Here it is, a wonderful satellite image of our new rental house! It's that lone house, surrounded by trees, smack dab in the middle of the picture. When I picked up the keys this morning, the city property manager confirmed that it was built in 1930...so I was very close when I guessed it was nearly 80 years old!
Currently: Putting the finishing touches on my Philosophy assignment (The problem of "free will" and "determinism").
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Monday, July 25, 2005
Construct-a-Resume
While myself, Nicole, and Ryan were enjoying an impromptu "date night" at West Edmonton Mall, the topic of past jobs came up. Ryan had a rather impressive list, while Nicole's wasn't nearly as long, but I suppose impressive in its own way. I didn't pipe up because my brain had seized up trying to mentally recount all my previous job placements.
During class I managed to come up with the following list, which I think is complete, though by no means chronological:
01. Vegreville and District CO-OP (Stockboy/Cashier)
02. Shaw Conference Centre (Bartender)
03. Save-on-Foods (Stockboy/Cashier)
04. Baskin Robbins (Ice Cream Jockey)
05. Tri-City Drilling (x2) (Roughneck/Motorman)
06. The Old Wood Factory (Construction Labourer)
07. New Dimensions (Construction Labourer)
08. *a third construction company that I can't recall the name of
09. *a landscaping company that I also can't recall the name of
10. Earl's (Line Cook)
11. The Keg (Line Cook)
12. UofA Population Research Laboratory (CATI Interviewer)
13. Advanis Field Research (Survey Interviewer)
14. Prime Oilfield (Pipeline Labourer)
15. New Creations (Clerk)
16. Vandelay Industries (Latex)
The list is lengthy, to be sure, but I have been working since I was 14, and there were a few times I was holding down 2-3 jobs at once. There's been other things I've been paid to do (website design, yard-work, etc.), but I wouldn't consider them official jobs. It's interesting to see the HUGE differences in workplace demands if you were to compare Baskin Robbins to Tri-City Drilling. What about the rest of you? How many different jobs have you had?
Currently: Reducing my 750-word paper to the 250-word limit.
During class I managed to come up with the following list, which I think is complete, though by no means chronological:
01. Vegreville and District CO-OP (Stockboy/Cashier)
02. Shaw Conference Centre (Bartender)
03. Save-on-Foods (Stockboy/Cashier)
04. Baskin Robbins (Ice Cream Jockey)
05. Tri-City Drilling (x2) (Roughneck/Motorman)
06. The Old Wood Factory (Construction Labourer)
07. New Dimensions (Construction Labourer)
08. *a third construction company that I can't recall the name of
09. *a landscaping company that I also can't recall the name of
10. Earl's (Line Cook)
11. The Keg (Line Cook)
12. UofA Population Research Laboratory (CATI Interviewer)
13. Advanis Field Research (Survey Interviewer)
14. Prime Oilfield (Pipeline Labourer)
15. New Creations (Clerk)
16. Vandelay Industries (Latex)
The list is lengthy, to be sure, but I have been working since I was 14, and there were a few times I was holding down 2-3 jobs at once. There's been other things I've been paid to do (website design, yard-work, etc.), but I wouldn't consider them official jobs. It's interesting to see the HUGE differences in workplace demands if you were to compare Baskin Robbins to Tri-City Drilling. What about the rest of you? How many different jobs have you had?
Currently: Reducing my 750-word paper to the 250-word limit.
Dat Dere's Purdy
I've been slaving away on my group presentation for tomorrow afternoon. As well as doing my fair share of research, I'm also handling the website, and took it upon myself to put the finishing touches on both the class hand-out and the PowerPoint presentation.
The website is very simple, and I pretty much just used Adobe Illustrator, text, transparencies, and abundant drop shadows. It still looks pleasing to the eyes, so you should go and check it out!
The website is very simple, and I pretty much just used Adobe Illustrator, text, transparencies, and abundant drop shadows. It still looks pleasing to the eyes, so you should go and check it out!
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Calling all Campers
I've already spoken to some of you guys, and I'm bound to be giving you a follow-up call very soon, but I'd better mention it here: myself, Nicole, and her former Lister Hall roommate will be going camping during the first weekend of August.
Our plans are to spend a few evenings in Kananaskis, August 4-7. All the sites we'd like to check out are "first come, first serve" so we're hoping a mid-week start to our adventure will increase our odds of snagging a sweet site. A few of you have already mentioned you'd like to give it a shot, so don't be afraid to let us know for certain.
Currently: Overloaded with party "finger food."
Our plans are to spend a few evenings in Kananaskis, August 4-7. All the sites we'd like to check out are "first come, first serve" so we're hoping a mid-week start to our adventure will increase our odds of snagging a sweet site. A few of you have already mentioned you'd like to give it a shot, so don't be afraid to let us know for certain.
Currently: Overloaded with party "finger food."
Saturday, July 23, 2005
"As you command..."
Ah yes, one can only hope the upcoming Transformers movie will be 1/10th as awesome as this scenario!
Currently listening to: CBC Radio 2
Currently listening to: CBC Radio 2
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Bitch and Complain
The attendance for my Philosophy class this evening was particularly low..including myself, there was only 6 students. Since I was curious, I asked the professor how many students are necessary before a particular class gets cancelled. The answer: 12
A mere 9 students actually signed up for the course, but the voracity of some students' need to take the course was too great to oppose. I, for one, was extremely vocal with the Department that I be allowed to take the class immediately. If it had been cancelled, the scenario would have been disastrous for me:
1. I would've been 1 course (3 credits) short of my degree.
2. I would've had to choose between;
a) giving up on my degree entirely,
b) putting it off for yet another year while I headed back to work,
c) or enduring another 4 months of student poverty to complete one damn class.
Needless to say, I would have been left pissed-off, despondent, and more than a little depressed.
Currently: Getting ready to put the dog to bed.
A mere 9 students actually signed up for the course, but the voracity of some students' need to take the course was too great to oppose. I, for one, was extremely vocal with the Department that I be allowed to take the class immediately. If it had been cancelled, the scenario would have been disastrous for me:
1. I would've been 1 course (3 credits) short of my degree.
2. I would've had to choose between;
a) giving up on my degree entirely,
b) putting it off for yet another year while I headed back to work,
c) or enduring another 4 months of student poverty to complete one damn class.
Needless to say, I would have been left pissed-off, despondent, and more than a little depressed.
Currently: Getting ready to put the dog to bed.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
A Point of Clarification
I'm not entirely sure how this idea has managed to spread amongst family and friends, but it must be noted, Nicole and I are NOT being evicted from our current residence. In a sense, we're moving out before such a thing can occur...
While debating whether or not to sign another 1-year lease, we asked the owners of our condo if we would be able to get a "small" dog; they countered by saying they'd go as far as a cat. It was on that point we decided to pass on re-signing, and explore other options, notably our desire for a house. The condo owners are currently unawares that we've had a dog for almost 2 months, and that's just how we'd like it.
We've been quite sneaky, actually. They've come around the apartment a few times to show it to potential renters, so we've needed to hide all evidence of the dog. The deception requires selective hiding of toys and food, scent masking, and among other small details, hiding Maizey - in a pinch, my car works for 30 minutes or so.
Currently: Wishing we had more moving boxes.
While debating whether or not to sign another 1-year lease, we asked the owners of our condo if we would be able to get a "small" dog; they countered by saying they'd go as far as a cat. It was on that point we decided to pass on re-signing, and explore other options, notably our desire for a house. The condo owners are currently unawares that we've had a dog for almost 2 months, and that's just how we'd like it.
We've been quite sneaky, actually. They've come around the apartment a few times to show it to potential renters, so we've needed to hide all evidence of the dog. The deception requires selective hiding of toys and food, scent masking, and among other small details, hiding Maizey - in a pinch, my car works for 30 minutes or so.
Currently: Wishing we had more moving boxes.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Philosophically Speaking...
...it's been quite some time since I've taken a philosophy course, but it's funny how quickly old-knowledge resurfaces. In today's class we were debating proofs for the existence of God, and I'm sure Pascal's Wager is a concept you're all familiar with. It states that if you were to analyse your options in regard to belief in God carefully (or belief in any other religious system with a similar reward and punishment scheme), you would come out with the following possibilities:
- You may believe in God, and God exists, in which case you go to heaven.
- You may believe in God, and God doesn't exist, in which case you gain nothing.
- You may not believe in God, and God doesn't exist, in which you gain nothing again.
- You may not believe in God, and God may exist, in which case you will be punished.
From these possibilities, and the principles of statistics, Pascal deduced that it would be better to believe in God unconditionally. It's a classic application of game theory to itemize options and payoffs and is valid within its assumptions. Here's a simple table that shows the values assigned to each possible outcome:
Of course, Pascal's Wager is not an argument for the existence of God, per se. He concluded that since we can never know for sure, and that our minds were absolutely incapable of truly comprehending God (or infinity, or perfection) we'd gain nothing by debating it.
What this post's really about, is that the entire class exercise brought me back to a previous Risk, Choice, and Rationality course where our first decision matrix was the Prisoner's Dilemma.
For a bit of fun, you can follow this link to play the game with a computer. Enjoy!
Currently: Sitting amongst moving boxes full of books.
- You may believe in God, and God exists, in which case you go to heaven.
- You may believe in God, and God doesn't exist, in which case you gain nothing.
- You may not believe in God, and God doesn't exist, in which you gain nothing again.
- You may not believe in God, and God may exist, in which case you will be punished.
From these possibilities, and the principles of statistics, Pascal deduced that it would be better to believe in God unconditionally. It's a classic application of game theory to itemize options and payoffs and is valid within its assumptions. Here's a simple table that shows the values assigned to each possible outcome:
| God exists (G) | God does not exist (~G) | |
| Belief in God (B) | + ∞ (heaven) | 0 |
| Non-belief in God (~B) | − ∞ (hell) | 0 |
Of course, Pascal's Wager is not an argument for the existence of God, per se. He concluded that since we can never know for sure, and that our minds were absolutely incapable of truly comprehending God (or infinity, or perfection) we'd gain nothing by debating it.
What this post's really about, is that the entire class exercise brought me back to a previous Risk, Choice, and Rationality course where our first decision matrix was the Prisoner's Dilemma.
For a bit of fun, you can follow this link to play the game with a computer. Enjoy!
Currently: Sitting amongst moving boxes full of books.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Defend the Turf
I tend to have the worse possible luck when it comes to paying to attend a major sporting event. Not simply attending them, mind you, but when I've shelled out some cash to do so. Quite frankly, the game usually sucks, and last night was no exception.
Taking advantage of a 2-for-1 deal, I picked up some tickets for the Eskimos/Blue Bombers games at Commonwealth last night. Things started out strange when the ticket office insisted the only two "coupled" tickets were waaaayyyy up in row 71. That's pretty damn high.
Instead of explaining how painful the game was to watch, I'll let these quotes paint the picture:
Yeah...but we still won, I suppose, so that was worth catching pneumonia from the drizzling rain.
Currently listening to: Green Day - American Idiot
Taking advantage of a 2-for-1 deal, I picked up some tickets for the Eskimos/Blue Bombers games at Commonwealth last night. Things started out strange when the ticket office insisted the only two "coupled" tickets were waaaayyyy up in row 71. That's pretty damn high.
Instead of explaining how painful the game was to watch, I'll let these quotes paint the picture:
"We couldn't get any kind of rhythm going," said Ray, who finished 28 of 48 for 335 yards and no touchdowns in a generally sloppy game before 35,455 at Commonwealth Stadium.
The Eskimos (3-1), who were favoured to win by as much as 20 points, still generated 412 yards of net offence to Winnipeg's 230, and had the ball for 17 more minutes. The last time Edmonton won a game scoring 20 or fewer points was July 13, 2001 - a 13-11 win over Saskatchewan.
Ray, who entered the game leading the CFL in compilations and passing yards, threw a pair of first-half interceptions and was sacked twice as the Eskimos held a 7-4 lead at the half.
The Edmonton Eskimos' kicker for the last 14 seasons missed three field goals to finish four- for-seven but rebounded to kick a 23-yarder with no time left in the fourth quarter as the Edmonton Eskimos salvaged a 14-12 win over Winnipeg in a sloppy Friday night.
Yeah...but we still won, I suppose, so that was worth catching pneumonia from the drizzling rain.
Currently listening to: Green Day - American Idiot
Friday, July 15, 2005
Mmmm...Brains!
First of all, I'm digging my site's slightly updated template. Secondly, there's nothing finer than eating waffles and bangers before bed!
It's been an interesting week, with a few news tidbits sprinkled here and there. The house that Nicole and I will soon be renting has gotten a bit of a face-lift. A landscaping crew has trimmed all the trees and bushes, mowed the lawn and emptied the gutters...which is awesome because I don't own a ladder or a lawnmower. As well, the painters have been by to spruce up the bedrooms and hallways. The next stage will be the cleaners (apparently the previous tenants were heavy smokers) after which the city will hand the keys over to us! The sooner the better, I say, since that'll give us plenty of time to pack things up and carry them across the street.
I participated in an MRI/Schizophrenia study this morning. To clarify, I was part of the healthy control group. I'd signed up for it almost 2 months ago, but the researchers had to wait on the MRI technicians to update the hardware. It was a pretty cool experience, that's for sure! They ask you to lie perfectly still, as even shifting a few millimeters can screw up their imaging - then they clamp your head into a vice, pretty much negating your ability to do so. As they mapped my grey matter, I performed a series of tests, involving pushing a button to match the corresponding dot on the screen. The whole process took about 40 minutes, and I'll admit, there were times when I was feeling a bit claustrophobic. I also learned that MRI machines are very loud and make sounds that range from thumping bass to lazer beam sounds to parking garage gate buzzers. Best of all, I got to see the scans of my brain (thankfully, everything was where it should be) and they were impressed at how symmetrical it was. I have a handsome brain, I suppose.
As I left the hospital, I was then accosted on the street by a reporter from Dose, and was interviewed for their random street-talkers section. I answered a few questions on "strip club etiquette" so it looks like I'll have some newspaper clippings that mom will be proud to display on the fridge...
Currently: Praying that Maizey sleeps-in later than 4am today!
It's been an interesting week, with a few news tidbits sprinkled here and there. The house that Nicole and I will soon be renting has gotten a bit of a face-lift. A landscaping crew has trimmed all the trees and bushes, mowed the lawn and emptied the gutters...which is awesome because I don't own a ladder or a lawnmower. As well, the painters have been by to spruce up the bedrooms and hallways. The next stage will be the cleaners (apparently the previous tenants were heavy smokers) after which the city will hand the keys over to us! The sooner the better, I say, since that'll give us plenty of time to pack things up and carry them across the street.
I participated in an MRI/Schizophrenia study this morning. To clarify, I was part of the healthy control group. I'd signed up for it almost 2 months ago, but the researchers had to wait on the MRI technicians to update the hardware. It was a pretty cool experience, that's for sure! They ask you to lie perfectly still, as even shifting a few millimeters can screw up their imaging - then they clamp your head into a vice, pretty much negating your ability to do so. As they mapped my grey matter, I performed a series of tests, involving pushing a button to match the corresponding dot on the screen. The whole process took about 40 minutes, and I'll admit, there were times when I was feeling a bit claustrophobic. I also learned that MRI machines are very loud and make sounds that range from thumping bass to lazer beam sounds to parking garage gate buzzers. Best of all, I got to see the scans of my brain (thankfully, everything was where it should be) and they were impressed at how symmetrical it was. I have a handsome brain, I suppose.
As I left the hospital, I was then accosted on the street by a reporter from Dose, and was interviewed for their random street-talkers section. I answered a few questions on "strip club etiquette" so it looks like I'll have some newspaper clippings that mom will be proud to display on the fridge...
Currently: Praying that Maizey sleeps-in later than 4am today!
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Quite the Conundrum
Have you ever had to complete a written assignment, worth 10% of your final grade, which can only be a mere 200-250 words!? Believe me, it's an academic exercise no less demanding than a 20-page dissertation. The sheer volume of information I desire to convey on the topic at hand is continually being constrained by the format, and the selective process of pairing down my argument is frustratingly exhaustive.
If I could travel back in time a few years and encounter my former self, I'd whoop my ass medieval-style. Damn me!
Word Count: 91
See! This mini rant is almost half the length of the infernal assignment!
Currently: Cowering in a corner of Knowledge Common, wishing evil upon my Philosophy professor.
If I could travel back in time a few years and encounter my former self, I'd whoop my ass medieval-style. Damn me!
Word Count: 91
See! This mini rant is almost half the length of the infernal assignment!
Currently: Cowering in a corner of Knowledge Common, wishing evil upon my Philosophy professor.
"I, Alex-KABOOOOMMMM-andra..."
Hey, hey! Here's a few wedding photos from Saturday. I thought my Shaw webspace was much larger than the actual 20MB, so it looks like I'll need to distribute the 15min (150MB+) digital wedding video another way. Mass CD-R distribution, perhaps?
Currently: Debating to study for a bit more or, say, sleep...I'd better hit that Descartes.
Currently: Debating to study for a bit more or, say, sleep...I'd better hit that Descartes.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Home: Total Awesome
The first week of July has already been quite eventful, with a wedding yet to come on the weekend. Nicole and I made the decision to move from Renaissance Place at the end of the month, and have been successful in being approved for a house!
Not to buy a house, but to rent one...which is similar to buying one, when you consider the rent you pay, except you still own nothing. The house is basically right across the street from our current place, meaning we get to stay in the downtown rivervalley area! Not only that, but moving our stuff will be a snap. The house has what's commonly referred to as a "lot of character," meaning you'll either be repulsed by it or appreciate its inherent charm. I think it's great that the city of Edmonton owns the property and not some crack-house slum lord. The inside is in good repair, new furnace/water heater, paint, etc. They've maintained it very well.
I'm absolutely stoked about the idea of us having our own little home in the heart of the city! I'm confident we'll convert it into quite the cozy place. Maizey, especially, will appreciate the huge yard we've got, though I might be cursing it as I push around the lawn mower...
Currently: Reading the grande finale of Gregg's break-up letter to Jeremy; finally severing the ties of his homo-erotic fascination with the D-Man, and acquiescing to the idea of his marriage to Alex. Congrats!
Not to buy a house, but to rent one...which is similar to buying one, when you consider the rent you pay, except you still own nothing. The house is basically right across the street from our current place, meaning we get to stay in the downtown rivervalley area! Not only that, but moving our stuff will be a snap. The house has what's commonly referred to as a "lot of character," meaning you'll either be repulsed by it or appreciate its inherent charm. I think it's great that the city of Edmonton owns the property and not some crack-house slum lord. The inside is in good repair, new furnace/water heater, paint, etc. They've maintained it very well.
I'm absolutely stoked about the idea of us having our own little home in the heart of the city! I'm confident we'll convert it into quite the cozy place. Maizey, especially, will appreciate the huge yard we've got, though I might be cursing it as I push around the lawn mower...
Currently: Reading the grande finale of Gregg's break-up letter to Jeremy; finally severing the ties of his homo-erotic fascination with the D-Man, and acquiescing to the idea of his marriage to Alex. Congrats!
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Majestic
My, oh my, what a great time we had over the Canada Day long-weekend in Jasper! Alex and Jeremy truly struck upon a great idea when they decided to celebrate their final weekend of singlehood with a camping trip.
There were many highlights, from closed hotsprings to conquering a mountain's summit to nearly dying on the highway trying to catch a glimpse of a gargantuan mountain vagina. Though I was only camping for a few days, I still can't wait to sleep in my own bed, so I'll re-iterate some weekend memories once I've rested up.
Currently: Browsing through all the great photos I snapped over the past few days...
There were many highlights, from closed hotsprings to conquering a mountain's summit to nearly dying on the highway trying to catch a glimpse of a gargantuan mountain vagina. Though I was only camping for a few days, I still can't wait to sleep in my own bed, so I'll re-iterate some weekend memories once I've rested up.
Currently: Browsing through all the great photos I snapped over the past few days...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)