iRob

Charlie Chaplin

2011-11-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

-iRob

AT-AT day afternoon

2010-07-07T19:15:00.001-06:00

This is too awesome not to share. Thanks to Beer@Heart for the heads-up.

AT-AT day afternoon from Patrick Boivin on Vimeo.

-iRob

Hello Moira-Nola!

2010-07-01T21:21:00.003-06:00

A recent comment on this blog led me to discover this fantastic blog by Moira-Nola from South Africa.

I'd had no idea that anyone I didn't personally know read my blog, and even cooler I was listed as one of her favorites for a journal project. I had my name doodled by a stranger, and that's awesome.

From her blog she looks really interesting and creative. Check her out at Moira-Nola (blog) or Apparel Engineering (blog)

Anyone else out there? Feel free to say 'hello'!

-iRob

Anything you think seems stupid..

2010-06-22T20:57:00.001-06:00

I've had projects turn out like this.

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

-iRob

Two of my favorite things.

2010-04-07T21:33:00.002-06:00

Dr. Horrible and Nintendo all in the same place! Will wonders never cease!?

-iRob

Re: Stuff

2010-02-24T20:30:00.002-07:00

via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (NSFW)

-iRob

Anything is possible...

2010-02-18T10:10:00.001-07:00

...when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady.

-iRob

One shall stand, one shall fall.

2010-01-15T10:11:00.002-07:00

from Transformers Live Action Movie Blog

-iRob

Harvey Dent.. Can we trust him?

2009-12-08T12:48:00.001-07:00

-iRob

Lego Matrix

2009-11-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

LegoMatrix.com via IO9.com

-iRob

Muppets Sing Bohemian Rapsody

2009-11-25T12:52:00.001-07:00

Pure awesome.

Youtube, via ExtraLife

-iRob

Pipe Wrench Fight

2009-09-30T22:07:00.003-06:00

EDIT: I didn't order this, in the end I decided not to - and it was a gift from a friend, with no identifying info on the box. Freaking awesome. Pipe wrench fight for the win.

-iRob

Mullet with Headlights

2009-06-04T13:08:00.002-06:00

I'm a fan of the literal music video genre. Check out 'Total eclipse of the Heart' below.

Not quite as good as the 'Take On Me' parody, but good nonetheless.

For an alternate approach, check out Joe Cocker singing "With a Little Help from My Friends" at Woodstock, with captions for the clear headed.

-iRob

iRun

2009-05-12T17:49:00.004-06:00

I ran my first 10k run on Sunday, the 32nd Annual Sport Chek Mother's Day Run & Walk. My time was terrible but I'm happy just to have finished. I will worry about my time on the next run.

I wasn't going to run in costume but when I saw my registration number, how could I resist. Beer@heart wore his Star Trek as well and together we received quite a few laughs, so it was worth it.

-iRob

n+: the way of the ninja

2009-04-30T19:31:00.003-06:00

I have a lot less time for games these days then I used to. Where once I could devote entire evenings to mapping out dungeons and patiently questing away, I now find that I fall into the 'casual gamer' slot. Casual games are those you can pick up and play for a few minutes at a time, and then put down. They don't require a big time commitment, and can be good for stress relief.

Right now I'm playing N+: The way of the ninja. I first came across it as a flash game on a web page a long time ago, but it's still around. In fact you can download the full game for free from their web page, in either Mac or PC flavors.

I bought a copy for my Nintendo DS Lite so that I could play it anywhere around the house, and I wasn't disappointed. It has a huge number of levels, and the levels for each version of the game is different. (It is also available on the PSP or Xbox360 if you have one.)

The plot is simple: You are a ninja. Grab all the gold you can and get to the end of the level before the time runs out or you die. This can involve navigating mazes by running and jumping, and avoiding traps and enemies. There are no health bars or power-ups - if you touch anything dangerous you die. There's no penalty for death, aside from then having to restart the level you are in. To add to the challenge, you have to complete 5 levels in a row before you can save your progress. You have no weapons, and you can only run and jump, with the added ability to cling to walls to a degree. It's a 'timing and reflexes' challenge.

Give the free version a try, it's really entertaining. But be warned, the difficulty curve is a wall, and it's literally the hardest game I've ever played.

-iRob

Tiny Flash Drive

2009-04-27T17:07:00.001-06:00

Tiny Flash Drive
Originally uploaded by Maximum Occupancy

I found a flash drive on sale at Canadian Tire of all places. It was on clearance. I didn't really need one but the combination of 2gb for 14.97 and being smaller than a piece of gum sold me. It works great, with a fast transfer speed. And it's ridiculously small.

Grab yours for 1GB for 5.97 or 2GB for 14.97 until Thursday when the sale ends.

-iRob

Parking

2009-03-30T08:42:00.002-06:00

I work in parking, and you have no idea how satisfying this comic is. (Image doesn't fit, click to see full.)

From XKCD.com

-iRob

Thunder. Thunder. Thunder. Thundercats, HO!

2009-02-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

This is fan made and not an actual trailer, but it still makes me tingly. Remember Thundercats?

-iRob

2009-02-21T01:17:00.002-07:00

If this doesn't make you smile there may be something wrong with you. I'm just saying.

-iRob

Master the Grid

2009-02-19T19:41:00.004-07:00

If you've seen Tron, you may agree that the best part of the entire movie was the light cycle sequence.

The entire sequence is just over 2 minutes long, but it's the part that stuck with me for a long time afterwards. I also think that it was the first time I had seen CGI. Although it is possible to do this using old-school (really old-school) tech.

Tron
by freres-hueon

For years I wanted my own light cycle, possibly the coolest vehicle ever conceived.

My father once found me a shareware game for my Tandy 1000SX that was exceptionally cool, but it didn't have any AI built in and was strictly a two player game. It took a simplified top down view of two lengthening lines and threw in some random obstacles which for the time was pretty slick. I don't recall what it was called and can't find it now but it was very similar to Flash Tron which you can play within your web browser. A similar (but not as good) game is BMTron,

Another game of a similar feel is Tron 2.0 for the Gameboy Advance. The light cycle part is simply a minigame included with the main game but for my money it's the best part. (Click through the gallery here for a look.)

I hadn't thought about these much for a long time until recently when browsing the iTunes app store. I came across the free version of LightBike, which is pretty much what I had been hoping for when I was nine. It's fun but doesn't have a lot of staying power. I upgraded to the paid version in the vain hope that someday another of my friends will happen to have it as well so I can try multiplayer, but until then it's a nice diversion.

It did get me curious however to see if there was any other newer 3D cycle games out there. I had heard Tron 2.0 included a light cycle part but due to lag concerns it was 1-player only, which is never as fun. It turns out that there is a huge variety of games out there, most of which are free for the taking and community supported.

I tinkered with a few but the best by far was Armagedtron Advanced. It is incredibly fun, fast paced, addictive, and free. It comes in Linux, Windows, and Mac versions and runs extremely well on my home network. I tried it on my 7 year old Compaq (Win XP, 1.9 Ghz, 768Mb Ram) with a 6 year old video card (Radeon 9600 Pro, 128 Mb), and it works amazingly well with all of the graphics options cranked. On my ancient Dell laptop (1ghz, 256Mb, embedded crappy video, Ubuntu Linux) it runs smooth as silk (so long as all of the graphics are set to the absolute minimum).

You can play several people on one computer split-screen, or multiple people over a network / the internet, or any combination of these. You can customize anything you like, including creating maps, custom cycles, game physics tweaks, etc. So far the only changes I've made include decreasing the default cycle speed and making the computer controlled opponents really, really stupid. Even so, it's still blindingly fast and very hard. The trailer below captures a lot of the feel, but trust me when I say that it's a lot faster and significantly more intense when it is you making the turns.

Some more videos showing gameplay details are here (try to ignore the narration), and here.

I think that this would be an excellent choice for a LAN party. No weapons, no advantages, just reflexes, strategy, and picking a bike color (harder than it looks). So seriously, go download it and give it a try. And if you like it let me know, and meet me on the grid.

-iRob

"You've enjoyed all the power you've been given, haven't you? I wonder how you'd take to working in a pocket calculator." -Master Control Program, Tron

Imperial March

2009-02-09T22:07:00.001-07:00

Played on a failing HDD.

-iRob

Recorded Live - Now Found

2009-02-03T12:48:00.003-07:00

Craziness! - The short film that haunted my dreams for years in my childhood has been found! Special thanks to Dr. Haggis for succeeding where I failed. Check out the video on YouTube here.

Oddities and incongruities: I was 100% certain that this was a Canada Film Board project, but that appears to be incorrect as it was rather an HBO short. Also, while it is clearly the film I watched, my memories do not match. I remember the story and most of the imagery, but the point of view, the layout of the set, the order of events and timing all do not match what's in my noggin. Clearly I'm remembering the 3 years of dreams that were based on the movie, and the director there must have used some creative license.

The up-tempo piano jazz was certainly a surprise as well.

-iRob

"We are born charming, fresh and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society." - Judith Martin

National Film Board of Canada - Now Online

2009-01-30T09:34:00.002-07:00

When I was young my mother would take me to the library on the weekend where we could watch films that played for free. The National Film Board of Canada (Wikipedia) is a publicly funded film producer and distributor, and a part of our cultural heritage.

They have just recently made their archives available online - This is more than 700 films, many are excellent. Of course many are bad, and many more just bizarre.

There's one in particular that I have vivid memories of, but so far haven't found on the archive: A person receives a videotape in the mail with a note from a friend recommending that he watch it. But the video tape eats him, and writes a note to another friend, and mails itself, etc. I think it gave me nightmares for three years. If I find it I will post a link, once I'm done hiding under my bed.

-iRob

Flicker Interest

2009-01-29T20:30:00.005-07:00

This is a photo I took of our old smoke detector after we lost our apartment in the Lakeview fire some time ago. It was made a 'favorite' by a flicker user who I don't know. All of his favorites are other smoke detectors. Very odd.

-iRob

Have a Beta Christmas this Year

2008-12-09T12:55:00.002-07:00

Click on this link and see a faithful representation of my generations childhood. A recreation of a wood-paneled basement showing televised Christmas specials on an old-school T.V.

What are you waiting for? Click here now!

-iRob

found via LaughingSquid

Haloween is finished

2008-11-12T20:52:00.001-07:00

and this guy wins.

-iRob

Gandalf Vs. Harry Potter

2008-11-03T20:43:00.002-07:00

For a geek comic that makes me feel all warm inside click here.

-iRob

"Never judge a book by its movie."
J. W. Eagan

iCat v. 3.0

2008-10-20T17:13:00.002-06:00

Interwebs, meet Maurice, (the amazing.)

There will be more later but I wanted to get these online now. The Amazing Maurice is a 3 month old kitten from the Pets For Life foundation. He was found abandoned in a grain elevator. We're not sure what he was doing there, perhaps he thought he was wheat.

Maurice (Moe) is Princess' cat, since she doesn't do well as the only cat in a single cat household, becoming sluggish and unhappy. Currently she is very 'engaged'*, so I suppose that he is working.

Casey is no longer with us, and we are still dealing with that. No comments please on that subject but feel free to wave at Moe. And yes, come and see him sometime.

-iRob

*she hates him

A-ha!

2008-10-15T10:13:00.002-06:00

Literally A-ha. And a literal music video. Enjoy!

-iRob

P.S. "Band Montage" - Awesome.

Time Machine

2008-10-13T22:55:00.001-06:00

Check this out. Google has made one of their oldest indexes available for searching. If you want to see what it was like to search google in 2001, click here.
My favorite search so far: iPod.

iRob

The front fell off.

2008-10-11T10:42:00.001-06:00

Says it all, really. Thanks to iJenn for showing me the vid.

-iRob

Windows

2008-09-03T23:04:00.003-06:00

My computer is giving me grief, and I'm really starting to hate all of the Windows sounds. However, this cheered me up.

Cheers,
-iRob

iJenn

2008-08-22T14:12:00.002-06:00

Made this at faceyourmanga.com, same as this one. (So cute.)

-iRob

Customer Service

2008-08-22T11:32:00.004-06:00

(ring ring)
Me: "Thank you for calling (my company name). (my name) speaking."
Customer Support Representative: (long pause) "....hello?"
Me: "Hello, (my name) speaking?"
CSR: "Yes, hello. This is John calling from (cell phone company) customer service. I'm calling to do a customer satisfaction survey. Is (former co-worker's name) there?"
Me: "I'm sorry, he hasn't worked here in over a year."
CSR: "Oh, O.K. ...Is there a better time to call back?"
Me: "He hasn't worked here in over a year."
CSR: "Oh, O.K. Thank you for your time."
Me: "Goodbye."
(click)

-iRob

EDIT - I wish, I WISH I had said:

Me: "I'm sorry, he hasn't worked here in over a year."
CSR: "Oh, O.K. ...Is there a better time to call back?"
Me: "Try one year ago."

Damn. That's going to haunt me.

Avatar

2008-08-18T16:28:00.002-06:00

Made this at Faceyourmanga.com. Idea courtesy of Dr. Haggis.

-iRob

The Great Office War

2008-07-14T20:11:00.002-06:00

Found this on Just Whatever.

-iRob

Can I get a napkin please?

2008-07-08T23:06:00.001-06:00

-iRob

Darth Smartass

2008-07-06T00:31:00.000-06:00

iRob

Frodo - Don't wear the ring!

2008-06-27T16:32:00.000-06:00

I know it's very tempting...

-iRob

Nom Nom Nom

2008-06-21T19:30:00.002-06:00

Nom Nom Nom
Originally uploaded by Maximum Occupancy

Nom Nom Nom.

Go track something.

2008-06-09T23:37:00.007-06:00

During my last week at Dell, I had finished all of my main projects and my work had been entirely transitioned to the rest of my team. Unless they had a question I didn't really have anything to do, and they didn't have many questions.

This was not as much fun as you might imagine. People with actual work to do were less than receptive to my wandering up and trying to chat. So I decided that I needed a hidey-hole to quietly wait out my sentence.

We had about 18 bankers boxes of old files that we were sending into deep storage, but they weren't really in any sort of order, and the contents weren't always known. No-one really cared much, but everyone agreed that in a perfect world we would know which files were in which box in case we ever needed them again. (They were terminated employee files. You need to keep them but you never actually need them.)

So I 'volunteered', which I will admit was pretty slick. I managed to turn watching DVD's on my laptop in my own private office into 'working hard getting things in order' before I left. To be fair I actually did make a spreadsheet and sort all of the boxes, and I did a good job. But I also watched about 30 movies in between playing air hockey in the break room.

To read this comic at the end of that week was pretty amusing. (Click to enlarge.)

DILBERT ©Scott Adams/Dist. by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

-iRob

The End

2008-06-04T23:30:00.006-06:00

Well, that went well.

O.K. So we have established that I have no commitment for side-projects. That's O.K, I can live with it.

Well, I didn't finish, but I do like some of the pictures in my set, so I'm going to leave them up. And I'm going to compromise (further) on the rules, and finish anyway. They won't be taken on the right day, unfortunately, but there will be 365 of them. Eventually. No, really, I really mean it this time. But then I don't know if anyone reads this anymore anyway.

Yup.

So today's entry: Mr. Wrinkle.

-iRob

If you're into it. (NSFW)

2008-06-04T19:40:00.001-06:00

iRob

Bristlebots!

2008-05-10T14:44:00.005-06:00

I'm gonna make me some Robots!

It turns out that you can't buy these motors locally so I ordered some online. The most expensive part was the shipping, so I figured I'd buy a lot. I have a dozen coming which is overkill, so if anyone wants one or two let me know.

Hey, if I make some and you make some... if only there were some sort of competition that you could have between different objects to see which are fastest. Some sort of distance-over-time measurement, with a marked 'start' and 'end' points.

(I'm looking at you Dr. H.)

-iRob

Honda Accord Rube Goldberg

2008-05-10T14:08:00.002-06:00

This has me looking around trying to decide what machinery I own that I don't really need...

-iRob

Garfield Minus Garfield.

2008-05-10T14:00:00.004-06:00

Riddle me this.

Either:

A) A somewhat socially-awkward man in his late twenties happens to share an apartment with an anthropomorphic cat who speaks. His life is a series of comic/tragic misadventures.

B) Jonathan Q. Arbuckle is a delusional bi-polar schizophrenic patient. His cat 'Garfield' is nothing more than a manifestation of John's subconscious, given form as a hallucination. In reality, there is no cat.

I know what my vote is.

-iRob

"- and after I tied my shoe, I tied the other one... Then I thought about standing up... Then I stood up."
Jon Arbuckle

Merde! Il pleut!

2008-05-10T13:44:00.003-06:00

In my apartment.

This really bites. We were forced to move out of our wonderful apartment in Lakeview after the fire. We had been there six weeks.

We couldn't be choosy as vacancy in Calgary was at an all time low, so we looked at five places and took the best we could. The view is gorgeous, as we are on the 14th floor. However, this being the top floor, and with the roof problems, well...

It has been leaking intermittently since we moved in last August. That's nearly a year, for anyone who is keeping track. Not only outside our door, but in our bathroom as well.

Blah. We need to move. Again.

-iRob

HarmoniVader

2008-05-07T18:25:00.003-06:00

-iRob

Almost as good as this.

Friggin' telemarketers

2008-05-01T19:15:00.001-06:00

Hello sir or ma'am my name is state your name and I am calling today to see if you are happy with your long distance plan because right now we are offering a two for one deal on all extended warranties with purchase of a new timeshare in beautiful Laughlin Nevada which comes free with a twenty year subscription on many of your least favorite magazines so I will put you down for an order of thirty ok?

-iRob

Super Mario Guitar

2008-04-07T22:43:00.002-06:00

Found on YouTube.

-iRob

April Fools

2008-04-01T23:07:00.006-06:00

Happy April Fools Day!

Traditionally on this day there are spoof news articles or web pages on many mainstream and alternative sites. My favorite this year:

Starwars.com was pretending it was April 1 1979. Time to catch up on all your Empire Strikes Back spoilers and news!

A close second this year is Google's permanent settlement on Mars. (Take the Survey)

Previous fun attempts by Google to befuddle you include Google TiSP and Gmail Paper.

-iRob

update: You know, I would totally buy a shrinter.

Awesome Performance Art

2008-03-23T10:45:00.001-06:00

Frozen people. Very cool.

glumbert - Time Freezes in Grand Central

-iRob

Damn Inescapable Logic

2008-01-03T21:07:00.001-07:00

This wiggs me right out.

-iRob

Gnarly dude.

2007-12-22T11:41:00.002-07:00

From xkcd. Reproduced under the Creative Commons 2.5 license.

-iRob

"Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher."
-Flannery O'Connor

The Injured Stormtrooper

2007-12-09T19:29:00.001-07:00

found on YouTube.

iRob

Uncultured Swine

2007-12-08T12:11:00.001-07:00

WARNING - The below contains spoilers for The Golden Compass. and the Lord of the Rings movies. You have been warned.

I went to see this last night with friends. Being the uncultured swine that I am, I hadn't read, nay, had not heard of this story until I first saw the previews some time ago.

Similarly, several years ago I knew of the existence of 'Lord of the Rings' but I was not familiar with the story, or that the three books were one continuous story arc, etc. So you can imagine the understanding slowly creeping into my brain when I had been in the theater nearly three hours and Sam and Mr. Frodo were getting ready to enter the mountains. And Sam and Mr. Frodo (Sir) discuss all they have left to do and the trials ahead.

I don't want to ruin anything for you but I will tell you at the end of this movie you do experience a "Mr. Frodo Situation" as I have taken to calling it.

Someday I would like to see a movie and wonder if they might make a sequel.

-Rob

P.S. I did like it, but let me make sure I have this straight - Russians and the Catholic Church are bad, Gypsies and the British are good?

Fruit!

2007-12-03T21:02:00.002-07:00

I ate an orange yesterday. It's the first one I've ever eaten. I liked it.

I'm not really a fruit fan. Or a vegetable fan. O.K I don't really like much of anything. But this was good. I had another today.

-iRob

"Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died."
-Steven Wright

A serious conversation.

2007-12-03T20:36:00.002-07:00

-iRob

"Never knock on Death's door: ring the bell and run away! Death really hates that!"
-Matt Frewer

Best Rock Band Names

2007-11-24T22:51:00.001-07:00

I need to get Rock Band for my PS2. More to the point, I need to play this with friends. (I'm looking at you Dr. H.)

Top band names currently in consideration:

Pocket full of mustaches
Caffeine addiction situation
Hopeless Situation Warriors

What am I missing?

-iRob

"Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't."
-Mark Twain

#$%^.

2007-11-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

Crap.

So here I am, browsing Xkcd when I come across this comic. I laughed out loud, and had a sense that it was strangely familiar, but I'd never been to the site before so I dismissed it.

Then I noticed that they use the Creative Commons license, so I started reading up on it. I learned the rules and decided it would be a good idea to post it here.

Then I realized why that sounded like such a good idea. (Sorry, Dr. H.) I have the memory span of a flea, apparently.

So as my self prescribed atonement, allow me to present a Tribute to Slashboing. Here is that blog displayed on every piece of hardware I own that is capable of surfing the net, all at once:

Clockwise from top left: My home computer system (WinXP, Firefox), My Nintendo DS with Opera Browser, My laptop running Ubuntu Linux and Firefox, and my Motorola RAZR V3c Cell Phone (Openwave Mobile Browser).

P.S. It's not my fault Slashboing has ten letters and therefore is not a perfect square.

Peace out, yo.

-iRob

"When a Wizard is tired of looking for broken glass in his dinner, he is tired of life."
-Terry Pratchett

All quiet on the Northern front

2007-11-24T22:31:00.001-07:00

Hey,

Lately I haven't felt as though I had anything worth saying. So I haven't.

Cheers,
-iRob

"Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped."
-Elbert Hubbard

The truth will out.

2007-10-26T22:44:00.000-06:00

from Xkcd.com. Posted under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License

-iRob

Things that sound like things.

2007-09-24T21:08:00.000-06:00

In the house where I used to roommate, sometimes when you turned off the water in the kitchen sink the pipes would make a noise that sounded exactly like J making a dissapointed "Oh." noise.

Here is a youtube video of a cabinet that sounds exactly like Chewbacca.

So what have you heard?

-iRob

"In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra."
-Fran Lebowitz

Memeage - courtesy of Good ol' Rae

2007-09-15T11:33:00.000-06:00

If you comment on this entry...

1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll challenge you to try something.
3. I'll pick a colour that I associate with you.
4. I'll tell you something I like about you.
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory about you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something I've always wanted to ask you.
8. You must post this on yours.

-iRob

"Sex at ninety is like trying to shoot pool with a rope."
-George Burns

iCat v. 2.0

2007-09-12T23:15:00.000-06:00

We have a new kitten! His name is Casey.

I'm not really sure how we made the transition from 'We won't have another cat after Princess" to "Let's buy a kitty!" but it was fairly rapid. Mostly now that we are both working full time we wanted someone to keep Princess happy, but I'm happy without a justification.

He was a Pets For Life rescue cat. An orphan at a very young age he was looking for a good home. Of his litter he was the one that was the most cuddly with the other cats and we sort of fell for him.

Of primary concern was how well Princess would adapt. Initially there was much hissing (on her part), but gradually they became friendlier and two weeks later they are hanging out together and playing. It's really a special sight. (We were very worried about the level of hostility she was showing, but it will be O.K.

He's a pretty unusual guy - He's black on top but if you brush any of his hair in any direction you can see that he's white underneath. Completely white, with only the tips of the hair actually black. When he's wet he looks like an angry sock.

So of all the cats in this world we managed to get two low-fidelity screeching whiners. I've never seen such vocal cats before and now we have two of them. He's not shy about demanding what he wants (food, attention, freedom) and asks at all hours. (That's why he sleeps in another room.) It makes for a large commotion.

We didn't really work out all of the details in advance - (Princess can only eat special food) and it's a challenge to keep them separate. As far as we can figure, Casey has never been alone before - In addition, there has never been anything he can reach that was not his to play with / eat / poop in. 'Boundaries' are proving to be a difficult concept.

So far I think I've figured out a few "Casey" concepts:

Mine?
Mine!
A litter box seats two comfortably.
Stuffed mice are not toys.
Coathangers and electric wire are toys.
Mommy's hair is a fun place to nest.
Mine?!

-iRob

Making Soup

2007-09-11T19:56:00.001-06:00

Said by me, to J, in the kitchen a few minutes ago after some drama:

"Have you considered the advantages of running the blender with the lid on?"

-iRob

Kitty!

2007-09-04T22:03:00.001-06:00

Casey, Day 1
Originally uploaded by Maximum Occupancy

So that kitten we played with ended up becoming family. We've had him for a week now and he's a handful.

I'll write more on this subject later but for now: Kitty!

-iRob

"2 is not equal to 3, not even for large values of 2."
Grabel's Law

Eloquence

2007-08-19T18:57:00.000-06:00

Today J and I were at a shopping plaza doing some errands and we were deciding how to arrange the rest of our day. We had decided that we were getting a bit hungry but wanted to go to the pet store first to play with some new kittens that they had in. We figured out what order to do it in and then it was settled.

So how do I phrase it?: "Alright then, let's go to the pet store and get something to eat."

Smooth.

-iRob

Yay! Friday!

2007-08-17T21:47:00.001-06:00

...that is all. :-)

What is it, General?

2007-08-14T19:04:00.000-06:00

I can't even get my head down for some much needed rest without Veers pestering me about the comscan report. It's bad enough he woke me, now I have to hear that Admiral Ozzel came out of light-speed too close to the system?

Typical.

-iRob

"What is thy bidding, my master?"
-Darth Vader

Rules

2007-08-13T22:19:00.001-06:00

Said to me today, in seriousness:

"Don't put that cheese in your pants."

Sigh.

-iRob

"I have the heart of a child. I keep it in a jar on my shelf."
-Robert Bloch

Robo-Boogie

2007-08-09T22:01:00.001-06:00

"Can't we talk to the humans? A little understanding could make things better. Can't we talk to the humans and work together now?"

"No. Because they are dead."

-iRob

"Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat."
-John Lehman

The Roof! The Roof! The Roof is on fire!

2007-08-03T07:30:00.000-06:00

Literally.

Well $#!%. For anyone who hasn't heard yet, J and I have been displaced. Our apartment building caught fire on Friday around 1:00pm. Although the building was not completely destroyed, it has been declared uninhabitable. (Dang.)

I got a call from J who was home at the time. It was parade day so she was home - a fact which probably saved our cat. She was next door at her mother's place when the excitement started. By the time she knew what was going on the fire department was there and were denying people entrance to the building - with our cat inside.

I was working when she called, and I dropped everything and left. One thing about this is that J stays extremely calm in emergencies. Deadly calm, actually, so when she said that the building was on fire it was in a very even tone, and I didn't know exactly what to make of it. I wasn't super concerned until I saw the smoke.

The smoke was visible from Crowchild and 17th Avenue - Several miles up the road from the building. That's when my heart sunk. It was only more dramatic and frightening the closer I got. It was like a giant arrow pointing down at our building, probably dozens of meters high.

Once I found J she told me that the cat was trapped inside. We were very worried because although the fire seemed to be on the far side of the building it was on our floor and spreading quickly. I didn't know what to do, so I found a firefighter and explained the situation. After I explained where the unit was, (farthest corner from the fire) and showed him a stairwell far from the fire he agreed to go get the cat. When I started listing her possible hiding places he decided it was fastest to escort me to the fourth floor to get her myself. So we headed upstairs.

It was very noisy and warm, but I couldn't see any fire from where we were. (It would have been around the corner, down the hall.) The hallway was dark but there was still power to our apartment. Oddly, the smoke detector was not sounding - despite having been set off by shower steam several times previously. People were yelling but it didn't seem to be the panicky yelling of a trapped person but rather the controlled yelling of people doing serious work. The smoke was thin enough that it was still possible to see everything normally, but it stung a little to breathe. The cat was under the bed, but didn't seem at all concerned. With the normal amount of effort I was able to cram her in her carrier and we were on our way.

Or so I thought. Before leaving, the Firefighter asked me what had until then always been a rhetorical question: "We are not coming back. This place may well burn. If you want to take anything with you, you have to choose right now.". I ran from room to room but for the life of me nothing occurred to me. J was outside and I was carrying the cat, all I wanted was out. So I said so and we left.

(With 20/20 hindsight, I suppose my medication and J's bridesmaid dress would probably have been acceptable choices. Whoops.)

Once we were clear of the area I stopped and snapped some pictures with my phone. (See my flickr page here for more.) We had to move several times because the wind kept changing directions, and the smoke and mist from the hoses washed over us. Eventually we left the scene when it became apparent that we were more underfoot than helpful. By that time I was pretty tired of waiting to see if our place would burn anyway.

We ended up at sith@heart and A's place, with the clothes on our backs and an angry box of cat. The three of us smelled somewhat of beef jerky, but we were welcomed warmly. We were invited to stay, loaned fresh clothes and told if we needed anything to simply ask. I am extremely, extremely grateful to S@H and A and all others who have offered help in this difficult time. We feel very honored to have such wonderful friends. (Thank you.)

We've also contacted our insurance company to notify them and start making arrangements. They've been extremely helpful and I highly recommend State farm to anyone in the market for more insurance. Ours covers emergency expenses such as clothes, food, emergency accommodations, etc. Also having all of our possessions cleaned, and anything that was lost or damaged replaced. Once the building was declared safe to enter, an appointment was made for a restoration company to come pack up and collect our belongings. The electronics were disassembled and aired, the dishes washed, and the fabric dry cleaned. We feel very well taken care of, even if it is a bit disconcerting to see seven strangers pack up and move in 4 hours what it took us nearly a month to accomplish.

Rumor has it that around nine people in the building didn't have insurance. The Red Cross is setting up a relief fund for those cases. Considering the price of not having it, it's a bargain. Social services has set up a kiosk in the sister building for people having trouble or needing counseling.

In a market that has less than 0.5 percent vacancy, I'm actually amazed that we were able to get as many apartment viewings as we were. (5 in 2 days, mostly thanks to J's mom.) 3 were terrible, 1 not too bad, and 1 was really good. (We took that one.) It needed some love, (a smoker once lived there) but with a little work it turned out great. We took possession the following Saturday, and for a while we lived on an air mattress and two folding chairs. (Very zen.) It's in a high rise overlooking West Hills, around a mile from the place that burned. The rest of our items were delivered later the next week, and we've been slowly unpacking ever since.

The official story is that there was some peat moss that started to smoulder, and ignited a propane tank, lighting the fire. I call it the 'Exploding Dirt Conspiracy Theory'. Sigh.

I've kept up to date with my 365 days project, but that has meant a lot of camera phone pictures without access to my computer or my camera. The lines of communication were always intact, as we only had cell phones and email anyway. Shaw has been out to install our Internet access. Use my Gmail account please, as I don't plan on keeping the others forever.

Stay tuned for updates.

-iRob

P.S. This marks 100 posts. Woo!

"First things first, but not necessarily in that order."
-Dr. Who

Day 003

2007-06-29T20:27:00.000-06:00

Ok - I couldn't resist. Behold my +5 Stapler of Attaching. BEHOLD IT!!!!!

-iRob

Begin Countdown Now.

2007-06-29T12:00:00.000-06:00

365.. 364.. 363..

Inspired as I often am by my good friend Dr.Haggis' Blog SlashBoing, I have decided to half-ass a totally new project.

The 365 Days project is a Flickr group with the general goal of taking a 'self portrait' of oneself daily for a year.

The rules are broadly interpreted and mostly self-enforced. The idea is that you have to be in the photo. Whether it's your shadow, reflection, a photoshop trick, whatever, is largely debated. Also whether you have to take the shot yourself or can just compose it. (Or 'shots' - plural. The one above took 4 different shots, the 3rd taken by holding the camera under my chin.) I haven't decided if I'm going to follow any rules beyond - "Yup, that's a self portrait of me all right. Toss it up.". I'll think about it.

If you want to visit me at Flickr, go here. If you want to subscribe to my RSS Feed, the link is here. If you couldn't care less, go here.

Notable pics may get their own blog entry, the everyday "I'm a lazy sod" pics will not. But they should be online with regularity.

Well, that's it for me. What did you do today?

-iRob

[Edit] - Sorry for the multiple publish counts, I just can't let stupid spelling mistakes lie. - R

"My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes."
-Ronald Regan

Dodged a bullet

2007-06-27T23:00:00.000-06:00

My chair tried to kill me today.

Just as I was sitting down only a few moments ago there was a sound like a gunshot and shards of black plastic sprayed across the room. A very bullet-like object whizzed into the corner and smacked against the wall. I ended up on the floor, resting on my shapely posterior - by way of my skull.

Turns out there appears to have been a problem with the knob on the bottom that houses a spring. One problem it currently is experiencing is a lack of attachment to the chair. I believe this knob used to be used to adjust the resistance encountered when leaning back into a reclined position. I never actually used it myself but I have made this assumption based on the new 'feature' the chair has acquired - A trap door.

To all appearances the chair is normal, and rests in an upright position. When a person, (Let's call him 'Unsuspecting Rester') sits down, all semblance of verticality ceases and the person does a back flip. Quite a good one for an amateur, actually. (I got a 7.4!)

Let's see - hm. O.K. It would appear that I'm still able to adjust the tension of the back by twisting the nut that remains, (giggle) however the nut and bolt themselves are greasy (see previous) - I don't want it to drip onto my new carpet. For now I'll put some paper towel down there.

For your viewing pleasure, here's all that I could find of the knob portion. The biggest chunk was still under my chair, and the slightly smaller one was in the corner behind my printer. (Let's call it the 'second gunman'.) I'm currently constructing my theory about the smaller 'accomplices' that were strewn roughly evenly across the entire room.

I don't want to throw away a $160 chair for one minor issue, especially since it's largely cosmetic. (Even if the chair is a murderous bastard.) There is a very small chance of my fingers getting caught in the exposed spring but I'm more worried about the grease getting on the carpet. I don't know where I can find a similar knob and the knob itself looks to have acted like a sort of wrench for the nut. I don't really need to adjust it but I would like it covered. Any thoughts?

You win this round Chair...

-iRob

"A gentleman is a man who can play the accordion but doesn't."
-Unknown

Smoke Signals

2007-06-13T21:37:00.000-06:00

I have a new email account.

It's with Gmail, which is totally 1337. It is among the coolest web apps I've ever encountered, if not the coolest. It takes some getting used to as it totally changes the way you think about email, but once you get used to the idea of tagging and archiving instead of sorting and deleting, it's wickedawesome. To the max.

I can check it on my cell phone anywhere I have a signal. (This may be connected to the fact that my cell phone battery dies daily now.) I can download it to my computer, POP3 style. And for most ISPs, (not mine) you can have it check your home email account too.

All my current addresses forward to that, but it's better if you send it directly to the new addy @gmail.com. I've started giving it out, but I know I haven't reached everyone yet. If you should have it and don't, ask me for it. If you have it but shouldn't, well - give it back.

Cheers,
-iRob

Groovy Bith

2007-06-13T21:04:00.000-06:00

Was in a Subway today grabbing dinner for iJenn. The music that was playing was the cantina music from A New Hope.

Seriously cool.

R

Resurfacing.

2007-06-11T21:51:00.000-06:00

As the universal greeting of my last post implies, I'm back.

I've been without Internet access of any reliable nature for the past few month. I'd rather have been without water, or possibly air, but there you have it.

I started my new job on March 26, and moved into our new apartment last weekend. Between then I was living on the kindness of strangers. Special thanks to Dr.Haggis + Veritate, sith@heart + A, Dr.Smith + LaughingMagpie, and C. Your generosity was appreciated.

I'm going to be working through some extremely dated news for a while, as my communication lines were only restored yesterday. Life is better than it has been. Some more recent news: We're all moved in, if not yet settled. A huge thanks to all who helped, on both ends of the trip. I will miss Edmonton but it's good to be home.

That's it for now, stay tuned!

-iRob

“Absence from those we love is self from self - a deadly banishment.”
-William Shakespeare

Bah weep granah weep ninni bong!

2007-06-11T21:50:00.000-06:00

In Bloom

2007-05-10T21:27:00.000-06:00

Hey,

I'm in bloom. I paid my money and now have limitless WiFi at Starbucks. I'll have to drink a lot of espresso, but hey - I'm willing to make sacrifices.

Lilacs are in bloom too. I noticed them on 4th street outside the coffee shop. That means the festival is coming soon.

I probably won't be here but I encourage you to go. There's a lot to see, and when else can you wander down the middle of the street?

Cheers,

-iRob

No Signal

2007-05-07T20:35:00.000-06:00

Today is the first day I woke up in the condo which will be my home for the next month. It is provided by a generous friend who bought it recently but will be travelling and unable to use it until mid June.

It benefits us both as he is more comfortable knowing that there is someone looking after the place, and I have a private place to myself for the next few weeks.

I'm grateful for his generosity but there is one thing I would change - The condo has no internet access of any kind. I think as someone who is naturally at home with technology I would rather be without water. Or air.

That means I'll be hard to get a hold of for the next while. Calling me is best, although I can read my email on my cell phone. (It's somewhat more tricky to write back.)

So posts will be infrequent for the time being, but I'll log in when I can.

Peace out, yo.
-iRob

Brought to you by the good people at Starbucks.

May the fourth be with you

2007-05-06T10:42:00.001-06:00

Happy (belated) Star Wars Day!

Brought to you by: C3PO's. A delicious part of this nutritious breakfast.

C3PO's - A New Force at Breakfast.

-iRob

"I have a rock garden. Last week three of them died."
-Richard Diran

4.7 Kilopwns

2007-05-02T22:52:00.000-06:00

Apparently, I've got game.

I have completed 4 runs for a total of 10.84 km. My average pace is 6'57" per km. My last run was 4.7 km.

This info is courtesy my shoes. You see, they talk to my iPod. Then it talks to the interweb which tracks when I run and how often, far, and fast.

(No - really. I'm serious.)

I have decided to get into running. This is a venture I previously entered into when J was in field school in the Caribbean. I found myself bored in a beautiful summer with nothing to do and lonely. So I bought a $10 pair of runners and went to it. After a while I developed a condition called Shin Splints. Of course, as I was young and ignorant I did not know that there was such a condition or that I had it. I simply believed that it was a muscle protesting because it hadn't been used in a while. (Obviously the solution was to run harder and faster.) Fun times. I had trouble walking for well over a month after that little adventure. Don't do as Donny Dont does.

But I digress.

A large part of the problem was my shoes. Now that I know this, on the recommendation of several friends I have paid a visit to the Running Room to get analysed. This apparently consists of taking off my shoes and walking around while they watch closely. Then they tell me what category of shoe I need. (Motion Control, Cushioning, Stability, etc.)

Apparently I do two bad things, I pronate (turning my feet outwards giving my footprints humorous appearance) and I roll them in as I walk. Apparently the two problems cancel each other out, so there's not much they can do to correct me. (They gave me a 'Cushioning' shoe. Comfy.)

So I brought the shoes to the counter to pay, and that's when the fun started. "OK.. don't pay for those yet." Said the clerk. "Pardon?" says I. "Here, take this." she says, handing me a coupon for 75c off 'Vector' brand meal replacement cereal. "Go down the street to the Safeway and buy a small box of this.". "Pardon?" I repeats. Apparently that cereal currently features a coupon on the box for 20% off all purchases at the running room. (!) So I did as I was told, and got cheap cereal and cheaper shoes.

The box also carries a coupon for a free $40 high-tech running shirt. There is also no limit to the number of shirts they will hand out, one per cupon. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that when the cereal went on sale for half-price the following weekend I went a bit critical... Reports are still coming in but we suspect I now own 5 identical running shirts. (Damn my frugal nature.) I'm now living entirely on breakfast cereal but it's worth it.

So as I'm finally about to buy the shoes and walk out with my free shirt, the clerk mentions (almost as an afterthought) "Oh, you don't happen to own an iPod Nano, do you?". "...yes..." says I....

Here's the deal: The shoes have a special pocket for a little electronic pod, about the size of a quarter but 1/4 inches thick. The pod never needs charging, and continuously communicates wirelessly to a small receiver that attaches to your ipod. This part is also around the size of a quarter. The iPod itself needs no update, as the software that is pre-installed on it natively supports this hardware, it is Plug and Play in the purest sense. It is extremely versatile and provides you with constant updates on your speed, caloric burn rate, distance travelled, proximity to your preset goals, etc. When you next sync the iPod it transmits this data to the Nike+ ("Nike-Plus") server and you are able to view your progress history and goals online. There is even a widget for it you can have on your desktop.

Oh - and it FREAKIN' TALKS.

Apparently it was 38 dollars. I know this because that's when they told me to stop throwing money on the counter as fast as I could. (from the "I'll start putting down money, you tell me when it's enough." dept.) I'm glad it wasn't expensive because I don't think leaving without it was optional.

I've gone out twice with the Running Room free group run and twice on my own. I've met some really nice people and am having a lot of fun. (Leave info in the Comments for this post if you want to join me, it's Wed at 6:30 and I do the 'Beginner 5K run'.) I know that I have run 8.6K of my goal to run 30K over 4 weeks. I'm currently 0.1K ahead of schedule, I've run 4 times in 2 weeks, and that I am the biggest geek ever. I really like running and my shoes are a toy. I couldn't be happier if they were made of candy.

(Well, maybe. Mmm.. candy.)

-iRob

"When your computer knows where your shoes have been, the stage is set for the revolution my friends."
-Old Cuban Proverb

Steam punkery

2007-04-23T18:55:00.000-06:00

This is pretty cool.

For a full understanding of Steampunk, see Wiki. The short version for your perusal: A sub genre of fantasy and science fiction, the defining feature of which is modern to futuristic devices and apparatus created using steam-era technology. (Usually in a Victorian-retro-style culture.) This includes but is not limited to robots, weapons, jet packs, space ships, etc.)

The photo featured at stage left is an IBM Model "M" Keyboard. (A model noted for it's durability and enjoyable tactile stimulation.) It has been thoroughly disassembled and reworked, and has begun it's existence anew, as Steampunk.

I'll admit I thought this was freaking sweet, until I saw the Steampunk Clockwork Stratocaster.

Now to party like it's 1899.

(for Dr.Haggis)

-iRob

"The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth."
-Niels Bohr

My hump, my hump my lovely little lumps. (Check it out)

2007-04-20T16:15:00.000-06:00

Update.

My Condition is not what I thought it was.

Apparently what I (and assorted other healthcare professionals) misdiagnosed as a cyst, is actually a bone in the wrong place. Specifically, a Scaphoid bone. (I think)

The plastic surgeon that I (finally) got to see after several months of waiting took all of 30 seconds to tell that it was not in fact the inflammation that I thought it was, but rather a bone that was simply more protrusive than was comfortable. He didn't specify what bone, so I'm guessing based on the Wiki pictures I've found. He said that a possible (but drastic) solution would be to open me up and 'grind down' the bone, although that can cause more trouble than it fixes. (shudder!) The alternative is that he can give me an anti-inflammatory injection, which will help with the pain.

He did, and it has. I'm going on several months now, pain free. My mobility is still not great, but I'm guessing that's just something I get to live with. What wasn't covered in the 5 minutes he spent in my presence (more time of which was spent talking to his students than me) was what I do when this wears off. I assume I would go see my family doctor, as I don't know that I'd need to go see him again for that. Also didn't mention the name of the medicine he injected me with. Or possibly he did and I didn't catch it, as it would have been a largely meaningless collection of random phonemes.)

It's amazing what we will allow, when the person who wants to inject you has 'Dr.' in front of their name.

-iRob

"Though I am not naturally honest, I am so sometimes by chance."
-William Shakespeare

This statement is false.

2007-04-20T13:58:00.000-06:00

(Think about it.)

-iRob

"When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers."
-Oscar Wilde

Open letter to Blockbuster Video

2007-04-19T20:10:00.000-06:00

Dear Blockbuster Video,

I recently rented a DVD, which I was very much looking forward to watching. I brought it home, had dinner, got into my pyjamas, fixed a snack and a drink and settled down to watch.

The movie was fine until the video quality went downhill. I tried to ignore it, until it became unplayable. It would not fast forward past the problem area, and it would not play on either my DVD player or computer.

So late at night, in the dark, and in the snow, I got dressed again and drove the 3 kilometers to your store, where the customer service rep. was kind enough to exchange the video. Then I drove home again, got back into my pyjamas and housecoat, and attempted to resume the movie where I had left off.

Then the second disc froze. At the exact same place. After examining the disc, I found that yes, it appears to have a very similar scratch around 1/4 inches from the edge. After much frustration I was able to pass that section of the disc, and continue with the film.

As a reasonable and intelligent human being, I understand you have little to no control over issues such as these. I understand that once the DVD leaves your store, you cannot affect how it is treated. I know that you rent hundreds of thousands or millions of movies from a store yearly, and there is no feasible way to verify that they are undamaged when they are returned to you.

As an average consumer, I don't care. What I care about is that I need to interrupt my evening to return a defective product to your store. It was not only a defective product, it was a defective experience. I went from completely absorbed by the story I was watching to complete abject frustration, in around 20 seconds. And over the past year, 2/3rds of the movies I have rented from you had issues.

I am a young male who is technology focused. I enjoy movies and electronic entertainment. I am one of your key target demographics. I am not willing to put up with this level of frustration from a company. I have alternatives. I am not alone.

-iRob

Self Destruct

2007-04-18T19:54:00.000-06:00

If you ever find yourself experiencing thyroid trouble, and they put you on lifelong medication for it, I don't recommend ever missing a day.

I've been clinically dead for around twelve hours now, with no end in sight. I realized I had missed one too close to the next day's to catch up. I hope this goes away now that I've taken today's.

Blah. Must sleep now.

-iRob

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
-Albert Einstein

I've got class!

2007-04-17T19:13:00.000-06:00

License-wise, anyway.

Something came up yesterday that made one thing obvious - My life at work will be a lot easier if I'm able to drive our shuttle bus in an emergency or for maintenance.

Apparently that requires a Class 4 license.

So, I went yesterday on my lunch hour and got the right books from a local registry. I read them once and returned there, wrote the test and aced it. (Woot.) I booked a road test for today, and then went to a walk-in clinic for a medical, which is required.

I passed everything just fine, although I did flunk parallel parking. I'm a little embarrassed about that, so, you know, keep it to yourself.

Oh - and if you ever need someone to drive your commercial vehicle for hire, taxi, bus, or ambulance, I'm all over it.

-iRob

"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others."
-Groucho Marx

Spork of Destiny

2007-04-16T21:31:00.000-06:00

Squee!

I finally got one! Behold my glorious "+3 Spork of pwning"!

For those uninitiated in such things, it is the unholy love child of a Spoon and Fork. (Spoon + Fork = Spork. Not to be confused with Knork.) This particular model is made out of titanium, the world's coolest metal. It's the ultimate utensil for the Geek on the Go.

It was a gift from my lovely J, whom I both adore and miss very much.

Oh, and if you don't get why it's cool, you probably never will.

Peace out, yo.

-iRob

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
-Napoleon Bonaparte

Mare hey add hey lid tell lam.

2007-04-14T12:23:00.000-06:00

...Ids fleas were wide ass know.

If you can read this, you probably may note that each word is a properly spelled word in English, but is being used without it's meaning, rather purely phonetically. It's actually rather neat.

That line was from a FoxTrot comic where Jason was trying to outsmart his Apple spelling checker. According to the comic, he succeeded.

I was reminded of it when the 'Random' button on Wikipedia brought me to this article: Ladle Rat Rotten Hut. It was written in 1940 by a french professor at that time, Howard Chase.

I'm particularly fond of the line:

"Wail, wail, wail!" set disk wicket woof, "Evanescent Ladle Rat Rotten Hut! Wares are putty ladle gull goring wizard ladle basking?"

for

"Well, well, well!" said this wicked wolf. "If it isn't Little Red Riding Hood! Where's our pretty girl going with her little basket?"

I wonder if he is credited as the creative inspiration for 'Mad Gabs'?

-iRob

"Will yum air ream he?"
-Card from Mad Gabs

Tie died.

2007-04-13T21:20:00.000-06:00

My tie died. I scratched it on a rough counter and pulled some threads out. And the pattern went with them, now it's unwearable. That was three weeks ago.

I liked that tie so much that I went back to the store in Edmonton to replace it last time I was there. This week the same thing has started happening to it, and I haven't scratched it on anything.

Two weeks ago I learned not to wear my new boots to my new job, as I managed to scuff the hell out of them just walking around the job site. They won't look 'new' again, no matter how much I polish them.

Three days ago my brand new (replacement) iPod developed 2 deep scratches right on the face, apparently on the soft fluffy lining of the coat pocket reserved solely for the safety of the aforementioned iPod.

On Wednesday I switched my Cell phone to a Calgary number. I couldn't get any of my choices for a custom number, and ever since then my wireless Internet doesn't work. Telus tech support doesn't know what's wrong or when it will be fixed, even after 90 minutes on the phone with me.

Today I caught my favorite dress shirt (the blue one with the french cuffs) on a rough piece of metal in a door frame, and tore a small hole in it. I can fix it, but it will always have a mark.

I have a miserable cold, and my sinuses are pounding. I've worked 24 hours out of the past 48, and I miss J with all my heart. My cheerful demeanour is faltering.

I need a hug.

-iRob.

"More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly."
-Woody Allen

Settling in

2007-04-08T21:49:00.000-06:00

Hey,

So I've been keeping more or less busy at my new job. The work is interesting and I'm learning a lot, but I don't have a permanent home just yet. I'm still being sent where they need me, which is fine.

I've invested some time and money in the Star Wars Starship Battles Miniature game, and it's really fun. It has a short learning curve and a huge range of possibilities for variation. I have enough pieces for two player games, so if anyone is interested in learning or playing, give me a ring.

Cheers,
iRob

"What if this weren't a hypothetical question?"
-Anonymous

Down Time

2007-04-04T21:22:00.000-06:00

Hey,

I've been kickin' it with Dr.Haggis and Veritate, and working a lot. Have been learning a lot about facility management, and having some fun.

Today was the first day I was on my own. I'm covering for another person on leave, and the person who was originally covering and training me is now on vacation, so it's just me. It was a good day, as I more-or-less know what I'm supposed to be doing, but there are a few things I'm not sure of yet. That's O.K. as there are other managers at other sites I can call and they are always pretty helpful.

Been pretty tired lately and will try to start posting again soon.

iRob

"A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled."
-Sir Barnett Cocks

iWork

2007-03-26T18:18:00.000-06:00

Hey.

So I had my first day today, which went well. The job isn't exactly what I expected, but that's not totally bad. It's less people and more hands-on work, but that's fine at my stage in things.

It's pretty hectic, but considering what I'm used to that's not even a small concern. My office will be near my responsibilities, meaning my office is underground in the parkade, but that will be O.K. After all, between the fluorescent lights and the lack of windows, my old cube may as well have been underground anyway. The dust will take getting used to, but I will get an air filter or something.

More important is that it looks like the work will be interesting, and I like the people I'm going to be working with. I got to meet my boss today (previously had only spoken over the phone) and he seems to be a really good guy. I met my area manager in my interview, and today was paired up with one of my peers, the parking manager for a different building. All of these people are easy to talk to, accepting, and patient. I'm looking forward to my time with them.

All in all I'm still getting used to everything and it will be a learning curve, but it's going to work out fine. By the time I have an apartment down here I will be an old hat at this.

That's it for now, I'm exhausted and need a nap.

-iRob

Hope

2007-03-26T07:16:00.000-06:00

So at this particular moment, in addition to being between jobs, I'm also of 'no fixed address'. Woke up early at Dr. Haggis & Veritate's, and have 2 hours 43 min before I'm due to start a job that I have no experience in.

I'm pretty nervous - If for *any* reason this job doesn't work out I'm hooped, but I guess I just have to make sure it works out. I'm usually fairly good at most things I try to do, and I'm going to give this one all I've got.

Wish me luck.

-iRob

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
-Albert Einstein

Unemployed

2007-03-24T10:56:00.000-06:00

Hi team,

So for anyone left unaware, I'm currently between jobs. Not in a worrisome way, as I have a new job in Calgary that I start on Monday, but since my last day at Dell was yesterday, it's a bit unnerving.

There is something surreal about leaving a job you've been at for a couple years. People crawl out of the woodwork to tell you how much you will be missed and how enjoyable you were to work with. I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm not going to see most of those people again. Oh - I'll try to keep in touch, but everyone always does. I will be very busy with my new job/apartment/life fairly soon, and it will be weirder and harder to email my old work friends. I know that and so do they. The people I see outside of work are different, and that will be much easier.

So since our apartment is ready in June and my new job starts tomorrow, I'm relying on the charity of many good friends, Dr.Haggis and Veritate, sith@heart and A., Petranef, Laughing Magpie and Dr. Smith, Kr and Sa, Chris, and J's mom, and many others who have all given me extremely generous offers for places to be while I wait and work. Without all of your support this would be a great deal more difficult and expensive.

It will be hard enough with living out of a suitcase and being away from J for these 8.5 weeks. The longest we've been apart was the 3 months when she first came to Edmonton. The idea was that I would stay in Calgary and work, but I (very fortunately) was laid off and came to be with her in Edmonton. She will join me in June when her job starts in Calgary and the apartment is ready.

So I guess I should consider myself fortunate at this point to be between jobs. After all, the new job is very exciting and a great deal more challenging. Besides, after tomorrow I will be of 'no fixed address' (Gah!)

-iRob

"When men are pure, laws are useless; when men are corrupt, laws are broken."
Benjamin Disraeli

And the winner is:

2007-03-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

Dr. Haggis!

The answer to yesterday's post is....

Zest (r) Tangerine Mango Twist (tm) scent Moisturizing Body Wash, with Energizing Refreshment.

-iRob

"Lather up a clean, fresh feeling."
-Zest moisturizing body wash

Worlds scariest ingredients

2007-03-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hey,

Let's play a game. What is this?:

Ingredients: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Fragrance, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Polyquaternium-10, Disodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Orange #4.

I don't really know what's scarier: The eleven sylable monstrosity 'Methylchloroisothiazolinone' or the simple-yet-ominous 'Orange #4'.

-iRob

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
-Abraham Lincoln