The Apartment Search

Well, as many of you know, I have been searching for an apartment here in Ottawa for the last week or so. The last couple days I've looked at 4 different buildings, two being kind of ghetto and the other two (the two I looked at today) being quite nice. Is it the management company that runs the buildings that makes the difference? I'm sure starting to think so.

The places I looked at today were clean, well maintained, and looked to be well prepared for new tenants. This compares to the other ones which had okay suites, but the building isn't as well kept and the attitude of management shows. Again, the people that showed me the places today were very friendly helpful and not really pushy (which kind of surprised me a bit, being a young single male looking for "party pad"). Anyway, in case you haven't guessed by now, I'm pretty gung ho about one of the places I looked at today. I actually put in an application and if I'm serious about it going ahead (which I believe I am), then tomorrow I'm going to put down my last month's rent deposit (instead of a damage deposit for those familiar with that alternate setup). There are a few "issues" with the place but I believe they are worth it.

First, the rent is a little higher than I was first planning on paying. Granted, this place is also nicer than I was first thinking. Second, it doesn't have either a dishwasher or insuite laundry. Again, not a huge issue but did cross my mind. Now the biggest issue is the bus ride. I was planning on getting a place really close to work so I could just walk to work. You know, sleeping in later, less hassle. The kicker is, most of the places near work (the aforementioned "ghetto" places) aren't super nice. Not saying that they're all not good, I know there are nice places too. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that it's more important (especially without a car) to be close to groceries and other facilities than close to work. A 15 min bus ride isn't a big deal to work (even though a bus pass is kind of costly) and it beats the heck out of walking 25 min in the snow with 10 bags of groceries. At least I could be right across the street from a major (24 hour none the less) grocery store. And a Wal-Mart 10 more steps away to boot. Anyway, I'll let you all know how everything turns out.

For now I'm heading to bed. At least this morning I got out of bed relatively easily (only hit snooze twice) and got to work on time.

One week done...next one's beginning

Sorry about the lack of posting this week. For the most part, I was busy when I wasn't at work. And of course, while I was at work I couldn't be busy even though I should have been. Why, you ask? Because I didn't get a computer account until Thursday afternoon. And I didn't have a fully working account until Friday morning. At least now I can get down to work...and work I shall.

Other things taking up my time...volleyball, pool, movies, and of course catching up with friends. Oh and then there was today which was spent entirely in my pyjamas and either in front of the TV or in front of the computer. At least I was semi productive in finding some apartments to check out tomorrow and Tuesday. Hopefully I can find something by the end of the week. There are a few places that look promising but I'm still not exactly sure what I should be looking for. If anyone has any suggestions (places or qualities that I should be looking at), let me know. Anyway, it's about time for me to get to bed so I can actually get up and go to work without being rushed.

First Day of "Work"

Well, I'm back to being a government worker. And in typical public service fashion, I couldn't do any real work today due to the fact that there are layers upon layers of red tape. First I needed my security pass (less of a hassle than I thought it would be), then I need to fill out another form for computer accounts. Oh wait, I signed that Friday. Oh well, take that up to the help desk to get my accounts. Wait, they can't just issue an account because you have clearance already and are already an employee. They have to do another security check of some kind and, "You'll get you accounts sometime between 2 days 2 weeks". So I read what little documentation I could, visited a bunch with those I didn't talk to on Friday, and then pissed away the rest of the day. Not overly unlike my first first day there (where we had an extended lunch and did nothing but really play around on the computers...at least we could get on them). At least Jarett and I got some orientation like stuff done last time. I don't need much orienting (is that a word?) this time...I just need work to do and a computer to do it on. Anyway, hopefully *crosses fingers* I will have an account tomorrow...or Wednesday at the latest.

At least tonight I got to go out and play some pool. I forgot how much I missed it. Not just the pool but the relaxed and friendly league that I play in (and used to run) which leads to meeting a lot of really nice and friendly people. Good to see some of the old gang back and still shooting but I missed a few people I thought might still be there. Guess the location move in the last year and other life changes chased a few people off. I at least had a respectable 4-4 record while shaking the rust off. I also managed to squeak out 2 games of Snooker over Mike. Fun stuff. I'm already looking forward to next week.

Well I'd better actually get some sleep. Hopefully it won't just be another long day of sitting on my butt in my office staring at a login screen that I can do nothing about. Here's hoping.

Signed and Sealed

Well, I start my new job Monday. The contract (and all the other government paperwork) was signed this afternoon so on Monday I'll be a "Senior Statistical Clerk". Should be interesting. There was a bunch of changes in the informatics section since I left so I'll have some new faces to get used to but at least there are a lot of friendly faces around as well. Well, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my last day off for a while but I'll let you all know how the first day on the job goes on Monday.

Farewell to Alberta...Hello again Ottawa

Well, I've left the praries behind again. I made it safely to Ottawa and the only trouble was the 1 hour delay waiting for my connection in Winnipeg (the most boring airport in Canada, I swear). I arrived here just over 45 minutes later than expected (we made up some time) and was driven to Anne-Marie and Jason's apartment by a family friend. Only a few hours later (now) and after a supper at Moxie's with Jay and AM, I saw Jay go off to leave for Sweeden where he'll be working for several months. At least I got to visit for a few hours with him before he fled the country. Now I'll do my best to be a tolerable roommate/houseguest to Anne-Marie while I look for a place for my own.

Anyone visiting Ottawa, be sure to drop me a line. To all of you in Alberta...I'll miss you all. To those in Ottawa...I'm back!

What a Rush!

Tonight was the first ever Edmonton Rush game and was it ever a good time. Even though the team lost in overtime it was an exciting and enjoyable event. For those that don't know, the Rush are the newest team in the National Lacross League (NLL). And man is lacross a rough game! Good stuff! Those guys sure take a beating. It wasn't even as physical as some of the games I've watched on TV before but it still looked painful. Anyway, if you like sports (especially physical ones) check out the NLL and the Edmonton Rush.

Happy New Year from Jasper

Happy New Year to everyone! As the title of this post suggests, I'm in Jasper visiting my grandparents and up for one last trip with the folks before I leave for Ottawa. Yep, that's right. In case you haven't heard yet, I'm going back to Ottawa. I (technically speaking) have a contract with the government again. Back to the tax division at Statistics Canada. I only have to pass my security check so hopefully there isn't any terrorist out there with my name or it could be a long process.

I leave Edmonton on the 10th of January but until then I'm going to be frantically packing things trying to get ready to go and to prep things for shipping at a later date. All this while trying to see most of my friends in Edmonton one last time and finishing up my reffing stuff. If anyone wants to try and get together let me know asap. If you're in Ottawa...see you soon. I'll try to post at least once more before I leave.

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night!

Those of you actually in my address book should be getting a Christmas letter from me at some point in time. If not, fire me off an e-mail and I'll send a copy to you. My e-mail is: "david" -dot- "beck" -at- "gmail" -dot- "com" (if you can't figure out what it is from there, leave a comment). Anyway, I'll probalby end up posting my latest news sometime after Christmas (and it's relatively big news so stay tuned) but for now I just want to wish everyone joy in the season and a relaxing holiday.

Merry Christmas and have a happy and healthy New Year!

Random Post

Ok, I figured I'd get back to some random posting just to make sure I actually kept up with the blogging business...so here it goes...

What's going on with some of my friends right now?
- Dan moved back into the city to live with Norm and Janette again
- Adam left for Egypt (see his blog here)

What music am I listening to lately?
- Coheed and Cambria: "Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV: Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness" (longest album title ever) - great disc...interesting sound
- The Trews: "Den of Thieves" - didn't listen to it much for about a month after I first got it but now it's almost always cranked
- Death Cab For Cutie: "Transatlanticism" - Andrew introduced me to these guys a while ago but I never really listened to them much until now
- Yellowcard: "Ocean Avenue" - every so often I get the urge to listen to this album almost non-stop until I get tired of it again (which takes a long time)
- And last but not least: All of my Less Than Jake and Bad Religion discs - I can never get enough of that stuff

Have I seen any good movies lately?
- Aeon Flux - not necessarily the best movie I've seen but it had its moments (most of them being with Charlize Theron wearing the skimpy/tight outfits or the awesome action sequences...hey I'm a guy)
- Episode III - just rewatched it again recently and re-realized that despite all the bashing some people did on the Star Wars prequel trilogy, it acutally ties up quite nicely at the end (yes even with the corny "NOOOOOOO!")

What have I been watching on TV?
- Hockey...always
- Tonight I watched the Ron James special on CBC, Quest for the West. That guy is absolutely hilarious...I was crying I was laughing so hard
- Las Vegas - I'm still hooked on that show

Well, there's my random post for now. If I can't come up with something else to write about I'll probably have another similar post soon. Have a good weekend everyone!

I hate being sick

Don't you just hate that feeling of waking up sick? I have woken up every morning for the last week with that dry crappy feeling in my throat and such a stuffed nose that I feel like if I sit up, there will be a waterfall of...well, "nose juices" running down my face. Guess that means I should get some more sleep or something. And on that note...to bed with me.

P.S. If anyone has any suggestions at which kind of car I should be looking for, let me know. I'm open to pretty much all suggestions but I'm probably looking more in the mid-sized car bracket.

Doesn't look any better in the morning

Well there's a view of the damage for all to see. It actually doesn't look so bad in the picture but believe me, it's not worth fixing the car. You'll notice that it is now snowing in my part of the world. It looks like winter finally got the memo and work up from the long summer sleep...and only a month and a bit late. Guess those people dreaming of a brown Christmas had their dreams shattered this morning. Well I'm off to check out some classifieds and job boards.

Deer vs Car...Round 1...Fight!

A better look at the damage

Car: 1...Deer: 0

Not only am I sick (and sick and tired but that's a different story), and not only did I have an absolutely crappy day at work, but I managed to run into a deer on the way home. Yep, the car is pretty much a write-off. The deer put a pretty good dent in the front right fender and smashed the front right headlight all to bits but the tank of a Taurus kept on running (go figure that that piece of junk Ford would just keep running after that but would balk at almost any other problem you could throw at it). Unfortunately, I don't think the deer survived (at least I doubt it). I on the other hand, am counting myself lucky since I both managed to stop myself from getting whiplash while avoiding both the oncoming traffic in the other lane and the ditch. Luckily no one was behind me as well because after slamming on the brakes I half expected someone to rear end me too. I'll go take some pictures of the left over damage tomorrow morning and try to get them posted before I have to work tomorrow.

So after that little tidbit of exciting news, let me first apologize to those who actually expect me to post here or even care much when I do. Sorry that I didn't post at all in November but really it just flew by and there really wasn't much to report. Congratulations to the Eskimos on another Grey Cup! I had several football posts started but never really finished them since I was always going out the door to reffing or work. Other than those three things (football, work, reffing) my month was relatively boring. I somehow managed to not really meet with many friends at all in the last month and have lost contact with countless others. To all of you I am sorry and I hope to hear from you and write/call you soon.

Anyway, I'm going to post more stuff soon (especially when I find some stuff to write about or decide to make up random topics and rants) but for now like I said, I'm sick, so I need my rest. Remember to say your prayers and thank God for the little blessings, like not hitting the deer head on (metaphoric or literal deer), when everything else seems to be going against you.

Happy Halloween

Well I can't really say I really did anything special this year which really is too bad. But between reffing on Saturday (even though I did go out after, I didn't have a costume), working Sunday, and being lazy at home today, I didn't really get anything together. I did manage to have a strong showing in the ping pong arena (aka our garage) against my dad but I have yet to leave victorious through a race to 6-games match.

I know it's been a long time since I wrote here but really nothing much of interest has happened. I didn't even feel like posting any real hockey news since the Oilers had made me depressed (but now they're back out of their funk and can get back to being a "force to be reckoned with").

So anyway, Happy Halloween and hopefully you got out and had a good time (or at least picked up a bunch of chocolate and pigged out).

The Oilers Win!!

Welcome to the new age NHL, where the Oilers could actually be serious contenders. Ok, most of the critics probably don't agree with me but with the cap, we have a chance now. After the way they played tonight, it doesn't look half bad. Conklin didn't look too bad (okay, he let in 3 goals on 17 shots but some of those saves were crucial and tough) and the powerplay went 1 for 7 which is already better than the pre-season average (as bad as it was). I for one am excited and happy that the NHL is back in action and look forward to more exciting games like the ones tonight.

Disclaimer: For those that don't know me, I like hockey if you haven't guessed it already. While this blog is supposed to be more about my life...hockey actually takes up a lot of my life (reffing and watching) and a lot of my thoughts so I guess it's all good. Never be surprised to see more hockey content (read: rants).

And so it begins

Just over 4 hours until the puck drops on the Oilers' new season. I can't wait! Starting in about 20 min I'll be watching any kind of hockey coverage I can get until it all begins and then I'll be parking myself in front of the TSN broadcast until the Oilers have finished their first game. I guess I'll have to take a few breaks to assign some hockey and get some snacks but that's what commercials and intermission is for.

GO OILERS GO!!

Recertified

Well, I have a few things to update in my life. As most of you know, I officiate hockey. This past weekend was my annual recertification clinic. We spent two days talking about hockey and situations that have or will come up when reffing a game and relearning all that stuff we forgot. I managed a 96% on the test so I'm pretty happy. Also on the reffing front, I did my first Midget 'AAA' game as a referee last week. It wasn't your typical game though. First off, not even half way through the first period one of my linesmen (who also happens to be our referee-in-chief in Spruce Grove and a good friend of mine) gets hit by a couple of players, goes down, and breaks his ankle in two places. So after getting him off the ice, the other linesmen and I finished the period two-man until another linesmen was ready to fill in. Poor Dean is out for a while and had to have 6 screws and a plate to cover the one break and a screw near the joint to fix the other.

Work is well...work. A little boring at times but I have made quite a few sales. Since we're not on comission it doesn't really matter but at least I'm selling stuff and being helpful. I also have only been chewed out a few times by upset customers (most of them not my fault at all). Not that the job is all bad but I hope to find a "real" job doing software work soon.

Other than that, life goes on. I constantly get my butt kicked by my dad at ping pong when we have the chance to play but I am improving. I haven't had much time to go out and hang out with friends because of my work schedule and reffing starting back up but if anyone does want to hit the town let me know and I'll make time. Hopefully a regular game of poker starts up again soon so I can get back to that too. And most of all (of course) I can't wait for the NHL regular season to start back up...9 days and counting...

First day of work

Well it's not glamorous that's for sure, but someone has to do it and right now I guess that has to be me since I don't have anything else to do. The morning started with a big store-wide meeting before we opened. There was a lot of new hirees and some people that have only worked for a few weeks so a bunch of information had to be passed out. My section is pretty good and I actually managed to sell quite a bit of stuff including a $2100 sale taht I stayed an extra half an hour to finish. Not bad for a first day I think. By no means am I planning on making this a career but it's not so bad so far. Anyone looking for a computer, come look me up on the south side.

Hazardous Workplace

I don't start my job at Best Buy until the morning but disaster struck at my other "job" today. That's right, we had a bit of a problem reffing hockey today. It was my first Midget 'AAA' game as the referee and so I had two of our best linesmen out helping me out, one being my good friend and our Referee-in-Chief Dean. Unfortuately, less than halfway through the first period, a couple players ran into Dean and somehow in the whole mess, broke his ankle. So after some angonizing pain for him (I do believe), we got him off the ice and some other refs took him to the hospital for X-rays. It turns out he broke it in two places and had to go get surgery done to put some pins in (I think). Hopefully that went okay and he has a fast and full recovery. Anyway, so Darcy and I were left to two man the rest of the first period before we got another guy dressed and ready to line the rest of the game. A bit of an adventure to begin my Midget 'AAA' career but oh well, it ended up going okay (except of course for Dean's broken ankle). Hopefully my first day on the job at Best Buy is a bit more calm and less news worthy.