In 2008, OC Transpo drivers went on strike, effectively shutting much of the city down, during two of the most demanding months of the year–specificly, November and December. OC Transpo management doesn’t want a repeat of such a thing. So, as an attempt to counter any future strike activity, OC Transpo will risk locking out the unionized drivers and mechanics as a negotiation tactic. Thus, effectively, shutting down much of the city. Someone do explain? Please? The logic behind that just completely and totally escapes me. Either way, the bus system comes to a screaming hault. Either way, folks end up not being able to get to work, do their shopping, or otherwise do the things that need doing. And, drivers and mechanics who’re affected still get strike pay. So what’s this here supposed to prevent, again? Someone wanna maybe straighten that out for me? I think I skipped that class in highschool. And college.
-
So let me see if I understand this.
-
The almost not quite maybe not interview.
For approximately 24 hours, I flirted with the prospect of maybe having something that vaguely resembled employment when I got back from Rochester. I received an email from what I assume is an HR person from the Canadian Automobile Asociation (CAA), specificly their north east Ontario branch, requesting an interview. I’d had one with them a bit over a month ago, which ended up going not entirely badly. I figured this would be about the same–possibly a little better, depending on whether or not they were considering it my second in the series of interviews they typically do pre hiring. Since she didn’t say, I assumed she didn’t but there was that possibility.
There was just one very small, minor, niggling little problem. I’m in Rochester until the 24th of the month. Not against my will in the slightest–one tends to be a lot more willing to do things like that when one’s significant other has a crapload of events coming up over the course of the next week or so. The problem arose when I brought that up to miss interview chick. She had her heart set on interviewing everyone, in person, this Friday. And she wanted to interview me, in person, this Friday. Not opposed to that, I told her I’d love to–but I’m out of the country so could we do it by phone instead? Apparently not. “I prefer to do interviews in person,” was her officially and formally written way of telling me it wasn’t really open for negotiation. She included a halfway attempt at appeasing me by offering to try and squeeze me in next week. I told her again, sure, but we’d have to do it over the phone. I got another diplomaticly written response this morning, which escentially translated to thanks but no thanks.
Folks, I’m not hard to work things around as long as I have adequate notice and am not in the middle of other, more important things. I’m not even opposed to shuffling things around so I might be able to fit some new engagement or priority in at near last minute–provided the shuffle won’t result in more of a headache than just leaving it alone. But for all my flexibility and ability to actually survive a schedule that changes more often than I change my socks, I still can’t appear to be in two places at once. If in the course of a conversation I inform you I can’t do what you want when you want due to unavoidable physical limitations–such as, for example, my inability to fly from here to Ottawa for the interview, that should not translate to my saying I’d be more than happy to rewrite a week of already made plans for the sake of what may amount to a 20-minute interview. If I can’t show up until the end of the month, I can’t show up until the end of the month. If there are alternatives, and I provide them, I’m no longer the reason things didn’t get accomplished if you then refuse said alternatives. I prefer to do my interviewing in person too. However, that wasn’t an option for this one. Inability or unwillingness to adapt on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine. Now, then. Where’d I put my other applications?
-
Maple Leafs 3, Senators 2.
This team just continues to be full of surprises. Not just any old surprises though, but surprises that actually don’t make me want to reach for the bottle of vodka sitting on Jessica’s counter. The Kessel line, including Kessel himself, is slightly less of a surprise now–they were involved, once again, in a large part of the winning efforts last night. Amazing what happens when your top line actually starts to play like your top line. Two weeks ago, we hadn’t won a single game at home. Now we’ve won four straight, including against a team who, and it leaves a god aweful taste in my mouth to admit it, owned the hell out of us for a couple years. God it feels good. And better still, I get to say something I haven’t gotten to say in quite a while. Suck it, Sens fans.
Last time
They beat a very different team a month ago, by a score identical to that with which we won last night–except the 3 was on the wrong side of the scoreboard. We hadn’t quite had our feet under us at that point–hell, I don’t even think the team had any idea which way was up at that point. They dished up not their first generous helping of crow that night. Only fair we should return the favour. I still don’t know exactly how good we were last night, but I’m damn sure we were better than a month ago. Sometimes, I absolutely love this game.
-
Roy leaves the Jays, but at least he took my advice.
He’d been threatening to do so according to a report or two for at least a month. Now, he’s done it. Roy Halladay, apparently effective as of this morning, is no longer a Bluejay. In a 3-way deal he ended up going to Philadelphia. On the bright side, we can still cheer for him without feeling dirty for also cheering for the Yankees or Redsox. I mentioned in response to someone’s comment last month that I’d much rather he find himself in the NL. Thank you so very much, Roy Halladay, for taking my advice. You may be too good for today’s Bluejays, but you’re way too good for those other two teams. We’ll miss ya, but at least we won’t have to curse ya.
-
Maple Leafs 6, Capitals 3.
Hang on a sec. We won? Again? Three straight? At home? That can’t be right. I mean, I checked and double checked the score–I couldn’t exactly watch Saturday’s game on account of I was busy having a weekend get together, but… still, that can’t be right. Not that I’m complaining, but this year’s team just doesn’t do that kinda thing. Toronto’s top line, who shall now until Ron Wilson switches it around be known as Kessel and company, actually got offensive? Well, I guess anything’s possible. They play Ottawa tonight, and with this habbit of running off with 2 points recently developed, I actually might be looking forward just a tiny bit to watching the game. Maybe. God I hope I don’t end up regretting that. We may be trying a little harder to win, but I do believe my inner pesimist is showing.
-
Weekend randomness, and ODSP is ultra evil.
The latter is obvious to anyone who’s actually using the service, but I’ll get to that momentarily. Jess and I spent the majority of this weekend thus far kicked back and relaxing. She graduates on Thursday, so we’re sort of trying to gear up for that. Also, because we haven’t really had a weekend where we can just sort of not do a whole lot of anything that often since I came down here. Friday was taken up largely with music, dancing, awesome food and a little alcohol. We turned the majority of her living room into a dance floor, and just had ourselves a slow dance or 4. We ordered from a new–to me, anyway–restaurant, It’s all about me, Jessica, musings, random crap, rantings
-
Bruins 5, Maple Leafs 2.
It’s safe to say it. We sucked. By end of second, we were eating a 3 0 disadvantage that didn’t get a whole lot better in the third. We got within one, and that was it. It wouldn’t have been quite as bad, but the fifth of five was an empty-net gimmy that Ron gambled would maybe manage somehow to pull off the scoring of 2 goals in a minute. With this team? Hell of a gamble, Ron.
Last time
I have no problem saying this either. On their last meeting, we sucked even worse. We were down by a couple more before we finally got the first one in the back of the net–and it didn’t even dent their lead. If I had to guess, and fortunately for my sanity I don’t, I’d say we really really don’t like playing Boston. Or at least, not *in* Boston. But, they don’t pay me to guess. And I know better.
-
The blog now has a new face.
After just over a month, I’ve hit the redesign button. Switched out the old theme, and giving this one a try. Not sure how much different it’ll actually be, but this is it for now. If it turns out the theme absolutely sucks beyond any and all belief, I still have the old one. Mostly though, I’m just using it as an excuse to change styles the lazy way. Oh yeah, and this one does threaded comments. Can’t argue with that.
-
I see a darwin award in your near future.
I’m not sure if this is normal for Ukraine, but it’s WTF-worthy in Canada. A chemistry student, mistaking an explosive powder for citric acid, dipped his bubble gum into it. And then, quite promptly, blew half his face off. I’m all for trying new and unusual things from time to time, but I don’t know that I’d of been one to add a little citric flavouring to the thing. That he wasn’t paying all that close attention when he was doing it? I see a darwin award in the not too distant future.
-
Winter tries to say hello to Rochester. Finally.
There’s about a 6-hour drive between Ottawa and Rochester, where I’ve been spending the last few weeks, which one would think wouldn’t amount to a whole lot of difference weather-wise–when we’re freezing, they’re usually freezing. But there’s been a winter trend that, until just yesterday and today, has been trying to buck the usual tradition. Winter has been playing head games with us. It teased us near to the beginning of November. And just when I thought we might escape the month snow free, not quite. And now, well into the month of December, we finally get serious about winter.
Ottawa got hammered yesterday with its first major snow storm of the year, as did the Pembroke area. And, surprising the hell out of me, as did Rochester. We’re still catching it good out there right now, and I’d be laying money on roads not being very fun to drive on this morning. It played with Ottawa and Pembroke, teased us up there, then finally decided to have at it. It didn’t once touch Rochester all month, but when it finally did, I do believe it made up for the teasing. Ladies and gentlemen, fans of Christmas everywhere can now relax. Winter has screwed your travel plans.