Sunday 17 February 2008

"Why do we always come here? I guess we'll never know. It's like a kind of torture, to have to watch this show...."

Feb 11th - Hear that phone ringing?

Worked the early shift today, nothing special really, just another day and another dollar made. I did set up a telephone for my Internet phone service in the evening. Months ago, Mike had found me a lovely old-style telephone which I kept after moving out here. I now have it and another phone plugged into my Vonage service, so that calls made to me here will ring with that lovely old-style bells-banging sound. Can you say nostalgia? Beats rap ringtones any day, IMHO.

Feb 12th - Cheap movies around the corner


I was up earlier than I'd have liked today, as I had to figure note which busto take to work this morning. Actually had to take two buses, the one that runs past my apartment and swapping to another one I was not familiar with. Fortunately, they have an excellent transit guide here in Victoria, so I was able to pick the correct route without too much trouble. It was actually easier than I thought, and I learned a few things while waiting at the bus stop: a few folks were talking about the markets on Yates, right across the street. Although expensive, there is apparently quite a good variety of fresh fruit and other delicacies not found elsewhere in the city. I may have to stop there another day and have a look, as I have driven past there dozens of times and never bothered to stop. Just goes to show you there's always something new just around the corner.
Work was okay today; I enjoyed working at another branch for a change, even though I'd been there before. the customers are different and interesting in other ways. They ask for a lot of change, which I don't find odd, as this branch is on a corner near a busy intersection. Also, there is a movie theater several doors away which plays discount movies on a 2-for-1 basis. Currently playing: I Am Legend and The Golden Compass, neither of which I have seen. I I might take an evening off next week and go see a cheap double feature for a mere five dollars, plus popcorn of course( those of you who know me know I almost never buy food or drink at the movies ). Because they just charge too damn much....!

Feb 13th - RRSP's, Taxes and a nearby village

A lot of things done around the house today( house, apartment, same turn of phrase ), which means it's slowly coming together bit by bit. I did go to the bank today and talked to them a little about RRSP's to help maximize my tax return. I talked to a lovely young woman with the whitest teeth I've ever seen outside a Crest commercial - yikes! Either she had them bleached, or the toothpaste she was using was fluorescing under the bank's lights. It was quite startling.
I should mention, if I haven't already, that my new apartment is right in the middle of two shopping areas in my neighborhood. Cook Street Village is to the west, and it's quite charming as the name implies. Aside from the Beagle Pub( one of many fine places to eat in the city ) there is a nice little grocery store called Oxford foods, which has some really amazing specials from time to time. Now, some of you might find this a little boring but I would like to describe the area in some small detail. There is a post office, opticians, laundromat, flower shop, diner, bookshop, antique store, walk-in clinic, hair salon, lawyer's office, Mac's convenience, video store and a few other places. There's even a Starbuck's, right across the street from their chief rival, Serious Coffee - both of them have nice outdoor patios that I plan to try out in the nicer weather ahead. Even now, a few folk do sit outside during the day, non-smokers all, as there's no smoking allowed on these fine patios. I love it.... especially since there is a SECOND Starbuck's in the opposite direction at the Fairfield Plaza, again only ten minutes walk away. I'm truly well set for my shopping needs here, it's just fantastic.
I spent the evening finishing up my taxes and submitting them through Netfile. I managed to pay less than $20.00 to file them online thanks to a promotion through my bank - nice! I should be getting a decent if unspectacular return this year( for once! )thanks to the incredibly expensive costs of moving out here to Victoria. not that it will offset very much of what I've already paid, but the short-term should be very nice to have in hand were paying some upcoming bills.

Feb 14th - Valentine's Day: Do you know where your heart is?

Nothing special today: I closed another branch( again )on the evening shift, which was very relaxing. This particular branch tends to be very very slow after seven o'clock in the evening, which is fine by me, as I can relax and make sure I get all my work done before closing time. There was even a Subway nearby, which I stopped at before work - cheap Subs of the Day! No candy hearts though.
---> Down the road, only a block away and less than 15 minutes walk is the Pacific Ocean. Why and my mentioning it here? I think it's just amazing that I can be down at the waterfront in less than 20 minutes from where I live. And were not just talking about a crowded strip of shoreline here: it's all park land in the view is unblocked due South straight to the mountains across the water. The clouds and sunshine some days makes an almost magical picture in its serenity.... photos coming soon I promise.
There was another anniversary today, ten years ago this year, but nobody but myself and one other will ever likely mark it. Heck, who am I kidding: only I remember...

Feb 15th - Call of Duty calls me once more!

After working the mid-shift today, I hopped onto Xbox Live after getting home and ran into a few of my friends playing Call of Duty 4. We played quite a few games for a couple of hours straight, and I am proud to say that I acquitted myself very well for not having picked up a game controller for months. I only wonder what I could be like if I played a more regular basis. Still, with all the work I have to do with Cyberwalker, my plate is quite full for the next month or more.

Feb 16th - Neverwinter Memories

I opened the store today and had a really good day overall. Everyone was in a really good mood, both staff and customers included. Maybe it has to do with the sunshine this weekend, which of course I'm working both days of. Still, if it means that everyone is happy, I can deal with it.
Evening saw me run into an old friend on Neverwinter Nights, while patiently working on my Nichneven character on a new server( the old one went down before Christmas ). I was very pleased to have run into her again, and we spent a few great hours adventuring and reminiscing both. There are quite a few people from Neverwinter( Lands of Nordock server )that I haven't seen much of, even through email contact, and I'm hoping that will change soon with the re-opening of the old server under new management. Still, we have some fantastic times there in the last few years, and I cherish those memories. Though I didn't spend nearly as much time on that server as many of the folks there did, it was amazing to me that almost every session I gained in was memorable in several ways. As a writer, the stories that developed were fascinating for some of their plot structure and their characters( with the players providing the twists of course ). Some real friendships have developed with people I have never seen face-to-face, and perhaps never will save through their avatars. What a world we live in.

Feb 17th - Blu-ray: 1 HD-DVD: 0

I opened the store again today, after spending a little time yet again in a nearby Starbuck's after stepping off the bus. It was a gorgeous day outside, with brilliant sunshine blazing down on the buildings across the way, though it was a little chilly in the shade, from what people told me. I had a great time with my coworker, whose sense of humor is always well-timed and witty. Working with such people over the past seven plus years has been my privilege, and I hope that any future job I take will have even half as many great people as this company has had.
On a side note, it looks like the high definition DVD wars are finally drawing to a close, and unfortunately it looks like I backed the wrong horse: HD-DVD has lost to Blu-Ray thanks to the power of the open market, despite HD-DVD being a better format than Blu-ray( shades of Beta vs VHS, anyone?. Still, it means that for the next little while, I should be able to pick up quite a few HD-DVD titles and good discounts as the stores clear out their inventory. Considering that I don't watch all that many movies, the ability to build a quality high-definition movie library cheaply appeals to my budget sense. $2.99 !!!


Yet another week draws to a close. I found out this week as well that a good friend of mine is now pregnant, way back east, so she and her hubby are thrilled along with the rest of us. Congrats!
Also, for those of you interested in the process, it takes me about an hour or more to do each of these blogs... I'm using some voice recognition software called Dragon NaturallySpeaking to help speed things along at about 140 WPM, but it still takes me a while to edit it all and insert the links. Presto.