Random thoughts from a unique character of arcane proportions

Monday, January 31, 2005

Great, he's getting philosophical again

10 years of elementary school
5 years of high school
5 years of undergrad
1 year of masters

In all I've spent 21 years of my life in school. Only to find out that I've got another 25 years (or probably more) left to work. But as what? Only 4 of these school years were devoted to studying public admin. So now I'm a policy analyst, well at least for 8 hours a day. Does that define who I am though, I'd like to think that I'm a lot more fun than a "Policy Analyst" sounds. I think I've even got the pictures to prove it (see link).

even before getting into the workforce, I always viewed school as just a way to get a job, a job that would pay for all the things I wanted to do outside of those 8 hours a day. The problem is, my job can't properly finance all those activities but if I did have one of those jobs that could finance them, I wouldn't be allotted the time for those activities. So here I am at an impasse, which isn't as easy to cross as a bridge in a Monty Python movie.

Ok, so I'm a lot more fun than a "Policy Analyst" I"ve decided, but I haven't decided what I am. As I approach 30 (well, 29 this year), aren't I a little late to be asking these questions, shouldn't I have gone through this in high school? Well I guess I was just too wrapped up in watching and discussing the minutiae of Star Wars. Time well spent I guess.

The Cool AGE:)

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Familiar Stranger Relationships

Do you have a favourite spot? Somewhere you like to go for coffee, just to think, to read a book, to hang out with your buddies, is it so unreasonable that others go through this experience as well. Now, is it so unreasonable that someone, or a group of others might have the same favourite as you?

Well, turns out that there is one "familiar stranger" in particular at this coffee shop that Mary & I frequent (almost everyday) at lunch (as much as we do - they're always there, but is that such a bad thing, we're always there). I often wonder if this person is having the same thoughts about us as we have about them. I only think this because I despise this person, they're always alone and taking up 4 good seats while alone. Good seats meaning comfy couches, bad seats meaning uncomfortable chairs which is what we get because this person is at the comfy couch.

Point is, does this person despise us as much when we get the comfy couch and they are relegated to "the chair".

So I ask you this, who are your familiar strangers, and do you like them or hate them?

The Cool AGE:)

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Notes from a bike

If I had to do it all over again, ... well, I'd probably do it all the same. I can't really complain about my current situation, well all except the stuff I haven't done, like go cross country through South America like a 24 year old Ernesto Guevara.

Boy did that guy have some fun adventures. Oddly enough as I was writing the draft for this blog, on comes a commertial for 'Sasha's Blend' (I think something for dog fur) comes on, and there's this lady speaking with this heavy Aussie accent! Oddly enough as Australia was where I had quite a few adventures, so anyway, that was odd.

Well, so this movie was outstanding, the good thing was, there was no need for the movie to be heavily political, except in a few instances, but the scenery was gorgeous, Rodolfo, you come from a wonderfully beautiful continent. Another odd thing, was that during the movie they go to Macchu Picchu, which is where Mary & I have been wanting & semi-planning to go for quite some time now, the only problem, as always most problems start and end with cash flow. So, after seeing the movie, we know we have to go there.

If nothing else, I hope this serves as a great recommendation for the film. There are so many reasons to go see it, but I didn't want to have that heavy a blog, so I didn't go into detail.

Oh yeah, I also saw the movie Simon Birch again on Sunday night. Love it, try to see that one too.

Last thing, I also added some more pics last week so check those out too:)

The Cool AGE:)

Friday, January 14, 2005

Transit Etiquette

After having given reasons for why I love living where I do (see the "In the City, a country mouse story" post), I should be objective if I'm going to be a responsible blogger, and give the negative side to where I live. One of those is the rudeness of some people who ride transit. Remember, this does not reflect all the transit riders, just the few, and as always, it is the few that we remember and talk about, see aforementioned post.

As odd as it may see; given that I've grown up in a town that when they started public transit, a small group was formed to eliminate it, and it was done; I'm pretty good with transit etiquette. For instance there are a few simple rules that I'll enumerate here that some people just do not understand. The good thing is that the list is not exhaustive, but just a few that I need to get off my chest due to infractions I've seen others partake in, as well as infract upon me.

1) Rule: When getting off the street car, exit the rear doors.
Purpose: To ease flow on and off the streetcar so the people on the street car do not have to wait twice as long for an exchange of passengers. Also, so the people in the rain waiting for the streetcar can simply get in without having to wait for those getting off.

2) Rule: When entering the subway, stand beside the opening doors until all passengers wishing to exit the subway have left.
Purpose: If people cannot get off, others cannot get in. Also, if they are not allowed to get off, their time that is wasted is immense because they will have to get off at the next station, wait for the next subway going in the other direction and go back to the desired subway station. Where as the person waiting to get on would only have to wait a max of 2 minutes for the next subway.

3) Rule:
a) Do not where backpacks if standing
b) Do not have backpacks/briefcase etc on the seat next to you
Purpose: You are not that important to have your things taking up the space designated for people to use. If standing, by simply turning around, you bump into anything and everything. Also, why should someone not be able to sit down because your bag needs "room to breathe".

Well, as I said the list is not exhaustive, but if I went on I might get mad, & you wouldn't want to see that, Right JohnnyK & Melly:)!!

The Cool AGE:)

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Quantum Leap for Everyday Individuals

Hey Blog Junkies and friends of mine visiting just to be polite,

I post this blog today, but it was something I wrote down a few days ago. Having had a rude awakening Monday evening, it took all of Tuesday to get over, I'm posting this blog feeling much better now. I don't know why, guess I'm just zestfully clean this morning...what?

I don't want to call it a rut, but I wonder if that's the word you should use when you don't particularly care about what the date is, or even know what the date is. I wonder if my lackadaisical "take it as it comes" attitude is perpetuating this "rut". With the world ready to give as much crap as it can sling at anyone who's willing to catch it, I don't think this feeling (the rut) is avoidable given my current personality choice (lackadaisical).

So I think I'm saying that there is an equation here and I want to change one of the inputs to change the outcome:

Environment + Personality = Response

Now the questions is, do I run from the situation, or do I bow to the system? Of course the formula has been simplified for the sake of discussion in a blog, but I essentially got the gist of it. Well, maybe not necessarily for all of you in blog land (I wouldn't want to project my feelings and experiences on the rest of you like some city dweller who doesn't want to take responsibility for their actions and asserts these claims as universals - see any sex in the city episode), but at least this is how I see it for my life on my end of the blog.

Tune in next time to see if I've made any changes, or I'm just in a better mood for no good (nor bad) reason:)

The Cool AGE:)

Monday, January 10, 2005

In the city - a country mouse story

For a multitude of reasons, I love living in the city. My metro pass lets me go where ever I need to go when ever I need to go, all for one price, paid at the beginning of the month. And since the streetcar picks me up right in front of my building and takes me to the main subway station for Toronto, I'm thinking I'm pretty fortunate.

But, ah Saturday I found yet another reason to love living in the city. In addition to talking to boat people. They actually live on boats, in Toronto harbour all year long, including the winter!! I love seeing the regulars, those who were let out of the mental institution some years back when the provincial conservative party pulled money from the mental institutions and they had to release all those poor people out onto the street. Like there was this one guy who was always outside the building where I used to work and although I was on the 11th floor, I could always hear him yelling non-sensical, non-profanities; yet whenever I would pass by the local pizza place at lunch, he would be sitting there, quiet as a mouse with his meat-lovers pizza! Then there was this other kid who goes to the UofT art school and the only reason why I know he goes there is because some local TV station did a segment on the kid and apparently he likes to draw people when he's on the subway. Well one day I spot him and I think he was drawing me! Well either that or he thinks I have pretty eyes:)

Anyway back o the purpose of this post. So Saturday, I'm going uptown to see the love of my life, Mary, and I'm waiting for the streetcar, and so is this other guy. And so is his tripod, no I'm not talking about his legs. The tripod for his camera, and his camera, which he has all set up to take a picture. But he doesn't. He didn't take one on the other side of the street either. But that didn't stop him from walking across the street with his camera & tripod all set up and ready to go. And it didn't stop him from getting on the streetcar with his tripod and his camera all ready to go. And it didn't stop him when he got off only 3 stops later with his tripod and camera ready to go, but I guess he wasn't.

Then on the subway there was this guy sitting across from me who actually went out to buy a good back scratcher! I thought they only made bad ones a novelty items that you were supposed to win at the carnival when you couldn't win anything else so they gave you that as the consolation!

Anyway, point is, I love living here because generally in the routine of the work-a-day rat race, you always get to see some craziness, some nuttiness, and some down right oddities. And I love my oddities:)

The Cool AGE:)

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

New, well old, pics

Hey everybody,

Just wanted to post some pics I found of my trip down to the world of kangaroos & didgeridoos.

I just have to find some other cds with the Aussie pics on them. It was a really great time down there with really great friends. These few pics are just of the first couple of months down there. It's not a complete set of pics from down there, but I'm was limited to space restrictions with this site, so that stinks. But I took a shower this morning so that means that I don't.

Anyway, enjoy the pics.

The Cool AGE:)

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Mushrooms, New Year's and Other Things

Hey everyone,

I hope you all had a great New Year's to compliment a wonderful Christmas.

Over here, I spent New Year's Eve with the love of my life eating mushrooms, don't worry, I'm still straight laced, they weren't 'shrooms', just portobellos with goat cheese. Plus some home made wine, port, absinthe (man those bohemians were nuts), and finally some Champagne to finish of 2004. Well, sparkling wine to be honest, but we'll say Champagne to be lazy.

Kjetil, this past summer at my uncle's b-day party, I had a run-in with some sambucca, well it could have been the sambucca, it could have also been the vodka, the rum, the wine etc. It wasn't pretty, mushrooms in the sink kind of episode. Although, I'm still able to say that I have never 'prayed to the porcelain god'. Anyone who is confused, se Kjetil's comment on my previous post. But many big thanks to Mary who helped me through me feeling like a heroine addict going through withdrawl. Well, I can't say that for sure as I've only got "Trainspotting" as my example of that kind of experience, but it felt nasty.

Oh yeah, I found some pics on cd of the first few months of my time in Australia, so I'll be posting those soon, I hope.

Well, that's all for now.

The Cool AGE:)