And now for your daily dose of sap...
..sappy maybe, but happy. :D
Danielle and I.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Strange days
Its been a little while since I've made a post here so I'll make an update here...Danielle came up Monday and stayed here the week. Most of the time we just lazed around here. Watched some TV, watched some movies. Yesterday we hung around with Nathan and Jason for the day, which included a nice 45 minute or so walk in Odell Park. I think come fall I might spend some more time walking in Odell Park as the apartment is pretty close to it. There are biking trails in the park, I think, so I'll get on those perhaps. Also Nathan & Jason invited me to join them at the gym next year so hopefully it'll become a regular thing and I just might get myself back into some semblance of good shape. Who knows, we'll see... Speaking of the apartment, we met with the landlord yesterday and staked our claim to it. He will contact Jason in mid-July to arrange for signing on to the lease which will run from August-August. Spiffy.
On the job front I'm still waiting to hear back from DNR. They said it would be within 10 days and so far its been 7. I emailed the contact at DOT and he said that he doesn't have a summer student this year and that other summer students they've hired are starting like next week, but he did give me a phone number for HR to call and see about a job.
In the uni department I have 3/4 of my marks back. Not so great, I'm afraid. I got a B in tech com which is great. I got an F in structures which isn't entirely unexpected. I emailed the prof and he said that if I get all the work I still owe in the class in to him I can appeal the mark and go from there. For strengths I received an INC, which as you can guess means 'incomplete'. I don't know exactly what that is supposed to mean. I did everything for the class that was assigned. Because I (along with many many other people in civil, apparently) used solutions to assist in our assignments for classes he finally snapped at me and threatened to report me to the registrar. Other people I've talked to about this have said that profs say that all the time but never go through, but this is looking like he actually went through with it. I have no one else to blame for this situation but myself, but if I am going to be penalized for using solutions then there are a whole helluva lot of other people out there that should suffer the same fate as I know I'm not alone. I'm going to contact the prof and see what's going on...
A buddy of mine in GE has stated that the week he graduates he's going to go out and buy a truck. I got a kick out of that when he first mentioned it but lately I've been giving some thought to doing the same thing myself. This seems like a fun thing to do, given that upon graduation I start a steady job and there are incentives and discounts for graduates to purchase/lease new vehicles. The only thing is... I'm not considering a Ford. People who know me well will be gasping in disbelief right about now, I'm sure. But these days I'm getting disillusioned with Ford. Don't get me wrong, I'm a diehard Ford fan. But all the Ford vehicles I love are the old ones. With the 04 redesign, Ford murdered the F150. The F250 still looks spiffy but its way too much truck for me. The Ranger is okay, but the design is still essentiall the same as in 1983, not much has been changed; the technological underpinnings are exactly the same. Ford has been promising a Ranger redesign for years and years and they claim a new Ranger will be out for 2008, but I don't know anymore. The Explorers are nice and the Sport Trac as well, but just not nice enough. I hate to say it, but the truck I'm considering purchasing/leasing upon graduation is....
A 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche. Well, when I graduate the 2008 models should be out, but they'll probably look exactly the same. The Avalanche looked rather ugly at the start with all the plastic body cladding but really, its a rather versatile truck. This redesign (a completely new platform; pay attention Ford) makes the Avalanche look oh so sexy. A Z71 version is reported for fourth quarter 2006 which would make it mid-model year, essentially. By May 2008 I think the new Avalanche will be firmly established. I actually got the chance to drive an Avalanche once, a 2003 model I think it was. It was a very nice drive and the truck itself is rather comfortable front and back. Plus with the midgate and the three-piece tonneau cover it is possible to comfortably sleep two people in this thing and still be protected from the elements! Supernifty. For my interests and line of work I need a truck that is comfortable but still capable offroad. And after taking an 04 F150 offroad into the field last summer, I am sad to say that without significant modification (ie a lift kit) the new F150 just isn't very capable offroad. Although I will admit that I don't know how well an Avalanche does offroad, but I would imagine that it fares better than the F150 (seems to be higher off the ground [well, the Z71 version maybe]). Maybe I'm just naïve to think that modern trucks are capable offroad without modifications (well, except maybe Jeep Wranglers). But even still, one purchases a new vehicle for the reliability and not needing to worry about buying parts and major things for a while. And taking that into consideration, out of all the trucks currently offered by all the auto manufacturers, the 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche is the only one that I really like.
The last point I'd like to address is where I see myself in the next 3 years or so. I've always found myself drawn to the west coast. Whenever I see pictures of scenery in BC I'm always amazed. Its just so beautiful. Last night Danielle and I watched the Battlestar Galactica miniseries and I commented on how I love the view from Baltar's house on Caprica. Having been out to Vancouver for the summer three years ago, she assured me that that sort of view is not an uncommon sight. I have since learned that Baltar's house is in Lion's Bay, which is just around the corner from Vancouver. Also, Jonah has informed me on a few occasions that I need to move out to the west coast. Not the US west coast, as I don't particularly have any interest in living/working in the US as current trends go. Also, it is rather difficult to get a license to practice in the US as each state has different rules and regulations and requirements whereas it is somewhat smoother to transfer an engineering practice from province to province in Canada. So. In 3 years I see myself graduated (hopefully) and gainfully employed with an engineering company or consulting firm in BC somewhere, possibly Vancouver or Victoria area. And with a shiny new Avalanche, of course. Still undecided if I would buy it locally and drive/ship the truck out or buy it out there. Might be better on the truck to save it a cross-country journey, but that sort of driving is best done with a brand new vehicle...
And wow this is a very long post.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
*happy dance*
Today I am a very happy man. Quite possibly the happiest man I know. Her name is Danielle, and she's my girlfriend....Also, I called DNR today and set up an interview for Thursday. Haven't heard back from Knight Piésold yet so I guess I'll just go with DNR again. I don't know if I'll end up in Bathurst (good cause they pay for lodging and food, bad cause I'd be away from D all summer :'( ) or Fredericton (good cause I'll be closer to D but bad cause I have to pay for food and lodging). Each location has its advantages and disadvantages, but I'd much rather be in Fredericton as they tend to keep summer students on in the fall. Score!
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Birthday Meme (no, not today...)
It's the Birthday Meme! You go to Wikipedia and pull up the article on your birthday. Give three neat facts, two shared birthdays, and one death. So, for me (14 September) we have:3 Neat Facts:
The British Empire adopts the Gregorian calendar, skipping eleven days (the previous day was 2 September) (1752)
The Soviet probe Luna 2 crashes onto the Moon, becoming the first man-made object to reach it (1959)
Joe Kittinger becomes the first person to fly a hot air balloon alone across the Atlantic Ocean (1984) <--Actual birthday
3 Bonus Facts:
French grenadiers enter Moscow (1812)
Mexican-American War: Winfield Scott captures Mexico City (1847)
Republican government declared in Russia (1917)
2 Shared Birthdays:
Walter Koenig, American actor (1936)
Jesse G. James, American motorcycle builder and TV host (1969)
2 Bonus Birthdays:
Claudius Claussön Swart, Danish geographer (1388)
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, German alchemist (1486)
1 Death:
William McKinley, 25th President of the United States (assassinated) (1901)
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Allain St. Coeur ( 19?? - 2006)
At 7:40 pm this evening, my uncle Allain passed away. He was surrounded by his family at his home.Allain had been diagnosed with prostate cancer a few years back and has been battling it ever since. Unfortunately he lost that battle. At least now his suffering is over.
I am sad to say that I was never very close with my aunt Juanita and Allain; Juanita is my mom's oldest sister but was raised by my great-aunt. As such, they live up on the north shore and I never spent much time up there. I didn't know Allain well and now I never will.
Rest in peace, Allain.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
But I want to be a Canadian city...
| You Are Austin |
 A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll. You're totally weird and very proud of it. Artistic and freaky, you still seem to fit in... in your own strange way. Famous Austin residents: Lance Armstrong, Sandra Bullock, Andy Roddick |
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
stupid day
What a day.Get up, get ready, go to uni. Left a little late so traffic was horrible. 0830 class was as good as it can be, considering the time. After class went to see Bischoff regarding the group design project for strengths. My group waited until the weekend before the project was due and I was unavailable the whole weekend (ended up getting stuck home for a bit) so I couldn't contribute to the final project. As a result he gave me a similar assignment to do on my own and pass in tomorrow to him.
After that I had to go see mom at the Aliant office in town as she was there working for the day. Picked up my new insurance card so I'm legal to drive. She asked me to check a tire on her car as it was flat this morning and dad pumped it up. Well, turns out it was rim-on-the-ground flat so I had to wrestle with the car's jack and put the donut on. I swear I've never operated a more annoying jack. Plus it was slightly wet out, so it wasn't the most pleasant of experiences. Got the donut on and drove to Canadian Tire to see about getting it fixed (the tire is theirs and less than a year old). They said I needed to make an appointment. Screw that, I drove back to the Aliant office. I tell you, after driving Max for a month it was weird to drive my mom's car. It felt so different and I didn't have to concentrate to drive at all; scary!
Once I got that all sorted out I went back to uni to eat my lunch and then write the structures lab exam. That was pretty much a gong show. I hope to god Joe will be nice and give me some marks for what I wrote down cause there's not much there. I pwned the stereonet questions, though.
On the way home I stopped at my Subway to try out the new garlic bread and mozza cheese. That shiznit is good, yo. Mom called while I was there; turns out I locked the key in her car. I knew something like that would happen, which is why I wanted to give the key to her directly. Dad ended up having to come up with the other key which is kinda silly as either a) I could have tried to get into the car and b) the car is leased and has roadside assistance... they could have fixed the tire in the first place! argh
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Weekend Update Redux
Saturday was a good day. I only worked 5 hours and during those 5 hours I made one sub. And I ate it. When I arrived at work there were 5 people; we only need 3 to man the store during rushes. So Scott promptly left and I buzzed about doing miscellaneous stuff that needed doing.When I got off I left for Saint John. Ended up getting to Jason's before Jason. The murder mystery was a grand old time, complete with accents and everything. Had quite the twist on it this time and no one figured out who the killer was (even though all the characters were cast). After the murder mystery a bunch of us went to see Ice Age: The Meltdown which was absolutely hilarious (I ♥ Scrat).
Sunday started off with me taking the hood off Max. Then we tooled around underneath installing a new fuel filter and fiddling with the winshield washer motor. Put the new hood on and then tried to change the CD player. Turns out the plugs were different than what we had so I went into town to buy the proper plug. As luck would have it, no one had the right plug that I needed. So I'm stuck with the factory CD player that doesn't like to behave. Although the CD changer is now properly installed so it works great. Sunday night I decided to see what Max would look like without reflectors. This began the intensive process of ripping apart the interior in the trunk and eventually the drilling of holes to get at screws. Seeing as how we went to all this effort we made the decision to paint the reflectors black and Max looks a lot better now.
Monday I got a hold of my insurance agents and had to go into town again to sign a new application for insurance. I am now insured with the Facility Association, the last ditch hope for those searching for car insurance. Rate increase from $1752/yr to $2156/yr. And I need to come up with some $800 to pay off ING and make the downpayment for Facility. Go me.
Monday night I went to see V for Vendetta again with Andrea and Jesse. It was better than the first time as I was expecting things and noticed little things I hadn't before. Can't wait for it to come out on DVD.