I've listened to mp3s in cars for the better part of the last 8 years. In my first car, I listened to my then 600mb collection via my skip happy mp3 cd player playing through my tape deck. I don't believe I ever used the deck to play actual tapes. My second car boasted an one mp3 compatible cd player, at the point where my mp3 collection was roughly around 8 gigs. CDs were strewn about that car like used napkins around a rib shack. My most recent car came with a 6 disc changer and an aux jack. My sale person lied to my face about the fact that the changer could play mp3s (it most certainly does not), but the aux jack meant that I could happily attach any one of my beloved iPods to it and access any song in my 11 gig collection. Access was by no means elegant. It required quite a bit of fumbling with wires and dropping my iPod in a cavernous black hole in my armrest where the aux jack lurked. Switching songs or playlist required a lot of time digging into the armrest and fumbling with the jog wheel and a lot less time with my eyes on the road, but with some ingenuity (and a lot of cash on aftermarket parts) I worked out a reasonable system that had my music reasonably close to my fingertips.

Until my aux jack died. And, it felt like my music died with it. Pro, the aux jack was under warranty. Con, since the dealership made nothing off the repair it certainly wasn't a priority. Apparently, no domestic aux jack would do as the dealership had to order a replacement unit shipped from Sweden. By boat. I was stuck listening to my music via the 6 disc changer. How were 6 disc, 480 minutes suppose to properly support my many moods? Poorly, that's how. My many mixed cds would serve at at first, but days later I would be bored of them and the carefully selected music they held, forced to listen to either the traditional fm stations or worse am talk radio. As spring sprang my aux jack was dearly missed. What's the point of speeding down a highway with the sound of a local politician espousing his views on municipal water usage blaring in your ears?

I began harassing the dealership, calling early and often. While I can't say for sure that this did anything I would like to think that my efforts sped my new Swedish aux jack into the right hands. Come Monday my baby (my Saab 9-3) shall sing again.

Tags: aux, ipod, music, saab
Current Music: Muzik - Knoc-Turn'al

This is an actual transcript of a conversation I just had with my manager last week:

her: So this project is very important so it's imperative that we get it done by next week
me: No problem, I've contacted all the necessary staff, we're meeting tomorrow and will have things resolved by midweek
her: yeah, so I would like to stress that this is important and I need to have it done
me: yep, we are all over this and we'll have it by midweek
her: So it need to be done and done soon
me: are you even listening to me ore just repeating the same thing over and over because you're crazy?
her: I really think this needs to be squared away before next week
Me: Since you're clearly not listening to me, I'm just going to make up random crap for my part of the conversation
her: blah blah blah get it done
me: I have a donkey named Pedro who speaks french and can do the running man
her: blah blah blah project, blah blah blah done
me: I have a mariachi band in my pocket. Do you have any requests
her: Okay, so I think I've impressed upon you how important it is to get this done. Good talk
me: Thanks for stopping by.

So my manager pushed through the implementation of a new database system to replace our contact centre's current system. Did I mention that she pushed this through? The training was today. No scenario based training, no sample cases, just a bunch of IT people talking to a bunch of non technical irritable older employees. It's a hot tranny mess in that training room. Additional training session will likely be required, making this session a colossal waste of time and money. My manager's face has gone from pink to a oddly plum shade.

My coat is on the back of my chair and I scheduled a meeting offsite for this afternoon in an area of Newmarket that has notoriously terrible cell phone coverage.

Tags: hot tranny mess, management, work
Current Music: Sensitized - Kylie Minogue

It was a struggle choosing to leave my previous residence. The decision was partially fuelled by my old roommate (referred to previously as Nebbish) moving out and getting married. While I’m ultimately happy for him and think that his girlfriend was the best possible thing for him, I’m not too proud to admit that his marriage was quite a hit to my ego. Here’s a man who self-absorption had previously rivalled mine, yet here he was getting married while my own romantic life was floundering. Worse, I sense that he was seeking to distance himself from his former life and basically cut ties after I helped move out his stuff.

After Nebbish moved out, my remaining roommate moved his new girlfriend in. She was a nice enough girl, however my house, my home quickly slipped into a permanent state of disrepair. Despite the maid service, the kitchen belonged in a condemned building and her (occasionally soiled) undergarments were littered about the common areas.

This was the new norm. I began to feel like I was renting a room from a married couple. I didn’t have alot of say in what happens in the house and my calls for house meetings were ignore. Worse they began to flip/flop over whether they are going to stay or vacate the place, leaving me to find new tenants for the entire house. I basically beat them to the punch by leaving first. I moved in here in January. I believe they left the 1st of February.

I feel obligated to include images from my life in my entries recently. Pity I lack the skill or the talent to post anything compelling. Nevertheless, if you’re interested, here’s my mouse and my beloved superman mousepad.

Interesting fact about uninteresting pictures #1: I was once offered $500 for this very mousepad.

Tags: home, house, mousepads, moving, nebbish, weddings
Current Mood: cold
Current Music: Universal Hall Pass - Sally's Song

I moved into my new place the first day of the New Year. It’s been about a month, but I still don’t have the kind of traction with my surrounding that would allow me to call the place home. It my old shit, arranged a different way, in a space where the vacant white walls and the lack of art make the surroundings as familiar and friendly as a dentist’s office. At least there’s underground parking.

My new roommate is pretty decent guy. He could shower more often, but honestly I think there is a certain amount of accommodating one must make when it comes to roommates. My previous roommates were pigs. I can recall the kitchen was a constant source of stress. It seemed that at one point that my previous roommate’s girlfriend was determined to cover every square inch of kitchen real estate with dirty dishes. The smell was oppressive and cleaning required wading through rotting vegetable and mammalian meat matter. I eat out a lot.

Get your mind out of the gutter.

I’ve lived in a few places in recent years and I’m slow to call any particular place home. I guess it always feels like I’m in transit, no fixed address. There are few things I miss about the places I used to reside. My first apartment had a wonderful view of North York. 11 stories up the trees used to blend together with the quaint row houses in a strangely harmonious manner and pink sunsets would stream through my bay windows, adding a vaguely mystical hue to even the most mundane objects in my apartment.

I currently look out on a church and a police station which has really put a damper on mid Sunday morning apartment nudity.

Tags: church, my apartment, police, roommates, views
Current Mood: drunk
Current Music: Everything Has Changed - William Fitzsimmons

I'm back.
Yeah.

What seems like years ago I made you a promise that I plan to keep here. I imagine you stopped reading long ago and who could blame you I suppose. However, as you noted, these post have a tendency to be more enlightening then anything I’ve ever said in person, and as detrimental and hurtful as the words written here could be, it allowed you to see a side of me that I was unwilling or incapable of sharing with you anymore. I assume that is why you asked me for a ‘peak over the wall’ so to speak. So, here’s your glimpse.

I found the pictures from Lenny’s wedding the other day. How many months ago was that? In flipping through, I got stuck on a picture of us riding about in a golf cart, you grinning wickedly, me trying to be a part of the photo and trying not to crash into half a dozen cars worth more than our combined salaries. Anyway, I was frozen for a time, a wistful look etched into my face and nostalgia filling my belly.

These feelings aren’t exactly new. I can think of few nights where my thoughts don’t wander to where you are. This doesn’t include the times when I fight back the urge to call you and share some insignificant bit of information that would only be relevant to you and I (Dead Like Me might follow Firefly and get a movie). I guess the question is when do these thoughts stop? And if they persist, what do I do then?

Tags: 2.0, golf carts, photos, weddings
Current Music: Here's Where the Story Ends - The Sundays

I acquired a Wii. To pick up what is suposed to be the cheapest system avaialble it cost me:

Wii console: $319
Extra chuk, extra remote with wii play, paper mario, and a play card: $222

---

Final Price tag: $541

Cheaper system my ass

Tags: wii
Current Music: Favorite Girl - Marques Houston

The last time I boxed was in my first year of university. I was shy and antisocial and boxing gave me a confidence I was sorely lacking. It also provided the best physical conditioning I had ever endured. I learned what my triceps were from the constant pain that emanated from that part of my arms. I learned that doing sit ups while a large black male repeatedly smashed a medicine ball into your stomach was a valid exercise technique and not a war crime. I learned that knocking a man on his ass isn’t sex, but it’s almost as good. Since then I’ve watched boxing was a keen interest, played a variety of fighting videogames, and found ways to insert my fading boxing stories into conversations with women I wanted to sleep with.

So it’s been about 10 years. While I still contend that boxing is awesome conditioning, I haven’t exactly been a slouch as time passed. I can run 10k in about an hour. I’ve gained what I assume is about 30 pounds of muscle. I have the ass of a Greek God. It’s been a good few years. However, when I noticed that they offered a boxing class at my gym I hesitated.

I refuse to see the new Rocky film. It has mixed reviews, but that’s not what concerns me. In the trailers, Sly Stallone sagging features, hunch stance and basically his elderly demeanor make him look like a pathetic caricature. Don’t even get my started on that fact that Stallone acting in and directed this film in the first place. Fading glory is tough to watch and even tougher to endure, and trying to revisit it can really only make things worse. Course, I’m way too proud to admit that my 19 year old self could be that much better, physically, than the 30 year old me. 

( too proud or too stupid )

Tags: boxing, rocky, university
Current Music: Shadowboxer - Fiona Apple

I had a conversation with a friend about the nature of life lessons, why they are so hard to learn in the first place and why it can takes so long to recover from them. The example given was pretty traumatic and is still difficult to talk about. Grander than my own recent trials and tribulations, however the end result was the same, the same lesson, the same hardship, and the same messy aftermath to clean up. The discussions then lead to the idea that for a life lesson to be adequately learnt, it has to bring with some sort of hardship with it. I advocated that the hardship comes only when you ignored the smaller signs, and that you tend to ignore the smaller sign because it’s just easier to go on doing things the way you’ve been doing them, regardless of whether these actions actually bring you happiness or not. So the signs get bigger and bigger, the weight gets heavier and eventually you just break under the pressure of it all. Whether that involves screaming at a person who means a lot to you, or breaking down in front a manager who you hate, it all amounts to the same. Regret, guilt, and a lot of wisdom you probably can’t acquire any other way.

It’s funny, the first thing people tend to ask themselves afterwards is “how did I get here?”

Tags: lessons, lost, regret, trauma
Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Ladeumeuredunciel - Camille

Yesterday was one of the worst days I've endured in years. Funny thing is that every instinct told me to stay in bed. I should make a point of listening in the future. I...

1) lost my ring when I took it off at the gym. I’ve had that ring for close to 5 years and really haven’t seen anything that I would ever replace it with. It was one of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received and it's arguably (beyond sentimental value) one of the most valuable thing I own. It fell into a hole in my locker, landing in the locker below mine. The staff didn't seem overly eager to help, saying that I should maybe call back or something. I hope it gives the new owner as much happiness as it brought me.

2) received a ridiculous admonishment by my manager about her babysitting me because I hadn’t put her work first. I've dropped any pretense of being nice to her. She also told me that my desk wasn't clean enough. This really isn't working out. I told her that I would have her forms delivered to her immediately as she had finally expressed a timeline around when she actually wanted it, put the tracking system ahead of my actual work and that I would try to keep my desk in a condition that would please her. She didn't seem to like my sarcasm. She launched into a rant about how she could use this to help me, and I didn't yell bullshit to be polite.

3) Had an awkward as fuck meeting with my stalker this afternoon. (Details can be found here) While we work at the same business, we never interact as we work in separate buildings. Honestly the urge to physically harm her was huge. I’m not proud of it, but she’s made a mess of my life for a long fucking time. She grunted at me to acknowledge my presence and barely made eye contact when it she asked me a question. Fun! Now she's back to sending malicious e-mails and making herself a general annoyance. I should have punched her when the opportunity presented itself.

I had a second interview this week (the first interview was stellar. I was in rare form), and I hope to hear back by this week.

Given my second interview was Monday, I should hear back from the job I applied for by Friday (if not today). If they don't give me the job I might shoot myself in the face.

Tags: gyms, managers, n, rings, stalkers
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: I Tried - Brandy