Shoppers, Sickness and Still Searching

The word of the week is convalescence.

December 17 - No calls

Still no bites from employers. But I'm still game.

Every day I'm searching the job ads, picking out ones that fit my skills( to various degrees )then customizing a cover letter and resume to send out the same day. I've become fairly good at both, targeting my applications to various positions and ensuring I have a good shot at being noticed by the hiring managers, whose names I make every effort to find out before I send in the application - again, to help me get noticed.

Statistically speaking, I should get a call soon, after sending out close to a hundred applications since the early spring.

Yet there's more I need to do: I need to get out.

I've had some 'personal business cards' made up from VistaPrint.ca and they should arrive the first week of January. Now that I can talk again without coughing, I'll be hitting the pavement with a list of local companies in hand, culled from the Yellow Pages, to try my hand in person. Cards and resumes and my personable self are what's going to be seen in the coming month, as I try to get a foot in the door and get hired for 2013.

Wish me luck.

December 18 - Is The Matrix Real?

It looks like the Wachowskis might have had the right idea after all.

A recent scientific theory is causing a stir, as it purports that we are all living in a giant computer simulation. As in, the ENTIRE universe is a massive computer program.

That's a BIG simulation ...

No, I'm not kidding. As hard to believe as it sounds, there are good reasons that may bear out this theory. For one, we may actually BE the only intelligent life in the universe, as our distant descendants want to see just what WE get up to inside their simulation. For another, parallel universes may just be parallel simulations being run. The theory has several ways it might be proven, once the technical bugs are worked out. After all, the theory of relativity was only recently given a boost when an experiment proved that time actually DOES slow down the faster one travels. Who knows what else is possible, given the advance of science?

Better start ordering your cool trenchcoats and sunglasses now.

December 19 - Old games are new again on my phone!

Here and there I've mentioned how much I love new technology, especially my SIII phone. It's a pocket computer that can do SO much more than just be a phone… like, say, allow me to play retro games on the go. Both of which I picked up this week for the incredible outlay of 99 cents each - what a double deal!

Such as R-Type, an arcade shooter from the 80's that I just can't put down, despite not getting past the first level in all these years. One day I WILL conquer the game, though by that time I'll likely be playing it inside my head on wetware. We'll see. In the meantime, you can try your hand at the free online flash version and see how well you do!

The other game is also one I've not managed to make much headway with, but is also incredibly addicting: Another World( aka Out Of This World ). This game blew me away with its rotoscoped graphics when it was released in 1991 for the Amiga. It was completely unlike anything that had come before it: a graphical adventure with no on-screen display, meaning the player was totally immersed in the game as it played out. The into sequence alone is mesmerizing and holds up twenty years later for its simplicity and atmosphere, check it out:

December 20 - HOW small is that new place of yours?

Right now I'm living in a two-bedroom apartment, approximately nine hundred square feet with one bathroom, a kitchen and a combined dining / living room. It's enough to be comfortable in and though there's not a lot of storage, I don't feel cramped.

But what if two people had to live in a place less than a third that size?

That's the idea behind the 220-sq-ft 'micro-apartments' that are being built in San Francisco right now. Several hundred of the tiny units are being constructed under the watchful eye of the city, as places where people who can't afford the sky-high condo prices in the area can still afford and thus live independently. 

Myself, I would find the space tight for one person, but then again I do still have a fair bit of 'stuff' on hand that someone with a more minimalist lifestyle can do without.

Perhaps if I set the place up with wall-to-wall bookshelves, it would work for me… and act as extra insulation( sound and thermal )to boot. I suppose it would depend on the price, too; if owning a place that size was less than rent per month, it'd be a no-brainer.

December 21 - The World Didn't End? Surprise, surprise…

So much for doomsday.

Unsurprisingly, the world kept going about its business today, despite the many dire predictions about the end of the Mayan calendar… as some interpreted it.

Now it goes back to predicting the NEXT end of the world, which I'm sure we'll hear about sooner or later.

Personally, I think that if the world DOES end, it won't be anything predictable. My money's on aliens, but I won't be more specific than that; given the range of things that could happen, I think that the future will get here in its own time, good or bad.

In the meantime, the human race will need to grow up a fair bit.

December 22 - The Hobbit!

I finally got out today to see The Hobbit at an afternoon showing. I used my free Scene points to get a free ticket to the UltraAVX screen, which was in 3D and in the new 48fps format. I really liked the crisp detail that the higher framerate gave the film; the clarity was quite similar to the way my TV at home is set to up the framerate of different types of media to reduce judder and smooth the picture. I found it quite watchable.

Sitting through the movie itself was a pleasure. For the most part Peter Jackson stuck to the book, which was both good and bad in parts. The movie takes about an hour to get moving and feels slow up to that point, introducing us to the many characters. For those who have read the book( who out there hasn't? )it feels like you're hanging around the Shire a little too long, anxious to get started. Once the ball gets rolling, it's mainly a smooth ride, though some parts of the story have been altered to give a different narrative flow. I won't spoil any of the parts, but I found myself at odds a half-dozen times when the film deviated from the book, though admittedly not in ways that made me cry out in horror.

Two thoughts stuck with me as I left the film: there was a LOT of falling… and if the theatrical release was close to three hours long, what the heck is going to be the length of the Extended Version ???

The thoughts were almost enough to drive me to drink… and if I did decide to, I'd want to be at the Green Dragon Pub which recently opened in New Zealand, in The Shire!

December 23 - Out for a spell

Today I actually got out for a bit, going over to the Starbucks at the Chapters downtown on Douglas St. It wasn't all that crowded; busy, sure, but my sister and I found primo seats by the fireplace to sip our bevvys and relax for a spell. Having stopped at the Bay Centre mall ever-so-briefly on the way, I was shocked at how 'thin' the crowds were… I had expected an elbow-jogging crush of bodies plugging the place up as people tried to finish off their lists - apparently not.

That got me to thinking: why wasn't it crazy-crowded?

Perhaps more people are shopping online( and early! )just to avoid that very thing; the ease and convenience of to-your-door delivery means the enochlophobics among us don't have to suffer any more in busy public places. Shop from your cozy home!

I also hope that it shows a rising trend among western culture: that the rampant consumerism is slowing down and perhaps even fading back, in the face of the recession of the last few years. More than a few people I know have mentioned that this year is a quieter year for them, with less emphasis on material things and more on family and friends.

Isn't that what it's supposed to be about anyway?

Dec 24 late update: After another week of not going anywhere or doing much, I'm feeling somewhat like myself again, albeit with a total lack of energy. My coughing's almost stopped and I can breathe normally, but the pain in my right chest is still very much there, especially when I move my arm. I saw my doctor again this morning for a checkup and he confirmed that I've torn several muscles in my chest. It will be another three or four weeks before I lose the pain completely and be back to my old self again, pneumonia-free. Until then, it's yet more rest and convalescing… in between brief sorties for job-searching.

Hacking coughs, Hobbits and Hope

The word of the week is infectious.

December 10 - Turns out I AM very sick …

Today I managed to get an early appointment with my doctor, who confirmed that my coughing isn't of the typical seasonal sort.

I have pneumonia, a fairly advanced case, at that. Not good.

It's a first for me. In addition to the stuff-in-one's-lungs bit,  I've managed to strain / tear the muscles on the inside of my right chest, so that it really, really hurts to cough. My doctor's put me on a course of massive antibiotics and we hope that will clear it up. Cough syrup didn't make a dent in the coughs themselves, but some Tylenol3 seems to have made a dent in their frequency. 

It's serious and I need to focus ALL my remaining energy on recovering.

I feel rotten and it's put a hitch in my plans to seek work face-to-face this week, as I can't speak without coughing. I had to skip a potluck party this past weekend and it's a good thing I did, as I have to impose a no-travel housebound rule on myself this week.

Hopefully it WILL pay not to get out of bed for a few days.

December 11 - What Character Am I?

Over the years when I've played DnD characters, I've tended to play rogues in the main, along with clerics and rangers. Wizards never really appealed to me, as the mechanics of spell use meant never having the right spell memorized or the right scroll on hand. The addition of sorcerers to the game meant a shift in this situation, but again you quickly went through your available power and were down to a drawn dagger to defend yourself with; this didn't appeal to me either.

So it was a surprise to me when I filled out this online questionnaire asking What DnD Character Are You? to learn that I am… a wizard? See for yourself:

Neutral Good Human Wizard/Sorcerer (3rd/2nd Level)
Ability Scores: Strength- 12 Dexterity- 11 Constitution- 11
Intelligence- 15
Wisdom- 17
Charisma- 15

It takes about twenty minutes to fill out the questions and I did so to the best of my abilities… surprising, in the end, to learn I should have played wizards all along.

December 12 - DNA on the cheap? And B5!

Science is wonderful, some days. Expensive though… but things always get less so as research advances. Such is the case with DNA analysis: it used to be if you wanted to get your genetic profile worked out, you'd fork over tens of thousands to a lab, IF they could do it in the first place. Which they couldn't, twenty years ago.

Now you can pay $100 to a place like 23andMe.com to get a complete genetic workup done, allowing you to do such things as trace your ancestry and know your genetic predispositions towards inherited health risks. Isn't science amazing? I think I'll spring for it later this year… once I get a job, that is.

On a side note, the 20th anniversary of Babylon 5 is being celebrated in Phoenix in May 2013. It looks like most of the surviving cast are going to be there, along with a LOT of other talent from other fields. I've not been to a convention in the USA since 1998, so I think it's about time… but I'm VERY hesitant to book anything, as right now I don't even know how I'd pay for it, let along what I'll be doing in May 2013.

Hopefully working.

December 13 - Trying to recover…

This week has seen me do nothing but stay inside with the drapes shut, to keep in the heat and stop the drafts from the 1970's-era windows that radiate cold. It's been dull… but:

I spent a couple of nights at my parents, where it's much warmer and supposedly quieter which would help my recovery, but last night was an exception. For the first time in many months apparently, the people upstairs had a LOUD party from 12am-2am, which is when the cops finally showed up. The lack of sleep did not help my recovery one bit and I went home today, just in case the morons decide to do it again. Standing in the hall feeling faint, listening to whoever was in there yelling and playing their guitar while other people chased each other around the place, I felt sick. Sick that some people can have so little regard for others that they don't care a shred that their life choices affect others so directly. As someone who's compassionate and empathetic, I can't fathom that there are those who would rather watch the world burn than help put it out… or worse yet, pose for a picture for their friends with the flames. One can only hope that karma catches up with them quickly, in this case.

I went home the next morning.

December 14 - The Hobbit… not.

I had planned on going to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for the midnight screening tonight, but being sick has put a kybosh on that long-anticipated thrill. I'll probably go see it next weekend, hopefully not by myself; the last time I tried to organize a movie night, it flopped big time, so I'll leave it be for a while especially at this very busy holiday time of year.

I'm a BIG detailed poster - click me!

What about The Hobbit being split into three films though? How do I feel about that?

In a word: awesome!

I'd MUCH rather that as much material from the book make it to the screen as possible. I've seen arguments that The Hobbit is 'just a children's book' but I disagree; it's a complete tale in and of itself and shouldn't be shoehorned into a two-hour version, as Hollywood is wont to do. I'm SO happy that Peter Jackson agrees and has made a trilogy out of the film; I think that his experience on the LOTR films has allowed him to do full justice to The Hobbit and I can't wait to see it in theatres. Hopefully this weekend.

December 15 - Rituals and habits

There's a comfort in doing the same thing each day, of a having a pattern to parts of your life that makes you smile. For the last six months, I've tried to develop a few patterns to bring myself a sense of stability in the face of the unknown. Goodness knows that I haven't had much stability for long since coming to Victoria and for years before that… though there was the other kind of stability that's so bad: a directionless wander that sees your days vanish into a pit of intent, of things Meant To Do but never done. But I won't go there; one of the reasons I came to BC was to change things for the better.

Back to rituals, then.

At various points of my time here in BC, things fell easily into daily patterns. When I was living in Langford, it was more difficult, as work kept intruding on my life and eventually forced me to leave rather than live a waking nightmare with no home life.

When I was writing my novel, it was MUCH easier to form a daily ritual. Rise in the morning, search for jobs, work on my contest entries, put down some more thoughts on The Novel, then get to work ON the writing process after lunch until tea time, when we usually called it for the day. Watch some Kung-Fu Panda or Penguins of Madagascar( depending on the month )and go for a walk. Have dinner, work on the novel outline, play some games or read, then bed. And repeat. It was a wonderful, creative time that had no interruptions save the idiots upstairs( and those I simply left behind by going upstairs to the SkyLounge )and those I made for myself.

I may never have that again, at least not until I retire. In twenty or thirty years.

December 16 - Hope

It's been a rather down week for me.

I've applied for a dozen jobs, any one of which I could be satisfied doing and some I could even grow into a career. If they'll just call me, that is… so far, zilch.

But I have to keep trying, doing my best to present myself as an excellent candidate. I haven't had any leads from networking, so I'm forced mainly to apply for jobs that are advertised along with many other people. Being ill for the last month has really socked my plans to get out and discover jobs, which seems to be the only way I'll be able to make headway. Things will start to come to a head after January, when funds dry up.

Still, I have to keep a positive outlook on things. While I don't have my health( right now ), my situation is mainly that of not enough cashflow. I could be facing things a helluva lot worse than that, like this young woman, who will likely not live to ring in 2013. Her story was one that put my own problems in perspective, which is exactly what she wanted to do with her remaining time: to inspire others. The only thing holding back me, is ME, and if things aren't working out they way they are, it's time to change. Which is also a hard thing to do, but then again I don't want to have to backtrack in my life; I want to move forward, despite the setbacks I'm facing, and try to make a go of success.

See you all next week.

Coughs, Cosplay, Cutaways and Cimmerians

The word of the week is affective .

December 3 - Can I hack it?

It's the same old grind: see job, apply for job, hear nothing.

This week, I'm changing things up a bit, by making EVERY effort to get myself noticed by said employers.

I'm going in to three places that have listed jobs to get the names of the hiring managers and targeting the heck out of my cover letters. I'm also going to ensure I make a good impression, but that will depend on how little coughing I can do while I'm there. It's not easy and I really need for this freakin' hacking bought to disappear ASAP before it hurts my chances of getting employment as well as affecting my health in other ways. Not good.

December 4 - Infinite Cosplay!

Do what you love, and sometimes that will lead you down unexpected paths. In the case of one cosplayer, her costuming skills landed her a job!

Not just any job, either: BioWare hired her to play the character of Elizabeth to promote  the upcoming BioShock: Infinite game being released later in 2013.

The resemblance is startling!

Looking at the photos in the article, I have to say the resemblance IS uncanny. It's to her credit that she recognized this and made such timely work of creating her costume. As I'm hoping to go to a convention or two in the next few years( work-dependent )I'm really fascinated by the growing numbers of talented cosplay costumers out there. As far as I know, I don't resemble any characters from any game, movie or novel.

Or do I?

December 5 - Cutaways!

One of my earliest and truest loves are cutaway drawings; I couldn't get enough of them as a kid and I still can't, really. I've collected various technical manuals and actual cutaway books( like the various Star Wars ones )and I'm always on the lookout for more.

But they're not as easy as you might think to track down. I spotted this recent article on io9.com about cutaways and it sparked my interest all over again to hunt down some more intricately complex imagery of the insides of things technical and fantastical. Still with pride of place on my wall is this image of the Enterprise-D:

Click me to see the glorious details!

I'm not sure exactly why I like them so much. Maybe it's because I spent a lot of time as a kid imagining what the insides of those spaceships and other sci-fi places were like. Filled with piles of technology alongside the more mundane things like toasters and toilets, I wondered where the phasers got their power from and how many torpedoes an X-Wing could carry, and where. With that kind of a mind, I'm still surprised that I didn't pursue engineering, though again my grades in math would have to have improved by at least 25-50% on average. Just the same, I still love cutaway tech drawings to this day!

December 6 - My life isn't so bad

Every so often, when my brain starts looping on the things in my life that aren't going well, I have to give myself a mental shake: it could be worse. In so many ways…

For example, I could have this man's problems: Huang Chuncai is 32 and still lives with his parents… brace yourself for the reason and do NOT click the link if you have a weak stomach. DO click it if you want to see what troubles one person has to deal with.

So: when one's problems are of the wallet, or are mental more than physical, you have to stop and remind yourself that YOU CAN CHANGE them.

And when you're feeling stressed, relax. Take a cue from the Daleks:

December 7 - It's Officially Bronchitis

It's that time of year again for viruses to be passed around like candy.

I've already got mine: I've had a cough for three weeks now. As I've said last week, it's been bad enough that I can't talk at times and as long as I don't speak, it's manageable.

Yet I've coughed hard enough and long enough to pull a few muscles in my chest, so that it now HURTS to cough. Quite a bit. So I gave in and went to the doctor( who said it's Acute Bronchitis )a few days ago to get some antibiotics, which do seem to be helping gradually reduce what's clogging my breathing. I'm hoping that by Monday I'll be left just with the semi-shredded feeling of sore muscles in my chest and not the cough. The flaring spike of pain over my right ribs should heal given time, if I'm not constantly coughing. Staying in where it's warm and not damp with constant rain has been helping, as has NOT talking to people. Which I hope will end soon, when someone eventually calls me for an interview.

If you want to avoid getting this long-lived cough, or some other germ, this holiday season, follow this simple advice that I learned long ago: Don't touch your face! Keep your hands BELOW your neck whenever you're out in public and you should be fine. But it's a habit you have to learn; the average person touches their face once a minute, all day long!

December 8 - The Hobbit in ONE WEEK!

For over thirty years, I've waited to see The Hobbit hit the big screen.

The animated version that came out in the 1980's was nicely done but didn't do justice to the material, I felt; live action would be best but that was impossible back then.

This is now.

Peter Jackson's released the WETA crews onto what is now The Hobbit TRILOGY and I'm simply giddy with excitement. Of all the books I read as a child, this was THE one that most fired up my imagination. I think that's why I was disappointed with the animated movie: the pictures in my head were SO MUCH cooler than on the screen. Heck, I remember being repulsed by the ElvenKing when I saw him in the film; in NO way was he what I'd imagined elves to be. It skewed the film for me from that point on.

No, I'm going to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey this coming weekend when it opens, with open eyes. I expect I'll be doing it alone, as the last time I tried to get people around here together for a film it ended up just being my sister and I at the theater.

But for The Hobbit, I'll gladly sit alone in the dark to see my childhood dream on the screen.

December 9 - Amiga Games for sale too...

Today, I had little bouts of nostalgia while preparing four different lots of 15-20 Amiga games( most boxed )for sale on eBay. One of them in particular had fond memories: Warlords, a turn-based multiplayer( meaning you and your friends in a room )game similar to the old 1994 Warcraft game series… but predating it. I pulled out the save disk from the box, remembering how we five friends had sat for hours at a time for many months in a row one summer, taking turns attacking each other's kingdoms. It was a blast, all the more fun because you didn't have to go anywhere or pay anything; it was 'offline' in the very earliest days of the internet when 56K modems were still extremely rare and costly beasts. 

BONUS: I found a browser-based spiritual successor to Warlords called Warbarons! Best of all, it's FREE!!! Anyone want to start up a game with me?

Speaking of costly: I discovered that I possessed an EXTREMELY rare Amiga game! Conan The Cimmerian is apparently a much sought-after 1991 release for the Amiga, worth many hundreds of dollars… IF it has the original manual and the map in the box.

Mine has neither, just the box and manual. *sigh* So it's in effect, worth maybe ten dollars. Doh! Where did they go, I wonder? I'm going to search every box I have, in storage and otherwise, to find that manual… it's worth the effort and I have the time, for now.

Which I hope will change soon. It has to.

My chest hurts whenever I cough now, like I've been punched in the ribs for hours on end. It's moderately bearable when I breathe shallowly, but I really need to get this bronchitis under control or I fear it will start to hurt to breathe at ANY level. I've called TeleHealthBC tonight( Sunday )and they've told me to go see a doctor tomorrow morning if the pain is still present to ensure it doesn't get any worse or indicate more permanent damage… not what I wanted to hear. For now I've bound up my ribs with elastic bandages, which helps somewhat when I cough. I'll probably be able to sleep tonight.