BNJMN

So my last blog entry had me trying to convince myself not to buy a new computer. I needed strong convincing. Then I thought about it. By waiting, sure I could set aside the money… Sure I could get by with my poor, falling-apart Dell. By waiting, however, I’m inching closer to a newer shiner iMac (expected anytime between tomorrow and never). I’m suffering for no real reason. Why not get an iMac now, start transferring over my life. Start all the projects I’l get to “when I get a new computer”? In short, I bought my Mac. It’s like a 15-year dream finally come true. iMac on the bus Who says iMacs aren't portable? Let me tell you, few things are as joyous as the moment when I plugged it in and that screen lit up. It was magic, enhanced by all 27 inches of screen. I’ve lugged all kinds of stuff on a bus before. Faux Christmas trees, giant pencils. Mannequins. Other computers. Bringing a new iMac box on the bus turns heads. It starts conversations. It could seat two, if t...

There's this one space near my house where I can hear if a bus is coming, but I can't see it. And when I hear a bus, I better be running, because to make it to the bus stop, I need to cross a fairly busy road. Yesterday, I was in just that predicament. And I ran. World record running. I could have bested a Jamaican sprinter. Granted, that sprinter is probably 73, had one too many rum and cokes, and is missing a toe due to an unfortunate fishing incident... but still, pretty fast. And the bus stopped! Good thing there is someone getting on at that stop, embarking on an adventure that very well might have changed his life. I zip across one side of the northbound lanes, which thanks to a light that just changed a couple hundred metres away, has zero traffic. As I reach the island, the southbound traffic in both lanes actually stop for me just so that I can make it to the bus. If Ottawa drivers get a bad rap, certainly the rap-givers never saw that sight! Just as I run right behin...

The O-Train is running today. People protested the mayor at the Greenboro stop, where he was PRing it up. In one week, I'll be able to take buses home, but will still need rides to work and be walking to school. Should be exciting. OH AND I'M GOING TO DISNEYWORLD! FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. Just thought I would throw that out there. Because I'm excited ^_^

The bus strike is over. Fifty-One days. To that, add a week to get bare-bonced service back, and between 4 and 12 weeks before full service is restored... That means that I'll still need to find rides to work in the early mornings and walking to school. The one thing thats come from this strike is that I now like walking to school. It's probably the quiet time where I actually get to listen to music that appeals to me the most. It's almost a shame that it took me 40 days to realise that I should use this strike as an opportunity to eat less junk and become more fit, if only so that I can walk to school all that much faster - not that I would trade an opportunity to do so for another 50 days sans bus. I'll keep walking to school (at least once a week) as part of my routine, not that I have much of a choice until local service is restored during rush hour. I mean really? No local service during rush hour? It's kinda useless, no? Funny thing is the whole affair could h...

There was a Friday in November that I considered to be among the worst days of my life. I had bought $100 worth of presents for Christmas, and brought food to work in my Ratatouille bowl. That night, Prashanta picked me up from work, and we went downtown to eat and then meet up with some friends. While at the restaurant, somehow, someone had broken into the car and stolen the gifts and my backpack, and even the spare change ubiquitous to any car. At the time, I thought I had 6 DS games and my mp3 player in by backpack. All I could think about was how rare The World Ends with You is and that I wouldn't want to restart it from scratch. Or how many crosswords I had completed in Crosswords DS, or how I was going to give my mp3 player away whenever I break down and boy an iPod touch. Fortunately, I found my mp3 player while cleaning my room! Suddenly, that day didn't seem so bad. And the other day, I was cleaning out my locker at work where low and behold I found my DS g...

It's been cold walking to school, today in particular. Lauren Stone of Live 885 warned me at 6:45 this morning that it was -39C with the Windchill. Skin can freeze with 10 minutes of exposure at that temperature. As I snuggled the warmth of my bed, I wondered if it was really worth it to walk to school, a trek that could freeze my skin five times over. "Damned bus strike." Reluctantly, I pulled myself out of bed and spent the next half hour deciding exactly how to dress. Before stepping out the door, I had the following: Boxer briefs Long johns Black Pants Socks More socks T-shirt Long sleeve t-shirt (Nightmare Before Christmas, if you were wondering) 2006 (07?) CANADA Olympic Hoodie Headband Scarf Winter Jacket Gloves I learned this morning that I have as much experience wearing scarves effectively as I do tying a Windsor knot, possibly because I never wear the darned things (both ties and scarves). Despite this, the scarf was instrumental in keeping me warm for my 50-m...

Thursday. Thursday is the day we find out how much longer this transit strike of ours will last. There's a small part of me that is crossing his even littler fingers in hopes that the wonderful drivers, maintenance staff, and others will vote (thanks to some federal intervention), to have their say on the city's most recent offer, in favour of the offer. this means buses, after multiple inspections and revving up, will be back within one and a half weeks from now. The bigger part of me, ever sceptical, knows that the vote will ruin any chances of getting back to travel normalcy and that buses won't be back on the streets until the better part of January - at the earliest. A little Transit Union-run website has this lovely message for its members: BREAKING NEWS - January 4th, 2009 Forced Second Vote On City's Latest Offer Details Known Dear Brothers and Sisters, The vote ordered by Minister of Labour Rona Ambrose and conducted by Canada Industrial Relati...