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Mike passed away today. Nick was by his side. Shwarma and bon bons.
posted by Paul at 11:39 PM
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Got a letter from the gov't the other day

St. Patrick's Day was a huge success. Everybody had a ripsnorting good time. I'm just happy that I get to tack my anniversary onto such a wild party. Tone said it best: St. Patrick's Day is the new New Year's Eve.

I really did get a letter from the gov't, but it arrived today. It's a survey from Statistics Canada addressed to 'INFORMATION SYSTEMS BUSINESS ANALYSTS AND CONSULTANTS'. Four of those words are in my title so I get the fall. There's a CD-ROM and a paper version of the questionnaire (that word reminds me of Ottawa). I wonder how many people would put a CD-ROM into their PC and install a program just to answer a survey? If those people are in IT then they should be fired. Surely efficiency is worth something.

I received a call from Nick last night. He's in town for a little while. Yurkiw is not well, and the outlook is grim.

Later.
posted by Paul at 9:18 AM
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Happy St. Paddy's Day!

St. Patrick's Day never really meant much to me when I grew up. I recall making four-leaf clovers and leprechauns in art class. I really didn't get it. I mean here's a holiday that's not religious (even though there's a Saint in the name) and not a day off. Like what's the big deal? What's so important about the Irish anyway? Not to be down on the Irish (for whom I have no ill feelings towards) but it's not like Robbie Burns Day gets a whole lot of recognition (maybe it's because he isn't a Saint) and what do the English have? A heckler from the crowd of Empire origins might point out that everyday is English Day, and I can buy that. Seriously, is St. Paddy's Day merely kept alive by Guinness? It's all about corporate sponsorship nowadays...

Of course all this changed two years ago. Some friends of mine and I decided to head to an authentic Irish pub to try our hand at celebrating with some world renown drinkers. That night I met my girlfriend. It's been quite an adventure for the last couple of years. We've had a lot of good times, and very few tears. As I have remarked with my girlfriend's room mates on several occasions, its odd how new it all feels... but it still does.

So here's to my gal! Two years down, and many more to go!

Later.
posted by Paul at 2:30 PM
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It's official

In a flurry of activity this week, the date of my transition to the trade desk has been confirmed. Starting May 1, 2003 I will be assisting a trader. I am fucking excited. It's going to be a completely different lifestyle for me, but I think I can handle it.

It's clear that things have been changing for me. I am trying to crawl out from under the shell that I have been hiding under. I did not fare well before the twin curses of health problems and unhappiness at work (I dismiss the weather as an influence even though I have no doubt that it sets the backdrop for my mood -- and it has been a particularly long and cold winter). When some people face adversity they grow stronger, on the other hand I retreat from the field of battle. As I pick up the pieces of my life that I discarded in my mad dash I am glad (and damn lucky) that I still have a lot of friends waiting for me. Thanks guys.

Later.

posted by Paul at 12:33 PM
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Lonely voice

I was going to wait until I had something that I thought was worth talking about before posting again. My posts have mostly been about work frustrations of late, so I wanted to avoid that topic. As luck would have it an update on the job front did come today: the head of trading stopped by and told me that he was going to start the process of getting me to start working with them. Naturally I still do not have any hard and fast dates, but at least I know that I have a commitment from the top man. This is good news.

In other news my room mates are in sunny Cuba. I joked with them that I couldn't wait until they left so that we could enjoy some good weather. The joke is on me: a record-setting low and 25 centimetres of snow later I can't wiat until they get back! While I am enjoying the apartment to myself, I'm still looking forward to their return. Besides, Kitty's daily early morning whine for food is starting to really get on my nerves.

Later.
posted by Paul at 3:04 PM
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