Wow, lots of stuff happened so fast, and although no one reads this, I figured I'd update it anyway in case I'm famous someday and they need records of how awesome I am.
Ahem.
Anyway, on June 27th I was walked out of Dell with the rest of my remaining collegues in the XPS queue. The last day, which was actually the 26th as the 27th we simply returned to get our walking papers, was a half day with a catered party. Lone Star Restaurant provided some awesome fajitas for the farewell.
Well, now I had a lot of time to do stuff on FF! Oh, yea, and apply to jobs. Yea, definitely apply to jobs. I'll come back to that.
For Final Fantasy, I joined a new shell for events, Coast2Coast, run by a buddy from WhatTheHell, Shinyiu. Shin's a great guy, and the shell is fun when he, or my other buddies I've met through other shells, are on. Most of the time I sort of feel on the outside of the group since I'm new. So I spend more time in WoA than C2C for chatting, and what not.
C2C is highly active, and I and Bratia got swept up in it, completing up to 8-2 in rank missions and 3-5 in CoP. We also helped out as many people as we could, and I got to try to kite Chardy (failing miserably) so that we could claim for an LS member in need of a JoyToy.
Meanwhile, BST finally got some major loving, and crept up to 71. I also finally completed the AF for it and for NIN.
So, back to my job situation. On my little holiday, I was hired by Protectron, a large security/alarm company in Canada. I'll be moving into a tech support role there as soon as training is done.
So life, as it stands now, is VERY good!
Showing posts with label real life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label real life. Show all posts
Friday, July 25, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
It's my birthday!
I hope Travors at Garfield minus Garfield doesn't mind the hotlink to his comic. Perhaps shameless promotion of his sites will make him not hate me.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Wii(aren't)Fit
I am a big, fat, lazy pig, as Homer would say.
My wife saw some commercials for the hottest new Wii-ccessory, the WiiFit. It's basically a scale with attitude that is supposed to help you get into shape. Being the open-minded gamer I am, I managed to wrangle one (thanks entirely to my Dad running around in his small town and locating one when my large-scale city was out) and of course had to try it out.
I am way outta shape.
The games left me huffing, puffing, and coated in sweat. I did of course nearly get 4 stars (the best possible rating) on some of the more aerobic exercises. And for someone as out of shape as me, that's an accomplishment.
There has been some pretty harsh criticism of the WiiFit, stating that it cannot be a weight loss solution, and that some of its exercises are too easy. These people are missing the point. Weight across the nation is going up. People are less active. At this point anything that gets us moving is a good idea!
As for me, I intend on hopping on the WiiBoard tonight and continuing to get back into shape. I'll let you all know the results I get as I go along.
My wife saw some commercials for the hottest new Wii-ccessory, the WiiFit. It's basically a scale with attitude that is supposed to help you get into shape. Being the open-minded gamer I am, I managed to wrangle one (thanks entirely to my Dad running around in his small town and locating one when my large-scale city was out) and of course had to try it out.
I am way outta shape.
The games left me huffing, puffing, and coated in sweat. I did of course nearly get 4 stars (the best possible rating) on some of the more aerobic exercises. And for someone as out of shape as me, that's an accomplishment.
There has been some pretty harsh criticism of the WiiFit, stating that it cannot be a weight loss solution, and that some of its exercises are too easy. These people are missing the point. Weight across the nation is going up. People are less active. At this point anything that gets us moving is a good idea!
As for me, I intend on hopping on the WiiBoard tonight and continuing to get back into shape. I'll let you all know the results I get as I go along.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
A goodbye to a good job
No doubt most everyone will have heard by now through one news agency or another that Dell Computers Inc. will experience a massive headcount reduction in their North American operations. And if anyone knows me, they know that I work for Dell in their contact center in Canada.
It is with some sadness and oddly much relief that I can say that yes, I will be losing my job in a couple of months. After nearly two and a half years, after helping launch what was said to be the best call center in the Dell network, it all comes to an end.
Now as I said, I say this with some great degree of relief. That's because we have in fact been living with this issue hanging over our head for months. When the economy in the United States started falling into a recession, and our own economy surged upwards because of it, unrest began within the company. Ever since then, we've just been awaiting the final word to come down.
I am not angry at Dell, and this post has nothing to do with that. In their service, they've treated me with a great amount of respect, have compensated me more than fairly, and given me new confidence in my abilities as a technician. While I did have issues with some policy decisions that affected me, I still did love the work, and still do. As I told my former site director in a personal email, I will continue to be a professional until the bitter end. And that has a lot to do with the fact that Dell has never been utterly disdainful in their treatment of me.
My wife is panicking, the mortgage is coming up for renewal, there are always bills to be paid, and I will be let go at the same time as a great deal of other staff. All that adds up to taking a job with less pay and putting more stress on myself and my wife. It also will most likely mean less time to see friends online, or to post here.
Not that anyone reads this.
However, oddly, I feel no panic, no fear. I am more positive than I have been in weeks that everything will work out, and I can thank the time spent riding the desk for that. Two and a bit years ago when I started, I was afraid of failure, afraid of doing something wrong. I was scared to mess up someone's computer, or lose what was a big opportunity for myself. Now, I feel confident that I could do this role again for anyone, and do it well.
The only sadness I have is that I will not be able to help the customers who call into Dell for service. That has been the one real pleasure of my job, when I make that connection with someone else and help them out of a tough situation. It also helps that Dell has committed resources to help me transition to a new role elsewhere. It shows that they do respect the work we put in, and I am grateful for that.
The next few months will be a trial for me, I know that, but I go forward with a great deal of hope that I will be alright and that I will pull through this.
It is with some sadness and oddly much relief that I can say that yes, I will be losing my job in a couple of months. After nearly two and a half years, after helping launch what was said to be the best call center in the Dell network, it all comes to an end.
Now as I said, I say this with some great degree of relief. That's because we have in fact been living with this issue hanging over our head for months. When the economy in the United States started falling into a recession, and our own economy surged upwards because of it, unrest began within the company. Ever since then, we've just been awaiting the final word to come down.
I am not angry at Dell, and this post has nothing to do with that. In their service, they've treated me with a great amount of respect, have compensated me more than fairly, and given me new confidence in my abilities as a technician. While I did have issues with some policy decisions that affected me, I still did love the work, and still do. As I told my former site director in a personal email, I will continue to be a professional until the bitter end. And that has a lot to do with the fact that Dell has never been utterly disdainful in their treatment of me.
My wife is panicking, the mortgage is coming up for renewal, there are always bills to be paid, and I will be let go at the same time as a great deal of other staff. All that adds up to taking a job with less pay and putting more stress on myself and my wife. It also will most likely mean less time to see friends online, or to post here.
Not that anyone reads this.
However, oddly, I feel no panic, no fear. I am more positive than I have been in weeks that everything will work out, and I can thank the time spent riding the desk for that. Two and a bit years ago when I started, I was afraid of failure, afraid of doing something wrong. I was scared to mess up someone's computer, or lose what was a big opportunity for myself. Now, I feel confident that I could do this role again for anyone, and do it well.
The only sadness I have is that I will not be able to help the customers who call into Dell for service. That has been the one real pleasure of my job, when I make that connection with someone else and help them out of a tough situation. It also helps that Dell has committed resources to help me transition to a new role elsewhere. It shows that they do respect the work we put in, and I am grateful for that.
The next few months will be a trial for me, I know that, but I go forward with a great deal of hope that I will be alright and that I will pull through this.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Harsh Realizations
This post comes a few days later than I intended, what with the decision to change blog spots.
A few days back, I was at the local mall picking up some games for my wife's DS. I was on my way back, when I came a cross a pair of blind individuals. There was a young man using a cane, and a woman with a seeing eye dog.
Now the area I'm in has a cross walk with an audible signal and a few bus stops. I assumed they had just gotten off of a bus and were making their way to someplace nearby. This crosswalk lies beneath an enclosed walkway that connects to sections of the mall. It's all important, trust me.
Now as I passed them, the woman was keeping pace with me, but the man became disoriented. It was a busy day, and he was constantly bumping into people. His friend, the blind woman, called out to him. Now with the noise, the overpass, and all the rest, her voice really gave him no direction. He wound up falling farther back and becoming turned around.
I was compelled to stop. I wanted to help. It was obvious they needed it. They were losing one another. A few people helped the man move in the right direction, so I slowly started moving along. I looked over my shoulder and saw them make yet another wrong turn, entering a shop, becoming visibly confused and slowly backing out.
I stopped to listen to them for a moment, and they were looking to go to McDonald's, one door down from the wrong shop. The man had smelled the food, and wanted to stop. I wound up helping them to the store, with a quick word that it was just down at the next shop. I opened the doors for them, and felt that I'd done a good deed for the day.
But then... they could not find the counter. I had intended on leaving. I had groceries to do, I wanted to go play some FF... But I couldn't. So I guided them to get in line. It was an experience guiding them. How do you give directions to someone who cannot see?
In the end, by holding their sleeves or hands, I managed to get them turned around, and settled into the end of the line. The curved line. I got them there, and then decided I had done enough, that others would prompt them further. I turned back before leaving to see my two charges forlorned, a growing gap between the line and them.
So I went back, and guided them to the counter, helped them get seated, and educated them how to find the mall's entrance again. They thanked me, and they wished me a good day.
On my way home, I wanted to cry. How often had I complained about my feet hurting, or a store being closed as if it were the end of the world? How many times had I taken for granted that I had feet to walk with, eyes to see the store closed? And how miserable of me is it to be glad not to be these two people right then?
I could not imagine living in a world without seeing it. How do you manage? Look at how something so every day, so simple, becomes an odyssey for them. I am blessed to have all my normal faculties. We all are that have them. Often, we take them for granted, and we shouldn't.
A few days back, I was at the local mall picking up some games for my wife's DS. I was on my way back, when I came a cross a pair of blind individuals. There was a young man using a cane, and a woman with a seeing eye dog.
Now the area I'm in has a cross walk with an audible signal and a few bus stops. I assumed they had just gotten off of a bus and were making their way to someplace nearby. This crosswalk lies beneath an enclosed walkway that connects to sections of the mall. It's all important, trust me.
Now as I passed them, the woman was keeping pace with me, but the man became disoriented. It was a busy day, and he was constantly bumping into people. His friend, the blind woman, called out to him. Now with the noise, the overpass, and all the rest, her voice really gave him no direction. He wound up falling farther back and becoming turned around.
I was compelled to stop. I wanted to help. It was obvious they needed it. They were losing one another. A few people helped the man move in the right direction, so I slowly started moving along. I looked over my shoulder and saw them make yet another wrong turn, entering a shop, becoming visibly confused and slowly backing out.
I stopped to listen to them for a moment, and they were looking to go to McDonald's, one door down from the wrong shop. The man had smelled the food, and wanted to stop. I wound up helping them to the store, with a quick word that it was just down at the next shop. I opened the doors for them, and felt that I'd done a good deed for the day.
But then... they could not find the counter. I had intended on leaving. I had groceries to do, I wanted to go play some FF... But I couldn't. So I guided them to get in line. It was an experience guiding them. How do you give directions to someone who cannot see?
In the end, by holding their sleeves or hands, I managed to get them turned around, and settled into the end of the line. The curved line. I got them there, and then decided I had done enough, that others would prompt them further. I turned back before leaving to see my two charges forlorned, a growing gap between the line and them.
So I went back, and guided them to the counter, helped them get seated, and educated them how to find the mall's entrance again. They thanked me, and they wished me a good day.
On my way home, I wanted to cry. How often had I complained about my feet hurting, or a store being closed as if it were the end of the world? How many times had I taken for granted that I had feet to walk with, eyes to see the store closed? And how miserable of me is it to be glad not to be these two people right then?
I could not imagine living in a world without seeing it. How do you manage? Look at how something so every day, so simple, becomes an odyssey for them. I am blessed to have all my normal faculties. We all are that have them. Often, we take them for granted, and we shouldn't.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)