Taxed 2 Death

Sunday's the last day to file income tax in Canada. My wife's been stressing out because I hadn't yet filed our taxes. I wasn't too worried about filing because we're both getting refunds. And no government is going to come after me if they're owing me money!

But, to appease my wife, I filed our taxes today. Thanks to Dreama for pointing out the free software available online! It went by pretty easily, but I always have a sense of forboding whenever I file our taxes. I always figure I'll get bitten one of these years, no matter how carefully I go over everything to ensure that everything is filed correctly!

We'll see what this year holds, yes?

All the Little Things....

• My wife has been talking to one of the people who was in the meeting room on my last day at work. This person's the union rep. and my wife is asking questions about her status in the office. She's following a familiar path... been there for years, but doesn't seem to be any further ahead. The union rep. has asked about me, but I'm not exactly sure what all to say to her. I mean, besides what I'm up to these days. I'd rather wait until I'm done with school, though.
• One of my oldest friends from the office was asking my wife about me the other day too. I haven't talked to her since I left as she was working in the same department where Drama Queen transferred to (before moving back, then getting fired). I was never sure just what all rumours Drama Queen spread about me after I'd left, but I'd heard enough to know people will believe anything. Needless to say, I haven't talked to her yet. Maybe one day.
• That being said, I've emailed pictures of the kids to those I still talk to on a semi-regular basis. How to read this: I sent the email on Tuesday and haven't heard a peep from any of them. Is it just that they're too busy to reply, or do they just not care anymore?
• Yes, Sex Caffeine was among the email recipients. It's been 4 months since we last shared an email conversation and almost a year since we last saw each other in person. So, uh, there.
• For a starving student, I'm sounding pretty damned successful these days. Producing a video game. Typing this on one computer while the brand new computer hums politely beside me (with some 3D rendering going on). If everything works out, the brand new digital camera (a Fujifilm 5.2 megapixel) arrives tomorrow.
• The reality is this: 1 - the new computer cost me $272. My parents threw in the rest. The new digital camera is an eBay deal. The LCD's damaged. So, instead of being a $400 camera, it was a $23 camera.
• But I am producing that video game.
• The big lazy ass, mentioned in the previous post, got his comeuppance on Wednesday night. The instructor who's mentoring us through the game production wigged out on him and shrunk the poor boy down to a few inches in height. Then, when he was done, he discovered that I'd already 'yelled' at the poor bastard. Well, the yelling started again at the poor guy and he was asked if he'd prefer me yelling at him or the mentor. I don't think I've ever really been the good guy before.
• A little p.o.'d about 'Lost' last night (although I watched it at Midnight when I got home). I swear they've had the same cliffhanger ending for about 3 weeks or more. Yeah, it was another 'retro' episode (much like Desperate Housewives & Grey's Anatomy this week). It makes me think that the CSI & Cold Cade shows have the right idea. The story is the focus and the characterization is almost a footnote in the episode. For some reason it works, we get the slightest hint into their personal lives and we want more. We don't get much, but enough to keep us going.
• I think I've run into another person from my past. My best friend for the majority of my teenage years had a major crush on this girl back in the late 80s. Don't get me wrong, she was cute, but we never totally got along. Our parents never liked each other, so the feud continued to the next generation. I think she has a kid in my daughter's class. There was a lady with familiar eyes (it's always the eyes for me) waiting outside for her kid. We kept staring at each other, but my son was keeping me duly distracted that I never had a chance to approach her. It's probably been 16 year since I last saw her, so it could very well be her. After all, when I ran into my old best friend one night, I thought he was some drunken lout looking for a fight...
  
• I'm sorry I haven't written more this year. Slow blogging year, but freakin' busy everywhere else.
  

Handing Out Reality Checks

I've mentioned before that I'm the "fearless" leader of our program as we being work on our 6-month-long graduating project...

I'm amazed, nearly 1/6 of the way through this project, how many people in the group just don't get it.

This is one of two things we do in our final 6 months to get a job in the industry. It's a tough industry to get into and it's in a bit of a lull right now. So much so, that when we graduate, we're competing with the previous 2 (or 3) graduating classes... AND the recently-laid off professionals... AND anyone else who has the talent (without the education) OR is coming from another school! And I've got a number of people who are just acting lazy about the whole thing.

One guy, I consider him a friend, has completely vanished off MSN since he promised to have some work to me by Wednesday night. Hmmm. 12:50am on Monday and still nothing. Am I pissed? YES. It's a key document for our project and everyone on the team relies on it know what we're working on. And he just doesn't seem to be able to get it done on time. Then there's another list a different guy needs to come up with... Oh, he's sent it to me... But he only did about a third of the work. He listed things out, but instead of listing 5 of one thing, he only said there was a specific thing with a "5" written beside it. And no descriptions. We need descriptions!! And his response? "Well, that's a lot more work than I want to do."

Rrrggg. Lazy ass.

Then I hear from one guy tonight that the 3 people he was relying on to submit some work to him today... well, 1 handed in a third of his work, the other 2 did nothing. Nothing.

What are they thinking? We graduate and some company is going to pay them in excess of $50k to submit things late, wrong, or not-at-all? I mean, come on!!!

Usually around the 8th week of a semester, I get sick and tired of it and just want it to end already.... tomorrow, week 4 begins.

On Wednesday night, when we get together to work on our project again, reality sets in. With all the work that needs to get done and doesn't get done, then people pay for it. How? There's 20 people in our group. There's one leader. And he grades them on a weekly basis... failures mean getting kicked out of the program --with less than 6 months to go.

Reality sets in Wednesday... I've already decided on grades for 7 people.

Dreaming Details

I've always enjoyed friends telling me about their weird dreams. A story I've been mulling about for years involves a guy who has in-depth dreams as he copes with his extraordinary life. And I gotta be thankful for friends who are able to dream.

I don't dream much.

I think I'm so exhausted and tired that when I sleep my brain says, "Nope. I'm going into complete shutdown!" Don't know how medically true that is, but it's a workable theory for me.

My best friend told me of a dream he had one night about 17 years ago. He was walking alone in a field of tall, dry grass. On the horizon, past a long-abandoned cabin, he could see a red light. It was a small red light, but no matter which way he moved, the light followed him. To the left, to the right, the light followed him. Then, he looked down tothe white shirt he was wearing. And he saw for the first time that it wasn't a light on the horizon. It was a beam of light and it was attached to him. As he stared at his shirt, the beam grew in size until the red enveloped him. And suddenly, he exploded into a dragon. Then he woke up, of course.

Tonight, a friend told me of his dream where everyone he talked kept pleading with him not to go. They wanted him to stay with them. No matter where he went, all he heard was "Please stay with us. You don't have to go." Eventually, he did leave, but the only way he could go was by loading himself onto a catapult and launching himself into the sky. And then he woke up.

I'm going to use these somehow.

TV Times

Grey's Anatomy has quickly become a favorite show and is now the only reason I still watch Desperate Housewives.

That sounded weird.

Regardless, I'm sick of 'DH' and I'm finding the characters incredibly predictable to the point that I find the show more boring than entertaining. Grey's Anatomy, on the other hand, I'm thoroughly enjoying! They've done a great job with their ensemble cast.

But it wasn't on Sunday night. Instead, they showed the pilot to 'What About Brian?' which... sadly... I also thoroughly enjoyed. Naturally, it looks like it's regular timeslot is Mondays at 8 (kind of weird as it has a lot of adult content) while I'm in class. I'm not sure what all is so interesting about the show, but I definitely related to it. When a beautiful woman tells a guy "You're a total catch," well, yeah, the guy will tune out everything else said. Who's the right girl for me? Well, you called me a total catch!!

I'm tired and I have no idea why I'm writing about this. Just compelled to write and not much else to talk about.

Oh, and before I forget again.... I realized just the other day that it's been 3 years since the whole Sex Caffeine incident. I feel weird.

Donwload and Update. Upgrade, Download and Update...

I feeling a bit like an Ouroboros snake today...

I'm supposed to be working my ass off getting reports done for tonight and tomorrow, but the latest Windows Update has totally frigged my MSOffice products. Everytime I try and save, the program freezes up and crashes.

So, I'm updating and downloading my Windows software to see if anything catches the problem and fixes it.

First up is 'Windows Update'
Next up is 'Microsoft Update'
Followed by 'Office Update'
Each one needs a little program downloaded and installed. Then, it scans my system to find updates that need to be... downloaded and installed.

It just keeps going and going and going....

Moving Daze

My parents have invaded.

On Saturday, whilst I was mired in classes, my parents moved a bedroom suite into my old office. As I type this, they're sleeping less than 15 feet away behind a closed door. As for outstaying their welcome... they'll be attempting that this time as they're staying 'til at least Tuesday or Wednesday. As annoying as my parents can be (loud talking after the kids have gone to bed, 'taking over' for meals, etc, etc....), somehow I've found myself looking at their annoying habits and found the positives.

They eat... constantly. They both had a couple of hot cross buns just before going to bed. Mom had a full can of Diet Coke and Dad a glass of milk (a big glass) to wash their dessert down. This is after they polished off a pizza for dinner (where they each had a large Pepsi to drink), had a HUGE Easter lunch and at least 2 pieces of pie each.... I had 2 pieces of pizza and a slice of pie and that's all I could handle after the big lunch. And I really don't feel like eating for quite some time.

This is nothing but a good thing. I know I've gained weight since starting class (and that's on top of the weight I gained after leaving my last job), so seeing my parents eating habits really inspire to not eat for a very long time. Nothing. I want nothing to eat.

Of course, I'd like them to leave too, but boy I really don't feel like eating!!

Don't Mess with Surly!

Grr.

So, today I reply to a joke email I got and somehow I've started a mini flame war.

I'm having a bad day already dealing with this computer and flame wars never help!

I'm mere seconds away from blocking the link from my Inbox. I've only been a part of it since 1997, so why hold onto it any longer, yes?

Putz IV - The Final Chapter

OK, it took me a week to get back to this --my computer's been acting all pissy since I had to move it and has become a focal point of frustration over the past 5 days....

The final submission to Putz turned out to be 91 pages with several references and 7 pages of photos (finally found an album with pictures!!).

It took almost 10 minutes before Putz walked over to the registration office to sign off on me not taking this course.

As it turned out, the class is a mix of the boys in my program and a bunch of girls from the modelling program.... So, my reaction to the boys: "You're welcome."

I'll try and get out of another class next semester to see if they get the girls again.

Boys, I tell ya...

Putz III - The Revenge

Putz wants documentation of 20 years' experience?

Putz GETS documentation of 20 years' experience.

87 pages of documentation of 20 years' experience.

Putz asks..... Putz receives.

I'll let you know about 'Putz IV' by the end of the week.

Putz II - The Putz Returns

I finally cornered Putz on Monday and asked why he hadn't made the requested scheduling move. His only defense was he thought he had.... Putz.

Then, yesterday, he emails me to see if it worked out and everyone ended up in the same class.... Putz, we weren't all in the same class on Monday when I talked to you and you said it was too late.

Besides, everyone took care of their own schedules, so it's all good now anyway (no thanks to the Putz).

I also emailed Putz a few weeks back about challenging a course. It's a course I've had practice (and prior training) over the past 20 years, so I don't want to pay $1000 and waste a Friday afternoon for 11 weeks doing something I'm totally comfortable doing.

Putz's only reply: "Come see me." Which I did. THREE TIMES.

Finally, on Monday, Putz let me know I need tons of documentation in order to challenge the class. He shows me one of my classmates "cases" as an example. While I defend my 20 years' experience, he keeps getting interrupted by phone calls and people dropping by.

Talking to Putz is like having a conversation with a 2-year old (something I also have experience with): You can't finish a sentence before their attention has turned to something else. It's why I brought my flashlight --I know they're always drawn to bright objects.