Last week was full of drama at work. Drama like I haven't seen since grade 4 or 5. Some of it goes back a couple weeks so I'll start there. Apparently morale is improved by having monthly themes. This month is a Hawiian theme. Regardless of the theme our cubicles end up looking like a dollar store threw up on them. Just lots of tacky shit everywhere. So the drama starts because Jay and I tend to make fun of all the tacky crap. Jay is way more hardcore than I am in that he will not participate at all and will remove stuff from around his desk. I on the other hand will simply not make any effort. I'll chip in a bit of cash for the dollar store crap and let the others decorate my area, though only to a degree. There is only so much tacky I can handle.
Moving on from there. One of the girls decided to collect some money to buy one of the other team members a birthday present. I chipped in (remember this part, it's important later). Jay was totally unaware of this collection. In the past, when people's birthdays came up someone would buy them a card and the whole team would sign it. Well the girl who took up the collection, the one that Jay didn't know about, sent out an email to the team. The email statedthat there was a card and anyone who chipped in could come sign. Jay, thinking it rediculous that she would be collecting for a card had words with her and made her cry.
I was off that day, the next day within minutes of me getting to work I was approached to sign the card as I had chipped in. I told you that part was important. Well maybe it was just noteworthy as opposed to being important. Anyway after having heard about all the drama from the day before I had decided that I would no longer participate in anything work related that was not actually work. So when the card was handed to me I simpley shook my head declining it. "But you paid" I was told. Again I politely declined saying it was okay. I sat back down at my desk to continue logging on to my computer and I hear sobbing from the other side of the cubicles. Yup, apparently I made her cry too.
That certainly validated my decision to stop participating.
Jay got a talking to by our supervisor. I was expecting one but it didn't come as both supervisors dissapeared mid day. Rumours abound as to why but it seems like they may have been suspended for unrelated infractions. We'll likely find out more this week.
More drama that a gay bar. Oh, if you want to know about me making boys cry... If you ask me nice maybe that will be one of my next blogs.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Furries know how to party
It has been a busy couple of weeks. Definitely good busy. Working backwards I'll start with Pittsburgh.
Last year we tagged along when our favourite furrie went to Anthrocon in Pittsburgh. Anthrocon is a furrie convention. If you don't know what a furrie is I will let you do your own research on that. So anyway, we tagged along last year and got a one day pass for the con and spent the rest of the time checking out Pittsburgh. I really did not expect much from Pittsburgh but I was surprised. I refer to it as a little Chicago, and I LOVED Chicago. So we decided this year that we would go back mostly to get some of the pictures we lost when one of our SD cards went missing. We also decided that we would go for a full weekend pass since the price was only a bit more than the one day pass. It was a great move. We did get out and get some more pictures, museums and some shopping, but the bulk of the weekend was spent with the furries.
The highlights were the dances which put any dance here to shame. Awesome music, awesome light shows and so much fun. I danced my ass off, sadly mostly by myself. I missed my little straight boy who I was grinding with last year but I still had a blast.
We also got to watch the most incredible fireworks show from the roof of the convention center. Sadly next year's con is not on the 4th of July weekend again. That would have been a big draw for me.
Last big thing of the weekend was Saturday night's dinner. We happened across a place called The Sonoma Grille. I had an asparagus salad to start and a stuffed pork tenderloin. I can't even describe how good the entree was. Definitely worth going back for. For desert I was deciding if I would go with the Creme Brule that I knew they would have or if I would go for something chocolate for which I was having a craving. Eric, our waiter brought over the desert menus and started giving us some suggestions. The first thing he mentioned was their chocolate creme brule. I stopped him there and went for it. It was perfect.
As for the con itself, it very much reminds me of the Star Trek conventions I attended years ago. For a people watcher like me it is a very interesting environment to spend a weekend in. Freaks, geeks, weirdos and the odd normal person.
Next post I will go further back into the past and write about the previous weekend which was Toronto Pride weekend.
Last year we tagged along when our favourite furrie went to Anthrocon in Pittsburgh. Anthrocon is a furrie convention. If you don't know what a furrie is I will let you do your own research on that. So anyway, we tagged along last year and got a one day pass for the con and spent the rest of the time checking out Pittsburgh. I really did not expect much from Pittsburgh but I was surprised. I refer to it as a little Chicago, and I LOVED Chicago. So we decided this year that we would go back mostly to get some of the pictures we lost when one of our SD cards went missing. We also decided that we would go for a full weekend pass since the price was only a bit more than the one day pass. It was a great move. We did get out and get some more pictures, museums and some shopping, but the bulk of the weekend was spent with the furries.
The highlights were the dances which put any dance here to shame. Awesome music, awesome light shows and so much fun. I danced my ass off, sadly mostly by myself. I missed my little straight boy who I was grinding with last year but I still had a blast.
We also got to watch the most incredible fireworks show from the roof of the convention center. Sadly next year's con is not on the 4th of July weekend again. That would have been a big draw for me.
Last big thing of the weekend was Saturday night's dinner. We happened across a place called The Sonoma Grille. I had an asparagus salad to start and a stuffed pork tenderloin. I can't even describe how good the entree was. Definitely worth going back for. For desert I was deciding if I would go with the Creme Brule that I knew they would have or if I would go for something chocolate for which I was having a craving. Eric, our waiter brought over the desert menus and started giving us some suggestions. The first thing he mentioned was their chocolate creme brule. I stopped him there and went for it. It was perfect.
As for the con itself, it very much reminds me of the Star Trek conventions I attended years ago. For a people watcher like me it is a very interesting environment to spend a weekend in. Freaks, geeks, weirdos and the odd normal person.
Next post I will go further back into the past and write about the previous weekend which was Toronto Pride weekend.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Celebrity sighting
I saw Bif Naked at Starbucks Saturday morning. Meghan had to tell me who she was though.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
New look
I decided to try something new, just for fun. My Mom hates it, no surprise there. Most people enjoy it. It is growing on Dan. One person was jealous. I like it but it will not become a permanent fixture. Just some fun for now.
Friday, June 5, 2009
What are they afraid of?
I am reading a book called Risk by Dan Gardner. The subtitle is Why We Fear the Things We Shouldn't - and Put Ourselves in Greater Danger
I am currently reading the chapter on terrorism and how Bush promoted the fear after 9/11 for political gains. No surprise there, we all know it. What I did find interesting is the odds. Even calculating in the loss of over 3000 people in one day on 9/11 Americans have considerably more chance of being struck by lightning than being killed by terrorist attacks. Why are they so afraid? They are afraid because their government and their media tells them to be.
Like good little lemmings they are happy to follow.
I am currently reading the chapter on terrorism and how Bush promoted the fear after 9/11 for political gains. No surprise there, we all know it. What I did find interesting is the odds. Even calculating in the loss of over 3000 people in one day on 9/11 Americans have considerably more chance of being struck by lightning than being killed by terrorist attacks. Why are they so afraid? They are afraid because their government and their media tells them to be.
Like good little lemmings they are happy to follow.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Ahhhh Starbucks...
I probably get more criticism about my fondness (read: obsession) with Starbucks more than anything else. Believe me there is lots of other things about me more prone to criticism. There are two primary issues I get hit on.
First issue is the price. The simple argument is "You get what you pay for" which covers 2 things. First, when I pay $3.83 for my Vanilla Latte I am getting a beverage that is made with real espresso and real milk. Tim Horton's will charge you half the price for one of their French Vanilla Cappuccinos but you are getting a powder reconstituted in water. The actual products simply cannot be compared if you ask me. Second thing I personally am paying for when I get my Latte is the atmosphere at my Starbucks. My Lattes are often accompanied by up to 2 hours of sitting in their front window tables watching people, reading, surfing the internet, and as right now, blogging. With a registered Starbucks card (which is simply a reloadable gift card and therefore free) I get 2 hours of free wireless internet per day. I don't seem to ever read at home so the pile of books would never go down if I didn't come here. And for people watching, well Starbucks is a magnet for good looking people. Read this blog for an example.
The second thing I get grief on is the name of the drinks. People think Starbucks is too complicated. Well I of limited mental capacity managed to figure it out so it can't be that complicated. Admittedly I received some instruction from some Starbucks promotional materiel but that really only solidified the meaning and order of the words I was saying. Some of the "complication" comes from the fact that Starbucks bases their naming using Italian words. Italians are rather rabid about their love of coffee so I see why they went that route. If you go to a French restaurant you are going to find French on the menu, same with German, Italian, Greek, and so on.
So here is the breakdown of my particular beverage. Grande, Non-fat Vanilla Latte. Now I ask for it several times a week so it isn't complicated for me. Grande is the Italian part and simply refers to the size, Large. Non-fat is the milk, Vanilla is the flavour syrup, that part is optional in a latte I add it as a sweetener; I don't put sugar in coffee. I also play that up sometimes as they have some seasonal choices like Pumpkin Spice in the fall and Gingerbread for the Holidays. Finally, the Latte part I explained earlier. Now I admit this is one of the easier drinks but if you find something you like you will figure out the name.
If you still don't get this then you should continue going to Tim Horton's. I don't want that to sound like I am knocking Tim Horton's, I just don't really think the two places can be compared. The products are totally different, at least in reference to beverages other than a regular coffee. Atmosphere however is not comparable on any level.
First issue is the price. The simple argument is "You get what you pay for" which covers 2 things. First, when I pay $3.83 for my Vanilla Latte I am getting a beverage that is made with real espresso and real milk. Tim Horton's will charge you half the price for one of their French Vanilla Cappuccinos but you are getting a powder reconstituted in water. The actual products simply cannot be compared if you ask me. Second thing I personally am paying for when I get my Latte is the atmosphere at my Starbucks. My Lattes are often accompanied by up to 2 hours of sitting in their front window tables watching people, reading, surfing the internet, and as right now, blogging. With a registered Starbucks card (which is simply a reloadable gift card and therefore free) I get 2 hours of free wireless internet per day. I don't seem to ever read at home so the pile of books would never go down if I didn't come here. And for people watching, well Starbucks is a magnet for good looking people. Read this blog for an example.
The second thing I get grief on is the name of the drinks. People think Starbucks is too complicated. Well I of limited mental capacity managed to figure it out so it can't be that complicated. Admittedly I received some instruction from some Starbucks promotional materiel but that really only solidified the meaning and order of the words I was saying. Some of the "complication" comes from the fact that Starbucks bases their naming using Italian words. Italians are rather rabid about their love of coffee so I see why they went that route. If you go to a French restaurant you are going to find French on the menu, same with German, Italian, Greek, and so on.
So here is the breakdown of my particular beverage. Grande, Non-fat Vanilla Latte. Now I ask for it several times a week so it isn't complicated for me. Grande is the Italian part and simply refers to the size, Large. Non-fat is the milk, Vanilla is the flavour syrup, that part is optional in a latte I add it as a sweetener; I don't put sugar in coffee. I also play that up sometimes as they have some seasonal choices like Pumpkin Spice in the fall and Gingerbread for the Holidays. Finally, the Latte part I explained earlier. Now I admit this is one of the easier drinks but if you find something you like you will figure out the name.
If you still don't get this then you should continue going to Tim Horton's. I don't want that to sound like I am knocking Tim Horton's, I just don't really think the two places can be compared. The products are totally different, at least in reference to beverages other than a regular coffee. Atmosphere however is not comparable on any level.
Monday, June 1, 2009
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