Where Dustbunnies Go To Die

E minus 19 hours, 41 minutes.

*bounce* *bounce* *bounce*

It's been a busy and long week... so long that I'm almost too exhausted to think about what I want to post. I've had six straight days of four or fewer hours of sleep - I'm looking forward to going to bed shortly and not getting up until noon or so.

For those who asked in my last post (to which I haven't had a chance to respond), if it wasn't obvious, yes, I took the job that I was offered. I had a few concerns, but in the current job market I didn't feel comfortable turning down a job that I was so well qualified for after my last two years.

(Plus, I still haven't received the Record Of Employment that I was supposed to get within five days of being laid off from my old job, and without it I wouldn't have been able to collect unemployment... that's another good reason for jumping at the offer. I expect that I'll have to spend several weeks nagging them for it, along with the severance they owe me.)

Anyway, the new job is going reasonably well - apparently my work has been impressive. On one of my projects, after the first week I was already ahead of the person who had been working on it for three months (who is no longer there). And I'm enjoying what I'm doing, which is important.

The other project I was assigned to, however, was a bit of a pain. I won't go into details, but the changes I had to make added up to a grand total of roughly ten lines of code. However, the state in which the project had been left by the previous developer (who is also no longer with the company) was such that I couldn't figure out how to deploy my changes. It took a full week, and the input of five or six other people, to figure out what was going on and to get my changes into the demo system. But now that the problem has been solved, hopefully it won't happen again.

The one drawback is that the commute is roughly the same length as my previous commute (about an hour and a half each way), but they're being stricter about hours - I have to get to the office for 8:30 in the morning, which means I have to be up by about 6:30. I am sooooo not a morning person.

I spent most of evenings this week working on Polaris stuff, in preparation for today's scheduling meeting. We held it a few weeks earlier this year, in the hope of giving ourselves more time to respond to the inevitable requests from panelists for changes. As a result, there are a lot of panels in the schedule which currently don't have anyone signed up for them yet - so if you're coming to the con, please consider being a panelist. If you're not yet pre-registered, by signing up as a panelist you become eligible for a discount of $10 per panel. The panel list is here - it still contains some panels that didn't make the schedule today, but they will be removed from the list shortly.

Actually, preparing the grids was an interesting experience this year. I had ordered some paper from a company out in Brampton. Because they deliver, I had the shipment sent to my office address. I knew it would be heavy and awkward - it was a 50-pound roll, after all, four feet wide and 720 feet long. (It cost about the same as last year's roll, which was only just enough for what we needed - this, OTOH, will probably last ten years.) When it arrived, I needed help getting it to my cubicle, so I called Declan and asked if he would help me get it home. He agreed, and picked me up after work on Wednesday.

Then travellingone came over Thursday night. We put the roll on my dining room table in order to unroll it, measuring pieces as we went. We needed four pieces, each about seven or eight feet long. So each of us put our arms into the centre spindle in order to lift and rotate the roll so that the paper would unroll, then we cut off what we needed. I now have a bruise the size of a large egg on the inside of my left forearm from where I was putting pressure when lifting the roll... ouch.

Once the pieces were cut, we laid them out on my living room floor and knelt down to draw the gridlines on. Of course, neither of us owned a long ruler, so we ended up using the edge of the box the roll came in so that the lines would be straight. However, we didn't anticipate killing a Sharpie and two highlighters in the process of drawing the lines. We managed to get through it by about 12:45 or so, though.

We've added some new guests and events in the last little while:

• Claudia Black, of Stargate SG-1 and Farscape, will be appearing Friday and Saturday.


• Authors Ursula Pflug, Rob St. Martin, Kate Story and Erik Buchanan have been added (in Erik's case, we actually announced him a while ago but didn't get him on the website until this week).


• The Shadow Cats, Toronto's Repo! The Genetic Opera shadow cast, will be performing Friday evening, after Opening Ceremonies.


• The Writers' Workshop, which is being conducted this year by Eddie Schneider of JABberwocky Literary Agency (representatives for Violette Malan, Charlaine Harris, Brandon Sanderson, Tanya Huff, Simon R. Green, and Elizabeth Moon), will take place Sunday.


• In place of our usual Martial Arts workshops, we are offering a Tai Chi workshop on Saturday and a Yoga workshop on Sunday.

And we're still working on more. It's going to be a great con this year. (Well, I think it's a great con every year, but I may be biased. ;) )

Today's scheduling meeting was supposed to start at 9, but because of some changes in the way we decided to run the meeting this year, we didn't actually get to work until about 10. It didn't help that it started pouring out while I was on my way. The grids got a little damp despite my umbrella - I was walking along and thinking, "There's no way this can get any worse." And then the rain's intensity doubled. I arrived just in time to avoid the hailstorm that followed, fortunately.

I was obviously sleep-deprived because at one point whitesangria was putting Post-Its on the wall for the actor guests and I thought I heard something about David Nickle's signing. Since David is an author and is not whitesangria's responsibility (travellingone and I look after the author guests), I was confused and asked, "Why are you putting David Nickle's signing up?" Of course, she was putting up David Nykl, not David Nickle... I knew that was going to cause confusion, but I didn't think I would be the one getting confused. Once we realized my mistake, we all had a good laugh about it.

While we didn't set a speed record this year in terms of being finished early, the actual amount of time spent working on the schedule probably was less than ever before as we were working at a rather leisurely pace and even took a lunch break. And then, after we were done, whitesangria barbecued for those of us who didn't have to leave early. Overall, it was a relatively pleasant way to spend a day even if I did have to get up at 8 this morning after not getting to bed until 5:30. (My Inbox had exploded in the previous 48 hours or so, from 160 emails to well over 300, and I hadn't had time to deal with it.)

I'd like to acknowledge everyone who came today and has worked so hard on putting the schedule together: travellingone for being a voice of calm, whitesangria for hosting and cooking in addition to her scheduling duties, dx4 and his brother Nik for being our IT and data entry department, nexstarman and indefatigable42 (who took on responsibility for assetic's panels in addition to their own and who gave me a ride home afterwards), Declan, plaidlibrarian, cuteteenboy, Trevor, yellow_freshia, Monique M., kaelsu2, rockgoddes, ladygiggles and protegeboy, who dropped kaelsu2 off, then returned later and contributed to the group dinner after we were done. If I missed anyone, I apologize...

In other news from the past week, I spent a couple of very pleasant evenings online with Eric. We watched the final Dead Like Me episode last night, so that just leaves the movie. Only ten more days until he's here!

Oh, and I finally managed to get my hands on the deluxe edition of the new Pet Shop Boys album, Yes, this week. I haven't had a chance to listen to the whole thing yet, but I already have had a couple of the songs stick in my head for several hours each. (Love Etc. is particularly insidious that way. Beautiful People is pretty good, too, as is All Over The World, which incorporates music from The Nutcracker, of all things.)

I was so deliriously happy about finally getting the PSB album that I also picked up Depeche Mode's new album, Boston Legal S5 and Caprica. I haven't done anything with them yet, though - I'm saving Caprica for Eric's visit, since we watched BSG together. He's already told me that he wants our next shared viewing experience to be Lost, though, which should be interesting - I haven't gone back and rewatched the earlier episodes since the writers started peeling back some of the layers and providing explanations for some of the earlier events. I think it will be interesting to rewatch some of those earlier episodes, knowing more about what's going on.

I think it's time to go to bed now... I'm starting to have trouble keeping my eyes open, and if I have to get up around noon, that's only 11 hours away. ;)

I feel like I've spent all weekend sitting in front of the computer. I managed to get through 14 of the 21 outstanding items on my Anticipation "to do" list, and several of the items currently outstanding are dependent upon the answer to an email I sent this afternoon. (I think there may be one item that isn't.) I also got some Polaris stuff done, and tested the CUFF ballot website (there's a slight snag there, and I've asked dx4 to give my code a look as everything looks like it should work correctly), and sent out a couple of emails pertaining to Gaylaxicon. Overall, I've sent out 71 85 emails since yesterday afternoon, and processed roughly 120 that came in. I have a few Polaris things I want to attend to before going to bed. (Yes, I'm already thinking about bed. Having to get up at 6 in the morning does that to a person.)

The only thing I didn't get done this weekend was going for a haircut - I called the salon that my stylist moved to a couple of months ago, but apparently they're closed on Sundays. And Mondays. Since I'll be in Montreal next Saturday, and have the Polaris programming scheduling meeting the following Saturday, it's going to be another three weeks before I have a chance to get it done. (I thought about calling to see if ghostleegirl was working today, but decided instead to attack my overdue To Do lists. It is getting rather desperate, though.)

The last few days before the weekend were kind of tiring as well - but starting a new job is always a bit overwhelming for me (and probably for most people) until I get used to a new routine. I met so many new people on Thursday and Friday that I'm thinking it will take me months to remember any of their names (aside from cuteteenboy, whom I already knew, of course). I'm already quite busy there, though - no time to get used to things!

I've been saving up a few things to share, that I've seen in various places around the web.

First, I'm surprised that nobody has picked up the story that Gillian Anderson is being approached to be on Doctor Who. The producers apparently want her to appear as the Rani. That will be cool, if it comes to fruition.

Second, I forget who posted this link initially (though it looks like something ozreison may have linked to), but someone has knitted a Guitar Hero scarf, depicting a section of the song "Hotel California". The knitter is willing to do custom orders for US$45.

Third, in the latest instance of epic fail, some fanfic writer with delusions of grandeur named Lady Sybilla, claiming that copyright should not exist because all ideas come from the collective unconscious, is taking it upon herself to write a sequel to Twilight called Russet Noon. Peter David - described by this writer as "a comic-book author and Trekkie geek who refuses to retire and is still trying to be a hero after all these years" - has started a communal response. A group of people are writing a Twilight parody, in 500-word increments, to mock this writer's efforts. The parody's title is Potato Moon, and the first three parts have been posted on Peter David's blog, here. (Alternatively, you can get all of the posts except for part 3 together here.)

And now to check my email, deal with one outstanding Polaris item, and check my email again one last time before getting ready for bed...

I had yet another doctor appointment this morning... I had been told that this one was a geneticist, and that he would be dealing with the preliminary diagnosis of hemachromatosis. It turned out that he was actually a hematologist (blood specialist).

I arrived at about 8:50 for my 9 o'clock appointment (having slept through 20 minutes of my alarm beeping at me and woken up at 7:50) and managed to find the correct area. I would have been earlier had I gotten off at the first bus stop instead of continuing on to the stop at the main entrance of the hospital (this doctor works in the cancer ward at Sunnybrook), but I didn't know that until after I arrived and asked at Reception. It took until about 9:20 before they actually saw me (how can they already be behind schedule at that time of day?), first by a 4th-year medical student who took my blood pressure (I think she said it was 108/71), listened to my heart and lungs, and tapped all over my stomach like it was a melon she was checking for freshness. (It even sounded like she was tapping a melon.)

Then the doctor came in and we talked for a while about what I'd been experiencing, and what the test results showed. He didn't seem to have a final diagnosis yet either, though, and they didn't have anything about the results of the heart test from a month or so ago. So they sent me off... to have more blood taken. Yay. This time, they only filled six vials.

He did tell me that the simplest treatment for hemachromatosis is regular phlebotomy... or taking blood to reduce the amount of iron in my body. This may be why I stopped feeling faint after they started doing all the blood work. If that's the case, then I guess it's time to bring on the leeches. ;)

My next appointment - barring getting the results from the cardiologist in the meantime - is in about six weeks. Fun, wow.

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In job hunting-related news, I have an interview tomorrow out in Mississauga. Wish me luck!

For any who are interested, tonight's episode of CSI will feature a murder at a science fiction convention (depending on whom you believe, it's either a Trek con or a Galaxy Quest con). The guest cast includes:

• Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh on BSG) as Dr. Penelope Russell


• Michael Welch (Young Jack O'Neill on Stargate SG-1, Luke on Joan of Arcadia and Artim in Star Trek: Insurrection) as Steuben Lorenz


• Joshua Cox (Lieutenant Corwin on Babylon 5) as "Commander Artemis Bishop"


• Ronald D. Moore (creator of BSG and former Trek producer) as himself


• Arne Starr (comic book artist) as "Convention Artist Guest"

CSI isn't normally a show I watch (though if there's nothing else on and it happens to be on the channel I'm watching, I don't bother changing the channel), but I may try to check this episode out.

Hopefully they'll do a better job than they did with the furry episode a couple of years ago...

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On the job hunting front, I applied for another one today (a mainframe job at CIBC), and one last night before I went to bed (a web developer position, using PHP). That brings my total to 38 so far.

CNN reports that People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals have asked the Pet Shop Boys to change their name.

Their suggestion? "Rescue Shelter Boys".

That's almost as stupid as the whole "sea kitten" debacle from a few months ago.

Someone over at TrekBBS made the comment, "I didn't even know they were still around." Their new album is #3 on the Billboard charts... the first single, "Love etc.", is #8.

Y'know, if you're going to run an organization that has enough of a public profile to warrant a website, you should probably put some type of contact information, or a contact form, somewhere on the site. Or do you not want people contacting you?

It's nice that you want to tell us who won your award each year. But it wouldn't kill you to tell people who are trying to co-ordinate other awards ceremonies how to reach you so that you can, just maybe, get a wider profile for your award... would it?

We've just announced a new guest: Michael Hogan, who played Colonel Tigh on Battlestar Galactica!



I have to admit, a year ago I wouldn't have been all that excited, but now that I've watched the show... woohoo!

He joins David Nykl (Dr. Zelenka on Stargate: Atlantis) and authors:

R.J. Anderson
Stephanie Bedwell-Grime
Erik Buchanan
Julie E. Czerneda
Gemma Files
Matthew LeDrew
Lesley Livingston
Karin Lowachee
Derwin Mak
Violette Malan
David Nickle
Michelle Rowen
Douglas Smith

There should be another guest announcement soon - keep your eyes on the website!

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In other news, the job hunt continues. So far I've applied to 30 jobs and been in touch with 10 recruiters, plus I've updated my resume on a number of job hunting websites. I got an email today from one of the recruiters asking me if I'm available for a phone call Thursday morning.

I also got a call from my doctor's office today - I have an appointment over at Sunnybrook on April 20. Presumably this relates to the genetic tests that were being done.

And I'm having another bit of fun with Future Shop and HMV - this time I'm trying to get my hands on the 2-disc edition of the new Pet Shop Boys album. It was supposed to come out on March 23, but nobody around here seemed to get it on time. The 2-disc version was pushed back to April 3, but again nobody was getting it then. HMV was supposed to get it today, but all I could find was one copy of the 1-disc version. The woman helping me said, "It should be in by the end of the week." Oy. Here we go again...

I had a phone call this morning from a recruiter regarding a PHP position, and a meeting this afternoon with another recruiter (the one thefrenchmaid put me in touch with). The meeting went well, and he thinks that he might be able to help given my experience and knowledge. *fingers crossed*

(It was strange, though, how much he reminded me of Eric - between his height, and the fact that he was wearing a brown jacket, as was Eric when we were in Chattanooga. The recruiter is a bit older, though.)

After the meeting, I got home and spent about two hours fighting with Vista. I'd been keeping the list of positions I've applied to in an Excel spreadsheet, saving it after adding each new application. However, I didn't realize that I'd never started by saving it to a real folder on my laptop, and since I'd started it on my desktop and emailed it to myself, I'd been saving it in the Temporary Internet Files folder. Before emailing the list to the recruiter (which he'd asked me to do so that he doesn't submit me for any positions I'd already applied for), I had closed Excel. Now, do you think Vista would let me see the contents of the Temporary Internet Files folder? Of course not! I managed to change the settings so that I could see the files in the folder, but the Excel file was in a subfolder that wasn't visible. (I figured this out by re-downloading the older version from my email, clicking "Save As" and seeing where the save dialog started. I could see the other version I'd saved there, but I couldn't see it in Windows Explorer.)

It took me quite a while to figure out how to get Excel to re-open the version that was in the temporary folder - I was *this* close to just redoing the whole thing. Whew!

(Say what you like about Windows, but at least in XP I've never had to go through that much rigmarole just to find a file. Even the Search function wouldn't find the file. Argh.)

Apart from that, though, I haven't really done a whole lot today. Part of that may have been because I spent too much time making myself look good before I went to the meeting (I think it took me about an hour and a half to get out of the apartment today), and because I left about 40 minutes earlier than I really needed to, since I was walking to his office. It's fairly close, so it wasn't a big deal - it took me about 15 minutes, and it was a nice day. Besides, I didn't bother to buy a Metropass for April.

That actually feels really weird - I think I was even buying passes during my last bout of unemployment, just for the convenience. Convenience is one thing, but $109 is a lot of money to spend when I'm not planning on making at least 40 trips this month. I'll just buy tokens to use when I do have to go somewhere that's too far to walk.

Now for some levity... admit it, huntingdon, this is how you went to work yesterday, isn't it? Admit it, this is you:



(Thanks to neoengel, who found the image here.)

I just got word via redeem147 and elizard100 that Andy Hallett, who played Lorne, the demon who ran the karaoke bar on "Angel", has passed away of heart failure at the age of 33. He lived pretty hard, from what I know, but even still, he was far too young.

R.I.P., Andy.