Two Weeks To Go

Wow - two more weeks of classes left! I know I haven't been posting as often as I should. Currently, I'm trying to keep my energy levels up and stay motivated. Six more projects due - one next week and five the week after that. Stay focused Jessica!

Grad Photos

I just picked up my graduation photos from the post office. Frankly, I think the cap looks a little dopey - I'll probably be ordering the pictures where I'm not wearing it. Hard to believe classes finish in just three weeks! And I'll be finished my last exam in just over a month from now. Scary thought! Soon I'll have be be a grown up and get a real job - agh!

Thanks guys!

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out last night! It was great to be able to see all of you and thank you for all of the lovely gifts. Also, getting out twice in a week was a treat!

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's my birthday - turning the big two-three! Okay, I know it's not that old... it just seems like time has flown by. I think it's the combination of birthday and my impending graduation that makes it seem like a big milestone. This evening was a birthday dinner with my dad, brother and grandparents. It was great to be able to see them - especially since I feel like I've been in a never ending cycle of class and homework lately! I'm looking forward to my birthday dinner on Friday as another break from school.

Thank you to everyone for all the birthday wishes on Facebook!

Calgary Stampede

We've been watching the results from the Calgary Stampede every night on OLN. I know... I'm a city girl - but what can I say? I lived in Texas for 3.5 years! Anyway, tonight we were watching the bill riding - it's not the safest sport ever, but usually the injuries aren't too spectacular (taking a hard fall, being stepped on, etc). Tonight one of the riders was bucked off - not unusual - but this guy was chased after by the bull. The bull gets his horns under the guy's butt and throws his head back - the cowboy goes flying 15 feet in the air! Fortunately, he walked away, but it was pretty spectacular nonetheless. What the video clip here.

Cute with Chris

Some friends introduced me to Cute with Chris over the weekend. This guy is hilarious! Check out his videos and be sure to watch him reciting T-Pain.

Jazz Fest

Last night Ingmarie and I went to see Esperanza Spalding at Hermann's Jazz Club as part of Jazz Fest International 2007. She been playing professionally since she was 15 and now she composes and arranges all her music. She plays the bass and sings (mostly scat). Overall it was a great show - even overheard some saying it was the best they'd seen throughout the whole festival.

The only downside of the night was the lack of servers at the club. We only ever managed to get one drink each and it took over 20 minutes to pay the bill!

Happy Canada Day!

DJ Champion

Last night a bunch of us went to see DJ Champion at Legends. I'd heard a couple of his songs on the radio, but the live show was awesome. The DJ does all the beats and precussion, three guitarists, a bassist, and a vocalist. The DJ directs the guitarists and bassist on when to make changes - pretty cool.

Chrio

Lately my back has been bugging me again. I used to have issues with it in 2002-2003. I think it's probably from a combination of the uncomfortable chair I had at PMC, hunching over textbooks, and stress. So I decided to go see the chiropractor on campus for a fix up. It's pretty amazing how much they can tell from just feeling your back - he felt my spine and was able to pinpoint the exact spots which have been causing me trouble. He also checked the length of my legs - apparently my right leg is sitting about 3/4" shorter than my left! Anyway, we're on a plan to get me all fixed up and straightened out - 3 times/week for 2 weeks, then down to 2 times/week for 2 week, the 1 for 2 week. Fortunately, my insurance coverage through the school covers it!

Midterms Finished!

Just finished my last midterm this evening. Labour law last Monday, Entrepreneurship yesterday, and finance tonight.

Scary thought... only 6 more weeks of classes left!

Whales!

Yesterday we went out on my dad's boat for Father's Day. We sailed to Montague Harbour where we had lunch. There's a marine park on the island and a little ranger station which provided information about the local wildlife. They had a touch pool that they collect animals for daily (starfish, clams, oysters, crabs, shrimp, etc). It was pretty neat to watch what went on inside the pool. A big starfish came near a clam (which they eat) and the clam opened up and used its foot (yes, apparently clams have feet) it push itself away from the starfish.

On the way back home we were sailing through on of the passes and noticed a couple whale watching boats in the area. When the whale watching boats slow down, you know there's whales nearby. So we decided to wait and see what happened. Sure enough, a minute later we saw fins nearby and coming in our direction. There must have been about three dozen orcas (killer whales), even some juveniles. We maneuvered around a little bit and the whole pod ended up coming about 300 feet from our boat. They were so close we could hear the sound of their blowholes when they surfaced. I'd never seen orcas in the wild before - it was definitely very cool.

Last Comic Standing

Watched season premiere of Last Comic Standing last night. My two complaints with the show:

1. Why do they let about eight people in from each of the US auditions, but only three from the Canadian audition?
2. They let a guy in a gorilla suit "Mel Silverback" through at the Canadian audition. The guy is not even funny. There's just something wrong with using a gimmick when doing stand-up. The whole point is that there are no gimmicks, it's just supposed to be funny! What's worse is that he took one of the three Canadian spots when there was a couple others who deserved it more.

The highlight of the show was definitely Gerry Dee from Toronto. Watch the clip here.

Brasserie L'Ecole

We went to Brasserie L'Ecole last night for dinner - sooooooooo good! There's something really nice about a good restaurant that's not pretentious about it. The menu was as follows:

Appetisers:

• Creamed Morels on Toast with bacon
• Wild Boar Prosciutto

Mains:

• Steak with blue cheese butter and Frites tossed in garlic, parmesan, and truffle oil
• Roasted Chicken Breast on a bed of spinach, snow peas, and bacon

Desert:

• A three cheese plate with hazelnuts and quince paste
• Creme Brule

VI Brewery Tour

As part of the dodgeball tournament, we all received a pass for a free tour at Vancouver Island Brewery. So yesterday about 15 of us went on the tour. I knew about most of the process from making beer at a U-brew. Of course, it's quite a bit more sophisticated at the brewery! What I didn't know is that depending on what kind of beer they're making, Ale or Lager, the yeast ferments either from the top of the tank down, or the bottom up. Also interesting, is the fact that VI Brewery uses only recycled bottles from the local Return-It depots. Their facility removes the labels, sterilizes, and inspects the bottles. In addition, their keg line can fill 60 kegs in an hour - one a minute!

Best of all, the tour ended with a tasting of their five beers: Vancouver Islander Lager, Victoria Lager, Piper's Pale Ale, Wolf's Scottish Cream Ale, and Hermann's Dark Lager. Now, I'm not usually a beer drinker, but I would say that my favorite was the Wolf's, followed by Hermann's. My least favorite was the Islander.

Jessica Beats the Man!

YES!!! An envelope came in the mail today from the Attorney General's office. I now owe $46 on my Skytrain ticket. Still not great, but a lot better than the $173 they initially wanted me to pay! It also took less than the 6-8 months they told me it would take.

In the last six months I've had to deal with Passport Canada, Vital Statistics BC, and the courts. But it looks like at least in this case, things worked in my favour.

BearingPoint

This afternoon I went to an information session for BearingPoint. BearingPoint is a worldwide management and technology consulting company. I like the thought of doing consulting because you get the opportunity to work across all of the functional business areas. Also, your work environment is always changing as you move from client to client. I tend to get bored doing the same thing day in and day out. Consulting is definitely an option to consider come August.

Networking

Studies have shown that over 65% of careers are found through networking. Networking is the process of making contacts for the purpose of finding jobs and furthering your career. The most interesting and unique jobs are never posted on job search websites. Personally, I am not the best person at striking up a conversation with people I don't know. I tend to be pretty reserved, especially when I feel uncomfortable.

However, with the end of my degree fast approaching, I though I'd better bite the bullet and put myself out there. So I signed up for the mentorship program run through the UVic business program. The program pairs up students with professionals from the Victoria business community. I had my first meeting with my mentor this morning. I was a little nervous, but she was very friendly and put me completely at ease. We talked for an hour about my experiences, my likes and dislikes, her career, etc.

My network is growing already - she agreed to introduce me to a couple of her contacts. When I checked my email this afternoon, her contacts had already emailed me to set up meetings! Exciting... and scary!

Definitely Need New Runners

Yep - definitely need to get some new runners. My hips and shins are SORE today! I guess thats what 45 minutes of jogging on pavement in old runners will do to you.

24 Hour Relay

This weekend I ran in the Easter Seals 24 Hour Relay. The relay raises funds to send disabled children to summer camp. It started at 9am Saturday morning and went until 9am Sunday morning and each team has a person running (or walking) at all times. Fortunately, my shift was 7-7:30am Sunday morning. Early, I know, but better than running at 3am! I ended up starting my run at 6:45 (nobody ended up running the shift in front of me) and doing two laps (2 or 3 kilometers each). I definitely need to get some new runners - my feet hurt by the end of it!

Pots - Part 2

I had my third pottery class tonight. This was my second time at throwing on the wheel (last week we were shaving the pots we created in the first week). Let's just say it didn't go so smoothly this time around. The first three pots I attempted ended up in the "scrap bag"! Finally, with the guidance of the teacher, I was able to get a couple made - even one which is going to be a mug. Although I ended up making less than half the amount I made the first time, I definitely learned more about the technique. Next week - glazing!

Ready... Set... Dodgeball!

Today the Islander Lager Open Dodgeball Championships were held at the Save-On-Foods Arena. There were a hundred teams playing, making it the largest dodgeball tournament in Canada. Fifty teams played in the morning round and fifty in the afternoons. There were five courts with ten teams on each court. Each team played nine games, one against each other team on their court. I played on the Ship Constructor Software Pirates (2-7). The other Ship Constructor team was called the Sassy Sailors (1-8). All the teams had costumes - ours were tank tops, sweatbands, and the guys wore hot pink women's bathing suit shorts (it was hot). Apparently dodgeball is dangerous - I don't know why they let kids play it! One of our players tore his Achilles tendon, a girl on another court was hit in the head by a guy on our court, and a girl broke her ankle - and that was just on our side of the Arena in the afternoon round! All in all, a good time.

Pots!

Yesterday was my first pottery class down at Earth and Fire Pottery Studio. I'd been wanting to take a class for a while but hadn't gotten around to signing up for one. This class runs for four weeks, two an a half hours a class - although we ran over last night by about 45 minutes! It's certainly not easy, but the time just flies by, and I found it to be very relaxing.

Boating

Went out for a sail this evening. We went from Tsehum Harbour to Sidney Spit where we barbequed some dinner. It's so pretty out on the water. Plus we had the company of a seagull who was hoping t get some steak (he didn't get any steak, but he did get some pasta salad).

On our way back into the marina a call came over the VHF about a broken down boat just outside the harbour. We were about to radio back when a sail boat radioed that they would give the boat a tow back. So we continued on our way back home.

All that fresh sea air really makes you tired!

Welcome Back

Yesterday was the BCom 4th Year Welcome Back pub crawl. It started at 6:30 at Felicitas (the campus pub), then it moved to the Sticky Wicket, Sopranos, and finally, the Social Club. We were at Sopranos waaay too long, plus there was a 24 Hour Relay team fundraiser going on so we had to wait around for 20 minutes until they finished before we could start singing. Once we got to the Social Club we ran into another pub crawl - the Schneider Electric relay team. I was out on the dance floor and spotted this guy who looked a lot like one of my friend's boyfriends. I didn't think it could be him because I couldn't see why he would be at the club. I walked over and sure enough, it was Greg - he was there with Charmaine and the Schneider team. Charmaine came over and we had all started chatting when this other guy on the Schneider teams walks over - turns out it was this guy Adam that I worked with at Convergent last summer. We were all standing around talking when I happened to look over someone shoulder... and there was Claire! She and I had worked together at Victoria Carriage Tours back in 2003 and now she also worked at Schneider. Victoria is a small town, isn't it?

Passport Update

So my passport FINALLY came. It's only taken over 3 months, but, here's the kicker, my birth certificate didn't come back!

So I called the Passport Canada 1-800 line and waited through 20 minutes of elevator music (By the way, the trick to getting through is calling just before they close, between 4:30-5) . Since my application was actually processed in Calgary, all they could do was put a request into that office. The next day I received a call from the Calgary office - they didn't have it and they won't do anything about it.

So I've gone down to the Vital Statistics office to apply for a new birth certificate. I had to go down there to pay with my debit card because if I'd faxed or mailed in the application they would have charged me $5.95 to pay with my Visa! Fortunately, it's only supposed to take a week and a half to come.

So far, Government: 2, Jessica: 0.

Back to School

Now the sun is shining and the days are getting warmer... and I'm heading back to class. On the bright side (or the terrifying side) - it's my last semester! After five years (I did a year in psychology before heading into business), I will be receiving my degree in the fall.

Classes started yesterday with a long, long, day - 8am to 9:30pm. Four and a half hours of class, and hour and a half break, an hour and a half or class, a two and a half hour break, and three hours of class. Long day. But at least it means that I have Tuesdays and Thursdays off for the first six weeks! Course list this semester looks like this:

• Business Strategy
• Intermediate Corporate Finance
• Employment and Labour Law
• Cross National Management
• Entrepreneurship and Small Business

I have to say, I'm pretty disappointed in the course selection offered to fourth years. Unless you're specializing or went on exchange, your choices are pretty limited. Not to mention two of the courses I was planning on taking were cancelled. In one, the prof became ill - unavoidable, but you think they'd have a backup professor. The other was cancelled due to low enrollment - my theory here is that because they originally had it conflicting with a required course, people built their schedules around the fact they wouldn't be able to take it. Grr!

At least it's really pretty on campus in the summer and I can spend my breaks between classes outside. Now I've just got to get back in to the swing of constantly reading!

Numbness

Have you ever slept funny and woken up with a numb arm? I woke up this morning with my right arm over my head, and I must have been pinching a vein or artery or something because my arm was completely numb from the elbow down. I'm talking no muscle control, completely limp. As the numbness started to fade I ended up with pins and needles down the entire length of my arm. Eventually full feeling came back and I'm happy to report that my arm feels fine. =)

Long Lost Cousins?

I was just reading Mike's Blog and I noticed a stange resemblence:

The End

I just finished my last day at PMC and celebrated with a mani/pedi at the mall. I even have little flowers on my big toes - very exciting!

Went out for lunch yesterday with my coworkers. Today there was a pizza lunch with all the co-ops and their supervisors. My boss wasn't in the office so I went by myself. However, one of my coworkers showed up at the lunch with a gift bag. Not just any gift bag - this one came with a big star-shaped balloon tied to it! If this wasn't enough to get me noticed, I also got a ribbon with "star student" written on it. Of course everyone was watching and I went all red. The gift bag was full of all sorts on inside jokes - pencil crayons and a calculator (for my art and math projects), baked beans (my coworker brought them back from Texas), Cadbury Easter eggs, 100-calorie snack packs (we all discovered them at the same time), hand sanitizer (used it to get ink off my hands when a pen exploded in my hair in Anaheim), and a Starbucks gift card (I got my coworkers addicted to London Fogs).

Heading back to Victoria tomorrow!

The last week

It's my last week at PMC-Sierra. In some ways it feels like I've been here forever, in others it seems to have flown by. While there were some boring times, for the most part I have enjoyed the job. I'm excited to be finished and heading back to class but it's also bittersweet because I've been working with some wonderful people.

On Monday my boss, Cheryl, and I went out for lunch together. It was a nice way to wrap up our time together. Tuesday after work, our department met went out together for drinks and appys after work. Willie, our graphic designer, made me a card with everyone signed. I also received a PMC backpack full of all the promotional products I'd ordered as one of my projects - including a great mini wireless mouse which I'm going to use with my laptop. Best of all, Cheryl gave me some jewelry from Blue Ruby as a going away gift - earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace. They're totally my style too!

Let there be light

The federal government has decided to ban incandescent light bulbs by 2012. My question is, why not sooner? I've been using fluorescent bulbs for the past couple of years. I've never had to replace a single one, they've never broken or burned out. The only difference is that they take a couple more seconds to turn on once you've flipped the switch, and you don't even notice it after a few days. I suppose they do cost more, but since they use 75% less energy and last approximately five years, it's worth it.

Weird News of the Day

Toilets in Japan Recalled after Several Catch Fire
How does a toilet catch fire, you ask? Well apparently these are super deluxe toilets.
Read the full story: http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/070416/K041608AU.html.
Unfortunately, they're not sold outside the country - damn!

Fanny Packs

I'm sorry, but I don't care who made it, how much it cost, or where you bought it - fanny packs are NOT cool! Even if you're eighteen years old and think you're "all that" - NOBODY can pull off a fanny pack. I know they're practical, I know they keep your hands free - but really, what are you thinking?

Anaheim - Days 4, 5 & 6

Wednesday and Thursday were the last days of the show. For the most part everything went smoothly - other than the meeting suite key getting locked in the room and getting hot water instead of coffee from catering. After the end of the show on Thursday we packed up our demos, got the shipping in order, and that was that.

Wednesday evening after the show Kim, Sharleen, and I went shopping! Not that there's not shopping in Vancouver - there's just different stores south of the boarder. Thursday after the pack up Kim and I dragged Ron and Richard out.... shopping! They weren't very excited about it but we made it up to them by going to the Olive Garden! The food was okay, the wine was pretty good - but really, when it's 9pm and you haven't eaten anything since lunch, you just want whatever's fastest. On Friday morning Kim, Sharleen, and I had breakfast at IHOP. I hadn't been to an IHOP in a loooong time - it reminded me of when I used to go for late night pancakes with my friends in high school after we'd been to a concert.

Then it was time for me to fly back to Vancouver. Of course I was randomly selected for the pat down at security - again! They said I was randomly selected by my airline which makes me think it wasn't very random - the woman at the check-in counter seemed to have a real problem with the fact that my passport was expired. She kept asking me if I had an extension on it; I kept telling her I didn't but that I'd gone through customs and immigration on my way into the country. I think she "randomly" selected me just to make my life difficult. At least the woman who gave me the pat down was really nice - she even commented on my new shoes! If I had to compare Vancouver security with Orange County security, I'd say that Vancouver was more thorough on the pat down but Orange County was more thorough on the bag search.

So I made it back safe and sound, completely tired, and with a pair of sore feet. But I would have to say the show was a success, a few mishaps here and there, but overall a success. It's funny to think I've got 1 month left here before my last semester of classes start!

Anaheim - Day 3

Tuesday was the first day of the show. I arrived at the booth at 8:30 to relieve security, set up the demos, and sign for the catering at the meeting suite. As it turns out, our security guard works for Green Day when they go on tour!

The show went really smoothly. There was a LOT of standing! Afterwards we went to an NBDL basketball game. The NBDL is the NBA development league and we were watching the last and second to last teams in the division! But where else are you going to see a 7'2" Korean guy play basketball? You know someone is tall when they make the 6"6" guys look short. Plus, one of my coworkers knows the event manager at the arena so we were set up courtside with an all-you-can-eat buffet and an open bar!

After the game a couple of the guys really wanted to go out. The only place we could think of close by was the House of Blues in Downtown Disney so we crammed seven of us into a cab and headed down. Unfortunately when we got there we were informed by a couple of security guards that there was a private party going on. Most of us were ready to turn away and find somewhere else to go but Babak started telling the security guards that we were on the list! Another group who was ACTUALLY on the list walked up and one of them was trying to get all of us in. But then the party-pooper of the group said "well WE'RE on the list, not these guys". So we were left out in the cold, but then Babak starts telling the security that we know so-and-so who works for such-and-such company, etc... and they let us in!!

Turns out it was this company's decade anniversary! They had a Blues Brothers cover band playing and everyone was dressed up in hats and sunglasses. Then the CEO got up on stage to do a raffle, but a lot of people must have left so he decided to give the gifts away to those who cheered the loudest. So Mark and I started yelling and Mark ended up winning a $45 bottle of wine! They also gave away tickets to the Beijing Olympics, tickets to Disney, etc. All in all it wasn't a very good party, I think a lot of people had left by the time we showed up - although it was funny watching the drunk people dance!

As we were leaving Richard grabbed a "gift bag" which was really a satchel bag that turned out to be filled with all sorts of goodies including mini bottles of champagne. So of course we all had to run back and grab one! Meanwhile, Babak asks the security guards where there's a good salsa club and discovers there's one called Tia Juanas. We all pile into a cab again with Ron protesting that he doesn't want to drive to Tia Juana. Turns out the salsa club was too far away but the cab driver suggested he drive us to another club not too far away. Kim, Richard, and Ron are stuck in the stifling hot back of the van, I'm up front with the cab driver who's hacking up a lung. Meanwhile, the cab driver is telling us about how he's in a business laying fiber and solar panels across Africa. When we finally got to the club it turns out to be a strip club - with all these seedy looking guys standing outside! So we headed back to the hotel for another night of not enough sleep before another early morning!

Anaheim - Day 2

Monday was set up day - getting everything ready for the show start on Tuesday. Started out with overseeing the contractors assembling the booth, making sure the rented TV and furniture set up was done correctly, and setting up the demos. A couple of unplanned for mishaps: some of the promotional giveaways didn't make it (or rather I was sent a single sample rather than the twelve logo-ed items I ordered). Our booth supplier didn't send the brackets to mount our monitors - which eventually got fixed at 8pm. The biggest "whoops" was a mix up between the shipping company and the general show contractor. Of course, they both blamed each other - the shipping company said they were turned away by the contractor and the contractor said the shipping co. went to the wrong place. Either way, I didn't have the demos I needed - but after ten or so phone calls, we eventually got it all sorted out!

Set up ran from 8am to 7pm and then we had to run out to BestBuy to grab a few things. Fortunately I was able to have a good breakfast, because the only thing I had time to eat between 9am and 9pm was a power bar! We went to an awesome Mexican restaurant for dinner - the waiters barely spoke English and often sang amongst themselves in between waiting tables. They even made the guacamole fresh at our tableside!

Anaheim - Day 1

Sunday was day one of my trip to Anaheim, California for OFC 2007. In January, the US implemented a new rule which requires everyone entering the US by air to have a valid passport. I'd applied for my passport back in January but due to the huge influx of applications, they've had huge backlogs. So after two months and no word on my passport and a week and a half of attempting to get through on the Passport Canada phone line, I finally discovered that my passport wouldn't be ready in time for my trip.

Since I was going to attempt to fly on an expired passport, Sharleen, my coworker, and I got there early enough to give me enough time to get through customs. Good thing too, since it turned out that the travel agent never confirmed her flight with the airline and she didn't actually have a ticket! Half an hour and a bunch of money later, she had tickets. Now onto customs.... as it turned out, they didn't have a problem with the fact that my passport was expired. What they DID have a problem with was the fact that I had a Resident Alien Card that allowed me to live and work in the States. Forty-five minutes and one surrendered card later, I was onto security - where, of course, I get randomly selected for a pat down! One bag search and a pat down later, I'm through security to meet Sharleen and Kim.

Then our plane is forty minutes late. Next, halfway through loading, there's a problem with the power hookup - so they unload the plane, twenty more minutes, and finally we load and take off for San Fransisco. It's a good thing we'd had a two hour layover scheduled in San Fran because by the time we landed our next flight was already loaded! So they hustled Kim and I over to our next flight, loaded us on, and took off. Unfortunately, Sharleen wasn't so lucky and couldn't make her connection in time. Then the airline couldn't find her in their system and didn't want to help her get on another flight. They finally put her on standby for a flight to LAX and she got to Anaheim at 2am - four hours after Kim and I!

So, a long and painful start to the week. Tomorrow - the set up begins!

A Depressing Thought

Some weather news in today's Metro newspaper:

• So far it has rained for 19 days this month. It usually only rains for 17 days in all of March - and we still have a week to go!
• As of today, we have gotten 170mm (6.7in) of rain, the norm is 114mm (4.5in).
• Worst of all, we have had only 43 hours of sunlight so far this month. Normally, it's 89 hours in March!

No Smoking

For several years now, there's been no smoking in restaurants and bars in BC. As a non-smoker, I often forget that the law even exists. When I was in The Calgary a couple years ago, I had a bite in an airport restaurant. I initially sat in the bar side, but it smelled so bad I ended up moving into the dining room side - and there wasn't even anyone smoking in the room, it was just the room itself!

The BC government recently announced a new smoking ban which will increase restrictions on where people can smoke - including some outdoor spaces. While some people say this is an infringement on the rights of smokers, I have to disagree. Part of the role of the government is to serve the interests of those who elect them - if the majority of people don't smoke and prefer not be around smoking, then the government should act accordingly.

Just recently, I was at a bus stop and it was pouring rain so I was standing inside the shelter with about three other people. Within ten minutes, two people other people came by and lit up inside the same shelter as the rest of us. Frankly, I think it's just rude - it's pouring out, there's an elderly women sitting on the bench, and we're in a mostly enclosed space. There were similar stories on the news of mother's with children standing outside bus shelters because there was someone smoking inside it. People do the same inside Skytrain stations - yes, it IS open air - but really, at least go stand away from everyone else.

I don't have anything against those who choose to smoke, I'd just appreciate a little courtesy!

Spa Day

Back in January I worked at the company's annual sales conference. As a thank you to all of us who helped out, the women organizing the event gave us gift certificates to the spa in the Pan Pacific hotel. Not a bad gift considering it's a five star hotel! So, as a nice break on a rainy Sunday, I headed out for an afternoon at the spa.

Now, I've been to spas before for massages - but THIS was a spa. As I checked in at the front desk they took my coat for me. I was then escorted through the salon and through a set of glass doors to the spa itself. The whole place is decorated like some sort of Italian grotto - the lights are low and soft music plays in the background. Next, I'm given a tour of the change rooms - complete with sauna and steam room, showers with shampoo and conditioner, as well as an array of beauty products. After I change into my robe and sandals, I move to the lounge to await my masseuse. There's a few bistro tables near the waterfall and large comfy couches near the fireplace. There's a bar with tea, coffee, and ice water, bowls with dried fruit and nuts.

My masseuse came to get me - my MALE masseuse. I have to admit it was a little odd having a male masseuse, but probably not a bad thing since I was getting a deep tissue back, shoulder, and neck massage. The one thing about a deep tissue massage - it hurts - not all the time, but definitely on tender shoulders. Today, it feels like I'm recovering from a hard workout!

The Lady of the Crosswalk

This is a story I heard on the news this morning:

The small town of Fuenlabrada, just outside of Madrid, is “taking a novel step in the struggle to achieve equality between Spanish men and women”. They are updating their crosswalk signals and signs to be gender equal. Now half of the stick figures on signs at pedestrian crossings will have skirts and ponytails. Also, the stick figure on the crosswalk lights will flash between being a man and a woman. The person goes from the traditional stick figure man, to a woman with a skirt and long hair. There have been mixed opinions: while most think it’s a good idea, some say they never thought of the stick figures as necessarily being male, and others do not like stereotyping women as wearing dresses. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6206084.stm

Like some of the people interviewed for the article, I also have never thought of the stick figures as being male. Though I’m sure, if you’d asked me directly, I would have said that the stick figures were male. Personally, I’m not too sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, I have to agree that I’m not sure we should be women should be defined as only wearing skirts. Then again, how else are you going to differentiate between male and female when using stick figures? If most people are like myself and don’t consider the figures to be male or female but merely a person, do we even need to differentiate?

Then again, it’s always a good thing to question the norms. If nothing ever changed, how would we better ourselves? If these signs make people think about why things are the way they are, then that can’t be a bad thing. Why not a woman? Maybe the signs should not be seen as a statement of equality but rather a trigger to question our feelings and attitudes on the subject. Consider larger issues such as the glass ceiling, pay inequity, etc. They’ve even got me to spend time writing a post on it!

Mid Way Point

Wow... where did February go? I can't believe how fast this month has gone by. Work has become increasingly busy and the weekends have been full. All of the sudden I'm halfway through my co-op! While it does seem to have gone by pretty quickly I'm feeling a little lonely this week. I think my brother and I might be able to meet up this weekend though. It will be nice to spend some time together, especially since I haven't even seen see him since coming over!

Since classes are only two months away now, registration for summer courses begins soon. Courses have been posted but apparently they're not very organized. There's two course listings - the calendar and the timetable - but they don't match up. For several courses, the times listed are completely different. One list shows on Tuesdays and Thursdays but the other shows Mondays and Wednesdays. Or one list shows a time of 1-2:30 and the other shows 4:60-6. One course I want don't even show up on both lists! So far I've only found three courses I'm interested in: strategic management, employment & labour law, and international legal relations. I hope they're going to add some more courses because at the moment either I've taken the course or it don't look very interesting!

The Fight Continues

Since my last post, I've been continuing in my fight against The Man. I decided to fill out the form that asks for a reduction in the fine.

The Wednesday after I got my ticket I went down to a Driver's Service Center after work. Of course, the office just happened to be a 20 minute trip in the opposite direction from home. When I get there and the girl helping me tells me she's never heard of a form where you can ask for a reduction in fine. I learn that, contrary to what the officer told me, I can only pay the fine or request a court date at the Drivers Service Center. However, she was very helpful and looked up the number of the transit customer service line.

The next day I call the customer service number. I hate automated phone systems - why won't they just let you talk to a person? Anyway, after going through a five minute long menu, I finally get a woman on the other end of the phone. She too, has never heard of the form and suggests I call the transit police and talk to a sergeant. Luckily, they do not use an automated phone system, but I do get voicemail. By Monday, I still haven't heard anything back so I call again. This time I get a sergeant. Unfortunately, he tells me I should call the ICBC (insurance Corporation of British Columbia) violation ticket line but was nice enough to give me the number.

So I call ICBC and... the automated phone system puts me on hold. For ten minutes I listen to a twenty second byte of elevator music interspersed with an electronic voice telling me to keep holding - great. Finally I get a guy who also hasn't ever heard of the form. He tells me I should call the Vancouver Courthouse but was kind enough to give me the number and warn me about their five minute long recorded introduction. I call the courthouse, wait through the recording, and get a woman who - get this - tells me where to find the form!! It was online the whole time! Of course, its not easy to find and the web address makes absolutely no sense, but its there!

Apparently I actually have to fill out two forms. The first contests the ticket but states I don't want a court date and will fill out the second form. The second form allows me to request a reduced fee and explain why. Then once I mail them in, it will take six to eight months of moving through the court system before a judge even sees them. Go efficient systems!

And you thought a speeding ticket cost a lot....

Picture this... Saturday morning, on the Skytrain, heading downtown to meet my friend Ingmarie who's in town for the weekend. Except it starts off all wrong.

One stop after I get on the skytrain, two police officers board the train and announce that they're going to be checking peoples fares. No problem, I get out my monthly pass and hand it to one of them when he comes by. He looks at the pass, looks at me and says: "This is January, I need to see February." I was speechless. I'm so used to just having a U-Pass built into my student card that I'd completely forgotten I needed to buy another month. Next he says: "You'll have to get off at the next stop with me." The guy sitting next to me commiserated with me by saying he'd had the same thing happen to him and that they should have some sort grace period for people who buy monthly passes.

So we get to the next stop and the cop comes back to me and motions for me to get off the train. I follow him out and he asks for my driver's license and starts writing me a ticket! Here I thought he was going to realize I made an honest mistake, be a nice guy, give me a warning, and let me go buy a fare! So he finishes writing the ticket and has me sign it. You think it'd be for 50 bucks, right? I mean it's only a $2.25 fare. Wrong! ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE DOLLARS!! That's like a speeding ticket! And I only made a mistake, I wasn't even endangering anyones life.

I kind of felt like he strung me along by only saying I'd have to get off with him, not that I'd have to get off and receive a ticket. Maybe he would have let me off the hook if he hadn't pulled off a seventeen year old girl at the same time, I don't know. In talking with her afterwards (she decided to sit and chat with me even though the train was mostly empty), it became fairly obvious that she often rode without paying. That kind of pissed me off even further - I don't want to be associated with some teenage airhead delinquent when I only made an honest mistake (and believe me, she was an airhead).

So anyway, as the cop explained to me, I have three courses of action. One, if I pay within 30 days they will reduce the fine by $25 (big deal). Two, I can go to a Driver's Services Center and request a court date at which I could explain to a judge what happened and hope for a reduced fine. While this likely would be the best option for reducing the fine, it doesn't make a lot of sense for me since A) the court date likely wouldn't be until after I've gone back to Victoria, and B) even if it was scheduled in the next three months I'd have to take off work to be there, thereby losing more money. Or three, I can go to Driver's Services Center and sign something that states I agree I'm guilty but I'm asking for a reduced fine. This is what I will likely do. Hopefully, there will be a section where I can explain why I'm requesting a reduced fine (honest mistake, had a January pass, bought a February pass, just moved to the city, poor student, all that jazz).

Anyway, after the rough start the rest of the weekend was really great. Ing and I shopped Robson street, went to an h'our dourve reception for her work, had yummy Italian for dinner, and went to IKEA.

I'll keep you posted on my fight against "The Man".

Beach Bound

So it's official... I'm going to Anaheim in March!! Nothing but beaches, boards, and babes! Yeah right... I will likely be spending my week in the sun indoors, either in the convention center or the hotel. Not that I know how to surf anyway. Although, if there's a hunky surf instructor hanging around....

There are definitely not many companies that would send a co-op on a business trip; which makes the fact that I'm going even more exciting. It will definitely be an exhausting week but also a great experience and huge resume booster - I hope!

I'm a Klutz

Yesterday morning the alarm goes off and, after hitting snooze for the fifth time, I decide I really should get out of bed. I swing my legs over the side and WHAM!! I smack my heel on the wooden bed frame. Ouch, but I didn't think too much of it because I am, of course, a klutz. However, once I'm in the shower I get this painful stinging sensation on my heel (much like when you cut yourself shaving in the shower). It turns out that not only did I hit my heel on the bed frame, I also managed to get a splinter in my foot. I short, thick splinter that buried itself into a position that made it extemely hard to grab with tweezers. A splinter that left a bleeding, painful cut on my heel.

Then today, I'm walking back from one of the other buildings and manage to trip, on the stairs, in heels. Fortuneately, I was able to save myself from barreling headfirst down the flight of stairs. Unfortunately, I saved myself by grabbing the handrail and managed to scrape half the skin off my knuckle in the process. Apparently in the fight betweek skin and a textured wall, the wall wins.

Given the way Monday and Tuesday have gone, I'm now just hoping to survive the rest of the week!

Coke or Diet Coke?

So I'm on the ferry this afternoon coming back to Vancouver after a weekend in Victoria. Waiting in the line up at the little cafe to get a tea; and there's this guy in front of me getting a Coke. Now normally this wouldn't be the kind of thing you think someone would right about - he just poured his coke and moved on, right? WRONG!!

First he pours a little coke. Then a little diet coke. Then he taps his cup to get rid of the foam. Then he pours a little more diet. Then a little more regular. Then a tap. (I would have tried to squeeze by him but he was a pretty big guy - I mean, he looked like a lumberjack. Plus the railing made for a tight squeeze and I didn't feel like getting THAT friendly.) A little more regular. A little more diet. This goes on and on until eventually his enormous cup is full. Meanwhile I'm patiently waiting behind him to get my tea!

Why would someone do this you ask? I thought about this myself and the only conclusion I could come to was that he probably likes the taste of regular Coke better but feels like he should drink diet because it's better for him, so he compromises. I figure, that by doing this, he probably gets a drink that not only doesn't taste the was he wants it to; but, in addition to having a bunch of sugar, also contains aspertame or whatever kind of chemically enhanced artifical sweetner they use.

Other than this highlight the ferry ride was pretty uneventful. Oh, except for the genius who decided it's okay to play his portable DVD player without headphones. Everyone wants to hear, right?

Banana Over Texas

If you've ever taken the skytrain in Vancouver you'll know it's a familiar sight to see people standing outside the stations handing out newspapers. At first I was a little confused by this - How much are they? Do I make a donation or something? Nope - they're free! Actually, there is two different papers - 24hours and Metro. Both are distributed in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. Whoever thought of making free papers for commuters is a genius!

Mostly the papers are full of local news, advertisements, classifieds, entertainment, etc. They also tend to carry some off the wall news such as this...

"A Montreal artist wants to construct an enormous banana that would float over Texas." The artist calls the project "Geostationary Banana Over Texas" and says he wants to build it because "Texas is as symbolic as the banana." The 300 metre long banana would be inflated with helium and would be up for a month. He also said that "the banana has a lot of symbolism: phallic, humour and political too."

Why not a giant inflated apple over New York? Too ironic? But seriously, how does someone even think of something like that? And where does someone hear of it and decide it's news? I will have to admit, I found it much more entertaining to read about than the still deflated roof on BC Place, ongoing gang shootings, etc.

Snow Days...

So after the blizzard on Wednesday (yes, it snowed again!) there's still snow on the ground. Well it wasn't really a blizzard, but as close as it gets in Vancouver. There was already a good amount on the ground when I woke up and it continued to snow throughout the day until about 6pm. While this doesn't bother me so much since I'm taking transit. It did make life interesting for everyone else. You see, my office sits on a hill, a fairly steep hill. Due to a rather large median, the only way the people leaving the parking garage can go, is up the hill. This made waiting for the bus VERY entertaining. People were getting stuck on the hill, so other people were attempting to go around them and getting stuck themselves. Meanwhile, there are more people coming up the hill; and rather than waiting at the bottom for the cars to clear and taking a run at the hill, they decided to drive halfway up and stop behind the other cars and proceeding to get stuck. Meanwhile, this guy in his truck decides it will be helpful to start honking his horn (because of course honking your horn helps people get their cars unstuck).

Long story short, the bus never ended up coming and I walked down to the skytrain. It took about fifteen minutes to struggle with the snow and my high heeled boots. Smart, I know, but actually, the heels almost worked like ice picks to stabilize me! Anyway, due to all the backed up traffic, it likely took the cars three times as long to get down as it did me.

One nice thing about the snow and ice sticking around is that the bus drivers actually take the corners slowly. I don't know what it is about the bus drivers on my route (I haven't ridden any others yet and therefore cannot vouch for their skills) but they seem to think it's a race to get up and down this hill. They have a tendency to speed up really quickly and then slam on their brakes when they come up to a stop. They also seem to enjoy taking corners quickly. Not so much fun when you're standing like a pack of sardines in the aisles!

I'm living in a wind tunnel.

Yesterday they shut off the water in the bathrooms of several suites between 9am and noon. They were shutting the water off so that a leaking valve in the suite two floors above us could be repaired. No big deal - I'd be at work.

So I came home yesterday and was walking to the bathroom when I stepped on a wet squishy spot on the carpet. I thought my roommate had just spilled some water and didn't think anything of it until later in the evening when Sarah noticed that the wallpaper in the bathroom looked damp. By this time the wet spot on the floor had gotten much bigger. Leak.

This morning when we got up the entire carpet between the front door and the bathroom was soaked and there was water dripping from the fan in the bathroom. Dirty water. Dripping so badly that we had to hold a towel over our heads to use the toilet! Apparently the plumber who came in to fix a valve with a small leak has created a BIG leak.

In addition to the soggy carpet and the leaky ceiling, they'd turned off the hot water again. Sarah left to go shower at her boyfriends place. So now what? No shower? Not really an option if you've ever met me in the morning. Freezing cold shower? Hell no! Bath in the kitchen sink! That's right... I washed my hair and had a sponge bath in the kitchen sink.

So what does this all have to do with me living in as wind tunnel, you ask? The building manager came in today and has brought in a dehumidifier and a giant fan. There's a power cord running through the hall and kitchen, tubing running into the bathroom sink, a fan blocking most of thew bathroom door, and the carpet is all pulled up! Needless to say the fan is very noisy and makes the apartment quite windy. Chester the cat was so freaked out that he wouldn't come to the door to greet me like he normally does and chose instead to meow at me from the living room. I think he's gotten a little braver since I've come home and is quite interested in the air bubbles moving through the dehumidifier tubing.


Apparently, they're coming back into tomorrow to drill holes in the walls to try and assess how wet everything really is. Fortunately, they turned the hot water back on so I don't have to bathe in the sink!

I hate...

Car alarms.

There's someone parked on the street whose car alarm keeps going off. So far their alarm has gone off twice tonight. They were also parked out there yesterday when their alarm went off twice in the afternoon and at least eight or nine times last night. Eventually, they came out to move the car and someone from another apartment started swearing at them. Ahh, what a neighbourhood!

Edit: Since originally posting this at 8pm, the car alarm has gone off at least five more times in the last two and a half hours. Fun!!

The Office

So I just finished watching the second season of The Office (the American version). I started watching it earlier this week on Tuesday when the power was out. (Fortunately, he battery on my laptop lasts for a long time!) Anyway, it's officially going on my favorite show list. Not many shows fall on this list... only two others make the cut: Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs. I used to watch Lost as well, but after missing the last season I haven't gotten back into it. I've just discovered my roommate also has the first season which I will likely begin watching tomorrow. Then I'll eventually have to get around to downloading the episodes of the third season to get all caught up. Exciting isn't it? But when you don't know anyone and have no car, what else are you supposed to do?

On another note: IKEA tomorrow!!!

Snow and Skytrains

So I woke up this morning and looked out the wondow to see if it was raining (who am I kidding? It's Vancouver. It rains ALL the time!) and it's SNOWING!! That's twice in one winter! Since I've been back living on the West Coast it hasn't snowed more than one a year and it's only stuck around for a day or two at most. This year there was snow for a week in December and now again! Well, to be truthful, it's just raining now - again. But I did have the wonderful discovery that my sneakers - today was casual Friday which is why I was wearing sneaker to work - my sneakers, while they're fine in the rain, don't take particularly well to the slush. In the two minute walk home from the Skytrain my feet were soaked.

Speaking of the Skytrain, I really do like riding it to and from work. For those of you who don't know what he Skytrain is, it's basically a train in the sky (helpful, aren't I?). The train runs on tracks which are supported about 30 feet above the ground. I think the thing I like most about the Skytrain is the sound it makes when it's leaving the station. Is that lame?

On another topic possibly related to the snow, the roof of BC Place collapsed. The roof is basically really tough fabric held up by air pressure. A big hole opened up in the roof (possibly from the weight of the snow) which reduced the air pressure inside the building causing the roof to fall. Shouldn't there be some precaution againt the snow, you ask? After all, it is Canada. Well, to answer your question, the roof is actually made of two roofs (is that how you'd say that?) with four feet of air space in between them. If it snows, this air space is supposed to be heated to melt the snow. What happened? I suppose we'll hear over the next few days.

Wrapping up... I'm sooooooo happy its the weekend. I can't believe how hard it was to get out of bed this morning and how often I felt like putting my head on my desk for a nap. I'm likely going to be lame and go to bed early tonight. It's only 6 and I feel like going to bed! I'm definately going to sleep in tomorrow.

Live from Vancouver!!

As part of my degree I have to complete three four month long co-op work terms. These are basically the same as an internship. The nice thing about this is 1) I get to make some money and 2) I come out of school not only with a degree but with some actual experience.

I've been working for my dad's wholesale distributorship on and off, part time and full time for the past three years. I've done some administration, sales, and marketing for him so I was able to use this to challenge my first work term. I did my second work term this past summer working for a small (roughly 5 people) tech company in Victoria.

This time round I'm working for a large tech company in Vancouver. I'm working in the Marketing Communications division under the Events and Advertising Manager. Basically, this all means that I'll be working on trade shows, promotional materials, and advertising. Most of my time will be spent working on three trade shows - two of which I get to go to!! At the end of March I'll be heading to the Optical Fiber Communication Conference in Anaheim, California. In mid April, it'll be the Storage World Conference in San Diego, California. For these two shows, I'll be the primary person in organizing the logistics of the travel, booth arrangements, and client meeting suite; I'll be creating and gathering materials, working within a budget, and organizing the other departments who are contributing. Basically, everything that could possibly need to be done. I'll also be working on NXTComm in Chicago, but since it's in June (after my co-op ends) I won't be going. So it should be a busy four months!!

Right now I'm pretty tired. Between staying up late on New Years, getting up at 7:30 on New Years Day to catch the ferry, up again late on Monday, etc, etc I'm feeling a little run down. Last night the power was out until 10pm and so I ate a dinner of crackers, an apple, rasins, and almonds. Fortunately, my roommate, Sarah, and her boyfriend, Chris, came home - Sarah was hungry to so they ran out to McDonalds and picked me up a McChicken. Really, I'm just not a fan of McDonald's, it seems like a good idea but really, I'm usually let down by the food. Probably not a bad thing since it means I don't eat it very often! Anyway, now I'm just rambling so I'll wrap this thing up. I'm looking forward to the weekend when I'll be able to sleep in. My new roommate and I are planning on hitting IKEA - yes!!