A Change of Luck:

For all the other people out there born in 1979 (the Year of the Ram), take note: This is your year! For some particular reason, Chinese astrologists have determined that this year, the Year of the Monkey, is going to be a good year for sheep. What's even more bizarre is that if you carry with you a small symbol of a horse, it will bring you additional luck. Today my aunt gave me a little stone horse to carry around on my purse. It kind of looks like a Scottish terrier from certain angles. So, even if it doesn't really work, I don't care, it's still really cute.

I know that some of you are probably saying to yourself, "I don't believe in this crap." Well, I was told that last year was supposed to be a particularly rough year for Rams, and I guess that would be evident in the fact that I was unsuccessful in my search for a job. Well...yesterday (the second day of the New Year), I got a rejection letter from a company that I had an interview with last year, but at the same time I had the best interview of my life with a different company, and right now, it looks like I may have a job before the end of the month. Long story short, it's a contract (1 year) quality assurance position with a big pharmaceutical company located up in Stouffville (northeast of Toronto). From the description that they gave me, it would be a perfect job for me, because it would allow me to be involved in a lot of different projects, and would help me to gain experience in almost all aspects of the industry, like production, validation, quality control, process control, etc. I had the interview in the morning, and that same afternoon they called me back to tell me that they like me, and to send in my references ASAP so that they could speed up the process. So, it's not a sure thing yet, but hey...my luck is changing.

"You must be my lucky star, 'cause you shine on me wherever you are"

Boldly Going Where Someone Has Gone Before:

Oh yeah...in all the commotion, I forgot to mention that I met Al's friend Ben yesterday, who has what I believe is one of the coolest jobs in the world. He's a CG animator, and right now he's working on a Disney feature that's due out in 2005. The company's called C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, and they also did the special effects for other live action movies like "X-Men" and "Blade". He's mentioned a bunch of other things he's worked on, like a weekday morning kids' program. Oh yeah, and the CEO of his company is William Shatner. The employees were sent an e-mail prior to Shatner's visit indicating that they should remain professional, and not approach him for autographs. Regardless, there was a mad dash to the Silver Snail to obtain paraphernalia that could possibly be worth more with a Shatner signature. Of course, he didn't sign anything.

Oh, one more thing...they can scan a photo of your face and project what you'll look like in 30, 40, 50 years. Usually they use it when kids go missing for several years or when they're looking for criminals who have evaded capture for decades. Apparently they scanned Ben's picture into the computer. But for some reason, they wouldn't let him see the result.

"When I was seventeen, it was a very good year"

So, if my parents ask, I was at my friend Bob's place last night, hanging out, okay?

Here's the real story:

My Waterloo friends and I have a tendency to torture our friend Allan on his birthday. Last year, we gave him a break, and we just took him out for dinner. This year, we figured we needed to do something more interesting. So we took him out for dinner again, except we surprised him by secretly inviting his friend Ben from high school. That was all well and good. Then with the gifts, we gave him a gag gift (a pocket-sized version of "Dating for Dummies") and a real gift (an Ottawa Senators t-shirt...I felt so icky when I bought it). So that was okay. Then we took him blindfolded down Yonge Street and stopped in front of...The Brass Rail. Yes friends, we went to a strip club. What was really great was that everyone went inside to check it out, even Rehmat, whose parents would probably kill her if they ever found out (shhh!).

So, what are my impressions? Well, it was crowded, but probably because there was a bachelor party going on (there was a bus parked outside), so we didn't get the best seats in the house. There were actually a few other women in there who weren't employees. And perhaps it was because it was still kind of early (around 10-11pm), but the ladies weren't all that impressive. They were pretty, but not that great at dancing. One girl used the Atari's "Boys of Summer", which in my opinion was a weird song to dance to. It could have worked but she was kind of moving around slowly, which was all wrong. Rehmat and I were somewhat disappointed, and Bob actually got bored. Even the audience wasn't that excited. Every time a girl finished her act, there was a small smattering of applause. The announcer had to keep encouraging the guys to make some noise. The last girl we saw before we left was a little more interesting though. She climbed up the pole and hung upside down using only her legs. We left soon after that because a party of 15 was going to come in and we didn't want to get trapped in the corner.

Conclusions? Maybe The Brass Rail isn't the best one out there, but if most strip clubs are like that, then I don't see what the big deal is. I know that sounds funny coming from me, but I think that even if it were a bunch of guys getting naked on a stage, it wouldn't have been any more interesting. Unless they were really good looking...

"I search myself, I want you to find me, I forget myself, I want you to remind me"

A Mish-Mash of Thoughts:

"Why are millions spent on the war each day, while not a penny is available for medical science, artists, or the poor? Why do people have to starve when mountains of food are rotting away in other parts of the world? Oh, why are people so crazy?"
- Anne Frank, May 3, 1944

I started reading the Diary of Anne Frank last year for my Children's Lit class and never got around to finishing it. I picked it up during my cleaning phase and have been reading it for the past few weeks. Interesting that almost 60 years later, people are still asking the same questions that she did.

Winter decided to catch up all at once. After a mild wet December, we've been hit with a cold snap that would freeze you to the bone instantly. Windchill makes it feel like it's -30C or lower. Last night was clear, and with the moon shining down on my frozen backyard, it was eerie. Even though it's been sunny, I've chosen to hibernate in my home, waiting for the weather to ease up a little. Which will happen later this weekend, thankfully.

I got some government money in the mail today (hooray!). I also got my tax return package for 2003. I just realized right now that I didn't make any money last year. Well, a little bit from my investments, but other than that, since I didn't have a co-op or regular job, I had no income. That hasn't happened in five years. I'm not sure how I feel about this. No taxes to pay makes me feel good, but no job kind of makes me feel bad. Like I said before, I feel like I am detached from reality, existing but without a purpose.

Bah...when are those people going to call me back about the job???

Lesson of the day: Chocolate does not go bad, even after three and a half years. It does, however, get a little crunchier.

"All I want to do is be more like me and be less like you"

Good News to Kick Off the New Year:

Congratulations to Lisa McMurray (nee Dabor) and her husband Dave! For those of you who remember Lisa from high school, she just gave birth to a boy, Adam Jonathan. I heard she was due in late December, so this kid was taking his time. But still, Lisa's gotten to a stage that I can't envision for myself even in the near future. She's been married...five years now, at least. She and Dave had been together for seven years prior to that. If I were to take the same path starting this very second...I would catch up to her at the age of 37. Still, perspective is everything, and I doubt that our paths would be all that similar. But I can still dream.

Lesson of the day: "Wozani" means "let's get together" in Zulu.

"Someday, somehow, we're gonna make it all right, but not right now"