careful what you wish for
It's nearly 10:30, and I'm already at home. Why? Well, I got my wish - I'm no longer working for the company I was contracting with. Unfortunately, I didn't leave on my terms.
MrSka @ 10:33 AM EST [Keep reading...]
Wednesday, August 31st, 2005
Wednesday, August 24th, 2005
deadline attitude
For over seven weeks now I've kept a little scorecard with the number of days I had left to work at this company. Slowly, slowly, the days whittled themselves down, and now I'm into single digits. Unfortunately, the countdown is really only meaningful if I have something to go to for September 12th, after I return from my vacation. As the possibility of not having alternate employment is becoming increasingly likely, my attitude is becoming increasingly dark. I'm frustrated, annoyed by the petty crap that happens, and just generally in a negative, sour mood. That sucks.
MrSka @ 12:27 PM EST [Keep reading...]
Monday, August 22nd, 2005
pulling back the veil
Ever since Not From Toronto began way back in 2002, it took on the same tone as many blogs and article still have: one of friendly anonymity. I don't know if regular readers or passers-by noticed, but I've made a very conscious decision not to mention names, places, or any specifics that may reveal who I actually am.
MrSka @ 03:23 PM EST [Keep reading...]
Friday, August 19th, 2005
out with the old, in with the old
This has been a week of transactions. Specifically, transactions that I've been looking forward to one way or another. In this case, three significant transactions have now been finished:
1) The VW Cabrio is now legally mine.
2) I received my Pismo and it's in great shape.
3) I sold a knife on eBay and got it shipped off.
MrSka @ 02:31 PM EST [Keep reading...]
Tuesday, August 16th, 2005
I'm itching for auctioning
I've had an eBay acount since 1999. Since then, I have one had four transactions through eBay, including my recent purchase of an Apple G3 PowerBook. It's en route and the seller has been an outstandingly helpful guy, and I'm very looking forward to getting it. I'm about to conclude my 5th transaction, which is selling a hunting knife that I've had for probably more than 15 years. I've never needed it, and now simply don't want it around with kids in the house. Bidding is going well, and should subsidize my computer purchase nicely.
Now I'm having to contend with something else. Having been seaching eBay for a few weeks looking for computers, I've realized how many people actually eBay for a living. While I'm not ready to get broadband access and become a power seller, I am itching to start selling more. The question is, once I've emptied the house of all the useless knick-knacks that we don't use anymore, what do I sell?
MrSka @ 12:38 PM EST [Keep reading...]
Friday, August 12th, 2005
15% of my wife's computer
After not being admitted to school (or, more correctly, not taking the chance of being rejected, and/or being accepted only on probation) I think one disapointment was that I wasn't going to get my own computer. However, after looking back at used Macs, I somehow managed to convince my wife to let me purchase an older used laptop. Finally, I'll have a computer that doesn't disappear when my wife does!
MrSka @ 12:34 PM EST [Keep reading...]
Monday, August 8th, 2005
off the marks
This weekend I had had enough of waiting for the university to get around to letting me know about my application. I decided to bypass the student liason and instead go right to the person that does the admissions. Now that I finally had that person's name (thanks to the student liason) I could e-mail him directly. I composed a letter over the weekend, had my wife review it, and I e-mailed it off early this morning.
Just before 11am, I got a call. There was good news, and there was bad news.
MrSka @ 07:41 PM EST [Keep reading...]
Friday, August 5th, 2005
weird brainfart
For some reason, this thought came to me out of the blue this morning:
"The only way to never forget something is to never remember it in the first place."
It sounds pretty deep, and might have meaning to someone, but I honestly don't know why it happened to pass through my grey matter. Hmm.
MrSka @ 12:31 PM EST [Keep reading...]
Thursday, August 4th, 2005
the real Scotty quote
I know I'm a bit late to the party posting something about the late James Doohan, but this didn't occur to me until now.
Many of the media reports of his death mentioned "Beam me up, Scotty", and the fact that it was never actually said in either the original series or any of the subsequent movies. However, there is an even better quote to remember Scotty by that he did say. It was in his appearance in Star Trek:TNG, where he confesses to Geordi;
"I may be Captain by rank, but all I ever wanted to be was an engineer."
Thanks for being Scotty, Mr. Doohan.
MrSka @ 10:53 AM EST [Keep reading...]
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2005
it's killing me
Have you ever been waiting for a phone call, or a letter, or an e-mail, and it feels like it's taking forever to come? Remember how you'd constantly check your voice mail or inbox frequently throughout the day, hoping to find the message you've been waiting for? That's the stage I'm at now with my admission back to school.
MrSka @ 02:38 PM EST [Keep reading...]
driving the phoenix
The other night, my wife pleasantly surprised me. She said that she wants to test drive the Mazda5, and that she'd rather make it work that go for a full-blown minivan, new or used. It's cheaper (new) than regular minivans, and is way more fuel efficient. Plus, it's the only one that comes with a 5-speed. I was quite happy to hear that she'd prefer that over a true minivan.
So, just when I thought it was dead to us, we took a Madza5 out for a test drive last night.
MrSka @ 08:43 AM EST [Keep reading...]
