Guess who's coming to town in March? Yea. The Foo Fighters. 2007 North American Acoustic Tour. Candy. No tickets yet but it's a foregone conclusion... just got to "convince" a few friends to join me. You know... make em an offer they can't refuse.
So yeah... things have been good. May as well re-cap the events to date. Arrived on the 10th pretty much without a hitch... went to see Joel Plaskett that night, which was a great show. Been doing the wing scene every Tuesday at the Clocktower... which always concludes with an extended soak in the tub. In the words of Chris, "I think winter suddenly became much more bearable." On the 17th we nerdlingers had a giant game of Axis & Allies at the house, which quickly degenerated into a house party by about 7pm - another good night. The roomates bought Guitar Hero 3, which has served to provide a pretty consistent stream of drunken entertainment. This Saturday past was Mike & Em's housewarming, another brew-ha ensued. Gloria and Nate were even up for a visit. Stellar night. I laughed a lot and remembered not much; an excellent sign.
On the job front my first interview was a farce, as I half-expected. My second interview last week with the Feds went decently well, but god knows if/when I'll hear back. I've got a few more lined up over the coming days. To be frank, I'm really enjoying this time off, but I obviously can't keep this up for too long.
In other news, booked my plane ticket home for xmas. Fly out on the 19th, back on the 30th as we are hosting New Years 2008. I also just found out my uncle is moving to Ottawa and getting married here on the 31st, so I'll be pulling double duty that day... let the year go out with a bang... sounds about right.
So yeah, things are good. Really good. I'm excited, I'm happy, I'm looking forward... what more can you ask for?
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
i'm open
Hey all.
This is going to be brief. I've got my first interview in Ottawa this morning so I need to prep for that.
Unpacking is going well - my room is coming along and more importantly, the house is SWEET. We've got our dual HDTV/Home Theater systems in adjacent rooms set up now, 360's networked, hot tub running... it's pretty insane. Like a playground for grownups. I love this place!
In other news, it's highly likely that if you're reading this you clicked on the website link on my facebook profile. I decided to take the leap and open this blog up to a much broader audience. Up until this point, the viewers of this site were basically the limited few who have me on MSN.
Anyway, if this is your first time here, welcome. I'm probably a little more open about my life on this blog then I probably should be, but I think that's kind of the idea. Happy reading and stay tuned!
Cheers,
Reid
PS. If you want to know why I've kinda kept this site under wraps, read this post from last Feb. and you'll get a better understanding!
PPS. Comments welcome! Mostly because I like to know that people are actually reading this bolonium
This is going to be brief. I've got my first interview in Ottawa this morning so I need to prep for that.
Unpacking is going well - my room is coming along and more importantly, the house is SWEET. We've got our dual HDTV/Home Theater systems in adjacent rooms set up now, 360's networked, hot tub running... it's pretty insane. Like a playground for grownups. I love this place!
In other news, it's highly likely that if you're reading this you clicked on the website link on my facebook profile. I decided to take the leap and open this blog up to a much broader audience. Up until this point, the viewers of this site were basically the limited few who have me on MSN.
Anyway, if this is your first time here, welcome. I'm probably a little more open about my life on this blog then I probably should be, but I think that's kind of the idea. Happy reading and stay tuned!
Cheers,
Reid
PS. If you want to know why I've kinda kept this site under wraps, read this post from last Feb. and you'll get a better understanding!
PPS. Comments welcome! Mostly because I like to know that people are actually reading this bolonium
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Here's goes nothing
Ok folks... I'm doing it. I'm leaving now for Ottawa. Let the next chapter begin!
Excitement is an understatement.
Stay tuned,
Reid
Excitement is an understatement.
Stay tuned,
Reid
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Get busy livin'
So... yeah... I am in the process of taking the biggest risk of my young life. I have chosen to quit my job in Hamilton and am relocating to Ottawa without work lined up. Not only that, but I have also decided to pursue career opportunities that are completely non-related to my degree and working background. Nuts? Perhaps. But as I said in my last post, life is too short to be unhappy. This is where I want to be and this is what I want to do. Simple as that.
This story of massive life changes begins like most... on a whim. As you may know, I've been pretty unhappy with my situation in Southern Ontario. I worked a job I didn't truly enjoy and lived in a place I did not like. I knew Ottawa was where I wanted to be, but I still felt like I needed that one sign which clearly said "it's time to go for it". Little did I know, Jay & Jess - two friends of mine in Ottawa - were in the process of looking for a new place to live. At a random wing night earlier this month, Ginny and Northcott happened to mention that I was thinking of moving and the comment was made to the effect of "you guys should totally ask Reid to move in." Turns out Jay & Jess were all about it. It meant they could get a bigger place and most likely pay less rent. And of course there's also the fact that I rock.
A few days before Thanksgiving I got an email from Northcott informing me of this news. I had the long weekend to mull it over and then I needed to give the guys an answer, as the house hunt was immanent. I did a lot of thinking over those 3 days and decided that this was the push I was waiting for. As an aside, for someone who was trying to keep this whole situation hush hush, I stupidly changed my facebook status to "Adam has got a huge decision to make". That was dumb. The wall posts that resulted from this status got me prematurely "outed" amongst a handful of co-workers privy to my profile. It happened in the span of minutes and was almost a disaster, but it's now little more than a funny story about how facebook is the devil. Ask me about it sometime over a few beers.
So I gave my friends in Ottawa my response. "I'm in." It's amazing how two simple words can change your whole life.
The hunt for a 3 bedroom house began. It wasn't long before Jay and Jess found a place that fit the bill. The lease is now signed and I got to see it in person for the first time yesterday (I came up for the Halloween festivus). This house is absolutely amazing. This house is an incredible price. This house has a hot tub in the back yard. This house is perfect! Link!! (this will definitely not be active for long).
I could tell you how excited I am, but I really don't think my writing can do it justice. You're probably just going to have to come visit me in our new house and see the smile on my face.
Cheers... to new beginnings and the pursuit of happiness.
Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'.
Reid
This story of massive life changes begins like most... on a whim. As you may know, I've been pretty unhappy with my situation in Southern Ontario. I worked a job I didn't truly enjoy and lived in a place I did not like. I knew Ottawa was where I wanted to be, but I still felt like I needed that one sign which clearly said "it's time to go for it". Little did I know, Jay & Jess - two friends of mine in Ottawa - were in the process of looking for a new place to live. At a random wing night earlier this month, Ginny and Northcott happened to mention that I was thinking of moving and the comment was made to the effect of "you guys should totally ask Reid to move in." Turns out Jay & Jess were all about it. It meant they could get a bigger place and most likely pay less rent. And of course there's also the fact that I rock.
A few days before Thanksgiving I got an email from Northcott informing me of this news. I had the long weekend to mull it over and then I needed to give the guys an answer, as the house hunt was immanent. I did a lot of thinking over those 3 days and decided that this was the push I was waiting for. As an aside, for someone who was trying to keep this whole situation hush hush, I stupidly changed my facebook status to "Adam has got a huge decision to make". That was dumb. The wall posts that resulted from this status got me prematurely "outed" amongst a handful of co-workers privy to my profile. It happened in the span of minutes and was almost a disaster, but it's now little more than a funny story about how facebook is the devil. Ask me about it sometime over a few beers.
So I gave my friends in Ottawa my response. "I'm in." It's amazing how two simple words can change your whole life.
The hunt for a 3 bedroom house began. It wasn't long before Jay and Jess found a place that fit the bill. The lease is now signed and I got to see it in person for the first time yesterday (I came up for the Halloween festivus). This house is absolutely amazing. This house is an incredible price. This house has a hot tub in the back yard. This house is perfect! Link!! (this will definitely not be active for long).
I could tell you how excited I am, but I really don't think my writing can do it justice. You're probably just going to have to come visit me in our new house and see the smile on my face.
Cheers... to new beginnings and the pursuit of happiness.
Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'.
Reid
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Words of advice
Life is too short to be unhappy.
I'm moving to Ottawa. It's where I want to be.
Details to follow.
Reid
I'm moving to Ottawa. It's where I want to be.
Details to follow.
Reid
Saturday, September 29, 2007
A long september
For starters... go get yourself a copy of Johnny Cash's cover of the NIN's "Hurt". Wow. Johnny Cash is the friggin man. How come it often times takes the death of an artist for me to truly appreciate them?
Alright. So. Life. Well... for those of you who may know, I had applied to a manager's position at our company's plant in Surrey, BC. I found out yesterday that while I was "the strongest candidate" in consideration, I did not get the job. I'm sort of disappointed, but I think it's a blessing in disguise, as I wasn't really sure if that was really what I wanted to do anyway.
So now I'm pretty torn. For those of you fairly close to me, you've known for some time that I've been struggling with my decision to keep going with this company. Bottom line is that it is a good job for a young engineer, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's right for me. I'd honestly like to try my hand at something that was less technical/design-based/behind-a-desk and more people oriented, perhaps in marketing, sales, management, etc. The real question is, how do I go about that.
You know what I think half my problem is? My job is my life. By that I mean, I essentially have no life outside of my plant. No friends here besides work friends. No hobbies except the ones I do through work (golf league, for example). I have a real problem with that. If a job is your life, then what happens when you don't h ave that job anymore? What keeps me here is the people. I have a handful of coworkers/friends here in the area that are admittedly very awesome. If I left, I know I'd be letting them down and I hate the thought of that. That's what makes this decision so hard.
I think I really need to start focusing on where I want to be, and then worry about what I want to do once I get there. Two years ago I was so desperate to get a job I would have taken something in the middle of the Sahara Desert or the Arctic Circle. And to a certain extent I am still very much free to do those things. However, I'm starting to realize that I need to like where I am, and I need to have a social network in the place I live. The bigger, the better. I'm a young, single guy and I've lost count now of how many weekends I've had no plans here - watching movies and dicking around the internet. This is not how it was supposed to be - this thought has been echoing in my head a lot lately, and it's getting me down. I need a change! The hunt is on.
What else is new? I saw "The Kingdom" last night. Pretty good flick. Hardcore violence, great story, high intensity. I spent a couple of days in Toronto on company training this past week. Spent an evening out on Toronto island. That was pretty cool. My best friend here in Hamilton, Hofford, is leaving in 3 weeks. He and his wife have taken jobs up in Sudbury making sweet coin. It really sucks to be loosing them - I love those guys. But they're doing what's best for them and that friggin rocks. It's good to see good things happening to good people, even if it makes your world a little sadder. Know what I mean?
Anyway, if this whole Ontario experience was sold on "riding the wave where it takes me" then I'm definitely in a trough right now and there's a few great whites chasing me. Gotta work my way back up to the peak.
Alright. So. Life. Well... for those of you who may know, I had applied to a manager's position at our company's plant in Surrey, BC. I found out yesterday that while I was "the strongest candidate" in consideration, I did not get the job. I'm sort of disappointed, but I think it's a blessing in disguise, as I wasn't really sure if that was really what I wanted to do anyway.
So now I'm pretty torn. For those of you fairly close to me, you've known for some time that I've been struggling with my decision to keep going with this company. Bottom line is that it is a good job for a young engineer, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's right for me. I'd honestly like to try my hand at something that was less technical/design-based/behind-a-desk and more people oriented, perhaps in marketing, sales, management, etc. The real question is, how do I go about that.
You know what I think half my problem is? My job is my life. By that I mean, I essentially have no life outside of my plant. No friends here besides work friends. No hobbies except the ones I do through work (golf league, for example). I have a real problem with that. If a job is your life, then what happens when you don't h ave that job anymore? What keeps me here is the people. I have a handful of coworkers/friends here in the area that are admittedly very awesome. If I left, I know I'd be letting them down and I hate the thought of that. That's what makes this decision so hard.
I think I really need to start focusing on where I want to be, and then worry about what I want to do once I get there. Two years ago I was so desperate to get a job I would have taken something in the middle of the Sahara Desert or the Arctic Circle. And to a certain extent I am still very much free to do those things. However, I'm starting to realize that I need to like where I am, and I need to have a social network in the place I live. The bigger, the better. I'm a young, single guy and I've lost count now of how many weekends I've had no plans here - watching movies and dicking around the internet. This is not how it was supposed to be - this thought has been echoing in my head a lot lately, and it's getting me down. I need a change! The hunt is on.
What else is new? I saw "The Kingdom" last night. Pretty good flick. Hardcore violence, great story, high intensity. I spent a couple of days in Toronto on company training this past week. Spent an evening out on Toronto island. That was pretty cool. My best friend here in Hamilton, Hofford, is leaving in 3 weeks. He and his wife have taken jobs up in Sudbury making sweet coin. It really sucks to be loosing them - I love those guys. But they're doing what's best for them and that friggin rocks. It's good to see good things happening to good people, even if it makes your world a little sadder. Know what I mean?
Anyway, if this whole Ontario experience was sold on "riding the wave where it takes me" then I'm definitely in a trough right now and there's a few great whites chasing me. Gotta work my way back up to the peak.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Ricketts & April get hitched
Greetings sports fans!
Wow. Has it really been since March? It's been a rough few months, I won't lie. But it's in the past, and it's not was I came here to talk about.
Here I sit at 9:30 in the evening on the last official day of my 17 day summer vacation of 2007. My first, may I add, real two week vacation of my young career. It was spectacular. I wish I could just bottle it up and drink it whenever I needed a boost... because that's what it was.
For those who may not know, one of my best friends, Michael Ricketts, got married to the love of his life, April McDonald. It's really great to see two people so into each other actually make it work. Refreshing really. Like a shining example of what we all wish we had and are working for.
I flew home on Friday, July 20th and crashed at an old/new buddy's house, Phil Sheppard, who was standing in the wedding along with Bri and myself. The bachelor party, codenamed "R-Day" followed on the 21st. I could go into detail, but I would be breaking a very solemn and sacred oath of silence, so let me just say this...
Dresses and pretty hats were purchased, paintballs did fly, welts were had, gatherings were created, guitars were strummed, barbeques lit, friends bonded, shots consumed, idiots danced white russians in hand, individuals danced like fairies, individuals passed out on toilets, jigs were jigged, beers were chugged, strippers were seen, stripper funds were lost, girlfriends were worried, cigars were smoked...
and a great time was had by the only person who mattered.
The following week was spent in St. John's in what can be best described as "stupor-phoria". Happier than a bender, but with more collateral pain than pure bliss itself. We had campfires with way too much screech, wing night with 34 people, an evening with the Ennis', a party on marigold place, some george street fest action, and some wedding eve this-is-your-last-chance-to-bail male bonding time. A great week indeed, which lead up to a great wedding.
I wasn't really nervous about being the best man & MC... more so, I just didn't want to let anybody down. Anyway... things went very well, the speeches rolled along, and my attempt at an impersonation of a shitty beat-boxing attempt seemed to go over well. As long as those two kids were happy, I was happy, so it was all good.
Finished off the week in St. John's with a whale watching tour which was pretty spectacular. The mainlanders that Gloria brought down with her even got to try their hand at jigging cod. A great night for sure. It was just great to have pretty much everyone in one place again, if only for a few days.
After this, it was back to Grand Falls for a week with the family and the hometown boys & girls. It was literally home for a rest... I had been drinking for close to 9 days straight with only a few breathers, so I needed some drying out time. This, of course, was short lived, and a trip down to Kelly's to see Johnny's band Ted Dancin' last Thursday proved to be a "roofing" experience. I don't know what was in that draft, but by 1am I was fit to be tied. Follow this up with a big Friday at Bri's and you get the picture. So... the actual "rest and relaxation" wasn't really in the cards for this vacation, save a few days, but hey... would I really have it any other way?
All in all... kickass. Now... if I could just go to sleep tonight, and fix it so that it's July 20th again when I wake up... then I'd be all set.
Snap.
Reid
Wow. Has it really been since March? It's been a rough few months, I won't lie. But it's in the past, and it's not was I came here to talk about.
Here I sit at 9:30 in the evening on the last official day of my 17 day summer vacation of 2007. My first, may I add, real two week vacation of my young career. It was spectacular. I wish I could just bottle it up and drink it whenever I needed a boost... because that's what it was.
For those who may not know, one of my best friends, Michael Ricketts, got married to the love of his life, April McDonald. It's really great to see two people so into each other actually make it work. Refreshing really. Like a shining example of what we all wish we had and are working for.
I flew home on Friday, July 20th and crashed at an old/new buddy's house, Phil Sheppard, who was standing in the wedding along with Bri and myself. The bachelor party, codenamed "R-Day" followed on the 21st. I could go into detail, but I would be breaking a very solemn and sacred oath of silence, so let me just say this...
Dresses and pretty hats were purchased, paintballs did fly, welts were had, gatherings were created, guitars were strummed, barbeques lit, friends bonded, shots consumed, idiots danced white russians in hand, individuals danced like fairies, individuals passed out on toilets, jigs were jigged, beers were chugged, strippers were seen, stripper funds were lost, girlfriends were worried, cigars were smoked...
and a great time was had by the only person who mattered.
The following week was spent in St. John's in what can be best described as "stupor-phoria". Happier than a bender, but with more collateral pain than pure bliss itself. We had campfires with way too much screech, wing night with 34 people, an evening with the Ennis', a party on marigold place, some george street fest action, and some wedding eve this-is-your-last-chance-to-bail male bonding time. A great week indeed, which lead up to a great wedding.
I wasn't really nervous about being the best man & MC... more so, I just didn't want to let anybody down. Anyway... things went very well, the speeches rolled along, and my attempt at an impersonation of a shitty beat-boxing attempt seemed to go over well. As long as those two kids were happy, I was happy, so it was all good.
Finished off the week in St. John's with a whale watching tour which was pretty spectacular. The mainlanders that Gloria brought down with her even got to try their hand at jigging cod. A great night for sure. It was just great to have pretty much everyone in one place again, if only for a few days.
After this, it was back to Grand Falls for a week with the family and the hometown boys & girls. It was literally home for a rest... I had been drinking for close to 9 days straight with only a few breathers, so I needed some drying out time. This, of course, was short lived, and a trip down to Kelly's to see Johnny's band Ted Dancin' last Thursday proved to be a "roofing" experience. I don't know what was in that draft, but by 1am I was fit to be tied. Follow this up with a big Friday at Bri's and you get the picture. So... the actual "rest and relaxation" wasn't really in the cards for this vacation, save a few days, but hey... would I really have it any other way?
All in all... kickass. Now... if I could just go to sleep tonight, and fix it so that it's July 20th again when I wake up... then I'd be all set.
Snap.
Reid
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Saint Paddy's Dayed
Happy Saint Paddy's day!
So here's a recommendation.... don't go out for a night of boozing without eating breakfast, dinner or supper that day. It sounds like a solid plan, but it really isn't. I had planned to have something, but then the call came and I had to get my ass in motion. "I'll just grab a bite at the pub" I said. Wrong. What I DID however grab were several pitchers of green beer. Good times. I think there was some kareoke in there. Then, in true reid form, I pulled a hudini and got the hell out of there without saying a word to anyone. To improve the situation, I had my phone on vibe mode and didn't hear/feel it rining some 15 times as my friends tried to call me to confirm I was not dead. Silly friends. When are they gonna learn? Bri put it best when he once said "Don't worry about Reid-o, cause Reid-o's not worrying about you". Sad, but very true. When I'm drunk (hell to a certain extent even when I'm sober), I have the unique ability to only see the world through my own eyes, and what's in my best interest is the only interest.
Anyway... good times were had nonetheless. Only 364 days to go....
Cheers
So here's a recommendation.... don't go out for a night of boozing without eating breakfast, dinner or supper that day. It sounds like a solid plan, but it really isn't. I had planned to have something, but then the call came and I had to get my ass in motion. "I'll just grab a bite at the pub" I said. Wrong. What I DID however grab were several pitchers of green beer. Good times. I think there was some kareoke in there. Then, in true reid form, I pulled a hudini and got the hell out of there without saying a word to anyone. To improve the situation, I had my phone on vibe mode and didn't hear/feel it rining some 15 times as my friends tried to call me to confirm I was not dead. Silly friends. When are they gonna learn? Bri put it best when he once said "Don't worry about Reid-o, cause Reid-o's not worrying about you". Sad, but very true. When I'm drunk (hell to a certain extent even when I'm sober), I have the unique ability to only see the world through my own eyes, and what's in my best interest is the only interest.
Anyway... good times were had nonetheless. Only 364 days to go....
Cheers
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