I was talking with my grandfather on the phone last night and one of the few conversations we have is 'what's new'.
Well there's not much new, but as we started talking we discovered that things are pretty busy nonetheless. I have a lot of things on the go, long term, short term, similar time frames and due dates. It's exactly like University, I finish one project only to rush on to something else.
A quick breakdown of what's going on in my world.
1. Mag planning
2. Awards planning
(Sadly these two things have almost identical timelines, which is reallllly frustrating because on their own they're both challenging projects, together they verge on being overwhelming)
3. School
4. Wedding
5. Frisbee
That may not sound like a lot. But look at it in the sense that Numbers 1 and 2 take up the majority of my work day, and a portion of my work night. Number 3 takes up three nights a week, Number 5 takes up two and Number 4 is kind of like the time sprinkles on a no-time sundae. It's something that's always on the go.
Right now I'm trying to deal with things in a very male oriented type of way. One project at a time, completed in its entirety before I move on to something else. Multitasking and me? We talk, but we aren't really friends.
Anyway, pressure release is done, on to the actual work.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Compromise: Update
We wuz outplayed.
Our plan was to buttonhole the final decision maker on the mag and convince him to run with our current picture.
Unfortunately the other side of the equation waited until my backup was on lunch and ambushed me at my desk and convinced him to support her instead. Actually, my feeling was that he was already pre-disposed to changing it anyway so it might have been a wasted effort on my part to even throw my two cents in.
But throw them in I did, to utterly no avail.
So. This battle is lost, but there will be many more to come. I guarantee.
Our plan was to buttonhole the final decision maker on the mag and convince him to run with our current picture.
Unfortunately the other side of the equation waited until my backup was on lunch and ambushed me at my desk and convinced him to support her instead. Actually, my feeling was that he was already pre-disposed to changing it anyway so it might have been a wasted effort on my part to even throw my two cents in.
But throw them in I did, to utterly no avail.
So. This battle is lost, but there will be many more to come. I guarantee.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Compromise
It's been years since I've had an oppurtunity to be artistic.
That's what's so great about the new jobby. For the first time, in a long time, I get to be creative again.
And one the first lessons my new position has taught me is the art of the compromise. I hate compromise. I do it poorly, which is to say I don't generally do it at all. All of my greatest artistic achievements have been in situations where I've had complete control from top to bottom and my poorest where I've been forced to make decisions by comittee.
Which is exactly in the position I find myself today. The great thing about stickhandling this magazine to print is that I've been left alone to do my own thing. Aside from prefunctory check-ins by manager it's all been up to me. Considering the number of bodies who COULD\SHOULD be overseeing me, at least half a dozen, it's pretty spectacular that I have this kind of freedom. And, I think for the most part, I've absolutely risen to the occasion.
But the problem I'm running into is now that I've brought the mag along about 80% of the way we've reached the review stage. And the review stage is where everyone throws in their two cents, trys to suggest changes, without any idea about how I reached my initial decision in the first place. It's frustating, literally like swimming with sharks. I have to play the political game as all of these individuals are in position of authority over me. So I can't just reflexly nay-say. And, I'll admit it, sometimes a valid point is being made.
And some changes are literally cosmetic and not worth me fighting for.
It's the decisions I feel weaken the mag that are hard to take. I realize it's all subjective. People are trying to make decisions they feel are best for the greater good. But I'm a strong believer in a strong central vision. To many cooks spoil the broth. But even if I flat out disagree, I don't have the authority to make my vision stick.
That's frustrating.
I'm hoping part of it is proving myself. That once I do these and do them well people will start to trust my opinion. But in reality there will always be individuals wanting to stick their oar in and for as long as I do this job I'm going to have pick and choose which battles are worth fighting and which ones are a lost cause.
I don't have to like it but I'm gonna have to learn it.
That's what's so great about the new jobby. For the first time, in a long time, I get to be creative again.
And one the first lessons my new position has taught me is the art of the compromise. I hate compromise. I do it poorly, which is to say I don't generally do it at all. All of my greatest artistic achievements have been in situations where I've had complete control from top to bottom and my poorest where I've been forced to make decisions by comittee.
Which is exactly in the position I find myself today. The great thing about stickhandling this magazine to print is that I've been left alone to do my own thing. Aside from prefunctory check-ins by manager it's all been up to me. Considering the number of bodies who COULD\SHOULD be overseeing me, at least half a dozen, it's pretty spectacular that I have this kind of freedom. And, I think for the most part, I've absolutely risen to the occasion.
But the problem I'm running into is now that I've brought the mag along about 80% of the way we've reached the review stage. And the review stage is where everyone throws in their two cents, trys to suggest changes, without any idea about how I reached my initial decision in the first place. It's frustating, literally like swimming with sharks. I have to play the political game as all of these individuals are in position of authority over me. So I can't just reflexly nay-say. And, I'll admit it, sometimes a valid point is being made.
And some changes are literally cosmetic and not worth me fighting for.
It's the decisions I feel weaken the mag that are hard to take. I realize it's all subjective. People are trying to make decisions they feel are best for the greater good. But I'm a strong believer in a strong central vision. To many cooks spoil the broth. But even if I flat out disagree, I don't have the authority to make my vision stick.
That's frustrating.
I'm hoping part of it is proving myself. That once I do these and do them well people will start to trust my opinion. But in reality there will always be individuals wanting to stick their oar in and for as long as I do this job I'm going to have pick and choose which battles are worth fighting and which ones are a lost cause.
I don't have to like it but I'm gonna have to learn it.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Save the dates? Save yourself.
Wedding madness continues to grip our little corner of the world.
Saturday was brunch with a group of friends and an oppurtunity to welcome one couple's first child to the group. Does this mean that we officially have a group mascot?
I held her twice for about 20 minutes a pop. She was a cute little tyke and I know that kids may not be to far from own future.
Poor kids, they're going to have to deal with a father even more immature than they are.
But first, the wedding, or at least the wedding planning.
After brunch we corralled one of the groomsmen (and his wife) to take a photo of us for our save the date cards (magnets?). And yes, we picked the coldest, windiest day of the year to do so. It's amazing how far your standards will plummet or how quickly you forget the little things (LIKE ACTUALLY CLOSELY INSPECTING THE PICTURE) when you're serious danger of frostbite.
But after a couple misstarts and some tragic trial and error we thought we actually had some decent material to play with. Until we got home and actually looked at it on the computer. That's when we found that out of the couple dozen photographs we took not one was a winner in the "save the date sweepstakes". There were uncomfortable looking poses and bad smiles (me), lighting issues (the world) and just some rather ho-hum shots.
S spent hours with the photographs, playing with lighting levels and trying to coax something printable from the pictures, but to no avail.
Now we have to find some time in our already complicated schedules to jam another photoshoot in.
Not cool. Pun absolutely intended.
Saturday was brunch with a group of friends and an oppurtunity to welcome one couple's first child to the group. Does this mean that we officially have a group mascot?
I held her twice for about 20 minutes a pop. She was a cute little tyke and I know that kids may not be to far from own future.
Poor kids, they're going to have to deal with a father even more immature than they are.
But first, the wedding, or at least the wedding planning.
After brunch we corralled one of the groomsmen (and his wife) to take a photo of us for our save the date cards (magnets?). And yes, we picked the coldest, windiest day of the year to do so. It's amazing how far your standards will plummet or how quickly you forget the little things (LIKE ACTUALLY CLOSELY INSPECTING THE PICTURE) when you're serious danger of frostbite.
But after a couple misstarts and some tragic trial and error we thought we actually had some decent material to play with. Until we got home and actually looked at it on the computer. That's when we found that out of the couple dozen photographs we took not one was a winner in the "save the date sweepstakes". There were uncomfortable looking poses and bad smiles (me), lighting issues (the world) and just some rather ho-hum shots.
S spent hours with the photographs, playing with lighting levels and trying to coax something printable from the pictures, but to no avail.
Now we have to find some time in our already complicated schedules to jam another photoshoot in.
Not cool. Pun absolutely intended.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
An early pass at some vows...
I think it starts strong, but it ends in pure shmaltz.
Ultimate Frisbee has given me a lot over the years, good friends, good health, twisted ankles, cut up knees and a seemingly endless shopping list of other aches and pains.
But I never thought it would give me a person as special as S.
I first met S at the start of a new Frisbee season. She’d taken a couple classes and was a little nervous about having to step on the field for the first time. But you’d never know it from the way she acted.
Her smile instantly lit up the room and worked it’s way into my heart as well.
Playing it cool, it never pays to play your cards too early, I made sure that I was always available if Stacey wanted to throw the disc around before the game or down a pint after it.
My goal was to play this strictly long term. Maybe at the end of the season, if things worked out well, I’d work up the nerve to ask her out. But it didn’t really work out like that.
The more time I spend with Stacey the more I realized that there’s no way a woman like this was going to be single three months from now. If I didn’t move, and fast, I was going to miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
So I asked her out and for some reason that neither one of us has ever really been able to figure out, she said yes. One date turned into two, two dates became two weeks, and two weeks became two months and the next thing you know I’m trolling jewelry stores and trying to figure out a way to talk to her parents ‘alone’.
I’ve lost a lot of Frisbee games over the last couple of years but in the end I’ve won the only thing that matters.
Ultimate Frisbee has given me a lot over the years, good friends, good health, twisted ankles, cut up knees and a seemingly endless shopping list of other aches and pains.
But I never thought it would give me a person as special as S.
I first met S at the start of a new Frisbee season. She’d taken a couple classes and was a little nervous about having to step on the field for the first time. But you’d never know it from the way she acted.
Her smile instantly lit up the room and worked it’s way into my heart as well.
Playing it cool, it never pays to play your cards too early, I made sure that I was always available if Stacey wanted to throw the disc around before the game or down a pint after it.
My goal was to play this strictly long term. Maybe at the end of the season, if things worked out well, I’d work up the nerve to ask her out. But it didn’t really work out like that.
The more time I spend with Stacey the more I realized that there’s no way a woman like this was going to be single three months from now. If I didn’t move, and fast, I was going to miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
So I asked her out and for some reason that neither one of us has ever really been able to figure out, she said yes. One date turned into two, two dates became two weeks, and two weeks became two months and the next thing you know I’m trolling jewelry stores and trying to figure out a way to talk to her parents ‘alone’.
I’ve lost a lot of Frisbee games over the last couple of years but in the end I’ve won the only thing that matters.
Media madness...
A last minute tag-in by a colleague yesterday saw me overseeing my first media (television) interview.
Aside from a little nervousness, on my part, the whole process was fairly painless.
The interviewer was professional, our pres was straight to the point, on message, and since we’ve been dealing with the issues in question for a couple weeks now, didn’t need the slightest bit of coaching from me on what to say.
So my nervousness was completely unnecessary.
There were a couple of things I could have done better, offered to take her coat sooner and remembered to have a business card with me, but that’s nit picky stuff. Actually I’m still getting used to having business cards in the first place. I have yet to hand one out in a professional capacity.
(Although, when my cards first came in I did mail a whole bunch out to my friends and family)
What really interested me about the interview was the co-dependent nature of the whole thing. The news organization needs us to help fill a time slot and provide expert advice about what’s happening in our industry and we’re taking advantage of the publicity and the air time to help get our story and our message out to people who wouldn’t normally be exposed to it.
Now in this instance it was fairly harmless, each of us is doing the other a favour. As such my role is minimal. But I’m intensely curious about what I would have been expected to do if I’d been overseeing an interview where the reporter was hostile or where we were the subject of the news story instead of just providing expert advice on it.
Where do my job responsibilities\authority to begin and end and what exactly do they consist of? I’ve asked to shadow the next couple media requests we have because I’d like to soak up the job requirements in case I get asked to do it again.
Aside from a little nervousness, on my part, the whole process was fairly painless.
The interviewer was professional, our pres was straight to the point, on message, and since we’ve been dealing with the issues in question for a couple weeks now, didn’t need the slightest bit of coaching from me on what to say.
So my nervousness was completely unnecessary.
There were a couple of things I could have done better, offered to take her coat sooner and remembered to have a business card with me, but that’s nit picky stuff. Actually I’m still getting used to having business cards in the first place. I have yet to hand one out in a professional capacity.
(Although, when my cards first came in I did mail a whole bunch out to my friends and family)
What really interested me about the interview was the co-dependent nature of the whole thing. The news organization needs us to help fill a time slot and provide expert advice about what’s happening in our industry and we’re taking advantage of the publicity and the air time to help get our story and our message out to people who wouldn’t normally be exposed to it.
Now in this instance it was fairly harmless, each of us is doing the other a favour. As such my role is minimal. But I’m intensely curious about what I would have been expected to do if I’d been overseeing an interview where the reporter was hostile or where we were the subject of the news story instead of just providing expert advice on it.
Where do my job responsibilities\authority to begin and end and what exactly do they consist of? I’ve asked to shadow the next couple media requests we have because I’d like to soak up the job requirements in case I get asked to do it again.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Free Leafs Tickets
So,
At the absolute last minute S and I got tickets to the Leafs game last night, for the shiny price of cheap as free.We were in the second row in the lower reds so the seats were absolutely phenomenal.
If I can get away with it at work, I’ll upload a couple pictures from last night’s game.
Our seats allowed us access to the Air Canada executive lounge. (Think of it as the place where all the rich, old, fat, white men go to die.) It was pretty swank. But, on our way up to the lounge we had to pile into an elevator with David Suzuki. And by pile into an elevator I mean I was literally squished into David’s personal breathing room, which was just awkward for the both of us. Cool, but awkward.
Then in the exec lounge, I’m drinking one of my el cheapo eight dollar domestic beers when I look up to see Wendel Clark at the table next to me. S flatly refused to believe it was Clark until they flashed an older picture of him up on the overhead screen just before the game.
And FINALLY, as we’re sitting in our seats getting a little picture happy with the camera, (look I never thought I’d ever get an opp to be this close to the game – they really were great seats), Walter Gretzky came out and started posing for pictures with all the kids and their parents in the back of the section right in front of us. The man was literally five feet away. We snapped a couple pics but they honestly weren’t the greatest.I
honestly don’t go in for the fanboy routine, but there I was in free Leaf seats, in the lower bowl, with a beer in my hand and an opportunity to meet Walter Gretzky.
Chris = happy.
Oh, and the Leafs won too, which was pretty great.
At the absolute last minute S and I got tickets to the Leafs game last night, for the shiny price of cheap as free.We were in the second row in the lower reds so the seats were absolutely phenomenal.
If I can get away with it at work, I’ll upload a couple pictures from last night’s game.
Our seats allowed us access to the Air Canada executive lounge. (Think of it as the place where all the rich, old, fat, white men go to die.) It was pretty swank. But, on our way up to the lounge we had to pile into an elevator with David Suzuki. And by pile into an elevator I mean I was literally squished into David’s personal breathing room, which was just awkward for the both of us. Cool, but awkward.
Then in the exec lounge, I’m drinking one of my el cheapo eight dollar domestic beers when I look up to see Wendel Clark at the table next to me. S flatly refused to believe it was Clark until they flashed an older picture of him up on the overhead screen just before the game.
And FINALLY, as we’re sitting in our seats getting a little picture happy with the camera, (look I never thought I’d ever get an opp to be this close to the game – they really were great seats), Walter Gretzky came out and started posing for pictures with all the kids and their parents in the back of the section right in front of us. The man was literally five feet away. We snapped a couple pics but they honestly weren’t the greatest.I
honestly don’t go in for the fanboy routine, but there I was in free Leaf seats, in the lower bowl, with a beer in my hand and an opportunity to meet Walter Gretzky.
Chris = happy.
Oh, and the Leafs won too, which was pretty great.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Tech Survey
So I had a late(ish) meeting yesterday afternoon that turned into more of a tech survey.
We went to the venue that the awards ceremony will be held at in February. Traditionally I used to avoid these things like the plague. Although I was always invited to come it was less about me enjoying myself and more about me taking a Friday night off to work.
Can you, gentle reader, spot the erroneous assumption in that last statement?
But now it's different, I have to work it, so it was time I saw what the hub-bub was all about.
And overall, I was generally pretty impressed, a high-end venue with a distinct art deco atmosphere. Pretty swank. A lot of the issues discussed at the meeting put me in mind of my old stage managing days. So I got to soak in some nostalgia. Although I'm pretty sure my on-site job for the actual event will be geared more towards photo taking and 'handling' the distinguished guests.
For a shy bugger like myself, that's going to be a bit of a push.
Damn you shiny new job for pushing me to step out of my comfort zone. Don't you know that eat, breathe and sleep in said comfort zone.
Faulk out.
We went to the venue that the awards ceremony will be held at in February. Traditionally I used to avoid these things like the plague. Although I was always invited to come it was less about me enjoying myself and more about me taking a Friday night off to work.
Can you, gentle reader, spot the erroneous assumption in that last statement?
But now it's different, I have to work it, so it was time I saw what the hub-bub was all about.
And overall, I was generally pretty impressed, a high-end venue with a distinct art deco atmosphere. Pretty swank. A lot of the issues discussed at the meeting put me in mind of my old stage managing days. So I got to soak in some nostalgia. Although I'm pretty sure my on-site job for the actual event will be geared more towards photo taking and 'handling' the distinguished guests.
For a shy bugger like myself, that's going to be a bit of a push.
Damn you shiny new job for pushing me to step out of my comfort zone. Don't you know that eat, breathe and sleep in said comfort zone.
Faulk out.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Review: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
So.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles = not total crap.
Let’s be clear though. This is not Terminator. This more Terminator lite. (In fact, while watching the pilot last night I was reminded just how much I enjoy the first two Terminator movies.)
But now I’m just splitting hairs.
(For the purposes of this post, we’re going to ignore the existence of the third Terminator movie. Besides making me want to weep uncontrollably the third movie is a travesty and captures none of the original feeling of the first two films.)
Question. How do you take a ground breaking franchise based primarily around large (expensive) action pieces, with a little bit of alarmist futureshock and dysfunctional relationships thrown in and turn it into a weekly television series?
Answer. With great difficulty.
The problem with this series is that it can’t duplicate the aura of the original films. This isn’t James Cameron, this isn’t Linda Hamilton and this isn’t Arnold Schwarzenegger. As we’ve already painfully learned it’s very hard to create a successful Terminator franchise without these pieces.
But what the Sarah Connor Chronicles does is work hard to incorporate the major plot points and visual motifs of the series and build a story around that.
Killer Robot? Check.
Protector Robot? Check.
Overbearing and militant mother? Check.
Emo son? Check.
Essentially the series picks up two years after the end of the second movie. Sarah and John Connor are still on the run despite having destroyed any chance of Skynet ever being built. However, it appears that all they’ve done is push back the date and the killer computer will still come online sometime in the next 10 years or so.
So mother and son are still having to fend off repeated Terminator attacks. However, true to form, a protector has once again been sent back in time to protect John Connor. However instead of Arnie’s bulging muscles we’re treated to Summer Glau’s (Serenity, Firefly) more shapely curves.
In order to prevent Skynet from being built, Summer catapults the trio eight years into the future (2007) which is presumably when the computer is being constructed.
So the general thrust of the series is to answer the question “Who Built Skynet,” punctuated by bouts of random robot violence and relationship building.
Two additions to the series will be…
Former Sarah love interest, cruelly left behind during her jump through time
And
Government agent in pursuit, remember this group is wanted by the government, not just the killer robots.
This is the ONLY new series I’ll be picking up this year (besides J-Pod…which I’ll probably drop due to extreme dullness). I have mixed feelings about it though. If the series succeeds it’ll become just another franchise to be milked by Hollywood and it will contribute to the further dilution of a really excellent concept. If it does succeed I think it will be because of the reduced competition at the moment due to the Writer’s strike.
But on the other hand, it’s killer robots from the future, kicking ass and taking names.
And I’m okay with that.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles = not total crap.
Let’s be clear though. This is not Terminator. This more Terminator lite. (In fact, while watching the pilot last night I was reminded just how much I enjoy the first two Terminator movies.)
But now I’m just splitting hairs.
(For the purposes of this post, we’re going to ignore the existence of the third Terminator movie. Besides making me want to weep uncontrollably the third movie is a travesty and captures none of the original feeling of the first two films.)
Question. How do you take a ground breaking franchise based primarily around large (expensive) action pieces, with a little bit of alarmist futureshock and dysfunctional relationships thrown in and turn it into a weekly television series?
Answer. With great difficulty.
The problem with this series is that it can’t duplicate the aura of the original films. This isn’t James Cameron, this isn’t Linda Hamilton and this isn’t Arnold Schwarzenegger. As we’ve already painfully learned it’s very hard to create a successful Terminator franchise without these pieces.
But what the Sarah Connor Chronicles does is work hard to incorporate the major plot points and visual motifs of the series and build a story around that.
Killer Robot? Check.
Protector Robot? Check.
Overbearing and militant mother? Check.
Emo son? Check.
Essentially the series picks up two years after the end of the second movie. Sarah and John Connor are still on the run despite having destroyed any chance of Skynet ever being built. However, it appears that all they’ve done is push back the date and the killer computer will still come online sometime in the next 10 years or so.
So mother and son are still having to fend off repeated Terminator attacks. However, true to form, a protector has once again been sent back in time to protect John Connor. However instead of Arnie’s bulging muscles we’re treated to Summer Glau’s (Serenity, Firefly) more shapely curves.
In order to prevent Skynet from being built, Summer catapults the trio eight years into the future (2007) which is presumably when the computer is being constructed.
So the general thrust of the series is to answer the question “Who Built Skynet,” punctuated by bouts of random robot violence and relationship building.
Two additions to the series will be…
Former Sarah love interest, cruelly left behind during her jump through time
And
Government agent in pursuit, remember this group is wanted by the government, not just the killer robots.
This is the ONLY new series I’ll be picking up this year (besides J-Pod…which I’ll probably drop due to extreme dullness). I have mixed feelings about it though. If the series succeeds it’ll become just another franchise to be milked by Hollywood and it will contribute to the further dilution of a really excellent concept. If it does succeed I think it will be because of the reduced competition at the moment due to the Writer’s strike.
But on the other hand, it’s killer robots from the future, kicking ass and taking names.
And I’m okay with that.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Suits
Ugh.
What I know about suits isn't even worth posting about.
I'm a Jeans and T-shirt kinda guy. And since my office is fairly casual I've never really had to operate outside of those parameters. Hell, some of the IT departments pads around in shorts and sandals in the summertime. So compared to them, attire wise, I'm laughing.
But, new jobby equals new responsibilities, equals the need to upgrade my wardrobe, equals me needing to buy a suit.
First off. Suits are expensive, yo. I went shopping at the Bay yesterday because a friend alerted me that they were having a clearance sale. Yah, clearing out all the crap because the good stuff had been sold already. There was nothing for me there. S and I experimented and found a couple that would have been really nice, but lo and behold those suits were the only ones not on sale at the time.
It's really hard to mentally push yourself to dropping 500 dollars on a suit, when nearly identical ones in the same department are going on sale for 180. There's a financial gap there thats hard to justify.
In the end we walked away from the suits. I'm not against paying five bills for a good suit. Sooner, rather than later, I'm going to need it no matter what. But I wasn't really feeling the 'I need to buy this suit right now or my life will cease to have meaning' vibe. I've still got about 700 dollars worth of school related expenses that I need to clear from my credit card over the next month or so before I make any other big purchases.
Then, when I'm debt free, and better able to justify the expense, is when I can take my time and find a suit that I really want, as opposed to one that just happens to be available.
What I know about suits isn't even worth posting about.
I'm a Jeans and T-shirt kinda guy. And since my office is fairly casual I've never really had to operate outside of those parameters. Hell, some of the IT departments pads around in shorts and sandals in the summertime. So compared to them, attire wise, I'm laughing.
But, new jobby equals new responsibilities, equals the need to upgrade my wardrobe, equals me needing to buy a suit.
First off. Suits are expensive, yo. I went shopping at the Bay yesterday because a friend alerted me that they were having a clearance sale. Yah, clearing out all the crap because the good stuff had been sold already. There was nothing for me there. S and I experimented and found a couple that would have been really nice, but lo and behold those suits were the only ones not on sale at the time.
It's really hard to mentally push yourself to dropping 500 dollars on a suit, when nearly identical ones in the same department are going on sale for 180. There's a financial gap there thats hard to justify.
In the end we walked away from the suits. I'm not against paying five bills for a good suit. Sooner, rather than later, I'm going to need it no matter what. But I wasn't really feeling the 'I need to buy this suit right now or my life will cease to have meaning' vibe. I've still got about 700 dollars worth of school related expenses that I need to clear from my credit card over the next month or so before I make any other big purchases.
Then, when I'm debt free, and better able to justify the expense, is when I can take my time and find a suit that I really want, as opposed to one that just happens to be available.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Patches
On a down note, my mother just called to tell me that they're taking the family cat in this evening to be put down.
Apparently he hasn't been able to move in the last twenty-fours and the general consensus is that it's time.
It's not much of a surprise. The same question was put to everybody shortly before the holidays. At 17 years Patches was simply too old and not very many of his body parts were working right any more. You had to help him into the litter box, when he could be bothered to use it at all, the muscles in his hind legs were atrophying and he often didn't have the energy to lift his head from his food bowl when he finished eating, so often fell asleep while he ate.
My mother had taken to sneaking downstairs, in the morning to clean up the cat piss before my father woke in order to prevent him from seeing it. His bladder was so weak that we had to fence him in the kitchen to stop him making a mess on the carpet.
When I came home for Christmas I could tell that it was the last time that I'd ever be seeing him and that stuck in my chest for a bit.
Patches was always a scrapper and a cranky cuss and he preferred to spend the majority of his time out-of-doors than indoors, but he was part of the family and he will be missed deeply.
Apparently he hasn't been able to move in the last twenty-fours and the general consensus is that it's time.
It's not much of a surprise. The same question was put to everybody shortly before the holidays. At 17 years Patches was simply too old and not very many of his body parts were working right any more. You had to help him into the litter box, when he could be bothered to use it at all, the muscles in his hind legs were atrophying and he often didn't have the energy to lift his head from his food bowl when he finished eating, so often fell asleep while he ate.
My mother had taken to sneaking downstairs, in the morning to clean up the cat piss before my father woke in order to prevent him from seeing it. His bladder was so weak that we had to fence him in the kitchen to stop him making a mess on the carpet.
When I came home for Christmas I could tell that it was the last time that I'd ever be seeing him and that stuck in my chest for a bit.
Patches was always a scrapper and a cranky cuss and he preferred to spend the majority of his time out-of-doors than indoors, but he was part of the family and he will be missed deeply.
Comic madness
I dropped 50 bones last night on a sweet copy of Hawkman number 2 that I'd been eyeing for a long time at my local used book emporium.
It's hella sweet.
I've been lusting after it for awhile and last night I finally heeded the call of my consumerism.
It's hella sweet.
I've been lusting after it for awhile and last night I finally heeded the call of my consumerism.
Getting my work on...
So.
Time for a bit of a breather.
I hit a very important deadline yesterday for the magazine. About 85% of the material has made its way off to the designer, leaving me with just one last feature to pull together over the next week or so.
It’s been a bit of a tough row to hoe and a couple times I wasn’t sure I that I’d hit my deadline at all. The mag has become job numero uno for me since taking on this new job.
My experience as editor is non existent and I had to learn a LOT as I went along, so I think it went slower this time out than it probably will again. But it was very involved and, on top of my other work, very stressful at times.
I’ve been operating in a bubble with absolutely no feedback on the mag as I put it together. So while I think the finished product is pretty kick ass, I have to admit I’ve lost some of my objectivity. I know the editorial committee is going to be fairly critical when we starting getting proofs back and that criticism would be more productive earlier in the process.
S has been a rock through the whole thing and last night we celebrated the achievements by opening a bottle of champagne and very quickly getting giggly.
So now, after my 24 hour breather, I can move on to all those other jobs that I quietly stuffed under a rug over the last month and a half, including planning for the awards ceremony in February and my upcoming nuptials in August.
Time for a bit of a breather.
I hit a very important deadline yesterday for the magazine. About 85% of the material has made its way off to the designer, leaving me with just one last feature to pull together over the next week or so.
It’s been a bit of a tough row to hoe and a couple times I wasn’t sure I that I’d hit my deadline at all. The mag has become job numero uno for me since taking on this new job.
My experience as editor is non existent and I had to learn a LOT as I went along, so I think it went slower this time out than it probably will again. But it was very involved and, on top of my other work, very stressful at times.
I’ve been operating in a bubble with absolutely no feedback on the mag as I put it together. So while I think the finished product is pretty kick ass, I have to admit I’ve lost some of my objectivity. I know the editorial committee is going to be fairly critical when we starting getting proofs back and that criticism would be more productive earlier in the process.
S has been a rock through the whole thing and last night we celebrated the achievements by opening a bottle of champagne and very quickly getting giggly.
So now, after my 24 hour breather, I can move on to all those other jobs that I quietly stuffed under a rug over the last month and a half, including planning for the awards ceremony in February and my upcoming nuptials in August.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
New Jobby
I'm stuck at the office on a Saturday morning with more time than work on my hands so I thought I'd write a bit about how I got to this point.
Three months ago I landed a new job.
Same company. Little more money. Different field of work.
What makes it truly a lucky break is that the job I'm doing now is in the same field I've gone back to school for. This means I get to learn all the practical applications at the same time as I simultaneously study the theory. Talk about luck.
Now, instead of pushing paper from one side of my desk to the other, I'm a one man communications department and it feels like I have my fingers in everything going on around here. That sounded kinda dirty. Ahh, what the hell, it's Saturday. Let it slide.
I was a little wary at first about making the change. While my old job wasn't the greatest it did have a lot of advantages and I'd carved out a little niche of my own that worked pretty well for me. But in truth I was stagnating, spinning my wheels uselessly, without any real occupational challenges. I know that my old manager recognized this and she tried to make my job more interesting, but you can only dress a turnip up so much. At the end of the day it's still fairly bland and tasteless.
New jobby? Much more time intensive. Evenings. Weekends. Every day I'm operating way out of my traditional comfort zone. I've been ripped from my soothing little hidey hole and flung out into the naked sunlight. And I like it. (I'm utterly shocked by how much I like it, but I'm trying to maintain a poker face)
I've got at least two and a half more years at this position, provided the universe doesn't take a pot shot or two, and then I'll have the option of either stretching my wings or staying on for a bit and seeing what I can create. I look forward to having all those options. I like options.
Three months ago I landed a new job.
Same company. Little more money. Different field of work.
What makes it truly a lucky break is that the job I'm doing now is in the same field I've gone back to school for. This means I get to learn all the practical applications at the same time as I simultaneously study the theory. Talk about luck.
Now, instead of pushing paper from one side of my desk to the other, I'm a one man communications department and it feels like I have my fingers in everything going on around here. That sounded kinda dirty. Ahh, what the hell, it's Saturday. Let it slide.
I was a little wary at first about making the change. While my old job wasn't the greatest it did have a lot of advantages and I'd carved out a little niche of my own that worked pretty well for me. But in truth I was stagnating, spinning my wheels uselessly, without any real occupational challenges. I know that my old manager recognized this and she tried to make my job more interesting, but you can only dress a turnip up so much. At the end of the day it's still fairly bland and tasteless.
New jobby? Much more time intensive. Evenings. Weekends. Every day I'm operating way out of my traditional comfort zone. I've been ripped from my soothing little hidey hole and flung out into the naked sunlight. And I like it. (I'm utterly shocked by how much I like it, but I'm trying to maintain a poker face)
I've got at least two and a half more years at this position, provided the universe doesn't take a pot shot or two, and then I'll have the option of either stretching my wings or staying on for a bit and seeing what I can create. I look forward to having all those options. I like options.
Friday, January 4, 2008
The trouble with money
I know just enough about the world of high finance to be a danger to myself.
I know there's a coming international financial meltdown coming, hovering out there at the edges of my perception. But I don't have the foggiest idea how to protect myself.
Unfortunately, I make my bread in butter in an industry who's only constant is the boom and bust nature of its existence. Which means, since I've left the insulating world of formal schooling, I've been riding an emotional roller coaster ride in terms of my future financial existence.
So last year, after much soul searching, I went back to school and started preparing myself to jump to a different industry. Going back to Uni on a PT basis will take me approximately three years, and by May I'll have finished just one of them.
My study of personal finance consists of precisely two things. That high school class that taught you the marvels of compound interest (a millionaire by 60!) and The Wealthy Barber, a book that I read about four years ago after much urging from my father.
I've adopted some of what the WB recommends. I put 10% of my paycheque into an investment fund and slightly more than 10% into a retirement fund. So far I've only had to dip into that money twice, for an engagement ring and my part in the purchase of a new (used) car. Of course, after my wedding in the summer, that fund will be drained completely leaving me more than a little nervous about my ability to weather sudden financial changes. This nervousness is only compounded by the coming above mentioned international financial meltdown.
I know that my partner and I are ridiculously good with watching our spending and that in some cases we are light years ahead of some people we know when it comes to setting aside for our future.
But I still can't shake the feeling that I should be doing more. There will be a couple rough years ahead and I need to plan now if I want to come out on the other side intact.
I know there's a coming international financial meltdown coming, hovering out there at the edges of my perception. But I don't have the foggiest idea how to protect myself.
Unfortunately, I make my bread in butter in an industry who's only constant is the boom and bust nature of its existence. Which means, since I've left the insulating world of formal schooling, I've been riding an emotional roller coaster ride in terms of my future financial existence.
So last year, after much soul searching, I went back to school and started preparing myself to jump to a different industry. Going back to Uni on a PT basis will take me approximately three years, and by May I'll have finished just one of them.
My study of personal finance consists of precisely two things. That high school class that taught you the marvels of compound interest (a millionaire by 60!) and The Wealthy Barber, a book that I read about four years ago after much urging from my father.
I've adopted some of what the WB recommends. I put 10% of my paycheque into an investment fund and slightly more than 10% into a retirement fund. So far I've only had to dip into that money twice, for an engagement ring and my part in the purchase of a new (used) car. Of course, after my wedding in the summer, that fund will be drained completely leaving me more than a little nervous about my ability to weather sudden financial changes. This nervousness is only compounded by the coming above mentioned international financial meltdown.
I know that my partner and I are ridiculously good with watching our spending and that in some cases we are light years ahead of some people we know when it comes to setting aside for our future.
But I still can't shake the feeling that I should be doing more. There will be a couple rough years ahead and I need to plan now if I want to come out on the other side intact.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
NCD
Seriously,
I've seen some of the other comic blogs out there. I simply can't devote that much time and energy into such a high level of analysis. I love to read about what other people think about the funnybooks I'm taking on, because only one of my close circle of friends is a comic nerd and he's been working on getting out of the habit for a couple of years now.
Which leaves me at a disadvantage when I try to engage in any sort of discourse.
I'm cutting back on my weekly haul. It's primarily a space thing.
I'm trying to sell some of my stash on ebay. Not terrible stuff, but some of the excess that I've picked up in 15 years of collecting. Honestly it's hardly selling like hotcakes. Or at all. It's frankly just sitting there and will expire quietly with no bidders. Which makes me wonder how the heck I'm going to get rid of it. Not all of it is age appropriate to hand out to my friend's kids.
Thoughts?
Anyway. My Pull List.
Blue Beetle #22 (An oversight from last week)
Hellblazer #239
Midnigher #15
Countdown to Mystery #4
Metal Men #5
Thunderbolts #118
Ultimate Human #1
I've seen some of the other comic blogs out there. I simply can't devote that much time and energy into such a high level of analysis. I love to read about what other people think about the funnybooks I'm taking on, because only one of my close circle of friends is a comic nerd and he's been working on getting out of the habit for a couple of years now.
Which leaves me at a disadvantage when I try to engage in any sort of discourse.
I'm cutting back on my weekly haul. It's primarily a space thing.
I'm trying to sell some of my stash on ebay. Not terrible stuff, but some of the excess that I've picked up in 15 years of collecting. Honestly it's hardly selling like hotcakes. Or at all. It's frankly just sitting there and will expire quietly with no bidders. Which makes me wonder how the heck I'm going to get rid of it. Not all of it is age appropriate to hand out to my friend's kids.
Thoughts?
Anyway. My Pull List.
Blue Beetle #22 (An oversight from last week)
Hellblazer #239
Midnigher #15
Countdown to Mystery #4
Metal Men #5
Thunderbolts #118
Ultimate Human #1
Holiday Roundup
I've got a Christmas quirk.
I will not give people anything from a Christmas list, nor will I give you a list of my own which you can shop from.
Some people find this annoying as hell. Honestly, I don't blame them. They were really set on Season One of 24. And the fact that you can be bothered to pony up and but it for them irks them to no end.
But let's face it. If you that DVD so badly, chances are you'll end up buying it for yourself irregardless of what I do. I want to give you something that you don't even know you want. I want to have to wrack my brain to figure out who you are and give you something that perfectly encapsulates that.
It doesn't always work out. This year I broke down and got my sister something from her list simply because I'd been thinking about it for the past two weeks and I just wasn't getting inspired.
As well, because I'm king nerd I tend to get a lot of gifts based around one of my nerdly pursuits. My only complaint with this is that it I tend to accumulate a lot of nerd stuff that, and after 28 years of life, I'm having problems keeping it at easily maintainable standards.
(If I wasn't able to keep my comic collection at my parents house I don't know what I'd do)
But it's always interesting recieving gifts from other people forced to put a little thought into it and operate outside their comfort zone. It's illuminating to see just what they think you're all about.
I will not give people anything from a Christmas list, nor will I give you a list of my own which you can shop from.
Some people find this annoying as hell. Honestly, I don't blame them. They were really set on Season One of 24. And the fact that you can be bothered to pony up and but it for them irks them to no end.
But let's face it. If you that DVD so badly, chances are you'll end up buying it for yourself irregardless of what I do. I want to give you something that you don't even know you want. I want to have to wrack my brain to figure out who you are and give you something that perfectly encapsulates that.
It doesn't always work out. This year I broke down and got my sister something from her list simply because I'd been thinking about it for the past two weeks and I just wasn't getting inspired.
As well, because I'm king nerd I tend to get a lot of gifts based around one of my nerdly pursuits. My only complaint with this is that it I tend to accumulate a lot of nerd stuff that, and after 28 years of life, I'm having problems keeping it at easily maintainable standards.
(If I wasn't able to keep my comic collection at my parents house I don't know what I'd do)
But it's always interesting recieving gifts from other people forced to put a little thought into it and operate outside their comfort zone. It's illuminating to see just what they think you're all about.
Back in Black
It feels like some kind of New Year's cliche that I'm firing up this blog.
Resolution #1. I promise to blog more.
Only it's not a resolution. Two of the hardest habits to maintain with any frequency; flossing and blogging. Rather the time of the year that I happen to be (re)undertaking this endeavour is mere coincidence.
Format change.
Initially I was supposed to get my nerd kicks off here. Comic book thoughts. Movie reviews. Music reviews.
And over in my LJ I'd post the more personal thoughts. But let's face it. I didn't even have time for this idea when I first hatched it and things have changed considerably since then.
1. I'm getting married.
2. I have a new job.
3. I'm back in school.
All of these things have combined to create a perfect storm of time consumption.
So. My solution is to use this blog for EVERYTHING. Honestly I find it easier to use and to add not text elements.
So this blog will be a bit of everything; nerd think, personal finance, political observation, sports talk, general bitching and moaning and whatever else I can fit into it.
And to hell with proper spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Because I don't use that stuff in the real world anyway.
Faulk out.
Resolution #1. I promise to blog more.
Only it's not a resolution. Two of the hardest habits to maintain with any frequency; flossing and blogging. Rather the time of the year that I happen to be (re)undertaking this endeavour is mere coincidence.
Format change.
Initially I was supposed to get my nerd kicks off here. Comic book thoughts. Movie reviews. Music reviews.
And over in my LJ I'd post the more personal thoughts. But let's face it. I didn't even have time for this idea when I first hatched it and things have changed considerably since then.
1. I'm getting married.
2. I have a new job.
3. I'm back in school.
All of these things have combined to create a perfect storm of time consumption.
So. My solution is to use this blog for EVERYTHING. Honestly I find it easier to use and to add not text elements.
So this blog will be a bit of everything; nerd think, personal finance, political observation, sports talk, general bitching and moaning and whatever else I can fit into it.
And to hell with proper spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Because I don't use that stuff in the real world anyway.
Faulk out.
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