Thursday, February 8, 2007
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Space Travel...can it be done?
A question about space travel has plagued me for the last few weeks.
As we know, all that fascinating cosmic stuff we hear about and see in pictures is really a snapshot of what it looked several light years ago, depending on how far away it is.
So, I am thinking a human couldn't actually travel to any of those cosmic things, even at the speed of light, without growing old and dying along the way.
Is that true? Is there any way humans could travel several light years away without dying? Is that where black holes and such come into play? You find black hole x (I'll take door number 3 Chuck) and blammo, you are instantly taken to a cosmic destination several light years away.
The sad thing is, I could have had all this answered a few different times in my life:
- When I was in Astronomy 101
- When I worked at PureEdge and was surrounded by Sci-Fi fans.
The worrisome thing is is that I probably know the answer and Mikey is going to have some smarta$$ reply to my silly musings. I can take it Mikey, bring it on!
As we know, all that fascinating cosmic stuff we hear about and see in pictures is really a snapshot of what it looked several light years ago, depending on how far away it is.
So, I am thinking a human couldn't actually travel to any of those cosmic things, even at the speed of light, without growing old and dying along the way.
Is that true? Is there any way humans could travel several light years away without dying? Is that where black holes and such come into play? You find black hole x (I'll take door number 3 Chuck) and blammo, you are instantly taken to a cosmic destination several light years away.
The sad thing is, I could have had all this answered a few different times in my life:
- When I was in Astronomy 101
- When I worked at PureEdge and was surrounded by Sci-Fi fans.
The worrisome thing is is that I probably know the answer and Mikey is going to have some smarta$$ reply to my silly musings. I can take it Mikey, bring it on!
What a concept
So, I am back at work, managing not only the projects I was working on before to the layoff, but also a few more. I am busy to say the least. But not as busy as my co-worker who has to fly off to Kiev for 10 days.
All that work doesn't leave much time for the job hunt, so I spend my evenings working on my resume. I've put a few out there, but need to fire off some more.
What is great about this whole layoff-contract thing is that I have the luxury of being completely open and upfront about my job search. In fact, it is socially acceptable to bounce ideas off co-workers and use HR to network. What a concept!
And to add further bounce to my step, the property tax winfall I confirmed last week has gone through and I no longer carry a balance on my credit card! Of course, the monthly fees and interest may not have been calculated yet, so I could still see a balance owing over the next few weeks.
I still have ~$3000 from that winfall and I am reluctant to do anything with it, including putting it in my RRSP or against my mortgage. That would be the wise thing to do, but I have become a bit of a miser and don't want to lock it away somewhere. I am also getting cold feet about my kitchen reno now that I may be able to bump it up by two years. The idea of jumping into the demo and rebuild process is a little daunting. Not sure I am ready for that as I am still recovering from the bathroom reno of 2006...which has about a weekend worth of touching up to do...11 months later!
All that work doesn't leave much time for the job hunt, so I spend my evenings working on my resume. I've put a few out there, but need to fire off some more.
What is great about this whole layoff-contract thing is that I have the luxury of being completely open and upfront about my job search. In fact, it is socially acceptable to bounce ideas off co-workers and use HR to network. What a concept!
And to add further bounce to my step, the property tax winfall I confirmed last week has gone through and I no longer carry a balance on my credit card! Of course, the monthly fees and interest may not have been calculated yet, so I could still see a balance owing over the next few weeks.
I still have ~$3000 from that winfall and I am reluctant to do anything with it, including putting it in my RRSP or against my mortgage. That would be the wise thing to do, but I have become a bit of a miser and don't want to lock it away somewhere. I am also getting cold feet about my kitchen reno now that I may be able to bump it up by two years. The idea of jumping into the demo and rebuild process is a little daunting. Not sure I am ready for that as I am still recovering from the bathroom reno of 2006...which has about a weekend worth of touching up to do...11 months later!
Monday, February 5, 2007
Its Alive!
As fellow Victorians know, we had rain this weekend. In fact, it pissed rain the entire time my friends and I were out on our weekly stroll along Dallas road with the dogs.
I am pleased to say that my car started, despite the rain. Woo Hoo! It was a pretty challenging test to pass, but the real challenge will be whether it starts during a deluge like we had in Nov, and again in Jan. I'm not worried.
Given the festivities of last week, I have yet to finish send my letter of complaint to Toyota. But I wanted to be sure the car worked in the rain anyways so I am not that behind.
I am pleased to say that my car started, despite the rain. Woo Hoo! It was a pretty challenging test to pass, but the real challenge will be whether it starts during a deluge like we had in Nov, and again in Jan. I'm not worried.
Given the festivities of last week, I have yet to finish send my letter of complaint to Toyota. But I wanted to be sure the car worked in the rain anyways so I am not that behind.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Hitting the books...
Urgent to get a kick butt job, I've taken a more aggressive approach to my chosen profession of Project Management. I'm studying for the PMP exam. Sure, I'll sign up for a prep course, but for now, I am filling my head with knowledge (or reconnecting the neurons to the knowledge I already had stashed in my brain) that I am sure I'll need for an interview.
I've started with a book that I should have picked up 2 years ago...back when I was thrust into the position with very little if any guidance. I can't plead neglect on the part of my coworkers as they had their own dragons to slay, but when they were done with the dragons I have to admit the sudden focus on me and my methods was a little frustrating. I'm just glad I learned to appreciate and highly respect the wisdom, even if it was a little delayed in getting to me.
Back to the book. It mentions the PMBOK (Body of Knowledge) a lot, so it helps to reinforce the things I'll need to know for the exam and my job. And the book is well organized so studying isn't that bad. Besides, I really do like my profession and I can't wait to apply some of the new found knowledge to my next project.
What is funny is that in all these years since my days at Uvic I have not forgotten how to procrastinate. It is great though -- my dishes are done, laundry done, and even a 3 hour nap to boot! I just wish my cats would stop sitting on my books and asking me to take another nap.
I've started with a book that I should have picked up 2 years ago...back when I was thrust into the position with very little if any guidance. I can't plead neglect on the part of my coworkers as they had their own dragons to slay, but when they were done with the dragons I have to admit the sudden focus on me and my methods was a little frustrating. I'm just glad I learned to appreciate and highly respect the wisdom, even if it was a little delayed in getting to me.
Back to the book. It mentions the PMBOK (Body of Knowledge) a lot, so it helps to reinforce the things I'll need to know for the exam and my job. And the book is well organized so studying isn't that bad. Besides, I really do like my profession and I can't wait to apply some of the new found knowledge to my next project.
What is funny is that in all these years since my days at Uvic I have not forgotten how to procrastinate. It is great though -- my dishes are done, laundry done, and even a 3 hour nap to boot! I just wish my cats would stop sitting on my books and asking me to take another nap.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
The cat came back...
I'm back at ACD for a 4 week contract. I would have liked one more day to really fine tune my resume and get more sent off, but I wanted to get back to my old projects.
It was wierd being back because I got so much positive attention. I really am a humble person, and attention goes straight to the tear ducts! I kept it together and made my way to my office which hadn't changed a bit.
Before I could get deep into work, I got a lead on a position at a company in town. I was pretty excited as I've heard they have a similar culture to ACD. So, I ran through my resume one last time, whipped up a cover letter and sent it off. If they really are like ACD, they'll be so dazzled by all I have to offer and look past the minor limitations and let me learn on the job. Cross your fingers!
It was wierd being back because I got so much positive attention. I really am a humble person, and attention goes straight to the tear ducts! I kept it together and made my way to my office which hadn't changed a bit.
Before I could get deep into work, I got a lead on a position at a company in town. I was pretty excited as I've heard they have a similar culture to ACD. So, I ran through my resume one last time, whipped up a cover letter and sent it off. If they really are like ACD, they'll be so dazzled by all I have to offer and look past the minor limitations and let me learn on the job. Cross your fingers!
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