Sleep

This past week is very exciting with the new job, but also has severe sleep issues. I am now coming home in the evening and feeling a little run down. As soon as I eat dinner and sit on the couch, I start to nod off. In fact, on Wednesday night, I spent three hours going in and out of consciousness watching TV when I should have gone directly to bed at 19:00. Instead, I managed to doze uncomfortably on the couch and then wake fully up and drink some tea and go to bed as late as 22:30.

Yesterday I was a little better (meaning that I could stay awake, but I was still pretty tired). I determined to watch a horrible episode of CSI: Nevada (hard to tell which one is which without the cities anymore). I thought it had something to do with the CSI picture "clues" they've been hyping.

Speaking of clues, I've noticed a couple of points. All of these clues can be seen without magnification. My personal stance is that the magnification can help you identify certain clues or items, but if they are visible only in the magnification, then that is just bullshit.

1. Stokes on the far left has a visible cut or gouge on his neck
2. The rookie investigator is clearly looking at the coroner with interest...
3. ...who appears to be holding a scalpel in his hand (but that's really weird because it looks like the scalpel was photoshopped in -- it's definitely not a real scalpel he's holding and it could just be something on the wall behind him)
4. The slot machines say "Lucky Dragon" and the left-most slot machine has three cherries while the right slot machine has two blank white plates with a missing third plate
5. Who's missing? The detective cop...
6. ...who might be the one shot dead and slumped over but probably not -- a little too portly and grey-haired...
7. ...and appears to have a yellow kercheif or something kinda strange in his suit pants pocket which probably protrudes due to the man pulling something out of his pocket...
8. ...and the dramatic bullet hole in his back with blood could possibly be an exit wound from a small caliber weapon, or a large caliber entry wound (shot from the back?)
9. Speaking of slumped over, the dead guy's hand extends down below the window frame so we cannot see what is in his hand (I suspect a weapon or briefcase or something dramatic)
10. The neon sign says "Play" backward. I'm not sure if that's supposed to be the place or not. The original scene that this picture is based on says "Bar" backward

Thanks and take care.

New Job

Just started my new job yesterday. This was somewhat of a happy surprise. I gave my two week's notice three weeks ago and was only unemployed for one week. Technically, I got 60 hours of vacation paid out so I was actually never really unemployed; I was on vacation in between jobs.

I won't specify which company I work for; in fact, I shouldn't have mentioned my interviews with Google at all. The company is one of those "dot com" type of companies with free daily lunches, free soda, free snacks, free massage, etc.

It's fun.

Happy easter

I was listening to the radio yesterday and heard a very amusing sound effect of someone lighting up a big old bong, coughing heavily and shouting hoarsely, "Thank you Jesus!"

So I thought in honour of Easter that I would recognise our Lord Jesus who died on the cross so that we could smoke dope.

Thank you Jesus!

Job market traction

I'm getting some good traction with my resume in the last three weeks. I've been on five (yes, count them, five) phone interviews. I've also been to three face-to-face interviews, and I've got at least two more scheduled.

I would estimate that from 1999 until 2004, I had sent out my resume to at least 200 job postings. I recall getting 2 email questions, two phone calls, and two face-to-face interviews. Those are some horrible, pathetic, ridiculously low numbers.

Previous to that, from 1993 to 1999, I sent out my resume less than 100 times online and offline, and I had so many interviews and offers, I would routinely turn them down and delete the voicemails. In fact, I was getting calls for interviews at the rate of at least once per week for several years.

It's been a long 7 or 8 years, but it seems like the thaw is melting.

Cirque du Soleil

I went to Quidam this weekend and enjoyed it. I didn't like the two fake "audience participation" sequences. They weren't very funny, nor was I even slightly convinced that it was real. There was a sequence involving a nearly nude woman with tight body suit who hung from red drapes and did the usual acrobatics. I shudder to think of the symbolism of the "blood" red cloth and the woman hanging from her waist by these threads... but to each his (or her) own.

However, there was a sequence which involved four of those small China girls who play with the wooden spools on the strings. They're apparently called Diabolos and here's a picture from the same Quidam link above: China girls with Diabolos.

And tears started to well up in my eyes because some day soon, one of those little China girls could be my daughter.

Free at last

I turned in my two weeks' notice today. Boy does that feel good! Goodbye, bitches. I'm gone. You can let the Russians win; give them the reigns. I don't have any vested interest any more.