People are Depressing

I learned a hard lesson about friendship this morning, and pet ownership. I’m kind of confused, disappointed and rather sad about it. 

Train

An Airplane Crashing into a Pig Farm

I kind of botched my interview yesterday. It was my own doing though, as I should have anticipated that four hours of sleep doesn’t make my memory good at recollecting. It was kind of like last-minute cramming for an exam, in that I prepared way too much, way too last minute, and assumed my quirky personality would magically execute this mad scientist presentation outline.

Everyone keeps asking me what my “PowerPoint” was like, and I keep having to clarify that I hate PowerPoints. I would never use one in a verbal presentation ever again. I actually used a learning console that was really well laid out for the purpose of my presentation (talking points), but I forgot the order of the talking points. It was a stumbling start. You can simulate this by watching the piano video, and waiting half a minute after in silence as  you imagine me grasping straws at what my goal and/or overall point was.

Of course I totally remembered my whole strategy and goal after the interview, but at the time, in front of six administrators (overkill?), my brain took a big crap. Thanks brain, way to go!

In the end, I feel pretty bad about how it all went, and I feel like I let down my project manager, but on the positive side, I got to positively geek out for one full hour and get listened to, as well as I taught my VP something (“I learned something new!”). So it wasn’t all bad. A “learning experience” as we call it in education.

Allan, you should try the Grammar Ninja game or the CSI game, I think you’d dig them.

 

To infinity….

You know what happens when your tech department is obtuse? Shit like this. I’m counting down the minutes it takes them to run to my desk in horror.

at the cabin

What to do when you are favoured….

..for a position you areactuallyreally under-qualified for.

Oh my god….

I can’t figure this out…It’s one of the new Lego ads. The other characters are basically recognizable (SouthPark, Simpsons, etc.) but not this one.

I’ve basically had the worst day at work. I think finding images for the course has got to be the most time-sucking task ever because of copyright issues. We can buy images, but when you are trying to compose a media study, do you know how hard it is to get rights to an advertisement? It’s weird, but it’s like entering the sixth circle of Hell to get done.

I’m happy to hear your project went so well Allan, that’s awesome news : ). And for a note on an interesting conclusion…it must have been great : ). Worry eliminated!

 

 

Ulcer averted

Hello Em,

As you no doubt recall I have been driving myself nuts for the past couple of months fussing over a group project.

Well I finally got my mark back.  I got a B+ for the project itself and an A for the course overall.  That makes me feel better.

The main criticisms of the report are exactly what I thought they would be: the sections that the two members of my group that really failed to perform were in charge of.

I would like to point out that the prof had lots of praise for the organization and writing style, even going so far as to say reading the conclusion was interesting and enjoyable (!).  As the author of those sections I feel my heart fill with pride.

Anyway, I felt like bragging.

I do feel somewhat conflicted because, looking at the mark breakdown, it becomes apparent that some members of the group enhanced the overall mark and others actively detracted from it, but we all get the same grade.  I guess such is life eh?

*Looks at France, Sees Underpants*

I have a theory that because their “presidential” election is a much more drawn out and equitable process that this might explain the voter turn out. Not to mention (thank you Wikipedia) Sarkozy kind of was an insincere fuck-up. The Hollande fellow seems like he’s got a much better sense of where the concerns of the people lie, to say nothing of the delayed and much-needed response to the growing multicultural needs of the country. There has been a huge influx of people to France’s population in the last ten years, and most have been minorities (riots anyone?). Sarkozy seems to have either turned a blind eye, or handed out insincere pacification efforts whenever shit has hit the fan with France’s immigrant population (a large portion of the blue collar workers–oh snap–  Hollande anyone? ). Sarkozy is kind of a cuchon.

So basically, I sat here, recapped on French news, and read two paragraphs from Wikipedia to cast harsh judgement on and rant about. Then, I accidentally posted it to my course development blog that is only on the email feeds of like…my whole english department. Note to self… duuhhhh….

Let us take a moment and look at france

Yo Em;

It seems like only yesterday we were in the midst of the Alberta election.  Well France just held their presidential election and I would like to highlight something: Le taux de participation devait atteindre les 82 % à 20 heures, selon les premières estimations. 

Wow, 82% voter turnout.  Not only that, but high voter turnout like that is pretty normal.  Compare to say our <50% norm for voter turnout and it makes you wonder what France is doing right and what Canada is doing wrong.