Thursday, October 26, 2006

Dave The Public Servant

So as most people know I've been working for the government for the last 9 months (at Statistics Canada where I did my internship) on a one year contract. Many of you also know that I was in a "competition" (aka recruitment program) to make that a permanent position with my classification changing to the CS (computer system) stream. Well, I finally got word about the results and I passed!! So as of whenever HR actually gets the contracts done up to be signed, I'll be a permanent public servant. While this actually doesn't mean a change in my job since I'm already doing the work of a CS-02 and I'm only starting at the CS-01 classification, it does mean a raise and most importantly, permanency. I'll probably talk more about it when I know some more details but suffice to say, right now, I'm a very happy camper. And soon I'll be a better paid happy camper with a permanent position for as long as I want (until retirement or until I get fed up with the red tape). Yay!!

Monday, October 16, 2006

Maybe I'll actually finish this post

So here I am sitting hear listening to the Oilers game on a webcast because I haven't ordered the NHL Centre Ice package yet and Sportsnet is stupid and has regional restrictions on the game even though I get Sportsnet West...anyway I digress, like I was saying, I'm sitting here listening to the game I decide to check on some blogs and forums that I haven't looked at for a while. Lo and behold, I check my own blog and realize that I haven't actually posted since the end of August. WHAT? I'm sure I wrote something. So I went and checked and I have 4 half done posts that are saved as drafts and haven't been actually posted because I was too lazy to finish them. Since these are so out dated it seems kind of silly to post them now so I'll just sum them up.

1. PEI was fun. It's a long drive but it was well worth it. Even with 5 of us crammed in the Camry it wasn't bad and we had some good times in the car too but the real fun was had at the cottage. Very relaxing and since we all had a good time, it looks like we'll be back in the spring to open the cottage back up.

2. All of a sudden my schedule has been filled. I figued I'd get busy again in the fall after having a relaxing September but I never thought it'd be this crazy. I'm playing in the Statcan Volleyball league but unfortunately that's all the volleyball I have time for. I'm also reffing but I only really have 3 nights a week and one day on the weekend right now that I can even accept games. This is because I'm playing Ultimate on Sundays and taking first-aid classes for the Canadian Ski Patrol twice a week (more below).

3. Ultimate is an interesting sport. For those that don't know, Ultimate is kind of like football/rugby with a frisbee. It's actually a whole lot different but at least that gives you a rough idea of what it is. Our team is almost only beginners but we're starting to get it together and I'm getting decent at it. We're actually 3-2 in the fall season so far with 2 games left.

4. Ski Patrol. So I've taken the plunge and joined the Ski Patrol. I have a few friends that patrol and it seems like fun (ie. you get to ski for free every week) and a good way to meet people (it's a very social group). I figure it's also a good thing to know first-aid and this is one of the cheapest and most comprehensive courses you can get. It's not just about on hill aid but can be applied anywhere. I'm a little nervous about it but I think it's going to be fun. Unfortunately this takes up two nights of my week plus reading time (and there's lots to read). The classroom training continues until the end of November but then the on hill training and actual patrolling begins so I don't see it slowing down too much.

5. Work. I'm still working at StatsCan in the Tax Data Division. I'm also back in French class so that takes up a bit of time too. In terms of my position becoming permanent, I'm still waiting for final word but my competition is pretty much finished and it looks like I should probably have a spot. This means I'll be getting a promotion basically (and a raise :D) along with a permanent position in the public service. Hopefully HR doesn't take too long with contracts and we find out for sure about everything soon.

Well, that's a quick summary of some of the posts and what I'm up to now. I'll start posting more again when I have time (but as you might be able to tell, time is at a premium right now). There's still a bit of the half done posts left to cover but I think I'm going to crash and fall asleep listening to the end of the hockey game. Go Oilers!