

My Mind Has Gone Blank

Drive-By Photog 3 - Home Sweet Home

Personal Concierge Services Company

Drive-By Photog 2

A Joke for Residents of New York City

Dragonriders of Pern - The Movie

Drive-By Photog 1

Vegas Here I Come?

RIP - "Mini Me"

Head Hunting

Viewed by Random

A Heinlein Juvenile

And a Good Day ...

Century Pines Golf Course - A Kaneff Course

Welcome to My Blogging Domain

Yawn ... Damn, we're Boring!