HappyHappyDonut

Through the miracle of technology and a few algorithms here and there, my iPod made it from Shanghai in 5 days in all. 3 business days to be exact.

And with my own engraving on it to boot.

The nice folks at Apple Canada also managed to get me my iPod accessories at the same time. This includes my Airport Express which allows me to send music to my stereo wirelessly (though I can also now plug my iPod in directly, using the Monster-brand optical in cables.

Yum.

It arrived yesterday. The newest member of the family.

My little iPod Photo. 30 gigs and all.

Already 2/3 full.

What fun.

I bought an iPod. An iPod photo to be exact.

Less than 24 hours after fully understanding the gig, I sprung for it.

Using a little thing called a life balance account, the proceeds of which are made available once a year, and which can be used for anything--health club, hobbies, etc.--I bought my iPod.

Before you snicker, you should know that they actually list 'consumer electronics' as a reason to spend the money.

I also added an Airport Express, the Monster audio-out to pump music from the Airport to my stereo wirelessly from my laptop. Though I could also use that same cable to pump directly from my iPod. And I bought the in-ear ear phones. Yum!

And engraved to boot.

Going to work for the new company brings back some interesting memories.

When I first moved to Montreal at the end of the summer of '98, I was working for a small professional association located on the corner of René-Levesque and Beaver Hall.

I would thus get off at the Square Victoria metro station.

I was doing technical support back then. It didn't take a long before the monotony set in and I began to feel like I was going nowhere in life. There we were, by the hundreds and thousands, like lemmings heading towards the cliff.

Singular in our purpose. Alone in our monotony. No expectations on our own behalf or of those around us.

Seven years later, guess where I am. Getting off every day at the Square Victoria metro station.

But oh what a difference in perspective.

What a difference a week makes.

Turn back the clock six months and life was going nowhere. Not fast. But slow. Even worse.

Six months later, first week on a new job. Amazing how much better I feel. My outlook is 180 degrees from where it was one. Feel like the world is full of possibility and possibilities.

I feel hungry again and I feel like I have the energy and the environment in which I can thrive and do great things. Again.

The adventure begins here.

Off to my new job. First day of work.

BLAST OFF !!!

Nose hairs clipped. - Check. Did some initial pruning followed by indiscriminate snipping action in each nostril.

Finger nails. - Check. Looking good so far. Need to make sure no dirt in there.

Toe nails. - Still to do.

Shave - Still to do. Will do tomorrow.

Trench coat. - Check. Picked up a beauty. Will be a really mack daddy tomorrow. Come rain or snow, no worries.

One day to go before the new job.

Let's check the check list.

New suit - check.

New shirts - check.

New ties - check.

Plan for adjusting old suits to new weight category - check.

Overcoat in case of rain - Uhh. OK, off to Simons again.

Reading a sociology book for my research methodology course. Fascinating field. I'll have to do a MSc in it one of these days.

Got around to looking up kulturkampf, positivism, and empiricism on Wikipedia.

Cool.

Give me your unwashed, your uncouth.

Isn't that what the Statue of Liberty says ?

Well I found them !

They are here in the Paramount theater with me. They came out to see the first run of Sin City, the new film noir, gore fest with Bruce Willis, Benecio, Mickey Roourke, that hottie, Jessica Alba, etc.

Not long after I thought I had done away with them by changing industries from video games to ahem, telecom, yet here they are again.

The cave dwellers. The nerds you loved to hate in high school. They're all here. Bad hair, bad personal hygiene, bad eyewear. In-between beards -- scrub if you will. Man breasts abound. Emotionally stunted man-children. Men with pony tails. Their only understanding of the word 'Pussy' is as a character in a James Bond movie... (Though during the movie, we all hushed when Jessica and Rosario Dawson were on screen.)

Not many women to speak of here. 'Womyn' maybe.

The chap in front of me is swinging his licorice sticks in tune with the music on the overhead speakers" he has a serious case of bed-head. His nerdling friend, who hopes the movie is true to the comic book, just brought back some popcorn and a drink.

If they weren't the ones who write the code that powers our banking systems and other critical infrastructure key to making our lives simpler and more interesting, I could take solace in the knowledge that their inability to mate would be a plus for humanity.

Of course, here I am blogging from my laptop in a movie theatre.

Go figure. :-/

Maybe there is hope for them.