| So I finally found myself a job. I'm heading into Future Shop tomorrow afternoon to sign some papers and go through some online stuff.
It's not exactly the job of my dreams. Don't get me wrong of course, I really like Future Shop, but I didn't spend five years in engineering school to set up electronics displays. Especially at less than $10 per hour.
It's good though. I've been out of work for over a year, so any money is better than no money. Plus it'll be nice to have a reason to get up and go out every day.
I'll keep looking for engineering jobs when I'm not working, and hopefully something will come along soon. I can easily make three times as much money as an engineer than I will be at Future Shop, so that'll be good motivation to keep my job search going.
Anyway, it should be fun. I'm looking forward to some good employee discounts. | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment   |
| So I'm sitting here watching baseball and drinking whisky. I thought to myself, "Why not post to my LJ." So here I am.
I'm home alone, so I figured I may as well make use of the whisky I found in the cupboard, while I watch TV. It's not exactly the most exciting night, but it's not so bad either.
The ball game is the seventh and deciding game of the American League Championship series. Boston vs Tampa Bay. I'm rooting for Boston, although they're currently behind 2-1. I'm not sure why I like Boston. During the regular season, I'm a Blue Jays fan. I guess the fact that the Jays haven't made the post season since they won the World Series in 1993 gives me a reason to choose another team to root for in the post-season, but why Boston? Boston is one of the other teams in Toronto's division during the season, and I usually root against them since they're almost always leading Toronto in the standings, but for some reason I always want them to win in the post-season. I guess it's probably because my family has some rather strong connections to Boston. A lot of my extended family has moved out there to work at some point in their lives, and I've still got some Aunts/Uncles out there, plus some cousins. And Boston has strong ties to Halifax, where I lived for several years. Boston was one of the first cities to send aid to Halifax after the Halifax explosion, which decimated much of the North End, during WWI (or possibly WWII, I can't recall). Anyway, I guess all of these reason culminate into my wanting Boston to win. Although Tampa just scored another run. Damn Tampa.
I went to a concert last night with my Aunt Helen. It was a concert featuring Celtic music in honour of a fiddler who was apparently one of the best of his time. It was a decent enough concert. I'm not a huge fan of Celtic music, though I like it well enough, but my Aunt really wanted me to go, and even paid the $25 for my ticket. So I sat there for like 5 hours and watched people perform. The chairs were rather uncomfortable, and I would rather have been watching the Hockey and Baseball games, but I did see some rather impressive talent. It takes quite a bit to impress me on the fiddle, but this one guy was doing some pretty amazing things, playing notes almost as far down as he was he was bowing. I'd never seen someone doing that before. He also played notes extremely fast, which I'm assuming is not easy. I'm thinking that the guy might be the best fiddler I've ever seen. My cousin's fiancé Boyd is also amazing on the fiddle, so I'll have to ask him if he can play notes like that too (I've seen him play lower on the stings than normal, but never that low).
Anyway, since I was bored today, and inspired by the players I saw last night, I decided to pick up one of my father's fiddles and see what I could do. I haven't played in about 10 years, but amazingly, I still remember a bit about reading music and was able to scratch out a decent rendition of Jingle Bells that I found in a music book. My father basically forced my siblings and I to take fiddle lessons while we were young, but none of us kept it up later. But now that I'm a bit drunk, I'm feeling that it would be a good thing to take back up.
I know I would really enjoy being able to play an instrument. And since I already have a base in playing the fiddle, naturally, that would be the way to go. I come from a very musical family. Two of my Dad's sister's can play the piano, and come to think of it, I think my late uncle was also a pretty good pianist. My grandfather, who passed away before I was born, was also a very good musician and was able to play multiple instruments. And my great-grandfather was a famous Scottish bard. And then on my mother's side, one of my uncles and all but one of his kids are pretty darn good musicians. So I think it would be great for me to take the fiddle back up and really learn to play. But in all likely hood, once I sober up, I'll forget about it.
What else have I got to talk about? Good episode of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad tonight. I enjoyed them very much so. I haven't heard back from Nexen yet, but I expect they'll call sometime this week. I really hope they invite me for a second round interview. I really want to work for them, and I've got some friends living out in Fort McMurray, so I think I'd be happy out there, though I hear the town is kind of shitty. But I'm willing to go to a shitty town to work for a great employer, especially since I've already got friends out there.
What else can I say? For some reason I've got a strong desire to keep this post going, even though I'm sure none of you will want to read a wall of text. Especially when it's entitled, "Drunken thoughts..." Haha, oh well.
Ah well, I guess I should end this before I start talking about random things I see in the living room. Adios my friends. | | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
| So I had a job interview this afternoon with Nexen Inc about a New Grad Engineering position in Fort McMurray. I think it went relatively well. They asked behavioural questions, which I find tough, but I think I came up with at least decent answers, and I really stressed my interest in Nexen. I'll hear before the end of the month whether I'm invited to the second round interviews in Calgary.
Nexen really sounds like a great place to work. The two guys who interviewed me were really nice, and they said that everyone who works there is great. It's been ranked among the top 50 companies in Canada for the past number of years, and their Core Values really appeal to me. As a New Grad, I'd be on a five year cycle where I do different types of jobs to get a feel for the whole company, they pay $7500 per year for me to take course that would benefit me in the job, and something else that I can't remember off hand. Anyway, it definitely sounds like a great place to start out.
Cross your fingers for me. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| | Security: | | | Subject: | Oh wow. | | Time: | 12:00 am |
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| So I got a Facebook message this morning from a friend of mine that I've been going to school with. She sent me a link to an article about a murder-suicide here in Halifax. To my surprise, it was actually about someone I knew.
Greg Jollimore, one of the technicians who worked for the Mechanical Engineering Department and someone who I had a bit of contact with while I worked on my senior project, has apparently killed himself and his mother in their home sometime late last week. Wow. I was not expecting that.
I always thought Greg was a little weird. But weird in an eccentric kind of way. Not a snap and kill your mother kind of way.
From what I've been able to gather, he had been taking care of his elderly mother. She had Parkinson's Disease which has become worse over the past couple of years. The neighbours say that they loved each other very much, and took care of each other. Many of them think that it might have been a mercy killing. It's hard to say I suppose. There was a note left behind, though the police haven't released what it said, but the fact that they left a note kind of lends credence to the idea of mercy killing. When most people snap and kill their mothers, I doubt they take the time to write a note before offing themselves. You never know, though, I guess.
If any of you are interested, you can read about the murder here. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Security: | | | Subject: | B. Eng. | | Time: | 10:50 pm |
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| Well, my undergrad life is finally over. Well it's actually been over for almost a week, but whatever. My last two exams were kind of tough, but that's really not important. I'm sure I passed both of them, so that's what is important.
I enjoyed a few solid days of partying and celebrating with friends, but now that I've (hopefully) exhausted my desire to party, it's time to seriously start looking for a full time job. Like I mentioned (I think), I applied to Shell Canada, but I need to look into other companies. I'd like to start with a big company with a lot of room to advance and move around. Starting off with basically zero experience, I think it's very important to get on with a good company that will give me lots of valuable training. That way, in a few years if I feel like moving on, I'll have valuable skills.
Aside from some job searching, I've been playing Starcraft quite a bit lately. It really is a great game, and playing it again has got me very excited for Starcraft II.
Anyway, I can't really think of anything else worth mentioning. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Well, I wrote my first of three final exams last night. It was somewhat challenging, but marked out of enough points that I feel I did fine. Plus for the last 15 minutes or so of the test, I attempted to calculate my mark in the class based on what I could remember I got for marks on things, and what I assumed I got on other things. I figure I already had about 50% of the term locked up, so if I did half decently on the final (worth 45%) I should come out with a mark of 80+.
Now I'm just sitting here completely bored by trying to learn Energy Conversion systems. Some parts of the course were interesting, but reading about Integrated Gasification Combined Cycles is painful. I would like to do well on this, since I didn't do so great on the midterm, but there's just so much material to cover that it's hard to pack it all in. Especially when reading some of it makes me want to gouge my eyes out.
Anyway, I've just got 2 more days of school, and then I am completely done forever. I don't think it's quite sunk in yet. After passing in my last assignment last week, someone mentioned that it was just that, the last assignment ever, and I was honestly a little stunned. I've been doing weekly assignments for so long that it was strange to think that I'd never do any more.
I'll soon be entering the real world. I'm actually pretty excited (and somewhat anxious) about that. Making money and having free time sounds like a wonderful experience, and I'm looking forward to it happening. I just need to get myself a job first.
Speaking of jobs, I did speak to a representative from Shell Canada who came to watch our senior design presentations. She was there since Shell had donated money to fund our projects. Anyway, she mentioned that there were a few positions that they were having trouble filling because they weren't exactly in the most exciting locations. But honestly, I think I could deal with that for a while. Plus, once you're in Shell, you can move around a bit, so I'd probably only be stuck wherever for a little while.
Shell really seems like a good company to work for, so I sent the rep my resume and cover letter, and hopefully something comes of it. In the meantime, I guess I'll start looking other places.
Anyway, despite how boring it is, I really need to get back to my studying. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| I'm finding it hard to believe that in about a week I will be done classes forever, and in about another week, I will be done my last exam. After 18 years of school, I will finally be done.
It seems like such a short time ago that I moved away for school, and here I am five years later, and it's all coming to an end. Not that I'm particularly sad. I've never been the hugest fan of school/school work, but it will certainly be different to move off somewhere to work and not see people that I've been going to school with every day for the past number of years.
I'm also a bit nervous about getting a job somewhere. I mean, I know I've learned a lot in the past five years, but at the same time, I don't really know that I have what it takes to be an engineer. I'm sure I'll be fine, but there's always that little doubt.
Speaking of which, I also really need to find a job. I've been totally lazy about looking for one. Ideally I would already have one, but I'm sure I'll get something eventually.
Anyway, enough procrastinating. I need to get back to my report writing. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Yesterday I went to HMV and picked up my copies of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Stargate: The Ark of Truth.
I just finished watching Ark of Truth, and I really liked it. It concludes the Ori saga started in the last two seasons of Stargate SG-1. I've been a fan of Stargate for years now, so it was really nice to see the conclusion of the war with the Ori. Plus, it was just nice to see the team in action again. I'm looking forward to Continuum. It is supposed to release sometime this summer.
I also played about two hours worth of Brawl last night. It was good and bad. The single-player Classic Mode is as fun as ever, and I enjoyed the event matches that I played through. The Subspace Emissary though... Well, I'm not terribly impressed with it.
It kind of felt like a chore to play through. The cut scenes are neat, and when you have to fight one-on-one it's pretty fun, but I wasn't particularly enthused with playing through the levels. It just seemed kind of boring and tedious. Granted, I'm still very early in the game so it could get better.
I also played my first online match. It was terrible. The lag was so intense that I swear my two minute timed match took at least 5 minutes. It was basically unplayable. Then my connection got dropped before the match even finished. Which was actually kind of a relief because I could stop playing, but it doesn't exactly inspire confidence. I hope that I was just connected to someone with a terrible connection and that future matches will be smoother. I certainly hope that I wasn't the one causing the lag, but considering that I have a fairly fast connection, that doesn't seem likely.
I didn't copy down my friend code yet, but I'll do so soon and pass it on to all of you with the game. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | SSBB songs | | Security: | | | Subject: | This and that... | | Time: | 12:25 am | | Current Mood: |  chipper |
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| First off, I've just got to say that the music posted on the Smash Bros website is absolutely fantastic. I'm listening to them right now, and I'm absolutely blown away. And the music is just one of the many things to look forward to for this game. I cannot wait.
I've been doing some debating in the Debate Forum on ZI lately. I go through phases where just make a post every few days, but every once in a while, something comes up to spark my interest and get me posting my thoughts. Right now it's "Why is it okay to be fat, but not to smoke" topic. Good times.
I cut metal with fire the other day. That was pretty cool. The technician that my design group and I were assigned for our project has a plasma torch that he let us use to cut out some pieces for our generator. It's very slick, although the auto-darkening mask kept going from dark to light while I was trying to cut, which was distracting. Apparently if I was in closer to the flame, it wouldn't do that. Something to consider for next time.
Today, the first and second year students from the associated universities came to tour Dal to check out the different disciplines. They do this to help them figure out what they want to specialize in. I'm finding it hard to believe that that use to be me. It seems like it was so long ago, but not long ago at the same time. Anyway, I certainly don't envy the years of hard work they have ahead of them. I've had quite enough of that, thanks.
I really enjoy Stargate Atlantis. It's one of the few shows that I'm excited to watch every week. There's just something about the way they blend humour, drama, action, science fiction, and all kinds of genres together that's extremely appealing to me. I'm also really looking forward to the two direct to video SG-1 movies. I'm interested to see how they resolve things with the Ori.
Speaking of TV, I'm looking forward to the return of Lost next week. It's been so long since I saw that last episode that I barely remember what the show is about, but I do remember that it was awesome. Besides, I'm sure they'll have a recap show to bring me back up to speed. It should be good.
I haven't started looking for a job yet, but I really should. Being paid would be nice.
I don't think I mentioned it before (if I did, I apologize), but Tor and Harriet -- wife to the late James Oliver Rigney, AKA Robert Jordan -- have found a suitable author to finish the Wheel of Time series: Brandon Sanderson. I haven't read any of his work, but Harriet hand-picked him for the job. Apparently he's a big Wheel of Time fan and after reading through the massive amounts of notes that RJ wrote before he passed on, he says that he's very confident that he can get the job done. Obviously, it won't be exactly the same as RJ would have written it, but I'm glad that the series will be completed.
I have yet to complete Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Scareface: The World is Yours, Super Mario Galaxy, Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaro's Treasure, and several GAMECUBE and DS games. Not because I don't like them of course, I just haven't found the time. Even with all these uncompleted games, I still feel the need to go out and buy new ones. I strongly feel that I should run out and buy Medal of Honor 2: Heroes and No More Heroes. I say to myself, "I don't have time to play these games, why would I buy them?" Even with this seemingly logical statement, I really want to go out and buy these games. Maybe I just enjoy collecting them?
Hmmm, well I can't really think of anything else to add. Plus I already wrote a bunch of random things, so I doubt any of you will actually read to the end, so I'll just top here for now. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| It's been a while since I last made an update, so I figured I may as well drop in and say a few things, although i should really be making my lunch for tomorrow/going to bed. Ah well.
Christmas was good. Great to see all the family, and even better to get away from school work for a while. I didn't do anything too exciting beyond play some Wii and eat a lot of food. That's exactly what I needed though, after constantly having work to do for 3 1/2 months.
I didn't do anything for New Years since I was up late the nigh before. My cousin got married. It was a fun wedding. I made good use of the free wine. And, of course, by that I mean I had way too much. It was definitely a fun time though.
One of my sisters that I was living with has moved to North Carolina, so it's just me and my other sister in the house now. I've got lots of room to stretch out now, although its too bad my other sister had to move down south to get work.
I'm back in school now. The first week was decent. Nothing too stressful yet, and my classes are mostly enjoyable. Some of them surprisingly so. I'm currently taking Vibrations, Energy Conversion Systems, Marine Craft Design and Construction, Manufacuring, and my Design Project course.
Vibrations is okay so far, although I'm sure it'll be tough. It deals a lot of things that I learned in Systems I and II, which were both pretty tough. It should be useful though.
Energy Conversion Systems is surprisingly interesting. I really had no idea what the course was when I went into it. I figured it would have to do with calculating energy related things, but so far the prof has just been lecturing about different types of energy that we in the world, its benefits and drawbacks, and things of that nature. It's really quite different from most of my engineering courses, so it's a refreshing change.
Marine Craft Design is about designing boats and whatnot. It seems pretty cool, and instead of a final exam, we'll be designing and building either a miniature boat or ROV which we'll test in the University pool. It'll probably be a bit of work, but it should be fun.
Manufacturing is dull. Very dull, but that's what I expected. Apparently it's pretty easy though, assuming you can memorize things. The problem is is that I haven't really memorized anything in five years, so the ol' memory is probably a bit out of practice.
Design Project is a continuation from my project from last term. My group and I are designing and building a wave powered electricity generator. It's a pretty good class, but it took up a lot of time last term. I don't expect this term to be any different.
I'm looking forward to being done all this school stuff. After almost five years, I'm sick of it, and looking forward to working in the real world. Being paid for doing hard work is much more rewarding than paying a University to make them work you hard. Plus, having free time and disposable income will be a welcome change.
Anyway, I haven't really got anything else interesting to say, so I'll stop here. | | comments: Leave a comment |
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