Well lay on the reading!!! That pretty much sums up my first day of work today.
Nothing much else to report really, didn't do a whole lot while I was off between jobs.
Got a few things done around the house yesterday.
The one bad thing is i've had trouble sleeping the last two nights. Not sure why. I usually have had no trouble sleeping, but I really hope I can get into some sort of routine soon.
I'm thinking of maybe trying to get my cycling done in the morning before I start work. It would be awsome,but I have to motivate myself to do it first. I actually haven't been on my bike in like 10 days or so. I feel like I didn't get any riding done in July at all. I hope to rectify that in August and also start planning the fall out.
Apparently there is a assesment for french language placements at the end of August at the college here and i'm leaning towards taking a course. I need to work on my writing skills. Actually the University close to me probably has something I could look at too..
July 31, 2006
July 25, 2006
As one window closes andother one opens
Well my last day of work was yesterday. It was the first job I ever actually quit, and had to give notice. I was actually starting to enjoy the job and felt like I was finally comfortable with everything there. I'm glad to be leaving don't get me wrong, but I was finally feeling like part of the team there.
It's interesting how quickly you can become a part of an organization's culture and team. One of the things I learned a lot about during my involvement in WUSC (World University Service Canada) an organization I was involved with for much of my time in university, was that organizational behaviour and effectiveness matters. Unfortunately this was mostly because we couldn't seem to get anything done, and I was always trying to figure out why.
A lot of what my dad was doing in the last few years was workshops designed to increase the effectiveness of organizations. I wish I had access to some of those resources. He was really good at what he did and was really good at his presentations and getting results of out those meetings.
I am glad to be leaving the hotel where I was working and starting my new job. I have a few days off before then so i'm going to try and see some people i've been meaning to see lately.
It's interesting how quickly you can become a part of an organization's culture and team. One of the things I learned a lot about during my involvement in WUSC (World University Service Canada) an organization I was involved with for much of my time in university, was that organizational behaviour and effectiveness matters. Unfortunately this was mostly because we couldn't seem to get anything done, and I was always trying to figure out why.
A lot of what my dad was doing in the last few years was workshops designed to increase the effectiveness of organizations. I wish I had access to some of those resources. He was really good at what he did and was really good at his presentations and getting results of out those meetings.
I am glad to be leaving the hotel where I was working and starting my new job. I have a few days off before then so i'm going to try and see some people i've been meaning to see lately.
July 23, 2006
Looking forward to working 9-5
I am really excited to start working a job 9-5. I will have my evenings free, which I hope to put to good use this fall, and also weekends off.
It isn't going to be the greatest job, but it will give me some stability and free banking!
So all is good here, nothing much going on here. I have a few days off between jobs, which will be nice. Hang out with some people I haven't seen in a while.
That's all for now. I'd like to start taking more pictures too. (and Hopefully a Digital SLR is on the way.. i'm strating to think maybe sooner rather than later). So i'll try and start taking more pics before I get the new camera.
It isn't going to be the greatest job, but it will give me some stability and free banking!
So all is good here, nothing much going on here. I have a few days off between jobs, which will be nice. Hang out with some people I haven't seen in a while.
That's all for now. I'd like to start taking more pictures too. (and Hopefully a Digital SLR is on the way.. i'm strating to think maybe sooner rather than later). So i'll try and start taking more pics before I get the new camera.
July 21, 2006
On quitting a job
I wrote my very first resignation letter. I have been lucky I suppose in that I have never had to quit any of my rpevious jobs. All were summer jobs or contract positions.
In fact i've never really left any of my jobs for negative reasons. I've not been fired yet either.
I really should be happy with that kind of record.
Quitting a job is hard, especially one where you know that your departure will have a negative impact on all of the people you used to work with.
Overall I had a good experience over the last month, the people were great and it was definately better than the month before which i spent largely sitting around doing nothing..
In fact i've never really left any of my jobs for negative reasons. I've not been fired yet either.
I really should be happy with that kind of record.
Quitting a job is hard, especially one where you know that your departure will have a negative impact on all of the people you used to work with.
Overall I had a good experience over the last month, the people were great and it was definately better than the month before which i spent largely sitting around doing nothing..
July 18, 2006
Job Saga summer 2006 (thanks for pointing out my mistake)
It appears that the job saga of this summer is over for me. As soon as everything is finalized and signed I will let everyone know, but suffice to say I think I will soon have a stable full-time job.
I'm quite excited to say the least.
I'm also looking into buying a digital SLR, possibly as a christmas present, if I can wait that long. They look so sweet, and I really think that I would use it. I find that I take a lot more pictures now with a digital camera than I ever would have with a regular film camera. There are afew annoying things about the digital camera I have that sometimes I think would be solved with a digital SLR.
One is clearly the speed at which i can take a picture, the other is the boot up time
The LCD screen can also be annoying at times, and it's hard to tell how clear the pictures will be. WIth my new monitor I can really see the difference between a good picture I took and one that isn't quite right.
Plus I just want the latest high-tech gadgets.. like most guys these days
I'm quite excited to say the least.
I'm also looking into buying a digital SLR, possibly as a christmas present, if I can wait that long. They look so sweet, and I really think that I would use it. I find that I take a lot more pictures now with a digital camera than I ever would have with a regular film camera. There are afew annoying things about the digital camera I have that sometimes I think would be solved with a digital SLR.
One is clearly the speed at which i can take a picture, the other is the boot up time
The LCD screen can also be annoying at times, and it's hard to tell how clear the pictures will be. WIth my new monitor I can really see the difference between a good picture I took and one that isn't quite right.
Plus I just want the latest high-tech gadgets.. like most guys these days
July 12, 2006
Crowd Sourcing
I heard an interesting news piece yesterday and it seems to me to be part of what i'll call for the purposes of this post, the 'American Idol' effect. I think it's pretty interesting that so many people vote for American Idol, it's an intriguing new element added to reality TV shows.
In a way it's interesting that people have turned to seeing amateurs to get their entertainment, I suppose it's a reaction to overproduced pop music and overwrought plots of modern television (Ie in music and in TV)
The news piece talked about a phenomenon is called "crowd sourcing" apparently a term only recently coined in Wiredmagazine. The idea is that companies outsource their R&D (Research and development) problems to the internet where anybody can try and solve the problem they have for a fee. It also encompases the idea of custom generated content(the example given was a T-shirt company).
In the case of R&D, companies put problems they are having trouble dealing with on a website, and anybody wo has access to the site, mostly scientitsts and engineers, will get a cheque if they can solve the problem. Apparently they have a success rate of 30%.
In the case of the T-shirt company is that people send in designs for a T-shirt then vote on which one they like best, and then the company will produce it. That's the aspect I see as being part of the American Idol effect.
People all of a sudden (or maybe are finally able to express) have this desire for taking part in the creative process. It's almost democratic. However I really think it's a bit silly that people choose to be involved in the production of the clothes they wear or the music they listen to. In a way I can see how it might be considered empowering, but I feel it's trule a nominal impact that you're having.
I think in a way it undermines the craft and the experience of the process.I think it works best for shows like American Idol, because they have so many people who think that can sing. That's the funny part about watching the audition process, so many of these evidently talentless people or to be fair lacking much talent think they are superstars.
In an ingenious way, I think it's also a way mostly for companies to reduce their risk, by essentially pre-screening their talent in the case of American Idol, or products in the case of the T-shirt company. It's also the rise of the amateur which is cheaper to produce or buy off.
The gentlemen on the show quoted a statistic saying that 57% of American teenagers produce some form of media content , music, video, websites etc. It reminds me a bit of a book I read by Hal Niedzviecki called We Want Some too and his later book admitting his view was a bit out of sync with what was going called I'm special: How individuality became the new conformity
People seem to be in touch with this new trend towards amateurization. I think it reduces the quality of what's available, but it does increase the choices I suppose.
I think really presents a bit of a false choice, people want to be involved in the creation of products because they can get more customized and personalized touch, as well as the feeling of having been involved. However a lot of these people do it in their spare time because they aren't really able to make any money out of it. Why can't we get more of these people working better jobs and actually producing this stuff for a living?
In a way it's interesting that people have turned to seeing amateurs to get their entertainment, I suppose it's a reaction to overproduced pop music and overwrought plots of modern television (Ie in music and in TV)
The news piece talked about a phenomenon is called "crowd sourcing" apparently a term only recently coined in Wiredmagazine. The idea is that companies outsource their R&D (Research and development) problems to the internet where anybody can try and solve the problem they have for a fee. It also encompases the idea of custom generated content(the example given was a T-shirt company).
In the case of R&D, companies put problems they are having trouble dealing with on a website, and anybody wo has access to the site, mostly scientitsts and engineers, will get a cheque if they can solve the problem. Apparently they have a success rate of 30%.
In the case of the T-shirt company is that people send in designs for a T-shirt then vote on which one they like best, and then the company will produce it. That's the aspect I see as being part of the American Idol effect.
People all of a sudden (or maybe are finally able to express) have this desire for taking part in the creative process. It's almost democratic. However I really think it's a bit silly that people choose to be involved in the production of the clothes they wear or the music they listen to. In a way I can see how it might be considered empowering, but I feel it's trule a nominal impact that you're having.
I think in a way it undermines the craft and the experience of the process.I think it works best for shows like American Idol, because they have so many people who think that can sing. That's the funny part about watching the audition process, so many of these evidently talentless people or to be fair lacking much talent think they are superstars.
In an ingenious way, I think it's also a way mostly for companies to reduce their risk, by essentially pre-screening their talent in the case of American Idol, or products in the case of the T-shirt company. It's also the rise of the amateur which is cheaper to produce or buy off.
The gentlemen on the show quoted a statistic saying that 57% of American teenagers produce some form of media content , music, video, websites etc. It reminds me a bit of a book I read by Hal Niedzviecki called We Want Some too and his later book admitting his view was a bit out of sync with what was going called I'm special: How individuality became the new conformity
People seem to be in touch with this new trend towards amateurization. I think it reduces the quality of what's available, but it does increase the choices I suppose.
I think really presents a bit of a false choice, people want to be involved in the creation of products because they can get more customized and personalized touch, as well as the feeling of having been involved. However a lot of these people do it in their spare time because they aren't really able to make any money out of it. Why can't we get more of these people working better jobs and actually producing this stuff for a living?
July 09, 2006
NEW COMPUTER!!!!
Woohoo!!! I have a brand spanking new(well pretty close, it was the floor model) with a 19" LCD display. I can finally start playing some of the games i've been waiting to play like MOHAA Pacific Assault, and Simcity 4 the way it's supposed to be played..
Other than that not much is new, still trying to figure out the job situation.
I'm hoping to put some pics in an online album soon, so lookout for that sometime soon
Other than that not much is new, still trying to figure out the job situation.
I'm hoping to put some pics in an online album soon, so lookout for that sometime soon
July 07, 2006
I hate the new way to call customer service
Whether it's Emily the voice automated system for Bell or any other company, I hate the new way to get through to customer service. I guess these days it's a luxury to actually talk to someone.
The only problem is that 9 times out of 10 I have to end up talking to someone anyways and I just waste time and energy trying to get the computer to let me talk to someone.
It's so annoying. Today I had to talk to both Rogers and Bell and geez, i spent more time listening to their prerecorded annoying and stupid messages than I did on the phone with real people.
At least i got through relatively quickly, i can't imagine being on hold for 40 minutes..
The only problem is that 9 times out of 10 I have to end up talking to someone anyways and I just waste time and energy trying to get the computer to let me talk to someone.
It's so annoying. Today I had to talk to both Rogers and Bell and geez, i spent more time listening to their prerecorded annoying and stupid messages than I did on the phone with real people.
At least i got through relatively quickly, i can't imagine being on hold for 40 minutes..
July 04, 2006
Another job opportunity..
Man they keep on rolling in, at least I have something right now, and a few prospects. Things are looking, one of them may even involve the government...
Boy the outlook has improved recently.
Glad to be working..
Boy the outlook has improved recently.
Glad to be working..
July 02, 2006
Down in Barrie...
Been having a good time here in Barrie.. but I can't get over the low density sprawl everywhere, or thelong drive it takes to get anywhere.
I know i've been spoiled by the fact that in Regina it takes less than 10 minutes to get anywhere by car, and the fact that I lived really close to the main drag in Regina. Even knowing these things, i'm amazed at how car reliant people seem to be in southern Ontario, and how much time they spend in their cars. I could never live down here.
I don't really want to own a car ever, and besides someone has to offset the emissions from leslie and noel's new SUV.
I have also been doing a fair amoutn of thinking on different subjects lately, I think I should start writing more about different issues and maybe even do some research if I can find the time. There are a lot of courses and other things i'd like to get involved with this fall and beyond. I'm hoping I can find a 9-5 job for the fall so that I can be more involved in those projects.
A short list to date:
French writing course
Spanish lessons
Curling
Cross-Country Skiing
Cooking course
Re-join a choir
Flute lessons
Volunteer work
Badminton
(maybe even a photography course)
And of course, since i'm planning to apply to do my MA, I have no choice but to take one mandatory second year poli sci course this fall too.
Hopefully it all works out in the end. I just hope my interview on Wednesday goes well....
I know i've been spoiled by the fact that in Regina it takes less than 10 minutes to get anywhere by car, and the fact that I lived really close to the main drag in Regina. Even knowing these things, i'm amazed at how car reliant people seem to be in southern Ontario, and how much time they spend in their cars. I could never live down here.
I don't really want to own a car ever, and besides someone has to offset the emissions from leslie and noel's new SUV.
I have also been doing a fair amoutn of thinking on different subjects lately, I think I should start writing more about different issues and maybe even do some research if I can find the time. There are a lot of courses and other things i'd like to get involved with this fall and beyond. I'm hoping I can find a 9-5 job for the fall so that I can be more involved in those projects.
A short list to date:
French writing course
Spanish lessons
Curling
Cross-Country Skiing
Cooking course
Re-join a choir
Flute lessons
Volunteer work
Badminton
(maybe even a photography course)
And of course, since i'm planning to apply to do my MA, I have no choice but to take one mandatory second year poli sci course this fall too.
Hopefully it all works out in the end. I just hope my interview on Wednesday goes well....
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