Just wanted to leave a message to lend my heart to the 40,000+ people killed in Iran, especially during our holidays ...

-RE

"That's our blood down there
Seems poured from the hands of angels
But trickle into the ground.." -dm

Merry Christmas and Boxing Day everyone!


My Christmas was very good, going up to my cottage for the 24-25th morning. It was great to get out of the city and relax for a bit. although it took about 3 hours to heat up the joint, the cottage was still in great shape. I basically watched a few movies and ate a great turkey dinner -- yes, my mom was still able to cook a full turkey dinner at my cottage! Astounding eh?

Today is boxing day. It's a miracle that i'm up this early and ready to go, so we'll see what i can get. My meagre but realistic goals are:

1. Clothing.Get 1 or 2 sweatshirts/long sleeve T's that have COLOUR: maroon/crimson, yellow or may be even a bit of orange! No earth tones allowed, unless it's the base and there's other colours around it.
2. Digital cameras. So far in my search, I have yet to find one camera that has everything that i want, so we'll see what there is.
3. Bday gifts. Yep, January babies are fast approaching, so why not be more proactive and look around for friends in the new year?
4. CDs! I only got 2 cds this year for xmas, so that means i really really need to start searching for deals downtown or the used bins in the next few months. Goal is to get three, given my budget and whether it's ACTUALLY a deal to get it today!

I think that sounds reasonable for me eh? And it's not glutinous boxing shopping either. We'll see though. I'm experimenting by going solo today, b/c it will probably be more efficient and I won't feel pressured when I take forever at certain stores (e.g. HMV or the Buffalo sale!), or make someone else accommoate for me during this crazy day... Plus, then I can just put on my new 3-disc DMB Central Park and Pearl Jam Lost Dogs CDs to give me gas and inspiration today!

Wish me luck!

Take care,

RE

"eat drink and be merry"

So something insane happened yesterday. It was totally a monumental moment this winter, i can safely say: redemption!

Flash back a decade to 1993. Grade 8, and for me it was Glenview Penitentiary, cell 7/8B. It was my old crew, which I now improperly just group them all as "high school friends" - some actually did move on to schools other than Lawrence Park, namely North Toronto C.I. or Northern Public School. One of my best buddies from elementary school to Glenview moved to Northern, and I completely lost touch with him.

Now, flash to 3 years ago, to fall 2001. I saw my friend in passing outside a local L.C.B.O. on St. Germain Ave. and Avenue Rd. I didn't realize until he said 'hi' to me. I was with a group of friends and so was he. I thought it was one of those 'hey man' and keep going, but he stopped for a sec to talk. I unfortunately kept going and it was just too late for me to stop. Before i knew what happened, i was already in the adjacent Blockbuster video and he was long gone.

Ever since I've been full of guilt, since I have never seen him since. The myth of this guy has been lingering over my head, and one of my best buddies has known of this about me for the last few years, too.. I have walked by this guy's house many times, wondering if he would be there, or at least get the guts to say hi to his mom. She would barely remember me, and after a little jogging of her memory i'm sure she'll think i'm not some random crazy kid :)

I've heard a few tidbits of this guy's whereabouts over the past few years, and it sounded really cool. From being an environmentalist and tree planting, to going to UofGuelph as of late.

Flash to the week of December 21st, and I was out at the local bar with some old friends. We were playing darts, and kept running into old grade school friends; some we liked seeing, some we kind of remembered "hey, isn't that big boob k---? oh what was her name!!", to the ones who were totally knew but had no intention of speaking with them.

After a few rounds of Darts and me losing horribly, we decided to go out Belly's, a local sub sandwich shop just around the corner. While standing there, again we were surrounded by more new generation LPers (my old high school) also having the same munchies after the bar...

Then, suddenly..

DUDLEY!

That's right, J. Dudley, an old best bud whom I've lost touch with for a DECADE now, is standing right behind us in line. Back in my elementary days we used to do everything, from going to the Organ Grinder for bdays, to our Sega Genesis infatuation, to introducing me to Magic: the Gathering, to sleepovers using my old descrambler to watch the old Viewer's choice PPV porn movies! (I could get more detailed and personal, but let's face it, innocent eyes could be reading this! -- and I know, TMI TMI!)

It was incredible. My friends and I went ballistic, and we became the assholes at the counter that night. But I didn't care! It was miraculous. I totally don't remember what happened or what was said, but i got his contact info and i hope to meet up with him later on this week. Can you believe this? Redemption! I will NOT let this opportunity pass up this time. I know that he'll be a totally different person from what i remember, but i know at least i can close off this loose end.. for good.

Funny, i do remember that he was totally tanked that night, and actually called and left a message on my phone at 3:41 a.m.!! My parents weren't too impressed, but after a bit of explaining they were a bit more sympathetic. :)

Yes, one more reason why I need to get a cell phone one day --Random phone calls!

Anyway, this is truly becoming a season of reconnections, if not anything else. Hopefully it will continue on the positive front, rather than any more drama or stress. Who knows what else will happen.. We'll see!

Take care,

RE

"Eat drink and be merry"

I just got back from my weekend in the U.S. For those of you who didn't know (which would be surprising if you know me), I went with a friend to see a Dave Matthews and Friends show in Rochester, NY.

We went on Friday night and stayed at an EconoLodge, which turned out to be a good place to stay, since it was fairly cheap -- We got running water, 2 beds and full cable (including VH1 and HBO!), and that's all that I could ever ask for!

This show was much different from the other DMB shows that I've seen. This is actually the 10th time I've seen DM perform before, but the other times it was with the entire band. This time it was Dave promoting his new solo album, with an all-star cast of musicians to help him do it.

I'm not going to get into specifics, since I would be here all day talking about it, but i will say that this was one of the most INCREDIBLE experiences of my life. Dave came on (no opener) at around 8 o'clock, with just his good friend Tim Reynolds. Timmy is a guitar wizard, and has played with Dave on acoustic tours for years now. This was the first time I've ever seen Dave and Tim (D&T) perform LIVE before, and man, it totally brought me back to the Live @ Luther College CD that I got when I was in high school in '99. There they were man, just like the picture on the back of the Luther CD jewel case... I just couldn't believe it! They played 5 acoustic renditions of DMB songs, 2 of which i have never heard him perform live before.

After the acoustic set, the full band came out. This also included Trey Anastasio (of Phish), who was there for the remainder of the evening. I was speechless seeing 2 lead guitarists (Trey and Tim) both to the left and right of Dave. WOW. They performed Dave's new solo album material, as well as whole WACK of classic rock tunes!

I was really impressed that they didn't perform any DMB songs, only performing Some Devil (the new Dave solo album) or classic rock/folk/country covers. Dave only performed DMB tunes when he was with Tim or Trey acoustically. I think that it was definitely the right thing to do, respecting the other parts of DMB and thus not showing a "i can do this all by myself" mentality.

Blue Cross Arena was definitely a smaller venue that i'm used to when seeing DMB. It's probably the size of mid-sized city hockey areas, like in Kitchener/Waterloo. I would say something between the Waterloo Memorial area and the bigger Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. This smaller size allowed for a more intimate and interactive session. At the beginning of the encore, Dave and Trey came out and sat on a couple of chairs on stage. He started playing the beginnings of a DMB song called "everyday". The crowd also suddenly started to sing the vocal line to a song called #36, a live-only song performed years ago. It's a bit complicated, but basically Dave had an unreleased live song called #36, but later adapted parts of that song to "everyday", a released track on one of the newest DMB albums. The fans all know the old and new songs, so once Dave started to play the guitar part for Everyday, the crowd sang a vocal line from #36 along with it. Before you knew it, Dave was improving Everyday lyrics along with our #36 vocals, while Trey smiled, improved and also grooved to the music. We were now not just the spectators, but also part of the music making. How much better can it get than this??

Overall, the show was over 3 hours. THREE PLUS HOURS! It was basically half Dave songs and half covers. Although I don't know all the names of the classic tunes, I did recognize some of them. A few were "Fire" (Jimi ...let me stand next to your fire!!), Spanish Moon (Robert Palmer), Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel) and Up on Cripple Creek (Dylan i think), and of course a Fool on the Rain finale (Zeppelin).

I can safely say that some of my classic rock buds would have actually had a good time at this show. The jams were AMAZING, especially when Timmy is doing is 15-21st fret guitar runs while Trey is bending and soulfully singing with this guitar, and Dave grooving to the music dancing on stage! It was an aural orgasm, indeed :)

Post DM
After the show we went back to the hotel. Usually after DMB shows, I have to hastily get in my car and drive all the way back home. I've had some crazy experiences driving home, trying to stay awake driving until the wee hours over in the morning. This time, i could just chill and relax. When we got back to the hotel, i was totally feeling like a bong (and not a pipe), so i pulled some MacGyver styles and made one with the objects around me. Here's my recipe:

1. Take an empty diet coke bottle, and rinse it out
2. Use a safety pin and pinch out a hole near the bottom (bowl), and a hole near the top (shotgun)
3. Use the free hotel pen and widen the holes
4. Rip a piece of aluminum found in the takeout container of food you ordered earlier
5. Twist and mold the foil into a conical shape, and stick the smaller end into the bottom hole. This will be your bowl, so make sure there's room to put your weed into it, as well as a hole for air to pass through
6. Seal the hole using the sides of bandaids found in your toiletries bag
7. Fill the diet coke container up until the bottom of the aluminum foil bowl is submerged (for filtering)

And you're set! I worked perfectly, and I do believe I do have a picture which i will post shortly. I don't have a digital camera YET, so there will be a lag for developing of my 8mm camera film. I can't wait to get a digital camera... the possibilities will be endless!!

Anyway, we got back to Toronto on Sunday afternoon, somewhat rested yet still reeling from the trip. I wish I could have made it to the other show, b/c I hear that it went to 3.5 hours! that's ok, this show was better than I could have imagined. My friend also bought me a wicked DMB calendar to remind me of the weekend too.

It was a time to remember, and definitely lightened up my spirits after the interviewing grind. Now it's Christmas, and so much food and presents to enjoy!

Take care,

RE

"Eat drink and be merry"

0 Degress of Separation
It's kind of crazy how small the world is sometimes. I just met someone about a week ago who:

1. Went to the same high school as my 1st year roomate.
2. Knows one of my 2 hardcore madonna friends and vaguely remember his b/f.
3. Is two degrees from one of the managers of Mandarin.
4. Is friends with one of my best friend's korean friend, who went to visit him when he was in the U.S.

HOLY CRAP! How small is this place eh? so many contact points where i'm connected to this guy, and we only met this month. I guess it was a matter of time, eh? What's even better is that he seems to be quite a nice guy, who has issues like eveyone else, and also has an activist nature and travelling bug. What's also great is that he's got a macro perspective on the world, and some views that don't just revolve around the rainbow community. Cool eh! Well, i hope to meet up with him some more, and if we don't make any direct plans, i bet that we'll run into each other indirectly again too!

DINNER TIME!
A friend of mine invited me to a dinner party last weekend. To be honest, i've only met this person once before, but we've been friends for at least 7-8 months. I totally love this guy, he's fun to talk to, politically minded, and has lots of knowledge about vegetarian/vegan foods. I had plans already made on the Saturday, however those soon fell through when i got ditched b/c my friend suddenly had date. thanks! :) -- na, i was totally excited for him, and hopefully it went well! Plus, now I could go to this dinner party.

It was a good experience for me b/c I would be going alone, into a small group of ppl whom I have never met. I only knew the one person, but again, i've only met up with him briefly once before. His boyfriend was a bit older than us, and he had a friend over (similar age) with him. My friend also had another friend over plus me.. The dinner party was very relaxed. The cute couple had prepared most of the dishes the night before, making everything from scratch. That was quite impressive, since some of the dishes included cheese cake, french cut mini-chicken drum sticks, and hot/spicy curry peanut soup (i would say definietly indian inspired).

The dinner consisted of all small mini-dishes, so it was like a dim sum dinner! :) It was great since there was a wide variety of food, and not just regular north american potluck storebought food. Some of the dishes were also asian inpsired, usting hosin sauce to add sweetness to the chicken as well as using won ton wrapping as wrapping for a 3-mushroom dumpling dish.

The remainer of the night consisted of playing the Canadian edition of CRANIUM.
For those who haven't played, basically Cranium is a team-based game where you have to get to the endof the board by playing all the classic games we know: pictionary, charades, multiple choice, T/F, hangman, sculpting (you have to sculpt whatever is written on the card) as well as a bundle of other games. It was a good time, especially b/c it helped break the ice.

I also spent some time trying to figure out one of the guy's profession. It turns out (after much angish and stubborness to figure it out w/o being told) he is a visual merchandiser. He does everything from touch photography to redoing models and storefront layouts. It seems that this industry is a dying breed though, since they're a trade which know a lot about everything, but little about anything in particular... or the big dogs just go to the same established 20 year vetrans each time :). Sounds like marketing in general! heh. ah well. I hope he finds his way; he definitely got the style! He pulled off a soft pink w/spots tie under a sweater technique, w/o looking overly dressed or geeky. Basically, he had on a red sweater on top with a white oxford cloth shirt + tie underneath. The white shirt collar/arm cuffs flared out from under the sweater, and some cool bracelet/watch accessories to finish the outfit. Tres chic! I was really impressed.

So it was a fun night, and hopefully i'll be able to hang out with those guys in the future. Who knows when, since the couple left to VEGAS @ $225 CDN each which includes 5 nights AND airfare! I dono how they scored that one.. and the hotel is NOT some shady fly by night "better bring your own sheets" type affair either. wow! :)

Take care,

RE

"eat drink and be merry"

On December 13-14 there was a factory sale. THE factory sale of the year: UMBRA! Umbra Inc. is a manufacturer of stylish home designs, at competitive prices. They are known for their artistic frames, found at most home stores today.

Consumers mostly purchase their products through resellers like The Bay, Home Company or Blacks, however this weekend they were having their own blowout. Held at the automotive centre at the CNE, shoppers line up for HOURS to get into this factory sale.

My friend and I got up at 5:15 a.m. to line up. We arrived at around 6 a.m., with quite a line having already materialized in front of us. It was pretty damn cold, and I knew this from last year's sale, so this time layered up.. and boy did I layer! for once i actually filled out my coat, and looked (dare i say) a bit squeezable! :)

ANYWAY, with 2 pairs of pants and socks, 2 undershirts, a long sleeve tee, cashmere sweater, cotton sweater, scarf, hat, and 2 pairs of gloves (1 fleece inside smoking gloves), I was ready to tackle Mr. Frost! I am proud b/c i made it lining up from 6-9 a.m. doors opening without having to go inside for warmth. I wasn't too cold actually, and got used to it after awhile. If i went inside, i would have to reintegrate myself with the cold weather again so it wouldn't be worth it.

Overall the sale was worth it. It was fun to meet some nice ladies in line with us (some from Windsor), as well as go and run to get some of the hot stuff that would go fast. I spend around $160, but after sorting out the things that ppl gave me money for, presents for xmas/bdays, i was left with 2 picture frames and a coat hook for my door! heh.

My Achilles Heel...
What truly bothered me about this event was my level of materialism, forgetting what's more important: helping out others. See, while we were in line, we met this really nice couple who were big travelers. They've been out east to Thailand, and in fact had an AMAZING side bag from diesel that she got for $7 US there! I was so jealous.

While we were in line, apparently this pretentious group of sassy trendy mid-twenties tiger striped/highlighted hair with shimmering makeup designer clothing cut in line at around 8:30, just before opening. Of course, the line had gone WAY WAYWAY back, with at least 500 ppl behind us. We knew who had been in line, since we had all been standing for the past 3 hours together! So one of the ladies (the traveler) was very strong and went over to tell them to get out of line. Usually when someone does that and spots the culprit out, they leave.. but these kids just ignored her.

At 9 a.m. we started to go in, and in the front there were some security guards where she told them that this group had bud in line. I was more about principle than a selfish "i wanna get these kids" action. But what happened was that all of us just got so excited about getting in, we left her basically alone with her poor husband to stand against these people. What killed me was that after I heard that they started to really verbally attack her and cause a huge scene. She was outnumbered, when before we were the ones that out-numbered them. This poor woman may not come back next year b/c of the bad experience that she had.

How bad is that? Isn't that disgusting? The one Heroine of the group is the one who took all the beats for all of us. She was crucified by these kids, while we just left thinking, "Wow, she's doing a great thing.. see ya!". I dono.. I just feel horrible at myself b/c i got so caught up in UMBRA products that I forgot about helping out someone in need, as well as for general backup--a wingman if you will. I know how hard it is to do things like that.

E.g. When ppl CLEARLY have more than 8 items in the 1-8 items section of the grocery line. Not many ppl say anything, and the cashier will just tell them "oh, this is 1-8 items, pls go to the other lines next time." Ha. As if it was a "mistake". Please. As behaviourist Goffman would note, we as a society are averse to breaching social norms that in this case would be saying something and "causing a scene." Ppl usually just suck it up, and tell their friends about this "fucking bitch woman" who budded in line after...

I try and say something when people become disrepectful (for example in the 1-8 items line example). At least so this person is aware of their selfishness, and lack of respect for others. This umbra incident is another perfect example of where I would want to be apart of the action, or at least lend some backup. But instead, i was only focusing on running in and getting the best picture frames and home products before they're taken. UMBRA is definitely the pinnacle of my materialism. I don't think i get so caught up over any other brands like this. ARUGH!

So i'm actually a bit happy that I didn't end up with too much of the $160 that i spent. I didn't NEED anything per se, unlike my friend who did need a lot of stuff for her new bathroom. Ah well. I really did learn a lot from the experience, and hope that I don't let my impulsive Id (refering to Freudian's theory of self) take the best of me in similar situations in the future.

Take care,

RE

"please forgive me if i act a little strange, for i know not what i do" -D.Gray

So after the downer of Harlequin, things have started to look on the upside. Just as I was preparing myself to wait until January for any other job opportunities, suddenly a slew of leads have come up!

I had a shotgun phone interview last week with a company called Moneris solutions (credit card payment company), which turned out to be quite intense. As usual, I was taken off guard from the call, and before i knew it i was answering anything from behavioural based "give me a time when..." to pure marketing questions like "what is positioning? (i answer) How would you then position Moneris?". Crazy for a phone interview, i must say. Anyway, yesterday (tuesday) the guy called me back for a formal interview, which will be held next week. I'm not sure how good the job is, but it's off the subway so that's good. We'll see how the 2nd round of interviewing goes.

I also got a call from Magickwoods Inc., which is a kitchen/bath design manufacturer. The "creative marketing manager" would be responsible for both marketing and a little design too, so that looks like a lot of fun! It was also started by UW grads about 8 years ago, and they're already grossing over $20M per year in sales.

In terms of leads, through a friend i may be able to snag a position at an Ad Agency, i'm assuming as an account coordinator to start, then leading toward media buyer or something along those lines. That would also be a great job, and I think it would be a great experience for me to be in an Ad Agency, b/c of their innovative and conceptual avant-guarde thinking, which of course i would love to be apart of. Then may be i can hear conversations about "brand equity" or "creative insight" or "brand stewardship" and feel giddy inside. :)

--but again, that is just a lead, so i can't get ahead of myself. the first two are much more realistic since i have interivew dates nailed down.

On another front, my webproject has also started to get a bit busier. I'm delivering 2 presentations this week to schools alone, so i'm preparing for that. I know the material, i just need to calm myself down and articulate it effectively. I need to communate with enthusiastic flare, but not flaring so strong that I'm racing through the material, leaving everyone in the dust. Nonetheless, this will be great experience for me, since i've never done a sales pitch by myself before.

BEEF BEEF BEEEF!
Oh, also 2 nights ago I was invited to my friend's staff dinner party. It was at Le Bifteck Steakhouse. The night was fun, since it was free food for everyone! I don't eat steak anymore, nor giant pieces of prime rib, so i had to salmon. But after taking a few bites of the salmon, it was clear that they're speciality was definitely steak/prime rib, hence the "steakhouse" as part of their title :). But it was still good, and the desserts were great too! they also had deep fried crutons, which at first sounds gross, but were actually really good... as long as you don't eat too many of them!!

One of the funniest things about this place is their way of labeling the meat for the waiters and waitresses to know. they put little plastic cows on the slabs, ranging from pink to dark brown. On the mini cow, it says "medium rare" or "well done", with french translations as well! And when you translated the french "medium rare" it was "bleeding meat" :) em em em!

So hopefully things will stay on the positive side for me.. we'll see how it all goes!

Take care,

RE

"eat drink and be merry"

I was called by an old friend yesterday night. It was a great surprise, since i haven't spoken to her in awhile; she was calling to see if i was free to meet up that night. 45-mins later, we met up at St. Clair station. It was FREEZING old out, and we quickly made our trek downtown to the Cameron House, near Queen and Spadina.

The place was about 1/2 full, with a band setting up to play. I walked to the backroom, where there is an additional mini-theatre, and sure enough there was a comedy act playing. Why not eh, sounds like a fun time. Just like starving musicians, there's gotta be starving comedians in Toronto! It was a "P.W.Y.C." (pay what you can) event, suggested $5.

After sitting down and chatting about vanilla boys and lost jobs, the comedy act started. It was a running show called "Slap and Tickle," showcasing comedians with skits in between. They had a running game throughout the show, where prizes were hidden in a Santa's bag full of socks. The prizes were hidden inside 3 of the dozens of socks inside. Lucky me, i was called onto the stage where i had to bob my head into the sac and pull out a sock with my teeth. There were actual prizes in there (we saw them put it in), and i was gunning for the $50 bill. Unfortunately, I came up with nothing, but they gave me a snazzy used "almost famous" t-shirt as a consellation prize :)

Now on to the show. The first comedian was ok, and as she got into her routine she got better. The next guy had a stoner Steven Wright feel to him. His jokes were quite crude.. For example, he was talking about the bad effects of acid where he had an hallucination that there were 2 children hanging from his closet... then he realized that it was only 1 kid and a mirror! .

...ANYWAY...

A jolt in the evening
The skits in between were horrible. I really felt for them, b/c they were sketchy, on the side of desperation for a few laughs. One was about 2 consultants for Mel Lastman, trying to tell him the error of his ways when Mel wanted a new slogan: "See you 'n T", but said quickly is "C U N T".. ouch.

Luckily, there was a twist of events to save the night. About 1/2 way through the show, "Pierre Francois", a stereotypical Frenchman, started to mingle with the crowd. He was all about enjoying the evening and sharing with his friends. He first says (in a cheesy French accent of course), "ohoh, i need to share a cigarette with someone eh!". He proceeds to take out 2 cigarettes and finds a guy to share a smoke with him.

"uh huh huh, now i need to share a drink with someone uh!" Pierre goes and shares 2 shots of brandy with someone in the audience. Heh.

"un huh huh, now i need to share a SMOKE with you guys, yes, you know vhat i mean eh!" Everyone laughs kind of hesitantly.. Is he going to pull out a fatty? We all wait in anticipation.

"I know you all smoke marijuana! But because of zee Toronto laws, we cannot smoke inside." He pulls out a joint. It looked real. "C'mon everyone, i invite you to come outside to enjoy a smoke. C'mon, i will use my Pierre Pressure and bring you out!"

Is this true? How incredible would this be eh? And sure enough, after a bit of hesitation from the crowd some guy goes "Man, he's serious, not kidding" which somehow validates everything and we all start to get out coats and head outside!

This is exactly what was needed to spice up the night!

So we're hanging outside and he pulled out something like EIGHT huge fatties, i mean the size of cigarettes. It was incredible, b/c we all stood freezing outside in a circle passing along spliffs. Just as i pass one on, another one comes in. It reminds me of my friend's MJ marathons in his bathroom!

The mood of the rest of the evening changes. Thanks to Mary magic, i was rolling in laugher for the rest of the evening. The last act, this guy Gord w/dreds, was absolutely hilarious. What was better is that the crowd AND the comedians were completely fucked. It was an instant connection between all of us. I felt bad b/c another friend who came to join us came just after the Pierre skit. too bad for him! Anyway, some highlights were his impressions of dale from Kind of the hill being George W. Bush, as well as his jokes about weed--you can't go wrong there! There was one where he was talking about being proud to be Canadian by not going to War.. saying

"...Yeah, while the Americans are bombing Iraq, we're here in Canada smoking up and saying 'dude man, queers are getting married here! hehe sweet' " Quality material there, ladies and gentlemen.

A quick McDicks Run
After the show, we went to McDonalds. I wasn't very keen on it, but they wanted to go badly and all I really needed was any salty treat :). So i caved and got some fries and devoured 'em. My friend got a happy meal (what's with girls and happy meals? my friend was right when he pointed that out!). So inside was this cheesy coffin called "zombie surprise" (wait for the animation on that link) from the movie haunted house. It was sooo bad. Basically you open it and his green zombie comes out to grab you hand. We left the coffin on the table, since we didn't want it.

As we were leaving, the guy behind us, whom i thought was staring at us b/c he totally knew we were high, suddenly came running out saying, "you forgot something!". What would we have forgotten? I walk in and realize that it's just the coffin. I could have said that we didn't want it, but would I want to spoil that warm and fuzzy feeling of good citizenship he was getting from running outside? Of course not! :)

So i went in and said "oh thanks so much!" and he looked down in modesty, and his accent he nodded "yup". I just couldn't throw it out. Now it was sentimental and symbolically represented this innocence...

I told you I was completely gone!

The rest of the night was just going home, trying to act "incognito" in the TTC and watching some downloaded Family Guy in my basement. They were ok quality, but hey, i was happy enough to find 'em on the computer (thanks sis!). One day i need to borrow those DVDs from my friend....

Recovering
So last evening was definitely something crazy and came out of nowhere. I thought I'd be staying home watching Gilmore Girls, and lookie, i'm totally wrecked, caring for a worthless McDonalds toy and waken up by my sister the next morning passed out in yesterdays clothing on the basement sofa. :)

What a night!

Take care,

RE

"eat drink and be merry"

So I called up the recuitment agency to see what the status was for the Harlequin Job. Unfortunately, I was not chosen for the position. Why you ask? Because they thought I was OVER QUALIFIED for the position, and they would not be able to keep me from being bored in the position.

Excuse me? From the job description, it looked REALLY great, especially as an entry marketing coordinator position. It was super formally written (as i said before), and I had the experience that closlely mimicked many of the responsibilities of the position. So apparently they actually wanted some person who had less experience in marketing, one who didn't do as much related work to their field at university. I think it's the first time i've been rejected this fall b/c they thought it was too seasoned for the job, when on my side i really wanted it.

I guess it's admirable, and perhaps it's better than getting rejected just b/c they didn't like me or thought i couldn't handle it. But it's really hard man, cause now i can think, "did i sell myself TOO well? Did i make myself sound like some huge marketing guru who's just interviewing for the sake of it?" I finally found a job and an industry that I really like, an industry that's hard to get into, and i get canned b/c i was "too good." May be it's just a standard answer they give to all ppl that get rejected, a nice white lie to make the rejected ones feel good about themselves!

Back to the drawing board. I don't know how much longer i can do this.

Take care,

RE

"the future [is a] place to place your better days" -dm